The aim of this thesis was to evaluate changes in resting energy expenditure (REE) in ten lactating women between three weeks and nine months postpartum to find out whether there is any link with the parameters presented in this study. Measurements were taken at four intervals. At three weeks and at three, six and nine months postpartum. They were taken in the morning after a night fast (12 hours) and used indirect calorimetry with a canopy in awake lying subjects for approximately 25 minutes. The room was shaded with minimal noise with a temperature around 20 řC. Urine was collected over 24 hours and was examined for nitrogen concentration. The median REE was 1591,86 kcal/day at 3 weeks postpartum, 1398,08 kcal/day at 3 months, 1401,78 kcal/day at 6 months and 1455,03 kcal/day at 9 months postpartum. Values of REE per kilogram of body weight are 21,8 ± 0,36 kcal/kg and are consistent throughout the measurement period. The oxidation of lipids was dominant compared to other substrates and the lowest was oxidation of sacharides during the whole observation period. Correlations were found in parameters such as, body weight and REE per kilogram, breast milk and respiratory quotient (RQ), length of gravidity with RQ/ volume of exhaled carboxydioxide/ volume of inhaled oxygen. Another was between protein...

Syftet med den här studie är att synliggöra fritidslärarnas arbete med vila och rekreation i fritidshemmet samt hur fritidslärare definierar begreppen vila och rekreation. Utifrån syftet ställs fyra forskningsfrågor, hur definierar fritidslärare begreppen vila och rekreation, hur viktig är elevers vila och rekreation för fritidslärare, hur arbetet går till och om lokalerna erbjuder vila och rekreation. Sex kvalitativa intervjuer har genomförts ihop med observationer i sex olika fritidshem. All insamlad empiri från de kvalitativa intervjuerna har tolkats med utgångspunkt i två teorier, kraftöverskottsteorin och rekreationsteorin. Resultatet visar att fritidslärare definierar begreppen likartat. Arbetet med vila och rekreation sker i det spontana och diskussionen är viktig när det gäller vila och rekreation vilket diskuteras både formellt och informellt i verksamheten. Fritidslärarna arbetar mer med vila och rekreation i jämförelse med vad som benämns i läroplanen. Lokaler är tillgängliga för att erbjuda vila och rekreation men det är fritidslärarna som själva skapar platser för elever att återhämta sig. / The purpose of this study is to make visible the work of leisure teachers with rest and recreation in the leisure centres and how leisure teachers define rest and recreation. Based on the purpose, four research questions are asked, how do leisure teachers define the concepts of rest and recreation, how important is pupils rest and recreation for leisure teachers, how they work with it and whether the premises offer rest and recreation. Six qualitative interviews have been conducted together with observations in six different leisure centres. All empirical data collected from the qualitative interviews have been interpreted based on two theories, the power surplus theory and the recreation theory. The result shows that leisure teachers define the concepts similarly. They work with rest and recreation spontaneously and the discussions, in terms of rest and recreation which is discussed both formally and informally in the centres, are important. The leisure teachers work more with rest and recreation compared to what is mentioned in the curriculum. Premises are available for the offer of rest and recreation, but mostly it is the leisure teachers who themselves create places for pupils to recuperate.

Background The aim of diploma thesis was to evaluate resting energy expenditure (REE) and substrate oxidation in Czech lactating women and their relation to measured anthropometric parameters. Methods The indirect calorimetry was used to asses REE. Subsequently, the oxidation of substrates was calculated. At the same time were measured anthropometric parameters of breastfeeding women. Then the correlation was investigated. The total amount of examination were three times. First was in the time three weeks after birth, the second one was three months postpartum and the last was six months after birth. Results The mean values of REE in lactating women were 1577±93 kcal/day in the time of three weeks after birth. Three months after birth it was 1622±140 kcal/day. Six months after birth it was 1545±80 kcal/day. Significant positive correlation was proved between REE and triceps skinfold thickness (r = 0,98; P < 0,05) and also chest circumference (r = 0,99; P < 0,05). Both were three weeks after birth. Breastfeeding women had a value of lipid oxidation 60 % of substrate oxidation three weeks postpartum, which decreased to 46 % three months postpartum due to sharp increase (from 8 % to 18 %) of carbohydrate oxidation value. This increase could correspond to the preferential use of glucose by the mammary...

Sensory processing challenges are common and often difficult for children on the autism spectrum and can affect some neurotypical children. Furthermore, sensory processing atypicalities are associated with autistic traits and other co-occurring behaviors associated with autism, such as intolerance of uncertainty. As such, traits common to autism may vary continuously across diagnostic boundaries (i.e., Broad Autism Phenotype). Working to uncover behavioral and neurophysiologic correlates of sensory differences could positively impact clinical support of children with and without a diagnosis of autism. Therefore, this study examined relationships between sensory processing, intolerance of uncertainty (a possible measure of prediction), autistic traits, and associated resting state brain connectivity, in autistic (n=30) and neurotypical (NT; n=26) children ages 6-11. To this end, we calculated the relationships between behavioral scores on measures related to sensory processing, intolerance of uncertainty, and autistic traits. Also, we carried out independent component network functional connectivity analysis to investigate associations between cortical and cerebellar networks and behavioral results. Autistic participants presented with significant correlations of sensory processing with autistic traits and sensory processing with intolerance of uncertainty. Neurotypical participants presented with significant correlations of autistic traits with sensory processing and autistic traits with intolerance of uncertainty. Between groups correlations demonstrated sensory processing and intolerance of uncertainty scores overlapping and spanning the groups. Brain (rs-fMRI)--behavioral relationships regarding the above were also examined revealing strong associations between sensory and cerebellar networks and behavioral scores. Overall, our findings suggest that sensory differences may be related to altered prediction abilities and, in NT children, autistic traits. Neurophysiologic data pointed to abnormal functional connectivity between sensory cortices and the cerebellum in autistic children. These findings provide evidence for the notion of the BAP and suggest a role of prediction in sensory processing and its behavioral correlates.

Magnetic resonance imaging of neuronal activity is one of the most promising techniques in modern psychiatric research. While clear functional links with phenotypic variables have been established and detailed networks of activity robustly identified, fMRI scans have not yet yielded the robust biomarkers of psychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia, which would allow for their use as a clinical diagnostic tool. One possible explanation for the lack of such results is that neural activity is highly non- stationary, whereas most analysis techniques assume that signal properties remain relatively static over time. Time-frequency analysis is a family of analytic techniques which do not assume that data is stationary, and thus is well suited to the analysis of neural time series. Resting state fMRI scans from a publicly available dataset were decomposed using the Wavelet transform and Hilbert Huang Transform, techniques from time-frequency analysis. The results of these processes were then used as the basis for calculating several properties of the fMRI signal within each voxel. The wavelet transform, a simpler technique, generated measures which showed broad differences between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls but failed to reach statistical significance in the vast majority of situations. The Hilbert Huang transform, in contrast, showed significant increases in certain measures throughout areas associated with sensory processing, dysfunction in which is a symptom of schizophrenia. These results support the use of analysis techniques able to capture the nonstationarities in neural data and encourages the use of such techniques to explore the nature of the neural differences in psychiatric disorders.

The aim of this research is to understand and explore the different needs important to the resting space used at work, and how research through design can be used to better uptain the goal of creating rest and recovery for the employees. It is a requirement made by the Swedish Work Environment Authority that every workspace have, or temporarily can provide, a resting space for its employees. But not everyone finds use of this space, and little research has been made on how product design can be used in resting spaces to better fulfil the needs of the individuals working there. That is something this thesis hopes to uncover by inviting the employees into the design process, participating in interviews, a workshop and a moodboard as the users of this project. By using product design in an investigative and interactive process, important insights were made during the study as to what is important for rest and recovery to be obtained. These insights were then put together into a list of requirements for the final product to be evaluated against. The result became a product much appreciated by the employees, as it created sheldment from work.

A lower resting energy expenditure (REE) has been suggested to partially explain the disproportionate prevalence of overweight/obesity among black African women, yet no studies have investigated the REE of South African (SA) children. Similarly, physical activity (PA) as a modifiable factor related to childhood energy expenditure is under-researched in the local context. The study determined the relationship between sex and population group (determinant factors), on the one hand, and REE and PA (outcomes) of 6–9-year-old SA children attending two primary schools in the City of Tshwane metropolitan area, on the other, taking phenotypic characteristics as confounders (mediating factors) and the study context into account. In a cross-sectional study with quota sampling, the REE of 6–9-year-old children attending two urban schools in SA was measured with indirect calorimetry (IC), and PA with a pedometer. Multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to assess body composition (BC) (fat-free mass [FFM], FFM index, fat mass [FM] and FM index). Multivariate regression was used to calculate REE and PA adjusted for phenotypic confounders (z-scores of weight-for-age, height-for-age and body mass index-for-age, and BC). Sex and population differences in REE and PA (measured and adjusted) were determined with two-way ANOVA. Ninety-four healthy children (59.6% girls; 52.1% black African) with similar socio-economic status and access to PA participated in the study. Despite variations in BC, sex differences in REE were not significant (41 kcal/day ≈ 172 kJ/day; P = 0.375). The REE in black African participants was significantly lower than in their white counterparts (146 kcal/day ≈ 613 kJ/day; P = 0.002). When adjusting for BC, population differences in REE declined, especially after adjustment for FFM (91 kcal/day ≈ 382 kJ/day; P = 0.039), but remained clinically significant. Average steps/day in girls (10212 [9519;10906]) was lower than in boys (11433 [10588;12277]) (P = 0.029), and lower in black African (9280 [8538;10022]) than in white (12258 [11483;13033]) (P < 0.001) participants. No significant relationship (r = 0.05; P = 0.651) was observed between REE and PA. Within the context of a similar SES and PA environment, the REE and PA of black African children was lower than white. Differences in REE between sexes were not significant, but girls had a lower PA than boys. / Thesis (PhD (Dietetics))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / South African Sugar Association project No. 260 / Human Nutrition / PhD (Dietetics) / Unrestricted

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common psychiatric illnesses and causes significant disturbances in daily functioning. Research on heart-rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training suggests that HRV is an efficacious adjunct to psychotherapy in reducing depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine neurological changes in depressed individuals who were randomized to either a psychotherapy plus HRV biofeedback training or to a treatment as usual group. A control group with no history of depression was also studied. We collected psychological, physiological, and imaging data from 30 participants (10 in an experimental group, 10 in a treatment as usual group, and the other 10 in a healthy control group) at baseline and follow-up. Regions of interest (ROIs) included anterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. Participants from the experimental group went through 5 weekly HRV trainings in conjunction with traditional psychotherapy approaches. The treatment as usual group only received psychotherapy. The healthy controls did not receive any HRV training or therapy services. Overall, we found significant improvements in the experimental group's depression score, overall distress level, and HRV measurements relative to the TAU and control groups. However, we did not find significant HRV and resting-state connectivity group differences among experimental group relative to healthy controls. Together, results suggest that HRV training helps to reduce depressed participants' overall distress level and depressive symptoms. However, findings do not show any changes in participants' imaging data. These findings serve as pilot data on literature related to HRV biofeedback training in a depressed population.

Purpose: An experimental study to examine the effects of CardioWaves interval training (IT) and continuous training (CT) on resting blood pressure, resting heart rate, and mind-body wellness. Methods: Fifty-two normotensive (blood pressure <120/80 mmHg), pre-hypertensive (120-139/80-89 mmHg), and hypertensive (>140/90 mmHg) participants were randomly assigned and equally divided between the IT and CT groups. Both groups participated in the assigned exercise protocol thirty minutes per day, four days per week for eight weeks. Resting blood pressure, resting heart rate, and mind-body wellness were measured pre- and post-intervention. Results: A total of 47 participants (15 females and 32 males) were included in the analysis. The IT group had a non-significant trend of reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) and increased diastolic blood pressure (DBP) while the CT group had a statistically significant decrease in awake SBP (p=0.01) and total SBP (p=0.01) and a non-significant decrease in DBP. With both groups combined, the female participants had a statistically significant decrease in awake SBP (p=0.002), asleep SBP (p=0.01), total SBP (p=0.003), awake DBP (p=0.02), and total DBP (p=0.05). The male participants had an increase in SBP and DBP with total DBP showing a statistically significant increase (p=0.05). Neither group had consistent change in resting heart rate. Both groups showed improved mind-body wellness. Conclusion: IT and CT reduced resting blood pressure, with CT having a greater effect. Resting heart rate did not change in either group. Additionally, both IT and CT improved mind-body wellness.

Reappraisal — reinterpreting a situation to change emotional response — is an effective emotion regulation strategy that relies on cognitive control network activity, including engagement of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), to attenuate amygdala activity. Greater dlPFC-Amygdala functional connectivity predicts instructed reappraisal task success, and daily use of reappraisal for younger adults (Pico-Perez et al.., 2018) but not older adults (Opitz et al., 2012), while the connectivity of the vmPFC is predictive of physiological markers of ER success for all ages (Sakaki et al., 2016 & Urry et al., 2006). However, the relationship between Resting-State Functional Connectivity (RSFC) and reappraisal task success across the lifespan has yet to be investigated. Participants in the Cambridge Center for Aging Neuroscience study (N=299) completed an 8-minute resting-state fMRI scan. In each trial of an emotion regulation task, participants either viewed or reappraised a negative film and reported post-regulation positive affect. RSFC across bilateral amygdala and the mPFC, the left and the right dlPFC were calculated with Matlab’s CONN Toolbox. The hypothesis is that the strength of the amygdala-mPFC RSFC will predict lower negative and higher positive affect scores after reappraising, however, this study data failed to find evidence to support this hypothesis. The association between the amygdala-dlPFC RSFC and post-reappraisal negative affect scores was moderated by age. Positive affect was higher when there was a stronger negative RSFC in young and middle-aged adults, and this relationship was not significant at older ages (~72). Our results suggest that dlPFC-amygdala activity at rest may be a predictor of emotion regulation in younger and midlife adults but that dlPFC-amygdala activity may be less predictive of emotion regulation outcomes in later life.