Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Weather And Children's Behavior: A Study Of Teacher Perceptions, Carrie Dabb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The weather is an ever present and uncontrollable element in our lives. Only a handful of studies has addressed the relationship between weather and the behavior of children, although anecdotal and intuitive evidence of this relationship abounds. The purpose of this study was to observe the behavior of groups of elementary school-aged children in their classroom ecology during different phases of the weather cycle as observed by their teachers, observe any behavioral differences between girls and boys, and observe if any weather -related differences exist between the behavior of younger and older children. A model of the direct and indirect …

Demographic Influences On Attitudes Toward Adolescent Sexuality In A Rural Wyoming County, Michael J. Dalton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A countywide survey in Uinta County, Wyoming, was conducted from December 1992 through March 1993. A stratified random sampling method was used in which 647 surveys were distributed with an overall response rate of 59.5%. This study employed analysis of variance (ANOVA) to address four research questions contending that the independent variables o f education, socioeconomic status, employment, and family stat us would differentially account for variation in the dependent variables, which were responses to survey items indicating the "appropriate age" to teach children about human reproduction, consequences of sexual activity, birth control methods, HIV/AIDS prevention, and sexually transmitted diseases. …

The Global Assessment Of Relationship Functioning As A Global Assessment Of Individual, Couple, And Family Functioning, Ben Lowell Ashcraft

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Relationship issues underlie most problems that people bring to therapy. Global relationship assessment has great potential in helping therapists account systemically for global issues in individual, couple, and family functioning . The purpose of this thesis was to assess the concurrent validity of the Global Assessment of Relationship Functioning (GARF) with standardized self-report measures on individual, couple, and family levels of relationship functioning and to assess the GARF's discriminant validity in distinguishing between clinical and nonclinical groups. It was hypothesized that GARF scores would correlate with scores obtained on the self~ report assessments and that a statistically significant difference would …

Attachment, Identity Development, And Sexual Behavior Among College Students, Diana D. Coyl

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The prevalence of nonmarital sexual behavior among adolescents continues to rise, as does the number of sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, and unwanted pregnancies. College-age adolescents appear to be even more susceptible to these problems. Sound theoretical knowledge would seem useful in designing more effective prevention programs. The purpose of this study was to identity theoretical factors that contribute to or decrease such behaviors.

Two hundred fifty-two single college students completed measures designed to examine relations among identity development, attachment patterns, gender, and sexual behavior in older adolescents. Attachment and identity measures were used to explore variations in sexual behavior relating …

Interaction Of The Human Serine Protease Inhibitor Alpha-1-Antitrypsin With Cryptosporidium Parvum, John Russell Forney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The human serine protease inhibitor (serpin) alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) was studied for potential interaction with components of the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium parvum. A homogenate prepared from C. parvum oocysts was incubated with purified human AAT, and complexes formed between the serpin and components of the homogenate were detected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serpin:parasite infections were effectively blocked by preincubating AAT with a cognate target enzyme, porcine pancreatic elastase, prior to performing the ELISA on the homogenate. Incubation of a mixture of C. parvum oocysts and sporozoites with AAT demonstrated preferential fluorescence labeling of the sporozoite surface membrane by indirect …

Aflatoxin B1 Metabolism In Mammalian Pulmonary Tissue, J. Michael Eichelberger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) is a potent dietary hepatocarcinogen and may be a lung carcinogen when inhaled. To study the relative ability of lung and liver to metabolize AFB₁, a susceptible (Swiss-Webster rat) and resistant species (Syrian golden hamster) were pretreated with inducing agents in order to identify specific AFB₁ metabolizing enzymes in each tissue.

Analysis of AFB₁-exo-epoxide (AFBO) formation, O-dealkynation assays, and protein immunoblots demonstrated that cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A proteins were overexpressed in both the lung and liver of hamsters pretreated with 3-methylchyolanthrene (3-MC). Only CYP1A1 was expressed in the lung …

Preventive Predation Management: An Evaluation Using Winter Aerial Coyote Hunting In Utah And Idaho, Kimberly Kessler Wagner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To evaluate preventive aerial coyote hunting as a depredation management technique, I compared sheep losses to coyote (Canis latrans) predation and the hours of corrective predation management required on summer grazing areas with and without hunting the prior winter from helicopters. Correlations were used to test for relationships between the extent, intensity, and timing of aerial hunting and lamb losses to coyote predation. Data on the age, sex, and reproductive status of coyotes killed using aerial hunting on coyote populations.

Winter aerial hunting reduced confirmed and estimated lamb losses to coyote predation and the hours of effort required …

Wetland Delineation Of Camp Ripley In Minnesota, Richard A. Spencer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Department of Defense (DoD) maintains approximately 25 million acres of land that is used for military training in the continental United States. Currently, federal and state laws and regulations require that the DoD land be managed so that any activity, including training, will have a minimal effect on the natural environment.

An Interpersonal And Cognitive-Behavioral Approach To Childhood Depression: A School-Based Primary Prevention Study, Tracy Black Cecchini

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Depression represents a serious mental health problem that affects the lives of many children. Depression is frequently cited as the most recurrent emotional problem facing younger populations. Left untreated, depression can have several negative ramifications on later adjustment, including suicide, substance use, academic and social difficulties, low self-esteem, and an increased risk for other mental health problems.

The search for effective treatments for depression has extended into several arenas. Schools play an important role in the lives of children and provide an ideal setting for early detection and remediation of depression at every stage. Schools are increasingly being encouraged to …

An Investigation Of Social Skills And Antisocial Behaviors Of At-Risk Youth: Construct Validation Of The Home And Community Social Behavior Scales, Paul Caldarella

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The major purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the construct validity of a new parent rating scale, the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales (HCSBS), that was used to measure the social skills and antisocial behaviors of at-risk youth in Northern Utah. The results indicate that the HCSBS possesses strong internal consistency with high alphas. Convergent validity with both teacher ratings and student self-ratings of social competence and antisocial behavior appeared slight. Discriminant validity was indicated by the near zero correlations between the HCSBS and the KTEA. The instrument appeared able to detect group differences as indicated by the …

The Efficacy Of Guided Imagery For Recovery From Anterior Cruciate Ligament (Acl) Replacement, Deborah D. Durso-Cupal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As an exploratory, developmental injury intervention study, this research investigated the efficacy of providing psychological intervention in the form of relaxation and guided imagery to a group of orthopedic patients recovering from major knee surgery. Utilizing a prospective, experimental research design with 30 subjects randomly assigned to either an intervention, placebo, or control group, this study employed physiological as well as psychological outcome measures. Intervention consisted of 10 individual mental practice sessions for intervention group members as an adjunct to physical therapy. Content of these sessions was intentionally designed to facilitate physiotherapy goals. Imagery protocols with which to deliver these …

Factor Structure Of The Anorexia Bulimia Inventory, Anne C. Dobmeyer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Anorexia Bulimia Inventory, a recently developed self-report questionnaire for the assessment of eating disorders, addresses two major limitations found in existing self-report eating disorder inventories. First, it comprehensively assesses the diagnostic symptoms of both bulimia and anorexia nervosa; and second, it assesses the frequently cooccurring problem areas (e.g., depression, anergia) that may be targeted in treatment planning for eating disorders. Although initial research on the psychometrics of the instrument appears promising, no research has yet investigated its factor structure. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to investigate the factor structure of the Anorexia Bulimia Inventory.

Principal axis …

An Investigation Of The Parenting Stress Index In The Context Of Generalizability Theory, Jim D. Sharpnack

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This present study examined the application of generalizability theory (GT) to the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) long and short forms for families having children with disabilities. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the dependability of parenting stress data scores gathered from families having children with disabilities. The data for the present study came from an extant data set collected by the Early Intervention Research Institute (EIRI; Contract #800-85-0173) at Utah State University. The EIRI studies represented attempts to assess the benefits and cost of conducting early intervention programs. The EIRI data were recoded at the item level for …

An Investigation Of The Psychometric Properties And Factor Structure Of The Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms Rating Scale For Children And Adolescents, Melissa Lea Holland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequent problems for which children are referred to mental health clinics in the United States, affecting approximately 3-5% of the childhood population. Although adequate assessment and identification of this disorder is imperative, most of the currently existing rating scales available to assess for ADHD in the childhood population are inadequate. The present research study involved the investigation of the factor structure and psychometric properties of a new behavior rating scale, the ADHD Symptoms Rating Scale (ADHD-SRS), developed for the assessment of ADHD in the school-age (K-12) population.

The participants in this …

Parental Compliance Of Psychological Recommendations Following An Outpatient Child Assessment, Shannon J. Pratt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is a dearth of studies investigating methods by which parental compliance may be enhanced. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relative efficacy of four conditions--high information, prompting, incentive, and comparison control--in increasing parental compliance. The self-help recommendation was to obtain a book or video from a local library. Parents were from a small, rural, northern Utah community; their children were diagnosed with externalizing behavior problems. Chi-square analyses were utilized to assess statistically significant differences, and effect sizes were computed to assess magnitude of association. The incentive intervention influenced parental compliance to a greater degree than …

Preliminary Development And Content Validation Of A Rating Scale For Assessing Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Children, Melissa Lea Holland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is currently one of the most frequent problems for which children are referred to mental health clinics in this country, affecting approximately 3-5% of the childhood population. Although adequate assessment and identification of this disorder is imperative, most of the currently existing measures to assess for ADHD in children are inadequate . The present research study involved the development and content validation of a new behavior rating scale prototype for assessing ADHD in the school-age (K-12) population.

This research was conducted in five distinct steps: (a) item development; (b) development of the prototype; (c) content validation …

An Examination Of Cognitive And Behavioral Characteristics Of Kainaiwa Children Diagnosed With Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Deborah Faith Pace

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study examined the scores of 450 Kainaiwa children from Kindergarten to grade 3 on social, behavioral, cognitive and cultural measures. The subjects consisted of children in three different classification groups: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Special Education, and Regular Education. The purpose of the study was to examine group membership to determine whether or not children who were diagnosed as FAS presented unique intellectual, behavioral, social and cultural characteristics from those of their regular and special education peers.

These results support the conclusion of previous research that FAS children differ significantly from their special and regular education peers. No …

The Relationship Between Graduate Students' Education In Research Ethics And Their Attitudes Toward Research Misconduct, Perry Sailor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A mail survey of a nationwide sample of department heads in university departments of mechanical engineering, physiology, and psychology was conducted, in order to determine what these departments were doing to educate their Ph.D. students in research ethics. Department heads were also asked to supply names of the Ph.D. students in their departments. Based on the survey responses, departments within each discipline were then divided into those placing a relatively high versus low emphasis on teaching research ethics. Random samples of students in each emphasis category for each discipline were then surveyed and asked to rate the seriousness of 44 …

An Investigation Of Internalizing Social-Emotional Characteristics In A Sample Of Lakota Sioux Children, Michael Shawn Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It has only been recently that research in childhood psychopathology has focused on a group of disorders referred to as internalizing disorders. Internalizing disorders can include such problems as depression. anxiety, social withdrawal, and somatic complaints.

Even though research has begun to focus on internalizing disorders with majority children. there has been very little research conducted on ethnic minority children, Native American children in particular. The present study involved obtaining a Native American sample and determining their internalizing symptomology utilizing the Internalizing Symptom Scale for Children (ISSC), the Reynolds Child Depression Scale (RCDS), and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory for …

An Investigation Of Criterion-Related Validity And Clinical Sensitivity Of The Internalizing Symptoms Scale For Children, Lisa Ann Mcclun

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The need for a self-report instrument that assesses internalizing problems in children ages 8 through 12 is evidenced in the lack of such an instrument, and in the prevalence of internalizing problems in children. A new self-report instrument, the Internalizing Symptoms Scale for Children (ISSC), has been proposed and developed to fit this need. The present study evaluated the criterion-related validity, clinical cutoff points, and discriminating power of the ISSC. Two groups of child subjects, clinic-referred and general-school-population, were recruited and administered the ISSC, and a parent of each subject completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Each case within the …

Isolation And Biochemical Characterization Of Acid- And Bile- Tolerant Strains Of Lactobacillus Acidophilus And Bifidobacterium Bifidum, Lan-Szu Chou

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lactic acid bacteria have been reported to be used as a health adjunct in food for u many years. However, these health benefits have not been proven. and how these bacteria pass through the digestion process and remain viable in the human intestinal tract is still not clear. The aim of this work was to isolate mutants from Lactobacillus acidophilus or Bifidobacterium bifidum that could tolerate the conditions of the digestion process (low pH and bile conduction) and to characterize these isolated mutants.

Acid- and bile-tolerant mutants of L. acidophilus were isolated from parental strains successfully using natural selection techniques. …

Relative Absorption Of Iron And Magnesium From Sulfate Salts, Amino Acid Chelates Complexed And/Or Mixed With Vegetables, And Taste-Free Supplements, Jennifer A. Bowden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Common methods for determining mineral absorption by the body are invasive and frequently utilize radioisotopes. In experiment one. rats were given a dose of radiolabeled ferrous sulfate. Relative absorption was estimated by changes in serum iron and by appearance of the radiotracer in the serum. There were no differences in relative absorption determined by the methods, although the low overall absorptions by the iron-replete rats may have decreased the sensitivity.

In experiments two and three. iron and magnesium supplements were given orally to 12 women age 19-25. Each subject received iron and magnesium supplements once each week for 5 weeks. …

Evaluation Of Methods Used In Meat Iron Analyses And Iron Content Of Raw, Cooked, And Cured Meats, Eldred Merlyn Clark

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research project was divided into three parts. In the first part, heme, nonheme, and total iron methodologies for meats were evaluated. The accuracy, precision, and specificity of each method were determined by spike recoveries of heme and nonheme iron, and by analysis of National Institute of Science and Technology standard reference materials. The most reliable and practical methods were then used to determine the total, nonheme, and heme iron contents of various meats before and after cooking. The meats analyzed were beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and turkey. The wet-ashing technique was a novel procedure in which nitric acid was …

A Quantitative Analysis Of Potassium Loss As A Result Of Different Processing Methods, Patricia M. Klefbeck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Compliance with the strict dietary regimen for the dialysis patient can be very challenging. Many foods are limited from the diet of a renal patient because of the high potassium content. The physiological consequences of failure to follow a diet prescription can be fatal for the dialysis patient. In an effort to improve patient compliance with nutritional protocols, several potato cooking methods and centrifugation of tomato sauce were investigated for their effects in reducing potassium content.

All methods with a 24-hour soak were found to be significant in reducing potassium content of potatoes (P < 0.05). However, some of the methods in which the potatoes were not soaked were also found to be effective in reducing potassium content. Slice thickness and volume of cooking water used were found to be two important factors in determining potassium loss. The 4-mm sliced potatoes, which had a mean potassium value of 84 mg/100 g, lost more potassium than the 8-mm potatoes with a mean potassium value of 182 mg/100 g (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the potatoes cooked in 10 times the amount of water lost more potassium (124 mg/100 g) than those cooked in only 5 times the amount of water (148 mg/100 g) (P < .005). Soaking in cold versus hot water, agitation of the soak water, or the addition of chemical chelators to the soak water were not shown to be any more effective in reducing the potassium content than the other methods. Sensory data indicated that participants did not have a strong taste preference for potatoes cooked by any one particular method (P < 0.05).

Centrifugation of …

Physiological Effects Of Chitosan And Chitorichtm On Rats Fed At Two Levels Of Lipid And Fiber, Hyung-Suk Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Chitin is a polysaccharide derived from the shell of crustaceans. Chitosan is a deacylated chitin derivative and ChitoRich™ is a chitosan-based formulation. Chitosan is known to inhibit dietary fat absorption. ChitoRich™ and chitosan were evaluated for their ability to control fat absorption in growing rats.

Forty-eight rats (about 150 g) were fed for 4 weeks on 12 different diets containing two levels of vegetable shortening (15 and 5%) and fiber (5 and 2.5%) with cellulose, chitosan, or ChitoRich™ as the dietary fiber sources.

Rats fed ChitoRich™ ate less and gained less body weight than rats fed the other fiber sources. …

Quantitation Of Bovine Serum Albumin In Cow's-Milk-Based Infant Formulas And Removal Of Bovine Serum Albumin From Cow's Milk And Whey Protein Isolates, Patricia Z. Marincic

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Early introduction of cow's-milk-based infant formulas, in particular the ABBOS epitope of bovine serum albumin (BSA), has been implicated as an autoimmune trigger in the pathogenesis of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). A direct enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), using polyclonal anti-BSA antibodies, was developed to determine the BSA content of cow's milk and 15 infant formulas. Powdered high-whey (60%) formulas averaged 41 mg BSA/100 ml; 2% milk contained 52 mg BSA/100 ml; and the high-casein formulas averaged 13 mg/100 ml. BSA content of powdered polymeric formulas and cow's milk varied directly with the whey protein concentration (correlation coefficient = 0.8445, …

Empirical Investigation Of Efficacy In Home-Based Mental Health Care, Ann L. Athorp

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The current study consisted of two experiments to examine the impact of home-based therapy on mental illness in multiproblem families. Review of the literature focused on the interplay between poverty and mental illness in defining multiproblem families and the utilization of home-based therapy with this population and others.

Experiment 1 focused on delineating the type and severity of psychological distress in families characterized as multiproblem. Subjects were 58 participants in the Community-Family Partnership, a Comprehensive Child Development Program located at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. In this sample, serious psychological distress was evident with depression in both women and …

Delineation Of Ecological Units For The Ashley National Forest, At The Landscape Level, Using Classification Tree Modeling, Teresa H. Swiatek

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study integrated remotely sensed data, geographic information system (GIS), and classification tree-based modeling to delineate ecological units for the Ashley National Forest. Data points, provided by the Ashley National Forest, with a known location and dominant vegetation type, were related to data layers that were determined to be helpful in a landtype classification. These layers included elevation, slope, aspect, potential solar irradiation, precipitation, geology, basins, Landsat thematic mapper (TM) bands 3, 4, 5, and 6, and basic land cover. These points, with their related information, were then used to train the tree-based model for landtype classification. This resulted in …

Merits Of Using Tranquilizer Trap Devices On Leg-Hold Traps Used To Capture Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus), Duane P. Sahr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) are frequently captured with leg-hold traps for reintroduction, relocation to reduce depredations on livestock, or as subjects for research projects. Wolves captured with leg-hold traps often sustain injuries to their feet, legs, and teeth during struggles to escape. Other studies have shown that the use of tranquilizer devices on leg-hold traps reduces such injuries to coyotes. This study (1) assessed whether use of tranquilizer trap devices (TTDs) on leg-hold traps reduced the severity of injuries sustained by captured wolves, and (2) examined the effects TTDs have on nontarget species caught during wolf capture operations. Data were …

Effectiveness Of Grid Systems For Pheromone-Trapping Sparse Gypsy Moth Populations In Mountainous Terrain In The Intermountain West, Colleen Keyes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two field experiments determined an effective intertrap distance (ITD) for early detection and delimitation sparse gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae, Lymantria dispar L.) populations in mountainous terrain. This study found that current Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service trapping guidelines are not sufficient for early detection of small gypsy moth populations in mountainous terrain. Detection trapping in mountainous terrain should have an ITD of not more than 804 m. Delimiting trapping should use a grid design with an ITD of 152 m.

A related study determined natural adult male mortality in the climate of the intermountain West, which includes Utah, Nevada, …