Understanding the Role of Behavior and Cognitions in a Group Exercise Setting

The first purpose of the present study examined whether individuals with different exercise behaviors (classified by attendance) experienced different or similar cognitive patterns. It was hypothesized that different behavior would lead to different cognitive appraisals. It was predicted that there would be a difference between the three behavioral frequency groups with regard to self-efficacy measures and goal measures. The second purpose of the study was to describe, evaluate and observe whether social factors were associated with participating in exercise in groups. It was hypothesized that those who engage in exercise classes would elicit a social focus. Participants for the study included 39 females who registered in-group fitness classes at a mid-sized university. Attendance over the 10-week course was assessed and participants completed a self-report questionnaire during week seven. The attendance data were used to create 3 exercise frequency groups (regular attenders, sporadic attenders, and dropouts) based on ACSM’s exercise guidelines. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), means and frequencies were used to describe the data. There were no significant differences on measures of self-efficacy. Continued research is necessary to investigate the benefit of social suport in a group exercise setting, as well as to better understand how self-regulation through self-efficacy and goal factors influences and is influenced by actual behavior

Exploring Patient-Specific Cell Replacement Therapy for Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects over six million people worldwide and is characterised by the progressive loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra, accumulation of pathological alpha-synuclein (αSyn), and inflammation in the brain. This leads to motor impairments including rigidity, akinesia, bradykinesia, resting tremor, and postural instability. Cell replacement therapy aims to replace the midbrain DA neurons which have been lost in the disease to restore normal motor function. Previously, DA cells for transplantation have been derived from fetal mesencephalic tissue or human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). However, an alternative route to generate DA cells is via cellular reprogramming. This is a rapidly emerging field which allows somatic cells to be reprogrammed either into human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) or directly into induced neurons (iNs) by forced expression of specific factors. This creates the possibility to use patient-specific cells which could reduce the risk of immune rejection and eliminate ethical concerns.The overall aim of this thesis is to evaluate if patient-derived cells could be a suitable alternative in cell replacement therapy for PD. Firstly, an efficient protocol to directly reprogram human adult fibroblasts into iNs was developed. Following this, factors that could convert cells specifically towards a DA subtype were investigated and used to examine if cells from healthy donors and PD patients could be reprogrammed with similar efficiency. Next, a new humanized αSyn xenograft model of PD was established to assess the impact of host pathology on grafted cells. Finally, we explored if DA cells derived from a patient hiPSC line harbouring an αSyn triplication mutation could survive intracerebral transplantation and function on par with hESC-derived DA neurons. This patient line was also assessed for the presence of pathological features in different models of PD. These results will help to pave the way for future research assessing the potential of patient-derived cells for brain repair

Studies in the Selection for Susceptibility and Resistance to Anaphylactic Shock in Guinea Pigs

In 1927 the foundation stock for this experiment was picked at random from the guinea pig colony of the Genetics Department at Iowa State College. Since then three generations of individuals, selected both for resistance and susceptibility to protein reaction, have been obtained