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Cytoskeletal And Morphological Characterization Of Mitosis In The Cultured Adult Newt Ventricular Myocyte., Donald Gregory Matz

Theses and Dissertations

The cultured adult newt ventricular myocyte has been shown to undergo mitosis and cytokinesis in a fully differentiated state. A more complete insight into its proliferation and cellular changes in regeneration involves a better understanding of its morphology and cytoskeletal changes during mitotic events. The major advantage of cell culture of the newt cardiac myocyte is that it exhibits large chromosomes, making mitosis in myocytes easily observed by phase-contrast, epifluorescence and electron microscopy.In the present study, ventricles were enzymatically dissociated and myocardial cells were cultured on laminin-coated dishes or glass coverslips. Myocyte cultures fed modified L-15/10% FBS every other day …

Dreams: A Translation Of Günter Eich's Träume, Ursula Meyknecht Hovet

Theses and Dissertations

This is the translation of Gunter Eich's Traume (Dreams), five radio plays, a series of fictive dreams. The individual dreams are framed and linked by narrative poems. I tried to keep Eich's style, including any proper names of the characters.

The Introduction provides a brief biography of Gunter Eich and an overview of the dreams. A short interpretation of Eich's theme(s) in the individual dreams follows the translation.

Visual And Auditory Information-Processing In Migraineurs: Beyond The Neuropsychological Quagmire, Jeffrey M. Kearney

Theses and Dissertations

It is estimated that 20 to 25 percent of the population suffers with migraine headaches. Despite the high prevalence rate, the exact mechanism(s) for producing migraine headache pain is(are) poorly understood at best. Some researchers have proposed that these headaches are entirely vascular in origin, while others have asserted that they are the result of an intricate transaction between genetic, biochemical, physiological, psychological, personality, and environmental factors.

In the past, migraine has been considered a benign syndrome. However, researchers using a variety of neurological measures and an even wider assortment of neuropsychological instruments have reported abnormalities in individuals with migraine …

A Resource Guide For Interdisciplinary Teams In Middle Schools, Claudia Albrecht Tomanek

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation documents the development of a resource guide to offer members of interdisciplinary middle school teams assistance in performing teaching and group process functions. The guide addressed critical issues in implementing interdisciplinary teaming, team practices, and benefits of teaching teams for students and colleagues. Group process techniques included communication, decision making, and conflict resolution skills. Day-to-day function sections included job descriptions/teaming roles, parent involvement, student motivation, cooperative learning, curriculum integration, professional staff development, and evaluation.

Materials for this guide were drawn from current sources in the middle school field and assembled in a format that might be used for …

A Rescue Guide For Interdisciplinary Teams In Middle Schools, Claudia A. Tomaneck

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Exploration Of Professional And Community Attitudes Regarding The Physical Discipline Of Children, Randall L. Slavens

Theses and Dissertations

It is mandatory that reported incidents of suspected child abuse/neglect be assessed by Child Protective Service workers. In the state of North Dakota the determination of allegations of child abuse/neglect are that probable cause exists or that no probable cause exists to believe that child abuse/neglect has occurred. The final determination is the responsibility of the Regional Director of Human Services or their designee, usually the Regional Supervisor of Social Services. County Child Protection Teams work along with these professionals and protective service social workers in an advisory capacity in reviewing protective service assessments.

The purpose of this study was …

Screening In Classrooms For Nonverbal Learning Disabilities: Validation Of An Instrument, Robert Stewart Scott

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine the validity and reliability of a nonverbal learning disability evaluation (NLDE) scale using an instrument intended to screen for nonverbal learning disabilities in classroom settings. Scholars believe that there are at least four distinct subtypes of learning disabilities, each with its own characteristics and interventions. Validity was examined via an ANOVA, discriminant functions analysis, and factor analysis. Reliability was examined via use of Cronbach's alpha ( a = .93).

The sampled populations were special education and regular education teachers in North Dakota and 61 of the students they served. The 43 LD …

Attitudes Of Fourth And Fifth Grade Students Toward Gender And Careers, Valerie B. Sweeten

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine if students in a suburban, southern New Jersey elementary school would have gender-biased attitudes concerning appropriate roles and career aspirations for males and females.

A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 100 students from a total population of 74 fourth grade students and 58 fifth grade students from one school in a southern New Jersey suburban school district. Items on the questionnaire included a list of occupations as well as questions regarding gender and careers.

The hypothesis was not supported because it was found that most of the students did not possess a …

Frequency Of Female Contacts Made By Different Sex Teachers During Mathematics Class, Sheila M. Zackavich

Theses and Dissertations

Studies have shown that despite female students' eager attempt to initiate contact in the mathematics classroom, teachers tend to respond to the male students more often than the females.

This has been a questionable factor as to why females elect not to take four years of high school mathematics which exclude them from entering many high paying careers.

The purpose of this study was to observe a male and female teacher during their mathematics class and take frequency counts of all classroom contacts. This was to investigate if there was a significant difference between different sex teachers and their frequency …

Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling Of Skin Absorption Using Dermal Subcompartments, Richard L. Bookout Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Dermal penetration of chemicals and drugs is important to both toxicologists and pharmacologists. Drug developers try to enhance and environmental professionals try to limit penetration of chemicals through the skin. Both can use predictive biologically-based mathematical models to assist in understanding the processes involved. When these models are based on physiological and biochemical parameters which can be measured in the laboratory, they can be extremely useful. Appropriately validated models based on first principles can be predictive of human exposures when the processes involved are adequately understood. In this thesis we develop four new physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models to predict blood …

A Study Of The Effects Of Teachers' Mathematics Anxiety And Mathematics Teaching Confidence Level On Their Attitudes Toward Manipulative Use, Jacqueline L. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to determine the effect of teachers' mathematics anxiety and their mathematics teaching confidence level on their attitudes towards manipulative use. To investigate this, a survey was developed and distributed to all of the mathematics teachers in the eight elementary schools in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The survey was composed of fifty-five statements. These statements were rated on a five point Likert type scale. Thirteen of the statements researched mathematics anxiety in the sample teachers. Twelve of the statements investigated the confidence level of teachers as they instructed their students in the subject of mathematics. …

Does Learning Style Instruction Have A Positive Effect On Academic Achievement In The First Grade?, Nancy D. Rosenberg, Pamela M. Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of learning style instruction when implemented in a typical first grade classroom setting. The study was designed to determine if the use of several learning style methodologies would produce an increase in academic achievement.

Two regular first grade classes were used as the Study and Control Groups. Each student in the Study Group was surveyed to discover possible learning styles present within the group. For approximately six months, the Study Group received instruction which was modified, wherever possible, to allow for each student's individual needs. During this period, the Control …

Correlational Study On Reading Readiness And Reading Achievement Test Scores, Josephine A. Morales

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between Reading Readiness and Reading Achievement Test scores. Reading Readiness was associated with higher Reading Achievement.

Three schools in a low socio-economic section of an inner city school district provided the sample used in this study. The sample consisted of thirty-five Limited English Proficient Students (17 boys and 18 girls). All children were of Hispanic heritage.

The Reading Readiness and Reading Achievement Test scores were compared and analyzed. A Spearman's rho correlational coefficient was used to measure and describe the relationship between both reading test scores.

The analysis …

A Study Of The Effects Of A Social Problem Solving Intervention With Emotionally Disturbed Youth At A Special Services School, Wendy E. Sack

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this pretest-posttest descriptive study was to examine the efficacy of a SPS training intervention for emotionally disturbed children in the special education system, with respect to social skills acquisition, family environment, reduction in non-compliant behaviors and sociometric status. Participants included eighteen students in four self-contained classrooms of a Special Services Regional Day School. The sample included one white female, eleven white males, three black and three Hispanic males with a mean age of eleven years and ten months.

All classes were exposed to a six month program with lessons from the Readiness Phase of Elias and Clabby's …

Review Of A Partial Care Program For Severely Emotionally Disturbed Youth, Christina Schoener

Theses and Dissertations

The need for research on programs for Emotionally Disturbed (ED) children and adolescents is great. The present study examined a partial care program for ED youth in New Jersey. There were 120 subjects in this study. Several characteristics of these subjects were examined – gender, race, age, diagnosis, and family status. The study also examined the subjects' average length of stay in the program.and reasons for being discharged. In addition, the ratio of clients to staff was studied. The data was collected by examining the files of past and present clients to gather the necessary information. Descriptive statistics were used …

Gender Differences In Bipolar Disorder: A Descriptive Study, Cynthia Comparato

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to create a profile of bipolar disorder in an adult psychiatric setting. Comparisons were made between gender and disposition upon hospitalization. Relationships between gender and substance abuse; and gender and incarceration were also studied.

A sample of seventy-seven bipolar patients was studied, using descriptive statistics. Of the seventy-seven subjects, fifty-two were female and twenty-five were male.

It was found that females are not more likely to be hospitalized in a manic state of their bipolar illness as opposed to a depressed state. In the sample of male bipolar subjects that were studied, hospitalization occurs …

Women Who Choose: The Theme Of Mothering In Selected Dramas, Becky K. Becker

Theses and Dissertations

Too often, the drama treats mothering as the expected outcome of marriage or as a biological necessity for women. Yet, dramatic texts which address the issue of mothering do exist. This paper examines the unique mothering choices made by the central characters in three dramatic texts: Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal. Ruth Wolff’s The Abdication, and Wendy Wasserstein’s The Heidi Chronicles.

Chapter One introduces the selected theories of Ann Dally, Nancy Chodorow, and Barbara Katz Rothman, theorists whose diverse perceptions concerning mothering converge to provide an analysis of the complexity of mothering choices. Chapters Two through Four include analyses of the three …

The Role Of Compulsory Heterosexuality In The Abdication And Queen Christina, Becky Beth Benedict

Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary playwrights, Ruth Wolff and Pam Gems, create portrayals of Queen Christina of Sweden in Wolff’s The Abdication and Gem’s Queen Christina, both of which can be perceived to contain the issues of culturally- encoded gender and sexual roles.

To compare and contrast the influence of these culturally-encoded gender and sexual roles within these plays, I have applied Adrienne Rich’s theory of “compulsory heterosexuality," which serves as a critical tool to clarify the similarities and differences of these issues within the selected dramatic texts. According to Rich, “compulsory heterosexuality” refers to the ideas that male-female coupling is the preferred choice …

Personality Differences Between Men And Women, Lori K. Ingoldsby

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare personality types of men and women and to examine if Jung's predictions of certain personality types occurring more frequently in males is supported. Subjects were 20 male and 20 female undergraduate volunteers, ranging in age from 18-26 years. Personality types were measured using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, form G. A chi-square test for independence showed support that personality type is dependent on gender. A significant difference was found for the following personality attitudes and functions: introversion and extraversion, and thinking and feeling. Men were found to be more likely to be introverted …

A Study To Determine The Effects That Concrete Manipulatives Have On Mathematics Anxiety And Achievement, Nicholas R. Brian Simione

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this five week study was to test any effects that concrete manipulatives had on mathematics anxiety and achievement. Two groups of high school freshmen were selected. A control group (n = 23) was taught using traditional teaching methods of lecture-homework-review-test. An experimental group (n = 20) used concrete manipulatives to reinforce a lesson after it was introduced. Manipulatives replaced worksheets as the sole source of review.

To assess changes in mathematics anxiety in the experimental group, the adolescent version of the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS-A) was administered. The researcher used dependent t test procedures to determine …

A Course In Mathematics Appreciation, Daniel J. Kraft

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to create a mini-course in mathematics appreciation at the senior high school level.

The mathematics appreciation course would be offered as an elective to students in the 11th or 12th grade, who are concurrently enrolled in trigonometry or calculus.

The topics covered in the mathematics appreciation course include: systems of numeration, congruences, Diophantine equations, Fibonacci sequences, the golden section, imaginary numbers, the exponential function, pi, perfect numbers, numbers with shape, ciphers, magic squares, and root extraction techniques.

In this study, the student is exposed to mathematical proofs, where appropriate, and is encouraged to create …

An Examination Into The Construct Validity Of The Language Instrument For Preschool Sceening, Rebecca I. Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Spontaneous Luteolysis In The Cyclic Golden Hamster: Evidence For Mediation Through Inflammation And Apoptosis, Mark W. Rodacker

Theses and Dissertations

Mammalian corpora lutea (CL) are transient ovarian glands which function to support pregnancy by secretion of progesterone (P). Sustained P secretion during pregnancy in the hamster requires gonadotrophic support, i.e., follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and prolactin (Prl). Infertile cycles require CL regression. In luteolysis, CL first regress functionally (FL) and then structurally (SL). FL permits the next estrous. Estrous occurs every fourth day in the hamster such that CL form, function briefly, and then regress rapidly and completely. With only one generation of CL present in each ovary at any one time, the hamster is an ideal model for studying …

The Educational Systems Of Sparta And Athens, Robin N. Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Experiences And Perspective Of Ninth Grade Students Participating In An Aids Education Program, Brenda M. Werner

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Robust Method Of Solving Nonlinear Boundary Value Problems Via Modified Compromise Programming, John L. Zornick

Theses and Dissertations

This study is an extension of Ng's previous work in which goal programming was used to determine an approximate solution to a boundary value problem. This approach follows the same basic approach developed by Ng in which the method of collocation was recast as a compromise programming model. Hence, instead of solving a system of simultaneous nonlinear equations, one seeks a compromise solution which minimizes (in a weighted residual sense) a vector norm of the differential equation residuals. A difference in this approach is that it makes use of a genetic algorithm as the optimizing engine as opposed to the …

Mothers' And Fathers' Responses On The Child Behavior Checklist: Are There Systematic Differences?, Ralph E. Casazza

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined parental responses on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and considered variables that may affect rating reliability. Subjects for the study were 82 matched parent-pairs who completed CBCL protocols on their clinic-referred children. Research variables included parent gender, child gender, and level of item objectivity. The data was analyzed at the CBCL scale (narrowband) and broadband (Externalizing and Internalizing) levels, utilizing analysis of mean differences, repeated-measures analysis of variance, and clinical classification agreement.

Results showed little or no mean difference between mothers' and fathers' scores, but a large degree of discrepancy for parent-pairs was evident. None of the …

Ability Achievement Discrepancies: Diagnosis And Future Implications, Natalie Fischer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was threefold: first to determine if the predicted achievement method is a more accurate statistical method to determine ability achievement discrepancies than the simple difference method; second to determine if the VIQ score on the WISC 111 could predict achievement level as accurately as the FSIQ score; and third to assess the current achievement level of four individuals previously diagnosed with a reading disability. The sample used in this study consisted of eight children who were assessed at the Rowan College Learning and Assessment Center. The statistical procedures employed were based on the WIAT …

Early Intervention Personnel Preparedness In Family-Centered Service Delivery: A Study Of Parent Perceptions., Kathy Riske Perrin

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of the study were to determine (a) perceptions of parents about the importance of the national Division for Early Childhood (DEC) family-centered competencies, (b) parent-perceived training needs of early intervention personnel in the area of family-centered services, and (c) the degree of relationship between family- centered competency items perceived by parents as important and items perceived by parents as needed areas of training for early intervention personnel. A three-part survey instrument which incorporated family-centered competence statements from the DEC Compilation of Professional Competencies for Early Intervention Personnel (1992) was used to gather information for this study. Resulting data …

Interactions Between Enzymes Metabolizing Oxaloacetate And Phosphoenolpyruvate In Rabbit Liver Cytosol., Joseph John Provost

Theses and Dissertations

Dynamic protein-protein interactions may be a basis for regulation of enzymes that share cross-road metabolites. This type of control could direct metabolites through different pathways depending on which groups of enzymes are associated. Enzymes at the point of convergence of gluconeogenesis, glycolysis and the aspartate-malate shuttle were investigated for interactions. Phosphoenolpyruvate is a product of enolase and a substrate for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and pyruvate kinase. Oxalacetate is shared with malate dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. Guanine nucleotides are shared between nucleoside diphosphate kinase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase.The rabbit liver cytosolic enzymes mentioned above were either purified or commercially purchased to …