Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2009. / Principal faculty advisor: David G. Edwards, Dept. of Health, Nutrition, & Exercise Sciences. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Aberdeen University, 2009. / Title from web page (viewed on Dec. 8, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Texas Christian University, 2006. / Title from dissertation title page (viewed Jan. 4, 2007). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.), Wellness Management--University of Central Oklahoma, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-56).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This study was undertaken to examine the relationship between physical fitness and self-esteem and to investigate the effect of different treatments on these variables. The research to date which has attempted to determine the relationship between physical fitness and self-esteem is contradictory and inconclusive. The justification for this study revolves around the question of how can health educators better realize the goal of encouraging people to lead more healthful life styles. It can be argued that the major purpose of health education is to encourage youngsters to care enough about themselves to care for themselves. Many educators think that the variables of self-esteem and physical fitness are closely related. The person with a high sense of worth may be likely to have a vitality which will manifest itself a high level of fitness. He may also be more likely to put forth the effort required to maintain high fitness levels. It is also possible that an increase in level of fitness will bring a concomitant increase in self-esteem. It is to determine the validity of this last statement that this study was undertaken. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of group counseling and cardiovascular fitness programs on self-esteem and physical fitness. The subjects who participated in this study were ninth grade boys. There were four groups of students with fifteen students in each group. The four treatments were: (1) the cardiovascular fitness group, (2) the counseling group, (3) the cardiovascular fitness and counseling group, (4) the control group. The rationale underlying the inclusion of group counseling and physical education programs was that an integrated program would increase motivation. Much of the content of the group counseling program dealt with the importance of setting goals and working towards their attainment. The duration of the program was ten weeks. All students were given a pretest and a posttest on self-esteem and physical fitness. The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory was used to measure self-esteem. The Cooper Twelve Minute Run Walk Test was used to assess cardiovascular fitness. The study was concerned with two hypotheses, each statistically analyzed through the technique of analysis of covariance. Hypothesis I There will be no significant differences in the level of cardiovascular fitness between the cardiovascular fitness group, the counseling group, the cardiovascular fitness and counseling group and the control group and the control group after the experimental period. A significant difference at the .05 level or better occurred between: 1. The cardiovascular fitness group and the control group 2. The cardiovascular fitness and counseling group and the control group. Hypotheses II There will be no significant differences in self-esteem between the cardiovascular fitness group, the counseling group the cardiovascular fitness and counseling group and the control group after the experimental period. Test scores showed no significant differences in self-esteem. Summary The results of this study indicated that an integrated program of counseling and physical education was the most effective program in improving cardiovascular fitness. It was also demonstrated that there were no changes in self-esteem as the result of the program. / 2031-01-01

Preliminary data from studies in rodents suggests time-dependent associations between dietary LC n-3 PUFA and hepatic levels of the enzyme soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), which regulates the metabolism and availability of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EET).  EET are cytochrome P450 epoxygenase products of arachidonic acid associated with  lower blood pressure, decreased inflammatory response and inhibition of blood coagulation. To further investigate the association between LC n-3 PUFA and sEH, ApoE^-/^- mice were fed a high-fat high-cholesterol diet supplemented with either fish oil (EPA + DHA) or DHA or HOSF (all 2% w/w) for 10 weeks and livers and aortic roots were collected on day 2 and weeks 1, 2, 4 and 10.  Proteomics analysis showed an overall decreasing effect of fish oil (but not DHA) supplementation on hepatic protein levels of sEH compared to the control throughout the intervention period (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05).  Neither fish oil nor DHA intervention affected atherosclerotic plaque size in the aortic root. We also examined how dietary supplementation with 1 g/day EPA or 1 g/day DHA for 10 days affects platelet sEH levels and platelet aggregation compared to 1 g/day HOSF (control) in healthy volunteers in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial.  We found that DHA decreased platelet aggregation by 10% (<i>P =</i> 0.04) and EPA also inhibited ADP (5 μM)-induced platelet aggregation by 14% compared to the control group but this effect did not reach statistical significance due to high variability between subjects.  EPA decreased platelet sEH levels by 25% (not significant), whereas DHA had no effect.  We also attempted to optimize a method for measuring EET in plasma and platelets.  However, the rapid conversion of EET to other compounds and their low concentration in tissues prevented us from optimizing such a method within the time limits of the project.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2006. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Laurie Wideman; submitted to the School of Health and Human Performance. Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-94).

Context: Cadmium is an important predictor of lung function, including forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume and peak flow. Current evidence supports the notion that cadmium may be an important risk factor for cardiovascular fitness. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of cadmium exposure on cardiovascular fitness in representative sample of US white, blacks and Mexican Americans. The study also sought to determine if the relationship between cadmium and cardiovascular fitness varies by gender and racial/ethnic group. Methods: The data utilized for this study were obtained from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). One-thousand nine hundred and sixty three subjects with data on cardiovascular fitness were eligible for this investigation. In NHANES, cardiovascular measurements were taken in series consisting of two minutes warm up exercise, two-three minutes exercise testing and two minutes resting period .The goal was to elicit 75% of predetermined age-specific heart rate by the end of the stress test. Cadmium was measured in the laboratory by taking urine sample of participants. Gender and race/ethnic specific multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to determine relationship of urinary cadmium with VO2 max. Results: There were gender and racial/ethnic difference in the relationship between urinary cadmium and VO2 max. In males and females, increased concentration of urinary cadmium was associated with decreased VO2 max across racial/ethnic groups (except in black males. The greatest negative association between cadmium and VO2 max was observed in black females (beta=-0.330) while the lowest value was recorded for white females (Beta=-0.074). The association was statistically significant in white males (Beta=-0.402, P =0.020) and Mexican American females (Beta=-0.290, P=0.026). Conclusion: There was inverse association between urinary cadmium and estimated VO2 max in a US nationally representative sample of White, Black and Mexican Americans. The impact of the gender and racial/ethnic differences in the association between urinary cadmium and VO2 max is not clear and warrants further investigation.

The purpose of this study was to develop a prediction equation for peak oxygen uptake using the Modified BSU Ramp protocol. Thirty-four subjects (14 men and 20 women, age 32-83 years) completed the standard Ball State University Adult Physical Fitness Program quiet and exercise testing sessions, with the maximal exercise test conducted with the Modified BSU Ramp protocol. The modified ramp protocol increases speed and grade every 20 seconds, and it increases by - 0.15 METs every increment for the first 6 minutes and --0.3 METs per increment thereafter. The Modified BSU ramp protocol was developed to allow for reasonable exercise test times from a standardized ramp protocol with individuals with low functional capacities < 10 METs. Pre-test procedures included height and weight measurements, resting blood pressure, resting heart rate, body fat measures, a blood lipid profile, and resting electrocardiogram (ECG). Exercise testing included ECG, heart rate, and blood pressure that were recorded prior to, during, and in the recovery phase of exercise. Subjects were instructed to continue exercise until fatigue, and respiratory gases were collected to determine V02 . Data was then analyzed using multiple regression techniques. Gender, age, body weight, and treadmill test time were the significant predictors, which were used in the regression equation (R2 = 0.586, SEE = 3.54 ml-kg-'.min'). An equation was developed from the lone predictor, treadmill test time with R2 = .37 and SEE = 4.1 ml•kg'•min'. The equation is as follows: VOA = 4.932 + 1.934 (test time (min)). Of the tests conducted on the Modified BSU ramp protocol, 82% were within an "ideal" test time window of 812 minutes, and 97% were within an "acceptable" test time window of 6-15 minutes. In conclusion, VOA can be estimated with acceptable accuracy (i.e. SEE - ± I MET) from the Modified BSU Ramp protocol, and for clinical purposes it is a suitable protocol to use when testing low fit individuals. / School of Physical Education

Thesis (M.Sc.)--York University, 2005. Graduate Programme in Kinesiology and Health Science. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-88). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url%5Fver=Z39.88-2004&res%5Fdat=xri:pqdiss &rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR11787