Digital Commons Network^™

On The Influence Of Private Stimulus Magnitude When Reporting Private Events, Christian T. Hickman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The nature of private events provides challenges to developing a scientific understanding of the conditions under which humans learn to describe private events. Replicating and extending procedures from Stocco et al. (2014), we further evaluated the conditions under which verbal responses come under the control of private stimuli. Given that some participants vocal responses came under the control of public stimuli in Stocco et al. (2014), we implemented more subtle public accompaniments with all participants to reduce the likelihood of public stimuli acquiring control of participant’s verbal responses. Further, we systematically manipulated the visual clarity of the presented stimuli using …

Student Engagement, Experience, & Support Among Pre-Pharmacy Students, James J. Stack

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study was guided by Astin’s Student Involvement theory which explored student’s needs in a demanding program amongst 12 pre-pharmacy students at the University of the Pacific. This qualitative study looked to uncover the engagement, experiences, and support of pre-pharmacy students in order to learn what students want from their learning experiences; to aid in student success and retention. Qualitative interviews provided detailed stories to their pre-pharmacy experiences. Through a thorough analysis of the data seven themes emerged: (a) peer support (b) time management (c) exam structure (d) increased faculty support (e) housing placement (f) coping with stress (g) core …

The Relationship Between The Educational Experiences Of Senior Dental Students And Their Attitudes Towards Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Alya Sarkhouah

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This research explores final year dental students’ knowledge and attitudes towards the treatment and management of patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) as related to variations in the dental practices in Special Health Care Needs (SHCN) training they received. A quantitative, non-experimental study was conducted, employing survey data collection methods, to address descriptive, comparative, and correlational questions. One cohort, Class 2020, attended extramural rotations in specialized clinics for patients with I/DD and in-person lecture concerning this topic. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its health-related restrictions, another cohort, Class 2021, did not have the same opportunity as rotations …

Constructing A Validity Argument For Assessments Of Clinical Competence In Predoctoral Dental Education: A Retrospective Evaluation, Fatema Alkazemi

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate and analyze some sources of validity evidence acquired from data (i.e., scores) of comprehensive clinical competency-focused components of the assessment system within the context of one school of dentistry through retrospective analysis of students’ data. Assessments in dental education need some form of evidence of validity to support the proposed interpretations of scores. The approach for evaluating evidence on test scores is presented as an argument, based on theory and logic, according to the four inferences in Kane’s view on validity: scoring, generalization, extrapolation, and implication. Based on our available data sets, …

Human Capital Formation And Return Migration Within Mong Communities In Rural/Semi-Rural Northern California, Chong Yang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This research uses computational grounded theory to explore the human capital formation and stay/return migration experiences of well-educated Mong adults living in various rural/semi-rural Northern California localities within Butte, Yuba, and Sutter Counties. Rural vitality is dependent on the return of these well-educated rural-raised adults. Out-migration of rurality’s best and brightest contributes towards a brain drain and the hallowing out of rurality’s human capital. Findings of this research is conveyed using two research articles examining two different points on the continuum of rural vitality. The first article examines 19 Mong adults’ educational experiences within their rural communities and college education. …

Music Therapists, Personal Value Preferences, And Burnout, Yung-Jung (Kerstin) Cheng

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a relationship between personal value preferences (PVPs) and burnout among music therapists. A total of 450 board-certified music therapists participated in this study. Four hundred and twenty-one participants finished the survey partially and completely, and were analyzed with regard to demographic information (gender identity, years of work, worksites, weekly work hours, annual salary range). Three hundred and forty-three participants who completed the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ-RR), and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) were subjected to non-parametric and linear regression analyses.

Regarding the relationship between worksites and burnout, the …

Speech And Language Development Of Bilingual Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Children, Joanne J. Ryu

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Due to gaps in literature exploring communication outcomes in Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) children with access to more than one spoken language, limited agreement on optimal language use for DHH children, and an ongoing cultural and linguistic loss in this population, the aim of this pilot study was to further the literature and comprehensively explore the impact of oral bilingualism in DHH children. Participants were self-selected and recruited primarily through relevant social media. Speech and language development in children were observed and quantified at two time points (at the time of enrollment into the study and subsequently after …

Personality Characteristics Of Dental Students In Kuwait University Associated With Preferred Teaching Methods, Dalal Hasan

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study examined personality characteristics of dental students at Faculty of Dentistry at Kuwait University and investigated the relationships between personality characteristics of these students and their preferred teaching methods. In order to assess personality characteristics, The Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) was used. For teaching method categorization Grasha’s (2002) classification was used. This research builds knowledge about personality traits as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory® of dental students in Kuwait. Further, it adds knowledge about teaching methods preferred by dental students. Two surveys, the Myers- Briggs Type Indicator® Form M and a brief learning preference for teaching methodology survey, …

Oral Health Care: An Autoethnography Reflecting On Dentistry's Collective Neglect And Changes In Professional Education Resulting In The Dental Hygienist Being The Prevention-Focused Primary Oral Health Care Provider, Maureen Patricia Mcweeney Harrington

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Many factors influence poor oral health among disadvantaged populations including socioeconomic circumstances, knowledge of disease prevention strategies and ability to implement those strategies, public policies, insurance status, insurance policies, dental providers and other challenges to accessing dental care. Often these issues converge and result in early disadvantages to achieving good oral health (Horton & Barker, 2010). Addressing even some of the factors that contribute to poor oral health may provide ways to change the dental health status of historically underserved populations. The purpose of this research is to explore my role as a practitioner and researcher in the creation of …

Saudi Arabian Students In Postgraduate Dental Programs: Investigating Factors Associated With Burnout, Asiri Amal

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Burnout related to emotional and physical study or work demands affects an individual’s performance and well being. This study focused on Saudi Arabian dental residents studying in the United States and the United Kingdom who are faced with many challenges in pursuit of a higher education degree. A survey including demographic and MBI questions was distributed to assess this population’s level of burnout. The Maslach Burnout inventory (MBI) was has been widely used in the literature to assess three components of burnout: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DEP), and (diminished) personal accomplishment (PA). Potential predictors of burnout level, tested for statistical …

Expression, Purification, And Characterization Of Recombinant Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor In Pichia Pastoris, Henry Hieu Minh Le

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Wounds in the mouth, occurring after oral surgery, take time to heal. No ointment can be added to help with the healing process because mouth saliva will constantly wash it away. In order to combat this problem, we propose engineering a normal flora microbe to grow at the site of injury and secrete a recombinant growth factor to promote healing of the damaged tissue. Our goal is to have the yeast Pichia pastoris produce human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), which aids in cellular proliferation. P. pastoris is a good choice for this application because not only is it considered …

Evaluating Dental Students’ Preferences Of The Current Assessment Methods Used In Dental Education And Their Impact On Learning Approaches, Hanadi Alenezi

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Assessment is a critical component of the educational experience. The purpose of this study was to examine dental students’ assessment preferences and their relation to students’ approaches to learning. The study also investigates the impact of gender, age, GPA and class level on dental students’ assessment preferences. Two hundred sixteen dental students at University of the Pacific Arthur Dugoni School of Dentistry have completed a self-reported 67-item questionnaire. Open-ended questions requiring long answers were the least preferred assessment method as perceived by the dental students, while multiple-choice questions are the most preferred assessment method. Deep approach to learning was significantly …

Comparing Equivalence-Based Instruction With Lecture-Based Instruction To Teach College Students To Identify Logical Fallacies, Kelly Roughgarden

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Educators and practicing professionals in many fields emphasize the importance of critical thinking for effective decision-making. However, critical thinking skills are not usually directly taught in traditional educational settings. A subset of these skills, identifying logical fallacies, could be amenable to direct instruction using procedures that establish conditional discriminations, such as equivalence-based instruction (EBI). EBI procedures have been shown to be effective and efficient when teaching a variety of skills, including the identification of logical fallacies, when compared with no-instruction and self-instruction control groups. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of web-based EBI procedures to a …

Fragment-Based Excitonic Coupled-Cluster Theory For Large Chemical Systems, Yuhong Liu

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Accurate energetic modeling of large molecular systems is always desired by chemists. For example, ligand-protein binding simulations and enzymatic catalysis studies all involve with a small energy difference. The energetic accuracy depends largely on a proper handling of electronic correlations. Molecular mechanics (MM) methods deliver a parameterized Newtonian treatment to these problems. They show great capability in handling large calculations but give only qualitatively good results. Quantum mechanics (QM) methods solve Schrödinger equations and exhibit much better energy accuracy, though the computational cost can be prohibitive if directly applied to very large systems.

Fragment-based methods have been developed to decompose …

Assessment Of Case-Based Integrated Learning As A Part Of Dental Curriculum Reform, Nader A. Nadershahi

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

There has been a growing call for change in the management of dental education programs, and, in response to this call, the faculty and staff at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry developed the Pacific Dental Helix Curriculum management model. The first major component of this curriculum was the development of the Integrated Clinical Science Strand of the Helix focused on multidisciplinary and case-based andragogies. The mixed method research design was used to identify common aspects of Case-Based Learning and multi-disciplinary teaching through a qualitative analysis of curricular materials and to analyze their impact on …

A Public Relations Case Study On The United States Navy And Marine Corps' Role In Operation Unified Assistance Following The South Asia Tsunami, Hans H. Chun

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine from a public relations point-of-view, the public image impact on the United States from the efforts of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps' response to the tsunami crisis. The thesis analyzes the disaster that affected so many nations, and the humanitarian response of the United States Navy and Marine Corps in Operation Unified Assistance and the role of Navy Public Affairs following the earthquake and tsunami disaster and the importance of visual media.

Ion-Association Complexes Of Thallium And Mercury With Rhodamine 6g In Aqueous Solution, Nasrein El-Masri

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The present study involves the determination of traces of thallium and mercury in aqueous solution by forming ion-association complexes of these metals with rhodamine 6G (R6G) in the presence of iodide. Thallium(lll) and mercury(Il) are able to quench the fluorescence of R6G in the presence of iodide by forming ion—association complexes, and the degree of quenching correlates with the thallium(III) or mercury(II) concentrations . By using this method, the minimum amount of thallium- (III) that can be determined in aqueous solutions is approximately 4.00 X 10-6m, while the minimum amount of mercury(II) is approximately 3.00 X 10-6m. Thallium(I) cannot be …

The Effect Of Headphone Music On Exercise Compliance, Gayle Ann Laszewski

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

A study was designed to assess the effect of headphone music on running performance and enjoyment with its implications for increasing exercise compliance. A counterbalanced split-plot design was used with 18 University of the Pacific undergraduates receiving both treatment conditions: running with music and running without music. Measures included: (a) perceived enjoyment questionnaire scores; (b) running time; and (c) heart rate. It was expected that music would increase participants' rated running enjoyment, amount of time spent running, and also running intensity or heart rate, in comparison to running without music. Music significantly increased participants' rated enjoyment scores but not running …

Visually Displayed-Emg Biofeedback : Training Muscle Relaxation In Hearing Impaired Children :A Thesis ..., Cheryl Renee Bene

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to test the use of visually displayed EMG biofeedback as a means for training hearing impaired adolescents to reduce anterior temporalis or frontalis muscle tension . Five male and four female hearing impaired students between the ages of 13 and 15 were chosen from the California School for the Deaf, Fremont, CA to serve as participants. Each participant was randomly assigned to either an experimental or control condition. Participants in the experimental groups were given five 15 minute EMG biofeedback training sessions. An additional group of 4 adolescents with normal hearing from Marshall …

The Stress Buffering Effects Of Positive Life Events And Personality (Hardiness) In Undergraduates With Dental Anxiety, Janette Louise Seville

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have independently identified positive life events and the hardy personality as variables that reduce the influence of life stress on physical or paychological disturbance. The present study investigates the possible stress buffering effects of hardiness and positive events. Seventy-five undergraduates, identified as having dental anxiety, were randomly assigned to one of five film groups. Groups viewed either a positive film, a negative film, both films (in one of two sequences), or no film. Dependent measures of dental anxiety. positive affect, negative affect, and heart rate were observed. Multiple tests of a priori hypotheses yielded partial support for the …

A Comparison Of Body Size Between Sexes In Sorex Cinereus Cinereus, Patricia Marie Byrne Freund

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In many terrestrial mammals, males are generally larger than females. Since shrews are the smallest living terrestrial mammals, specimens of the shrew Sorex cinereus cinereus from north central Minnesota were studied to determine if size differences between sexes also occurred at this extreme. Comparisons were based on measurements of external body lengths and individual lengths of upper quadrant locomotive muscles. External differences showed neither males nor females were consistently larger. The results from analysis of variance on individual muscle lengths showed very few significant differences between individual muscles. Those muscles that did show a significant difference were not grouped In …

Possible Interference By Common Odoriferous Foodstuffs In The Determination Of Breath-Alcohol Content Using The Intoxilyzer 4011as, Gail Eileen Jones

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

However, interferences by inhaled volatile compounds are not the aim of the present study. The objective of this report is to determine if common food stuffs would cause an interference with the CMI Intoxilyzer. It has been theorized that if one has been eating while drinking alcoholic beverages, the food might cause an elevated breath-alcohol test result. Odorous foods were chosen on the theory that if it could be smelled on one's breath, it would perhaps elicit a reading on the instrument. The list of foods was further narrowed to those commonly found in eating and drinking establishments (i.e. pizza …

Use Of Feedback To Improve Institutional Staff Performance, Sue E. Crawford

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The following study assessed the effectiveness of two simple and inexpensive performance feedback conditions in improving the job performance of institutional staff. Participants were care staff employed at a large center for the developmenta1ly disabled. During two 3 week sessions participants from two separate treatment units received publicly posted feedback graphs with either their own personal names or self-chosen anonymous codes to designate whose graphs were whose. These graphs were posted in each unit's training room and depicted participant performance (use of rewards and prompts) during behavioral training sessions with developmentally disabled clients. These two conditions were investigated to determine …

Care During Death, Grief And Loss: The Effects Of A Workshop And Clinical Experience On Student Nurses' Attitudes And Actions, Lynda Armstrong Wilson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Problem. Nurses, members of a society which tends to avoid and deny death, grief, and loss, are frequently in situations where they must interact with persons experiencing grief from death or loss. Often educational experiences have done little to prepare student nurses to cope in positive and supportive ways. Student nurses need to develop self-awareness of their attitudes and anxieties toward death, loss, and grief; modify negative attitudes; and develop a repertoire of interpersonal skills to support persons experiencing grief. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine if academic, and experiential learning could influence the clinical performance of …

The Effects Of Sedative Music Of Test-Anxiety In College Students : Presented To The Graduate Faculty Of The University Of The Pacific In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirements For The Degree Of Master Of Arts, Audree Simer O'Connell

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Thirty-seven volunteers participated in a study examining the effects of sedative music on test anxiety in college students. The experimental group used sedative music with progressive muscle relaxation and a suggestion of imagery before the scheduled hour of a final examination. The control group had self selected relaxation with no music. Baseline measurements were taken in blood pressure and pulse rates. These measurements were repeated and an anxiety inventory was administered before and after treatment. Results indicated no significant differences between the two groups in the physiological measurements. Verbal report from the anxiety inventory gave significant results at the .05 …

A Proposed Mechanism For The Thermotropic Effects Of Pipradrol In The Rabbit, Stephen Franklyn Small

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In the present study, the influence of various drug pretreatments will be investigated in the rabbit in an attempt to (a) define the pharmacological mechanism of action of pipradrol in its mediation of hyperthermia and (b) observe the effects of these pretreatments on the behavioral effect of pipradrol. Although pipradrol is no longer of clinical utility, it is hoped that the results of this study may provide more information for its use in future studies as a pharmacological tool.

Behavioral Variability In Captive Slow Lorises, Nycticebus Coucang (Lorisidae, Primates), Shan Dustin Duncan

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This is a quantitative analysis of individual and sex-related variability in selected activities of captive slow lorises (Nyctivebus coucang).

The Use Of Visually Evoked Cortical Potentials To Evaluate Changes In The Rate Of Recovery From Phenobarbital Anesthesia In The Rat, Steven Theodore Heggeness

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Signal averaging of visually evoked cortical potentials was done on Wistar strain rats during recovery from nembutal (sodium pentobarbital) anesthesia. Several studies (Dafny, 1978; Gines et al., 1963; Roig et al., 1961) have shown significant differences between recordings from unanesthetized rats and from rats anesthetized with various agents. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in the cortical response throughout an eight hour nembutal recovery period in order to determine the feasibility of using a signal averaging technique for classification of anesthetic depth.

The results of this study show that the recovery from nembutal anesthesia is characterized by …

Effect Of Stress Management Training On Trait Anxiety Teaching Anxiety, Muscle Tension And Self-Concept Of Student Teachers, Girish Kumar Vasavada

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the stress management training based on Meichenbaum's stress inoculation approach in reducing anxiety among student teachers. Method. An experimental study spanning two semesters was conducted during the Fall and Spring of the 1979-80 school year. The subjects were 38 volunteer students enrolled in a teacher preparation program at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. The three treatment conditions were: Stress-management training (SMT), Group Management training (GMT), and No-Treatment (NT). The subjects in the SMT group (N = 9) and the GMT group (N = 9) were drawn …

Children's Responses To Medically Induced Discrete, Acute Pain, Brenda D. Ballard

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Three experiments were carried out with children in a private office on the measurement of distress caused by allergy treatment injections and on a behavioral technique to alleviate this treatment-induced distress. In Experiment 1 a rating scale to measure observable indices of distress with children receiving injections was developed and its construct validity and reliability determined. In Experiment 2, norms were derived for the sample of children studied and the nature of the expression of distress according to age and sex was examined. In Experiment 3 two treatments for alleviating the treatment-induced distress, (a) sensory information, and (b) systematic reinforcement …