PURPOSE: This study examined the effect of different intensities of acute exercise on attention allocation to visual food cues, postexercise energy intake, and subjective measures of hunger in women. METHODS: This crossover study utilized treatment conditions that were randomized and counter-balanced. Fifty-two adult women, 18-29 years, were compared under three separate conditions: no exercise, 45 min of moderate-intensity exercise at 3.9 METs and 22.5 min of vigorous-intensity exercise at 7.8 METs. To measure attention allocation to visual food cues, participants were shown a passive viewing task consisting of a continual stream of pictures of food (high and low calorie) and nonfood stimuli while brain activity was monitored using an EEG. The late positive potential (LPP) component of the scalp-recorded event-related potential (ERP) was used for data analysis. Postexercise food intake was measured during an ad libitum snack offered at the end of each condition. Subjective ratings of appetite were measured before and immediately after each condition using a visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS: No significant differences for LPP were found for the condition (no exercise, moderate exercise or vigorous exercise) by picture type (high calorie, low calorie or nonfood) interaction (P = 0.184). Total kcal intake did not differ among the different exercise conditions (P = 0.19). However, even though energy intake did not differ among exercise conditions, low-energy-dense foods were consumed at higher rates compared to high-energy-dense foods after the vigorous (P = 0.0005) and moderate exercise conditions (P = 0.02) compared to the nonexercise condition. Findings from the VAS indicate the moderate exercise session resulted in significantly higher ratings of hunger when compared to the nonexercise (P = 0.04) and vigorous exercise sessions (P = 0.0046). There was also a significant condition (no exercise, moderate exercise or vigorous exercise) by period (pre- or postexercise) interaction found in postexercise ratings of hunger (P = 0.018). The moderate exercise condition reported higher levels of hunger after exercise (P = 0.0002). In addition, findings from the VAS also indicated energy for the moderate exercise condition increased postexercise (P = 0.006) and was higher than either the nonexercise (P = 0.011) or the vigorous exercise conditions (P = 0.017). CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate that an acute bout of moderate exercise may increase subjective hunger and overall energy without increasing the neural response to visual food cues or postexercise energy intake. Furthermore, it also shows that an acute bout of vigorous exercise did not alter neural response to visual food cues, hunger or energy intake postexercise.

Thesis (MPA) --University of Limpopo, 2018 / South African Universities are faced with the pandemic issues of student‟s through-put. The postgraduate intake at higher education doesn‟t correspond with the completion rate. South Africa is relatively the lowest in higher education success rate compared to other countries. This study aimed at investigating factors contributing to postgraduate students through-put at Turfloop Graduate School of Leadership (TGSL), in the University of Limpopo. This study adopted a quantitative descriptive research design. Questionnaire were utilised to collect data from master‟s students and academic staff at TGSL. Data was gathered through structured questionnaire from 42 master‟s students. Semi-structured questionnaire were used to gather data from five experienced academic staff members. The study utilised simple random sampling and judgemental or purposive sampling. Descriptive analysis was used and data was analysed using Statistical package for social science (SPSS). The findings reveal that the number of students graduating from the three programmes within TGSL is increasing from time to time suggesting a decline in supervision backlog. The study indicated that most master‟s students take more than maximum duration of three years to complete their study as these students have completed their modules (course work) and remain with research project. Despite these and other academic support provided by the university, masters students encounter certain challenges that influence their academic performance. The major factors influencing through-put include: Lack of commitment; personal issues such as workload; lack of support from spouse and family members and poor time management; lack of personal interest and hard work on the part of students; lack of focus; poor time management; inadequate writing skills; lack of time. Most students are working and may not have adequate time to consult their supervisors. This study has made recommendations to further improve master‟s students‟ through-put. Based on the findings and conclusions of the study it is recommended that students should be self-disciplined; committed to their studies. Students should put more effort on their mini-dissertation and attend the writing retreats organised by the university to improve their writing skills.

Pasture-based dairies have become more prevalent in recent years due to a higher proportion of organic milk demand and production. Organic certification requires that animals must graze at least 120 days in each growing season. However, dry matter intake is often limited when dairy animals receive most of their herbage from pasture, resulting in lower animal performance and milk production. The purpose of this study was to analyze the complimentary effect of high energy grasses with birdsfoot trefoil (BFT) tannins to improve intake of dairy heifers. Jersey heifers were rotationally grazed for 105 days in 2017 and 2018 on eight different pasture treatments, which included monocultures of perennial ryegrass (PR), orchardgrass (OG), meadow bromegrass (MB), and tall fescue (TF), with each respective grass also planted in mixture with BFT. Intake was measured by sampling herbage before and after each seven-day grazing period and was from greatest to least as follows: MB+BFT, OG+BFT, OG, MB, PR+BFT, TF+BFT, PR, TF. Physical characteristics such as pasture bulk density, herbage height, herbage allowance, leaf pubescence, leaf softness, and birdsfoot trefoil content as well as nutritional properties such as fat, non-fibrous carbohydrates, fiber, and energy were all associated with intake. Crude protein and ash were also associated with intake. While PR+BFT did not have the greatest overall intake, it was the only treatment that consistently had greater intake than its respective grass monoculture (PR). Since it had more energy and tannins than all other grasses, a complimentary effect between energy and tannins to increase intake was likely. The fact that both physical and chemical herbage characteristics were associated with intake shows the importance of planting the right species in pasture as well as making proper management decisions to maximize nutritive value and herbage intake.

Objectives: This study examined the relation of multiple aspects of the home food environment to dietary intake and body weight among overweight and obese children in southern Appalachia. Methods: The study used baseline data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial, Parent-Led Activity and Nutrition for Healthy Living, evaluating a parent-mediated approach to treating child overweight and obesity in the primary care setting in southern Appalachia. Sixty-seven children ages 5 to 11 years were recruited from four primary care clinics. Multiple linear regression was used to estimate the relation between multiple aspects of the home food environment to dietary intake (fruit and vegetable intake, fat and sweets intake), and standardized body mass index (zBMI), adjusted for baseline family characteristics (education, smoking status during the past month, BMI) and child characteristics (sex, age, Medicaid/TennCare). Results: Findings showed greater parental restriction and pressure in feeding were associated with greater fruit and vegetable intake in children (β = 0.33, β = 0.30, respectively; both P < 0.05). The availability of chips and sweets in a child’s home and parental inappropriate modeling of eating were associated with an increased risk for consumption of fats and sweets by children (β = 0.47, β = 0.54, respectively; both P < 0.01). Parental monitoring of the child’s eating was associated with a reduced risk for fat and sweets intake (β = −0.24; P < 0.01). Finally, parental responsibility for feeding the child was associated with lower zBMI (β = −0.20; P < 0.05). Conclusions: The home food environment, including food availability and parenting behaviors, was associated with overweight and obese children’s dietary intake and weight. This study adds to evidence suggesting that programs aimed at improving overweight and obese children’s eating patterns may target both aspects of the physical home environment and parental behaviors surrounding eating.

This study measured total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) in adults at least 50 years of age. The goal was to determine the effect of the estimate of resting metabolic rate (RMR) on the relationship between energy expenditure estimates made using (a) self-reports of physical activity and (b) food intake records. The objectives were to determine if (a) RMR estimates based on body composition, body weight, and the 111 metabolic cart were strongly related to each other, and (b) TDEE estimates based on a 7- day physical activity diary and a 7-day food intake record were more strongly related to each other when an RMR was used that was based on body composition, body weight, or the met cart. This was a three-phase study. In phases I and II, the Pearson r was computed for all combinations of methods . If r > .80, the most practical method for field use was used in the next phase. Phase I: Estimated body composition using bioimpedance (BIA), skinfold (SKF), and girth. Phase II: Measured RMR using a met cart and three equations. Phase III: Computed TDEE using the self-reports. The Pearson r was computed to determine which methods of estimating RMR resulted in the strongest relationships. Forty-four older adults participated. Phase I: r = .88 for SKF, girth; r = .64 for SKF, BIA. Phase II: rs ranged from .47 to .59 between the met cart-RMR and all the other methods; rs ranged from .84 to .98 for the remaining methods. Phase III: r = .41 between the two estimates of TDEE that used a body weight -RMR; r = .59 between estimates using a met cart-RMR; and r = .58 between estimates using a body composition-RMR. Even though r = .59 and r = .58 are similar, the average individual difference between the two estimates for each participant was smaller for the metabolic cart- RMR (372 calories /day) than for the body composition-RMR (1,045 calories /day), which suggests that body composition is not as useful as a met cart when estimating TDEE for older adults . When estimating clients' daily calorie needs, health professionals ought to consider using a met cart to estimate RMR and TDEE instead of other methods .

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Fish and Wildlife Program mitigates for impacts of hydroelectric dams on ESA-listed salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia River Basin (CRB). Considering the sizable investments in mitigation and the diversity of stream habitats within the CRB, there has been a pointed effort to develop and identify meaningful metrics relating to fish populations and trends in their habitat across the CRB. The Integrated Status and Effectiveness Monitoring Program (ISEMP) was developed in 2003 specifically for this purpose, and is tasked with developing and testing strategies for determining the status and trend of salmonid populations and their habitats in the CRB. This thesis was funded by the BPA, ISEMP, Eco Logical Research Inc., the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board, and the Intensively Monitored Watershed project in the Asotin Creek basin with the purpose of investigating the efficacy of foraging modeling as part of a large fish habitat monitoring program. The primary objectives were i) to assess a foraging model's ability to predict fish density in study sites involved in long-term monitoring and ii) to evaluate energetic implications of restoration design and progress after implementation using a foraging model. To assess the foraging model's ability to predict fish density (objective i), we collected topography, drift, temperature, discharge, and fish population information to support foraging modeling, and we simulated flow patterns, drift, foraging, swimming costs, carrying capacity, and density. We then compared observed and predicted densities in 22 study sites from the John Day and Asotin Creek watersheds: Linear regression between observed and predicted fish densities was significant (R2 = 0.61, p < 0.001). When assuming spatially uniform drift densities and small fish territories, carrying capacity predictions were related to the number of foraging locations simulated, suggesting the model is highly sensitive to territory size assumptions. To evaluate restoration design and monitor restoration progress (objective ii), we simulated foraging before restoration, after a virtual restoration (carried out using the restoration designs in a GIS environment), and again followinfg restoration implementation. We used raster differencing to compare the "before" results to the virtual restoration results and then the "before" results to the "after" results. Hydraulic and foraging models suggested: Mean net energy intake increased following both simulated and actual restoration. Restoration structures generally slowed water's progress through the study site or caused pooling, both resulting in an increase in energetically favorable areas. Generally, more areas shifted from another state to having an acceptable energy balance than to an unacceptable energy balance.

Fear and stigmatization are often used to motivate overweight individuals to engage in healthy behaviors, but these strategies are often counterproductive and can lead to undesirable outcomes. In the present study, I examined the impact of weight-based stigma on cognitive ability (i.e., inhibitory control) and food selection (i.e., calories selected) in individuals who consider themselves to be overweight. I predicted that participants higher in perceived weight stigma would perform more poorly on an inhibitory control task and order more calories on a menu task when they read about discrimination against the overweight versus discrimination against a self-irrelevant out-group. Additionally, I expected that inhibitory control would mediate the relationship between perceived weight stigma and calories ordered for participants who read about discrimination against the overweight, but not for control participants. Participants completed online prescreen measures assessing whether or not they considered themselves to be overweight and their perceptions of weight stigma. Those individuals who considered themselves overweight were then invited into the laboratory to complete tasks to (1) manipulate weight-based discrimination, (2) measure inhibitory control, and (3) measure food selection. As predicted, participants higher in perceived weight stigma performed more poorly on the inhibitory control task and ordered more calories when they read about discrimination against the overweight, but not when they read about discrimination against an out-group. Conversely, inhibitory control did not mediate the relationship between perceived weight stigma and number of calories ordered by participants. Importantly, the present findings provide evidence that perceptions of weight stigma are critical in our understanding of the impact of weight discrimination. Additionally, these results have theoretical and practical implications for both understanding and addressing the psychological and physical consequences of weight-based stigma.

<div><div><div><p>Increased meal size on a western diet is a major contributor to development and maintenance of obesity. This also leads to decreased sensitivity to the satiating effects of the western diet. Excitation of cells during consumption of a meal in the caudal two-thirds of the nucleus solitary tract (cNTS) in the brainstem are thought to produce satiation and inhibit feeding. Currently, it is unknown how excitation of these cells inhibits feeding. A major obstacle has been the inability to selectively manipulate these cells without affecting intermixed cells that mediate other autonomic functions. We propose a novel approach using inducible, activity-dependent chemogenetics or optogenetics to test whether artificial excitation of cells in the caudal two-thirds of the nucleus solitary tract (cNTS) activated during satiation can reduce food intake and could contribute to preventing or reversing obesity in humans.</p><p>We tested four different mouse models with potential for answering this question: double transgenic mice with cFos-tTA & Tet-O-hM3Dq genes, a single transgenic cFos-tTA mouse with a virally delivered hM3Dq gene injected into the cNTS, a double transgenic mice with the TRAP2- tdTomato genes and double transgenic mice with c-Fos-tTA and ChEF genes. Evidence suggested that clozapine-N-oxide might activate satiation-related cells in the absence of the hM3Dq receptor and this should be taken into consideration for future experiments. All four models had promising aspects for studying feeding as well as serious limitations. These limitations will need to be considered when deciding to use any of these models to study any feeding behaviors, especially satiation.</p></div></div></div>

Homeless research has focused on the service-directed approach, but few qualitative studies have focused on the critical and sensitive nature of the intake process. Staff in rural and remote communities struggle to refer services and mainstream resources to homeless veterans. The purpose of this case study was to explore case managers' perspectives on intake procedures in rural Pennsylvania communities. Lewin's force field analysis was used as a theoretical basis to examine the rationale for behaviors and forces that impact an individual's state. Six case managers and 1 supervisor were selected for face-to-face interviews based on their experience, job duties, and length of time involved in homeless services. The themes that emerged from coding analysis included coordinated entry, paperwork length and redundancy, geographical barriers including transportation and employment services, identification and outreach, and case management staff. Findings may be used to improve assessment techniques and critical time intervention strategies to reduce the length of homelessness for rural veterans.

This study quantifies the influence of debris cages on critical submergence at vertical intakes in reservoir configurations. Four model debris cages were constructed of light panel material. A vertical intake protruding one pipe diameter above the floor of a model reservoir was tested in six configurations: open intake pipe, a debris grate placed directly over the intake pipe, and debris cages representing widths of 1.5*d and 2*d and heights of 1.5*c and 2*c, where d is diameter of the intake and c is height of intake above reservoir floor. A selection of top grating configurations and a submerged raft configuration were also tested for comparison. Testing of the model debris cages indicates that the roof or top grate of a debris cage dominates the influence a debris cage has on the reduction of critical submergence of air-core vortices. The side grates of a debris cage have some influence on the formation of vortices. The spacing of bars in the top grate has an influence on air-core vortex development. The presence of a debris cage at vertical intakes in still-water reservoirs reduces the critical submergence required to avoid air-core vortices and completely eliminates the air-core vortex for cases where the water surface elevation remains above the top grate of the debris cage. The potential exists for designing debris cages to fulfill a secondary function of air-core vortex suppression.