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Needs Of Families Of Severe Traumatic Brain Injured Individuals During The Critical Care Experience, Victoria L. Meyers

Masters Theses

Traumatic brain injury occurs without warning, disrupts the life of the individual and family, causing stress. The purpose of this descriptive study was three part: to identify the needs of families of severe traumatic brain injured (TBI) individuals during the critical care experience, to identify who met those needs, and to obtain qualitative data regarding nursing care. Family Systems Theory provided the theoretical framework to support this study.

A convenience sample from a large Midwestern teaching institution consisted of 28 family members of severe TBI individuals. The sample received by mail a demographic profile, a questionnaire (Critical Care Family Needs …

Learning Needs Perceived By The Patient Considering Radiation Therapy And The Radiation Oncology Nurse, Kathleen E. Bell

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe the congruency between what the patient who is considering radiation therapy perceives his learning needs to be and what the radiation oncology nurse perceives the learning needs of the patient to be. This descriptive design used convenience sampling. The subjects consisted of 56 patients and 8 radiation oncology nurses who were recruited from a regional hospital system with two separate radiation oncology settings.

Data were obtained after the radiation oncology nurse provided an overview of the (a) purpose of radiation therapy, (b) type of radiation prescribed, (c) mechanism of radiation action, (d) …

The Relationship Of Selected Health Beliefs And Exercise Adherence 8 To 12 Months After A Cardiac Event, Jill Stone

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine differences between health beliefs and cardiac exercise adherence at 6-12 weeks after a cardiac event as compared to 8-12 months post event. Twenty five subjects participated at time one and time two by answering mailed questionnaires designed to measure perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, exercise adherence, and demographic data.

Data analysis did not reveal a significant difference in exercise adherence or perceived benefits, but results did support a statistically significant difference in perceived barriers (p=.02) and self-efficacy (p=.03) from time one to time two. Subjects perceived higher levels of barriers related to …

The Efficacy Of A Developmental Follow-Up Program For High-Risk Infants, Laurie M. De Jong

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Objective: To assess the efficacy of a developmental follow-up program provided at a local community hospital. Efficacy was measured by the number of children referred to early intervention services and the cost effectiveness of the program. Design: This is a retrospective study of 174 children evaluated during 272 visits in the Follow-up Clinic from the inception of the program on November 22, 1994 through December 31, 1998. The data collected included referral rates and demographic information on all children. Financial information was also obtained on 74 children seen during a one year period to assess the financial implications of the …

(Ω, Ξ)-Logic: On The Algebraic Extension Of Coalgebraic Specifications, Rolf Hennicker, Alexander Kurz

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

We present an extension of standard coalgebraic specification techniques for statebased systems which allows us to integrate constants and n-ary operations in a smooth way and, moreover, leads to a simplification of the coalgebraic structure of the models of a specification. The framework of (Ω,Ξ)-logic can be considered as the result of a translation of concepts of observational logic (cf. [9]) into the coalgebraic world. As a particular outcome we obtain the notion of an (Ω, Ξ)- structure and a sound and complete proof system for (first-order) observational properties of specifications.

Proactively And In The Heat Of The Moment: Administrative Advice For Communication Instructors To Help Students Cope With Crisis, Jennifer H. Waldeck

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article provides advice on helping students cope with crisis. The first section discusses communication research that is pertinent to helping students be prepared proactively to deal with relationship crises. Second, it focuses on strategies that teachers of interpersonal communication survey courses may use to deal with students who are already victims of these situations, and as a result, may be emotionally troubled, abusing drugs or alcohol, or have suicidal feelings. Although communication faculty often are perceived to be immediate and thus approached by troubled students, most are rarely qualified to dispense or perform counseling duties. Recommendations are made in …

Stable Isotope And Crystal Chemistry Of Tourmaline Across Pegmatite - Country Rock Boundaries At Black Mountain And Mount Mica, Southwestern Maine, U.S.A, Darby Dyar, Charles V. Guidott, Daniel P. Core, Katherine M. Wearn, Michael A. Wise, Carl A. Francis, Kathleen Johnson, John B. Brady, J. David Robertson, Laura R. Cross

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

Major element and stable isotope chemistry of tourmaline from two complexly-zoned rare element pegmatites has been studied to gain insights into the processes by which the pegmatites were formed. Two locations in the Oxford Pegmatite Field of western Maine, U.S.A., were chosen for this study: Black Mountain, an isolated body located in sillimanite zone, highly sulfidic metapelites and quartzite; and Mount Mica, which is bounded by schists and pegmatite and aplitic granite bodies commonly having gradational contacts with each other. At each locality, tourmaline was sampled from the surrounding country rocks into the contact and wall zones through to the …

When Equal Opportunity Meets Freedom Of Expression: Student-On-Student Sexual Harassment And The First Amendment In School, Kay P. Kindred

Scholarly Works

Sexual harassment can take a variety of forms. It can be verbal, nonverbal or physical. Often it takes the form of hateful and harassing speech. In the AAUW Survey, 76% of the girls and 56 % of the boys surveyed had been the target of sexual comments, jokes, gestures or looks. Even when the harassment includes physical contact of some nature, it is typically accompanied or preceded by verbal harassment. While school officials and parents look for solutions to these problems, courts are struggling with the questions as well. In recent years, the problem of student-on-student sexual harassment has found …

Trauma Stress Severity And Road Traffic Accidents: A Prospective Pilot Study Into 11 Causal Factors, Louise Horner-Baggs

School of Psychology Theses

Factors associated with the development of post traumatic stress symptomatology have frequently been reported in the literature over the last decade. However, of the empirical studies examining these factors, few have used appropriate methodological designs and most have examined one factor in isolation. This pilot study used a cross-lagged panel analysis design to investigate 11 factors previously identified in the literature as being causally related to the development of post traumatic stress symptomatology. The 11 factors investigated were: perceived controllability, perceived predictability, perceived threat, shattering and confirmation of core assumptions, causal attributions, supportive and unsupportive behaviour, peritraumatic dissociation and the …

An Exploratory Study Of Coping, Psychological Distress, Self-Esteem And Perceived Stress In Patients With Chronic Bowel Disorders, Georgina Cratchley

School of Psychology Theses

This study had 4 aims. The first aim was to explore the relationships between personal control and coping responses in patients with the chronic bowel disorders of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The second aim examined coping in IBS and IBD patients as a process, by focusing on a specific episode of their primary symptoms. The coping profiles of the IBS and IBD patients were compared to establish whether differences in coping between the 2 groups were present. The third aim examined differences between groups and tested for linear trends across IBS, IBD patients and Non-patient …

Using A Personal Construct Approach To Explore Quality Of Life Issues With People With Learning Disabilities, Claire Marie Boyes

School of Psychology Theses

While an agreed definition of quality of life rennains elusive, research into the quality of life of people with learning disabilities has developed significantly. Following a discussion of this work, the author argues that these assessment processes should be refocused towards the views of people with learning disabilities themselves, particularly given the idiosyncratic nature of the quality of life issue. This study explores the use of the Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) approach in assessing quality of life with people with learning disabilities.'Ideal'elements were introduced into repertory grid production to measure differences between ideal and actual situations. The results indicate the …

Themes And Issues In The Experience Of Child Survivor Friends, Katherine Jane Adolphus

School of Psychology Theses

This study was interested in the experience of adults who had been bereaved of close friends during childhood (aged 5-12 years). This was identified as an area that was both underresearched and of potential importance to mental health professionals. Six participants were recruited through newspaper articles and requests placed in G.P. surgeries. All of the participants met with the researcher for an open-ended, unstructured interview lasting between 1 and 11/2 hours. The interviews were explored using the qualitative approach of 'Interpretative Phenomenologjcal Analysis'. Several themes and issues emerged as important in the experience of child survivor friends. These themes were …

Theory Of Mind In Children With Autism: Is There A Need For Better Tests Of What They Know?, Alex Karen Proto

School of Psychology Theses

This research looked at the ability of children with autism to understand theory of mind. This is the ability to attribute mental states (e.g. believing, thinking, knowing etc.) to oneself and to others. The main aim of the study was to provide evidence, contrary to a large body of previous research, that individuals with autism can exhibit a theory of mind, when the standard tests used in the past are simplified for this population. A further aim of the study was to show that language ability is significant in terms of theory of mind task performance. It was hypothesised, because …

Emotion Processing In Alzheimer's Disease: The Clinical Implications, Shirley Ann Radford

School of Psychology Theses

The purpose of this study is to extend the literature on recognition and identification of non-verbal communicative signals of emotion in those suffering from Alzheimer's disease. To date, there have been few studies in this area, yet emotion processing deficits may have an important effect on the quality of life of Alzheimer's patients and their families. The experimental condition consisted of a set of tasks involving face and prosody discrimination problems in which participants were asked to choose between a number of stimuli presented on cards (facial cues) or on audio-tape (prosody cues). In addition, a measure of general cognitive …

The Knowledge Of Dementia Among Nursing Staff Working In Special Care Units, Julia M. Gray

Theses

Dementia is a growing concern among the elder population. Special Care Units in long-term settings are becoming common placements for elders with dementia. The nursing staff within Special Care Units ideally have additional training in dementia. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the knowledge of dementia among nursing staff working in Special Care Units.

The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction And Caregiver Burden In Female Social Workers Who Care For An Elderly Relative, Joanne K. Kerns

Theses

This study examined the relationship between job satisfaction and caregiver burden in 29 female social workers employed full time at the Missouri Division of Family Services in St. Louis County. Because of multiple caregiving roles experienced by social workers who also care for an elderly relative, it was hypothesized that there would be a significant negative correlation between job satisfaction and caregiver burden. The Caregiver Burden Scale developed by Zarit, Reever, and Bach-Peterson was used to determine caregiver burden. Job satisfaction was determined by Holland and Guttfredson' s Career Attitudes and Strategies Inventory Job Satisfaction scale. No correlation was found …

The Rural Older Adult Population And Transportation Services, Penny L. Isenmann

Theses

OAT . incorporated provide transportation service throughout the state of Missouri. OATS initially began serving the rural population of older adults. OATS now provides transportation for non-emergency Medicaid patients. Head Start, and other organizations.

Demographics, mobility, gender differences, normal age related changes. cognitive and physical impairments and disabilities are discussed in relation with driving and mobility needs Transportation affects all aspects of the older adult's life.

The White House Conference on Aging and the OIder Americans Act were influential in legislation which began funding transportation services tor older adults. Federal. state and local governments. and private agencies are responsible for …

Reading The Wound: Wollstonecraft’S The Wrongs Of Woman, Or Maria And Trauma Theory, Diane Hoeveler

English Faculty Research and Publications

Discusses the theory of trauma presented in Mary Wollstonecraft's novel 'Wrongs of Woman, Or Maria.' How the novel was both personally therapeutic for the author and historically significant for what it reveals about women's lives under patriarchy; The repeated dissection of Wollstonecraft's wounds which stem from sexual betrayal; The character of Maria as a representation of the psychological and sexual abuses that wound all women.

Description Of Non-Precision In Experimental Field Scores, Adedapo Odulaja

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Visual assessments are usually carried out on crop experimental plots with different treatments in order to determine the level of some factor, such as disease or pest infestation and damage, which are scored for incidence or severity using a pre-determined range of scores. Real data collected in the form of scores on experimental fields are usually non-precise. This non-precision may be due to the scorer's inconsistency and judgmental error. It may also be due to the apparent interdependency of the scores, since a scorer will naturally compare the score of previous plots in order to determine the score of the …

Spatial Distribution And Habitat Characterization Of Anopheline Mosquito Larvae In Western Kenya, Noboru Minakawa, Clifford M. Mutero, John I. Githure, John C. Beier, Guiyun Yan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Studies were conducted to characterize larval habitats of anopheline mosquitoes and to analyze spatial heterogeneity of mosquito species in the Suba District of western Kenya. A total of 128 aquatic habitats containing mosquito larvae were sampled, and 2,209 anopheline and 10,538 culicine larvae were collected. The habitats were characterized based on size, pH, distance to the nearest house and to the shore of Lake Victoria, coverage of canopy, surface debris, algae and emergent plants, turbidity, substrate, and habitat types. Microscopic identification of third and fourth-instar anopheline larvae did not yield any Anopheles funestus or other anophelines. A total of 829 …

Development Of Odour-Baited Traps For Glossina Swynnertoni (Diptera: Glossinidae), P. N. Ndegwa, S. Mihok

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Three new prototype traps, (S1-S3), were developed during studies of the behavioural ecology of Glossina swynnertoni Austen in Kenya and Tanzania. The traps were compared in latin square experiments relative to the regular biconical trap as a standard and a selection of other conventional tsetse traps. Observations were also made on fly behaviour in the vicinity of traps using electric nets and sticky materials. When baited with acetone and 1-octen-3-ol, the S1 trap was 3.5 times as effective in catching G. swynnertoni in Kenya as the biconical trap. In Tanzania, the relative performance of the S1 and biconical traps differed; …

A Comparison Of Self-Esteem In Stepfather And Nuclear Family Children, Nancy Briggs Collins

Theses

Not available.

American Comedy Film As Mass Communication: The Audience Experience, Amy Ealy

Theses

Many American audiences have enjoyed comedy films throughout much of the twentieth century. In years past, some visited motion picture theaters on a weekly basis; today many audiences continue to enjoy comedy films. Given the numerous daily conversations that revolve around films, it seems that many viewers may learn about and remember the comedies they see. Besides the entertainment that comedy films provide, comedies may also teach audiences.

This culminating project is designed to discuss the communication of American comedy films with audiences. It will introduce various types of comedy and certain comedy actors. In addition, it will note literature …

Steel Bridge Protection Policy: Metalization Of Steel Bridges: Research And Practice, Luh M. Chang, Tarek Zayed, Jon D. Fricker

JTRP Technical Reports

The study identifies various painting systems that are successfully used in Indiana’s surrounding states and other industries. The identified systems are further screened and evaluated. After prudently comparing INDOT’s inorganic zinc / vinyl system with the waterborne acrylic system, the moisture cure urethane coating system, and the 3-coat system of zinc-epoxy-urethane, the results show that the new 3-coat system fulfills INDOT’s needs with the most benefits. Therefore, the 3-coat system is recommended to replace INDOT present inorganic zinc / vinyl system. To deal with the problems facing the lead-based paint, a comparison between full-removal and over-coating alternatives is made. Results …

The Relationship Between Self-Esteem. Locus Of Control, And Gender Among College Athletes, Rhonda J. Kane

Theses

Studies have shown that female athletes can have lower self-esteem than male athletes as they deal with the challenges and issues that arise as they progress through adolescence and become young adults. Researchers have implicated the gender socialization process which places the role of the female athlete in direct conflict with traditional female roles. This casual-comparative study examined differences in self-esteem and locus of control between female athletes and male athletes. Forty-three females and thirty-two males completed the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and the Levenson Locus of Control, I, P & C Scales. The results suggest the self-esteem of female college …

Freedom Of The Press In Democratic Countries, Chiao-Yen Lin

Theses

Ever since freedom of the press was established along with the democratic system, how much limitation to impose on free press has been an arguable issue. This study discusses freedom of press from authoritarian to libertarian systems. Free press indeed is an inalienable right in democracy; however, the imperfections under liberalism and capitalism need to be attended and reviewed. The purpose in this study is to develop guidelines to retain respectable journalism and to elevate the ethics of the press.

Research cases relative to the most common problem-invasion of privacy-establish one area of irresponsibility of the press in the contemporary …

Concerns Of Gifted High School Students Related To Their Giftedness, Donna P. Spiegel

Theses

Adolescence is a time of change and uncertainty. Adolescents strive for belonging and acceptance while concurrently seeking a unique identity. Research on gifted adolescents demonstrates that as a group, they exhibit good psychosocial adjustment. Other research contends that being both gifted and adolescent may make some, vulnerable to certain difficulties. This study uses an author- designed survey to examine the concerns of 63 gifted high school students from four school districts in suburban St. Louis. Survey items reflect concerns expressed in the literature and are clustered into areas of concern: existential concerns, internal conflicts, school/academics, expectations of others, perfection/fear of …

How To Use Marketing Strategy And Communication For Rekindling A New Life Of The Old Street, Chao-Wang Wang

Theses

History is the record of a community or culture in its past life. It symbolizes the continuation of our lives. Different areas nurtured different cultures and these cultures represent different peoples' ways of life and particular values. Not only does history provide evidence for us to trace and explore our ancestors' footprints, it also gives a blueprint for us to learn lessons and experiences so that we may be able to avoid quarrels and wars, and to create a peaceful world. Therefore history and culture has the functionality of carrying on the heritage to provide a way for the future …

Droffice(Sm) A Physician Support Service Company For The Physician And Physician's Family (The Reengineered Physician's Practice), William K. Sullivan

Theses

This thesis is the culminating project of years of study, experience, and research focused upon a business plan to create a company which would provide physician support services not only for the physician's office but also for the physician's family.

The sudden emergence in the 1990's of several for-profit, publicly traded physician practice management companies (PPMCs) and local management services organizations (MSOs) highlighted the plight of the present physician's office as a small business overrun by regulation, managed care encroachment, financial stresses, and technological advancements. As Wall Street and Main Street eventually learned, PPMCs and MSOs were not the solutions …

A Factual Review Of How Nursing Homes Are Accommodating The Elderly With Mental Illness, Martha L. Straughter

Theses

Thanks to improved drugs, diet and medical treatment, America's population is living longer than ever. While this is certainly a good occurrence, there are problems arising from it. Experts are seeing that many of these elderly people have a variety of mental illnesses. These illnesses have either been with the individual since youth, are the result of a deteriorating mind. State hospitals and other mental health facilities are unable to provide continuous, long-term care for the large number of elderly affected with these unfortunate illnesses.

This thesis will address this complex, ever-growing, issue in three parts by identifying and defining …