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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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Comparison Of 19mm Superpave And Marshall Base Ii Mixes In West Virginia, Vasavi Kanneganti May 2002

Comparison Of 19mm Superpave And Marshall Base Ii Mixes In West Virginia, Vasavi Kanneganti

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Superior Performing Asphalt Pavements (Superpave(TM)) asphalt concrete mix design method was developed through Strategic Highway Program (SHRP) in 1993. With the introduction of Superpave mix design, the Marshall method of mix design is becoming obsolete for highway pavements. Superpave implementation varies by state. The WVDOH has implemented Superpave on all National Highway System projects since 1997. The decision regarding implementation of Superpave for low volume roads in WV is still under review.;The primary objective of this research work was to compare the 19mm Superpave and Base II Marshall design mixes in WV to supplement information required for WVDOH to …

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Energy Analysis And Diagnostics In Wood Manufacturing Industry, Amol Anant Mate May 2002

Energy Analysis And Diagnostics In Wood Manufacturing Industry, Amol Anant Mate

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

It would be extremely beneficial if more energy analysis and research is done in wood manufactring (SIC 24). This thesis and research work is concerned with the energy analysis and diagnostics in wood manufacturing industry in West Virginia. This work involves actually conducting site assessments at several lumber and wood manufacturing plants in West Virginia. Using the collected data, we determined energy conservation opportunities and made recommendations. It is important that manufacturers understand the potential for these assessment recommendations with respect to the parameters governing them. Research emphasis is on the demand side management. We found that demand charge plays …

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Use Of Flowable Fill As A Backfill Material Around Buried Pipes, Andrew Ray Simmons May 2002

Use Of Flowable Fill As A Backfill Material Around Buried Pipes, Andrew Ray Simmons

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research work was to study the performance of flowable fill as a backfill material around buried plastic corrugated pipes. The flowable fill materials used in this study contained varying proportions of fly ash, bottom ash, river sand, waste foundry sand, and cement. The relationships between flowability and compressive strength were investigated for different mixtures by using ASTM test methods in order to design suitable mixtures that meet WVDOT materials specifications. The second phase of the research was to design and construct a laboratory-scale pipe testing apparatus. The final phase was to find the pipe-soil interactions under …

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West Virginia University Ceramic Arts Production Studio Program, Jeffrey Stewart Greenham May 2002

West Virginia University Ceramic Arts Production Studio Program, Jeffrey Stewart Greenham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis is an analysis of West Virginia University's ceramic arts production techniques program, its educational impact, and historical importance.

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Nondestructive Evaluation Of Frp Composite Members Using Infrared Thermography, Gurudutt Sundara Ram Bangalore May 2002

Nondestructive Evaluation Of Frp Composite Members Using Infrared Thermography, Gurudutt Sundara Ram Bangalore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research is to establish infrared thermography as an effective tool for nondestructive evaluation of structural members made of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials. The applicability of this method for the detection of subsurface anomalies such as voids, cracks, debonding, and delaminations in concrete bridge decks and pavements and in some configurations of FRP decks has been studied earlier by other researchers. These earlier studies have yielded reasonably satisfactory results though further refinement of the methodology and improvements in the image processing techniques were recommended.;To enhance the effectiveness of the infrared thermography technique, it is important …

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Random Search Of And-Or Graphs Representing Finite-State Models, David Robert Owen May 2002

Random Search Of And-Or Graphs Representing Finite-State Models, David Robert Owen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Model checking tools have been effective in testing concurrent software represented by communicating finite-state machines. But these tools may require a very large amount of memory. A finite-state model can be translated automatically into a compact AND-OR graph. We use an abductive random search scheme to extract, from the AND-OR graph, information about the execution of the program represented by the original finite-state model.;We use the search to measure testability. For AND-OR graphs representing highly testable programs, we find quickly everything it is possible to find; that is, if the number of unique goals found is plotted, we see a …

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Design Of A Prototype Personal Static Var Compensator, Scott Alan Zemerick May 2002

Design Of A Prototype Personal Static Var Compensator, Scott Alan Zemerick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The focus of this thesis is the design and implementation of a personal static var compensator (PSVC) for distributed var control through load power factor correction. The PSVC demonstrates the two key benefits of power factor correction, which include decreased power costs and increased system capacity. The PSVC prototype consists of two types of branches---a TSC branch and a TCR branch. A microprocessor is responsible for calculating the load displacement power factor (PFD) and for executing the fuzzy logic control scheme for the two branches. The PSVC was found to reduce the RMS current drawn by a 55-watt AC motor …

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Imagery Use In Fencing, Jason Michael Boron May 2002

Imagery Use In Fencing, Jason Michael Boron

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purposes of this study were to: (1) evaluate the motivational and cognitive components of imagery use among fencers, and (2) to determine if these motivational and cognitive components and the use of imagery among fencers is a function of skill level, experience, primary weapon, gender, or handedness. A survey containing the Sport Imagery Questionnaire (SIQ), Imagery Use Questionnaire (IUQ), and a brief demographic questionnaire were distributed to 132 male and 116 female fencers competing in the United States Fencing Association's 2000 Summer Nationals in Austin, TX. Psychometric characteristics of the SIQ were calculated and indicated that most items measured …

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Small Mammal Communities On A Reclaimed Mountaintop Mine/Valley Fill Landscape In Southern West Virginia, Howard Douglas Chamblin May 2002

Small Mammal Communities On A Reclaimed Mountaintop Mine/Valley Fill Landscape In Southern West Virginia, Howard Douglas Chamblin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mountaintop mine/valley fill is a large-scale form of strip mining whose effects on small mammals had not previously been examined. Small mammals were captured by Sherman trap and drift fence array (pitfall and funnel traps) on 3 treatments representing the mined landscape and intact forests representing the unmined condition. Peromyscus ( P. leucopus and maniculatus) dominated Sherman captures and were the most common array capture. Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus), woodland jumping mice (Napaeozapius insignus), woodland voles (Microtus pinetorum), northern short-tailed shrews (Blarina brevicauda), and pygmy shrews (Sorex hoyi) were more common in forest treatments; Peromyscus, house mice (Mus musculus), southern …

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Geology, Surface Hydrology, And Fish Habitat Relationships In The Upper Shavers Fork Drainage Basin, West Virginia, Ryan Cooley Gaujot May 2002

Geology, Surface Hydrology, And Fish Habitat Relationships In The Upper Shavers Fork Drainage Basin, West Virginia, Ryan Cooley Gaujot

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Shavers Fork is the mainstem stream of a unique upper elevation watershed located in the Appalachian Plateaus province of West Virginia. Surficial "facies" mapping of in-stream and floodplain-adjacent landforms helped to classify small-scale flow patterns into heterogeneous and homogeneous channel units. Channel-unit bankfull width, channel-unit length, channel-unit area, and channel-unit depth all increase in the downstream direction. Riffles constitute 32 percent of the total channel unit area, riffle-run complexes and glides make up 26 percent each, bluff-pool complexes constitute 7 percent, riffle-glide complexes 6 percent, and true pools make up only 2 percent. Upper reaches contain the most in-stream and …

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Spatial And Predictive Foraging Models For Gray Bats In Northwest Georgia And A Comparison Of Two Acoustical Bat Survey Techniques, Joshua Begg Johnson May 2002

Spatial And Predictive Foraging Models For Gray Bats In Northwest Georgia And A Comparison Of Two Acoustical Bat Survey Techniques, Joshua Begg Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The federally endangered gray bat (Myotis grisescens) is an obligate, year-round, cavedwelling species. Efforts to protect caves occupied by gray bats have proved beneficial to recovery. Specific gray bat foraging area characteristics also are critical to gray bat population recovery and maintenance. In summer 2000 and 2001, I determined gray bat presence/absence with Anabat II acoustic bat detectors in potential foraging areas near 2 bachelor colonies in northwest Georgia. In 2000, I systematically sampled 213 locations near water sources over an 8.3 x 9.4 km sampling grid that was established over a 5,100 km2 study area. Each sampling point was …

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Appalachian Diabetes Patients' Preferences For Mental Health Treatment, Sameep Dilip Maniar May 2002

Appalachian Diabetes Patients' Preferences For Mental Health Treatment, Sameep Dilip Maniar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although psychologists are beginning to be employed in medical settings, little is known about medical patients' preferences when encountering mental health problems. One population that could be better served by this type of research is diabetes mellitus because of the poor adherence rates and high depression associated with the disease. The current study aimed to identify diabetes patients' preferences for treatments and helpers when encountering emotional difficulties. Data were collected on 80 patients from an Appalachian region of the United States who had previously been diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Results indicated that diabetes patients were …

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Antitumor Activity Of Antimalarials In Human Breast Cancer Cells, Qun Zhou May 2002

Antitumor Activity Of Antimalarials In Human Breast Cancer Cells, Qun Zhou

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Previously we showed that quinidine arrested MCF-7 cells in G1 phase of the cell cycle and led to a G1 to G0 transition followed by apoptotic cell death (Wang et al., 1998). The present experiments demonstrate that MCF-7, MCF-7ras, T47D, MDA-MB-231, and MDA-MB-435 cells transiently differentiate before undergoing apoptosis in response to quinidine. The cells accumulated lipid droplets and the cytokeratin 18 cytoskeleton was reorganized. Hyperacetylated histone H4 appeared within 2 h of the addition of quinidine to the medium, and levels were maximal by 24 h. Quinidine treated MCF-7 cells showed elevated p21/WAF1, hypophosphorylation and suppression of retinoblastoma protein, …

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Chebyshev Pseudospectral Methods For Conservation Laws With Source Terms And Applications To Multiphase Flow, Scott Alan Sarra May 2002

Chebyshev Pseudospectral Methods For Conservation Laws With Source Terms And Applications To Multiphase Flow, Scott Alan Sarra

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pseudospectral methods are well known to produce superior results for the solution of partial differential equations whose solutions have a certain amount of regularity. Recent advances have made possible the use of spectral methods for the solution of conservation laws whose solutions may contain shocks. We use a recently described Super Spectral Viscosity method to obtain stable approximations of Systems of Nonlinear Hyperbolic Conservation Laws. A recently developed postprocessing method, which is theoretically capable of completely removing the Gibbs phenomenon from the Super Spectral Viscosity approximation, is examined. The postprocessing method has shown great promise when applied in some simple …

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Effects Of Familiar Versus Unfamiliar Therapists On Responding In The Analog Functional Analysis, Carie Lynn English May 2002

Effects Of Familiar Versus Unfamiliar Therapists On Responding In The Analog Functional Analysis, Carie Lynn English

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The analog functional analysis involves the manipulation of pre-determined antecedent and consequent events and typically is conducted by trained experimenters. Research has evaluated the effects of including a broader range of antecedent variables in the analog. Inclusion of caregivers is one potential antecedent that may alter problem behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of including caregivers in the analog. Four individuals with developmental disabilities and their caregivers served as participants. The differential effects of caregivers and experimenters as therapists were evaluated. For 3 of 4 participants, different patterns of responding were observed when caregivers versus …

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Effects Of Intertrial Interval And D-Amphetamine On Temporally Organized Behavior Of Pigeons, Lori Marie Lieving May 2002

Effects Of Intertrial Interval And D-Amphetamine On Temporally Organized Behavior Of Pigeons, Lori Marie Lieving

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present experiment examined the effects of intertrial interval and d-amphetamine on pecking of pigeons maintained by an interval bisection task. The side-tracking group responded based on the location of the key and the color-tracking group responded based on the color of the key. Intermediate stimulus durations were tested, separated by either a 10- or 100-s intertrial interval and a range of d-amphetamine doses and saline were administered. Acquisition of performance in the side-tracking group occurred in fewer sessions relative to the color-tracking group. In both groups, the proportion of long responses increased as a function of stimulus duration. These …

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Design And Implementation Of Web-Based Gis For Forest Fragmentation Analysis, Fei Wang May 2002

Design And Implementation Of Web-Based Gis For Forest Fragmentation Analysis, Fei Wang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The advantages and limitations of current web GIS software for forest fragmentation information and analysis functionality were investigated using Landsat Thematic Mapper data of 1987 to 1999 for a test site in northern West Virginia. ESRI's ArcIMS technology was used to build a Web-based forest fragmentation analysis system to query, represent, and analyze the status of forest fragmentation using landscape metrics. Both ArcIMS HTML and Java fragmentation analysis tools were constructed. The web GIS was evaluated with respect to accessibility, navigation, interactive cartographic functionality, and spatial analysis functionality. The current ArcIMS approach was found to offer only limited support for …

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Developing A Model To Facilitate The Improvement Of The Quality Of Crash Data Collection In West Virginia, David Scott Bucy May 2002

Developing A Model To Facilitate The Improvement Of The Quality Of Crash Data Collection In West Virginia, David Scott Bucy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Most federal, state, and local agencies use information derived from traffic crash reports for decision-making purposes. The accuracy and timeliness of this data is vital to safety program managers and traffic engineers. The purpose of this study was to assess improvements in the crash data process and examine the impact of the research assessment model developed by the West Virginia University Project Research Team on the West Virginia Uniform Traffic Crash Report.;A three-year research study funded by the West Virginia Division of Highways was conducted statewide with law enforcement agencies at all levels. Four hundred fifty-three officers participated in the …

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Dynamic Model Of The Interface Reactions In An Aircraft Bomb Rack Due To An External Store, Tim C. Schoppert May 2002

Dynamic Model Of The Interface Reactions In An Aircraft Bomb Rack Due To An External Store, Tim C. Schoppert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In today's downsizing environment, more demands than ever are being placed on aircraft flight test programs. To compensate for shrinking budgets and increased requirements, new and more versatile test techniques and data processing systems must be developed. Standard flight test procedures must be reexamined and optimized to maximize the availability of the test asset while processing the collected data more quickly and at a lower cost.;This research demonstrated the ability to predict the reaction loads transmitted to an aircraft bomb rack due to the inertial forces acting on an external store. These load calculations typically require lengthy test programs with …

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Prediction Of Life -Threatening Events In Infants Using Heart Rate Variability Measurements, Xueyan Xu May 2002

Prediction Of Life -Threatening Events In Infants Using Heart Rate Variability Measurements, Xueyan Xu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of an infant under 1 year old without any apparent sign ahead of time. It is the leading cause of death of infants between the age of one month and one year in the developed countries. After thirty years substantial worldwide research, it is still impossible to predict or prevent SIDS. With the long-term goal to prevent SIDS, this study explores prediction of life-threatening events using heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is an indirect measure of the autonomic nervous system input to the cardiovascular system. The hypothesis is that infants who …

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Instructional Alternative For Underprepared Students, Deborah A. Thomas May 2002

Instructional Alternative For Underprepared Students, Deborah A. Thomas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This quasi-experimental study examined the use of daily drills as a supplemental instructional alternative for underprepared students enrolled in General Psychology courses at a midwestern open-admission community college. Underprepared students were defined as those students whose Nelson-Denny Reading Test score fell below community college entrance level criteria. Daily one-minute drills of course content were provided to all participants in the experimental group. Lectures, discussion, and class activities were provided to both groups. The experimental and control group were compared using retention data, reading scores, and exam scores. Although more students in the experimental group withdrew from the course, most withdrew …

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The Quality Of Student Effort Of Nontraditional Student Persisters At Glenville State College., Marthenia Ellen Garrett Jan 2002

The Quality Of Student Effort Of Nontraditional Student Persisters At Glenville State College., Marthenia Ellen Garrett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The study sought to determine if a relationship existed between the independent variable of student effort, and the dependent variables of perception of college environment and self-assessment of gains from the college experience for Glenville State College nontraditional student persisters. The study sought to determine if a relationship existed between scores of Glenville State College students for quality of effort and self-evaluation of gains from the college experience compared to the same scores for a normative group. The population included Glenville State College students at least 24 years old with at least 80 hours completed in a baccalaureate program in …

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The Great Awakening And Religious Freedom., Heather Cunningham Jan 2002

The Great Awakening And Religious Freedom., Heather Cunningham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The first Great Awakening was a series of revivals which spread through England’s mainland colonies in the mid eighteenth century. These revivals sparked the growth of sects, such as Baptists and Quakers who believed in religious freedom and separation of church and state. The growth of these sects brought a greater religious diversity, which led individuals to realize it was possible to live peacefully in a religiously diverse society. This realization led to futher demands for religious liberty and separation of church and state.

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A Tabu Search Approach For The Dynamic Space Allocation Problem., Juan R. Jaramillo Jan 2002

A Tabu Search Approach For The Dynamic Space Allocation Problem., Juan R. Jaramillo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The dynamic space allocation problem (DSAP) is the assigning of activities to workspaces and idle resources to storage spaces while minimizing the total distance traveled by the resources during project duration. The inputs of the DSAP are: the schedule of project activities and the resources required to perform the activities, the layout of the floor plan, the capacity of the storage spaces, and the distances between locations. The output is a sequence of layouts containing the assignments of the activities and their resources to workspaces, as well as the idle resources to storage spaces. The DSAP is related to some …

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The Effects Of Rumination And Emotional Writing On Heart Rate Recovery Following Anger Recall., Danielle H. Hernandez Jan 2002

The Effects Of Rumination And Emotional Writing On Heart Rate Recovery Following Anger Recall., Danielle H. Hernandez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recognizing that stress is related to a variety of psychological and physical health consequences, several studies have examined strategies individuals use to cope with life stressors. Two such strategies are rumination and emotional writing. Although on the surface, these two strategies appear to evoke similar goals (e.g., exposure to negative life events), research has shown that rumination is closely associated with delays in cardiovascular recovery and emotional writing is possibly linked to enhanced cardiovascular recovery from stress. This experiment examined the effects of rumination and emotional writing on heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) recovery from the recall of …

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The Relationship Between Preschoolers' Academic Self-Esteem And The Quality Of Their Child Care Center., Kara Lynn Bodnovich Jan 2002

The Relationship Between Preschoolers' Academic Self-Esteem And The Quality Of Their Child Care Center., Kara Lynn Bodnovich

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study examined the relationship between preschoolers academic self-esteem and the quality of their child care center. Data on the quality of the child care environment from the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Revised (ECERS-R) was derived from nine preschool classrooms, and data on academic self-esteem from the Behavioral Academic Self-Esteem (BASE) Rating Scale was obtained from 110 preschool children. The total scores from each of the measures were analyzed to find possible significance. Additionally, correlations were performed on the subscales of both measures. It was evident from present and prior research that there is a relationship between the …

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Stream Water Quality Management: A Stochastic Mixed-Integer Programming Model., Md Kamar Ali Jan 2002

Stream Water Quality Management: A Stochastic Mixed-Integer Programming Model., Md Kamar Ali

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Water quality management under the US Environmental Protection Agency's watershed approach requires that water quality standards be maintained throughout the year. The main purpose of this research was to develop a methodology that incorporates inter-temporal variations in stream conditions through statistical distributions of pollution loading variables. This was demonstrated through a general stochastic cost minimization mixed-integer linear programming (MIP) model. Traditional approaches for addressing variability in stream conditions are unlikely to satisfy the assumptions on which these methodologies are founded or are inadequate in addressing the problem correctly when distributions are not normal. The MIP model solves for the location …

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The Meaning Of Technology: A Theology Of Technique In Jacques Ellul., Paul L. Dunham Jan 2002

The Meaning Of Technology: A Theology Of Technique In Jacques Ellul., Paul L. Dunham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although Jacques Ellul is well known in both theological and sociological circles, his work has rarely been examined as a dialectical whole. Examining four seminal works, this study elucidates and discusses the relationship between the sociological reality of technique and the theological truth of the Bible as found in Ellul. First of all, this study asks what are the theological and sociological characterizations made by Ellul in The Technological Society, The Technological System, The Meaning of the City, and Apocalypse ? Second, in what way do those characterizations ‘fit together,’ i.e., follow the dialectical structure of point and counterpoint, question …

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The Effect Of Math Anxiety, Math Self -Efficacy, And Computer -Assisted Instruction On The Ability Of Undergraduate Nursing Students To Calculate Drug Dosages., James Edward Hodge Jan 2002

The Effect Of Math Anxiety, Math Self -Efficacy, And Computer -Assisted Instruction On The Ability Of Undergraduate Nursing Students To Calculate Drug Dosages., James Edward Hodge

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated the effect of math anxiety, math self-efficacy, and computer-assisted instruction on the ability of undergraduate nursing students to calculate drug dosages. The population of the study consisted of undergraduate nursing students at Mountain State University (N = 122), while the sample included students enrolled in a Math Topics for Nurses course during the Spring Semester of 2002 (n = 40). Mountain State University is a small, private university located in Beckley, West Virginia. Participants completed the Math Anxiety Scale (MAS), Math Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES) and a Drug Dosage Calculation Exam. Fennema and Sherman (1976) created the Math …

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Hand Transmitted Vibration In A Simulated Industrial Task: A Psychophysical Evaluation., Sergio Augusto Caporali Filho Jan 2002

Hand Transmitted Vibration In A Simulated Industrial Task: A Psychophysical Evaluation., Sergio Augusto Caporali Filho

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Continued occupational exposure to hand transmitted vibration (HTV) has been related to a series of disorders, which have been collectively defined as the hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Based on existing knowledge, the International Standard Organization has developed a standard for the measurement, evaluation and assessment of HTV, which documents the measurement and reporting methodology, the dose-response relationship, and the weighing filter for the assessment of HTV. Some researchers have emphasized the need for the development of improved weighing functions and dose-response relationships, for which it is vital to undertake further systematic investigations in order to enhance our understanding of HAVS, …

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