Giving birth to a child can have a major impact on a woman's feelings about herself and her newborn, influencing perceptions and interactions, and having both short and long term implications. In this study the effect of an experience of labour and delivery discrepant or not discrepant with expectations on mood and level of distress postpartum were investigated. / Thirty primaparas were pretested on a Labor and Delivery Expectation scale and posttested on an Experience scale two days postpartum. Two mood measures and a Distress scale were administered at this time. The influences of formal preparation for childbirth and of personality variables on the childbirth experience and postpartum mood were also investigated. / It was found that a positive mood and low distress postpartum were related to an experience of labour and delivery better than had been expected. An experience more negative than expected resulted in low mean scores for mood with high distress levels.

An imbalance of the oxidant-antioxidant equilibrium has been associated with disease progression in HIV-seropositive individuals. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated the efficacy of antioxidant supplementation in reducing the concentrations of oxidative stress markers. The objectives of the present cross-sectional study were to evaluate the dietary intake and nutritional supplementation practices of 24 HIV-seropositive persons in Montreal and explore the relationship between dietary intakes of antioxidant micronutrients (ascorbic acid, vitamin E, $ beta$-carotene, zinc, selenium), oxidative stress (plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), leukocyte glutathione (GSH)) and immunological indices (absolute CD4+ counts, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN)). Unexpectedly, and paradoxically, a tendency to higher MDA concentrations in subjects with higher CD4+ counts was observed (r = 0.39, p $<$ 0.10). Moreover, supplementation with vitamin E was associated with significantly higher MDA concentrations (p $<$ 0.05). Ascorbic acid intake, even at levels in excess of the tissue saturation (200 mg/d) did not significantly lower MDA concentrations. Neither GSH concentrations nor CD4+ counts were significantly different between supplement users and non-users. In general, the small sample size of this study may have been in part responsible for the failure to detect statistical significance in some associations, however, trends were noted. These included the observation that vitamin supplement users were more likely to have a history of a clinical event associated with HIV infection (opportunistic infection, neoplasm, unintentional weight loss), have a longer duration of IV-seropositivity and have significantly higher MDA concentrations (p $<$ 0.05). In this study, it appears that antioxidants, and vitamin E in particular, were ineffective in reducing the elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) associated with HIV infection.

The brain areas required for latent learning in the rat are not currently understood. Previous tasks used to assess latent learning, defined as the acquisition of neutral information that does not immediately influence behavior, have shared characteristics that prevented their use to determine the neurobiology of latent learning. This thesis describes a new task called the Latent Cue Preference (LCP) task, derived from the Conditioned Cue Preference (CCP) task that has been successfully used to determine the brain areas required for conditioning in the rat and other animals. In the LCP task, water deprived rats alternately drink a salt solution in one distinctive compartment of a CCP box apparatus and water in the other compartment over 8 days (training trials). They are then given a choice between the two compartments with no solutions present (preference test). The results of the behavioral experiments showed that this training results in two parallel forms of learning: (1) latent learning of an association between salt and salt-paired compartment cues, and (2) conditioning to water-paired compartment cues. Latent learning itself involved two components: (1) the latent association between salt and salt-paired cues, and (2) motivational information about salt deprivation used to retrieve the latent association, and used to compete with the conditioning to water-paired cues. In addition, the findings showed that latent learning and conditioning involve different neural circuits. Latent learning required an intact cortical-to-hippocampus circuit via the entorhinal cortex, while conditioning required an intact subcortical-to-hippocampus circuit via the fimbria-fornix. The acquisition and storage of the latent association depended on an intact entorhinal cortex/dorsal hippocampus circuit, while the use of motivational information to retrieve the association recruited the ventral hippocampus. Conditioning, on the other hand, required an intact fimbria-fornix, lateral amygdala, and hippocampus. These findings provide new knowledge to the field of learning and memory research, and allowed an update of the current Multiple Memory Systems model.

No description available.

No description available.

Objectives. The purpose of this study was too determine whether there were significant kinematic differences between recreational and elite hockey players and between contra-lateral lower limbs during forward hockey skating. / Methods. While skating on a hockey treadmill subjects were filmed with four synchronized digital video cameras while wearing reflective marker triads on the thighs, shanks and skates. Subjects skated within a calibrated volume at a self selected speed that they could maintain comfortably for one minute. Each subject completed three trials separated by 5 minutes of rest. Data was reduced and analyzed using programs written in MATLAB. Two-way ANOVA and Tukey Post Hoc tests were used to determine statistic significance. / Results. Elite and recreational subjects were significantly different (p≤0.05) during knee abduction and knee rotation at push off, as well as during knee abduction and knee flexion at blade contact. Contra lateral lower limbs were significantly different (p≤0.05) during ankle abduction and hip rotation at blade contact as well as during knee abduction at push off. / Conclusion. Some aspects of the skating stride are similar in elite and recreational hockey skaters but there were several kinematic differences between skill levels and contra-lateral legs. The skating kinematics of elite hockey players may serve as a model for young hockey players and recreational hockey players, helping them develop a more efficient and effective stride.

This thesis is designed to examine the effects of discrimination on its target. It aims to investigate the psychological, physical, perceptual and behavioral responses that individuals exhibit when faced with racist, sexist and heterosexist as well as other types of discriminatory acts. Through meta-analytic procedures, findings from existing studies investigating the impact of discrimination on the target were gathered and their average effect sizes calculated. A total of 50 empirical studies were identified, from which 84 effect sizes were derived. Using homogeneity analysis techniques, the studies' effect sizes were compared and analyzed. The results show significant heterogeneity in the overall mean effect size (0.38) of discrimination. Subsequent moderator variable investigations indicated that among discrimination acts, sexism had the highest mean effect size (0.64), while among the responses to discrimination, the perceptual factor showed the highest mean effect size (0.65). Additional moderator variables' investigations resulted in significant differences between Canadian and American settings in terms of discrimination acts and responses.

This study examined Hanin's (1980) zone of optimal functioning (ZOF) theory. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether being in or out of a ZOF could be used to predict performance of 19 female and 16 male varsity college swimmers. Determining ZOFs required a two part strategy. In part one, subjects retrospectively revealed optimal anxiety using the SAI and CSAI-2 anxiety inventories. Standard deviations from this portion of the study were used to determine the size of individual ZOFs. Each swimmer was assigned SAI, cognitive, somatic, and selfconfidence ZOFs. In part two, swimmers rated level of anxiety prior to competition. Pre-competition anxiety scores were compared to individual ZOFs to determine if swimmers were within or outside their ZOFs prior to performance. A performance score of 1 was assigned to swimmers whose competition time was better than their mean time for previous competition, while a score of 0 was assigned to those swimmers whose performance time was worsethan their mean time for previous competition. Tetrachoric correlations were computed to determine the magnitude of relationship between location about ZOF and subsequent performance score. Results indicated that being within SAI and somatic ZOFs were related to above average performance for male swimmers. A somatic-cognitive interaction was also significant for male swimmers. No significant relationships were identified for female swimmers possibly due to questionable reliability and validity of anxiety responses for females. It was concluded that data for male swimmers supported ZOF theory. / School of Physical Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an upper respiratory illness (URI) on running mechanics during a maximal VO2 exercise treadmill test. The specific measurements assessed were stride length (SL), stride frequency (SF), range of motion (ROM) of the hip, knee, and ankle, and the displacement of the center of mass (COM) during the stride cycle. Fifty-three subjects (female=25, male=28) between 18 and 30 years of age completed the study. The participants in the study were characteristically non-smokers, drank fewer than five alcoholic drinks per week, had no orthopedic problems, were not pregnant, did not suffer from hay fever or chronic colds, and were not allergic to penicillin. Rhinovirus Type 16 was used in the inoculation of the individuals. The subjects performed two maximal V02 treadmill test. The first test was before the inoculations and the second test was during the height of the illness. Stride length and SF data were derived from accelerometer data. Statistical analysis using ANOVA revealed no significant changes in SL or SF between pre- and post-inoculation treadmill tests. Based on the results of this study it was concluded that Rhinovirus Type 16 does not effect running mechanics during a maximal V02 treadmill test. / School of Physical Education

Plasma choline levels have been reported to be significantly reduced in athletes at the endof prolonged, exhaustive exercise (marathon running), and this may affect the release of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction (16). The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the influence of two levels of choline (from soy lecithin) ingestion on plasma choline levels and exercise performance. Ten endurance-trained male cyclists exercised on an electrically resisted ergometer for 105 minutes at a load equal to 70% V02 max, followed by an all-out, self-paced 15 minute performance ride on an isokinetic cycle. Three randomly ordered trials were performed four hours after the feedings of (A) 0.0 g, (B) 1.1 g, or (C) 1.8 g choline. Dietary intake of choline was controlled. Before and after the trials, blood samples were drawn and analyzed for serum choline (umol/liter) using an HPLC method. Feedings of 1.1 g and 1.8 g of choline significantly (p < 0.05) elevated serum choline values compared to control (A = 34.16 [± 0.63], B 38.17 [+ 0.96], and C = 42.32 [+ 0.59]).Post-exercise serum choline values, however, were not significantly different (p > 0.05) from pre-exercise levels. In addition, there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in performance between placebo, 1.1 g, and 1.8 choline trials (2.11 x 105, 2.07 x 105, 2.07 x 105 Newton-meters, respectively). This study indicates a dose response to choline ingestion, with no effect on performance. / School of Physical Education