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Statistical Methods For Detecting And Characterizing Departures From Additivity In Multi-Dimensional Drug/Chemical Mixtures, Kathryn S. Dawson

Theses and Dissertations

In studies of the effects of multiple drug or chemical combinations, one goal may be to detect and characterize the interactions between the agents. The techniques currently applied to this problem have limitations when the experiments involve more than 2 agents. Certain response-surface techniques require an unrealistic number of observations for studies involving a large number of agents. Current graphical methods are impossible to use in studies of 3 or more agents. In this research two statistical techniques are described that can be applied to studies with an unlimited number of agents. In the first approach, dose combinations are collected …

Prevention As A Component Of Homeless Policy: A Longer-Term Evaluation Of The State Of Virginia's Homeless Intervention Program, Emma Kathleen Flaherty

Theses and Dissertations

A comprehensive homeless policy includes emergency housing, transitional housing, permanent housing, and prevention components. Researchers have determined that all four categories of homeless assistance are essential to address the needs of the diverse groups that comprise the homeless population.

This dissertation focuses on the prevention component which is designed to assist those in marginal economic circumstances who experience an unavoidable housing crisis. Several states have state-sponsored and state-funded homeless prevention programs.

The Commonwealth of Virginia authorized funding for the Homeless Intervention Program (HIP) in FY 1989-90. A Short-Term Study of the first group of participants conducted by Johnson, Brooks, Hambrick, …

An Empirical Examination Of The Major Organizational Dimensions That Influence The Perceived Quality Of Federal Personnel Office Services, John Elton Dunning

Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies conducted by oversight agencies show that improvements are needed in Federal personnel office (FPO) operations. The existing literature and research in the field of public personnel administration provides little guidance as to what types of changes or interventions will improve service quality. The purpose of this study is to identify organizational variables that influence FPO service quality.

This study is based on the multiple-constituency model of organizational effectiveness and the body of literature pertaining to service quality research conducted in private sector service industries. The investigator developed a conceptual model of FPO service quality based on the findings …

An Evaluation Of A Program For Incarcerated Mothers: Parenting Training And The Enhancement Of Self-Esteem, Alvin R. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of parenting training on the acquisition of parenting skills and its impact on self-esteem of incarcerated mothers. The program under study is the "Mothers Inside Loving Kids" (M.I.L.K.) program, which is a holistic training/visitation program designed for incarcerated mothers.Study participants included 40 volunteer incarcerated mothers at the Virginia Correctional Center for women. The treatment group consisted of 20 participants who were already involved in the "M.I.L.K." program. The comparison group was made up of 20 mothers who were on the waiting list for the program due to the lack of …

Development Of An English For Gospel Purposes Vocabulary List: The Latter-Day Saint Lexicon As A Second Language, Jennifer H. Burrill

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to explore the non-native English-speaking LDS adult's comprehension of the English LDS lexicon. Stahle (1981) conducted a study of the LDS lexicon which established at least 249 words as "basic" vocabulary. The current study had two foci: it first sought to determine how difficult these words were in both English and Spanish for native Spanish-speaking LDS adults living in the U.S. To assess this, a dual-language vocabulary instrument was administered to 245 subjects from Texas, California, and Utah. Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis was used to calculate difficulty levels of words and these values were plotted two-dimensionally …

Visage: Improving The Ballistic Vulnerability Modeling And Analysis Process, Brett F. Grimes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to improve the process of modeling and analyzing ballistic vulnerability data. This was accomplished by addressing two of the more urgent needs of vulnerability analysts; the ability to display fault tree data and to edit target descriptions. A vulnerability data visualization program called VISAGE was modified to meet these needs. VISAGE was originally created to preview static shotline plots and subsequently grew into a full-featured visualization package for vulnerability target descriptions and analyses data. The next logical step in the programs evolution was to include the needed editing and fault tree display capabilities. The …

Depositional Environments And Paleogeography Of The Winnipeg Group (Ordovician), Williston Basin, North Dakota, Jonathan B. Ellingson

Theses and Dissertations

The Winnipeg Group (Upper Ordovician) unconformably overlies the Deadwood Formation (Cambrian - Lower Ordovician) over most of North Dakota, except in the extreme eastern part, where it lies directly on Precambrian basement rocks. The Winnipeg is conformably overlain by the Red River Formation (Upper Ordovician). The Winnipeg reaches a maximum thickness of 448 feet (136.6 m) in the center of the basin, Williams County. The Winnipeg Group consists of three formations, in ascending order, the Black Island, Icebox, and Roughlock Formations. The Black Island Formation is, herein, formally divided into the Hawkeye Valley and the Garland Members.

The Hawkeye Valley …

Depositional History, Environments Of Deposition, And Hydrocarbon Potential Of The Newcastle Formation (Lower Cretaceous) Of Eastern North Dakota, Gerald G. Mccloskey

Theses and Dissertations

The Newcastle Formation (Albian) in North Dakota is composed primarily of fine grained sandstone, mudstone and shale. This study examined the Newcastle within the eastern two thirds of North Dakota, with the goal of determining the various depositional environments, the depositional history, and the hydrocarbon potential of the unit. A total of 2191 geophysical well logs and 21 lithologic cores were examined. Isopach maps of the Newcastle Formation and the Skull Creek Shale were generated, as was a structural top map of the Mowry Shale.

The depositional history of the unit is directly linked to the regression and subsequent transgression …

Prey Selectivity By Naticid Gastropods From Tertiary Sediments Of The United States Coastal Plain, Robert N. Sickler

Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have shown that naticid gastropod predators are highly selective of prey species in accordance with the Kitchell et al. (1981) cost-benefit model. In addition, earlier studies have demonstrated selectivity of drillhole siting and intraspecific prey size. This study focuses on prey selectivity by Oligocene naticid gastropods and is used to test Vermeij's (1987) hypothesis of escalation. The hypothesis of escalation states that biologic hazards have increased during the Phanerozoic and that organisms have either had to adapt to these hazards or face possible extinction (Vermeij, 1987). Naticid predation on molluscan assemblages is one of several examples used to …

Salinity, Radon, And Radon Precursors In The Soils Of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, Kevin L. Solie

Theses and Dissertations

High levels of indoor radon have been observed in many areas of the Red River Valley and particularly in Grand Forks County of North Dakota. Data from the University of North Dakota (UND) Radon Monitoring Facility indicated more than 80% of the dwellings tested had radon levels greater than the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) action limit of 4 pCi/l. High radon levels may pose a health threat (USEPA, 1986) to valley residents.

A review of existing data indicates that areas of the Red River Valley in North Dakota with elevated soil salinity also exhibit higher equivalent uranium (eU) …

Attachment, Social Support, And Violence In Adolescent Delinquents, James R. Craft

Theses and Dissertations

Attachment relationships between children and their primary caretakers have been hypothesized to contribute to internal working models of subsequent relationships with others. Poor attachment might lead to internal working models which devalue later relationships, making the perpetration of violence against others more likely. One focus of this study was to propose a model which combined parental bonding, adolescent attachment, and perceived family support to predict the severity of violence used against others by adolescent delinquents. A second focus was to test the proposed model in predicting the total number of violent offenses committed by adolescent delinquents. One hundred and forty-five …

Determinants Of Continuity Of Care For Persons Transitioning From State Psychiatric Facilities To Communities, Sarah P. Farrell

Theses and Dissertations

When individuals with serious mental illness are discharged to the community, continuous and coordinated care are both desirable and necessary. A lack of continuity places the individual at risk for becoming lost to further services.

This study explores continuity of care for persons discharged from state psychiatric facilities in Virginia to communities. Continuity of care is defined as the successful initiation and maintenance of face-to-face contact by CSB staff with individuals to be discharged from state hospitals, and the subsequent provision of services post-discharge. This study identifies factors that influence continuity of care, examines the degree to which these factors …

The Role Of Follicular Dendritic Cells In Human Immunodeficiency Virus Pathogenesis, Sonya Lynn Heath

Theses and Dissertations

Infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1(HIV) results in a disease process characterized by three stages: an acute phase characterized by viremia, a clinically latent stage with little or no detection of virus in the blood, and the last stage, AIDS, which. is characterized. by marked immunodeficiency. During clinical latency, CD4+ T cells decline over a period lasting from a few to several years. Throughout this period, HIV is found trapped on the surface of follicular dendritic cells(FDC) in the germinal centers of secondary lymphoid tissues and this is the primary site of active viral replication. We hypothesize that FDC, and the …

Role Of Perceived Competence In The Behavior Of Socially Anxious Persons In Problem-Solving Groups, Scott D. Bradshaw

Theses and Dissertations

Research finds high-shy persons participate minimally in interactions, withhold ideas from their groups, and negatively evaluate their performance. While commonly true, high-shy persons do not always interact less and it has been suggested (Efran & Korn, 1969) that high-shy persons may dominate a discussion if they can find a "safe" topic. The current study examined whether perceptions of perceived competence can produce this effect and increase the performance level of high-shy persons in a problem-solving group above the performance level of low-shy persons.

One hundred and four women, ages 18 to 24, at Virginia Commonwealth University participated. Subjects completed a …

The Influence Of Finapres® Cuff Application On The Accuracy Of Blood Pressure Measurement When Compared To An Oscillometric Method, Karen Zapzalka

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Motion Control Via A Fuzzy Sliding Mode Approach (Stability Analyses, Design, And Implementation), Guang Wu

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Sorbent Performance Testing Experience In A Bench Scale Pressurized Fluidized Bed Reactor, Steve Yagla

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Nurse Practitioner Empathy, Michele Wolfgram

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Geographic Analysis Of Tornado Hazard Perception In Fargo And West Fargo, North Dakota, Thomas Joe Williams

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Preventative Practices And The Detection Of Breast Cancer Among Fort Totten Indian Women, Sophia R. West

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Theoretical Studies Of Compounds Of Hypervalent Phosphorus And Gallium, Ryan S. Winburn

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Religious Affiliation And Socio-Economic Status In Winnipeg, Manitoba : A Multivariate Approach, Jeffrey S. Ueland

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Concurrent Validity Of The Gray Oral Reading Tests - Third Edition, Deana L. Watson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Oscillometric Blood Pressure Measurements : Upper Arm And Forearm, Lorissa Walz

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Expert Testimony About Statement Validity Assessment : Does It Usurp Or Enlighten?, Lynelle Kay Vondergeest

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Construct Validity Of The Critical Ratio Format For Screening Preschool Language, Kimberly A. Tomhave

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of A Planned Exercise Regimen On Mobility In The Elderly, Patricia Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Fiber Optic Ph Sensor Based On Evanescent Wave Adsorption Spectroscopy And Solid-Phase Microextraction, Stephanie L. Syverson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Emergence Of Nonverbal And Verbal Communication In A Child Adopted From Romania : A Case Study, Claudia F. Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Prediciting Negative Priming : Effects Of Schizotypy, Cognitive Failures, And Anxiety, Danial Sturgill

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.