Digital Commons Network^™

Student Victimization And Its Relation To School Violence, Heidi Gregoire

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The frequent depiction of school violence in the media today has led some to believe that violence in our schools is an increasing problem. Those who are most prone to be influenced by the media’s perception of school violence may include those most affected by school violence such as parents, educators, and students. This influence may increase parents’ concerns about sending their children to school, and create a fear of going to school on a daily basis in educators and students. Despite such fears, research suggests that school violence is, in fact, decreasing, at least with regard to school shootings. …

Examination Of Iv Antibiotic Use And Length Of Stay In Community-Acquired Pneumonia Patients, Shane Hammock

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between IV antibiotic administration and the length of stay for patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Research demonstrates that pneumonia is a large economic burden to acute care facilities across the United States. An ex post facto design was used to examine the difference in lengths of stay (LOS) for two groups of patients diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia in the Appalachian region. The first group received IV antibiotic therapy at or within 8 hours of arrival to the hospital. The second group received IV antibiotic therapy after 8 hours of arrival to …

Genomic Diversity Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa In Cystic Fibrosis, Nathaniel Edwards Head

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common environmental microorganism. However, it has the genetic capacity to cause diseases in patients with compromised host defense systems. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the major hereditary diseases among Caucasian populations. CF patients are born with a defective chloride channel that is responsible for maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance across the lumen of the lung. This imbalance leads to the production of an abnormal dehydrated viscous mucous, prohibiting the patient from normally clearing the respiratory airway. Chronic pulmonary infections with P. aeruginosa are the major causes of high morbidity and mortality in CF. Two of …

An Investigation Of The Prevalence Of Disordered Eating Behaviors In Dietetic Students, Brandi Elizabeth Hicks

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Eating disorders are a debilitating mental illness that affects young people including those in the field of dietetics. Literature suggests that dietetic students have a higher prevalence of eating disorders than other students. Seventy-seven college student in Southern West Virginia enrolled in either dietetics or another major were included in a sample to determine if dietetic students have higher prevalence of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. The participants completed a survey that included a general information section, a 26-item questionnaire concerning eating attitudes, and a behavioral information section. Upon completion of data collection, the survey was coded, and data was …

Taking A Step Back: An Analysis Of The Unresolved Core Issue Of Constitutional Validity In The Campaign Finance Reform Debate, Scot A. Ginther

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Thesis Statement

Congressional attempts to enact reform in the financing of political campaigns may unavoidably violate the First Amendment2 to the United States Constitution and its guarantees of freedom of speech and association. As a result, the core issue that must be resolved in the campaign finance reform debate is whether campaign finance reform is unavoidably unconstitutional. and opponents (anti-reformists)4 of campaign finance reform have been engaging in an extended ad hoc debate over reform measures without adequately confronting the critical core issue that continues to prevent key reform measures from being adopted: does the First Amendment prohibit campaign finance …

Isokinetic Dynamometer Versus A Multi-Axial Stability Platform In The Proprioception And Strength Training Of The Peroneal Muscle Group, Eric Johnson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Ankle injuries are the most common and frequent occurring injuries in sports today (Feuerbach, Grabiner & Koh, 1994). Ankle sprains usually occur in athletes that are participating in running or jumping activities. Injuries to the ankle joint represent about 20% of all sports related injuries, and 15% of all time lost injuries (Payne, Berg, & Latin, 1997). The majority of the sprains to the ankle occur to the lateral ligamentous structures due to the forcefully plantar flexion and inversion of the talocrural joint. This inversion mechanism accounts for 85% of all ankle sprains (Kinzey, Ingersoll, & Knight, 1997). Often after …

Race Vs. Threat: How Teens Perceive Violence As A Function Of Race, Corey R. Layne

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The relationship between race students’ perceptions of threat was examined using an examiner-made questionnaire with WV 6th, 9th, and 12th grade students. Eleven ambiguous scenarios and eight demographic questions were rated to measure the level of threat perceived by subjects. The results indicated that both Minority and Caucasian students found both black and white students the threatening.

Factors Influencing Spatial Variability In Soil Nitrogen (N) Dynamics In N-Treated And Untreated Watersheds Of The Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia, Nikki Lenore Lyttle

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The central Appalachian region of the United States receives some of the highest inputs of nitrogen (N) due to acidic deposition in the nation. It is believed that these high could levels contribute to a decline in forest soils within the next 50 to 70 yrs. This study examines factors that influence spatial variability in N-treated and untreated watersheds of the Fernow Experimental Forest, Parsons, West Virginia. Within each of the two watersheds [WS4 untreated control, > 100 yr.; WS3 N-treated, acidified, clear cut, ~ 31 yr.], two 0.04 ha plots, one high N and one low N, were selected for …

The Conners' Continuous Performance Test, Karrie Mace

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the Connors’ Continuous Performance Test (CPT). The CPT purports to measure levels of vigilance or attention. This test is administered by computer.

Fifty children from a summer school program were individually administered the CPT. A univariate analysis of variance was completed using previous diagnosis of ADHD, gender, and age. A logistic regression was also completed using gender, age, and total score. No significant difference was found.

Methods Development For The Identification Of Unknown Proteins, Laura Brumfield Neal

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The chemistry of transport, storage, energy production, and reproduction in physiological systems is controlled by the actions and interactions of proteins. A species full complement of these amazing machines is often referred to as its proteome. The new science of proteomics utilizes a set of powerful and evolving tools to characterize the nature of the proteome, and further to fully elucidate the functional attributes of the proteins and their associations.

A methodology was developed by combining several proteomic techniques, such as electrophoresis, RP-HPLC, and mass spectrometry, to correctly identity proteins. Three known proteins (myoglobin, albumin, and actin) were employed for …

Gender And Parenting Stress Using Abidin's Parenting Stress Index, K. Penny Nicholls

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The effect of gender on parenting stress was studied on a sample of 56 parents at the time of custody disputes. Each pair of parents completed the Parenting Stress Index or the Parenting Stress Index/Short Form. Results were not significant when gender was matched to the total parent stress scores, indicating parent child stress was not associated with parent gender as was found in previous research.

Does The Black Church In West Virginia Speak With A Prophetic Voice?: A Sociological Analysis Of The Black Church As An Agent For Social Change, James Lewis Patterson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This research examines the function of the black church in African American Society in general, and its function in the African American community in West Virginia in particular. Determining what the black church sees as its overall mission is my primary concern. Specifically, the research examines the relationship between themes that emerge from black pastor’s personal ministry philosophies, and themes that appear in priestly ministry and prophetic ministry. Determining whether the black church views its primary mission as (priestly) caring for the spiritual needs of its congregation, or (prophetic) calling for changes in societal structures that foster oppression and racism …

A Study In Medieval Grief: A Modern Reader’S Interpretation Of The Pearl, Sumeeta Patnaik

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Death is an integral part of the life cycle and is perhaps the most dreaded and avoided issue in modem society. While our technologically advanced society has been able to delay death, it has not been able to avoid it. Death strikes indiscriminately and often without warning. Persons in medieval society also faced the inevitability of death, which despite the high mortality rate due to poor medical care and the recurrence of the plague, was not any easier to confront and understand. Throughout the centuries, individuals who lose friends and loved ones experience denial, rage and depression, which are all …

The Relationship Between The Perception Of School Violence And Gender In West Virginia, Nancy Price

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the perceptions of 659 students in the 6th, 9th, and 12th grades in three West Virginia counties. The students were given a survey that consisted of eleven scenarios. Each scenario suggested a potentially violent situation. The student participating in the survey was asked to rate each scenario on a 5-point Likert scale. Within the four versions of the survey, gender was alternated so that a different ratio of fear responses could be determined in relation to gender. The results of the responses of the actual male and female subjects in each scenario were examined. A two-way analysis …

Referral Source And Its Relationship With The Completion Of A 12-Week Intensive Outpatient Program And Continuing Care Program, Amber J. Rinehart

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Research suggests that employer referrals to addiction treatment facilities play a significant role in the completion of the treatment programs. Individuals who are coerced into treatment with the threat of the loss of their jobs are more likely to continue treatment. Since program completion is important for the long term process, length of time in treatment increases the likelihood the individual will remain abstinent (Miller, 1994). This particular study consists of an examination of a 12-Week Intensive Outpatient Program, followed by an optional, but highly recommend, Continuing Care Program. A statistically significant difference was determined to exist between the completion …

The Relationship Between Parent Education And Their Child’S Academic Readiness, S. Noelle Barton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between parents’ education level and their child’s academic readiness. The following research question was examined: Is there a relationship between the level of parents’ education and their child’s academic readiness? In this study, Marshall University Graduate College (MUGC) and West Virginia University (WVU) graduate students collected data from randomly selected children attending West Virginia Educare (WVE) sites. The results of this study indicated there was no significant correlation between parents’ education level and their child’s academic readiness, generally believed to be highly correlated. Conclusions and recommendations for future research …

A Site Specific Impact Study: Valley Fill Construction Impacts On Water Chemistry And Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages, Terry Morton Tomasek

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Downstream impacts of contour surface mining and valley fill construction were evaluated utilizing both water chemistry and EPA approved Rapid Bioassessment Protocol III. Wiley Branch was sampled in February of 1999 before mining perturbation. Five downstream stations were established with benthic macroinvertebrates and water samples collected seasonally for a period of sixteen months. Water chemistry parameters, pH, total aluminum, iron, and manganese, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, sulfates, alkalinity, acidity and specific conductivity fluctuated but generally remained within acceptable governmental limits. Initially, benthic macroinvertebrate communities were well balanced within the stream. There was a high abundance of EPT individuals …

Black Out-Migration From West Virginia In The Context Of Racial Discrimination In Employment In The Coal Industry: 1935-1955, Megan E. Cox

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This research assessed two major theories of black labor migration patterns, Marx’s theory of exploitation and Bonacich’s labor market segmentation. These theories have been applied to the coal producing counties of southern West Virginia. Institutional discrimination of black workers, coupled with the exploitation of coal miners in general, created the social relationship of super-exploitation.

This study investigated the conditions the coal companies utilized to aid and abet the exploitation of black workers and ultimately push black labor out of West Virginia. Also, this thesis examined the migration patterns of black workers into West Virginia from the failing southern agricultural industry …

Characterization And Regulation Of Skn-Directed Autoimmune Skin Lesions, Pamela Jane Staton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In the Skn model of autoimmunity, pathogenic T cells sensitized to Skn epidermal antigens (Skn-immune spleen cells or SIS cells) elicited disease in the form of skin lesions when adoptively transferred into shaved immunoincompetent syngeneic adult recipients (‘lesion-forming animals’) while concomitant injection of immunoregulatory normal spleen cells at twice the concentration (2 x normal spleen cells or 2XNS cells) of SIS cells significantly lessened lesion development (‘lesion-controlling animals’) by Day 7 post cell transfer. In a time-course RT-PCR cytokine analysis of skin from lesion-forming and lesion-controlling animals, IL-7 mRNA was significantly elevated in lesion-controlling skin on Day 7 while no …

Locus Of Control And Aggression, Glenna Anderson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The relationship between locus of control and aggression in children was investigated. Twenty-five students from grades 5 through 8 from a rural public school in southern West Virginia were involved in the research. The students - completed the Children’s Nowicki- Strickland Internal-External Locus of Control scale, and the students’ teachers completed the Conners’ Global Index for measuring psychopathology and hyperactivity. The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation was utilized to evaluate the relationship between the variables. Alpha was set at .05. There was no significant relationship between locus of control and aggression in the children. Research suggests that the expression of aggression is …

Control Over Nursing Practice And Job Satisfaction Among Registered Nurses: A Comparative Analysis, William Barnette

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of overall job satisfaction and control over nursing practice among telemetry and medical-surgical registered staff nurses. Also, to determine if there were significant differences between government and non-profit, community organizations in relation to job satisfaction and control over nursing practice.

The design for the study was a non-experimental, descriptive, cross-sectional approach. All participants received the Control Over Nursing Practice Questionnaire and the Overall Job Satisfaction Survey. The sample consisted of a total of 50 registered nurses. Twenty-five from a VAMC and 25 from a local non-profit hospital.

A significant association …

The Ability Of Cryotherapy To Effect Vertical Jump And Single-Legged Hop Test, Douglas W. Branch

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Cryotherapy is an important component in the management and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries that occur due to sports participation. Cryotherapy is described as the "therapeutic application of any substance to the body which results in the withdrawal of heat from the body" (Tsang, 1997). This cold modality is used initially when caring for injuries that are acute or chronic. The main reason for using cryotherapy in acute injury management is to lower the temperature of the injured tissue, which reduces the metabolic rate and helps the tissue to survive the period of hypoxia following an injury (Merrick, 1993). The effects …

Cognitive And Emotional Variables In Childhood Anxiety, Robin L. Browning

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Research was conducted on 60 subjects from mental health agencies in order to determine that childhood anxiety and depression can be differentiated. The 60 subjects were given the CDI and the RCMAS self-report measures in order to be placed in groups. This allowed the subjects to be divided into 4 groups: Anxious, Anxious/Depressed, Depressed and Not Anxious/Not Depressed. The 4 groups were then given 2 additional self-report measures, the STAIC and FSSC -R to measure whether Anxious and the Anxious/Depressed children exhibited more fears and anxious traits than did the Depressed and Not Anxious/Not Depressed children. Analyses of variance revealed …

Program Evaluation Of A School-Violence Project In Wv Schools, Charley Bowen

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Youth violence has been a major concern in every community in the United States. A group of educators, social service providers, law enforcement officials, mental health providers, and various interest groups in a small rural West Virginia County developed a plan to address the growing problem of violence among Lincoln County youth. In the fall of 1999, Lincoln County was awarded a three-year Federal Grant. The goal of the Lincoln Early Aggression Prevention Program was to develop and implement a program to increase the health and safety of Lincoln County Students. The county has also received a state grant (Drug …

The Relationship Between Parental Income And A Child's School Readiness Standard Composite Score As Measured By The Bracken Basic Concept Scale-Revised, Joy L. Black

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The current study was designed to determine if children from families with higher income levels would be better prepared to enter kindergarten than children from families with lower income levels. For this study, 54 children attending childcare centers funded by the West Virginia Educare Initiative were administered the standard School Readiness Composite (SRC) of the Bracken Basic Concept Scale-Revised (BBCS-R) and the parental questionnaire of the study protocol. It was determined that there was no significant relationship between parental income level and a child's SRC score on the BBCS-R.

The Relationship Between Social Skills And Language Acquisition In West Virginia, Stephanie Angel Childers

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The interaction between social skills and language acquisition has been a topic of interest in recent years. Current research has suggested children with social deficits are at increased risk for language problems, and vice versa (Gallegher, 1999). As part of the West Virginia Educare initiative, children ages two and a half to five years were randomly selected and individually evaluated using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Third Edition and the Carolina Curriculum for Preschoolers with Special Needs to assess language comprehension and social skills. A Pearson Product Moment correlation on 42 study participants yielded a correlation of -.083 with a significance …

Marshall Magazine Volume Ii 2001, Marshall University

Marshall Magazine

No abstract provided.

Marshall Magazine Volume I 2001, Marshall University

Marshall Magazine

No abstract provided.

Marshall Magazine Volume Iii 2001, Marshall University

Marshall Magazine

No abstract provided.

Microelectronics Process Engineering: A Non-Traditional Approach To Ms&E (Ingeniería De Procesos Microelectrónicos: Un Acercamiento No Tradicional A La Ciencia De Materiales E Ingeniería), E. Allen, Stacy H. Gleixner, G. Young, David W. Parent, Yasser Dessouky, L. Vanasupa

Faculty Publications

Materials Science and Engineering straddles the fence between engineering and science. In order to produce more work-ready undergraduates, we offer a new interdisciplinary program to educate materials engineers with a particular emphasis on microelectronics-related manufacturing. The bachelor's level curriculum in Microelectronics Process Engineering (J1ProE) is interdisciplinary, drawing from materials, chemical, electrical and industrial engineering programs and tied together with courses, internships and projects which integrate thin film processing with manufacturing control methods. Our graduates are prepared for entry level engineering jobs that require knowledge and experience in microelectronics-type fabrication and statistics applications in manufacturing engineering. They also go on to …