Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Reaching Resilience: A Multiple Case Study Of The Experience Of Resilience And Protective Factors In Adult Children Of Divorce, Denis' A. Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the experiences of resilience following parental divorce for university freshmen. Five participants were interviewed using a multiple case study methodology and Richardson’s (2002) resilience model as the theoretical framework. It examined how the three needs of Self-Determination theory (autonomy, relatedness, and competence) and the three categories of protective factors (individual, family, and community) contributed to resilience. Data were collected through demographic surveys, divorce artwork, resilience artwork, and interview transcriptions. General themes, typological self-determination need themes, and typological protective factor themes were developed for each individual and across cases. The findings …

Small Windows Of Hope: Understanding The Meaning Of Fatigue Experienced By Cancer Patients, Lois Starnes Doane

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to describe the experience of early stage breast cancer women who were living with cancer-related fatigue. Using a phenomenological approach based on the work of Merleau-Ponty, the researcher completed six interviews in which women described the experience of being tired each day.

Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a hermeneutical approach developed by Pollio and applied to nursing research by Thomas. Each interview was examined within the context of all the interviews to identify themes noted in all transcriptions. Dealing with the prevailing and profound fatigue that entrenched these women‟s lives was overwhelming. …

The Impact Of Met-Expectation Of Organizational Justice On Attitudinal And Behavioral Outcomes Of Intercollegiate Athletics Coaches, Seungmo Kim

Doctoral Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to examine coaches’ perceptions of distributive, procedural, and interactional justice regarding current resource distribution systems in intercollegiate athletics in terms of sport types (high profile sports vs. low profile sports) and gender of players (male participant sports vs. female participant sports) and the impacts of direct or indirect organizational justice on coaches’ attitudinal (job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment toward organization and supervisor) and behavioral (organizational citizenship behavior for organization and supervisor) outcomes through the mediating effects of met expectations, outcome satisfaction, and social exchange relationships (perceived organizational support and leader-member exchange) via a …

The Current Practice Of Nursing Clinical Simulation Debriefing: A Multiple Case Study, Maria L. Overstreet

Doctoral Dissertations

Experts have identified simulation debriefing as the crucial or pivotal point to learning (Baldwin, 2007; Gaba, Howard, Fish, Smith, & Sowb, 2001), and the “heart and soul” of simulation (Rall, Manser, & Howard, 2000, p. 517). No research studies exist that support how best to perform this crucial activity, particularly as it relates to nursing clinical simulation (NCS) debriefing.

My aim in this study was to explore and describe the current practice of NCS debriefing. I studied the phenomenon as it naturally occurred, a group exercise, and interaction between the educator, student, and environment. The research question was the following: …

Situational Awareness In Multi-Casualty Incidents: Theory Development From The Field, Steven T. Busby

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the process of situational awareness (SA) in multi-casualty incidents (MCI). This study is significant because SA provides information on which critical decisions are made during emergency events. The literature concerning SA is mostly drawn from the domains of aviation, military operations and business and not nursing. Current conceptual and theoretical development is insufficient for application to the domain of MCI. MCI occur daily across the United States, yet a literature review revealed no studies involving SA in MCI. Limited issues that are possibly related to SA in MCI have been researched such …

The Regulation Of Neuropeptide Corazonin And Its Functional Analyses In Drosophila Melanogaster, Seung-Hoon Choi

Doctoral Dissertations

Neuropeptides regulate diverse physiological processes, including homeostatic metabolism, behavior, reproduction, and development. The neuropeptide Corazonin (Crz), was first isolated from American cockroach, P. americana, as a potent cardioactive substance, and has been shown to exert diverse functions in different insects. In Drosophila, Crz expression is limited to three groups of neurons; totaling only 26 neurons out of ~10,000 neurons in a third instar larval central nervous system (CNS). In adults, Crz is expressed in 6-8 pairs of protocerebral neurons and 2 pairs of male specific abdominal ganglion. To gain insight into such tight regulatory mechanisms of …

The Effects Of 17- Beta Estradiol On G-Protein Inwardly Rectifying Potassium Channels (Girks) In Breast Cancer, Michael W. Hance

Doctoral Dissertations

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer death and in 2009, the American Cancer Society estimates that over 192,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed, and over 40,000 women will die from breast cancer. Estrogen (E2) is required for normal female development and reproduction, but long-term exposure is carcinogenic and considered a risk factor for breast cancer. Membrane ion channels are essential for cell proliferation and are suggested to have a role in cancer, especially potassium channels. In the present study, we investigate the effects of estrogen and the estrogen antagonist ICI182780 on G-protein inwardly rectifying potassium …

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors For Selective Anti-Cancer Therapeutics, Shambhunath Choudhary

Doctoral Dissertations

Activating mutations of ras genes are frequently found in human cancers. Since Ras proteins and their functions play an important role in tumorigenesis, it is important to develop targeted anticancer therapeutics against Ras-related human cancers. We observed that in addition to tumorigenic ability, oncogenic H-Ras possesses a novel proapoptotic ability to facilitate the induction of apoptosis by histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs), such as FR901228 and trichostatin A (TSA). HDACIs make up a new class of structurally diverse anticancer agents and have been shown to exhibit antimetastatic and antiangiogenic activities toward malignantly transformed cells. We detected that expression of oncogenic H-Ras …

Parents’ Perceptions Of Their Children’S And Their Own Sport Experiences, Michael John Diacin

Doctoral Dissertations

Sport participation is a significant aspect in many people’s lives. The experiences they accumulate in sport are shaped by a variety of factors. A combination of personal factors (e.g., demographics), social factors (e.g., socializing sources and the support they provide), and structural factors (e.g., costs and accessible programs) uniquely shape each individual’s experience. Since a variety of factors can shape that experience, it is useful to examine perceptions of the factors were significant in the creation of an individual’s participation opportunities and experiences in sport.

The purpose of this study was threefold: (a) to gain insight into the personal, social, …

Coronaviral 2’-O-Methyltransferase Function In Virus Replication., Agnieszka Dziduszko

Doctoral Dissertations

Primary and higher order RNA structures in the 5’ and 3’ untranslated regions of the genomes of positive-strand RNA viruses are known to function as cis-acting elements for genome translation and replication. Four cis-acting replication elements have been identified in the bovine coronavirus (BCoV) 3’ untranslated region that are postulated to recruit viral and cellular proteins for assembly of the replication complex and initiation of negative-strand synthesis. This study had the goal of identifying and establishing the function of the viral proteins that bind BCoV 3’ terminal cis-acting RNA structures. A major surprising discovery was a specific …

In That Instant It Was Over: The Athlete's Experience Of A Career-Ending Injury, Lauren Aline Loberg

Doctoral Dissertations

A career-ending injury is an event that causes the involuntary termination of an athlete‟s participation in his or her chosen sport. Over the last decade, research has focused on injury and career transition; however little was known about athletes‟ experience of career-ending injury. The purpose of this study was to obtain in-depth descriptions of the lived experience of athletes who have had a career-ending injury. Using an existential phenomenological approach, the focus of the study was on the athletes‟ own perceptions of this experience.

The participants were thirteen male and female former athletes representing a number of different sports. Using …

Quantitative Analysis Of Influenza Virus-Specific B Cell Responses Generated By Infection And Vaccination, Hye Mee Joo

Doctoral Dissertations

The two cellular components of B cell memory are antibody (Ab)-secreting cells (ASCs) and memory B cells (B_Mem). B_Mem are quiescent cells that respond to “recall” antigen and contribute substantially to vaccine effectiveness. The rational evaluation of vaccination strategies is dependent on quantitative information on the state of B cell memory. Despite the importance of B_Mem in resistance to infection, there is little information on the nature of B_Mem populations generated by influenza infection or vaccination. The major goal of this dissertation was a comprehensive quantitative analysis of the frequency and distribution of influenza-specific B …

"I Am A Living History": A Qualitative Descriptive Study Of Atomic Bomb Survivors, Amy Knowles

Doctoral Dissertations

Never has the world experienced such extreme desecration as with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945. This magnitude of destruction serves as the foundation for this disaster research. Although significant quantitative research has been completed about medical effects following radiation, the literature lacks qualitative exploration from a holistic health perspective. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. From ethnographic data and interviews with eight survivors who currently reside in the United States, a thematic structure was developed that depicts the essential elements of the …

Racial And Sexual Discrimination Occurring To Korean Players On The Lpga Tour, Seung-Yup Lim

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Korean players on the LPGA Tour regarding issues of social justice. More specifically, this study examined how Korean players perceived their experiences of race and gender during their athletic careers in the U. S.

The participants of the study were 11 Korean professional golfers who were enrolled as members of the LPGA in 2007. The qualitative methodology of interviewing was employed which consisted of semi-structured questions within cultural studies and feminist standpoint theory. Six semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted: three group and three individual interviews. After data collection was …

Characterization Of Feline Adiponectin And Its Association With Metabolic Indices In Lean And Obese Cats, Angela Lea Lusby

Doctoral Dissertations

Adipose tissue secretes over 100 different proteins and cytokines called adipokines. Adiponectin is one of the most intriguing adipokines because it is closely associated with insulin sensitivity and is an early marker for Type-2 diabetes mellitus in human beings. Cats are at risk for developing Type-2 diabetes with obesity, so it is important for researchers to understand the role adipokines, like adiponectin, play in feline metabolism. This project sought to lay the foundation for future research regarding feline adiponectin by sequencing adiponectin cDNA, measuring adiponectin’s expression in various tissues, validating and developing new techniques for measuring adiponectin in circulation, determining …

The Effects Of A Pedometer Intervention On The Physical Activity Patterns Of Cardiac Rehabilitation Participants, Michael Shipe

Doctoral Dissertations

Purpose: To assess whether the provision of a pedometer and exercise diary could significantly increase the activity levels of phase II cardiac rehabilitation program patients on the days they did not attend the program. Methods: Seventy patients (53 males, 17 females, age of 68 plus/minus 9 yrs, BMI 29.0 plus/minus 6.1 kg/m² participated in the study. During their first visit to a phase II CRP, patients were assigned to one of two groups. Control patients were given a blinded pedometer (n = 34), while experimental subjects received a pedometer that they could view (n = 36) as well as …

Normative Data For Neurodiagnostic Auditory Brainstem Response Testing (Abr), David Alan Ness

Doctoral Dissertations

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) tests are procedures routinely performed to assess auditory function from the peripheral auditory system to the level of the lower brainstem. The ABR is used as a neurodiagnostic tool to detect retrocochlear pathologies of the auditory system, such as space occupying lesions, tumors, auditory neuropathy, and multiple sclerosis that effect the structures located above the level of the cochlea.

An ABR consists of eliciting and recording waveforms. These waveform recordings elicited are compared to normative data to determine normal versus abnormal (retrocochlear lesion) responses. Generalized normative data is available for ABR test results; however, research states …

Nano-Formulation And Controlled Delivery Of Low Solubility Anticancer Drugs, Anshul Agarwal

Doctoral Dissertations

Optimal drug delivery and reduction of systemic adverse effects have been age old problems in chemotherapeutics in all types of human cancer. During chemotherapy, using water insoluble drugs like paclitaxel and tamoxifen, it has been realized that better formulations are needed for more specific and controlled drug delivery of these agents. In a novel approach to form high content stable nanocolloids of these drugs with controllable release rate, a sonicated layer-by-layer (LbL) polyelectrolyte coating technology is suggested. The desired features of pharmaceutical carriers for intravenous administration include their small size and biodegradability, good loading capacity for a given drug, high …

Sound Pressure Levels Within The Ear Canal Of Ipod Users, Lawrence E. Bridge

Doctoral Dissertations

Portable listening devices, specifically iPods are becoming more and more popular among teens and young adults. According to Apple's quarterly financial results in March 2008, total iPod sales reached close to 152,000,000 since their release in January 2001 (Apple, 2008). Because nearly 15 million individuals suffer from noise induced hearing loss, listening levels of individuals using iPods are of main concern to audiologists. The purpose of this dissertation is to determine (1) average listening levels of males and females, as well as experienced and inexperienced iPod users and (2) if a certain groups of individuals are at more of a …