Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Taiji And Strength Training Interventions On Knee Osteoarthritis Of Older Adults, Michael George Wortley

Doctoral Dissertations

Objective. The objective of this study was to evaluate a 10-week Taiji intervention to a 10-week strength training intervention in terms of their ability to relieve osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms, alter gait, and improve mobility in seniors with knee OA.

Methods. Men and women between the ages of 60 and 85 years who met the American College of Rheumatology criteria for knee OA were recruited to participate in either a simplified Taiji program (n=12), an open-chain strength training program (n=13), or a control group (n=6). All participants completed the Western Ontario and MacMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), three physical performance tests, …

Mammography Screening Practices And Health Beliefs Of Women In East Tennessee, Peggy A. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract One of every eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Although early detection of breast cancer is the most effective method of assuring survival, many women throughout the country do not avail themselves of this advantage. This study examined mammography screening practices of women age 55 and older who attended senior citizen centers in rural, non-metro, and metro counties in the areas designated by the Tennessee Department of Health as the Eastern Grand Division of Tennessee. Data was collected from four hundred women from fourteen counties in East Tennessee using the …

The Effect Of Technique Instruction On Biomechanical Risk Factors Associated With Acl Injury Risk In Female Recreational Athletes, Jeremiah Jackson Tate

Doctoral Dissertations

Background: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated higher ACL injury rates in female athletes when compared to males involved in the same sport. A recent meta-analysis of ACL injury prevention programs found that technique training was a common component of programs that were successful in reducing ACL injury.

Purpose: The primary purpose was to determine the immediate and long-term effects of technique training aimed at minimizing medial knee displacement during jump-landings in female recreational athletes. The secondary purpose was to determine if any transfer of skill occurred as a result of our technique training.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.

Methods: A total …

Diagnosis And Management Of Horses With Equine Metabolic Syndrome (Ems), Kelly Ann Chameroy

Doctoral Dissertations

In horses, a painful and often debilitating disease known as laminitis can result in impaired function and, in severe cases, euthanasia. Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is a syndrome in horses that results in development of laminitis and is characterized by the presence of general and/or regional adiposity (“cresty neck”), aberrations in blood lipid concentrations, insulin resistance (IR) and/ or hyperinsulinemia. Therapies have focused on improving the state of obesity and insulin resistance with the goal of diminishing the likelihood of laminitis development. A definitive cause for laminitis has not been established, but hyperinsulinemia and IR are likely candidates as experimental …

Effects Of Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (Ppid), Season, And Pasture Diet On Blood Adrenocorticotropic Hormone And Metabolite Concentrations In Horses., Sarah Beth Elliott

Masters Theses

Studies described in this thesis were performed to investigate associations among season, diet, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) and blood concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), insulin, glucose, and leptin in horses. In the first study, higher ACTH concentrations were detected in horses affected with PPID. A seasonal increase in plasma ACTH concentration was detected in the late summer and early fall, but PPID did not affect the timing or duration of this increase. Pasture grazing raised glucose and insulin concentrations with a peak in September, at the same time that horses had higher ACTH concentrations, and this convergence of risk …

Study Of The Structure And Function Of Cxc Chemokine Receptor 2, Hae Ryong Kwon

Masters Theses

It has been shown that the amino terminus and second extracellular loop (EC2) of CXCR2 are crucial for ligand binding and receptor activation. The lack of an ionic lock motif in the third intracellular loop of CXCR2 focuses an investigation of the mechanism by which these two extracellular regions contribute to receptor recognition and activation.

The first objective of this investigation was to predict the structure of CXCR2 based on known structures of crystallized GPCRs. Rhodopsin, β2-adrenergic receptor, CXCR4 were used for homology modeling of CXCR2 structure. Highly conserved motifs found in sequence alignments of the template GPCRs were helpful …

Validation Of The Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale In A Diverse Population, Amanda Eliza Sherman

Masters Theses

Adherence to traditional masculinity has been associated with negative physical and psychological health outcomes. Specifically, the standards of masculinity imposed on men have been associated with high levels of stress reactivity, interpersonal violence, and substance abuse. However, previous research has been limited to primarily Caucasian samples. In order to better understand masculinity and the stress associated with adherence to masculinity across ethnicity, we examined the validity of the Masculine Gender Role Stress scale in a diverse sample. We hypothesized that the MGRS in a diverse sample would function similarly to the MGRS in a primarily Caucasian sample in that it …

We're Not Thugs And Rappers: An Examination Of African American Male Athletes' Perceptions Of The Media, Keia Janese Bragg

Masters Theses

Manipulation of stories and events expose issues of false representation and stereotyping within the mainstream media. This research examined the media’s role in shaping the behaviors and experiences of African American male athletes while using Critical Race Theory as the framework in conducting research. A focus group consisting of six former African American male student athletes was conducted. A semi-structured interview schedule was used in order to allow for open discussion. The Constant Comparison Method was instrumental in thematizing the data while QDA Miner software was used to analyze the data. The findings suggested that African American male athletes feel …

Youth Can! Grow Healthy!, Andrew Nils Carberry

Masters Theses

This study presents a formative evaluation of an afterschool program that combined youth development and school garden curricula. This program used a novel approach to teach elementary school children about fruits and vegetables and to engage them in advocacy for the physical activity and nutrition environments in their community. The youth development curriculum included sessions on team building, community pride, healthy eating and physical activity, and advocacy. Photovoice was used as a method to allow participants to assess their community and communicate findings with leaders. Participants selected community leaders to invite to their school and shared their findings via a …

Determination Of Important Ligand Sites For The Interaction With Aminoglycoside Acetyltransferase(3)-Iiib By Nmr, Katherine Jane Woodruff

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Malignant Catarrhal Fever Viruses In Tennessee Ruminants, Robin Lynn Cissell

Doctoral Dissertations

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is a lymphoproliferative and inflammatory syndrome affecting primarily ruminant species. The disease, which is often fatal, is most often described as affecting bovids and cervids. No vaccines are available for prevention of MCFV infection. The primary method to control spread of disease is to prevent contact between carriers and clinically susceptible species. There is no known method to control infection of malignant catarrhal fever virus-white-tailed deer variant (MCFV-WTD), as the carrier animal of this virus is unknown.

To determine the prevalence of malignant catarrhal fever viruses in Tennessee ruminant populations, blood and/or lymph node samples were …

Case Study: Community Perspectives Of A Service Learning Partnership Involving One School Of Nursing In The Southeastern United States, Polly Mcclanahan Mcarthur

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this single case study was to describe community perspectives of a service learning (SL) partnership with a single university conferring a baccalaureate nursing degree. The longevity of the partnership extended the study purpose to explain why the partnership continued and worked well. A review of nursing literature revealed descriptive accounts of programs designed to meet needs of underserved populations and student learners. However, the review also revealed a knowledge gap in nursing education science regarding the community perspectives of successful SL partnerships. This study focused on relationships with the academe partner, interactions with students and faculty, and …

The Effect Of Body Mass Index On Pedometer Accuracy In A Free-Living Environment, Brian Matthew Tyo

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine if the New Lifestyles NL-2000 (NL) and the Digi-Walker SW-200 (DW), waist-mounted devices, yield similar daily step counts as compared to the StepWatch 3 (SW), an ankle-mounted device, worn by adults and children in the free-living environment.

For the first study, fifty-six adults (32.7 + 14.5 y) wore the devices for seven consecutive days. There were 20 normal weight, 18 overweight, and 18 obese participants. The NL and DW undercounted (pedometer error) similarly in the normal weight and overweight groups (-15.4% to -18.2%, respectively). However, the DW undercounted more than the NL …

In Sickness And In Health: Analyzing The Ethical Limits Of The Marriage Between Health Care And The Market In The United States, Thomas D Harter

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation aims to determine what should be the appropriate base ethical limits of health care markets in the United States. I argue that because we do not value health care goods and services as commodities, treating them as commodities available for market sale can only be ethical when health care markets accord with at least the principles of honesty, respect for autonomy, and increased access to essential health care goods and services.

I begin by establishing the theoretical foundation of my argument by expositing three theories of commodification and ethical markets that critically examine the relationship of goods to …

Gender And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screening In The Military: A Measurement Study, Mark Allan Oliver

Doctoral Dissertations

The Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PC-PTSD) screen (Prins et al., 2003) is used by the Department of Defense to identify military members who are at increased risk of PTSD. This screen has been offered to all returning deployers since 2005. However, validation studies of PC-PTSD scores from military samples have seldom employed a significant number of female subjects and no published studies have examined it for gender bias. Ruling out bias is important because routine under-identification of PTSD risk in any group could result in hindered access to needed assessment and/or care. With the current proportion of military females …

Methicillin Resistance In Staphylococcus Pseudintermedius, Chad Christopher Black

Doctoral Dissertations

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius affecting dogs is analogous to S. aureus on humans, acting as both normal flora and opportunistic pathogen. Methicillin resistance in S. pseudintermedius is recent, with the first documented occurrence of an isolate bearing the methicillin resistance gene, mecA, in 1999. This gene encodes penicillin binding protein 2a, which renders all beta-lactam drugs ineffective and functions as a “gateway” antibiotic resistance determinant. In the presence of ineffective antibiotics, opportunities for mutational events and acquisition of mobile genetic elements increase as microbial densities increase, often leading to multi-drug resistance. Methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) infections have become increasingly common. For …

Counselor Preferences Of White University Students: Ethnicity And Other Important Characteristics, Yi-Ying Lin

Masters Theses

In the last several decades, multiculturalism has became the one of the most popular research topics in psychology and counseling, and the counselor preferences of ethnic minority clients has been well researched. However, in the history of research on counselor preferences, the needs and preferences of ethnic majority clients have been neglected. This study investigated the counselor preferences of White university students.

This study examined three primary research questions: whether counselor ethnicity influenced White university students’ initial counselor preferences, what were White university students’ preferences for various counselor characteristics, and whether White university students preferred specific counseling styles for different …

Organizational Cultural Competence Of Post-Secondary Health-Related Academic Units, Laura Elizabeth Dotson

Masters Theses

Each year, the United States is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse and creating many challenges for healthcare professionals. Extensive literature has documented a gap between minority and majority populations’ health outcomes. According to the Institute of Medicine, one way to eliminate health disparities is by providing cross-cultural training to future and current healthcare professionals. A few models in healthcare delivery systems have assessed their own organizational cultural competence. However, due to the unique differences between health care delivery systems and post-secondary health-related academic units, there exists a need to develop and validate a model for organizational cultural competence of …

Regional Differences In Adipose Tissue Of The Sinclair Minipig, Suzanne Lauren Booker

Masters Theses

Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ, and its homeostatic mechanisms in normal weight, overweight and obese subjects must be elucidated. We sought to determine the basal adipose tissue biology of visceral (VIF) and subcutaneous (SQF) fat depots in 8 month old Sinclair minipigs, an animal that has been shown to be physiologically similar to humans.

Metabolic analysis showed a decrease in LDL, white blood cells (WBC), and lymphocyte percentages as the minipigs aged from 6 to 8 months (p <0.0001 and = 0.0046 and 0.0165 respectively). There were no significant changes in triglycerides, HDL, VLDL, and neutrophil percentages. There was a trend in insulin increase (P=0.0722).

Microarray analysis was performed to determine transcriptome differences between VIF and SQF. When VIF was compared to SQF, expression of a …

Dental Modification: An Anthropological Perspective, Danielle M. Barnes

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Unintentional Injury Content Assessment In Undergraduate Personal Health And Wellness Courses, Kiley Elizabeth Winston

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to describe course content on unintentional injuries in undergraduate personal health and wellness courses at four year public and private colleges and universities identified by the Eta Sigma Gamma directory in the United States. An instrument was created, validated and tested for reliability, and used to assess course content areas related to unintentional injuries in undergraduate personal health and wellness courses. The sample for the study included 106 participants (N=106) from public and private colleges and universities in 36 states. Chi-square analysis, ANOVA, factor analysis, and MANOVA tests were used to determine if …

Secular Change Of The Modern Human Bony Pelvis: Examining Morphology In The United States Using Metrics And Geometric Morphometry, Kathryn R.D. Driscoll

Doctoral Dissertations

The human bony pelvis has evolved into its current form through competing selective forces. Bipedalism and parturition of large headed babies resulted in a form that is a complex compromise. While the morphology of the human pelvis has been extensively studied, the changes that have occurred since the adoption of the modern form, the secular changes that continue to alter the size and shape of the pelvis, have not received nearly as much attention. This research aims to examine the changes that have altered the morphology of the human bony pelvic girdle of individuals in the United States born between …

Women's Softball In Iran: An Autoethnographic Journey, Sarah J Hillyer

Doctoral Dissertations

This autoethnographic dissertation recounts numerous untold stories about my journeys into the Islamic Republic of Iran as a sports consultant and women’s softball coach for Global Sports Partners (GSP). Autoethnography as defined by Ellis & Bochner (2000), is “an autobiographical genre of writing and research that displays multiple layers of consciousness, connecting the personal to the cultural…Autoethnographers vary in their emphasis on the research process (graphy), on culture (ethnos), and on self (auto)” (pp. 739-740). Autoethnographers, writing within a branch of narrative inquiry (Ellis & Bochner, 2000), believe in the power of story and that humans learn through stories lived …

The Effects Of Practice Schedule And Self-Controlled Feedback Manipulations On The Acquisition And Retention Of Motor Skills, Joao Augusto De Camargo Barros

Doctoral Dissertations

In their challenge-point framework (CPF) Guadagnoli and Lee’s (2004) argue that learning is maximized when a person faces an optimal level of challenge during practice. It is suggested that challenge level can be manipulated through the combination of different practice variables. The purpose of this study was to investigate how practice schedule and self-controlled feedback frequency manipulations affect performance and learning of motor skills. Participants (n=96) attempted to learn three versions of a key-pressing task. The task consisted of pressing five computer keys in specified sequences in a goal criterion time. Participants were assigned to either a blocked practice schedule …

Mysticism And Mystery Moves: An Examination Of Flow Theory, John Michael Trembley

Masters Theses

This study takes a phenomenological approach to squirt kayaking. It looks to examine mystical states of consciousness, as defined by William James, and flow theory, as defined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and focuses on what these experiences mean for participants of the squirt kayaking community. The study poses three research questions. (1) Do squirt kayakers experience mystical states of consciousness through squirt kayaking, and what does this experience mean? (2) Do squirt kayakers experience flow states of consciousness through squirt kayaking, and how was this experienced? (3) What is the mystery zombie or the mystery trance state, and how is it …

Hospital Quality Of Care And Patient Satisfaction As A Function Of Physician Membership On Boards Of Directors, Austin W. Whitaker

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Prenatal Care Of Hispanic Mothers, Craig A. Bleakney

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Techniques For Determining Efficacy Of Different Anti-Coccidia Drugs On The Growth And Development Of The Camelid Parasite, Eimeria Macusaniensis, In Cell Cultures, Daniel Houlihan

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Dietary Restraint, Social Desirability, And Food Type On Accuracy Of Reported Dietary Intake, Ashlee Hirt Schoch

Masters Theses

Underreporting in dietary assessment has been linked to dietary restraint (DR) and social desirability (SD). Thus, this study investigated accuracy of reporting energy intake (EI) of a laboratory meal during a 24-hour dietary recall (24HR) in 38 healthy, college-aged (20.3 +/- 1.7 years), normal-weight women (22.4 +/- 1.8 kg/m2), categorized as high or low in DR and SD.

Participants consumed a meal (sandwich wrap, chips, fruit, and ice cream) and completed a telephone 24HR. Accuracy of reported intake = (((reported intake - measured intake)/measured intake) x 100) [positive numbers = overreporting].

Overreporting of EI was found in all groups (meal …