Thesis (Ph.D.)--New Jersey Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2000. / JT20011220. MBT20090708 ANT20100114 Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-173). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M. Med. Sc.)--University of Queensland, 2003. / Date on spine is 2002. Includes bibliographical references.

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

The present investigation compared the effectiveness of an audible relaxation strategy and a subliminal suggestion strategy for lowering blood pressure in a normotensive population. These strategies were compared with each other and with a control group. Data were obtained from 108 females and 37 males on: 1) baseline systolic and diastolic blood pressure; and 2) end of treatment systolic and diastolic blood pressure.It was anticipated that if there was a difference between group means on the dependent measures, the difference would occur between 1) the audible relaxation instruction and the control conditions, and 2) the subliminal suggestion and the control conditions. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine pretreatment equivalence of blood pressure in the three treatment groups. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance was used to test for statistical significance on the end of treatment data.The findings revealed that neither treatment strategy was more effective than the other, nor more effective than the control group at the end of treatment. Even though there were slight reductions from pretreatment blood pressure to end of treatment blood pressure in each group, there were no significant differences among groups. The validity and generalizability of these findings were discussed in light of previous research. Recommendations were made for further research.

No description available.

The purpose of the study was to examine the existence of an association between child blood pressure (BP) and exposure to domestic jet aircraft noise in the context of the construction of a new parallel north-south runway at Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) Airport. The baseline study was commissioned and funded by the Federal Airports Corporation (FAC), with measurements conducted in 1994 and 1995. A follow-up longitudinal component to the study was subsequently commissioned and funded by the FAC in 1997, and measurements conducted in the same year. As the same individuals were measured and re-measured over changing conditions of exposure to aircraft noise, the quasiexperimental nature of the study allowed inferences to be made regarding exposure to aircraft noise and child BP. The main hypotheses for testing were that BP, and within-subject longitudinal changes in BP, are positively related to domestic jet aircraft noise exposure and longitudinal changes in domestic jet aircraft noise exposure respectively. Subsidiary hypotheses tested for evidence of short- and long-term BP adaptation effects where BPs were related to prior changes to aircraft noise exposures. A sample of 75 primary schools within a 20 km radius of Sydney Airport under various noise exposure conditions, both existing and those projected with the advent of the new runway, participated in the study. The baseline cohort comprised 1,230 Year 3/4 children attending the schools in 1994 and 1995, and the follow-up participants comprised 628 of the original baseline sample re-measured in 1997. Study participants were enrolled by active parental consent. The baseline response rate was approximately 40% of children in the participating schools. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure readings of the children were taken using automated BP measuring equipment along with anthropometric measurements (heights, weights, skinfold thicknesses and waist measurements). Parental surveys captured items pertaining to the child�s ethnic background as measured by the country of birth of the child and parent(s), residential address and housing structure, child eating habits and activity levels, along with family and child history of high blood pressure. Aircraft noise exposure data were collected by the National Acoustic Laboratories and processed into the energy-averaged noise metric used in Australia for aircraft noise exposure assessment called the Australian Noise Exposure Index (ANEI). Mean exposures for a given calendar month were used in the analysis. ANEI values were geocoded to exact geographic locations using digitised street maps from which values for each house and school address, also geocoded, were interpolated. A child BP measured in a given month was matched to a aircraft noise exposure value both at their school and residential address for that month for analysis. After adjusting for confounding and other factors, the cross-sectional relationship between BP and aircraft noise exposure was found to be inconsistent. SBP was nonsignificantly negatively associated with school aircraft noise exposure at baseline (0.05 mmHg/ANEI, cluster-sampling-adjusted p&gt0.05), but positively and non-significantly associated with school aircraft noise exposure at follow-up (0.05 mmHg/ANEI, p&gt0.05). As for SBP, baseline DBP was significantly negatively related to school aircraft noise exposure at (0.09 mmHg/ANEI, p&lt0.001) and non-significantly positively associated with school aircraft noise exposure at follow-up (0.05 mmHg/ANEI, p&gt0.05). Within-subject BP changes, occurring from baseline to follow-up, regressed on corresponding longitudinal changes in aircraft noise exposures produced inconsistent results. SBP change was positively and non-significantly (0.027 mmHg/ANEI, p&gt0.05) associated with corresponding school aircraft noise exposure change, while SBP change was negatively associated total aircraft noise exposure change (statistically nonsignificant, 0.06 mmHg/ANEI, p&gt0.05). DBP changes were similarly and nonsignificantly related to corresponding aircraft noise exposure changes. Some evidence for short-term BP adaptation to recent changes in aircraft noise exposure was found. Consistent negative associations between systolic and diastolic BP and recent changes in school aircraft noise exposure were found. This association was statistically significant at study baseline (SBP: 0.19 mmHg/ANEI, p&lt0.001; DBP: 0.12 mmHg/ANEI, p&lt0.001), and of similar magnitude although not statistically significant at follow-up (SBP: 0.14 mmHg/ANEI; DBP: 0.10 mmHg/ANEI, p&gt0.05). In the presence of inconsistent cross-sectional BP-aircraft noise exposure associations, this finding is consistent with evidence of a homoeostatic BP response to recent changes in aircraft noise exposure, where resting BP returns to pre-existing levels unrelated to aircraft noise exposure. The public health implication of this finding appears to be benign.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.) --University of Adelaide, School of Medicine, Discipline of Medicine, 2007. / "December 2006" Bibliography: leaves 252-297. Also available in print form.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Drexel University, 2004. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-186).