Digital Commons Network^™

Pharmacokinetics Of Ultrasonically-Released, Micelle-Encapsulated Doxorubicin In The Rat Model And Its Effect On Tumor Growth, Bryant J. Staples

Theses and Dissertations

Chemotherapy is one of the most successful cancer treatments used today. Unfortunately, the amount of chemotherapy a patient can receive is limited by the associated negative side effects, such as cardiotoxicity, immune system suppression, and nephrotoxicity. Encapsulation of these drugs, Doxorubicin (DOX) in particular, in stabilized Pluronic micelles (Plurogel TM) shows success in limiting these harmful side effects. In previous studies, low-frequency ultrasound (US) has been shown, in vitro, to locally release DOX from these micelles. In this study, a novel drug delivery system involving the encapsulation of DOX in Plurogel and the release of the drug at the tumor …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of The New Jersey Access Initiative Mentorship Program On Drug Using Behavior In Clients With Opiate Dependence, Jennifer Ingegneri

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between mentoring services and reported illicit drug using behavior for opiate-dependent individuals. Data used in this study were part of a larger project by New Jersey Access Initiative (NJAI). Participants were 2,424 individuals were addicted to opiates. Results indicated that none of the participants reported receiving mentoring services. In addition, large amounts of incomplete and missing data in the dataset made statistical analyses impossible. Instead, descriptive results on drug usage, living conditions, education, employment, and social support are described. Implications regarding how mentoring services could have impacted participants' drug use are also …

Evaluation Of The New Jersey Access Initiative Mentor Program, Tasha R. Binet

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to (a) evaluate the effectiveness of the New Jersey Access Initiative Mentor Program and (b) determine if an increased number of sessions of ancillary, psychosocial services was related to improved treatment retention, periods of abstinence and decreased number of relapses with opiate-addicted participants. Correlational analyses were planned utilizing data collected and recorded in the NJAI database by program staff; however, analyses were unable to be performed due to a large amount of incomplete and missing data. For those participants with data, descriptive results are reported on alcohol and illegal substance usage in past 30 …

Evidence Of Heterarchical Planning Within Higher Education Institutions: Learning Garden Planning And Development At Rowan University, Sheri K. Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine attitudes during the early stages of planning for an educational garden at Rowan University. This study also attempted to fill the gap in the literature that exists between garden planning and development and planning at higher education institutions. The investigator surveyed 20 committee members involved in this large-scale project, in addition to interviewing six committee members who were considered key stakeholders and have displayed high levels of involvement during the initial stages of the project. Participants were administered a Likert-scale survey that looked for the emergence of heterarchical practices during the development …

How The Public Library Contributes To Community Building: A Case Study, Barbara J. Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how one local New Jersey public library contributed to the revitalization efforts of its community by building social networks that benefitted all members of the community. Because the nature of the study dealt with conditions that were social, the qualitative method of research was chosen. A personal interview was used to collect information on how the library built social networks within the community it served by identifying and connecting the library's assets to the community's. The data were compared to a model developed from a previous study, The Engaged Library: Chicago Stories …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of School Library Web Sites, Sheryl Laws

Theses and Dissertations

In today's society, the use of technology is growing rapidly. School libraries have a responsibility to their patrons to keep up with this trend by providing information about the school library on the Internet. These Web sites must be well maintained and up to date. The purpose of this study was to evaluate elementary and middle school library Web sites to find if they were meeting the standard of a Web page.

With the use of a checklist, the researcher evaluated the school library Web sites based on appearance, ease of use, age appropriateness, and information that was included. After …

The Development Of The Remarital Assessment Questionnaire For Divorced Persons (Raq-D), Derrel Jay Higgins

Theses and Dissertations

The development of the Remarital Assessment Questionnaire for Divorced Persons (RAQ-D) is presented. Steps of development of the questionnaire are outlined: a review of remarital literature, interviews with remarried couples, the creation of a pool of items, review of the items by clinicians, and the development of a preliminary questionnaire. Data were collected through the internet. An Exploratory Factor Analysis of the data yielded scales relating to adjustment areas that are specific to remarital couples. The resulting scales exhibited acceptable level of internal consistency. Psychometric properties of the resulting scales are reported. Implications and recommendations of further development of the …

The Effect On Teaching Problem-Solving Skills For Students With Learning Disabilities Using The Connected Mathematics Project, Melissa A. Axelsson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) for seventh-graders with learning disabilities in acquiring math problem-solving skills in the areas of comparisons, percents, ratios, and rates. A total of 10 middle school students in a small rural district participated in the study. The CMP unit, Comparing and Scaling, was taught to those students for six weeks. Four pretests and post-tests were given to evaluate their performance. A survey was provided to investigate their satisfaction with their learning experience in the CMP. All students gained scores, with an average increase of 55.72%. …

Examining The Effect Of Random Student Drug-Testing In A High School Setting, Jacqueline Amonette

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to ascertain the effectiveness of decreasing drug use in a high school setting by implementing a random student drug-testing program. High school students who were involved in any athletic or extracurricular activities or who were applying for a parking permit in one local school were required to obtain parental permission to participate in a random student drug-testing program. Approximately once a month, an outside agency performed confidential and private urinalysis screening at the high school on 10-14 students whose names were chosen randomly using a computer program. If a urine test was positive …

Ceo Incentive-Based Compensation And Reit Performance, Magdy Carolina Noguera

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the relation between incentive-based compensation and subsequent Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) performance as well as the determinants of incentive-based compensation for REITs. I propose that REITs either rely on incentive-based compensation to substitute for poor corporate governance practices or may not need to rely excessively on incentive-based compensation to align managers and shareholder interests, given their heavily regulated nature and their corporate governance practices. Using a sample of publicly traded equity, hybrid, and operating REITs for the 1999-2003 period, I find a negative relation between incentive based compensation awards and subsequent stock returns for REITs. Interestingly, …

Self-Organizing Maps For Classification And Prediction Of Nematode Populations In Cotton, Rushabh Ashok Doshi

Theses and Dissertations

In this work, different Rotylenchulus reniformis nematode population numbers affecting cotton plants were spectrally classified using Self-Organized Maps. The hyperspectral reflectance of cotton plants affected by different nematode population numbers were analyzed in order to extract information from the signal that would lead to a fieldworthy methodology for predicting nematode population numbers extant in a plant's rhizosphere. Hyperspectral reflectances from both control and field nematode infestations were used in this work. Various feature extraction and dimensionality reduction methods (e.g., PCA, DWT, and SOM-based methods) were used to extract a reduced set of features. These extracted features were then classified using …

The Effect Of Hand Catching And Machine Catching Methods On Broiler Breast Meat Quality, Vijayakumar Radhakrishnan

Theses and Dissertations

Mechanical and hand catching of broilers were performed to determine if differences existed in breast meat quality among catching methods. Meat quality results were summarized using a two-prong approach to investigate if average differences existed in meat quality through the determination of ultimate pH, rapid pH decline, color, water holding capacity, and tenderness within each treatment and by pinpointing individual quality problems within treatments. Two trials were conducted and revealed greater variation in meat quality during summer in comparison to winter within treatments in both catching methods. In winter, there was a lower incidence (p<0.05) of paleness in birds that were crated for 2h prior to euthanasia in comparison to birds immediately euthanized after catching within both hand and machine catching methods. Mechanical catching and crating for 2 hours was conducive to slightly better quality meat than hand catching in respect to averages and individual quality problems.

Climate For Sexual Minorities In Counselor Education Programs, George R. Beals

Theses and Dissertations

The counseling profession requires its professionals to be ethically aware, culturally aware, and personally aware. Counselor Education departments strive to create environments that foster multicultural interactions and environments that provide sufficient safety for persons to be self-expressive and self-reflective. Such environments support the personal growth required to be effective counselors and agents of change. The purpose of this research was to measure the climate for sexual minorities in Counselor Education programs. Using the Climate for Sexual Minorities in Counselor Education Programs Survey (CSMCEPS) to collect information from faculty and graduate students, this research attempted to describe the level of acceptance …

Economic Freedom And Social Capital Determinants On Economic Growth Of Developed And Developing Nations, Debjani Chakrabarti

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the determining effects of non-economic factors on economic growth of developed versus developing nations. While earlier economic theories have traditionally focused on land, labor, capital and technology as the principle determining factors of economic growth, latter-day normative theorists demonstrated the importance of cultural forces and human capital variables on economic growth of nations. This dissertation is an extension of this emphasis put on economic growth by the latter-day normative theorists. Economic activities for developed and developing nations have been used as a proxy stock variable (for economic growth) for three points in time ? 1980, 1990 and …

Hydrogeologic Assessment Of A Proposed Reservoir Site, Smith County, Mississippi, Jason Andrew Mcilwain

Theses and Dissertations

The Oakohay Creek watershed in Smith County, Mississippi, had been proposed as a site for the development of a reservoir. The site has been assessed for hydrogeologic suitability. There were three components to the site assessment. The first component involved examining the hydrologic characteristics of the drainage basin. Discharge and stage were monitored at eight sites, providing data for the development of hydrographs. The second component of the study was based on studying the site?s geology. The geology was studied through field reconnaissance, surface mapping, interpretation of geophysical well log data, and development of cross sections. The third component of …

Fate And Transport Of Agricultural Chemicals In The Yazoo River Basin, Richard Henry Coupe Jr

Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this research were to examine some representative surface waters in the Yazoo River Basin (YRB) during the growing season for a few selected herbicides; to compare the type and abundance of pesticides in the atmosphere at a agricultural and an urban site; to determine the load of nitrogen and phosphorus being discharged from the YRB to the Mississippi River and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico; to determine how the adsorptive properties of a common Delta soil differ under no-tillage (NT) versus conventional tillage (CT) for two commonly used herbicides; and to validate the Soil and Water Assessment …

A Study Of International Space Station Ground/Crew Communication Methods With Applications To Human Moon And Mars Missions, Jennifer Eileen Esper

Theses and Dissertations

The International Space Station utilizes many different forms of written and verbal communication between the flight crews and ground control personnel. This study analyzes the historical use of three regular communication methods, Daily Planning Conferences, Weekly Planning Conferences and written Daily Summaries, as well as specific, science and internal maintenance events for characteristics and perceived effectiveness across eight expeditions (4 ? 11). The results are recommendations for the continued use of, or substitution for, these methods for future long-duration human space missions, specifically to the Moon and to Mars. General conclusions are that most of the conference content could have …

The Relationship Between Food Security Status And Overweight Amongst Women Age 16-85 Years Old, Janice Carol Giddens

Theses and Dissertations

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2002 were used to examine demographic factors and BMI as it related to household food security status of women 16-85 years of age. Four designations were used to classify households: fully food secure, marginally food secure, food insecure without hunger, and food insecure with hunger. Significant relationships exist between food security and age, education, ethnicity, poverty income ratio and BMI. Women from food insecure households with hunger were at greater risk of becoming overweight. Households of compromised food security status most likely had an income between 0-130% of the poverty …

Consumer Attitudes And Acceptability Of Catfish Prepared In A Lowat Manner, Amanda Emad Al-Turk

Theses and Dissertations

Consumption of farm-raised catfish in the United States has increased over the last few decades. However, consumers usually prefer it as a deepried product, especially in the southern United States. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the acceptability of lowat baked catfish using a Central Location Test. Subjects (n=137) tasted, compared, and evaluated samples of lowat baked catfish and deepried catfish. Results indicated that the fried product was favored (p <0.05) over the baked product. The majority of subjects (93.4%) identified the baked product as the healthier choice. Most subjects (85.7%) indicated that catfish was an overall healthy food choice. Reasons for consuming catfish included taste (75.6%), convenience (15.1%), health reasons (7.6%), and cost (1.7%). The majority of subjects (63.8%) indicated that they normally consumed catfish as a deepried product, but 91.9% indicated that they would be willing to consume catfish prepared in a lowat manner.

County Level Suicide Rates And Social Integration: Urbanicity And Its Role In The Relationship, Jacob Travis Walker

Theses and Dissertations

This study adds to the existing research concerning ecological relationships between suicide rates, social integration, and urbanicity in the U.S. Age-sex-race adjusted five-year averaged suicide rates for 1993-1997 and various measures of urbanicity are used. Some proposed relationships held true, while others indicate that social integration and urbanicity are so intertwined in their effects on suicide that no clear, unidirectional pattern emerges. The religious affiliation measure captured unique variations in the role religion plays in this relationship; depending on how urbanicity was measured. Findings suggest closer attention needs to be paid to how both urbanicity and religious affiliation are measured. …

Design, Evaluation, And Applications Of An Aerial Survey To Estimate Abundance Of Wintering Waterfowl In Mississippi, Aaron Todd Pearse

Theses and Dissertations

Estimates of abundance are critical to manage and conserve waterfowl and their habitats. Most surveys of wintering waterfowl do not use probability sampling; therefore, development of more rigorous methods is needed. In response, I designed and evaluated an aerial transect survey to estimate abundance of wintering ducks in western Mississippi during winters 2002?2004. I designed a probability-based survey using stratified random and unequal probability sampling of fixed-width transects. To correct for visibility bias inherent in aerial surveys, I conducted an experiment to model bias and incorporated correction factors into estimation procedures to produce adjusted estimates. Bias-corrected estimates were most accurate. …

The Effect Of Selected Student Profile Variables In The 2005 American College Test (Act) On Academic Performance Of Mississippi High School Graduates As Measured By The Sub-Scales In The Act, Gregory Demond Stephens

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of selected student profile variables in the 2005 American College Test (ACT) on academic performance of Mississippi high school graduates as measured by the subscales in the ACT. The sample consisted of 16,779 high school graduates that completed the ACT in Mississippi in 2005. The variables that were studied were the ACT subscores: English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning subscales; race/ethnicity, size of graduating high school class, high school curriculum, and gender, which were completed on the student profile section when the student registered for the ACT. Analysis of variance …

Enantiomer Analysis Using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry, Cheng-Li Zu

Theses and Dissertations

The design, synthesis and evaluation of chiral selectors that allow the determination of enantiomeric composition using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry are detailed herein. The enantiomers of the chiral selector were mass labeled at a distant site from the chiral recognition sites of the molecules. The mass-labeled enantiomers were mixed in a one-to-one ratio to form a quasi-racemate. Chiral recognition can be observed by comparing relative abundances of the pseudo-diastereomeric selector-analyte complexes in the mass spectrum. The observed sense of chiral recognition with mass spectrometry was consistent with that observed chromatographically using a corresponding chiral stationary phase in every case. The …

Entrepreneurship And Economic Development And Growth In America: An Investigation At The County Level, Erick Paulo Cesar Chang

Theses and Dissertations

America is a nation where a strong entrepreneurial culture establishes favorable conditions that create approximately 600,000 new firms per year (SBA Office of Advocacy, 2006). Individuals? decisions to pursue entrepreneurship are influenced by environmental conditions such as demographics, economic factors, and prior entrepreneurial activity in their communities (Minnitti & Bygrave, 1999). Proponents of the endogenous growth model (Lucas, 1988; Romer, 1986) indicate that the notion of knowledge spillovers and investment in human capital lead to the formation of new businesses that improve the economic development and growth of a region. The purpose of this dissertation is twofold. First, a conceptual …

A Cross-Cultural, Multilevel Study Of Inquiry-Based Instruction Effects On Conceptual Understanding And Motivation In Physics, Meiko Negishi

Theses and Dissertations

Student achievement and motivation to learn physics is highly valued in many industrialized countries including the United States and Japan. Science education curricula in these countries emphasize the importance and encourage classroom teachers to use an inquiry approach. This dissertation investigated high school students? motivational orientations and their understanding of physics concepts in a context of inquiry-based instruction. The goals were to explore the patterns of instructional effects on motivation and learning in each country and to examine cultural differences and similarities. Participants consisted of 108 students (55 females, 53 males) and 9 physics teachers in the United States and …

Attachment Style, Self-Esteem, And Perceived Peer Norms As Predictors Of Sexually Risky Behavior Among 17-24 Year Old College Students, Susan Harris Eaves

Theses and Dissertations

Unhealthy sexual behavior continues to increase among the college student population despite education regarding its risks and consequences. Counselors are continually being faced with consumers reeling from such consequences. Because prior research has indicated statistically significant relationships between attachment style and sexual behavior, self-worth and sexual behavior, and peer norms and sexual behavior, this study examined the explanatory and predictive value of each of these variables when analyzed simultaneously. Specifically, the age at first intercourse, number of sexual intercourse partners, number of oral sex partners, frequency of cheating behaviors, and number of one-night stands were assessed across 855 students attending …

Breeding And Cultural Practices Of Chile Peppers, Capsicum Spp, Reddy R. Chinthakuntla

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated horticultural characteristics and development of improved cultivars with valueded traits for capsicum breeding selection. A total of 223 accessions belonging to six Capsicum spp. viz; Capsicum annuum, Capsicum baccatum, Capsicum frutescens, Capsicum chinense, Capsicum annum var. glabriuscum, and Capsicum chacoense were used in this study. Plant genetic resource unit of USDA/ARS, Griffin Georgia, provided the accessions. Before anthesis, the flowers on selected female parents were emasculated to enable crossertilization with pollen from selected male parents. This study showed that wide crossing incompatibilities could limit successful crosses between species. In 2004, seven progeny lines and twentyive parent lines …

Determination Of Enantiomeric Composition Of Pharmaceutical Compounds Using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (Esi-Ms), Beibei Wang

Theses and Dissertations

The work in this thesis has demonstrated the chiral recognition through the adaptation of chromatographically derived chiral recognition systems by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Mass-labeled, pseudoenantiomeric chiral selectors (where each pseudoenantiomer had the opposite stereochemistry, but was slightly different in mass due to labeling of one enantiomer) were prepared as soluble analogues of Pirkle type chiral stationary phases. When mixed with a chiral analyte, solutions containing these pseudoenantiomeric selectors afforded selector-analyte complexes in the ESI-MS, and the relative peak intensities of the complexes could be related back to the enantiomeric composition of the analyte. In each case of this …

Development Of A Site-Specific Herbicide Application Decision Support System, Wade Alexander Givens

Theses and Dissertations

Weeds typically grow in patches across agricultural landscapes. Because of this characteristic growth pattern, it seems logical to apply herbicides site-specifically to control them. To do this effectively, methods must be identified to accurately map weed presence and make cost effective herbicide application decisions to control them. The primary objective of this research was to develop a site-specific herbicide decision support system. Additional objectives include evaluating the effects of sampling patterns and interpolation techniques for weed mapping accuracy and evaluating texture analysis for weed patch detection in row-crops. A geographic information system (GIS) extension was developed to work in conjunction …

Acceptability Of A Fruit Slush Product By Individuals That Participate In A Wellness Center, Keri Dyann Connelly

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine the consumer acceptability of fruit slushes prepared with either sucralose or sugar. Subjects (n=105) were given samples of fruit slushes and asked to complete an acceptability test and survey. The sensory characteristics measured included the overall liking of the product, flavor, texture, and color using a scale of 1=dislike extremely to 5=like extremely. Subjects? daily fruit consumption patterns and knowledge of nutrition were also solicited and analyzed. On average, there were no differences (P>0.05) in sensory characteristics between the two products. Overall, participants moderately liked both products. Flavor scores of the …