The percentage of the American population who are 65 years old or older is rapidly increasing, especially the proportion of women. It is becoming crucial to encourage lifestyle behaviors that will enable senior women to remain in optimal health. Following the 1990 Dietary Guidelines' recommendations to limit fat intake and consume adequate amounts of dietary fiber has been shown to positively impact longevity and health status in the elderly by decreasing risk factors for chronic diseases. An expected outcome of engaging in regular exercise is a reduction in body fat, which is also associated with a lowered incidence of several chronic illnesses. However, the literature clearly indicates that nutritional quality of the diet and involvement in regular exercise decrease with increasing age. There is evidence that, with the adoption of one health enhancing behavior, there is a greater tendency to engage in other health promoting behaviors, but little data exist on the healthseeking behaviors of older adults. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if there were identifiable differences between self-defined exercising and self-defined non-exercising elderly women with respect to their nutrient intake, food sources of dietary fat and fiber, dietary change behavior, and body composition parameters, considering their age and education and income levels. The objective was to determine whether those women who had consciously undertaken a regular exercise program would also have higher micronutrient intakes, make lower fat and higher fiber food choices, report having made more dietary changes in the direction of the 1990 Dietary Guidelines, and have leaner body compositions than those who had not undertaken such a program. Thirty-three elderly women self-reported exercisers (mean age 74.1 years) and 30 self-reported non-exercisers (mean age 71.3 years) were enrolled in a 14 week study. Exercisers were defined as those who reported having engaged in a regular program of planned exercise a minimum of 15 minutes per session, 2 times per week, for at least the last year, and non-exercisers were those who had not. They kept three, 7-day food records at 5 week intervals. Nutrient intake was estimated from 9 days of food records, 3 predetermined days from each recording period, using the Food Processor n software. Dietary intakes were analyzed for energy, macronutrients, dietary fiber, and selected micronutrients. Food sources of dietary fat and fiber were determined using a food categorization adapted from Popkin and coworkers (1989). Information concerning dietary change behavior, obtained from questionnaire responses, was compared between groups using chisquare tests. Body composition, assessed through repeat measurements during each dietary recording period, included determination of percent body fat through skinfolds, waist-to-hip-ratio and body mass index. Average 9-day nutrient intakes and anthropometric measures were compared between groups using t-tests or Mann- Whitney U tests. Both elderly women exercisers and non-exercisers had similar energy, macronutrient, and dietary fiber intakes based on 9-day means. Their total fat intakes, expressed in grams and as percentages of energy, were not significantly different. Both groups consumed a lower percentage of their daily kcalories as total fat (32%) compared with national surveys of women over 65 (36%). Exercisers consumed more total vitamin A (p=.03) and carotene (p=.00) than the non-exercising women. A great proportion of both groups did not meet 75 % of the Recommended Dietary Allowances for calcium and zinc. A larger proportion of the exercisers than the non-exercisers reported using lower fat cheese (p=.02) and green and yellow vegetables (p=.03), which partially explained their higher total vitamin A and carotene intakes. Exercisers obtained less of their total fat intake from lower fat milk (p=.02) and more of their fat intake from lower fat lunch meats (p=.04) than the non-exercisers. The categories of legumes (p=.02) and lower fiber vegetables (p=.05) supplied greater amounts of dietary fiber for the exercisers compared with the non-exercisers. When asked about dietary changes made over the past decade, a greater percentage of the exercisers than non-exercisers reported having decreased red meat intake (p=.05) and increased consumption of cereals (p=.05) and legumes (p=.00). Actual intake data showed that the legume food category contributed more dietary fiber to the diets of the exercisers than the non-exercisers (p=.02). No differences were found in body fat measures between the exercisers and non-exercisers. The lack of observed differences between the two groups reinforces what other researchers have found, that a large number of factors influence body composition, of which exercise is only one. More research is needed to distinguish the interactions of age, energy intake, and physical activity on the body fatness of elderly women, as well as the most accurate instruments for assessing body composition for this age group. Exercise participation among elderly women in this study appeared to be associated with several positive dietary behaviors. Elderly women exercisers compared to non-exercisers made food choices leading to higher total vitamin A and carotene intakes, and also reported making more changes in food consumption behaviors in the direction of current dietary recommendations. These observed outcomes provide support for designing health-promotion programs for elderly women which include both nutrition education and exercise components. / Graduation date: 1993

Populations that utilize deep water running (DWR) are described in Chapter I. A review of the literature concerning maximal and submaximal responses during DWR, shallow water running and swimming is presented in Chapter II. The protocols to elicit maximal responses during DWR and treadmill running (TMR), subject characteristics, and statistical methods employed are described in Chapter III. The results, presented in Chapter IV, indicate that the DWR protocol is a reliable test for eliciting peak oxygen consumption and heart rate. Furthermore, the metabolic responses during DWR are lower than TMR. Chapter V discusses factors which might limit maximal responses during DWR. Chapter VI contains suggestions for further research. Raw data are presented in Appendix A.

The primary purpose of the present study was to examine the potential relationships that exist between anger expression, as measured by several MMPI-2 scales, and chronic pain.

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of anger/hostility on physiological and behavioral coronary heart disease risk factors. It was hypothesized that anger/hostility would contribute to the severity of CHD via consummatory behaviors such as smoking, poor diet, and excessive alcohol consumption. Some researchers suggest that negative consummatory behaviors play a direct causal role in CHD. The present study proposed that hostility predisposes an individual to these behaviors, and that these behaviors in turn, contribute to CHD. Further, it was proposed that some of the anger that exists in CHD patients may result from the individual being unable to participate in some of their previous consummatory behaviors after suffering a myocardial infarction. Also, it was hypothesized that the construct of anger/hostility would be differentially related to consummatory behaviors.

In conclusion, the studies reported in this thesis suggested that the CHO amount, whether provided by a pre-exercise CHO meal or short-time, i.e., 3-day, CHO loading, plays a pivotal role in regulating the immune responses before, during, and after endurance exercise. Although GI and GL independently affect the exercise performance and immune responses, the amount of CHO consumed remains a determining factor. The potential benefits on immune system and endurance performance after the low GI and low GL diet (L-L) should be noted and warrant further investigation. Although the HGI and LGI meals demonstrated similar effects on endurance performance when large amount of CHO-electrolyte solution consumed during the exercise, pre-exercise LGI meal can hasten the IL-6 responses during the recovery. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) / The aim of this thesis was to investigate the influence of pre-exercise carbohydrate (CHO) meal(s) with different glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) on endurance running performance, physiological, and immune responses. / The first study (Chapter 4) examined the influence of a pre-exercise meal with different GI and GL on subsequent endurance running performance, physiological, and immune responses. Eight endurance-trained male runners completed three trials in a randomized order, separated by at least seven days. These responses were characterized by a lower CHO oxidation with a concomitant higher glycerol and FFA in the H-L trial. Consumption of a pre-exercise high CHO meal, i.e., H-H and L-L, resulted in less perturbation of circulating numbers of leukocytes, neutrophils, and T lymphocyte subsets, decreased elevation of plasma IL-6 concentrations immediately after exercise and during the 2 h recovery period when compared to the H-L trial. These responses were accompanied by an attenuated increase in plasma IL-10 concentrations and plasma cortisol concentrations at the end of 2 h recovery. It was concluded that the amount of CHO consumed 2 h before endurance exercise appears to be the main influencing factor on immune responses irrespective of its GI and GL value. / The second study (Chapter 5) examined the influence of a 3-day CHO loading with different GI and GL meals on the supercompensation status, running performance, physiological and immune responses. Nine endurance-trained male runners were recruited in this study. The procedures basically involved a 3-day CHO loading with different GI and GL meal [CHO intake (% of energy intake), GI, and GL per day are 73%, 80, and 553 for the high-GI and high-GL (H-H); 73%, 42, and 249 for the low-GI and low-GL (L-L); 31%, 78.5, and 227 for the high-GI and low-GL (H-L) respectively] after a glycogen-lowering exercise. Two hours after the breakfast on day 4, participants performed the running protocol as described in the first study. There was no difference in time to complete the 10-km TT between the two trials with high-CHO loading, i.e., H-H and L-L (51.3 +/- 5.3 min vs 48.6 +/- 1.3 min, NS). These results suggested that 3-day CHO loading with low GI and low GL (L-L) is more effective in improving endurance performance when compared to a high GI but low GL diet (H-L). It appears that the amount of CHO consumed during the 3-day CHO loading remains the key influencing factor on immune responses despite of the differences in the GI and GL value. / The third study (Chapter 6) investigated the influence of pre-exercise meal with different GI on subsequent endurance running performance and immune responses when CHO-electrolyte solution was consumed during exercise. Pre-exercise LGI meal attenuated the increases of cortisol when compared with CON and hastened the recovery of the IL-6 value to baseline when compared to that in HGI and CON trials during the first hour of the recovery. The results suggested that beside of CHO quantity (CHO content), the role of CHO quality (GI) in the diet consumed 2 h before exercise should be considered when investigating the influence of CHO supplementation on the exercise-induced transitory immunosuppressive effects. / Chen Yajun. / "August 2006." / Adviser: Stephen Wong Heung-Sang. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-03, Section: B, page: 1597. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-225). / 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.

The behavioural and electrophysiological consequences of two newly developed aniracetam analogues were investigated in male Long-Evans rats. Results indicate that an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of LD38.2 significantly improved retention in a two odour olfactory discrimination task. However, three different dosages of LN1 did not facilitate memory in the task. In rats with chronically implanted electrodes, both compounds rapidly crossed the blood brain barrier (BBB) after an i.p. injection and influenced several parameters of the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) in the CA1 and dentate gyrus regions of the hippocampus. The enhancement of the field EPSP following LD38.2 administration may be related to the drug's ability to facilitate memory in the olfactory discrimination task. Compounds, like LD38.2, that enhance both hippocampal transmission and performance in learning/memory tasks in laboratory rodents may have implications for the treatment of clinical memory disorders.

Distinct brain regions process innocuous vibration and cutaneous heat pain. The role of these areas in the perception of pain is still a matter of debate; and the role of these areas in the mediation of memory of somatosensory stimuli is uncertain and has not been studied with brain imaging in healthy human volunteers. All experiments described here, involved an experimental design, which included a delayed-discrimination paradigm and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In manuscript #1, we aimed at unraveling the cerebral correlates of attention and spatial localization of innocuous vibrotactile stimuli applied to the right volar surface of the forearm. In this study, we report that increased degrees of attention to the vibrotactile stimuli were associated with heightened levels of activation in several brain areas. In manuscript #2, we investigated the short-term memory for sensory aspects (intensity and location) of cutaneous heat pain delivered to two areas (thenar and hypothenar eminences) of the palm of the right hand. In this experiment, the memory and control trials were presented in blocks, whereby the subjects could predict what trials were going to follow. This study revealed that the presentation of painful stimuli evoked activation in different brain regions than those activated during the online maintenance (interstimulus interval or ISI) of the intensity and spatial features of those stimuli; a process, which I will refer to short-term memory. In manuscript #3, we investigated again short-term memory for sensory aspects of heat pain (as in manuscript #2), but in this case, the memory and control trials were presented in a randomized order. In this study, we found that the perception and short-term memory of pain were processed by a comparable network of areas. The predictability of the memory and control trials may have contributed to these findings. / La vibration inoffensive ainsi que la chaleur douloureuse cutanée sont traitées pardifférentes régions du cerveau. Le rôle de ces régions dans la perception de la douleurest controversé; et le rôle de ces régions dans la mémoire des stimuli somatosensorielsest incertain et n'a jamais encore été étudié en imagerie cérébrale chez des sujetshumains sains. Le design expérimental de toutes les études décrites ici comprenait unparadigme de 'delayed-discrimination' et l'imagerie par résonance magnétiquefonctionnelle (IRMf). L'étude #1 visait à élucider les corrélats cérébraux de l'attention etde la localisation spatiale des stimuli vibrotactiles inoffensifs présentés à la faceantérieure de l'avant-bras droit. Dans cette étude, nous avons trouvé que des degrésélevés d'attention portée aux stimuli vibrotactiles étaient associés à des niveaux accrusd'activation dans plusieurs zones du cerveau. Dans l'étude #2, nous avons enquêté surla mémoire à court-terme des caractéristiques sensorielles (intensité et emplacement)de la chaleur douloureuse cutanée présentée à deux endroits (éminences thénar ethypothénar) de la paume de la main droite. Dans cette étude, les essais mémoire etcontrôle étaient présentés en bloc, ou de sorte que les participants pouvaient prévoir dequel type serait le prochain essai. Cette étude a révélé que la présentation des stimulidouloureux a évoqué une activation de différentes régions cérébrales que celles quiétaient activées lors de la rétention de l'intensité et de l'emplacement des stimulationsdurant l'intervalle inter-stimuli (liS); un processus que je qualifierai de mémoire à courtterme.Dans l'étude #3, nous avons également enquêté sur la 'mémoire à court-termedes aspects sensoriels de la chaleur douloureuse (tout comme dans l'étude #2), maisdans ce cas, les essais mémoire et contrôle étaient présentés de façon aléatoire. Danscette étude, nous avons trouvé que la perception de la douleur ainsi que la mémoire àcourt-terme de la douleur étaient traitées par un réseau de régions semblable. Laprévisibilité des essais mémoire et contrôle peut avoir contribué à ce résultat.

Cardiovascular drift can occur during prolonged exercise and is characterized by a gradual decrease in stroke volume (SV) and a corresponding increase in heart rate (HR) over time, despite the maintenance of a constant level of work; cardiac output (CO) usually is unchanged. A number of factors may cause cardiovascular drift to occur, including increases in peripheral blood flow, decreases in plasma volume, increases in circulating catecholamines, and metabolic acidosis. These physiological events may be influenced by the relationship of the exercise intensity to ventilatory threshold (VT). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the cardiovascular responses during prolonged exercise in boys and men at an intensity set relative to VT. Eight boys (10-13 yrs.) and 10 men (18-25 yrs.) completed an orientation trial, a graded maximal exercise test, and a 40 minute submaximal exercise bout at an intensity equal to the V02 at VT. During the 40 minute exercise bout, V02 increased significantly over time (P_<0.05),although the magnitude of change was similar in boys and men (P>0.05). Heart rate was higher and SV was lower in the boys compared to the men (P<_0.05), and the changes in HR and SV were significant over time. Although there was a trend for the HR increase and SV decrease to be greater in the men, the group-by-time interaction was not significant. Cardiac output and arteriovenous oxygen difference were higher in the men compared to the boys (P<0.05), but remained constant over time. Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) was higher in the men than the boys (P<_0.05). In the men, MABP decreased significantly from 10 to 40 minutes, while in the boys, MABP decreased (P<_0.05) from 10 to 30 minutes and then increased to a value similar to that at 10 minutes. This differential response in MABP over time resulted in a significant groupby-time interaction. Total peripheral resistance was significantly higher in the boys than the men, but remained constant over time (P>0.05). Men exhibited a greater decrease in plasma volume from 0 to 40 minutes. There was no group difference in perceived exertion (RPE) between the boys and the men, although the boys exhibited a greater increase in RPE over time than the men (P<0.05). In conclusion, the cardiovascular responses during prolonged exercise are similar in boys and men, although there is a tendency for the magnitude of cardiovascular drift to be greater in the men. In addition, due to the fact that these results are similar to previous studies not accounting for individual differences in VT, it would seem that these differences in VT should not be of concern when studying the cardiovascular responses during prolonged exercise. / School of Physical Education

A series of studies is described here which explore the functional organisation of face- and object-processing neurones in the adult vervet monkey brain. This fundamental issue in high-level vision is addressed by the use of a novel molecular mapping technique that was developed for this purpose. / In the first study, the temporal dynamics of c-fos and zif268 expression were delineated in detail in the rat visual cortex. Knowing the precise temporal parameters of up-regulation (after onset of sensory stimulation) and down-regulation (after offset of sensory stimulation) of these genes was integral to optimising the temporal aspects of the stimuli to be used for subsequent mapping experiments. This study provided the critical information for devising stimuli with corresponding temporal parameters to those of c-fos or zif268 so that one could take advantage of the disparity between the expression of their mRNA and protein products in order to visualise activated neurones. / In the second study, the newly developed molecular mapping technique was validated in the rat auditory, visual and multisensory systems. First, bimodal audiovisual stimuli were designed using the data obtained from the first study. Then, through the combined histological detection of the mRNA and protein products of zif268, discrete populations of neurones responsive to either component of the bimodal stimulus were visualised. It was also observed that a third population of neurones was found that responded to the stimulation through both sensory modalities. The combined results from these two studies set the stage for addressing the issue of the organisation of face- and object-selective neurones of the inferior temporal cortex in the vervet monkey brain. / In the third study, the functional organisation of face- and object-selective neurones was examined using the molecular mapping technique. Based on the data gathered from the first two studies, suitable stimuli containing two distinct object classes (conspecific faces and non-face familiar objects) were designed with appropriate temporal parameters. / Finally, the last study provided an opportunity to address the issue of hemispheric asymmetry of function in the context of face processing in the non-human primate brain. Results support the notion that there may indeed be phylogenetic explanations for the hemispheric asymmetry observed in the human brain.

[Truncated astract] Talent Identification (TI) in sports begins by mass screening individuals' motor abilities. du Randt (2000) wrote that, as test items from one country might not necessarily suit another, appropriate basic motor skill test items are important for developing a TI mass screening instrument. Three hundred and thirty Malaysian adolescents aged from 12-15 years were tested on three motor skill test batteries: the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development (MAND, McCarron, 1982); the Australian Talent Identification Test (AIS, Australian Sports Commission, 1998); and a Balance and Movement Coordination Test which was specifically developed for this project. In the current research, the motor performance data recorded from the adolescents underwent several types of analyses. Principal Component analyses were conducted on the MAND, AIS and BMC motor skill instruments to understand what the three motor skill instruments were assessing globally in the Malaysian adolescents. Then, first-order and higher-order factor analyses were conducted on the 13 parameters making up the AIS+BMC motor skill instrument to examine the concept of general motor ability (GMA). After descriptive analyses of the adolescents' motor skill performances, age and gender differences were examined using two (gender) by four (age) ANOVAs. Finally, stepwise discriminant function analyses were conducted on a combined AIS+BMC motor skill instrument to determine the best sub-set of motor skills that reliably classified the Malaysian adolescents into three levels of motor performance.... Two stepwise discriminant analyses were undertaken to find the best set of motor skills for classifying Malaysian adolescents into three motor coordination groups based on scores on the MAND and three motor ability groups derived from scores on the motoric 'g'. The ability of a combined AIS+BMC motor skill instrument to classify Malaysian adolescents into the three groups was good for those classified as Normal, not so great for those adolescents classified as High, and poor for those adolescents classified as Low. The motor skills consistently reported across both sets of analyses were Balance-Eyes-Open, Balance-Eyes-Closed, Dynamic Balance, Hopping Speed, Quadrant Jump, Hopping-in-Square, Basketball Throw and Shuttle-Run-with-Object. Hence, motor skills assessing static balance, dynamic balance and postural control appeared to reliably discriminate the Malaysian adolescents into three motor performance groups. Finally, an examination of the misclassifications found in the discriminant analyses revealed two things. Those individuals being predicted into a lower group performed a large number of the motor skills to a lesser standard when compared with their correctly classified cohorts. Conversely, those predicted into a higher group performed a number of motor skills to a standard higher than their correctly classified cohorts. Thus, at a global level, certain individuals could be overlooked for further athletic development and is a concern when developing a rigorous TI program. Therefore, practitioners need to be cautious of any single ability score, and how that represents an individual's athletic potential. These results are discussed, limitations noted, and directions for future research provided.