Digital Commons Network^™

Feasibility Study Among Military Personnel With Traumatic Amputation During Military Combat Or Training, Michele (Shelly) R. Burdette-Taylor Phd, Msn, Rn-Bc, Cwcn, Cfcn

Dissertations

Military operations have resulted in a significant number of mangled extremities leading to traumatic amputations. Extremity injuries predominate, representing 50% to 70% of all injuries treated (Melcer, 2010). The majority of injuries sustained in Operation Endearing Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) are combined penetrating, burn and blast injuries, traumatic amputation, and infections from the multi-drug resistant organism, Acinetobacter (Melcer, 2010). The purpose of this study was to measure the quality of well-being and impact of events in a group of adults who served in the U.S. armed forces and sustained the loss of one or more limbs during any combat or …

Role Of Amyloid Beta Assembly State In The Human Immune Response, Deepa Viswanathan

Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a slowly progressing neurodegenerative disease that leads to dementia. Histopathological hallmarks that characterize AD are senile plaques formed by extracellular deposition of Amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide and intracellular aggregates of hyperphosphorylated tau protein. The plaques, which are found in the brain parenchyma, comprise both 40 and 42 residue Aβ. Aggregation of Aβ is an established pathogenic mechanism in AD, but little is known about the initiation of this process in vivo. Several studies have revealed significant inflammatory markers such as activated microglia and cytokines surrounding the plaques. Plaques are a hallmark of AD, but they are …

Exploring Diverse Blended Families: Using Critical Discourse Analysis To Hear Their Voices, Robin Moore-Chambers

Dissertations

It has been predicted that if you were born in the 1980s and 1990s, there was a one in two chanceof either living in a blended family as a child or as an adult (Coleman, Ganong, & Fine, 2000).In 1989, Glick predicted that in the 21st century, blended families would be the leading family form. Today in 2010, they are far from being a new phenomenon (Stewart, 2008). They are a rapidly growing part of the American population according to Census data and over half of American families may be blended, i.e., formed by (married or non-married) partners with children. …

Phylogenetics, Morpohology, And Genomic Evolution In Physarieae (Brassicaceae), Sara Fuentes-Soriano

Dissertations

The mustard family (Brassicaceae) is economically important but the evolution of its morphology is not well understood. I investigate the evolution of morphological and genomic characters and calculate ancestral trait values in the Brassicaceae within a phylogenetic context using the tribe Physarieae as a model system. Physarieae are a unique and diverse group of American mustards characterized by multi-aperturate pollen. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences (chloroplast ndhF and nuclear ITS and LUMINIDEPENDENS) were used to test the monophyly and explore evolutionary relationships of Physarieae. The phylogenetic inferences were used to identify morphological traits to delimit the tribe, to interpret the …

Development Of A Methodology To Attain High Levels Of Storage Proteins In Cassava Tuberized Roots And Its Implications, Mohammad Abhary

Dissertations

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz.) is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family, cultivated in the tropics and subtropical areas as a staple food crop for more than 700 million people around the world. The starchy storage roots of cassava are rich in calories and deficient in all other nutrients, cassava meals has the lowest of all sources of dietary protein. Severe protein deficiencies and malnutrition problems are common among those who rely on cassava as their daily meal. Although cassava is ranked the fifth most important crop in the world, the research on this crop is very limited. Among the limited …

Perceptions Of Effective Instruction In Community Colleges: A Student View, Stephen Kent Biermann

Dissertations

ABSTRACT Stephen K. Biermann PERCEPTIONS OF EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES: A STUDENT VIEW This qualitative study was designed to identify key elements of effective instruction as perceived by community college students. Since the majority of research pertaining to effective instruction has been primarily conducted using a quantitative format, it is important to consider other methodologies for future research. The use of qualitative research helped capture student dialogue in its fullest, unhindered by the constraints of a survey tool or scale. The students involved in the study voluntarily participated in either individual interviews or focus groups and commented upon various …

Predictors Of Acculturative Stress For International Students In The United States, Christopher Sullivan

Dissertations

International students in the United States are confronted with a wide range of challenges and difficulties as they move to a new country and need to adapt to a new cultural, social, andacademic environment. This study examined the relationship between acculturation orientation, or how these cultural changes are addressed, sources of social support, and the level of acculturative stress these students experience. Data was collected using an on-line survey from international students at six public universities in Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and Iowa. Statistical analysis was conducted on the data collected from the 648 students who participated in the study. Descriptive …

Activation Of Propargylic Alcohols By Piano-Stool Ruthenium Complexes Bearing Phosphoramidite Ligands, Stephen Andrew Costin

Dissertations

Various piano-stool ruthenium complexes bearing phosphoramidite ligands have been synthesized and characterized spectroscopically and in some cases structurally. Reaction of phosphoramidite ligands with an appropriate metal precursor gives new piano-stool ruthenium complexes [RuCl(L)(arene)(phosphoramidite)], where L = Cl, PPh3, or others. The novel complexes are tested for their ability to activate propargylic alcohols catalytically as well as stoichiometrically. Specifically, catalytic substitution of propargylic alcohols via allenylidene intermediates is envisioned. Stoichiometric reactions designed to form stable, isolable allenylidenes are sought as well. h6-p-cymene complexes of the type [RuCl2(h6-p-cymene)(phosphoramidite)] activate propargylic alcohols in the reaction with carboxylic acids to form b-oxo esters. The …

Shrouded In Stigma: A Heuristic Study Of Living With Hiv, Neal Stacy Rosenburg

Dissertations

HIV-related stigma is a serious hindrance to addressing the recruitment, maintenance, and follow-up nursing care of HIV-infected persons. This study was anchored within the heuristic research model, which engaged both the researcher and participants in a dialogical and aesthetic manner to unveil the stigma of HIV. The close proximity of the researcher and study participants revealed the most visceral, emotional, and self-reflective nature of gathering data, while maintaining the integrity and rigor of a qualitative study. The purpose of this heuristic study was to examine the lived experiences of HIV-infected individuals relating to internalized stigma within an existential context. This …

The Cultivation And Practice Of Spiritual Care Expertise In An Inpatient Palliative Care Setting, Gail Elaine Pittroff

Dissertations

Caregivers involved in palliative care seek to understand problems and challenges at end of life through research to determine the best care for patients and their families. Spiritual care is a key component of quality end of life care, yet there is a paucity of research on spiritual care in inpatient settings at end of life in nursing literature. The purpose of this study was to examine the personhood and spiritual care practices of inpatient palliative nurse consultants. This study describes expert nurse’s experience of delivering spiritual care for patients and families at end of life in inpatient palliative care …

The Mother's Perspective: Understanding More About The Health Care Needs Of The Preschool Child With Autism, Margaret W. Bultas

Dissertations

Background Information: The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has dramatically risen over the last decades. It is known that children with ASD visit health care providers (HCP) more frequently than typically developing peers. Given behavioral and medical complexities of these children, mothers may experience barriers in this process. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of mothers’ experiences of taking their children to the HCP. Aims of this study were to reveal mothers’ concerns related to these experiences, examine resources and barriers affecting the quality of the visit, and discover more about the effect …

Spermatogenesis: Laser Microdissection Optimization, Deborah Ann Hansen

Dissertations

Studies link paternal environmental exposures to pesticides, herbicides, and radiation to adverse reproductive outcomes such as developmental delays, malignancies, and structural birth defects. To date, 900 children of Vietnam veterans with presumed Agent Orange exposure receive VA presumptive service connected benefits because these children have Spina Bifida. To date, there are limited data to explain the underlying causal mechanisms whereby paternal environmental exposures result in adverse reproductive events. Laser microdissection (LMD) is the only technology that allows the isolation of cell subpopulations from complex tissues such as the testes without disturbing the cell’s bimolecular signature. LMD is essential in the …

Differences In Student Knowledge And Perception Of Learning Experiences Among Non-Traditional Students In Blended And Face-To-Face Classroom Delivery, Julieta A. Arano-Ocuaman

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of traditional and blended (partially online and partially face-to-face) course delivery methods. This study further examined the impact of using technology to improve student learning by providing meaningful learning in the areas of content delivery, communication and collaboration, evaluation and feedback, and personal learning experiences. Non-traditional students enrolled in an elementary statistics course either delivered as a traditional course or a blended course participated in the study. It was hypothesized that students enrolled in the blended course would perform better and prefer this method of delivery compared to students enrolled …

Avian Developmental Endocrinology: The Effects And Role Of Yolk Hormones, Sibling Dynamics, And Life-History, Corinne Patricia Kozlowski

Dissertations

Inter-specific variation of the endocrine system is an underlying component for variation in avian life-history. Females deposit hormones into the yolks of their eggs, and embryonic exposure affects nestling phenotype. Hormones are also produced endogenously by developing nestlings, further influencing their behavior and physiology. This dissertation examines the role of the endocrine system in development by focusing on several different avian taxa. Yolk hormone concentrations often vary across the laying order and may mediate hatching asynchrony. These patterns were characterized in two species that lay asynchronously hatching clutches: Eastern screech owls (Megascops asio) and cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus). The patterns described …

Policy Determinants And Medicaid Managed Care, Diane Elizabeth Brandt

Dissertations

The U.S. Medicaid program is increasingly challenged by reductions in federal entitlement spending, a faltering private sector health insurance base, escalating health care expenditures and an aging and increasingly diverse population. Converging pressures on state Medicaid programs have challenged state policy makers to find new approaches to enhance program efficiency. One of these policy tools is the adoption of Medicaid managed care programs for individuals with chronic illness and disability, particularly important as these enrollees incur the highest health care costs. The increasing prevalence of chronic illness combined with the growth of households in poverty creates significant implications for Medicaid …

Effects Of Toyota Family Literacy Program On Reading Achievement Of Kindergarten, First, Second, And Third Grade Students By Gender And Grade Level, Regina Renae Stewman

Dissertations

For the last 15 years, federal legislation has required that public schools involve parents in their child‘s education. Yet, there has been no solid definition for parent involvement (also known as family literacy) and limited research on family literacy. This mixed study examined the influence of Toyota Family Literacy, which focuses on Hispanic immigrant families, on the literacy achievement of students in kindergarten through third grade, as well as parental efficacy in helping their child succeed in school, in three Northwest Arkansas Schools. The study examined student literacy achievement by gender and grade level using the Developmental Reading Assessment 2 …

Effects Of Single-Sex Classrooms Versus Coeducational Classrooms On Math And Literacy Achievement, Constance Matchell

Dissertations

This research project was designed to add to the limited available research concerning the effectiveness of single-sex education within a public elementary school setting. Following the first year of implementation of a single-sex classroom pilot program, the effects by gender of classroom grouping (single-sex education versus coeducation) on reading and math achievement were investigated for three consecutive grade levels from second grade through fourth grade.

This research project was designed to add to the limited available research concerning the effectiveness of single-sex education within a public elementary school setting. Following the first year of implementation of a single-sex classroom pilot …

Effects Of After-School Programs On Math And Literacy For Fourth And Sixth Grade Students, June Elliott

Dissertations

The general purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if participating in after-school programs affected students’ math and literacy achievement in four elementary schools and two middle schools located in a school district in central Arkansas. The study investigated this phenomenon as it related to gender at two different grade levels. The independent variables were participation in after-school programs (participated versus no participation) and gender (male versus female). The dependent variables were math and literacy achievement measured by the state’s Augmented Benchmark Examinations. A review of the literature identified the various aspects after-school programs including the need for such …

Integrated Approach For The Assessment And Development Of Groundwater Resources In Arid Lands: Applications In The Quetta Valley, Pakistan, Zhanay Sagintayev

Dissertations

The lack of adequate field measurements (e.g., precipitation and stream flow) and difficulty in obtaining them often hampers the construction and calibration of rainfall-runoff models over many of the world's watersheds, leaving key· elements of the hydrologic cycle unconstrained. I adopted methodologies that rely heavily on readily available remote sensing datasets as viable alternatives and useful tools for assessing, managing, and modeling the water resources of such remote and inadequately gauged regions.

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool was selected for continuous (1998-2005) rainfall-runoff modeling of the northeast part of the Pishin Lora basin (NEPL), a politically unstable area that …

Using High-Powered, Frequency-Narrowed Lasers For Rb/129xe And Cs/129xe Spin-Exchange Optical Pumping To Achieve Improved Production Of Highly Spin-Polarized Xenon For Use In Magnetic Resonance Applications, Nicholas Whiting

Dissertations

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been extensively used to investigate numerous systems of interest, ranging from collections of molecules to living organisms. However, NMR suffers from one key drawback: an inherent lack of detection sensitivity, as compared to other common forms of spectroscopy. This is due to the minute nuclear magnetic moments and low nuclear spin polarization levels at thermal equilibrium (~10-5 to 10-6), and thus necessitates the use of relatively large sample volumes. One way to overcome this low detection sensitivity is to introduce a species with highly non-equilibrium nuclear spin polarization, such as `hyperpolarized' xenon-129. Hyperpolarized xenon …

Ecology And Management Of White-Tailed Deer In An Agricultural Landscape: Analyses Of Hunter Efficiency, Survey Methods, And Ecology, Charles Wayne Anderson

Dissertations

Current research is necessary to focus management of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the agricultural Midwest, especially given the novel presence of chronic wasting disease in the region. My objectives were to: 1) examine the potential effects of weather and row-crop harvest on daily harvest of white-tailed deer by archery, and individual hunter variables (e.g., age, weapon preference, preference of hunting method) on individual hunter efficiency and success in 2 regions of Illinois (i.e., east-central and southern Illinois); 2) estimate white-tailed deer densities using direct (i.e., spotlighting deer from road transects) and indirect (i.e., counting pellet groups on randomly-placed transects) …

The Speaking Cognitions And Attention Scale: An Empirically-Derived Measure Of Public Speaking Anxiety, Robert Drew Beck

Dissertations

Although public speaking anxiety is one of the most commonly reported causes of both clinical and non-clinical anxiety, many of the currently used questionnaire measures of public speaking anxiety do not reflect the advances made in recent decades regarding empirical methods of test construction, including item generation and determination of subscale composition. The current study administered 35 empirically-generated cognitive self-statement items related to speaking anxiety to a sample of 367 undergraduate students along with measures of public speaking anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, generalized social anxiety behaviors, and self-consciousness tendencies. Using exploratory factor analysis and item-total correlations, participant responses to …

Orientation And Mobility, Reading, And Math: Analysis Of Data For Children With Visual Impairments From The Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study, Dawn L. Anderson

Dissertations

This dissertation research comprised three studies focused on vision-specific skills, and their association with functional and academic outcomes for school-age students with visual impairment. The studies involved analysis of secondary data for 850 students with visual impairment who participated in the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS). Data in the SEELS were gathered using direct assessment and parent and teacher responses for a nationally representative sample of elementary and middle school students.

The first study used Chi Square analysis to determine if participation in Orientation and Mobility (O&M) training, or if the time when O&M instruction was received, was associated …

Composing Ourselves: Utilizing Literacy Narratives To Promote Knowledge And Reflection In Preservice Secondary English Teachers, Cheryl Henderson Almeda

Dissertations

My research entails examining and interrogating the literacy narratives written by six preservice secondary English teachers before their first semester of teaching. After writing their literacy narratives, these teachers worked together in two focus groups to consider, celebrate, and interrogate their memories they recorded in their narratives. They shared conversations which focused on their reflections, their teaching strategies, and the ideas they embraced as newly forming teachers.

This study considers claims made by Dewey (1933), Lortie (1975), Schulman (1986), and others, who emphasize the importance of learning through observation and the intuitive nature of reflective learning and teaching. It emphasizes …

The Impact Of Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers On The Mentor Teacher, Patti Andrea

Dissertations

Since the early 1980s, policy makers and educational leaders have pinned high hopes on mentoring as a vehicle for reforming teaching and teacher education (Feiman- Nemser, 1996). A review of literature written throughout the evolution of mentoring illustrated that researchers focused most of their attention on a relatively narrow aspect of mentoring relationships and relatively little attention has been paid to mentor benefits (Ragins & Kram, 2007). This study examined the patterns, similarities, and differences of the mentor teacher’s perspectives of potential mentor benefits of mentoring university pre-service teachers.

A phenomenological study was conducted to explore whether mentors attained leadership …

Paths To Upper Level Positions In Public Relations, Patrick J. Bishop

Dissertations

Preparation for a career in the field of public relations (PR) is based on a set of unique core competencies typically found in liberal arts. Though PR professionals rarely gain business degrees, they acquire knowledge, skills, perspectives, and strategies wellsuited to executive-level positions in business. Additionally, managerial positions in PR offer greater potential for influence than task-oriented roles with limited strategic opportunity.

This study examines the advancement of PR practitioners into upper-level management positions in business. The purpose of this research is to identify factors and behaviors that contribute to, or hinder, PR professional’s attainment of top-management positions. This study …

Ability Of Clinicians-In-Training To Recognize Vicarious Traumatization: A Multiple Case Study, Amy Cavanaugh

Dissertations

Clinicians repeated exposure to clients who have a history of traumatic experiences can lead to vicarious traumatization (VT), which is the potential for clinicians to experience negative consequences such as changes in their sense of self and worldview (McCann & Pearlman, 1990). Experiencing VT negatively impacts the clinician’s professional identity and counseling work with clients (Pearlman & Saakvitne, 1995a, 1995b; Saakvitne & Pearlman, 1996). Having an awareness of VT is a first step in protecting oneself from experiencing the potential consequences of counseling clients who have experienced trauma. Given this, it seems relevant to understand what clinicians-in-training know about VT. …

The Phenomenology Of The Bachelor Of Science In Hvac Engineering Technology From Ferris State University, Michael Feutz

Dissertations

Career and Technical Education (CTE) has evolved from industry-specific training to a more broad-based education that incorporates core academic learning objectives and prepares the student for work (Rothwell & Gerity, 2008; Uloa, 2006; Reese, 2002; Rojewski, 2002; Stone, 2002; Schmidli, 2001). Little is known about how well individual programs align with the industry for which graduates are prepared, (Zinser, 2003) or what CTE has meant to its graduates.

This research focused on graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Engineering Technology (HVAC-ET) at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. A phenomenological design was used …

A Study On The Productivity And Efficiency Effects Of Enterprise Reforms In China, Song Gao

Dissertations

This dissertation studies the progress and impacts of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) reforms in China. The primary interests center on impacts of non-ownershipchange reforms and privatization on Chinese SOEs’ productivity and efficiency. The research comprises of three major sections.

Section one briefly reviews the history of SOEs’ reform in China and examines the changes in some selected performance indicators with help of a comprehensive dataset on 863 Chinese firms from 1995 to 2001. In addition, causes of Chinese SOEs’ privatization and determinants of firms’ inefficiency are also studied.

Section two examines the effects of privatization and non-ownership-change reforms on firms’ productivity …

Mainstreaming Evaluation: Four Case Studies Of Systematic Evaluation Integrated Into Organizational Culture And Practices, Amy M. Gullickson

Dissertations

Following a literature review, a researcher generated a descriptive theory of evaluation mainstreaming, the integration of systematic evaluation into the culture, systems, and job responsibilities of organizations. She then explored the validity and generalizability of the theory in the National Science Foundation’s grant-funded Advanced Technological Education Program using mixed methods research. Four centers were chosen based on quantitative survey responses which suggested that the organizations were likely to be mainstreaming evaluation. For each center, the researcher conducted a site visit, interviews, and document review to understand (i) the processes by and extent to which evaluation became part of everyday operations; …