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Item 2002 Minnesota State Survey - Part II. Results and Technical Report.(Minnesota Center for Survey Research (MCSR), 2003) Minnesota Center for Survey ResearchItem 2004 Minnesota State Survey. Results and Technical Report.(Minnesota Center for Survey Research (MCSR), 2004) Minnesota Center for Survey ResearchItem 2005 Minnesota State Survey--Part I: Results and Technical Report.(Minnesota Center for Survey Research (MCSR), 2005) Minnesota Center for Survey ResearchItem 2007 Minnesota State Survey: Results and Technical Report.(Minnesota Center for Survey Research (MCSR), 2008) Minnesota Center for Survey ResearchItem The 2007 Tucker Center Research Report: Developing Physically Active Girls: An Evidence-based Multidisciplinary Approach(Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, 2007) Kane, Mary Jo; LaVoi, Nicole; Wiese-Bjornstal, Diane; Duncan, Margaret; Nichols, Jeanne; Pettee, Kelley; Ainsworth, BarbaraItem 2007 Twin Cities Area Survey: Results and Technical Report.(Minnesota Center for Survey Research (MCSR), 2007) Minnesota Center for Survey ResearchItem 2008 Minnesota State Survey: Results and Technical Report.(Minnesota Center for Survey Research (MCSR), 2009) Minnesota Center for Survey ResearchItem 2008 Twin Cities Area Survey: Results and Technical Report.(Minnesota Center for Survey Research (MCSR), 2008) Minnesota Center for Survey ResearchItem 2010 Twin Cities Area Survey: Results and Technical Report.(Minnesota Center for Survey Research (MCSR), 2010) Minnesota Center for Survey ResearchItem The Application of Precision Dairy Technologies to Detect Disease in Group Housed Automatically Fed Preweaned Dairy Calves(2017-09) Knauer, WhitneyHousing preweaned calves in groups and feeding them automatically is increasing in popularity worldwide. Advantages to this management system include the reallocation of calf labor, earlier socialization of the calf as well as the ability to feed more milk more easily. Unfortunately, housing calves in groups can lead to an increased incidence of morbidity and mortality and delays in disease detection. The use of precision dairy technologies, namely automatically captured feeding behavior and body temperature data, may aid producers in earlier disease detection and intervention. However, research to date suggests that changes in feeding behavior, as currently calculated and reported by autofeeders, are neither timely nor sensitive when used screening tool to detect morbidity in group-housed calves. Furthermore, studies are lacking to evaluate the utility of using automatically captured (sensor derived) body temperature data to detect illness in calves. The overall aim of this thesis was to improve our understanding of how sensor derived observations, such as feeding behavior or rumen temperature measures, vary in sick (vs healthy) calves, and to describe the diagnostic utility of individual animal data collected from precision dairy technologies as a tool to predict and/or detect disease in group housed automatically fed pre-weaned dairy calves. We proposed to apply a different statistical methodology to individual calf feeding behaviors when summarized at both the day and visit level, and to indwelling rumen temperature bolus measures, to determine if illness events could be detected in a sensitive and timely manner as compared to clinical diagnosis by trained farm personnel. Several objectives were set to accomplish this aim, the conclusions of which will be discussed in general terms in this chapter. Opportunities for future work in this area will be discussed at the conclusion of this chapter. The first objective of this study was to describe the use and utility of individual calf day level feeding behaviors to predict and detect disease. We conducted a prospective observational cohort study on 10 farms in Minnesota (n=4) and Virginia (n=6). Calves were enrolled upon entry to the group pen and exited the study at weaning. Study technicians visited the farms to collect enrollment, calf health data as recorded by farm personnel, and feeding behavior data from automatic feeder software. A matched pair analysis was performed to describe the difference in day level feeding behaviors and morbidity in the time before and during a treatment event. The results of this study show that calves drink less milk, drink more slowly, and visit the feeder without a milk meal (unrewarded visit) less frequently in the days surrounding a treatment event then age and pen matched healthy calves. There were no differences between sick and healthy calves when rewarded visits to the feeder were considered. These changes varied by clinical disease diagnosis by farm personnel, with the earliest and most consistent changes in calves diagnosed with diarrheal disease, followed by ill thrift calves, and finally calves diagnosed and treated for respiratory disease. We then investigated the diagnostic test characteristic and timing of statistical process control (SPC) techniques applied to individual animal daily average drinking speed, milk consumption, and unrewarded visit behavior to predict and detect clinical disease as compared to a farm personnel diagnosis. Self-starting CUSUM charts were parameterized for optimal sensitivity and timing in a test set of calves, then applied to all calves. The diagnostic test characteristic when evaluating single, two way and three way combinations of feeding behaviors were investigated. These results showed that the combination of drinking speed and milk consumption interpreted in parallel combination were the most sensitive (70.9%) and timely test to detect an illness event, signaling a sick calf an average of 3 days prior to a treatment event. However, none of the predictive values of any of the single, two way, or three way combinations of feeding behavior parameters had sufficient predictive ability to be used alone without daily observations by skilled calf caregivers. The results of objective one contribute to the knowledge of daily average feeding behavior in group housed dairy calves, and is the first attempt at investigating the utility of using signals generated by statistical process control to predict and detect disease. The use of drinking speed and milk consumption in combination provide the most sensitive test, but none of the predictive values were sufficient to use this method of detection alone. Calf caregivers with good observational skills are still necessary to detect sick calves in group housing systems. The second objective of this thesis was to describe the use and utility of visit (or meal) level feeding behaviors to predict and detect disease in automatically fed group housed preweaned dairy calves. Data collected from a subset of calves from objective one was used for this study, representing 8 farms in Minnesota (n=3) and Virginia (n=5). These eight farms had the institute function installed in automatic feeder hand held devices, which was used to record individual calf visit behavior. Visit level average behaviors were averaged into six hour increments (quarter day). A matched pair analysis was used to describe the difference in quarter day visit average feeding behaviors in sick and healthy calves around the time of an illness event. These results showed that sick calves had an increase in total drinking time at the feeder and a decrease in visit average drinking speed up to 24hrs prior to clinical disease diagnosis by farm personnel. Visit average milk consumption and total time at the feeder was only different between sick and healthy calves in the 6 hour time period prior to clinical diagnosis. Statistical process control techniques were then applied to these same visit average feeding behaviors to understand the diagnostic test characteristics and timing of using this method to detect a sick calf. Self-starting CUSUM chart parameters were first optimized for sensitivity and timing in a testing subset of calves, then optimal parameters were applied to all calves in the data set. Diagnostic test characteristics and timing for visit average feeding behaviors were analyzed alone and in combination. A positive alert on a combination of drinking speed, total drinking visit time, and/or milk consumption provided a sensitively to 89% and was able to detect as sick calf an average of 6.5d prior to detection by farm personnel. However, the specificity was very poor (7.7%) and predictive values for all single and combination visit average feeding behaviors were also poor, with negative predictive values ranging from 41 – 48% and positive predictive ability ranging from 50 – 54%. The results of objective two contribute to the knowledge of visit (meal) average feeding behavior in group housed dairy calves. Overall, the use of visit average feeding behaviors had improved sensitivity and timing when compared to the aforementioned evaluation of daily average feeding behaviors. However, predictive ability of the test was not improved, suggesting that neither day-level of visit (meal) level feeding behavior data are sufficient to predict or detect disease when used as the sole method of detection. As such, daily visual observation by trained personnel will still be necessary to detect illness in calves. The third objective of this thesis was to investigate the diagnostic utility of an indwelling calf rumen temperature bolus system. As a first step, a validation study was performed to describe the performance of the bolus as compared to two reference standards. First, the bolus temperature was compared to a known water bath temperature. The bolus was well correlated to the water bath temperature over a range of biologically plausible temperatures. Second, a prospective cross sectional study was performed that compared the bolus temperature measurement to the rectal temperature in growing heifer calves and described the diagnostic test characteristics to detect a rectal temperature ≥ 39.5ºC. The bolus underestimated the rectal temperature of growing heifer calves by an average of 0.33ºC and had a poor sensitivity (29%) and positive predictive value (17%) to detect a rectal temperature ≥ 39.5ºC. As a second step in this investigation, a field study was conducted to describe the use and utility of an indwelling rumen temperature bolus system to predict and detect disease in automatically fed group housed preweaned dairy calves. A prospective cohort study was performed on two farms in MN utilizing group housing and automatic feeding. Enrolled calves were administered boluses at birth and their temperatures were automatically captured during the time they were in the group pen. Temperatures were averaged by both hour and six hour time periods. We reported a monophasic diurnal pattern of individual calf bolus temperature measurements over a 24 hour period, which varied by farm and season. Results of a matched pair analysis showed that bolus temperature was elevated 24hrs prior to clinical diagnosis by farm personnel as compared to healthy control calves, though this varied by type of disease present. When specific diseases were investigated, calves diagnosed with pneumonia and ill thrift had a bolus temperature that was elevated 24hr prior to clinical diagnosis, but calves diagnosed with diarrhea did not have different bolus temperature measures than their healthy matched control calves. Statistical process control techniques as well as threshold and deviation limits were then applied to individual calf temperature data to learn if these methods of data analysis could be applied to these bolus temperature measures to predict and detect disease in an accurate and timely manner. Results showed that no detection technique had a sufficient combination of acceptable diagnostic test characteristics and timing to be applied directly in the field. Positive and negative predictive ability of all detection techniques were poor, indicating that caution should be used in considering these methods as the false positive rate may be unacceptable for producers using these systems. In addition to the poor diagnostic test characteristics, a high rate of bolus loss (23% of calves) would also limit the utility of this system if adopted on commercial dairy farms. The results of objectives three represent the first study investigating the use and utility of an indwelling rumen temperature bolus for prediction and detection of morbidity in group housed pre weaned dairy calves. No detection method provided test characteristics that were sufficient to predict or detect disease. An unexpected result from this field study was the difference in diurnal variation in RTB measures by farm. More studies on more farms are needed to understand how ambient temperature and barn temperature are associated with calf body temperature, performance, and health.Item Changing Adolescent Healthy Living Behavior Through Mentoring(University of Minnesota Extension, 2014-10) Conway, Judith; Olson, Carrie Ann; Jeffers, BrentResearch has shown that quality mentoring programs have been associated with helping young people navigate through life‘s experiences and challenges. Over the last 20 years, obesity among young people has been on the rise in the United States causing a concern for society, including the life challenge it creates for the young person. The obesity rise has been attributed to many factors including lack of personal role models that encourage exercise. Studies show that increased physical activity has consistently related to improvements in self-esteem, self-concept, depressive symptoms, and anxiety and stress (Calfas, K.J. and Taylor, WC., 1994). In southwest Minnesota, using mentoring as a program strategy to address this issue, a ten-week afterschool Science and Movement (S.A.M.) 4-H club was designed utilizing a new volunteer audience of college health science students as mentors. The objectives for youth mentee participants in this research study focused on healthy living, exposure to higher education, and community awareness. Program design from the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development partnered with Southwest Minnesota State University Health Science department, local family fitness center and local middle school. Qualitative evaluations and data conclude that program objectives were met. The implication of study shows that young people desired to make a healthy living behavior change based on the positive relationships built with their college mentor. Anecdotal evidence from mentor evaluations concludes that utilizing mentoring as a service-learning strategy became a powerful way to give deeper meaning to a college student‘s educational experience.Item Characterization of peripartum rumination and activity of cows diagnosed with health disorders postpartum(2015-06) Liboreiro, DanielaThe objectives of the current observational study were to characterize the correlation among total serum Ca, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) and haptoglobin concentrations and daily rumination time (DRT) and activity of periparturient cows, and to determine the association between periparturient events and peripartum DRT and activity. Holstein cows from one commercial dairy farm (nulliparous = 77, parous = 219) were enrolled into the study at approximately 21 d before expected calving date. Cows were fitted with individual Heat Rumination Long Distance system (HRLD, SCR Engineers Ltd., Netanya, Israel) from enrollment until approximately 21 � d postpartum. Blood samples collected weekly from enrollment to 21 d postpartum were used to determine concentrations of NEFA, BHBA, and haptoglobin. Blood samples collected within 72 h after calving were used to determine total serum Ca concentration. Sub-clinical ketosis was characterized by BHBA > 1,000 [mu]mol/L in any sample and sub-clinical hypocalcemia was characterized by Ca < 8.55 ng/dL within 72 h after calving. Cows were examined 1, 7 � 3 and 14 � 3 d postpartum for diagnosis of retained fetal membrane and metritis. Total Ca (r = 0.15), NEFA (r = -0.27), and haptoglobin (r = -0.18) concentrations were weakly correlated with DRT. Concentration of BHBA (r = -0.14) was weakly correlated with activity. Postpartum DRT was reduced among cows that delivered twins compared with cows that delivered singletons (385.9 � 17.1 vs 437.9 � 4.8 min/d). Prepartum (430.8 � 14. vs 465.8 � 4.19 arbitrary unit) and postpartum (480.3 � 19.4 vs. 536.5 � 5.5 arbitrary unit) activity were reduced among cows that delivered twins compared with cows that delivered singletons. Delivery of stillborn calves was associated with reduced DRT prepartum (417.0 � 23.4 vs. 478.0 � 5.9 min/d) and postpartum (386.5 � 19.3 vs 437.2 � 4.8 min/d). On the other hand, cows delivering stillborn calves had increased activity prepartum compared with cows delivering live calves (499.3 � 16.2 vs. 461.3 � 4.1 arbitrary unit). Occurrence of retained fetal membrane tended to and was associated with reduced prepartum (444.3 � 11.0 vs. 466.5 � 4.3 arbitrary unit) and postpartum (488.2 � 14.5 vs. 538.8 � 5.7 arbitrary unit) activity, respectively. Cows diagnosed with metritis had reduced postpartum DRT (415.9 � 10.1 vs 441.0 � 5.2 min/d) and activity (512.5 � 11.5 vs. 539.2 � 6.0 arbitrary unit) as compared to cows not diagnosed with metritis. Postpartum activity was reduced among cows that were diagnosed with sub-clinical ketosis (502.20 � 16.5 vs. 536.6 � 6.2 arbitrary unit). Although differences in DRT and activity between populations of cows that developed periparturient diseases and healthy cows were observed, further studies are necessary to determine whether (and how) DRT and activity data may be used to precociously diagnose individuals that will develop such periparturient diseases.Item Children of the Chinese Cultural Revolution: Disrupted Education, Send-Down Experiences, and Subsequent Health(2015-06) Fan, WenThe relationships between early-life adversity, educational attainment, and subsequent health have been the focus of much sociological research. Questions remain, however, regarding whether and under what conditions one can recover from initial disadvantages, why education is persistently associated with health, and to what extent selection and turning points account for the long-arm of early-life adversities. This dissertation sheds light on these questions by examining children of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (CR), who came of age during the turbulent CR decade (1966-76), when colleges were closed, the state intervened to sever the intergenerational transmission of educational advantage, and approximately 17 million urban youth were sent to rural areas to do manual labor. First, I use the 2003 Chinese General Social Survey to show that members of the CR cohort compensate for their initial educational loss by returning to school at later ages at a rate much higher than adjacent cohorts. Parental education matters more for members of the CR cohort in facilitating school reentry, reflecting the early-life discrimination of high-status families during the Cultural Revolution. Next, using the Cultural Revolution as a natural experiment and the unique Chinese institutional arrangements as a single-party state society, I construct two tests to assess three theoretical perspectives dominant in the education-health literature: spurious correlation, human capital, and fundamental cause theory. Drawing on three cross-sectional data sets collected in 1994, 2002, and 2010, both tests provide strong support for fundamental cause theory, showing that access to resources is the key underlying the educational gradient in health, while suggesting the specific form could differ across societies. Lastly, based on life history data collected in 1994, I investigate midlife consequences of the rustication ("sent down"�) experience. Propensity score analysis indicate a selection process due to the shifting rustication policy, accounting for the poorer subsequent health of those who were sent to rural areas and stayed there for a long time from the trailing-edge CR cohort. Taken together, this dissertation highlights the roles of the state, institutional arrangements, and historical timing in the shaping of educational attainment, as well as the relationships between early-life adversity, education, and health.Item Damiano Center's Kids Cafe(2005) Miller, SusannaItem Effects of Peripartum Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin Treatment and Prepartum Stocking Density on Immune Responses, Metabolism, Health, and Performance of Dairy Cows(2016-10) Basso Silva, Paula ReginaExcessive fatty acids release from the adipose tissue of periparturient cows may result in hyperketonemia and hepatic lipidosis, which are known to compromise liver and damage immune cells. Immunosuppression in transition cows is a result of shortage in energy, nutrients and calcium impairing immune cells’ metabolism. Thereafter, immunosuppressed periparturient cows are at higher risks for developing infectious and non-infectious health disorders. Strategies that improve metabolism and immune function of periparturient dairy cows may reduce incidence of diseases. Six experiments were performed to test two main strategies: the use of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) during the peripartum period and the reduction of prepartum pens’ stocking density (SD) from 100 to 80% of headlocks. The specific objectives of these experiments were to evaluate the effects of treating peripartum dairy cows with rbST on immune, inflammatory, and metabolic responses, incidences of postpartum diseases, performance, and hepatic and leukocyte gene expression; and to evaluate the effects of two prepartum SD (80 vs. 100%) on milk yield, concentration of metabolites, health and reproductive parameters, innate and adaptive leukocyte responses, and serum and hair cortisol concentrations. Results demonstrated that treatment of dairy cows with 125 mg of rbST improved innate immune responses and IgG concentration, with limited effects on metabolism, decreased the incidence of uterine disorders in Holstein and Jersey cows and increased yield of energy corrected milk during the first 30 DIM in Holstein cows. Administration of rbST during the periparturient period may improve liver function and health by increasing hepatic capacity for gluconeogenesis and lipid transport and by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. Treatment of dairy cows with 125 mg of rbST during the periparturient period may improve leukocyte functions by upregulating mRNA expression of genes involved in glycolysis, pathogen recognition, phagocytosis and oxidative burst, antimicrobial peptides, and antibody production. Finally, in herds with weekly or twice weekly movement of new cows to the prepartum pen and separate housing of nulliparous and parous animals, 100% SD of headlocks on the day of movement does not affect health, metabolic, reproductive, and productive parameters and 80% did not improve leukocyte responses compared with 100% target SD.Item Effects of Virtual Reality Exercise on Promoting Physical Activity and Health among College Students: A 4-week Randomized Controlled Trial(2021-07) Liu, WenxiBackground: Despite the known benefits of physical activity, the prevalence of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are significant issues in public health. Young adults, such as college students, are a population at risk for decreased physical activity participation due to the newfound responsibility of balancing school, work, and personal responsibilities. Previous findings indicated the lack of motivation was one of the important factors explaining the decreased physical activity participation. The emerging technology of immersive virtual reality combining with exercise provide a fun and motivating means for promoting physical activity and health-related outcomes. The cross-sectional studies have shown the promising influences of immersive virtual reality exercise on health-related outcomes, however, there is no experimental study to further conclude the findings. Therefore, the purpose of this randomized control trial was to examine the effectiveness of a 4-week VR-based exercise intervention on promoting PA and improving physiological and psychological outcomes among college students. Methods: A total of 36 college students were recruited from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: (1) intervention group – participants were asked to exercise on an immersive virtual reality-based exercise bike for one hour per session, two times per week, for 4 weeks; (2) control group – participants were asked to maintain their usual activities for 4 weeks. Participants’ weight, height, percentage of body fatness, and cardiovascular fitness were assessed by the validated instruments at baseline and 4 weeks. The exercise motivation, mood states, and depressive symptoms were assessed via a battery of surveys at baseline and 4 weeks. Participants’ physical activity levels were assessed via International Physical Activity Questionnaire at baseline and post-intervention follow-up. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine the differences between intervention and control group on physiological and psychological outcomes over time. The within-subjects factor was “time” and the between-subjects factor was “group”. Results: The Chi-Square test and the independent t-test indicated that there was no statistically significant difference regarding baseline demographic, physiological, and psychological outcomes between intervention and control group at baseline. Regarding exercise motivation, significant interactions were observed on identified regulation (F(1,34) = 6.55, p = 0.02) and intrinsic regulation (F(1,34) = 11.21, p = 0.02). Regarding mood states, significant interactions were observed on confusion (F(1,34) = 6.72, p = 0.01), fatigue (F(1,34) = 6.46, p = 0.02), tension (F(1,34) = 10.44, p = 0.003), and vigor (F(1,34) = 7.22, p = 0.01). In addition, a significant interaction was observed on the depression symptoms (F(1,34) = 5.53, p = 0.03). Regarding physiological outcomes, significant interactions were observed on percentage of body fatness (F(1,34) = 17.26, p <0.001) and cardiovascular fitness (F(1,34) = 30.05, p <0.001). Lastly, a significant interaction was observed on physical activity levels (F(1,34) = 17.35, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The findings of the current study indicated that a 4-week virtual reality-based exercise intervention is effective in promoting college students’ intrinsic motivation and identified regulation toward exercise, improving overall mood states, depressive symptoms, cardiovascular fitness, body composition, and enhancing greater physical activity. It is suggested that immersive virtual reality exercise could be a fun and motivating means for promoting young adults’ physical activity and health-related physiological and psychological outcomes.Item The Effects of Water Quality on Nursery Pig Performance and Health(2020-12) Lozinski, BrigitWater is an essential nutrient necessary for survival. There are minimal literature and water quality suggestions available to aid in describing ideal drinking water for pigs. An initial survey was conducted to understand how Minnesota pig producers perceive the quality of water in their nursery barns. Initial survey responses were summarized and 15 barns with perceived “excellent” or “intolerable” water quality were chosen to be sampled and analyzed for 29 analytes. An experiment was then conducted to determine effects of drinking waters of differing qualities on growth performance and health of nursery pigs. Weanling pigs (n = 450) were randomly assigned to one of three treatments consisting of varying water quality. Pig growth performance, health, and behavior were measured and water quality was monitored throughout the study. Water quality did not change while stored throughout the experiment. There were no differences among treatments in ADG (0.46 kg; 0.46 kg; 0.47 kg) or ADFI (0.68 kg; 0.69 kg; 0.71 kg). Phagocytic activity of pigs fed different water sources also was not different for the percentages of monocytes (73.2 to 74.5%) and granulocytes (93.6 to 95.3%) (P = 0.91 and 0.45, respectively). These results suggest that the gut health and immune status of pigs consuming water sources of variable quality were similar and did not affect morbidity and mortality. Pigs did not have an aversion to the waters provided, as total time spent at the drinker did not differ among treatments on d 1 (P = 0.65), 2 (P = 0.82), or d 3 (P = 0.79).Item Essays in Labor and Health Economics(2015-07) Bairoliya, NehaThis dissertation consists of two essays. The first essay studies the effect of different kinds of pension plans on the labor market decisions of the older workers. Due to the aging population, Social Security's projected annual cost is expected to increase to about 6.2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product by 2035, thus posing significant challenges to the U.S. policy makers. This has fueled an interest in research geared towards understanding the determinants of retirement. Past research has shown that pensions have a significant effect on retirement decisions. But the pension landscape in the U.S. has changed dramatically in the last few decades. From being once dominated by the traditional annuity-based Defined Benefit (DB) plans, the trend has now moved towards account-based Defined Contribution (DC) plans. This change has been accompanied by a reversal in the participation trend of older workers resulting in an increasing labor force participation of the elderly in the United States over the last thirty years. This essay investigates the link between the two by building a life cycle model of retirement and pension plan types. By conducting counterfactual experiment which changes all DB plans to DC plans, I hope to understand the role played by the differences in the nature of pension wealth accumulation under different pension plans in explaining the differences in retirement behavior observed across different pension plan holders. The second essay explores policy questions pertinent to the aging population in the healthcare field. Medicare Part D is a government program introduced in 2006 to offer outpatient drug benefits to Medicare beneficiaries. A lot of the brand-name drugs covered under Medicare Part D are also available in generic versions and it has been argued by policy makers that a higher level of utilization of these generic drugs would result in significant cost savings for the government. However, the cost savings of forcing consumers onto generics may lead to large welfare losses for consumers of non-generic alternatives if they highly value them. This issue is addressed in this essay where a structural model of drug demand that allows for heterogeneity in match quality between consumers and drugs and also allows for consumer learning about the stochastic match quality of the drug is estimated. The 2007-2008 administrative claims data for the 5\% Medicare Sample is used for demand estimation. By conducting counterfactual experiment which eliminates branded drugs for which the generic is available from the choice-sets of consumers, I hope to understand the effect of generic substitution on consumer welfare and the resulting cost savings for the government.Item Essays on Health and Education in Underprivileged Populations in Low- and Middle-Income Countries(2019-12) Lee, JongwookThis dissertation consists of three independent essays on health and educational issues in underprivileged populations, such as children and elderly people, in low- and middle-income countries. The first essay is the first study that investigates the effects of providing eyeglasses on academic performance for school-age children in Vietnam using a randomized controlled trial. In the first essay, I find that school-age children have limited access to eye health care services in Vietnam, and providing eyeglasses improves children’s academic performance. The second essay examines the impact of cataract surgery on quality of life and poverty in rural Malawi. The evidence shows that cataract surgery increases surgery recipients’ health-related quality of life and their household living standards not only in the short term but also in the medium term. In the third essay, I analyze the effect of early childhood malnutrition on human capital development in Ethiopia. The results find no significant evidence of a link between early childhood malnutrition and cognitive and non-cognitive skills development in the presence of weak instruments.Item Examining the Nature, Origins, and Health Consequences of Attachment-Related Individual Differences in the Emotion Regulation Process(2014-07) Fillo, JenniferIndividuals vary in their tendency to habitually adopt different emotion-regulation strategies, such as cognitive reappraisal and suppression (Gross & John, 2003). These strategies have implications for individuals' subjective, expressive, and physiological reactions to emotions, with certain emotional profiles being considered "healthier" than others (John & Gross, 2004). A key direction for research in this area is the identification of individual differences that can explain how and why individuals develop these tendencies. This information could help researchers and clinicians better predict and potentially curtail the negative consequences associated with some emotion-regulation tendencies. The present research examines individual differences in attachment orientations as one such explanation. According to attachment theory, individuals' histories of interactions with caregivers throughout life shape their relational orientations, as well as their motivations and abilities for coping with stressful events (Bowlby, 1969). Study 1 examined relations between attachment orientations and self-reported emotion-regulation tendencies, as well as experimentally tested attachment-based individual differences in the emotion regulation process by examining subjective, expressive, and physiological emotional responses to an emotion-eliciting film clip. Attachment avoidance and anxiety were associated with a number of similar emotion-regulation difficulties, but specific approaches to regulating emotions. In the experimental portion, the nature and effectiveness of specific emotion-regulation strategies varied across levels of avoidance and anxiety. Additionally, avoidant individuals showed some evidence of spontaneous emotion-regulation attempts, even when they were given no specific emotion-regulation instructions. Study 2 replicates and extends Study 1 by examining the developmental antecedents and long-term health consequences of these individual differences in emotion regulation, using data collected as part of the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation. It examined the potential mediating role of emotion-regulation difficulties in the link between attachment representations and later substance use (i.e., alcohol consumption, tobacco use). There was an indirect effect of attachment representations on later alcohol consumption through impulse control difficulties and limited access to emotion-regulation strategies. Attachment representations directly predicted tobacco use, but this relation was not mediated by difficulties with emotion regulation. As a whole, this research reveals important information about the nature, origins, and health consequences of attachment-based individual differences in emotion regulation.