UMD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item Three Clostridium species with Health Imparting Properties: In vitro Screening for Probiotic Potential(2024) Mochama, Victor Moronge; Obanda, Diana; Nutrition; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This research aimed to unlock the probiotic potential of the genus Clostridium, which is often overshadowed by the predominant focus on pathogenic species. The study specifically targeted three promising Clostridium species: C. disporicum, C. celatum, and C. vincentii, which have shown potential in mitigating diet-induced obesity. Despite the challenges presented by the anaerobic growth requirements of Clostridium bacteria, the study capitalized on their capacity to sporulate. This characteristic provides an avenue to use them as probiotics, with resilient and dormant spores capable of surviving food processing and harsh stomach conditions. The resilience of these spores was examined by exposing them to oxygen, heat, gastrointestinal juices, and bile salts. The spores survived oxygen exposure, exhibited resilience to both bile salts and gastric acids, and demonstrated a survival temperature of 70°C. When exposed to suitable germination conditions in vitro, the spores successfully germinated. The study assessed the colonization potential of the bacteria by evaluating their adhesion ability, and all bacteria were found to have the adhesion ability. Furthermore, a safety assessment was conducted by examining hemolytic activity and antibiotic susceptibility to selected antibiotics. The bacteria were found to be susceptible to the antibiotics and did not exhibit hemolytic activity. Bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity and antibacterial activities were also assessed, and none of the bacteria exhibited BSH activity or antibacterial activity. Antioxidant tests revealed that C. vincentii had the highest antioxidant properties. Assessment of anti-inflammatory properties showed that C. celatum downregulated the gene expression of cytokine inflammation markers IL-6, IL-1, and iNOS while upregulating TGF-β expression. In summary all 3 bacterial species showed good probiotic potential from the in vitro tests. Particularly the formation of resistant spores that later germinated to vegetative cells that produced molecular patterns with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This necessitates further studies on their probiotic properties.Item AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM: THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN RACIAL MICROAGGRESSIONS, COPING, AND HEALTH AMONG BLACK COLLEGE STUDENTS(2024) Brown, Rabia; Lewis, Jioni A.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Black college students endure racial microaggressions in higher education, and current research highlights how racial microaggressions can negatively impact the health of Black college students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between racial microaggressions in higher education, coping strategies (education/advocacy, resistance, detachment, drug/alcohol use, and internalization), and health quality in Black college students. Participants included 155 Black college students that took an online survey as a part of a larger study conducted at a large Southeastern historically white university. Results from the hierarchical linear regression analyses indicated that racial microaggressions were significantly and negatively associated with mental and physical health quality in Black college students. Additionally, results from the mediation analyses found that detachment coping significantly mediated the association between racial microaggressions and mental health in Black college students. This study provides further evidence of the negative impact of racial microaggressions on the health and well-being of Black college students.Item The Distribution of Care: A Modular Facility for the Treatment of Disease-Stricken Communities in Africa(2020) Winters, Kelsey; Gabrielli, Julie; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Africa experiences a disproportionate amount of the global disease burden, and existing health care centers struggle to meet everyday patient needs. During a disease epidemic, this inability to accommodate communities is exacerbated by a lack of resources to diagnose and treat infectious disease as well as a physical separation from the location of outbreaks. This thesis investigates how patients of disease outbreaks in Africa can be better accommodated through the exploration of a modular health facility capable of treating communities no matter when and where an outbreak occurs. Outbreaks unexpectedly affect vulnerable populations, and immediate action is crucial to contain the disease. The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is utilized as a case study in this thesis, considering its relevance as an ongoing epidemic. Due to the abrupt and destructive nature of disease, a modular and flexible health facility is needed to handle any outbreak in any location.Item Redoing gender, redoing family: A mixed-methods examination of family complexity and gender heterogeneity among transgender families(2020) Allen, Samuel H.; Leslie, Leigh A; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Scholars have documented that considerable health disparities exist between transgender persons and the general population. A growing research base suggests that the family environment of trans individuals—i.e., the social climate within one’s family—can have a significant influence on the population’s health and wellbeing. Despite the substantiated relationship between the family environment of transgender people and their health, there are three identifiable gaps in the literature that warrant further research. First, no known quantitative studies have considered trans family environments beyond those that are accepting and rejecting, or how such family environments might be differently related to the population’s mental and physical health. Second, though scholars are increasingly recognizing the existence of gender heterogeneity within the trans population, it remains unknown if the health and family environment vary for trans persons of different gender identities. A third gap exists within the nascent literature on individuals with nonbinary gender identities in which there is an absence of studies examining the experiences of their family members. The three papers that comprise this mixed-methods dissertation respond to the aforementioned gaps in the literature. The first two studies analyze quantitative survey data collected from transgender adults (N=873); study three analyzes qualitative interview data collected from the parents of adult children with nonbinary gender identities (N=14). Study one examines family environment heterogeneity and tests its association with mental and physical health. Study two assesses variation in mental health, physical health, and family environment as a function of having a binary vs. a nonbinary gender identity. Study three uncovers how parents of nonbinary adult children make sense of their child’s gender and the developmental processes that occur in doing so. Taken together, findings from this dissertation offer important implications for healthcare providers, clinicians, and intervention efforts aimed at improving the health of transgender populations.Item Social Enterprise Development: A preventative approach to homelessness and displacement in Point Breeze, Philadelphia(2019) Huntington, Cassandra Aaryn; Gabrielli, Julie; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Social enterprise development focuses on creating economic value to help solve social problems. This thesis tests the viability of this concept by creating a mixed-use, mixed-income property in a low-income neighborhood in South Philadelphia. A profit-sharing financial model is used to support both affordable housing and transitional housing for homeless adolescents. The thesis uses biophilic design principles and values to explore architecture’s role in healing from adolescent trauma and preventing future health issues. This thesis presents a preventative solution to social issues rather than a reactive solution. Prevention of chronic homelessness and prevention of displacement are key to addressing social injustice and help break cycles of poverty in low-income communities. This thesis exemplifies architecture’s ability to provide equal access to both housing and services to help the most vulnerable members of society and help them become self-sufficient and contributing members of the community.Item THE IMPACT OF MULTIPLE SPATIAL LEVELS OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT ON NONMOTORIZED TRAVEL BEHAVIOR AND HEALTH(2019) Mahmoudi, Jina; Zhang, Lei; Civil Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Over the past several decades, the primacy of the automobile in American travel culture has led to rising congestion and energy consumption levels, rampant air pollution, sprawled urban designs, pervasiveness of sedentary behaviors and lifestyles, and prevalence of many health problems. Nonmotorized modes of travel such as walking and bicycling are sustainable alternatives to the automobile and suitable remedies to the adverse environmental, economic, and health effects of automobile dependency. As research continues to reveal the many benefits of nonmotorized travel modes, identification of the factors that influence people’s levels of walking and bicycling has become essential in developing transportation planning policies and urban designs that nurture these activities, and thereby promote public health. Among such factors are the built environment characteristics of the place of residence. To date, research on the impact of the built environment on nonmotorized travel behavior has been focused on neighborhood-level factors. Nonetheless, people do not stay within their neighborhoods; they live and work at a regional scale and travel to different places and distances each day to access various destinations. Little is known, however, about the impact of built environment factors at larger scales including those representing the overall built environment of metropolitan areas on nonmotorized travel behavior and health status of residents. Guided by the principles of the ecological model of behavior, this dissertation systematically tests the impact of the built environment at hierarchical spatial scales on nonmotorized travel behavior and health outcomes. Advanced statistical techniques have been employed to develop integrated models allowing comprehensive examination of the complex interrelationships between the built environment, nonmotorized travel, and health. Through inclusion of built environment factors from larger spatial scales, this research sheds light on the overlooked impact of the macro-level built environment on nonmotorized travel and health. The findings indicate that built environment factors at various spatial scales—including the metropolitan area—can influence nonmotorized travel behavior and health outcomes of residents. Thus, to promote walking and bicycling and public health, more effective policies are those that include multilevel built environment and land use interventions and consider the overall physical form of urban areas.Item "That Chart Ain't For Us": An Examination of Black Women's Understandings of BMI, Health, and Physical Activity(2019) Thompson, Tori; Jette, Shannon; Kinesiology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Significantly, black women have the highest rates of being overweight or obese compared to other groups in the United States, with 60% being classified as obese per the BMI (CDC, 2017). However, there is currently a lack of scholarship which examines black women’s perceptions of the BMI, and how/if those perceptions influence their attitudes toward health and physical activity. In this project, I take a Foucauldian approach to analyze data collected from eight semi-structured interviews with black women who self- identify as obese and who are physically active. Findings suggest that black women find the BMI to be irrelevant to their health and well-being, and do not attribute their engagement in physical activity to their BMI. Instead, their reasons for partaking in physical activity are due to their individual experiences understandings of health and black female identity. These results have the potential to inform healthcare policies, physician practice, and public health interventions that target communities of color.Item Designing Technology to Increase Adoption of Healthy Behaviors in Men in the Context of Light Food Consumption(2019) Smriti, Diva; Choe, Eun Kyoung; Library & Information Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Women are more likely than men to engage in healthy eating behaviors. However, men do strongly believe eating healthy, but this does not translate into their eating behaviors. Thus, there is a discrepancy in the health beliefs and behaviors of men, especially in the context of light food consumption. In this study, I aim to understand this discrepancy among young men in depth. I conducted a week-long diary study of the food items consumed by the participants (N = 17) who were all male, followed by semi-structured interviews. Findings indicate the lack of a verified and automated source of nutritional knowledge, misinformation about light food consumption among other themes, and design implications to the current nutrition-tracking mobile applications. This work contributes to the understudied existing literature on men’s food behaviors, the challenges faced by them in adopting healthy eating behaviors in the context of light food consumption, and the role mobile applications play in helping them do so.Item Acts of Livelihood: Bodies and Nature in International Garden City Movement Planning, 1898-1937(2018) Clevenger, Samuel Martin; Andrews, David L; Kinesiology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Urban planning and reform scholars and policymakers continue to cite the “garden city” community model as a potential blueprint for planning environmentally sustainable, economically equitable, humane built environments. Articulated by the British social reformer Sir Ebenezer Howard and his 1898 book To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform, the model represented a method for uniting the benefits of town and country through a singular, pre-planned, “healthy” community, balancing spaces of “countryside” and “nature” with affordable, well-built housing and plentiful cultural attractions associated with city life. The book catalyzed an early twentieth-century international movement for the promotion and construction of garden cities. Howard’s garden city remains a highly influential context in the history of town planning and urban public health reform, as well as more recent environmentally-friendly urban design movements. To date, while historians have long examined the garden city as an agent of social and spatial reform, little analysis has been devoted to the role of prescribed embodiment and deemed “healthy” physical cultural forms and practices in the promotion and construction of garden cities as planned communities for “healthy living.” Informed by recent scholarship in Physical Cultural Studies (PCS), embodied environmental history, cultural materialism, and theories of modern biopower, this dissertation studies the cultural history of international garden city movement planning in early twentieth century Britain and the United States. Studying archival materials related to some of the prominent planners and resultant communities of the movement, I focus on the biopolitical dimensions of the planners’ contextual designs for “nature,” “health,” and “healthy” physical culture as they devised material garden city community layouts. I argue that the intentional British and American garden cities created during the movement were planned as spatialized strategies for the regeneration of laboring bodies through organized, bourgeois physical cultural practices and access to nostalgic spaces of “naturally healthy environments and outdoor recreation.Item Maryland, the Marine Hospital Service, and the Medical Relief of Chesapeake Oyster Dredgers, 1870-1900(2017) Kibler, Austin Todd; Zeller, Thomas; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The thesis will be challenging the notion that the federal government took a hands-off approach to industrial health during the Gilded Age by examining the stances taken by the Maryland government and that of the federal Marine Hospital Service (MHS) in specific relation to oyster dredgers of the Chesapeake Bay. It will highlight the important role played by newly professionalized bureaucracies in developing public policy through its examination of the creation of the MHS Relief Station at Solomons Island in Southern Maryland. It will also show that policymakers viewed the Chesapeake Bay as an industrial space and how that construction refracted responses to the oyster dredgers’ health problems.
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