The purpose of this study was to investigate the response of participants in the first three Stages of Change (SOC) to a preparation stage-tailored intervention to increase fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption. An on-line survey was delivered to 400 university employees, and included questionnaires about their demographic information, SOC, self efficacy (SE), and decisional balance (DB). One hundred fifty six (39%) responded to the survey. A total of 40 were selected from the first three stages, precontemplation (PC), contemplation (C), and preparation (P), and were assigned into two groups (PC/C and P) with consideration to the best possible matching in age, gender, income, education, and smoking status. Employees in both groups received the same intervention which was composed of four 1-hour sessions given over four consecutive weeks. Outcomes (F&V, SOC, SE, and DB) were measured at every session, and were also measured at weeks 5, 6, and 20 following the intervention. At baseline (the response to the survey), the majority of the 400 employees were in the contemplation and the maintenance stages (34.9 and 34.3% respectively). Most of them reported positive perception and self confidence of consuming 5 servings of F&V everyday. Employees who were greater than 50 years old and held a PhD degree were more likely to consume five servings of F&V every day. During the intervention and until week 5, all employees increased their F&V, SE and DB and moved an advanced along SOC. However, employees in the PC/C group failed to maintain the change after week 5, and relapsed back to the baseline measures. The repeated measure MANOVA revealed a statistically significant interaction between the intervention and time which suggests that the intervention had a different effect on the employees in the two groups (i.e., relapse for the PC/C group and maintenance of the P group). These results suggest that individuals who receive intervention not matching their SOC are at higher risk to relapse. Stage-tailored interventions may be more cost-effective when delivered to the appropriate individuals.

In this study a new method of preparing biodegradable all-cellulosic composite nonwoven materials composed of cotton and kenaf or cotton and bagasse has been developed. Alkaline extracted kenaf or bagasse fibers were used as the main component of composite nonwovens. Recyclable or low value cotton fibers were used to entangle coarser kenaf or bagasse fibers in a web on which the nonwoven architecture was based. The novel adhesive system developed in this work for the web bonding was cellulose from a solution, in N-methyl morpholine N-oxide monohydrate. The completely biodegradable composite nonwovens were obtained by sandwiching and hot-pressing the cellulosic webs and the adhesive into a bonded sheet. It was shown that synthetic polymers can be substituted for the stabilization of nonwovens by a solution of cellulose prepared from recyclable cotton textiles. Some relevant properties of final nonwoven products, such as strength, viscoelastic characteristics and thermal properties were determined and compared among several compositions. The physical characteristics of all-cellulosic composite nonwovens were comparable to that of biodegradable composite nonwovens prepared earlier at LSU from natural fibers and a biodegradable synthetic polyester. Practical application of all-cellulosic composite nonwovens will be determined by the economics of delignification of composing fibers.

Overweight in children has become a major health concern. Research suggests that many parents may not be aware of their childs actual weight status. The objectives of this study were to test the effectiveness of a body mass index (BMI)-forage percentile report in raising parent awareness of their childs weight status. Eighteen public elementary schools in southeast Louisiana were pair matched and divided into nine intervention and nine control schools. Children in the intervention and the control schools were divided into two groups 1) healthy weight (BMI ≥ 5th to <85th percentile) and 2) at risk and overweight (BMI ≥ 85th percentile). Forty children were randomly selected from each of the two weight groups from the intervention and the control schools. Parents of children in the intervention group received a BMI-for-age percentile health report along with a short questionnaire. Parents of children in control schools received the questionnaire only. Parents in the intervention group have 4.7 times more accurate perception about their childs weight compared to the control group (OR: 4.7, 95% of CI: 0.89-24.86, p=0.00 ). After receiving the report, more parents of at risk or overweight children were concerned and only fewer parents of healthy weight children were anxious about their child weight. When parents were compared based on their childs weight regardless whether they got the report, parents of at risk or overweight children were more than five times less likely to perceive the correct weight classification of their child (OR: 1.8, 95% of CI: 0.05-0.62, p=0.00) and less concerned about their childs weight (OR: 0.98, 95% of CI: 0.32-2.93, p=0.00) when compared to parents of healthy weight children. All parents were willing to help their child follow healthy behaviors regard less of the report and their childs weight status. A BMI-for-age percentile report appears to be an effective way to increase parent awareness and concern regarding their childs weight status. With increased awareness, parents may be more likely to encourage their children to achieve a healthy weight.

The main obstacle for adaptation of fabric selection through the Internet is that there is no objective selection method that is suitable for fashion fabrics. The purpose of this research is to develop an objective evaluation method for selecting fabrics through an online fabric database. The relationship between fabric mechanical properties and fabric drape was investigated. One hundred eighty-five commercial fabrics from different manufacturers were tested using the Kawabata fabric evaluation system (KES-FB) and Cusick drape tester. Applying regression analysis, the parameters that were significantly correlated with drape coefficient (DC) were determined. The test results, fabric structural parameters, and contact information for fabric manufacturers, were included in the database. A web-site with a user interface allowing users to implement various types of searches was published on the Internet. Fuzzy linear clustering technique was used to predict fabric drape property. The accuracy for predicting fabric drape using this technique was 94%. This means the model using fuzzy linear clustering is an efficient method to predict fabric end-use properties. Additionally, a new method to measure drape coefficient using Photo Shop was developed by this author. Instead of weighing paper rings, shaded drape area was used to calculate the drape coefficient. With the new Photo Shop method, the cost, testing time and human error was reduced while the accuracy of the test result was increased.

This project was a qualitative case study that recorded and analyzed the professional development of one certified elementary teacher as she studied developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) and pursued her Pre-K and Kindergarten add-on certification. It focused on the changes in her classroom practice from mostly developmentally inappropriate practice (DIP) at the beginning of the project towards mostly DAP at the end of the project. The project recorded her acquisition of concrete knowledge about DAP, and her beliefs regarding DAP as she taught young children over the course of one year, June 2003 through May 2004. It included study of the supports and barriers to the teachers growth in her use of DAP that she encountered along the way. It also included observations about the researchers own practices as a mentor and source of support for DAP in early childhood teachers, and the changes in those roles that occurred over the course of the project. This study found that the teacher made substantial progress along the DIP to DAP continuum during the project, particularly in her practice with preschool children. The study further showed that the various supports for DAP that served her during the year of the project were sufficient to allow her to overcome most of the barriers to DAP with which she struggled. It also revealed an area of developmentally appropriate practice, with kindergarten children, in which she has an opportunity for ongoing growth. This study also looked at the role that a researcher-mentor may play in supporting and encouraging growth in an early childhood teacher, from developmentally inappropriate practice towards developmentally appropriate practice. It revealed that strategies that have been shown to be appropriate with young children in early childhood education can be similarly effective when applied to supporting teachers in DAP.

It has been proposed that the glucose sensing mechanism in the hypothalamus and hindbrain is similar to pancreatic â cells, and brain glucose sensing may be involved in the regulation of food intake. For the first part of the dissertation, it is proposed that molecules involved in â-cell glucose sensing, including glucokinase (GK), glucose transporter GLUT2, sulfonylurea receptor-1 (SUR1), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R), and the feeding-related neuropeptide Y (NPY), are colocalized in specific areas in the hypothalamus and hindbrain. GK, GLUT2, SUR1, GLP-1R and NPY mRNA expression in ten discrete brain areas were quantified by real time RT-PCR, which will serve as an initial step for the next functional study. The second part of the dissertation has been focused on GLUT2 only and it is proposed that brain GLUT2 may play a role in the central glucose sensing, specifically, brain GLUT2 is regulated by energy / glucose status and overexpression of GLUT2 in neuronal cells will alter cellular energy status and feeding related neuropeptide expression. Under three conditions: in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro, GLUT2 mRNA was significantly upregulated in the area postrema (AP) in the two-week 50% underfed rats, and by 1 mM glucose in rat area postrema / nucleus of the solitary tract (AP/NTS) tissue culture as well as in N1E-115 neuroblastoma cell culture. Next, rat liver GLUT2 were overexpressed in GT1-7 neuroblastoma cells. Compared with control cells, GLUT2 overexpression resulted in significantly increased cellular ATP levels at 5 mM or higher glucose concentrations, greater inhibition of AgRP mRNA by 25 mM glucose, and attenuated AgRP mRNA stimulation by 2DG. In summary, brain GLUT2 mRNA is upregulated by low energy and low glucose status; overexpression of GLUT2 in neuronal cells results in higher cellular energy status and greater suppression of hunger signals at high glucose levels or during glucoprivation. The conclusion is that brain GLUT2 is likely to play a role in the central glucose sensing and may be involved in the regulation of food intake.

Fashion involvement is a consumers perceived importance of fashion clothing (OCass, 2001). It is important to investigate fashion involvement to understand consumer purchase behavior and to develop improved marketing strategies. Although researchers agree that consumers consider apparel purchases to be important, there has been little research done regarding fashion involvement (OCass, 2000) of affluent female consumers. The purpose of this study was to measure the fashion involvement of selected affluent female consumers from eight metropolitan areas in the United States and to identify relationships between fashion involvement and other selected variables. After controlling for socioeconomic demographic characteristics, the following variables were investigated with correlation and regression analyses: media usage, personality traits (self-confidence and public self-consciousness), and price perceptions (price/quality and prestige sensitivity) of affluent female consumers. Regression results showed that media usage was significantly related to fashion involvement, indicating that media usage was the best predictor of fashion involvement. Prestige sensitivity was significantly related to fashion involvement, indicating that respondents perceptions of purchasing high prestige products was a predictor of fashion involvement. Price/quality was significantly related to fashion involvement; respondents perceptions of the price of a product were a good indicator of its quality. Results indicated that personality traits (self-confidence and public self-consciousness) were not significant predictors of fashion involvement. Regression analyses of the demographic characteristics were consistent with previous literature. A statistically significant negative relationship was found between age and fashion involvement in this study, with younger ages indicating higher fashion involvement. Income was positively related to fashion involvement; as income increased, so did fashion involvement. Education was negatively related to fashion involvement; fashion involvement increased as education levels decreased. By focusing solely on female consumers, with money to spend and access to retail fashion, the results can provide information into a recently untapped market. Marketers can use this research in developing improved marketing strategies to this market. Retailers can benefit from this information when pricing and promoting, and educators can expand on the findings by developing new studies examining affluent female consumers.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among daily hassles, family resources, and childrens cognitive ability. Particular emphasis was placed on examining the relationships among the variables by family structure. A total of 205 children in first-grade and third-grade and their mothers participated in the study. There were 120 children from intact families and 85 children from single mother families in the study. All mothers completed assessments on family level variables and all children completed the BIA test of cognitive ability. Multiple regression analyses were utilized to examine the relationships among the variables. Daily hassles and cohesion were related to the cognitive ability scores of children living in intact families. Family hardiness was related to the cognitive ability scores of children living in single mother families. The findings indicated the existence of potentially important relationships among daily hassles, family resources, and childrens cognitive ability. The findings also indicated that the relationships among the variables differed by family structure.

Diets are typically poorer and risk of chronic disease (e.g. obesity) is greatest in low-income populations. Food security status, nutrient intake, and Body Mass Index were assessed in 64 female food stamp recipients in Southeast Louisiana. One 24-hour dietary recall was collected at the beginning of the month (Day 1) and one at the end of the month (Day 2). Food security status was: 29 food secure (FS), 26 food insecure (FIS), and nine food insecure with hunger (FISH). Sixty-two % (n=39) of our study participants were obese. Mean % energy from protein (p=0.03); total fat (p=0.029), % saturated fatty acids [SFA] (p=0.027), % monounsaturated fatty acids [MUFA] (p=0.012), % polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFA] (p=0.047); and vitamins B12 (p=0.045), E (p=0.011) and A (p=0.033), respectively, for Day 1 were higher than Day 2 in the FIS group. Mean % energy from carbohydrate for Day 2 was significantly greater (p=0.002) than Day 1 in the FIS group. In FISH subjects, cholesterol intake was higher (p=0.0352) on Day 1 than on Day 2. In the FS group, mean calcium (p=0.047) and iron (p=0.039) intakes were significantly greater on Day 2 when compared to Day 1. Mean cholesterol intake was different (p=0.031) among the three food security status groups. Regardless of food security status, % SFA, cholesterol, and sodium exceeded current Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III recommendations with the exception of mean cholesterol intake on Day 2. Mean % MUFA and % PUFA intakes were approximately 50% below ATP III recommendations. Mean intakes of all food security status groups failed to meet the established Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for potassium; folate; vitamins D, E, and A; calcium; and dietary fiber. Few study participants met the DRI for calcium; potassium; dietary fiber; and vitamins A, E, or D. Diets of all participants were poor and risk of nutrient deficiencies was high. The relationship between diet, weight, and food security in food stamp participants deserves further study.

In the first part of this study, 37 commodity bag garments made and worn by one woman in rural South Louisiana between the years 1949-1968 were analyzed. The garments are currently in the collection of the Louisiana State University Textile and Costume Museum. A material culture study model, originally developed by Fleming and adapted from Severa and Horswill, was used to identify, evaluate, culturally analyze and interpret the design, construction, and fabric characteristics of garments. Access to this collection provided a rare opportunity to examine the attributes of a related group of commodity bag garments. In the second part of this study, characteristics of women's daywear commodity bag garments were compared with characteristics of prevalent ready-to-wear women's daywear fashions depicted in a national magazine targeted to women of middle socio-economic status. "Fashion" sections in 120 issues of Good Housekeeping magazine were analyzed using historical analysis methodology. The commodity bag garments were made to be worn for work on the farm where the seamstress lived and for informal social occasions. The designs were fashionable and creative and the construction was efficient and durable. Fabric, colors, and prints were consistent with those available nationally. The cotton commodity bag fabric used was also comfortable and long wearing, ideal for the temperature and humidity of the South Louisiana climate. The commodity bag garments were similar in design, construction, and fabric characteristics to fashions that appeared in Good Housekeeping magazine between the years 1949 and 1968. This finding indicated that although the commodity bag garments were primarily made for work in a rural setting, they had many of the same fashion features as mass produced garments that could be purchased in department stores nationwide.