Digital Commons Network^™

The Use Of A Three-Layered Air Cushion In Reducing The Incidence Of Pressure Ulcers In The Nursing Home Patient, Ann H. Harris

Masters Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effectiveness of a pressure relief mattress in reducing the number of pressure ulcers in high risk patients. The research design was experimental with random assignment of subjects who were identified as at risk for developing pressure ulcers into an experimental and control group. Every new admission entering two nursing homes in a Midwestern metropolitan area who met inclusion criteria was assessed using the Braden Scale for his/her risk for developing pressure ulcers. Twelve subjects determined at risk were assessed for skin breakdown for a period of two months, first weekly and …

Effect Of An Outpatient Educational Program On The Rehabilitation Of Myocardial Infarction Patients, Janice L. Hodges

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to answer the following question: Do myocardial infarction patients who attend an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation educational program have a higher level of knowledge and less anxiety than individuals who do not attend such a program? A quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent comparison group was utilized. The nonprobability convenience sample included individuals hospitalized with a myocardial infarction. Sample size was twenty subjects in each of the two groups. A cognitive knowledge test and Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory were administered within 48 hours of discharge. The experimental group attended an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation educational program which …

The Effect Of Preoperative Exposure On Spouse Anxiety In The I.C.U., Carol J. Gates

Masters Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to answer the question: What is the effect of preoperative exposure of the intensive care unit (I.C.U.) on anxiety levels of spouses of open heart patients? A pretest-posttest experimental design was used to analyze data collected on 50 spouses of open heart patients. The subjects were randomly assigned to either experimental or control groups. State and trait anxiety levels were measured using Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (1983). The experimental group received preoperative I.C.U. exposure in the format of a videotape the evening of surgery and the control group received routine preoperative preparation. T-test, chi-square, …

The Relationship Between Acculturation Level Of Mexican-American Parents And Coping With Their Chronically Ill Children, Nancy Ellen Tena

Masters Theses

This investigation focused on 19 Mexican-American families with neurologically impaired children to determine to what extent they selected particular coping patterns in relationship to their level of acculturation to the Anglo-American culture. Using the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican-Americans (ARSMA), the families were categorized according to acculturation level (low, bicultural, and high). The families identified coping patterns (Family Support, Social Support, and Medical Support) which were helpful to them by completing the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP). Only one statistically significant relationship between acculturation level of these families and extent of their use of coping patterns was found: high …

Elements Of Professional Nursing Identified By Nursing Experts, Audrey D. Haag

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify elements that are necessary in formulating a definition of professional nursing which are in agreement with specified leaders in nursing of the United States of America. This descriptive study used a two round Delphi survey technique. Forty-eight Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (F.A.A.N.) responded to the survey. Each subject was mailed an introductory letter, a demographic inquiry and a questionnaire containing a list of elements of professional nursing on two occasions. The data generated by the questionnaires were analyzed through descriptive statistics, specifically calculating the percentages for each level of …

Replication Study Of Nursing Diagnosis In The Hospitalized Chronic Pulmonary Disease Patient: A Pilot Study, Pearl Anne Kloac

Masters Theses

This study replicated a pilot study, conducted by Lynn Dapice in 1985, to clinically validate nursing diagnoses developed by the American Thoracic Society Group and Nursing Diagnosis Classification Group. The purpose of this current study was to broaden the body of knowledge regarding nursing diagnoses associated with the medical diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).; A retrospective descriptive study was conducted using Dapice's tool adapted to suit this study. Data from 25 charts of hospitalized COPD clients were analyzed using percentages and t-test; the results showed no significant difference between the two studies, with the exception of the age …

Potential Mechanisms Related To Salt Tolerance In Bean Plants, Sandra Baumgartner

Masters Theses

Phaseolus vulgaris (navy bean) and P. acutifolius (tepary bean) were grown hydroponically and stressed with -0.25 MPa NaCl for 9 days beginning 22 days after planting. Chloride and sodium distribution in leaves and roots as well as percent ion leakage as an indication of membrane integrity in leaves were determined. Chloride levels in NaCl treated plants were significantly higher than in controls. Chloride levels were not significantly different between plant parts or between plant species. Sodium distribution differed significantly between the roots of navy and tepary but not between the leaves of the two species. Navy root tissue contained twice …

A Woman Administrator: To Be Or Not To Be, Carole S. Coartney

Masters Theses

Every individual who is choosing a career or is contemplating a career change should research the field before making a final decision. This is especially consequential when considering an atypical occupation. A female educational administrator falls into this category. Since the majority of educational leaders are male, a woman administrator can expect to face many challenges associated with her gender.

The major purpose of this field experience was to gather information pertinent to a woman considering a career in educational administration. The specific objectives were five-fold: 1. To obtain a profile of the women administrators in downstate Illinois (south of …

Listening Training In An Organization, Susan E. Maclean

Masters Theses

Listening training and development in organizations is becoming increasingly popular. Much literature has examined different aspects of listening and the training in this area used by organizations. The purpose of this thesis is to examine several areas concerning listening training in an organization.

A random sample of faculty at a medium sized midwestern university were utilized as the participants for this study. A fifty five percent usable return rate provided the data base. A self generated questionnaire was the instrument used. This questionnaire focused on listening skills and the training of these skills in a particular educational organization.

The research …

Multinational Corporations And Economic Development In Brazil, Guido B. Klein

Masters Theses

In this paper the hypothesis that foreign direct investment by multinational corporations in Brazil was beneficial for Brazil's economic development is being tested. This is done by examining the numerous different consequences of foreign direct investment in Brazil. It is looked at the effects of multinational activities on economic growth and employment, on the balance-of-payments. on distribution of income, and on the composition of gross domestic product. Furthermore, it is focussed on research and development activities of multinationals in Brazil; also the questions whether foreign direct investment contributed to the foreign indebtedness and to inflation are discussed. Finally, it is …

The Relationship Between Mother-Infant Interaction Training And Language Acquisition, Julie Patricia Mannion

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between training mothers to systematically stimulate their infants using form, semantic, and pragmatic behaviors during interactions with their infants and the rate and quality of language acquisition. A review of the literature indicated that mother-child interactions have a significant effect on later linguistic development. Researchers had investigated the effects of systematically manipulating the frequency or variety of mother-child syntactic or semantic or pragmatic behaviors to determine if it influences language acquisition. These studies were limited because they examined the manipulation of only one language variable. The purpose of this study was to …

Characteristics Of The Pre-College Students At Parkland College, Leslie E. Marsh

Masters Theses

Parkland College is a community college of approximately 8,000 students located in Champaign, Illinois. The faculty and administrative staff is concerned with student retention, particularly the retention of those students in the pre-college or underprepared category who take courses that are below the college level. This retention study identified characteristics of underprepared students, interventions that had been successful at model community colleges, and recommended program implications for the future.

The study provided base-line data regarding characteristics of the 1346 underprepared students at Parkland College who were taking remedial coursework in the fall of 1988. Data was also gathered for the …

The Bush Administration And The War On Drugs: An Exploratory Weaverian Rhetorical Analysis Of Ultimate Terms And Arguments As Weapons In The War On Drugs, James R. Conley

Masters Theses

One of the least studied trends in contemporary rhetorical discourse is what Richard Weaver called the ultimate "devil term,"--words which serve as the ultimate symbols of repulsion and repellant. Weaver claimed that the word "communist" was the ultimate devil term in the 1950s. However, it is the belief of this author that the new ultimate devil term of the 1990s is the word "drug."

This study sought to determine whether or not a shift in ultimate terms had occurred by examining the speeches of President George Bush and other members of his Administration associated with the war on drugs. A …

West Germany's Ostpolitik And Relations With The United States Under Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt, And Helmut Kohl, David J. Bollmann

Masters Theses

Many questions arose during the late 1970s and early 1980s about the reliability of West Germany's relationship with the United States. This thesis was written to examine the relationship between the United States and West Germany during the post-war years, especially during the Chancellorships of Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt, and Helmut Kohl.

The initial phase of U.S.-FRG relations was marked with a great deal of harmony between the two countries. The United States placed a great deal of emphasis on West Germany as part of its evolving containment of communism strategy. The FRG was recognized as a nation in 1949 …

The Isolation And Partial Characterization Of The Lipopolysaccharides From Rhizobium Leguminosarum Biovar Trifolii Strains Tb4, Tb104, And Tb112, Jill K. Miller

Masters Theses

The lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) from Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii TB4 and two transposon (Tn5) symbiotic mutants, R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii TB104 and TB112, were isolated and partially characterized. Bv. trifolii TB4 is a derivative of R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii ANU843. The two mutant strains elicited incompletely developed clover nodules that exhibited low bacterial populations and very low nitrogenase activity. The LPSs were extracted using the hot phenol-water method and purified with gel filtration column chromatography using Sepharose 4B with an elution buffer consisting of EDTA and triethylamine. The hexose compositions were determined by gas chromatography of the alditol acetate derivatives. LPS …

A Prevention Program At Spoon River Valley Schools And Its Role In The Fulton County Prevention Network, George Ellis Tanner

Masters Theses

Statement of the Problem

The area to be discussed is the development of a prevention program for the Spoon River Valley Schools, and the role of this program within the Fulton County Prevention Network. The primary focus of this paper will be the school's effort to prevent substance abuse by the students, but also addressed are prevention activities which combat other self-destructive behaviors such as teen pregnancy and suicide.

Procedure

The method of research used in this study is descriptive. The components of a prevention program which have evolved during the 1980s, both at Spoon River Valley Schools, and as …

The Relationship Between Untrained Listener Perceptions And Disordered Voices, Donald S. Finan

Masters Theses

The ability of trained listeners to make judgments of voice quality has been well documented. This study is designed to investigate untrained listeners' ability to make quality judgments of male and female produced normal, breathy, harsh, and hypernasal voice qualities. Research purposes are as follows:

1. To test if untrained listeners tend to reliably assign specific positive or negative descriptive adjectives according to vocal quality.

2. To determine if specific disordered vocal qualities carry more negative rating than others.

A series of actors and actresses were trained to produce the disordered voice qualities of breathy, harsh, and hypernasal according to …

A Career Profile In Public Information, Elizabeth C. Forney

Masters Theses

This study examines public information as a profession by surveying professionals at the management level in state government. Respondents provided data which was analyzed using content analysis, paired correlation, univariate statistics, and phenomenology. Results reveal a general theme involving journalism. Respondents indicated a background (educational and occupational) in journalism is the most important aspect in a public information career. This study provides average ages, dominant gender, salary figures, specific educational preparation advice, and advice for getting into and achieving in the public information field.

Gender Identity Development: A Study Of Caregivers In A Preschool Setting, Salisa Hortenstine Shook

Masters Theses

This study observed the present conditions of attitudes toward gender roles, as communicated by caregivers in eight east central Illinois preschool settings. Two research questions were formulated in order to categorize responses for the purpose of identifying prevailing gender role attitudes. Those questions were: "How do caregivers in a preschool setting affect gender role stereotypes?" and "What are key communication events that may create or perpetuate gender role stereotypes in the preschool setting?" The data was obtained from personal interviews and the Bem Sex Role Inventory. The results indicated caregivers in the preschool setting did not see gender roles and …

The Effects Of Aids Education On Knowledge And Health Care Beliefs Of Nursing Students, Catherine Taliaferro Earl

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of AIDS education on knowledge and health care beliefs of nursing students. There were two hypotheses tested. Hypothesis one: nursing students presented with factual information about AIDS have more knowledge about AIDS than nursing students without AIDS instruction. Hypothesis two: strength of health care beliefs related to AIDS susceptibility, seriousness, benefits, barriers, and health motivation of students with AIDS instruction differ from those without AIDS instruction.; The study was conducted using a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. The sample included 29 second term nursing students enrolled in the nursing curriculum of an …

Hands-On Purposeful Activity And Short-Term Memory Retention In Elderly Patients With Cognitive Deficits, Desiree Arah Varner

Masters Theses

This study compared the effects of hands-on purposeful doing with demonstration (HO) versus a demonstration-only (DO) activity in terms of the level of memory retention in elderly females. Twenty-nine females with a mean age of 81.8 years (SD = 11.6) and with moderate cognitive deficits as determined by a score of 3-8 on the Mental Status Questionnaire (Kahn, Goldfarb, & Pollack, 1960) were selected from an extended care nursing facility. Fifteen randomly assigned subjects (in three sub-groups of five) had approximately one hour of demonstration and hands-on involvement with ice cream making. Fourteen randomly assigned subjects in sub-groups of four …

An Investigation Of Pitch Perturbation And Vocal Intensity Characteristics Of Stutterers And Nonstutterers, Carmen M. Bamberg

Masters Theses

Pitch and amplitude perturbation values were compared for nine adult stutterers and nine adult nonstutterers. Each subject produced ten sustained phonations of the vowels /a/ and /i/. An automatic pitch-synchronous autocorrelation fundamental frequency tracker was used to extract period and amplitude measures.

Findings revealed that: (a) stutterers had significantly more vocal shimmer than nonstutterers (p = .01), (b) F-ratios for percent jitter between groups approached (p = .07) but did not reach significance, and (c) the vowel /a/ was produced with higher levels of jitter and shimmer than the vowel /i/. Results support the notion that instability of the …

Analogical Processing Skills In Three Modalities In Fifth, Eighth, And Eleventh Graders, Amy Sirrae Cashen

Masters Theses

This study examined the ability of fifth, eighth, and eleventh graders to complete multiple modality analogy tasks. Three groups, for a total of 201 subjects--68 fifth graders, 66 eighth graders, and 77 eleventh graders--solved word, picture, and figure analogies. A significant difference was found in the performance of the three groups, indicating that analogical processing skills increase with age. No significant difference was found between males and females on the combined analogy tasks. A significant difference was found for modality, indicating that the three sets of analogies were different in difficulty. The grade-by-modality interaction also was found to be significant, …

Calculation Of Electron Scattering For 4He In A Continuum Shell Model, Ming Yu

Masters Theses

Calculations for the electroexcitation of the ⁴He, O+ state have been performed within the context of recoil corrected continuum shell model. Approximations previously employed for inelastic scattering with the recoil corrected continuum shell model are eliminated in the work. The O+ state exhausts only 10% of the energy weighted sum rule and previous shell model calculations for the excitation of this state produce about ten times too much strength. This difficulty is alleviated by the use translationally invariant wave functions and the application of continuum boundary conditions for this particle unbound state. The structure of the O+ state is …

An Empirical Examination Of Hispanic-Americans In A University Setting And The Influences On Their Attitudes Towards Assimilation, Ramon Rodriguez

Masters Theses

Recent literature on Hispanic-Americans has determined that Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority in the United States. Both the high rates of immigration and a high birth rate mean it is only a matter of time before Hispanics will form an extensively large population. Hispanics, however, generally remain unassimilated. This study focuses on the influences on the attitudes towards assimilation of Hispanic-Americans in a university setting.

Survey methods were utilized to gather data from a sample of 100 individuals at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. A survey return rate of 57% was obtained from Hispanic students questioned. The data showed that …

Comparison Of Traditional And Computer-Assisted Administrations Of The Ppvt-R With Trainably Mentally Impaired Students, Wanda Balla

Masters Theses

A group of 20 trainably mentally impaired students, ages 6-24, was randomly assigned to two groups, one of which received the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (Dunn & Dunn, 1981), manual administration, and the other a computer-assisted version, which required a switch closing response. Two weeks later, the order of administration was reversed. The results showed a difference of - 1.73 points in the manual to computer administration, and a -3 point difference from computer to manual administration. Overall difference between both administrations was -2.36 points, favoring the manual administration. Recommendations include systematic evaluation and/or training of TMI or lower- functioning …

The Role Of Socialization In The Process Of Political Life: An Analysis Of Gender Roles In Elementary School Textbooks On Taiwan, Chien-Hong Lee

Masters Theses

This thesis contains both theoretical and applied research. In the theoretical part, political socialization is the main theme to be studied; and an incorporated model is designed to examine how political socialization can be viewed in the process of political life. In the applied part, three sets of elementary school textbooks have been examined and we have found that those textbooks contain clear sex-typed images of adult behavior; and male characters are emphasized more than female characters, which might contribute to the understanding why women are rarely seen in any positions of power in any realm on Taiwan.

Techniques For Increasing Writing And Reading Proficiency Of International Students, Abatah D. Daher

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine and develop a program to increase the language proficiency of international students.

The subjects for this study consisted of 44 international students enrolled in the course entitled, "Effective College Reading for International Students." The subjects were divided into two groups, the experimental group and the control group.

Gates and MacGinitie Reading Survey E (1978) was used in assessing language proficiency. Speed and accuracy, vocabulary, and comprehension scores were obtained for the experimental and control groups. An analysis using the Fry formula (1977) to identify the grade level score for their stories was …

Site-Directed Mutagenesis Of The Putative Processing Site Of Recombinant Human Immunodeficiency Virus Reverse Transcriptase, Susan M. Poppe

Masters Theses

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the etiological agent of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). This retrovirus, encodes a RNA dependent DNA polymerase, reverse transcriptase (RT), which is essential to virus replication. Biochemical analysis indicated that RT is composed of 2 polypeptides of 66,000 and 51,000 daltons (p66 and p51) which combine to form a heterodimer. This heterodimer is thought to arise from the post-translational processing where p66 is made and either autocatalytic or proteolytic cleavage events result in a heterogeneous p66/p51. Site-directed mutagenesis was used at the proposed processing site to probe HIV-RT processing.

Three prokaryotic expression vectors …

Education For Employment: An Update Of Kalamazoo County's Career Education Model, Wendy French

Masters Theses

The major accomplishment of this project was the creation of career education goals that have been accepted by the nine Kalamazoo County school districts involved in Education for Employment. These broad goals are infusable into all the local districts as they review each curricula.

The essential skills of problem solving, group responsibilities, and basic skills are not subject specific and can therefore be addressed in all curriculum areas. Abilities and indicators are listed with the goals to help local districts specifically address student needs.

The Education for Managing the Future (Career Education K-6) committee, as a sub-group of Education for …