Long term consumption of a high fat diet (HFD) increases the risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome and type 2 diabetes. This led us to hypothesize that long term HFD consumption impairs immune tolerance to the intestinal bacteria. Our studies had two goals. First, we characterized the effect of long term HFD consumption on the systemic immune response by comparing C57BL6 mice fed a HFD and low fat diet (LFD). Plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) against Escherichia coli (LF-82), E. coli (Nissle 1917), Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and Lactobacillus acidophilus were measured by a lab-developed ELISA. Fasting blood glucose and inflammation were measured in LFD mice and HFD mice. To test whether our findings were clinically relevant, anti-bacterial IgG and TNF-α were measured in plasma samples from lean healthy individuals, obese non-diabetics and obese diabetics. Our second aim was to investigate the relationship between HFD consumption and intestinal immunity. The effect of HFD consumption on immune responses in the GI tract was assessed by measuring fecal IgA levels in HFD mice and LFD mice. HFD mice had higher plasma IgG against the LF82 strain of Escherichia coli as well as higher plasma TNF-α, neutrophil percentage and fasting blood glucose levels. Obese diabetics had higher plasma IgG against the LF82 strain of E. coli than lean healthy controls. Studies on the effect of HFD on intestinal immunity revealed that HFD mice had lower fecal IgA than LFD mice. Our findings are novel in that they show an association between long term HFD consumption, systemic inflammatory immune responses to pathogenic intestinal bacteria and insulin resistance. These studies also showed that HFD consumption may impair intestinal immunity.

The controversial condition of carbohydrate craving is believed by some researchers to be a defect in the regulation of food intake by an individual. This defect is believed to be responsible for the inability of some persons to control their food intake and therefore their weight. Research was conducted to test the hypothesis that, given a group of carbohydrate cravers and a group of noncravers, the cravers will experience a greater plasma insulin response (concentration and area under the curve) than will the noncravers, and that, because of this higher response, the cravers will experience equal or lower plasma glucose levels during a carbohydrate load. A second hypothesis was that, because of cephalic insulin response due to sensory stimuli, cookies would elicit a greater plasma insulin response than would a glucose solution. This higher plasma insulin response may in part explain the uncontrollable snacking that some individuals experience. The purpose of this research was to attempt to identify a biochemical distinction between persons who crave carbohydrates and persons who do not crave carbohydrates. Eleven overweight female subjects, age 30 to 40, were recruited and divided into two groups, five carbohydrate cravers and six noncravers, based on scores received on a questionnaire that was devised for this study to attempt to distinguish between the groups. A Restrained Eating questionnaire was also administered to the subjects. Both groups had similar, but high, restrained eating scores, indicating that all of the subjects were probably restrained eaters. The eating restraint, as supported by the reported frequency of dieting among the subjects, may well have influenced the subjects' responses to the carbohydrate craving questionnaire. Utilizing these two groups of subjects, two tests were administered. The oral glucose tolerance test was administered, utilizing 75 g of carbohydrate each in the forms of glucose solution and cookies, which were administered in a random order. The tests were administered during the premenstrual phase of the subjects' menstrual cycles, 0-10 days prior to the onset of menstruation. Blood was drawn and assayed for plasma glucose and insulin. The research showed that the cravers experienced a significantly greater plasma insulin concentration and area under the curve than the noncravers, particularly at the 30, 60 and 120 minute time points with the glucose treatment. For the glucose treatment, the cravers experienced plasma insulin concentrations that were 32% to 50% greater than those of the noncravers in the early portion of the test. This supports the hypothesis which states that cravers will experience a greater plasma insulin response to a carbohydrate load than will noncravers. This elevated plasma insulin level may be responsible for the carbohydrate cravings that the individuals experience. There was no significant difference in plasma glucose levels at any time point in either of the tests as compared between the cravers and noncravers, thus supporting the expectation that these levels would be similar between the groups. The hypothesis that cookies would elicit a greater plasma insulin response than would a glucose solution was not supported. Any cephalic insulin response which may have resulted from the sight and smell of the cookies, while not specifically measured, was not strong enough to override the physiological factors that control insulin release. Therefore, the glucose solution elicited a significantly greater plasma insulin concentration than did the cookies in the cravers during the first two hours of the tests, and a significantly greater area under the curve for the cravers at 60 minutes and both groups at 120 minutes. However, the cookies did have an effect on insulin release at the fasting point, causing elevated (x = 79%) plasma insulin levels in three of five subjects who were waiting while others were eating the cookies, as compared with these subjects' fasting insulin levels when they were not exposed to the cookies prior to their glucose test. Another finding was a difference between the groups in fasting plasma insulin concentrations over the 10 day premenstrual portion of their menstrual cycles. The noncravers experienced fasting plasma insulin concentrations that decreased as the onset of menstruation was approached, which would parallel the decrease in progesterone levels. However, the cravers experienced first a decrease in fasting plasma insulin levels to day 3 premenstrual, and then an increase to the level of that found 8-10 day premenstrual. This pattern is contrary to what would be expected as progesterone levels drop, and suggests an altered pattern of progesterone levels in the cravers, although progesterone was not measured in this study. To summarize, in a group of overweight women, carbohydrate cravers and non cravers, the cravers experienced a greater plasma insulin response than did the noncravers for the glucose treatment but not for the cookie treatment, and there was no significant difference between the groups for plasma glucose concentration for either treatment. / Graduation date: 1991

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a nutrition education program for men on healthy eating when dining out. The Health Belief Model provided the basic framework to identify factors that would potentially motivate men over 40 to change their dietary behavior to reduce heart disease risk. Roundtable discussions were held to identify nutrition needs. A 10 minute "Dine Right with MENu Insight" slide program on low-fat eating away from home was developed. Three educational messages were the key concepts of the program: 1) relationship between diet and health, 2) proportionality, variety and moderation as themes of the Food Guide Pyramid and 3) low-fat food choices at home and away. A four page handout was developed to supplement the slide show presentation. Four programs were presented to a total of 148 people (136 males, 12 females) at Rotary and Kiwanis groups in Corvallis and Albany, Oregon in January and February, 1994. Each program included a pretest, the "Dine Right with MENu Insight" slide presentation and a group discussion. Of the 136 males, forty-eight volunteered (aged 40-60 years) and completed the 10-15 minute follow-up phone post-test 3-4 weeks after attending the program. Pre-test responses showed limited knowledge of the Food Guide Pyramid, with 65% of the men incorrectly selecting the vegetable group as the base of the Pyramid. Knowledge of low-fat menu choices was high with an average score of 4.7+1.1 (out of a possible 5 points) and a range of 0-5 prior to the education program. An attitude score measuring awareness of healthy dietary practices underlying the Pyramid (eg, variety, proportionality and moderation) had a mean of 5.3+1.7 (out of a possible 15) with a range of 3-8. These pre-test data suggested that participants were aware of the relationship between diet and health. In the post-test, 98% of the men correctly selected the bread group as the Food Guide Pyramid food group that should be eaten in the largest amount. This was a significant increase (p<.001) from pre-test scores. Half of the men had heard of the Pyramid prior to the program. A reassessment of healthy dietary practices awareness showed a significant increase in positive attitudes (p [less than or equal to] .001) with a mean of 3.6+.93 (out of a possible 15 points) and a range of 5-7. Seventy-three percent of the men reported that their diet could be "somewhat healthier". In the past year, 69% reported increasing their consumption of foods (eg, vegetables, grains) to reduce heart disease; 79% reported decreased consumption (eg, red meat). Seventy-five percent reported that they "sometimes" try to select lower fat foods when eating out. Personal preference (65%), menu selection (80%) and the restaurant (27%) influenced lower fat food selection decisions. Many participants indicated awareness of the relationship between proper food selection and optimal health before the program. However, awareness did increase as a result of the program. There was a significant positive (p [less than or equal to] .005) change in attitudes toward the importance of watching fat in the diet in order to stay healthy between pre and posttests. In addition, a positive (r=.36, p [less than or equal to] .05) correlation was reported between knowing that the amount of dietary fat affects the chance of heart disease and watching fat in the diet in order to stay healthy. These data suggest that the Dine Right program conveyed a tie between diet and optimum health. Significant changes in participants' knowledge about the Food Guide Pyramid and underlying concepts also suggest that the program had an impact on participants. These data suggest that knowledge of nutritious food choices at home and away from home increased or was reinforced by the program. The majority (79%) of men learned "some new things" from the program. As a result of the program, 65% planned on making changes in their diets when eating out (eg, by increasing grains, fruits, vegetables). Thirty-five percent planned to make changes at home. Eighty-three percent reported showing the Dine Right handout to someone else and 85% talked about the program with their spouse, family member, coworker or friend. The results of this research indicate that men respond to nutrition education programs. Therefore nutrition and health campaigns to reach the American male are merited. Men's health and nutrition programs such as "Dine Right with MENu Insight" could be followed by additional education programs utilizing a theoretical framework. Future research should test each of the components of the Health Belief Model on men's dietary behavior. Also extensions to other samples of men (such as those with lower educational levels) is warranted in order to better understand how to target nutrition education programs to this important audience. / Graduation date: 1995

Dietetic professionals integrate knowledge and expertise in food, nutrition, management and people and apply their skills in a variety of settings. As the changing scene in health care has necessitated enhanced management of resources, the clinical nutrition manager (CNM) has emerged as a dietetic professional in hospitals applying sound management practices to the area of clinical nutrition services. The purpose of this study was to provide information about the position of clinical nutrition manager and about the professional development strategies used by incumbents. The research design had two phases. The purpose of the first phase was to develop a job description for the position of clinical nutrition manager, including duties/activities and job specifications for education, experience and professional credentialing. The purpose of the second phase was to verify the accuracy of the job description, determine educational and experiential resources used to develop the required skills and knowledge for performing the duties/activities, and collect other descriptive data about the position. The result was a job description for a Clinical Nutrition Manager with 46 duties/activities assigned to the position and job specifications for work experience and academic preparation. Chi square analysis was used to test the association of the performance of a duty/activity with amount of time allotted to the position; number of personnel supervised; and type of personnel supervised. Results indicated that type of personnel supervised had the most significant association. One sample chi square analysis indicated that entry-level education and entry-level experience were the less likely resources to be used for development of skills and knowledge. For more than 50% of the duties/activities, the number of resources used was significantly related to the perceived level of importance. There was no significant finding for an association between timing of career decision to become a CNM and career development strategies intentionally selected. Findings also indicated that perceived competence improves with increasing number of years in the position and is not affected by having an advanced degree. / Graduation date: 1992

Digital Image Elasto Tomography (DIET) is a non-invasive elastographic breast cancer screening technology, relying on image-based measurement of surface vibrations induced on a breast by mechanical actuation. Knowledge of frequency response characteristics of a breast prior to imaging is critical to maximize the imaging signal and diagnostic capability of the system. A non-invasive image based modal analysis system that is designed to be able to robustly and rapidly identify resonant frequencies in soft tissue is presented in this thesis. A feasibility analysis reveals that three images per oscillation cycle are sufficient to capture the relative motion behavior at a given frequency. Moreover, the analysis suggests that 2D motion analysis is able to give an accurate estimation of the response at a particular frequency. Thus, a sweep over critical frequency ranges can be performed prior to imaging to determine critical imaging settings of the DIET system to maximize diagnositc performance. Based on feasibility simulations, a modal analysis system is presented that is based on the existing DIET digital imaging system. A frequency spectrum plot that comprises responses gathered from more than 30 different frequencies can be obtained in about 6 minutes. Preliminary results obtained from both phantom and human trials indicate that distinctive resonant frequencies can be obtained with the modal analysis system. Due to inhomogeneous properties of human breast tissues, different imaging location appear to pick up different resonances. However, there has been very limited clinical data for validating such behavior. Overall, a modal analysis system for soft tissue has been developed in this thesis. The system was first evaluated in simulation, then implemented in hardware and software, and finally successfully validated in silicone phantoms as well as human breasts.

No description available.

Evarcha culicivora is a salticid with an unusual preferred diet (vertebrate blood obtained indirectly by preying on female mosquitoes that have themselves had recent blood meals) and an unusual affinity for particular plant species (Lantana camara and Ricinus communis). This thesis is a study of how individuals of this species interact with each other, with a general objective being to clarify the role of visual attention and crossmodality priming in the mate-choice behaviour of this species. E. culicivora’s courtship and display behaviour was shown to be especially complex and highly variable. Experiments on vision-based mate-choice showed that mutual mate-choice behaviour is pronounced in E. culicivora and that both sexes prefer large mates over small mates. Olfactometer experiments showed that E. culicivora is attracted to the odours of bloodfed female mosquitoes, Lantana camara and Ricinus communis and opposite-sex conspecifics. A prior diet of blood-fed female mosquitoes enhances attractiveness to the opposite sex. Opposite-sex conspecifics paired with the odour of blood-fed female mosquitoes are also more attractive. Cross-modality priming effects were investigated in other experiments that showed individuals of E. culicivora responded more to visual cues of opposite-sex conspecifics when in the presence of certain odours (of opposite-sex conspecifics, blood-fed female mosquitoes and L. camara).

4 pp. / Weight management is more than just cutting back on carbohydrate or fat. Controlling calories is key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. This publication reviews how calories count, not matter what type of diet you choose to follow.

2 pp. / Even dietary fiber is not considered a nutrient, health professionals agree that most Americans don't get nearly enough in their diet. So, why is fiber important? what does fiber do? This article answers the questions regarding diet fiber by providing information on the practical aspects of fiber in the diet as well as food sources and their dietary fiber content.

2 pp. / Heart Disease in Women / How consumers can eat to reduce their risk of heart disease by lowering fat and cholesterol in their diet.