Prevention

This mixed methods study focused on the relationship between dropout prevention programs and graduation rates in one school district in Florida during the 2010-2011 school year. The dropout prevention program data analyzed included high school principals' perceptions in regard to perceived effectiveness, fidelity of implementation, cost efficacy, structure, and student-staff relationships within dropout prevention programs and their relationship to graduation rate. The data analysis investigated the relationship between the principals' perceptions of each dropout prevention program and graduation rate. Findings from this study showed principals' perceived that the level of fidelity for on-the-job training has a relationship to increased graduation rate. In other words, when a principal believed the dropout prevention program was implemented with fidelity in their school, it likely increased graduation rate. Another important finding from this study was the varying perceptions which it existed among school leaders in this study and their varying perceptions on the relationship between dropout prevention programs and graduation rate.

Past research indicates there is a link between physiological responses and adaptive social responses to another individual's distress. Scholars have theorized that humans may be predisposed, both physiologically and behaviorally to responding to others, especially those who are in distress. Maternal depression has been associated with dysregulated emotional development and may possibly affect the physiological and behavioral responses of a neonate. The present research examined the relationship between neonates' physiological and behavioral responses to naturally generated (compared to artificial) stimuli of other neonates, as well as the role of maternal depression in the responses. Specifically, heart rate, heart period, and heart period variability were measured to assess the newborns' reaction to cries generated by both other newborns and digitally modulated sources. This study found that newborns of depressed mothers had higher heart period variability and showed less behavioral distress when hearing the cry of another infant.

Anoxia is characterized by an absence of oxygen supply to a tissue (Dawson- Scully et al., 2010). Unlike humans, Drosophila melanogaster is an organism that can survive low oxygen levels for hours without showing any pathology (Lutz et al., 2003) Under anoxia, the fruit fly loses locomotive activity, resulting in an anoxic coma (Haddad et al., 1997). In this study we investigate the influence of five variables for anoxic tolerance in adult Drosophila: 1) anoxic environment (gas vs. drowning), 2) anoxia duration, 3) temperature (cold [3ÀC] or room temperature [21ÀC]), 4) age (young 2-9 days and old 35-39 days), and 5) PKG variation. Tolerance to anoxia is measured by the time of recovery and survival of the fruit fly from the anoxic coma. The results from this study show that short stress, low temperature, young age, and low PKG activity increased anoxic tolerance. Our findings will lay the foundation to investigate different variables, genes or pharmacological compounds that can modulate neuronal anoxic tolerance.

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between wellness and burnout among novice counselors. This research was carried out in order to gain a better understanding of the experience of the novice counselor as well as to gain insight into the effects of wellness and burnout on these experiences. The significance of this research lies in the need to understand the novice counselor's journey, the factors that can contribute to or prevent burnout, and the potential prevention and intervention strategies that can be employed in response to burnout. The data of a final sample of 144 participants' scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), The Five Factor Wellness Evaluation of Lifestyle (5F-Wel), and a demographic questionnaire were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences in order to explore the relationships between wellness and burnout. The researcher found significant relationships between demographic factors of the novice counselor, including age, years of experience, and number of hours delivering counseling services, and both the MBI and the 5F-Wel. The researcher also found a relationship between all factors of wellness and the three subscales of burnout. A particularly important finding was the significance of the Coping Self, Physical Self, and Creative Self subscales of wellness to the subscales of burnout. The implications of the findings include the development of specific intervention and prevention strategies for novice counselors. Limitations of this research include the relatively small sample size, potential bias among the participants who chose to complete the survey, and the limited generalizability.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an educational tobacco intervention impacted college students' perceptions relative to tobacco, self-efficacy, and perceived stress levels. The Health Belief Model (HBM) provided a theoretical framework to distinguish differences relative to tobacco between groups. Both the control (N=155) and intervention (N=184) group consisted of a convenience sample of students from a 2000-level health course. A pre- and post-test questionnaire was administered to both groups which included questions regarding demographics, tobacco use, HBM, self-efficacy, and perceived stress. Data analysis included frequency counts, confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, and two-way ANOVA. Two-way ANOVA results indicated statistically significant differences for the Health Belief Model questions (p=0.002) and self-efficacy items (p=0.03). No statistical significance was found regarding perceived stress. These findings provide evidence an educational tobacco intervention administered at the college level can have a significant impact on students.

Stroke is the third leading cause of mortality in the United States, and so far, no clinical interventions have been proved truly effective in stroke treatment. Stroke my result in hypoxia, glutamate release and oxidative stress, etc. The purpose of this dissertation study is to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of four drugs (taurine, G-CSF sulindac and DETC-MeSO) on PC12 cell line or primary cortical neuronal cell culture, and to understand the protective mechanisms underlying in three stroke-related models : hypoxia, excessive glutamtate and oxidative stress. In the first part of this dissertation, we studied the neuroprotection of taurine against oxidative stress induced by H2O2 in PC12 cells. Our results show that extracellular taurine exerts a neuroprotective function by restoring the expression of Bcl-2 and downregulation of the three Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress markers : GRP78, Bim and CHOP/GADD153, suggesting that ER stress can be provoked by oxidative stress and can be suppressed by taurine. In the second part, glutamate excitotoxicity-induced ER stress was studied with dose and time as variables in primary cortical neurons. The results demonstrate that glutamate excitotoxicity leads to the activation of three ER stress pathways (PERK, ATF6 and IRE1) by initiating PERK first, ATF6 second and IRE1 pathway last. The third part of this dissertation studied the robust and beneficial protection of taurine in cortical neurons under hypoxia/reoxygenation or glutamate toxicity condition. We found that taurine suppresses the up-regulation of GRP778, Bim, caspase-12 and GADD153/CHOP induced by excessive glutamate or hypoxia/reoxygenation, suggesting that taurine may exert a protective function against hypoxia/regeneration by reducing the ER stress.

The turtle is a unique model of anoxic survival. The turtle's brain can tolerate total oxygen deprivation for hours to days as well as prevent high levels of mitochondrial-derived free radicals upon re-oxygenation. Because of its ability to prevent elevated free radical generation, the turtle has also become recognized as a model of exceptional longevity. We are employing the turtle model for an investigation into the regulation of a key antioxidant enzyme system - methionine sulfoxide reductases (Msrs), primarily MsrA and MsrB. The Msr system is capable of reversing oxidation of methionines in proteins and Msr subtypes have been implicated in protecting tissues against oxidative stress, as well as, enhancing the longevity of organisms from yeast to mammals. Preliminary data, unpublished results, indicate that MsrA protein and transcripts are elevated by anoxia. A recent study on Caenorhabditis elegans demonstrated that FOXO is involved in activation of the MsrA promoter. Using the turtle MsrA promoter sequence we worked to determine which regions in the promoter are necessary for activation by anoxia. The results of the present study were 1) to prepare a TAT-FOXO3a fusion protein which could penetrate animal cells and 2) to construct a FOXO3a expression vector for transcription studies on MsrA expression.

The central premise of this dissertation is that the small heat shock protein (sHSP), (Sa(BB-crystallin is essential for lens and retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cell function and oxidative stress defense. To date, the mechanism by which it confers protection is not known. We hypothesize that these functions could occur through its ability to protect mitochondrial function in lens and RPE cells. To test this hypothesis, we examined the expression of (Sa(BB-crystallin/sHSP in lens and RPE cells, we observed its localization in the cells, we examined translocation to the mitochondria in these cells upon oxidative stress treatment, we determined its ability to form complexes with and protect cytochrome c (cyt c) against damage, and we observed its ability to preserve mitochondrial function under oxidative stress conditions in lens and RPE cells. In addition to these studies, we examined the effect of mutations of (Sa(BB-crystallin/sHSP on its cellular localization and translocation patterns under oxidative stress, its in vivo and in vitro chaperone activity, and its ability to protect cyt c against oxidation. Our data demonstrated that (Sa(BB-crystallin/sHSP is expressed at high levels in the mitochondria of lens and RPE cells and specifically translocates to the mitochondria under oxidative stress conditions. We demonstrate that (Sa(BB-crystallin/sHSP complexes with cyt c and protects it against oxidative inactivation. Finally, we demonstrate that (Sa(BB-crystallin/sHSP directly protects mitochondria against oxidative inactivation in lens and RPE cells. Since oxidative stress is a key component of lens cataract formation and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), these data provide a new paradigm for understanding the etiology of these diseases.

Sharks comprise a large portion of bycatch in pelagic longline fisheries worldwide. Lanthanide metals have been proposed as shark repellents. This study quantified the normalized voltage of lanthanide metals in seawater and found that there was no difference in normalized voltage among the six tested metals. Temperature and salinity had a significant effect on lanthanide normalized voltage. The output at 18ºC was significantly greater than at both 12 and 24ºC. The normalized voltage was significantly greater in freshwater than brackish or seawater. The dissolution rate for the lanthanides varied from -1.6 to -0.2g/h. As the metals dissolved the voltage remained constant. In a behavioral assay, neodymium was ineffective at repelling bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo) tested individually and in groups, and lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) in groups. Due to high cost, fast dissolution rates, and lack of deterrent effects, lanthanide metals are not recommended for use in mitigating shark bycatch.

Peer aggression and bullying are significant problems for children in American schools. While a large body of research has been conducted in this area, none to date has examined the combined roles of temperament (behavioral activation system, or BAS, and behavioral inhibition system, or BIS), and empathy in predicting participation in bullying interactions. Previous research has found that low empathy facilitates aggressive behavior, while high empathy inhibits it, and has linked poor emotion regulation to conduct disorders. Thus, if these factors can predict behaviors towards peers, they may also predict (independently and in combination) involvement in bullying, specifically the roles assumed in those interactions - that is: bully, victim, bully-victim (a child who is both bully and victim), or defender/protector. The present study tested 226 middle school students on a measure of empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index), and a measure of temperament (BIS/BAS Scales). The students also completed a Peer Nomination Inventory to identify children who were aggressive toward others, victimized by peers, and/or protected peers from bullies. Although not all predictions were supported, results showed that certain sub-components of empathy, such as empathic concern (affective empathy) and personal distress (a measure of emotion regulation) predicted the behavior of "pure bullies" (bullies who are not themselves victimized), but not of other aggressive children such as bully-victims. High BAS drive and low BIS were significant predictors of aggressive behavior, and BAS reward responsiveness predicted protective behavior. Victimized children had higher fantasy (ability to identify with fictional characters) and lower perspective-taking (cognitive empathy) skills, and tended not to have overlapping characteristics and behaviors with protective children.