Digital Commons Network^™

Natural History Of The Four-Toed Salamander, Hemidactylium Scutatum, In West Virginia, Sandra L. Kilpatrick

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A 2-year study was conducted to determine the reproductive and nesting habits, embryonic and larval development, and tolerance to acid conditions of Hemidactylium scutatum in West Virginia. Five study sites located in or adjacent to the Otter Creek National Wilderness Area, Monongahela National Forest, Randolph County, West Virginia, were monitored to determine nesting habits and length of incubation and larval periods in Hemidactylium Time of breeding was determined by spermatogenic wave analysis and time of egg deposition was determined by examination of ovarian follicles and field observations of gravid females migrating to nest sites. Breeding occurred in autumn and again …

Re-Evaluating The Major Stressors Of Policing, James Walter Carter Ii

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In this study, a sample of 37 officers employed with the Huntington Police Department, a medium-sized Appalachian police department, were sampled about the stressfulness and frequency of selected items from Sewell’s Life Events Scale. From the responses to the survey items, a scale was created to assess the combined effects of frequency and stressfulness. Respondents were also asked to indicate what percentage of their total accumulated job-related stress was generated by each of Barker and Carter’s generic stressors of policing. Several group differences were found. A ranking of stressors was developed for the frequency, stress, the combined scales and compared …

A Survey Of Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Instructors To Determine The Importance Of Integrating News Media Training Into The Cadet Curriculum, Kent P. Cassella

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The cover of the November-December 1995 issue of Military Review is emblazoned with the quotation, “We don’t win unless CNN says we win.” This testament to the power of the news media in military operations was given by General John Shalikashvili, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was carried on the cover of this professional journal of the United States Army. The implied message in his statement is that professional military officers need to comprehend the power the news media have in a democratic society and their importance for the success of modem military operations.

War reporting …

Personality Factors Linked To Workplace Aggression As Measured By The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Mbti), Scott A. Cottrell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present study examined the relationship between the personality dimensions assessed by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and perceptions of workplace behaviors and the readiness to exhibit various forms of workplace aggression. College students with at least part-time work experience 129 (75 females and 54 males) completed the MBTI and a survey which asked participants to provide ratings of; (1) to which they would label various forms of workplace behavior as aggressive, and (2) the extent to which they have personally witnessed and exhibited various forms of workplace aggression. The results indicated that Men were less likely " indirect" workplace …

A Study Of Self-Esteem Comparing Special Education With Regular Education Students During The Middle School Years, Debra A. Davis

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to compare differences in levels of self-esteem between special education students and a control group of normal students. One hundred sixty-two fifth- through eighth-grade students from Doddridge County Middle School, West Union, West Virginia, were assessed by teachers using the Self-Esteem Index. The students were initially divided into two groups according to their placement in the regular or the special education programs. There was a total of 81 students in each of the groups. The configuration of each group was as follows: 24 learning-disability students, 14 behavior-disorder students, 16 gifted students, nine speech/language-disorder students, …

The Influence Of Parental Attitudes On Childhood Perceptions Of Control Over Chronic Illnesses: Comparison Of Urban And Rural Populations, Lesley A. Epperly

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The influence of parental attitudes on a child’s extent of control over chronic illness was studied across both urban and rural populations. It was hypothesized that a child would perceive an internal locus of control if the parental attitude promoted self-efficacy and independence. Secondly, it was hypothesized that a child would utilize an external locus of control if the parental attitude promoted dependence on the environment. Finally, it was hypothesized that a comparison between rural and urban population perceptions of treatment and care for chronic illnesses would yield a greater internal locus of control for both parent and child within …

The Gordon Personal Profile-Inventory As A Selection Instrument, Patrick Y. Fisher

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of the Gordon Personal Profile Inventory (GPP-I) selection instrument in predicting success of applicants at a behavioral health center. Case managers (N = 47; 15 = males, 32 = females) served as subjects and completed the GPP-I. Each subject had a total of nine personality scale scores. The scales were Ascendancy, Responsibility, Emotional Stability, Sociability, Cautiousness, Original Thinking, Personal Relations, Vigor, and Self-Esteem. Each scale score was converted into a percentile score and correlated with the subject’s most recent performance evaluation score. Based upon results of correlation and regression analyses it …

Coyote Tracks: Examining The Trickster In The Works Of Leslie Marmon Silko, Jeffrey A. Green

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of the current work is to extrapolate an understanding of the trickster figure as it is used in the literary works of Leslie Marmon Silko, a contemporary Laguna Pueblo author. Trickster analysis in Native American literature is primarily relegated to the study of traditional myths and stories, and only a few scholars approach the topic in contemporary Native American literature. Of those who do, none have chosen Silko’s works as the primary focus of their analysis. An examination of this type will contribute to and expand the existing literary criticism of Silko’s writings. Leslie Silko utilizes the traditional …

"It Don't Mean A Thing If It Got That Swing": Langston Hughes's Musical-Poetic Fusion Of The Vernacular And Literary Traditions, John Hall

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Early in his literary career, Langston Hughes was faced with a question that occupied his writing and led to an important innovation in American literature: how could Hughes describe the experiences of African-Americans while using the forms and traditions of a Western (i.e., predominantly Anglo-American) literary culture which often sought to exclude, even negate, the very experiences and oral traditions which he sought to express? Hughes's desire to create an individual poetic voice which could present the African-American community as a whole soon led him to modify traditional Western literary forms by incorporating African-American oral and vernacular forms into his …

Dietary Intakes From Rural, Community-Based Elderly As A Determinant Of Food Availability, Kelli Jo Hall

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The fact that people are living longer has heightened awareness of the elderly and many of their special needs. Due to this trend, experts have begun to more closely investigate caloric and nutrient needs of the elderly as well as factors that may alter dietary intake. Forty-two older persons in Lincoln County, West Virginia agreed to participate in research designed to explore the relationship between dietary intake and food availability among rural, community-based elderly. Participants completed a 38 item telephone questionnaire which provided information on demographics, grocery shopping habits, and dietary intakes. A second survey addressed food availability at all …

Radio Advertising Decision-Making In The Tri-State --: Huntington, West Virginia; Ashland, Kentucky; And Ironton, Ohio Radio Market, Terry L. Hapney Jr.

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Modern radio came into being November 2, 1920, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The nation’s first federally-licensed radio station, KDKA, broadcast the Harding-Cox election returns:

These words changed our world forever…’This is KDKA of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We shall now broadcast the election returns…’ (StratiComm America 2).

The first radio announcer, or disc jockey, was ham radio operator Frank Conrad of Westinghouse. In 1919, Conrad played records supplied by a local store in exchange for free plugs on the air, the equivalent of today’s bartering or trading in which stations receive merchandise from a business …

Stratigraphy And Deposystem Analysis Of Middle Pennsylvanian Strata (Breathitt Group/ Pottsville And Allegheny Formations) In The Vicinity Of Greenup, Kentucky And Ironton, Ohio, Terry Hamrick

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Twelve facies are described from 40 measured sections the Breathitt Group from Greenup, Kentucky and Ironton, Ohio. The project area is approximately 260 square mi 1 c-s covering strata from the Mississippian age Borden formation to Middle Pennsylvanian age Allegheny formation. Facies include: 1) conglomeratic channel lags, 2) small scale, cross stratified channel sandstones, 3) large scale, cross stratified, channel sandstones, 4) small scale, tabular sandstones, 5) small epsilon cross bedded sandstones, 6) large scale, dark gray, channel form shale deposits, 7) fossiliferous silty shales, 8) bioturbated shales, 9) heterolithic channel fills, 10) biomicrites, 11) black platy shales, and 12) …

Rural Education And Rural Community Viability, Patricia Cahape Hammer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis addresses the following research question:

In what ways do rural schools support or undermine rural community viability in the United States?

Following a methodology first recommended by C. W. Mills, the study was organized to include historical, cultural, social, and economic dimensions, which are explained in the first chapter. Chapter 2 looks back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to explore how such a diverse people--originating from Asia, Africa, North American, and Europe--all came under the power of a single ideology of progress and the superiority of urban, modified English culture. The chapter then investigates the …

Ecological Life History Of Crangonyx Pseudogracilis Bousfield (Crustacea: Amphipoda) In The Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, Cabell County, West Virginia, Andrea Leigh Henry

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Although the genus Crangonyx has been studied in the Appalachian area, most of this work has concentrated on subterranean species. A Crangonyx pseudogracilis population from the Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area (GBWMA), Cabell County, West Virginia was sampled weekly from March 1995 through July 1996 to investigate the ecological life history of the amphipod. A total of 1508 amphipods were collected. Amphipods were present in the study sites from November through July, at which time they migrated to deeper waters. Crangonyx pseudogracilis had a one year life cycle and bred from November to May. Adult amphipods began to die off …

Vertical, Longitudinal And Seasonal Variation In The Benthic Fauna At The Fernow Experimential Forest, Parsons, West Virginia, Robert William Hood

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Multi-level basket samplers were placed within the shallow hyporheic zone (0 - 30 cm) of first through fourth-order streams in the Elklick Run drainage at the Fernow Experimental Forest, Parsons, West Virginia. Samplers were colonized by macroinvertebrates over three month intervals and collected during three different seasons. Seasonal, longitudinal, and vertical variation in the macroinvertebrate assemblage were examined to better understand the structure and function of the interstitial macroinvertebrate assemblage and important underlying factors. Surber samples were collected for comparison between surface and hyporheic macroinvertebrate assemblages. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, water chemistry, and interstitial water movement were measured at sampler locations. …

An Ecological Study Of Shale Barren Rock Cress (Arabis Serotina Steele) At Little Fork Shale Barren, Pendleton County, West Virginia, Robert J. Jarrett

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Shale Barren Rock Cress (Arabis serotina Steele) was listed as a federally endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in August 1989. As part of a cooperative agreement between the West Virginia Natural Heritage Program and the U.S. Navy, research was conducted in 1994 and 1995 at Little Fork Shale Barren (LFSB) to provide baseline information on the population dynamics of A. serotina and to study the vegetation and physical parameters associated with this shale barren community. Soil samples and plant community data were collected from 40 1-m² circular plots for herbaceous vegetation and six 0.02-ha …

A City's Dichotomous Response To Postwar Change: Charleston, West Virginia, 1919-1923, Dwayne L. Ledsome

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In the spring of 1919, Americans awaited the final resolution of World War I. This war, which had begun in the summer of 1914 and had involved direct American military intervention since April, 1917, had been effectively won by the Allies in November, 1918. However, the official resolution of the war required the completion of the Versailles Treaty, which the world leaders signed in June, 1919. Although most American sought a return to “normalcy,” a term used by Warren G. Harding in the presidential election of 1920, such an outcome proved unobtainable in most American communities because of the dramatic …

Natural History Of The Red-Spotted Newt, Notophthalmus Viridescens Viridescens (Rafinesque), In West Virginia, Jennifer M. Piascik

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Many studies have been conducted on Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens but none have occurred in West Virginia. There are variations in the life history of newts depending on location. In this study, I studied a population of newts in Wayne County, West Virginia from February 1996 to June 1997. I examined population structure, seasonal activity, and reproductive biology.

The population structure can be divided into four classes: egg, larvae, eft, and adult. Eggs at Shoals were deposited in mid-May and larvae were present from mid-June to early September. Larvae began to transform at an approximate total length of 32.8 mm. Red …

Military Public Affairs Practitioners' And Civilian Journalists' Perceptions Of Army Crisis Communications, Michelle L. Martin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Public relations is at the heart of an organization's relaying of messages to its internal and external audiences. Communication with key audiences allows the organization to release important information, answer questions, address fears and misconceptions, maintain or change the organization's image, influence public opinion and address crises affecting the organization. The Army, like any large organization, must communicate effectively with its publics - legislators, service members, government representatives, the media, and the general public from which it draws its members.

Experts recommend a four-step process for conducting public relations programs (Hiebert, 174). An organization should first conduct research, both primary …

Effects Of Estrogen In A Place Preference Conditioning Paradigm Using Non-Sexual Social Interaction To Condition Female Rats, Timothy D. Maze

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Female Sprauge Dawley rats were used to determine if non-sexual social interaction could be used as a positive reinforcing stimulus in a place preference conditioning (PPC) paradigm. PPC is a commonly used paradigm to test the addictive properties of abused drugs, but has also been used to determine the positive effect of sexual activity and play in juvenile rats. Individually housed female rats were paired with group housed female rats or left isolated in a chamber for 15 minutes for positive or negative conditioning, respectively. Three different groups of rats were tested: intact, bilateral ovariectomized (OVX), and bilateral ovariectomized with …

Observations On Reproduction, Isozyme Patterns, And Meristics In Mosquitofish (Pisces: Poeciliidae) From West Virginia, Matt Mcreynolds

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Prior to 1988, two subspecies of the mosquitofish Gambusia affinis (G. a. affinis and G. a. holbrooki) were recognized along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts of the United States. Based on electrophoretic analysis, subsequent investigators recognized G. holbrooki and G. affinis as separate species. Populations in drainages west of Mobile Bay were considered G. affinis, and those east of this divide being G. holbrooki. The only mosquitofish population in West Virginia is found in the Meadow River wetlands (1392 ha). This wetland complex is located at the western end of Greenbrier County in the Allegheny Mountain Province. …

Diet And Growth Of Larval And Juvenile Grass Pickerel, Esox Americanus Vermiculatus, And Central Mudminnow, Umbra Limi, In The Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, Cabell County, West Virginia, Erica Midkiff

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The grass pickerel, Esox americanus vermiculatus, is listed as Undetermined on the Vertebrate Species List of Concern in West Virginia. The central mudminnow, Umbra limi, is a disjunct population in Green Bottom Swamp. The lentic, vegetated areas that are required for spawning for the grass pickerel and the central mudminnow have been reduced by residential, agricultural, and industrial developments. Green Bottom Swamp, a naturally occurring wetland of 58 ha, and a nearby mitigated wetland of 29 ha, provides spawning habitat for the grass pickerel and the mudminnow. Fishes were collected in beds of Potamogetan crispus and Ceratophyllum demursum …

Effects Of Creatine Supplementation On Muscular Strength And Power Development In Well-Trained Football Players, Josef D. Mcquain

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of creatine supplementation on strength and power performance in well-trained football players. Twenty-one subjects were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: 1) creatine monohydrate, 2) creatine monohydrate+dextrose, or 3) placebo utilizing a double-blind design. Prior to assignment, subjects were matched according to lean body mass. After a five day loading dose, a maintenance dose was administered for 12 days. Test protocols included three anaerobic work bouts: l) two 30 s Wingate bike tests interspersed with five minutes recovery were used to ascertain relative and absolute power, 2) two 100 yard …

In Vivo Incorporation Of Tritium To Measure Lipogenesis In Red Skeletal Muscle: Significance Of A Nonlipogenic Diet In La/N-Fa(K)("Corpulent") And Zucker Fa Rat Strains, Karin Traci Mann

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Skeletal muscle lipogenesis in rodents may equal that of liver but its importance in the obese animals is not known. We evaluated the rate of fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis and storage content in red skeletal muscles, liver, inguinal fat, and retroperitoneal fat of the LA/N-fa^k (“corpulent”) and Zucker fa obese rat strains. Obese-lean pairs of both rat strains, weaned at 32 days, fed a nonlipogenic diet (54% starch for 21 days) were either dosed with 2 µCi 3H-H² O per gram of body weight and tested after 60 minutes for whole body 3H-incorporation into fatty acids and …

Religion And Coping With Chronic Illness: A Comparison Of Rural And Urban Communities, Christina Mullins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study compared 45 rural and urban families in their use of religion as a means of coping with the stress of a chronically ill child. Parents reported no differences between their actual use of religion as a means of coping. However, urban families were more likely to believe they should turn to their clergy for emotional support.

The Effects Of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy On Anxiety Among The Elderly In A Nursing Home Setting, Lawrence David Parker

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study evaluated the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on the severity of anxiety among the elderly in a nursing home setting. Eighteen adults were involved in the research. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BDI) was used for a pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test measures. The results of the t-test indicated a significant difference between the pre-test and the post-test measures in the experimental group. The significant difference was not, however, maintained over time. The results of t-test between the pre-test delayed post-test for the experimental group was non-significant. The results of the study suggested that cognitive-behavioral therapy training did have a …

Attachment And The Development Of Eating Disorders As Measured By The “Apdq”, Colleen D. O'Pell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The impact of family of origin dynamics on the development and maintenance of eating disorders is well documented in the literature. This study sought to investigate the attachment relationships and personality characteristics of eating disordered subjects by administering the Attachment and Personality Dynamics Questionnaire (APDQ). It was hypothesized that the eating disordered subjects would show a pattern of insecure attachments to primary caregivers and significant others in comparison to controls. A total of 23 eating disordered females and 297 female control subjects completed the APDQ. The t tests for the 29 scales of the APDQ revealed lower means for the …

Effects Of Student Nonverbal And Verbal Immediacy Behaviors On Teachers' Behaviors And Perceptions, Nina C. Persi

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In the education profession, teachers are often hired, retained, or terminated based on their effectiveness at teaching and moreover, their skill in engaging students to learn. Effective teachers promote student learning which involves cognitive, affective and behavioral changes (Bloom, 1956). As Comstock, Rowell, and Bowers (1995) state, “In other words, teachers who communicate positive regard to their students promote student learning” (p. 251).

Numerous studies have sought to identify the particular communication behaviors that a teacher can employ to increase his or her effectiveness in the classroom. Additionally, researchers have been interested in explaining how teachers communicate this positive regard …

Suggestive Questioning Effects On Eyewitness Reports Of Kindergarten Children, D. Joann Pontier

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The extent to which children's memories can be altered by suggestion was examined in this study. After a stranger visited their classroom, twelve 5 and 6 year olds were interviewed once a week for a period of three weeks. The children were randomly selected to be in the one of the following conditions: (a) suggestion, in which students were interviewed using suggestions about the visitors behavior that are misleading (b) increased suggestion, in which the number of suggestive questions asked by the examiner will be increased. The results revealed no significant statistical difference between the suggestion group and the increased …

Bright, Common Nails: A Collection Of Stories, William Mark Poteet

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Harold Smartwell heard the car coming up the road a long time before he saw it. He could hear its rubber tires popping the loose gravel that served to pave the road. Taking a long drink from the Coca Cola bottle he was holding, he squinted down the road toward the setting sun. Maybe somebody he knew was heading toward home, maybe a ride into Cleecey. Harold had promised his mother that he would make it home from the movies before dark, but in early July, dark didn’t come until late. Even if he didn’t get home before nightfall, he …