Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that result in considerable morbidity and impaired quality of life. Although IBD is ubiquitous, heterogeneity in incidence is noted geographically and among different ethnicities, presumably due to genetic and environmental factors. The incidence and prevalence of IBD has plateaued in many Western countries but are increasing in developing nations. There is a lack of data on IBD pertaining to the Chinese population. / Studies were conducted to determine the characteristics of IBD in the Chinese population. The incidence of IBD in the Chinese population is a fifth to a tenth of Western societies but has risen sharply over the past decade. Several distinct demographic and phenotypic features were noted in the Chinese IBD population. Genetically, Chinese CD patients do not harbour the NOD2/CARD15 polymorphisms unlike Caucasian CD subjects. ANCA and ASCA are serologic markers that are highly specific for UC and CD respectively in the Chinese but ANCA sensitivity in Chinese UC is significantly lower than in Caucasian UC, while quantitative IgG ASCA (and not IgA) is a moderately sensitive test for CD. These markers are useful in differentiating UC from CD. A Chinese translation of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) was developed and validated to be reliable, sensitive to change and reproducible. A prospective cross-sectional survey of the disease-related knowledge of Chinese and Australian IBD patients identified a low level of IBD-knowledge but with a similar quality of life as Caucasians with IBD. There was a similar but high rate of use of complementary alternative medicines in both populations. / These studies were instrumental in: describing IBD in the Chinese population; developing a Chinese IBD database; acquiring techniques of investigating genetic polymorphisms and ASCA serology; devising the Chinese IBDQ to open up IBD trials to Hong Kong; and identifying knowledge deficiencies to help plan a targeted education programme. / Leong Rupert Wing-Loong. / Adviser: Joseph J.Y. Sung. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-01, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (M.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.

Conclusions. Our results showed that conventional in vitro FAO rate assay and acylcamitine profiling in cultured skin fibroblasts could be simplified and performed simultaneously by using the new combined method. Using the new derived parameter, TC, the new method can also reliably detect CUD. Together with molecular studies of ETFA, ETFB and ETFDH genes, the method could detect and confirm a diagnosis of MADD. No definitive case of FAOD was found in a cohort of sixteen SUD cases by the combined method. The new combined method has the potential to be applied as second-line laboratory test for detecting FAOD. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) / First-line laboratory investigation of patients with FAOD is based on some specialized biochemical tests in body fluids including blood/urine carnitine and acylcarnitines, urine organic acids and acylglycines. Further confirmatory tests involve functional assessments of the FAO pathway in cultured skin fibroblasts. The two conventional methods are tritium water release assay for determination of total FAO rate and acylcarnitine profiling for detection of individual FAOD. Based on the basic principles of these two methods, I hypothesized that the total FAO rate assay could be combined with the acylcarnitine profiling if an appropriate substrate and measurement technique were used. In this thesis, I described the development and validation of such assay. In view that the conventional methods cannot reliably detect CUD and MADD, I attempted to test a new derived parameter namely total even-chain acylcarnitines (TC) using the proposed new combined assay for detection of CUD. As mutation analysis of MADD in Chinese patients has not been carried out, a genomic approach was developed to confirm the diagnosis of MADD detected by the new combined assay. Also, the new assay was applied to detect FAOD in a cohort of sudden unexpected death (SUD) Chinese infants. / Mitochondrial fatty acid beta-oxidation (FAO) is a vital process for energy production in most tissues, particularly the skeletal muscle and heart. It also plays an important role to maintain sufficient energy supply through hepatic ketone body formation during fasting and stress. Most fatty acid oxidation disorders (FAOD) may lead to hypoketotic hypoglycaemia, hepatic dysfunction, encephalopathy, skeletal myopathy and cardiomyopathy. / Molecular studies of genomic DNA from five MADD patients in three unrelated Chinese families were performed. Four novel mutations in ETFDH gene were found in two families: one deletion (c.1355delG) and three missense (c.250G>A, c.409C>T and c.1400G>C) mutations. In another family, only one splice site (IVS2+1G>A) mutation in ETFA gene was identified. / The definitive diagnosis in nine CUD patients were made by a very low rates of carnitine uptake (<5% of control) as determined by the conventional radioactive carnitine uptake assay in cultured skin fibroblasts. When using the new combined FAO rate and acylcamitine profiling method, the calculated TC levels of these patients were all below 9.3 nmol/mg protein/96h and were well separated from the control group. At this cutoff value, ROC analysis gave a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 87.5%, the AUC was 0.993, (p<0.001). Therefore, both conventional radioactive carnitine uptake assay and our new combined assay could be useful for the diagnosis of CUD. / Law, Lap Kay. / Advisers: Christopher Lam Wai Kei; Nelson Tang Leung Sang. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: B, page: 3420. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-202). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / The objective of this study is to deduce paternal ancestry using ancestry informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by means of High Resolution Melting (HRM). This was completed by producing a multiplex system that was designed in a hierarchical manner according to the YSNP tree. This project mainly focused on African ancestry and was used to infer paternal ancestral lineages on the Johannesburg Coloured population. South Africa has a diverse population that has ancestral history from across the globe. The South African Coloured population is the most admixed population as it is derived from at least five different population groups: these being Khoisan, Bantu, Europeans, Indians and Southeast Asians. There have been studies done on the Western Cape/ Cape Town Coloured populations before but this study focused on the Johannesburg Coloured population.

A dissertação procura compreender os acontecimentos musicais derivados do contato da denominada Música Experimental com realidades musicais Nativo Ancestrais Indígenas do continente sul-americano. Para isso, realiza uma contextualização histórica da evolução do experimentalismo musical desde 1950, seguindo um percurso linear até a atualidade, onde se destacam trabalhos e pesquisas de compositores ativos, que têm abordado especificamente as relações entre música, cosmovisão indígena e o xamanismo dentro do processo de experimentação sonoro/musical. Nesse contexto, se evidencia a criação de relações transculturais, produzidas entre duas realidades heterogêneas que, na contemporaneidade, se complementam. Para finalizar a presente pesquisa apresenta o trabalho prático, decorrente da criação de partituras gráficas e instruções verbais, desenvolvidas com o grupo de pesquisa em improvisação e experimentação musical Orquestra Errante (ECA-USP), onde foram utilizados elementos conceituais e sonoro/musicais nativo-indígenas e eco-escuta em práticas regulares de improvisação livre, evidenciando as dificuldades e possíveis estratégias para a conjunção entre o nativo-natural e o experimental. / The thesis seeks to understand musical events derivate from the contact of the so called Experimental Music with musical realities of Indigenous Native-Ancestry of the South American continent. To do so, it performs a historical context of the evolution of musical experimentation since 1950, following a linear path to the present, which features work and research of active composers who have specifically addressed the relationship between music, indigenous worldview and shamanism within the process of sound/musical experimentation. In this context, it highlights the creation of cross-cultural relations, produced between two heterogeneous realities that, in contemporary times, complement each other. Finally this research presents the practical work, arising from the creation of graphic scores and verbal instructions, developed with the research group in improvisation and musical experimentation Orchestra Errante (ECA-USP), where are used conceptual and sound/musical elements forma indigenous native-ancestry of South America and eco-listening in regular practices of free improvisation, highlighting the difficulties and possible strategies for the conjunction between two antagonistic elements, native-experimental.

Submitted by Rosivalda Pereira (mrs.pereira@ufma.br) on 2017-08-30T16:44:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria-do-CarmoLacerdaBarbosa.pdf: 2252312 bytes, checksum: 40f2c098ce26f0923b81dec898c29c38 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-30T16:44:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria-do-CarmoLacerdaBarbosa.pdf: 2252312 bytes, checksum: 40f2c098ce26f0923b81dec898c29c38 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-12-22 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Maranhão (FAPEMA) / Babassu is the popular name given to the oilseeds palms that belongs to the Arecaceae Family, Orbignya and Attalea gender. The Orbignya phalerata (O. phalerata) species, the genuine babassu, is densely distributed in the Amazon region and Atlantic Forest from Bahia State in Brazil. In Maranhão State, about 300 thousand coconut breakers survive through the agroextractivism of babassu and use their byproducts in their feeding. The kernls of babassu have hight lipid content and is considered as high potential for vegetable oil production. The unrefined oil has in its composition as well as triglycerides, the so called “minor components” which are phospholipids, pigments, sterols, tocopherols and trace of some substances and metals. In Brazil, little is known about the effects of babassu oil for human health and its effects on microcirculation.The chapter I had the objective to evaluate the effects of babassu oil on microvascular permeability and leukocyte-endothelial interactions induced by ischemia/reperfusion(I/R) using the hamster cheek pouch microcirculation as experimental model. The results showed that the mean value of I/R-induced microvascular leakage, determined during reperfusion, was significantly lower in the BO-6 and BO-18 groups than in the MO one (P< 0.001). In addition, histamine-induced increase of microvascular permeability was significantly less pronounced in BO groups compared to MO one. No significant differences among groups in terms of leukocyte adhesion, concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1, and interleukin 6 were found. The experimental study showed that unrefined babassu oil reduced microvascular leakage and protected against histamineinduced effects in postcapillary venules and highlights that these oil might be secure sources of food energy.The Chapter II analysed the risk factors associated to dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome (MS) and Framingham score in quilombolas coconut breaker’s families that belong to rural communities of Maranhão State. It is a crosssectional study conducted in Quilombolas communities of Codó-MA, Brazil. Cardiovascular risk factors associated to dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome (MS) and Framingham score were analysed. Prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using Poisson regression. The study showed hight prevalence of dyslipidemia (72.28%) and hypertension (43.07%). There was a predominance of isolated hypertriglyceridemia (38.61%) with normal levels of HDLc (high density Lipoprotein, cholesterol) LDLc (low density Lipoprotein, cholesterol) in most individuals. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome and risk of death from cardiovascular events according to the Framingham score was low in this population. There was no statistical significance between dyslipidemia and hypertension, smoking and education. The study of the population showed that although there was a high prevalence of isolated hypertriglyceridemia, the low frequency of other risk factors associated with dyslipidemia determined low frequency of MS and cardiovascular risk by Framingham score in Quilombolas communities of Codó-MA. / O babaçu é o nome genérico conferido às palmeiras oleaginosas da família Arecaceae, gênero Orbignya e Attalea. A espécie Orbignya phalerata (O. phalerata), o babaçu verdadeiro se encontra densamente distribuído na Amazônia e na Mata Atlântica do estado da Bahia. No Maranhão, cerca de 300 mil famílias de quebradeiras de coco sobrevivem do agroextrativismo do babaçu e utilizam os seus subprodutos na alimentação. As amêndoas do babaçu apresentam elevado teor de lipídios, sendo consideradas de alto potencial para produção de óleo vegetal. O óleo não refinado apresenta em sua composição além de triglicerídeos, os chamados “componentes menores” que são fosfolipídios, pigmentos, esteróis, tocoferóis, traços de algumas outras substâncias e metais. No Brasil, pouco se conhece sobre os efeitos do óleo de babaçu na saúde humana e seus efeitos na microcirculação. O capítulo I teve como objetivo avaliar os efeitos do óleo de babaçu sobre a permeabilidade microvascular e a interação leucócito-endotélio induzida pela isquemia-reperfusão (I/R), utilizando a bolsa da bochecha de hamster como modelo experimental. Os resultados mostraram que os valores do extravasamento de macromoléculas após lesão (I/R) foi significativamente menor nos animais tratados com óleo de babaçu não refinado nas doses de 0,6 ml (BO-6) e 0,18ml(BO-18) do que no controle tratado com óleo mineral (MO) (P<0.001). O aumento da permeabilidade induzida pela histamina foi significativamente menos pronunciado no grupo BO do que no MO. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa em relação à adesividade leucocitária, concentração de fator de necrose tumoral (TNF), interleucina (IL)1 e 6. O capítulo II avaliou os fatores de risco associados à ocorrência de dislipidemia em famílias de quilombolas quebradeiras de coco pertencentes a comunidades do município de Codó-Maranhão. Trata-se de um estudo transversal em que se analisaram os fatores de risco associados à dislipidemia, síndrome metabólica (SM) e o risco de morte por eventos cardiovasculares de acordo com o score de Framingham. Razões de prevalência e intervalos de confiança de 95% foram estimados pela regressão de Poisson. O estudo mostrou alta prevalência de dislipidemia (72,28%) e de hipertensão arterial sistêmica (43,07%). Houve predomínio de hipertrigliceridemia isolada (38,61%) com valores de HDLc (high density Lipoprotein, cholesterol) LDLc (low density Lipoprotein, cholesterol) normais na maioria dos indivíduos. A prevalência de SM e de risco de morte por eventos cardiovasculares de acordo com o score de Framingham foi baixa nesta população. Não houve significância estatística entre dislipidemia e hipertensão, tabagismo e escolaridade. Apesar da prevalência elevada de hipertrigliceridemia isolada, a baixa frequência de outros fatores de risco associados à dislipidemia determinou baixa prevalência de SM e de risco cardiovascular pelo score de Framingham nas comunidades quilombolas de Codó- MA.

Esta dissertação de mestrado é uma reflexão sobre uma pesquisa educacional de campo que contemplou o hip-hop como cultura juvenil e cujo objetivo era construir fazeres educacionais que se valem do hip-hop. O texto discute a experiência educacional que teve lugar na organização não governamental Casa do Zezinho, no extremo sul da cidade de São Paulo. A instituição oferecia oficinas de hip-hop a jovens de ambos os sexos, entre 13 e 17 anos e regularmente matriculados na rede pública, e minha intervenção se deu nesse contexto, em parceria com a professora de hip-hop. Descrevo o itinerário da pesquisa contemplando aspectos institucionais, subjetivos e de articulação do projeto durante sua realização. Minha intervenção consistiu em exercícios e atividades de natureza cultural como a produção de textos, grafitti e coreografias matizados pela motivação e pelo despertar de uma consciência crítica, artística e, principalmente, de pertença à ancestralidade africana, arrancada de suas raízes pelo processo histórico escravagista colonial cujos resquícios perduram até hoje, em parceria com a professora de hip-hop da Instituição. Os exercícios visavam sobretudo conectar esses jovens com sua ancestralidade perdida, pois pensamos o hip-hop como cultura juvenil legítima e procuramos valorizá-lo como percurso educacional, inclusive a jornada heroica que se narra em suas letras, análoga à dos jovens em seu cotidiano e à minha própria como pesquisador. No processo de construção das oficinas, consubstanciou-se a presença da religiosidade africana, de sua arte e de seu pensamento, traduzidos e atualizados pela cultura hip-hop. O resultado foi um percurso formativo que se valeu de uma cultura juvenil praticada principalmente por jovens pobres das periferias do Brasil e, compartilhando essa experiência, procurou-se resgatar a autoestima desses jovens e favorecer a integração social e geracional de membros das comunidades. / This master dissertation is a reflection of an educational research in the field that faced hip hop as a youth culture, which goal was to build educational procedures from hip hop. The text discusses the experience that took place at the Non-Governmental Organization Casa do Zezinho, in the far south of São Paulo City. The institution offered hip-hop workshops for young people of both sexes, between 13 and 17 years old, who were officially enrolled at the schools of the public system, and my intervention took place in this context, in partnership with the teacher of hip-hop. I shall narrate the itinerary of the research, considering institutional, subjective and articulatory aspects of it, along its making. My intervention consisted of exercises and cultural activities such as the production of texts, graffiti and choreography tinted by motivation and the awakening of a critical conscience, artistic awareness and especially the feeling of belonging to African ancestry, torn from its roots through the historic slave process which colonial remnants linger to the present days. The exercises were aimed, above of all, to connect these young people to their lost ancestry, because we believed hip hop as a legitimate youth culture and we struggle to value it as an educational route, including the heroic journey that is described in its lyrics, analogous to the youth struggles in their everyday life, and my own as a researcher. It was embodied into the workshops the process of construction to reveal the presence of African religiosity, its art and its thinking, translated and updated by the hip hop culture. As a result, I developed a training path that drew upon a youth culture mainly practiced by poor young people from the outskirts of Brazil and when sharing this experience, we tried to rescue the self-esteem of these young people and promote social and generational integration of community members.

Magister Scientiae - MSc (Biotechnology) / The objective of this study is to deduce paternal ancestry using ancestry informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by means of High Resolution Melting (HRM). This was completed by producing a multiplex system that was designed in a hierarchical manner according to the YSNP tree. This project mainly focused on African ancestry and was used to infer paternal ancestral lineages on the Johannesburg Coloured population. South Africa has a diverse population that has ancestral history from across the globe. The South African Coloured population is the most admixed population as it is derived from at least five different population groups: these being Khoisan, Bantu, Europeans, Indians and Southeast Asians. There have been studies done on the Western Cape/ Cape Town Coloured populations before but this study focused on the Johannesburg Coloured population. The first step was to design the multiplex system. This was done by using inhouse SNPs. A total of seven multiplexes were designed and optimised, each consisting of two, three or four different SNPs respectively. A total of 143 saliva and buccal samples were collected from male Johannesburg Coloureds. DNA was extracted from the saliva samples using an optimised organic method. DNA was extracted from the buccal samples using an optimised salting out method. DNA was successfully extracted from 77 of the male samples. A total of 69 samples were screened using Multiplex 1; of the 69 samples 56 samples were successfully screened to infer the paternal lineage of the samples. The results show that the most frequent haplogroup of the Johannesburg male samples was haplogroup CF (39%). The second most frequent haplogroup was haplogroup DE (38%). Under further analysis of haplogroup DE it was seen that 37% of those samples were derived for the haplogroup E1b1b.

Lai, Ching Man. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-121). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / List of Figures --- p.vii / List of Tables --- p.viii / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction and Literature Review / Origin of the Construct of BPD --- p.2 / BPD in the DSM Nomenclature --- p.3 / Epidemiology of BPD --- p.4 / Co-occurrence and Comorbidity of BPD --- p.4 / Construct Validity and Dimensionality of BPD --- p.6 / Prototypic Validity and Subtypes of BPD --- p.8 / Taxometric analysis --- p.8 / Latent class analysis --- p.9 / Diagnostic efficiency of individual BPD criteria --- p.11 / Comparable Constructs ofBPD in the ICD-10 and the CCMD-III --- p.13 / Emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) --- p.13 / Impulsive personality disorder (IPD) --- p.14 / "Comparison of Diagnostic Features in DSM-BPD, ICD-EUPD and CCMD-IPD" --- p.15 / Purposes of This Study --- p.19 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- Method / Participants --- p.21 / Procedures --- p.21 / Instruments and Measures --- p.22 / Cross-cultural Personality Assessment Inventory-2 (CPAI-2) --- p.22 / Chinese Personality Disorder Inventory (CPDI) --- p.22 / Multi-axial Clinical Assessment Inventory (MCAI) --- p.23 / "Simulated diagnostic assessment for BPD, IPD and EUPD" --- p.23 / Statistical Analyses --- p.26 / "Validation of the constructs of BPD, IPD, and EUPD" --- p.26 / "Relationships among diagnostic features in BPD, IPD and EUPD" --- p.29 / "Rate and co-occurrence of the diagnosis of BPD, IPD and EUPD" --- p.29 / "Sociodemographic, Personality and Clinical Characteristics of Chinese BPD, IPD and EUPD patients" --- p.29 / Subtypes of DSM-IV-TR BPD patients --- p.30 / Diagnostic information of DSM-IV-TR BPD criteria --- p.32 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- Results / "Validation of the Constructs of BPD, IPD, and EUPD" --- p.34 / Construct validity of BPD among Chinese psychiatric patients --- p.34 / Construct validity of IPD among Chinese psychiatric patients --- p.36 / Construct Validity of EUPD among Chinese Psychiatric Patients --- p.38 / "Relationships among diagnostic features in BPD, IPD and EUPD" --- p.45 / "Rate and Co-occurrence of the Diagnosis of BPD, IPD and EUPD" --- p.46 / "Sociodemographic,Personality and Clinical Characteristics of Chinese BPD, IPD and EUPD Patients" --- p.49 / Sociodemographic profile --- p.49 / Personality profile --- p.51 / Psychosocial functioning --- p.52 / Clinical profile --- p.53 / Latent class analysis of DSM-IV-TR BPD Patients --- p.60 / Item Response Theory Analysis of DSM-IV-TR BPD criteria --- p.66 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- Discussion / "Is BPD, IPD, and EUPD a Valid Construct?" --- p.71 / Internal consistency --- p.71 / Factorial validity --- p.72 / "How Frequent is the Diagnosis of BPD, IPD and EUPD in Clinical Setting of China? Can BPD Capture Patients Diagnosed with IPD or EUPD Otherwise?" --- p.74 / "What are the Socio-demographic, Personality and Clinical Characteristics of BPD, IPD and EUPD Patients?" --- p.75 / "Similar characteristics between Chinese BPD, IPD and EUPD patients" --- p.75 / "Distinguishing characteristics between Chinese BPD, IPD and EUPD patients" --- p.79 / "Are BPD, IPD and EUPD Distinct Clinical Construct?" --- p.80 / Do Subtypes of BPD Exist? --- p.81 / What are the Core Features of the BPD Diagnosis? --- p.83 / "Suggestions for Future Revision of the ""Borderline"" Diagnosis" --- p.84 / "Development of sub-division of ""borderline"" patients" --- p.85 / Towards a classical classification model --- p.86 / Towards an etiological based model --- p.86 / Strengths and Limitations of the Study --- p.91 / FOOTNOTES --- p.95 / REFERENCES --- p.96 / APPENDIX --- p.122

Li, Xixi. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-71). / Abstracts in English and Chinese; includes text in Chinese. / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) --- p.1 / The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Invenroy (MCMI) --- p.9 / The Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI) --- p.14 / Purpose of the Present Study --- p.18 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Method --- p.24 / Participants --- p.24 / Measures --- p.26 / Item selection and preliminary validation --- p.26 / Scale description --- p.27 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Result --- p.38 / Reliability --- p.38 / Convergent validity --- p.41 / Concurrent validity --- p.44 / Factorial structure of the CCMI --- p.49 / Discriminant power --- p.51 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Discussion --- p.55 / Reference --- p.65 / Appendix --- p.72

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Applied Ancestry program meets its objectives of assisting at-risk youth with regard to character development. The sample consisted of 40 youth (12-17 yrs) enrolled in the Anasazi Foundation Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare program. These teens were randomly assigned to either the control (n = 22) or treatment (n = 18) group. To measure the impact of Applied Ancestry on character development the VIA Signature Strengths Survey, developed by the VIA Institute, was used. A pre-post test comparison found no difference between the two groups, however the overall negative changes in survey scores for the entire sample (N = 40) were found to be statistically significant. The negative change in scores was attributed, in large part, to participants' self-concept at the time they took the survey, with lack of humility being a key factor in pre test scores.