Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 Asymmetric Directional Microphone Fittings On Acceptance Of Background Noise, Jong Sik Kim

Doctoral Dissertations

The present study investigated the effects of asymmetric directional microphone fittings (i.e., an omnidirectional microphone on one ear and a directional microphone on the other) on speech understanding in noise and acceptance of background noise in 15 full-time hearing aid users. Subjects were fitted binaurally with four directional microphone conditions (i.e., binaural omnidirectional, asymmetric right directional, asymmetric left directional and binaural directional microphones) using Siemens Intuis directional behind-the-ear hearing aids and comply earmolds. The results revealed that speech understanding in noise improved when using asymmetric directional microphones compared to binaural omnidirectional microphone fittings and were not significantly hindered compared to …

Acceptable Noise Levels In Children Ages 10 To 11 Years And 14 To 15 Years, Krystal Sullivan Ware

Doctoral Dissertations

The present study measured acceptance of background noise in 35 children (age 10–11 and 14–15 years) with normal hearing sensitivity. Acceptance of background noise was measured using the acceptable noise level (ANL) procedure. To obtain an ANL, participants' MCL was first obtained using a running story. Then a competing stimulus (i.e., speech babble or speech spectrum noise) was introduced, and the listeners were asked to adjust the level of the background noise to the most he/she could put up with and follow the story for a long period of time. This level was called background noise level or BNL. The …

Subjective Versus Objective Hearing Screening Results Of Rural Elementary School-Aged Children, Meagan Chatelain Mcclure

Doctoral Dissertations

The present study compared the pass/refer results of traditional ASHA recommended hearing screenings to transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs), distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), and screening tympanometry among young students at a rural, medically underserved population at an elementary school. Sixty-seven students (31 boys and 36 girls) from kindergarten to 3rd grade participated in this study. Ten were Hispanic and had English as a second language. Each child had his/her hearing screened at 500 Hz and by the ASHA recommended method for pure tone screenings and by TEOAEs and DPOAEs. Tympanometry was also performed on 53 students. The results revealed …

Dichotic Auditory Training In 6 To 15 Year Olds, Chasity M. Mccrum

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if participants with normal auditory processing skills would improve after receiving the Dichotic Auditory Training (DAT) when compared to a group of normal participants who only received pre- and post-testing. Twenty participants, age 6:0 to 15:11 years, participated in this study. A standard audiological evaluation was completed for each participant. Pretest and posttest were completed that included (1) DAT testing, (2) SCAN-C/A, (3) Staggered Spondaic Word test, and (4) Dichotic Digits (Single/Double). The results were analyzed for statistically significant differences between pre- and post-testing results and between groups. Any significant results …

Sound Pressure Levels Measured At Preferred Listening Levels Of Ipod Users Using Knowles Electronic Manikin For Acoustical Research, Ahmad Brandelle Alexander

Doctoral Dissertations

The present study (1) examined the sound pressure levels (SPLs) of iPod users and nonusers at preferred listening levels measured on Knowles Electronic Manikin for Acoustical Research (KEMAR), and (2) determined if those SPLs exceeded the OSHA standards for acceptable hearing levels. Forty subjects, divided into one of the four following groups participated in this study: (1) inexperienced males, (2) experienced males, (3) inexperienced females, or (4) experienced females. Each participant was asked to set the music stimuli to their preferred listening level while in the presence of background noise, simulating a real world listening environment. SPL values were then …

Associative Pattern Mining For Supervised Learning, Harpreet Singh

Doctoral Dissertations

The Internet era has revolutionized computational sciences and automated data collection techniques, made large amounts of previously inaccessible data available and, consequently, broadened the scope of exploratory computing research. As a result, data mining, which is still an emerging field of research, has gained importance because of its ability to analyze and discover previously unknown, hidden, and useful knowledge from these large amounts of data. One aspect of data mining, known as frequent pattern mining, has recently gained importance due to its ability to find associative relationships among the parts of data, thereby aiding a type of supervised learning known …