Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common demyelinating disease affecting the central nervous system. Over 80% of MS patients are in the relapsing remitting stage. Symptoms range from fever, fatigue, emotional distress, tingling, numbness, optic neuritis, spasticity, muscle weakness, impaired coordination, to other abnormal neurological problems. Expression of symptoms is known as a relapse or exacerbation. The cause of relapses is unknown, but multiple factors seem to play a significant role. Possible factors that may influence MS onset and relapse consist of a genetic association, viruses, disruption of the blood-brain barrier, and stress. Stress has shown to have negative implications and may stimulate relapses. Thus, this study examined a possible stress intervention that most people already had available to them, companion animals. Companion animals have been shown to lower blood pressure, decrease heart rate, provide social support, and reduce stress. The main hypothesis was to evaluate whether or not pet ownership and/or attachment influenced the perceived stress level and number of negative life events experienced by MS patients in the relapsing remitting stage. Participants were given a questionnaire that consisted of 7 surveys. The questionnaire accessed quality of life, disease severity, number of negative life events, perceived stress level, level of depression, social support, and pet ownership and attachment level. Our sample population consisted of MS patients seen at the University of Texas Southwestern Neurology clinic from February 23rd to May 21st, 2004. One hundred and forty seven relapsing remitting MS patients were included in the study. Multiple linear regression was used to compare the relationship of stress and number of negative life events to pet ownership and attachment. Results revealed that pet ownership and attachment levels did not affect the stress level and number of negative life events of MS patients. No confounders were identified. Interaction terms with disease severity as the dependent variable, pet ownership and perceived stress level or negative life events as the independent variables were not significant. The type of pet owned did not influence the attachment level of the MS patient. In conclusion, the results of this study did not support the hypothesis.

No description available.

Thesis--Uppsala. / Summary in English. Includes bibliographical references (p. 200-210).

Thesis (M.Phil.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2008. / "Submitted to the Department of Accountancy in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 24-26)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Notre Dame, 2003. / Thesis directed by Richard Williams for the Department of Sociology. "April 2004." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-102).

Thesis (M. Hous. M.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-107).

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1986. / Photocopy of typscript.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

This dissertation examines the effect of stock ownership on individuals' political behavior. I analyzed not only individual-level data to examine the effect of stock ownership on their economic knowledge and policy preferences but also macro-level data to analyze the change of ideology and relationship between presidential approval rate, macroeconomic indicators such as stock market indexes, unemployment rate, inflation rate, and consumer confidence. Additionally, I analyzed how the media treated stock market news politically over the past three decades. To understand how the traditional media treats Wall Street news over the decades, I analyzed the New York Times from 1981 to 2012 and USA Today from 1991 to 2012 by Wordfish and topic models and found that Wall Street news became political news, especially during the economic crisis and presidential election years. Despite conservative policy analysts predicting that owning stocks makes people's political behavior change and that stockowners will support the Republican Party, I find that the effect of stock ownership is different between direct and indirect stockowners. Because a lot of indirect stockowners own stocks just because their companies provided employees stock-related products such as a 401(k) as part of their benefits, indirect stockowners are less active than direct stockowners in terms of their financial managements. The policy attitudes are also different depending on the policies themselves. That is, the stockowners' effect is conditional. I also find that even though stockowners are familiar with the current stock market conditions, their knowledge about other macroeconomic indicators at is the same level as non-stockowners. / text

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management