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Brain Injury Survivors: Effects Of Targeted Family Counseling., Geoffrey Granville Grimm Jan 2001

Brain Injury Survivors: Effects Of Targeted Family Counseling., Geoffrey Granville Grimm

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The incidence and prevalence of brain injury are on the rise, posing increasingly serious public health and economic threats. Often, brain injury leads to chronic physical and psychological challenges that require survivors and their families to adapt, to minimize disruption of their family relationships, social networks and quality of life. Counseling can help families adapt. This study used counseling intended to optimize family relational patterns, especially patterns that may affect survivors' adaptive social behavior. The method lent itself to a pre-post design that used two sets of standardized measures, and treated each family separately using eight, one-hour counseling sessions. The …

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Quality Of Life Assessment For Young Children With Developmental Disabilities And Their Families: Development Of A Quality Of Life Questionnaire., Rachel A. Bowman Jan 2001

Quality Of Life Assessment For Young Children With Developmental Disabilities And Their Families: Development Of A Quality Of Life Questionnaire., Rachel A. Bowman

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Early intervention for the treatment of developmental delays in children birth through three years is a fairly recent programmatic development. One of the goals of early intervention services is to improve child and family quality of life. However, no reliable and valid instruments currently exist to assess child and family quality of life for this particular population. The present study describes the development of the Quality of Life Questionnaire. The first step in the development of this questionnaire consisted of a comprehensive review of the developmental disabilities and pediatric chronic illnesses literatures in order to develop an interview (Quality of …

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An Analysis Of Quality Of Life, Income Distribution And Rural Development In West Virginia., James Obadiah Bukenya Jan 2001

An Analysis Of Quality Of Life, Income Distribution And Rural Development In West Virginia., James Obadiah Bukenya

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The term quality of life has been described as a vague entity (Grayson and Young, 1994) and conceptualizing it, has proved to be difficult. Nevertheless, understanding how individuals form their needs to create life satisfaction is important because these subjective evaluations determine life adjustment and mobility behavior and is the basis of demand for public actions. Additionally, more effective social programs can be designed based on the knowledge of how individuals form their needs to create life satisfaction and avoid problems that may result because the perceptions of the planners and policy makers do not always coincide with those of …

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Student Preceptions Of Teacher Violations Of Expected Verbal And Nonverbal Immediate Behaviors., Amy M. Denson Jan 2001

Student Preceptions Of Teacher Violations Of Expected Verbal And Nonverbal Immediate Behaviors., Amy M. Denson

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This study examined student expectations of teacher behavior and how violations of those expectations are evaluated by students. The purpose of this research was to determine whether or not students hold certain expectations about their teachers and if so, which types of behaviors were expected or not expected of classroom teachers. Students were asked to complete the Immediacy Expectation Scale (IES) to determine if teachers were expected to use immediate behaviors and also to determine if teachers were expected to not misbehave. Students were further asked to read four scenarios that manipulated teachers as high or low in immediacy and …

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Exploring Out-Of-Class Communication: The Development And Testing Of A Measure., Jennifer Lee-Ann Knapp Jan 2001

Exploring Out-Of-Class Communication: The Development And Testing Of A Measure., Jennifer Lee-Ann Knapp

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The purpose of this study was to examine out-of-class communication (OCC) between students and instructors. More specifically, the study was concerned with student immediacy, instructor immediacy, student affect for the course and affect for the instructor, and student motives for communicating with their instructors outside of the classroom. Participants were students enrolled in undergraduate communication classes at two institutions, Canisius College and West Virginia University. 218 participants completed surveys regarding the instructor they talked to the most outside of the classroom (e.g. during office hours, on campus, or around town). Results of the study show that OCC is positively and …

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Fashion In The Classroom And Perceptions Of Attraction And Credibility., Ellen Louise Kapalko Jan 2001

Fashion In The Classroom And Perceptions Of Attraction And Credibility., Ellen Louise Kapalko

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The purpose of this study was to determine whether an instructor’s fashionableness has an impact on his or her students and perceptions of attraction, credibility, and affect. Participants were 113 students enrolled in introductory communication courses at West Virginia University. A pre-test was given to 14 graduate students who rated the photographs as being fashionable or unfashionable. 51 participants rated the fashionable photograph and 63 rated the unfashionable photograph for attraction, credibility, and affect. Results of this study showed that there were no differences in students’ perceptions of attraction, credibility, and affect between the fashionable and unfashionable instructor

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A Prototype Automatic Dental Identification System (Adis)., Diaa Eldin Mohamed Nassar Jan 2001

A Prototype Automatic Dental Identification System (Adis)., Diaa Eldin Mohamed Nassar

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In this work we apply combined digital image processing and artificial neural network techniques in developing a prototype of an automatic dental identification system (ADIS) to be employed for postmortem forensic identification. The prototype ADIS follows a pyramidal image-matching architecture used in developing an analogous fingerprint comparison system. Owing to the differences in image natures, we used new techniques and modified some mathematical models. We introduce an adaptive technique for dental radiograph enhancement and an adaptive strategic searching technique for neural network training. The training and testing results we obtained are promising.

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Putting West Virginia Middle Schools To The Test: Implementation Of Key Practices As A Predictor Of School Achievement., Thelma Mae Isaacs Jan 2001

Putting West Virginia Middle Schools To The Test: Implementation Of Key Practices As A Predictor Of School Achievement., Thelma Mae Isaacs

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The purpose of this study was to provide an accurate description of the status of middle schools in the state of West Virginia and to determine the relationship that exists between the degree of implementation of key middle level practices and school achievement level when controlling for school location, school size, student body socioeconomic status, and student body race/ethnicity. Seventy-eight West Virginia middle schools contributed data for the study. Each school principal completed the Survey of Middle School Implementation Levels, which was used to measure the degree of implementation of key middle level practices. School achievement data, aggregated to the …

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Research Article Introductions In Thai: Genre Analysis Of Academic Writing., Chalermsri Jogthong Jan 2001

Research Article Introductions In Thai: Genre Analysis Of Academic Writing., Chalermsri Jogthong

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This study presents an analysis of research article introductions (RAIs) written in Thai by Thai academic writers. The analysis is based on 40 Thai RAIs taken from Thai journals in educational and medical fields. The rhetorical characteristics and linguistic features of the RAIs are examined using the CARS model proposed by Swales (1990). The results show that the pattern of studied RAIs supports the general framework presented by Swales but the specific steps in the introductions are less consistent with the model. The Thai writers avoided criticizing and evaluating the works of others. They adopted different strategies in establishing a …

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The Effect Of Role, Age, Gender, And Years Of Experience Upon The Perceived Importance Of Clinical Teacher Behavior Categories In Athletic Training Education., Christine A. Lauber Jan 2001

The Effect Of Role, Age, Gender, And Years Of Experience Upon The Perceived Importance Of Clinical Teacher Behavior Categories In Athletic Training Education., Christine A. Lauber

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This study investigated the effect of athletic training education program role (program director or clinical instructor), age, gender, and years of experience upon the perceived importance of instructional, interpersonal, evaluative, professional, and personal categories of clinical teacher behaviors and characteristics. The population of the study consisted of Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accredited entry-level undergraduate athletic training education programs. All CAAHEP accredited entry-level undergraduate athletic training education programs were surveyed. Respondents to the survey were program directors and full-time on campus clinical instructors serving in these programs. The Clinical Instructor Behavior Instrument, developed by the researcher, …

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Families Choosing Alternate Management Approaches., Christina Mary Lavorata Jan 2001

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Families Choosing Alternate Management Approaches., Christina Mary Lavorata

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder affects approximately two million American school children by making them distractible and impulsive, and by causing them to have a short attention span in both scholastic and social situations. These characteristics generally result in the students receiving poor marks in academic subjects, being reprimanded frequently, and being labeled as disruptive and difficult to control by both their parents and teachers. Pediatricians and psychiatrists most often prescribe psychostimulant medications to control the syndrome, and this is an effective treatment in sixty to seventy percent of cases. There are questions about the safety of long-term use of medication, …

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The Influence Of Supervision Training On Supervisor Self-Efficacy Among Doctoral Interns At University Counseling Centers., Sarah Jane Haley Jan 2001

The Influence Of Supervision Training On Supervisor Self-Efficacy Among Doctoral Interns At University Counseling Centers., Sarah Jane Haley

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A group of 145 clinical and counseling psychology doctoral students interning at APA-accredited university counseling center sites completed the Supervision Self-efficacy Questionnaire (SSQ) to determine differences in supervisor self-efficacy among different supervision training groups (e.g. no doctoral supervision course, a didactic supervision course, or a didactic-practicum supervision course) during their doctoral training. The SSQ was developed for this study; it was adapted from The Supervisory Focus and Style Questionnaire (SFSQ) (Yager, Wilson, Brewer & Kinnetz, 1989), which is based on Bernard's (1997) discrimination model of supervision. A one-way, between-subjects ANOVA found no significant differences in overall supervisor self-efficacy among the …

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The Effectiveness Of Residential Facilities For The Treatment Of Disruptive Behavior Disorders., Michelle Colette Hainesworth Jan 2001

The Effectiveness Of Residential Facilities For The Treatment Of Disruptive Behavior Disorders., Michelle Colette Hainesworth

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Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBDs) consist of four categories of syndromes known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder (CD), and DBD Not Otherwise Specified (NOS). They are the most prevalent disorders in children and adolescents and the most common reason for referral to residential treatment centers (RTC). However, little research exists concerning RTCs efficacy in treating disruptive behavior. The following study attempted to take a comprehensive approach in that it evaluated the effectiveness of an RTC, including the specific treatments that contributed to a positive outcome. The study also took the investigation a step further …

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Student Achievement And School Condition: Examining The Relationship In West Virginia's High Schools., Lyn G. Guy Jan 2001

Student Achievement And School Condition: Examining The Relationship In West Virginia's High Schools., Lyn G. Guy

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The purpose of this study was to determine what relationship, if any, existed between building condition and student achievement in West Virginia's high schools. Since every West Virginia school district was required to submit a Comprehensive Education Facility Plan (CEFP) for the next ten years to the State School Building Authority in January of 2000, the research used the facility evaluation instruments that were a part of this document. Building condition comprised the three facility evaluations that are part of the CEFP as well as the age of the building, the density of the student population, and the size of …

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A Study Of The Relationship Between Participating In School -To -Work Activities And School Outcomes., Jill Layne Hopkins Jan 2001

A Study Of The Relationship Between Participating In School -To -Work Activities And School Outcomes., Jill Layne Hopkins

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between secondary schools' participation in school-to-work activities and a given school's attendance rate, dropout rate, graduation rate, college going rate, and achievement test results as perceived by the school principal and measured by the School-to-Work Perceptual Inventory. The population of the study consisted of principals of schools in the United States with a grade configuration of 9–12 (N = 11,529) (Market Data Retrieval, personal communication, April 3, 2001). The sample consisted of 400 principals selected at random by Market Data Retrieval (n = 400). Overall, 214 (53.5%) surveys were returned. …

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Teacher Clarity And Teacher Misbehaviors: Relationships With Students' Affective Learning And Teacher Credibility., Mary Cathryn Toale Jan 2001

Teacher Clarity And Teacher Misbehaviors: Relationships With Students' Affective Learning And Teacher Credibility., Mary Cathryn Toale

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This study investigated the relationship between teacher clarity and teacher misbehaviors with students' affect toward the content, the teacher, enrollment with related content, and enrollment with the same teacher, and with students' perceptions of teacher competence, caring, and trustworthiness. Participants completed Chesebro and McCroskey's (1998a) Teacher Clarity Short Inventory (TCSI), Toale, Thweatt, and McCroskey's (2001) Teacher Misbehaviors Scale, Teven and McCroskey's (1997) credibility scale, and four bipolar scales to assess the four components of affective learning. The first hypothesis asserted that teachers who were higher in clarity behaviors would produce more positive outcomes. The second hypothesis stated that teachers who …

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An Investigation Of Teachers' Temperament And Students' Perceptions Of Teachers: Communication Behavior And Students' Attitudes Toward Teachers., Kristin Marie Valencic Jan 2001

An Investigation Of Teachers' Temperament And Students' Perceptions Of Teachers: Communication Behavior And Students' Attitudes Toward Teachers., Kristin Marie Valencic

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This study examined relationships among the way teachers communicate in the classroom, teachers temperaments, and perceptions of teachers by students. Specifically, the first goal was to determine to what extent a teacher's levels of extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism can predict students perceptions of task attraction, immediacy, assertiveness, responsiveness, and credibility. The second goal was to determine the relationships between teacher temperament and teacher evaluations, affective learning, and cognitive learning. Self-report surveys of 52 teachers and 1242 students across seven disciplines at West Virginia University were collected. Instructors received measures of extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. Teachers were asked to rate themselves …

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The Presbyterian Church Of East Africa: An Account Of Its Gospel Missionary Society Origins, 1895-1946., Evanson Ndungu Wamagatta Jan 2001

The Presbyterian Church Of East Africa: An Account Of Its Gospel Missionary Society Origins, 1895-1946., Evanson Ndungu Wamagatta

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This dissertation traces the Gospel Missionary Society origins of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA). The church was established when the Gospel missionary Society (GMS) from the United States of America (USA) and the Church of Scotland Mission (CSM) from Scotland merged their work in 1946. Consequently, the focus of this study is the work of the GMS in Kenya from when it was inaugurated in 1895 to the time of the merger in 1946. As shown in this dissertation, the GMS initially had no intention of establishing its work and then hand it over to the CSM as …

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The Use Of Statewide Program Review Results In Relation To Program Review Purpose, Approach And Governance Structure As Perceived By Academic Officers., Mark Warren Stotler Jan 2001

The Use Of Statewide Program Review Results In Relation To Program Review Purpose, Approach And Governance Structure As Perceived By Academic Officers., Mark Warren Stotler

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of statewide program review results and to identify barriers and benefits associated with using the results. Program review purpose, approach and governance structure were examined for their influence on the use of the results. State-level academic officers were surveyed to elicit their opinions on the use of program review results and the barriers and benefits associated with the use of the results. The chi-square test of the independence of categorical variables was the primary statistical analysis. Evaluation of the data indicated that when assessing quality was identified as the purpose …

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The Job Satisfaction Level Of Chinese And Indian-Born Engineering Faculty At A Research I University., Susan Mary Madhavan Jan 2001

The Job Satisfaction Level Of Chinese And Indian-Born Engineering Faculty At A Research I University., Susan Mary Madhavan

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The purpose of this study was to assess the job satisfaction level of Engineering faculty from India, Taiwan, and the People's Republic of China at a Research I University. Analysis was based on how academic rank, country of origin, or gender affected their level of job satisfaction and their degree of adjustment to the department, the college or the university as a whole. The following factors were assessed: teaching, research, recognition, workload, physical surroundings, reward systems, administration, collegiality and service. Structured interviews were conducted and taped of twenty faculty members at the study institution, detailing the above factors. An overall …

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The Effects Of Framing On Older And Younger Adults' Medical Decision-Making., Deborah Rettig Mckee Jan 2001

The Effects Of Framing On Older And Younger Adults' Medical Decision-Making., Deborah Rettig Mckee

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This 2 phase study was designed to explore age-related differences in medical treatment choices due to a framing effect (survival and mortality wording affecting the choice made) and due to the influence of physician recommendations. One hundred and thirty-seven older adults and 166 younger adults completed two medical treatment questionnaires, a demographic questionnaire, and a brief math quiz. In phase 1, the medical treatment questionnaire presented options for treatment of cancer (surgery and radiation) in mortality and survival wording. In phase 2, the treatment options were presented with and without a physician recommendation. Both older and younger adults made different …

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The Relationship Between Interorganizational Collaboration And The Perception Of School-Business Partnership Effectiveness In West Virginia., Julie Marie Norman Jan 2001

The Relationship Between Interorganizational Collaboration And The Perception Of School-Business Partnership Effectiveness In West Virginia., Julie Marie Norman

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School-business partnerships have proliferated in response to public outcry for education reform, yet little evidence exists to support that these collaborations are effective. The purpose of this study is to determine if a significant relationship exists between the factors influencing collaboration and school-business partnership effectiveness in West Virginia. This investigation was accomplished through survey research procedures using a questionnaire developed by the researcher upon careful review of the literature. Quantitative research was conducted on the perceptions of public school principals in West Virginia with regard to their school-business partnerships' effectiveness and the existence of environmental, organizational, and group interaction factors …

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Cross-Cultural Field Experiences In Costa Rica: A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Change., Peggy A. Romeo Jan 2001

Cross-Cultural Field Experiences In Costa Rica: A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Change., Peggy A. Romeo

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In order for teachers to be able to think and teach globally, they must be involved in cross-cultural experiences; experiences that lead to change. The purpose of the present study is to provide information that may be of value in determining if the experiences of a field course designed around a trip to Costa Rica generate professional and personal change in the teachers who participate in the course. Methods for data collection included (1) in-depth, open-ended interviews of the participants before and after the field course; (2) participant observation of the field trip; (3) evaluation of participant journals; and (4) …

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Trauma, Criterion A, And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Scientific Utility And Definitional Validity., Kenneth Joseph Ruggiero Jan 2001

Trauma, Criterion A, And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Scientific Utility And Definitional Validity., Kenneth Joseph Ruggiero

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Research examining the relation between trauma and psychopathology has contributed to the identification of individuals who, following exposure to various potentially traumatic events (e.g., domestic violence, rape), may be at high risk for post-trauma difficulties (e.g., sleep disturbance, heightened displays of hypervigilant behavior). However, the validity of the definitional characteristics of trauma has not adequately been explored. For instance, few studies have targeted the extent to which reports of perceived life threat, injury, or peritraumatic responses of “horror,” “fear,” and “helplessness” are associated with various forms of trauma-relevant responding. Yet, reports of such subjective emotional responses and event characteristics are …

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Cross-Cultural Gender Dynamics In Classroom Interaction: The Adult Esol Classroom., Dara Gay Shaw Jan 2001

Cross-Cultural Gender Dynamics In Classroom Interaction: The Adult Esol Classroom., Dara Gay Shaw

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of gender dynamics and culture on interaction in the adult ESOL, from the teachers', students', and observer's points of view. Using an ethnographic methodology, the researcher drew from class observations, videotaped segments of classroom interaction, teachers' self-evaluations of gender equity in instruction, and their responses to gender dynamics scenarios, student responses to classroom photographs, as well as student, teacher, and administrator interviews. Fifteen research questions were divided into three sections: Cross-cultural Context, Gender Dynamics and Classroom Interactions. The Cross-cultural Context research questions centered on the perceptions and expectations of the …

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Improving Medication Adherence For Children With Asthma: Objective Monitoring And Feedback As An Intervention For Inhaled Corticosteroid Use., Scott Allen Spaulding Jan 2001

Improving Medication Adherence For Children With Asthma: Objective Monitoring And Feedback As An Intervention For Inhaled Corticosteroid Use., Scott Allen Spaulding

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Nonadherence to asthma medication is a persistent problem. Contingency management has been used to improve pediatric compliance to inhaled corticosteroids. But token systems require time and attention to design and maintain, creating a challenge for busy outpatient clinics. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention that might more easily be implemented by medical staff and parents: objective monitoring of medication use and feedback regarding errors in technique and compliance as an intervention to improve children's adherence to inhaled corticosteroids. Pediatric patients diagnosed with bronchial asthma for at least 6 months, receiving long-term corticosteroid …

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Psychophysiological Responses Of Older Adults To An Anxiety -Evoking Stimulus, Angela W. Lau Dec 2000

Psychophysiological Responses Of Older Adults To An Anxiety -Evoking Stimulus, Angela W. Lau

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The purpose of this study was to clarify the relation between anxiety and physiological responses in older adults as compared to younger adults. Heart rate (HR), skin conductance level (SCL), skin conductance response (SCR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were obtained before, during, and after exposure to a Stroop color-word naming task and a snake video from 46 female younger adults (age 18--30) and 28 female older adults (age 65--80) who were designated as either snake fearful or snake nonfearful. No significant group differences were observed on physiological measures to baseline one or during the snake …

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Prognostic Factors For Treatment Outcome In Young Children With Autism, Susannah Grimm Poe Dec 2000

Prognostic Factors For Treatment Outcome In Young Children With Autism, Susannah Grimm Poe

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Over the past decade, systematic applications of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) have proven an effective means of improving the prognosis for many young children with autism. But in every study indicating that a number of participants have experienced good outcomes from these interventions, there remain a sizeable number of participants who have not had the same success. This study was undertaken to examine the differences between the parental rankings for each of eight characteristics across three points in time for children with autism to determine who succeeds with this kind of treatment and who does not. These parental reports were …

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Improving Commercial Vehicle Crash Data Quality In West Virginia, Kris Sean Gillespie Dec 2000

Improving Commercial Vehicle Crash Data Quality In West Virginia, Kris Sean Gillespie

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The purpose of this study was to identify methods to improve commercial carrier crash data in West Virginia including coal trucks. All organizations and agencies involved with commercial carrier safety need ready access to basic data describing the crash-involved operator, vehicle, and environment. Such data are necessary to any programmatic or engineering countermeasures. The basic approach used to accomplish the research objectives involved a series of regional meetings where law enforcement personnel expressed their opinions about ways to improve commercial vehicle crash data quality. These results were then weighted and prioritized. The top five solutions generated at these meetings were: …

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Alexander Von Humboldt And Nineteenth-Century Ideas On The Origin Of American Indians, Michael Anthony Wadyko Dec 2000

Alexander Von Humboldt And Nineteenth-Century Ideas On The Origin Of American Indians, Michael Anthony Wadyko

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This dissertation revolves around Alexander von Humboldt's research on Indian origins. Humboldt conducted investigations on Indians during his precedent-setting scientific expedition to Meso- and South America during the years 1799--1804. Officially sponsored by the Spanish crown, the main purposes for this expedition were twofold: to examine, evaluate, and discredit Buffon's "degeneracy" claims about America and its inhabitants, and to gather empirical evidence on geography, climate, flora, fauna, and the indigenous cultures. From these results Humboldt published three major works about the expedition, particularly a thirty-volume work condensed to two volumes, Vues de Cordilleres et monuments des peuples d' Amerique.;From this …

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