Digital Commons Network^™

Memory Consolidation In Developmental Disorders, Laszlo A. Erdodi

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The relationship between memory and adaptive functioning was studied in sample of 268 children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, n = 83), autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n = 62), velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS, n = 21), and low birth weight (LBW, n = 38) and neurotypicals (n = 64). Children with ASD and VCFS demonstrated a relative weakness in facial and visual memory, while no between-group differences were found during the auditory verbal learning task of the TOMAL. Learning curve analyses showed that after the first trial of the visual span test, all groups performed at the same level, but the …

The Relationship Between Adult Attachment And Trauma, Lauren Earls

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Prior research has suggested a complex relationship between childhood interpersonal traumas perpetrated by attachment figures and the experience of trauma in adulthood. Very little is known, however, about how various forms of childhood interpersonal abuse and neglect affect trauma sequelae and adult romantic attachment in women during the childbearing years. Using a sample of postpartum women (N = 104), this study examined the associations between a history of attachment-related traumas (operationalized as childhood interpersonal abuse and neglect) and complex trauma sequelae believed to be unique to victims of interpersonal traumas; the possible role that adult romantic attachment anxiety and avoidance …

Deconstructing The Time-Out: What Do Mothers Understand About A Common Disciplinary Procedure?, Amy K. Drayton

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Problem behavior is extremely common throughout childhood, and time-out (TO) is one of the most common disciplinary tactics used by parents to address problem behavior. However, despite the prevalence of use and five decades of research demonstrating the efficacy of time-out, parents rate time-out as one of the least useful behavior modification techniques. This discrepancy between parental opinion and empirical data may be due to the fact that all research conducted thus far has used adults highly trained in empirically-supported time-out procedures. No research has examined the degree of similarity between time-out conducted by untrained parents to empirically-supported time-out procedures. …

Predictors Of Ptsd Symptoms For Criterion A And Non-Criterion A Events, Sarah Reiland

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study evaluated the current DSM-IV conceptualization of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It examined predictors (i.e., event, person, and cognitive characteristics) and the factor structure of PTSD symptoms for events that do and do not meet criterion A. Event, person, and cognitive variables included in this study explained 47% of the variance in PTSD symptoms for the criterion A group and 56% of the variance in PTSD symptoms for the noncriterion A group. In both groups, cognitive variables explained the majority of variance in PTSD symptom severity. Although predictors of PTSD symptoms varied for criterion A and non-qualifying events, the …

The Impact Of Prior Sexual Victimization And Victim Identification On Threat Recognition In A College Sample, Katherine Porter

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Previous research on sexual assault has demonstrated a pattern of revictimization, in which victims of childhood sexual assault are at an increased risk for adult sexual assault (e.g., Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). Previous findings indicate that participants with a history of sexual assault take longer to identify and respond to risks (Marx et al., 2001; Soler-Baillo et al., 2005; Wilson et al., 1999), are less likely to respond in assertive ways (VanZile-Tamsen et al., 2005), and are more likely to indicate that they would be compliant in risky sexual situations (Naugle, 1999).

The present study attempted to replicate and expand …

The Influence Of Poverty On The Development And Maintenance Of Conduct Disorder And Perpetuation Of Crime And Violence, David Saunders-Scott

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Jamaica has one of the highest murder rates per capita in the world, as well as a high rate of other crimes. With this study, I examined how factors such as income, socialecological factors of poverty (S-E factors of poverty), and symptoms of conduct disorder (CD) were related to criminality in a sample of 79 male Jamaican parolees and probationers. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 74 years old and were all of African descent. I interviewed participants using the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WHO-CIDI), a survey to assess S-E factors associated with poverty, and the …

Factors Contributing To Disability In A Chronic Low Back Pain Population: A Comprehensive Analysis Using Continuous Ambulatory Monitoring, Kevin N. Alschuler

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Disability in chronic low back pain patients has been established as a function of variables across three areas: pain, cognitive-behavioral variables, and social variables. New technology has improved the ability to accurately measure physical activity, a significant component of disability, through the use of actigraphy for real-time ambulatory monitoring. The current study assessed between and within patient changes in physical activity as a function of current pain, anticipated pain, pain sensitivity, depression, pain anxiety, catastrophizing, and significant others' responses. Time-series and ordinary least squares regression analyses of 20 participants revealed that patients change their physical activity based on both their …

Faith-Based Sexual Education: A Comparison Of Comprehensive And Abstinence-Only Programs, Leanna Fortunato

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study sought to evaluate the effects of faith-based sexual education programs. Participants (ages 13-18, N = 128) were surveyed regarding their religious and sexual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors prior to completing a sexual education program at their church, synagogue, or religious institution and again after completing the program. The sexual education programs were divided into three groups based on program content and duration: abstinence-only-short, comprehensive-short, and comprehensive-long. The first goal was to assess the within-group effects of attending an abstinence-only or comprehensive sexual education program. Participants from all three groups showed an increase in the degree to which they …

Diagnostic Efficiency Of The Computerized Ptsd Scale – Multimedia Version (Cps-M) In Assessing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Jennifer Boss Mainka

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The most commonly used interview for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), a semi-structured interview patterned after the DSM-IV criteria (Blake et al., 1990). The Computerized PTSD Scale – Multimedia Version (CPS-M: Richard, Mayo, Bohn, Haynes, & Kolman, 1997) is a computerized interview that is modeled after the CAPS. This study examined how well the CPS-M agreed with the CAPS diagnostically in a clinical sample. Ninety veterans completed the test protocol consisting of paper-and-pencil measures, the CPS-M, and the CAPS interview. Correlations between the CAPS and CPS-M were high at the item, subscale, and full-scale levels. …

Crosslinked Conventional Size And Nanoparticle Size Acrylic Latexes And Their Blends: Investigation Of The Effects Of Crosslinking, Particle Size And Distribution, Glass Transition Temperature And Blending On Film Formation, Properties And Morphology, Ravi Ghanshyambhai Joshi

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Synthetic latexes have many product applications including functioning as a binder in paints and coatings. For many years, researchers in industry as well as in academe have been exploring various strategies to improve performance of acrylic latexes mainly to replace traditionally used solvent borne coatings due to increasing environmental concerns and strict governmental regulations. The main goal of the study is to investigate the effects of type (pre-coalescence or post-coalescence) and level of crosslinking, particle size (nano particle size ~ 20-25 nm vs. conventional particle size ~ 120-130 nm) and distribution, glass transition temperature (Tg), and blending on latex film …

Old To Green: A Green Renovation To A Historic Home And Its Important Role In The Current Green Building Era, Stacey Ann Hefley

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the basic components of a green renovation project in accordance with sustainable design principles and to exemplify the applicability of each component of a historic home. The focus on historic homes in particular is to explore the important role they can play in the sustainable home building industry. With so much attention focusing on new home construction nowadays, there is concern that the critical contribution historic homes can make to the environment is being overlooked. Their role in the building design and construction industry is not only beneficial to sustain our environment, …

Relationships Between Binge Eating, Psychological And Behavioral Covariates, And Health Care Utilization On College Campuses: Results From A National Sample Of College Students, Summar Reslan

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the factors which moderate service utilization among college students, as well as risk factors for binge eating disorder (BED). Candidate moderators included binge eating, obesity, gender, ethnicity, psychological comorbidity, body image, and emotional dysregulation. Data from the Healthy Minds Study (HMS) 2010 were utilized. Two samples of participants were analyzed: the full HMS 2010 national sample of undergraduate college students (N = 17,995) and a subsample of undergraduate students (N = 969) from Eastern Michigan University (EMU) who participated in the HMS. Results suggested that psychological comorbidity significantly impacted psychological service utilization …

Substrates Of Social Functioning In Individuals With Vcfs, Daniel Jacobson

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Velocardiofacial Syndrome (VCFS) is a genetic disorder characterized by numerous physiological and psychological symptoms. Little is known regarding the neuropsychological substrates of social functioning in individuals with VCFS. This study was a secondary data analysis investigating the relationship between various brain structure volumes and social deficits in individuals with VCFS. Volumetric measures of brain regions based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were compared between 6 VCFS individuals and 6 controls. Controls were identically matched according to age and gender. It was hypothesized that after covarying for total brain volume, VCFS patients would exhibit larger amygdala and insula volumes and smaller …

Studies Of Aspect Angle Dependence Of Plasma Turbulence At Haarp, Nargis Adham

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

We report the results from a recent series of campaigns employing the HAARP HF transmitter to generate and study strong Langmuir turbulence (SLT) in the interaction region of overdense ionospheric plasma. Diagnostics included the Modular UHF Ionospheric Radar (MUIR) sited at HAARP, the Super DARN-Kodiak HF radar, and HF receivers to record stimulated electromagnetic emissions (SEE). Short pulse, low duty cycle experiments demonstrate control and suppression of artificial field-aligned irregularities (AFAI). This allows the isolation of ponderomotive plasma turbulence effects. Plasma line spectra exhibit a marked dependence on the aspect angle of the HF pump beam and the pointing of …

The King At Kaamelott, Ahmed S. Bashi

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

French TV‘s M6 aired a ground-breaking television advance, known as Kaamelott, from 2005 to 2009, derived from a long tradition of Arthurian narrative form and a long tradition of that form‘s modernization. Spanning the split, therefore, between the Modern and the Medieval, Alexandre Astier‘s experimental Adventure-Comedy, adapting no single model, this Frankenstein, brought to life through canny theatrical bricolage, provokes the following concrete question: how have the dimensions of the exemplary human life of the King been updated by this installment of an eight centuries (and more) old tradition? Using the frame-work of Berne‘s Games People Play, …

Esl Teacher Motivation In Sri Lankan Public Schools, Sujeewa Hettiarachchi

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Drawing on in-depth qualitative data from fifty-four surveys and five interviews, this study investigated the elements of motivation and demotivation reflected in Sri Lankan ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers. The participants were a convenience sample of English teachers currently employed in Sri Lankan public schools. The results of the study revealed that students themselves, the act of teaching students, and the prestigious social position for English teachers in Sri Lanka are main motivators for teachers. The main demotivators for the participants included limited facilities for teaching and learning in schools, inefficiency of school administration and zonal education offices, …

Bibliotherapy For The Inclusive Elementary Classroom, Kate-Lynn Dirks

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

In my life, music and reading have brought me great joy and escape. To disappear from the world I would read a book, and to deal with stress I would play my piano. Entering Eastern Michigan University from high school I was very interested in looking into the Music Therapy Program. I had worked with students with special needs at my past elementary school and had recently welcomed a baby cousin into my family who was born with severe Cerebral Palsy. I had experienced firsthand the healing power of music with adults and children, and I wanted explore this major. …

Rfid Technology And Its Impact On The Supply Chain, Trina A. Nash

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

As a supply chain major, I am constantly learning about what makes an organization leaner and how to provide better customer service. I have also learned that technology is constantly evolving and businesses are taking advantage of these opportunities more than ever. Technology is providing companies with ways to become faster and more efficient in all areas of the supply chain, from the original equipment manufacturer down to the end consumer. The purpose of this research paper is to explore one technology that has made a great impact on the supply chain and is increasingly becoming more popular. RFID Technology …

The Insanity Defense: A Comparative Analysis, Kristin Neville

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

The topic of my thesis is the insanity defense. The insanity defense is a tactic that is rarely used and rarely successful. Generally states fall into three categories: Those who use the M'Naghten rule of law, those who use the American Law Institute (ALI) Model Penal Code, and those who have abolished the use of the insanity defense. This research compares states from each category to investigate whether or not the type of rule used affects the outcome. In order to determine whether these categories matter, the paper compares similar appellate felony case outcomes in New Jersey and North Carolina, …

Computational Studies Of Stereochemical Effects In The Synthesis Of Sugar Mimics, Louis Anthony Lello

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Density Functional methods are used to model the tandem aza-Cope rearrangement – Mannich cyclization reaction leading to substituted acylpyrrolidines. The ultimate goal is to determine optimum reaction conditions that maximize stereoselectivity, as only one set of stereoisomers is pharmacologically active. Three aspects of the reaction are investigated. First, we determine the relative size of three rotational barriers in the interconversion of two iminium cation stereoisomers that are precursors to the aza-Cope rearrangement. The lowest energy pathway for the interconversion is identified, as well as the relative stability of the two stereoisomers for two different substituents: diphenyl and methyl. Activation barriers …

Analysis Of The Effect Of Various Ligands On The Hydrolysis Of Ruthenium (Iii) Complexes And Interpretation Of Kinetics Of Hydrolysis Profiles By Uv-Visible Spectrophotometry, Sudheer Koneru

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Cancer is one of the major causes of death in the world. Discovery of platinum metal-based drugs like cisplatin and carboplatin have proved to be successful in cancer treatment. Due to subsequent development of resistance, side effects, and fewer toxic effects of these drugs, the usage of these drugs has been limited. Novel drugs were being synthesized utilizing the transition metals like ruthenium, osmium, and copper.

In this research, ruthenium metal complexes of the formula HL[RuCl4L2] (where L= ligand) were synthesized. These ruthenium-based drugs exist in prodrug forms which are activated into antitumor drugs by means of hydrolysis, redox reactions, …

Influence Of Metal Nanoparticles On Fluorescence Properties, Vamsi K. Kandimalla

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In this project, we studied the effect of silver and gold nanoparticles of various sizes on the fluorescence properties of tris (2, 2-bipyridyl) dichloro ruthenium (II) hexahydrate (Ru (bpy)3 2+), tryptophan and phenylalanine. For (Ru (bpy)3 2+) absorbed on silver and gold nanoparticles, the fluorescence intensity was quenched and showed a significant increase in the fluorescence lifetimes. These quenched intensities were due to energy transfer processes from the donor (Ru (bpy)3 2+) to the metal nanoparticles. Conversely, tryptophan showed enhanced fluorescence intensities with an increase in the size of the nanoparticles, which may be attributed to the effect of fluorescence …

Typically Developing Children’S Attitudes And Acceptance Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder After Integrated Play Group Involvement, Karen Kay Toon

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In an urban, midwestern public school, six children, ages 8-10 years old, engaged in ten weeks of Integrated Play Groups (IPGs) to teach skills to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Lasting two and a half months, IPGs met for 30 minutes, twice weekly. The participants engaged in pre- and post-tests of the revised Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes Towards Children with Handicaps scale and pre- and post-focus groups. These means were used to investigate the research question: What can be learned about typical peers’ attitudes and acceptance of students with ASD through the expert players’ reflections on Integrated Play Group involvement? The …

Structure-Activity Relationships Of Pai-1 Inhibitors, Karen Sanders

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The inhibition of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is anticipated to increase our understanding of various human ailments with which high levels of PAI-1 have been associated, including diabetes, stroke, and atherosclerosis. Previous accounts have reported the synthesis of inhibitors that bind to PAI-1 with a low affinity, inhibit the serpin plasma protein antithrombin III, and/or fail to inhibit PAI-1 when vitronectin, a cofactor of PAI-1 is present. The synthesis of small-molecule inhibitors of PAI-1 that improve upon these properties has been the main goal of this research. Research efforts focused on examining changes in inhibitor potency based on the manipulation …

Ecological Method Development For Detecting N-Nitrosodimethylamine In Water Using Hplc-Pdad, Jolisa Mcday

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Using ethanol, a sustainable reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method with photo-diode array detection (HPLC-PDAD) was investigated to detect sub-parts per billion concentrations of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in drinking water and environmental water samples. This presents a practical and “green” option to analytical methods that require laborious derivatization, expensive detectors and unecological solvents.

Mobile phase characteristics, instrument operating parameters, and sample preparation were investigated. Selectivity for NDMA was evaluated using three different C18 columns. Optimal peak resolution and detection were achieved at 231 nm. The limit of detection and quantitation for NDMA was 0.29 μg/mL and 0.96 μg/mL, respectively, with an ethanol …

The Manifold Operations Of The Gothic Double, Brian Demars

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The gothic novel’s emergence as a dominant genre in the 19th century is illustrative of a shift in popular ideology taking place in Western Europe during this period. Competing viewpoints, particularly between opposing classes, directly reflect the uncertainties, anxieties, and aspirations of a continent undergoing a significant transition. Because the gothic draws upon the tension between contending attitudes—spiritualism and secularism, realism and romanticism, nationalism and imperialism, and aristocratic and bourgeois—it exposes how ideology embedded in these concepts either adds to or detracts from the greater good of the community.

The technique of doubling is utilized to locate divergent ideologies and …

Receptor-Dependent Phagocytosis Of Clostridium Sordellii By Human Decidual Macrophages, Tennille D. Thelen

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Clostridium sordellii is an emerging pathogen associated with highly-lethal female reproductive tract (FRT) infections following childbirth, abortion, or cervical instrumentation. Gaps in our understanding of the pathogenesis of C. sordellii infections present major challenges to the development of better preventive and therapeutic strategies against this problem. We sought to determine the mechanisms whereby uterine DMs phagocytose this bacterium and tested the hypothesis that human DMs utilize class A scavenger receptors (CASRs) to internalize unopsonized C. sordellii. In vitro phagocytosis assays with human DMs incubated with pharmacological inhibitors of CASRs (fucoidan, polyinosinic acid, and dextran sulfate) revealed a role for …

Academic And Non-Academic Factors As Predictors Of Early Academic Success In Bacclaureate Nursing Programs, Deborah S. Dunn

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Nurses are in very high demand and this situation has placed an unprecedented call for faculty in higher education institutions to produce more graduates. With more students applying to nursing programs and a limited number of nursing slots available, admission to nursing programs has become increasingly competitive. Given these conditions, a trend toward increasing admissions standards has been noticed as program leaders and faculty struggle to institute some type of sorting method to select the applicants who are most likely to succeed in their nursing education programs. Entrance examinations have been increasingly used as a major part of admissions criteria …

Influence Of The Reducing Agent Triphenylphosphine On Cyclooxygenase-1 Metabolism Of Arachidonic Acid, Rohini Sidhu

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Cyclooxygenase (COX) metabolizes the polyunsaturated fatty acid arachidonic acid (AA) to PGG2, a cyclic endoperoxide that also contains a hydroperoxide, which is subsequently reduced to an alcohol in the enzyme to yield PGH2. Reactions catalyzed by COX-1 are significantly influenced by lipid hydroperoxides. The tyrosyl radical that abstracts the 13 pro(s) hydrogen from AA to initiate the COX catalytic cycle is generated by iron-oxo derivatives in the enzyme that result from lipid hydroperoxide interaction with heme iron. Commercial preparations of arachidonic acid (AA) contain lipid hydroperoxides that can be separated from AA by thin layer chromatography and readily reduced to …

Examining The Impact Of Student Involvement And Intercultural Experiences On Perceptions Of Institutional Commitment To Diversity, Aaron Klein Haight

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of involvement in student organizations as it relates to perceptions of campus climate. The researcher conducted a crosssectional, ex-post facto secondary data analysis of a 2005 institutional survey on diversity at Great Falls State University. The researcher utilized a Chi Square Test for Independence, as well as a Forward Thinking Logistic Regression Model to analyze the data. Although the main emphasis of the research was student involvement in student organizations, the researcher also analyzed data pertaining to background demographics and campus climate. The data results demonstrated differences in perception in …