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2005

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Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy As A Diagnostic Tool For Coal Fines, I. Andrew Aurelio Dec 2005

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy As A Diagnostic Tool For Coal Fines, I. Andrew Aurelio

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is a technique that uses a laser, to focus down and atomize a sample of desired material. Focusing of the laser onto the material causes a plasma formation, which the material is broken down into excited ionic and atomic states. The atoms then emit characteristic optical radiation. Collection of the emitted light can be used to provide information on the elemental composition of the material. This research investigates a fundamental study of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) applied to coal samples, coal fines, and fly ash. During this research, apparatus and methodology were developed to quantify …

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Multiagent Autonomous Energy Management, Shilpa B. Ganesh Dec 2005

Multiagent Autonomous Energy Management, Shilpa B. Ganesh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this thesis is to design distributed software agents for reliable operation of integrated electric power systems of modern electric warships. The automatic reconfiguration of electric shipboard power systems is an important step toward improved fight-through and self-healing capabilities of naval warships. The improvements are conceptualized by redesigning the electric power system and its controls. This research focuses on a new scheme for an energy management system in the form of distributed control/software agents. Multiagent systems provide an ideal level of abstraction for modeling complex applications where distributed and heterogeneous entities need to cooperate to achieve a common …

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Development Of A Vehicle Road Load Model For Ecu Broadcast Power Verification In On-Road Emissions Testing, Nathan A. Moynahan Dec 2005

Development Of A Vehicle Road Load Model For Ecu Broadcast Power Verification In On-Road Emissions Testing, Nathan A. Moynahan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

West Virginia University (WVU) has become an industry leader in heavy-duty emissions testing and is continuously improving and updating their testing goals, procedures, and quality. As emissions testing is conducted at WVU in a real-world, on-road environment, engine parameter values are read through the test vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU) and recorded for use in data reductions. One significant value that is recorded by the WVU emissions measurement system is the ECU engine power output. Theses values are recorded and used to report vehicle's brake specific emissions values over a prescribed open-road test route. Because of the fact that the …

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Ensemble Learning For Ranking Interesting Attributes, Erik W. Sinsel Dec 2005

Ensemble Learning For Ranking Interesting Attributes, Erik W. Sinsel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Machine learning knowledge representations, such as decision trees; are often incomprehensible to humans. They can also contain errors specific to the representation type and the data used to generate them. By combining larger; less comprehensible decision trees, it is possible to increase their accuracy as an ensemble compared to the best individual tree. The thesis examines an ensemble learning technique and presents a unique knowledge elicitation technique which produces an ordered ranking of attributes by their importance in leading to more desirable classifications. The technique compares full branches of decision trees, finding the set difference of shared attributes. The combination …

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Investigation Of Internal Fluid Pressure In Cells, Jayendran Srinivasan Dec 2005

Investigation Of Internal Fluid Pressure In Cells, Jayendran Srinivasan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Articular cartilage is a connective tissue that covers the ends of bones in joints, providing a nearly frictionless bearing surface for efficiently transmitting loads to the underlying joint. It is made up of specialized cells called chondrocytes that are responsible for its growth and maintenance. Studies indicate that cells remodel the tissue in response to mechanical loading. However the mechanism by which cells sense and respond to mechanical signals is poorly understood.;Studies also suggest the presence of internal fluid pressure in cells and change in this fluid pressure is believed to play a role in cellular mechanical signal transduction. This …

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Efficacy Of Compost Amendments And Extracts In The Control Of Foliar Disease In Organic Tomato Production, William Kraft Murray Dec 2005

Efficacy Of Compost Amendments And Extracts In The Control Of Foliar Disease In Organic Tomato Production, William Kraft Murray

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Aerated and nonaerated compost tea extracts (CT) prepared from seven composts were applied to two tomato cultivars in greenhouse experiments. CT from hay compost significantly decreased early blight disease severity compared to the control in one experiment. Mushroom CT increased disease severity in most experiments. The cultivar 'Brandywine' had significantly higher disease severity (P=0.0001) than 'WV '63'.;In a compost rate field experiment, disease severity was lower in the control and compost at 10 and 20 tons/acre treatments than at 2.5 and 5 tons/acre.;In a second field experiment, yield and early blight disease severity varied significantly among composts from varied feedstocks …

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Properties And Acid Risk Assessment Of Soils In Two Parts Of The Cherry River Watershed, West Virginia, Cara L. Sponaugle Dec 2005

Properties And Acid Risk Assessment Of Soils In Two Parts Of The Cherry River Watershed, West Virginia, Cara L. Sponaugle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Cherry River watershed project area is underlain by acid-forming geology. The objectives of this study were to determine the physical and chemical properties of the soils, classify the soils, and to assess the acid risk to the forests. Sixty-seven soil pedons were sampled by horizon across six landscape positions and the soil samples were analyzed. The soils of the watershed were all acid. The east area soils were more acid than the west area soils. The shoulder soils showed the highest risk and the floodplain soils showed the lowest risk of forest productivity decline. While both areas showed high …

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Parents' Perceptions Of The Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet For Their Children With Autism, Annette Puglisi Dec 2005

Parents' Perceptions Of The Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet For Their Children With Autism, Annette Puglisi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the factors that affected parent's decision for putting their autistic children on a gluten free casein free diet (gfcf diet). Parents completed a fifteen question survey relating to multiple factors affecting their lives while having their children on a gfcf diet. In addition, parents were asked to fill out a three day diet history for their child for a nutrient analysis.;Fifty three surveys (21%) and ten diet histories were returned. The majority of parents first heard of the gfcf diet either on the Internet (28%) or from Parent Magazine (32%). Desperation (25%) was the main reason parents …

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Thermal Stresses In The Superstructure Of Integral Abutment Bridges, Kevyn C. Mcbride Dec 2005

Thermal Stresses In The Superstructure Of Integral Abutment Bridges, Kevyn C. Mcbride

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Integral abutment bridges (IAB) have become a popular alternative to expansion joint bridges mainly due to their lower maintenance and repair costs. Although no specific guidelines exist for integral abutment bridge design, standards primarily used assume the volumetric changes of IAB under thermal loading occur free of constraint. This study examines the validity of this assumption and determines the effect of changing temperature on the state of stress in the superstructure of an IAB. The effect of changing thermal conditions on the Evansville Bridge in Preston County, West Virginia is investigated using an extensive bridge instrumentation system along with a …

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Evaluating Medication Utilization Patterns And Healthcare Outcomes In Patients Receiving Antipsychotics, Mariam K. Hassan Dec 2005

Evaluating Medication Utilization Patterns And Healthcare Outcomes In Patients Receiving Antipsychotics, Mariam K. Hassan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Several atypical antipsychotics have entered the market since the last decade. Evaluating the utilization patterns and overall cost savings generated by these expensive agents is becoming more important as their use continues to expand. Phase 1 of this study describes the patterns of antipsychotic utilization and its impact on total and mental health-related costs for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients in a state Medicaid program. Phase 2 of this study compares typical antipsychotics, risperidone, olanzapine, and quetiapine in terms of direct costs and utilization of healthcare services such as hospitalizations, emergency room visits, outpatient visits, psychiatric prescription use and antipsychotic …

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Functional Evaluation Of Cytochrome P450 2d6 Allelic Isoforms, Weiyan Zhang Dec 2005

Functional Evaluation Of Cytochrome P450 2d6 Allelic Isoforms, Weiyan Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Human CYP2D6 is one of the most important human P450s based on the number of its drug substrates. It shows an extensive genetic polymorphism that influences its expression and function. There are more than 80 different CYP2D6 alleles and allelic variants that have been identified in human. However, only a part of alleles have been characterized with respect to enzyme activity and substrate specificity. In the first project, three alleles CYP2D6*24 (1297L), CYP2D6*27 (E410K) and CYP2D6*26 (I369T) were constructed and expressed. The enzymatic activities were evaluated by the metabolic rates for dextromethorphan O-demethylation and N-demethylation; codeine O-demethylation and N-demethylation. For …

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Psychological Readiness: Is This Assessment Valuable To Athletic Trainers In Understanding Athletes' Adherence And Compliance, Damien Clement Dec 2005

Psychological Readiness: Is This Assessment Valuable To Athletic Trainers In Understanding Athletes' Adherence And Compliance, Damien Clement

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite the many documented psychological reactions athletes experiences as a result of athletic injuries, very little, if any psychological assessment is being done to evaluate their readiness to embark on their rehabilitation. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to determine if psychological readiness influences athletes' adherence and compliance to their rehabilitation programs. A secondary purpose was to determine the impact psychological readiness had on perceived versus actual completion rates of rehabilitation programs. Injured college student athletes' (N=70) psychological readiness were assessed (using the transtheoretical model of behavior change 10) to determine its effect on compliance, adherence rates and perceived …

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The Behavioral Functions Of Stimuli Signaling Transitions Across Rich And Lean Schedules Of Reinforcement, Jessica B. Long Dec 2005

The Behavioral Functions Of Stimuli Signaling Transitions Across Rich And Lean Schedules Of Reinforcement, Jessica B. Long

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present experiment was designed to assess whether stimuli correlated with rich and lean fixed-ratio schedule components would function as conditioned reinforcers and conditioned punishers, respectively. Pigeons responded on a mixed schedule with fixed-ratio components leading to large or small food reinforcers. Pecks on either of two observing keys converted the mixed schedule to a multiple schedule by turning on a color associated with the current component. The stimulus consequences of the observing responses were manipulated across conditions. Pecks on one observing key produced the rich stimulus and the lean stimulus whereas pecks on the other observing key produced only …

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Asian Indian Perceptions Of Normality: A Qualitative Study, Mohammed S. Lodhi Khan Dec 2005

Asian Indian Perceptions Of Normality: A Qualitative Study, Mohammed S. Lodhi Khan

Theses and Dissertations

Normal mental health has always been defined from a Euro-centric worldview that excludes non-Westem cultures. In fact, what is normal is biased against non-Westem cultural ideals that influenced the definition of mental health. The difference between Eastern and Western cultural values suggest that the two cultures may also have differing views on the definition of normal mental health. The most commonly accepted definition of normality currently in use in the West is based on the models of health, utopia, average, transactional systems, and pragmatism. However, people from non-European cultures, such as Asian Indians, may not be represented by these current …

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Variations In Races Of The Honeybee Apis Mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) In Kenya, S. K. Raina, D. M. Kimbu Dec 2005

Variations In Races Of The Honeybee Apis Mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) In Kenya, S. K. Raina, D. M. Kimbu

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The three races of the honeybee Apis mellifera Linnaeus in Kenya (A. m. scutellata, A. m. monticola and A. m. litorea) differ from each other with respect to size, cubital index and abdominal colour banding pattern. These differences were used to assess the extent of interbreeding and hybridization between the races. This was verified on the basis of selected morphometric traits. Bee samples were collected from traditional log hives in seven geographical locations throughout Kenya ranging from lowland Mombasa in the coastal region to the highland Kinangop ranges. The length and width of the right forewing, length of proboscis, right …

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The Economic Impact Of Nonprofit Organizations In New Mexico, Jeffrey Mitchell Dec 2005

The Economic Impact Of Nonprofit Organizations In New Mexico, Jeffrey Mitchell

BBER Publications

Nonprofit organizations make a substantial contribution to the quality of life and economic well-being of New Mexicans. These organizations provide health care, social and educational services, advocate for social and environmental change, support businesses and communities, conduct research, support the arts and other cultural activities, and provide credit and basic utilities where the market does not. This report provides information on and analysis of the size, composition and geographic distribution of paid employment by the nonprofit sector in New Mexico for the year 2003.

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Change Leader Career Development: The Interplay Of Social Capital\, Sponsorship And Self Identity During Planned Organizational Change, Zara F. Larsen Dec 2005

Change Leader Career Development: The Interplay Of Social Capital\, Sponsorship And Self Identity During Planned Organizational Change, Zara F. Larsen

Student Scholarship

This paper describes how in absence of strong sponsorship and often regardless of project outcome\, leaders of high impact corporate change initiatives must simultaneously develop bonding social capital to become sustainable members of the enterprise’s leadership team. This particularly holds for executives brought in from outside the firm to lead change. We present the findings of a qualitative research study of 42 projects led by 30 executive leaders from a diverse portfolio of primarily manufacturing companies\, leaders who were either Insiders (those established within their firms) or Outsiders (leaders brought in as fulltime employees from outside the firm specifically to …

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The Rx For Electronic Health Care Records: Time, Not Incentives, Edward W. Wright Dec 2005

The Rx For Electronic Health Care Records: Time, Not Incentives, Edward W. Wright

Student Scholarship

Despite promotion as a national objective, information technology remains relatively underutilized in US healthcare. To better understand this reluctance by physicians to implement technology that will arguably improve the efficiency and effectiveness of American healthcare, we studied fifteen family medical practices - interviewing decision makers about the adoption of electronic health record systems. A resulting conceptual model provides a pragmatic explanation of the variables that influence adoption. Prior adoption theories that rely upon intention to use as a predictor of adoption proved inadequate to our purpose. These theories tend to ignore the decision to acquire technology--the heart of the EHR …

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The Return Of The Ring: Welfare Reform’S Marriage Cure As The Revival Of Post-Bellum Control, Angela Onwuachi-Willig Dec 2005

The Return Of The Ring: Welfare Reform’S Marriage Cure As The Revival Of Post-Bellum Control, Angela Onwuachi-Willig

Faculty Scholarship

In 1996, the United States Congress began its imposition of a marital solution to poverty when it enacted the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act ("PRWORA"). Nearly ten years later, Congress has strengthened its commitment to marriage as a cure for welfare dependency with proposals such as the Personal Responsibility, Work, and Family Promotion Act of 2005. If passed, this bill would provide 1.5 billion dollars for pro-marriage programs and require each state to explain how its welfare program will encourage marriage for single mothers who receive public aid. With these proposals, Congress has continued to construct poverty as …

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Simulation For Evaluating The Usability Of Integrated Flight Decks, Troy Ricardo Weeks Dec 2005

Simulation For Evaluating The Usability Of Integrated Flight Decks, Troy Ricardo Weeks

Theses and Dissertations

There is a modern revolution of pilot interface designs as technological advancements force industrial progress in general aviation (GA). Recent accident statistics and safety reports indicate that computerized flight decks in Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA) present novel safety hazards. Little empirical data have been used to measure the usability of integrated flight decks due to the complexity and time-consuming nature of flight data assessment. The objectives of this thesis are (1) to describe the human factors issues that are induced by the design of the integrated flight deck, (2) to demonstrate the evaluative capabilities of a TAA flight simulator, and …

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Title Vii Disparate Impact Suits Against State Governments After Hibbs And Lane, Claude Platton Dec 2005

Title Vii Disparate Impact Suits Against State Governments After Hibbs And Lane, Claude Platton

Duke Law Journal

No abstract provided.

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Retrospective Review Of The Use Of Swan Ganz Catheters In Our Intensive Care Unit (Icu): A Short Report, Shahla Siddiqui Dec 2005

Retrospective Review Of The Use Of Swan Ganz Catheters In Our Intensive Care Unit (Icu): A Short Report, Shahla Siddiqui

Department of Anaesthesia

The widespread and often 'misuse' of the Swan Ganz (SG) or Pulmonary artery catheter has often been seen in intensive care patients. The objective of this preliminary review was to observe the trends and possibly formulate an association with outcome of the use of SG catheters as well as to determine the frequency of use and possible complications. The chart review of ten patients was carried out for the months of January and February 2004 in a retrospective manner. The incidence of SG catheter insertion was 12% per month on average. Nine out of 10 patients received the SG catheters …

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Ozone Forming Potential Of Exhaust Emissions From Heavy-Duty Diesel Engines, Ravi Kaklasaria Dec 2005

Ozone Forming Potential Of Exhaust Emissions From Heavy-Duty Diesel Engines, Ravi Kaklasaria

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research aimed at determining the effect of exhaust aftertreatment devices and ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel on the reactivity of exhaust emissions from heavy duty diesel (HDD) engines. Specifically, the objective of this research was to determine the effect of two diesel particulate filters: Engelhard DPX(TM) and Johnson Matthey CRT(TM), and two ULSD fuels, ECD and ECD1 on the ozone forming potential (OFP) of exhaust emissions from HDD engines. To achieve this objective, data was obtained from the "ECD Study" performed in the Spring 2001 to chemically characterize emissions from trucks and buses operating on the two test …

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Computer Aided Detection Of Defects In Frp Bridge Decks Using Infrared Thermography, Gajanan M. Lonkar Dec 2005

Computer Aided Detection Of Defects In Frp Bridge Decks Using Infrared Thermography, Gajanan M. Lonkar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research is to develop a turn-key system that is able to interface with the FLIR ThermaCAM S60 infrared camera and automatically capture and analyze defects in infrared images of FRP bridge decks. Infrared thermography is one of the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques that are being used to locate defects (debonds and delaminations) in bridge components. It is a rapid data collection and interpretation technique having high sensitivity and reliability. Analysis of infrared images by human interpretation is dependent on the users knowledge and hence introduces ambiguity in the defect detection process.;This thesis investigates the use of …

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Economic Evaluation Of Prophylactic Antiemetic Regimens For Prevention Of Chemotherapy -Induced Nausea And Vomiting (Cinv), Reema R. Mody Dec 2005

Economic Evaluation Of Prophylactic Antiemetic Regimens For Prevention Of Chemotherapy -Induced Nausea And Vomiting (Cinv), Reema R. Mody

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

New antiemetic agents, aprepitant and palonosetron have been approved for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). The objectives of the two phases of the study were: (1) to conduct cost-effectiveness analysis of antiemetic regimens for prevention of CINV in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) and in patients receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC) using decision models, and (2) to determine the monetary value of improved emesis control and conduct cost-benefit analysis of the new antiemetic regimens. Regimen A, one of the four antiemetic strategies included in the HEC decision model was a combination of aprepitant and the standard regimen …

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Combinatory Effects Of The Bioflavonoid Apigenin With Chemotherapeutic Drugs On Prostate, Colon, And Lung Cancer Cell Lines, Lesly Anne J. Lopez Dec 2005

Combinatory Effects Of The Bioflavonoid Apigenin With Chemotherapeutic Drugs On Prostate, Colon, And Lung Cancer Cell Lines, Lesly Anne J. Lopez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lung, prostate, and colon cancer are among the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Americans. Current chemotherapeutic regimens generally have toxic side effects leading to the death of normal cells. Polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds that can be found in fruits, vegetables and herbs. Apigenin is a polyphenolic compound that has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, apigenin was shown to inhibit the proliferation of several cancer cell lines. The combination of 15 uM apigenin and the chemotherapeutic drugs including doxorubicin, etoposide, mitomycin C, and 5-fluorouracil significantly decreased (P<0.05) the IC50 to inhibit the proliferation of prostate cancer cell lines PC-3 and DU-145 more than the chemotherapeutic drugs alone. Similarly, the addition of apigenin greatly enhanced the sensitivity of colon cancer cell lines HCT-116 and colo-205 and lung cancer lines A549 and H460 to doxorubicin, mitomycin C, 5-fluorouracil, and cisplatin. We analyzed sensitivity via cell death and cell proliferation assays.

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State Punishment And Private Prisons, Sharon Dolovich Dec 2005

State Punishment And Private Prisons, Sharon Dolovich

Duke Law Journal

To date, the debate over private prisons has focused largely on the relative efficiency of private prisons as compared to their publicly-run counterparts, and has assumed that, if private contractors can run the prisons for less money than the state without a drop in quality, then states should be willing to privatize. This "comparative efficiency" approach, however, has two significant problems. First, it is concerned exclusively with efficiency, despite the fact that the privatization of prisons arguably implicates more urgent values. Second, it accepts the current state of public prisons as an unproblematic baseline, thus failing to consider the possibility …

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Being Whole: Aligning Personhoods To Achieve Successful Childbirth With A History Of Childhood Sexual Abuse During Perinatal Services, Karla Kendall Richmond Phd, Msn, Rnc, Cns Dec 2005

Being Whole: Aligning Personhoods To Achieve Successful Childbirth With A History Of Childhood Sexual Abuse During Perinatal Services, Karla Kendall Richmond Phd, Msn, Rnc, Cns

Dissertations

Being a pregnant female is a temporary condition. A woman with a history of childhood sexual abuse aligns the personhoods of child victim, adult survivor and pregnant female to achieve a successful pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum experience. Female survivors desire to be recognized and function as whole being during the perinatal experience. It is estimated that 15 to 32 percent of females prior to the age of eighteen have unwanted sexual contact. Female survivors carry this history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) with them throughout their lives which may involve childbirth. There are many long-term psychological consequences that can …

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Alcalá View 2005 22.04, University Of San Diego Publications Office Dec 2005

Alcalá View 2005 22.04, University Of San Diego Publications Office

Alcalá View (1985-2006)

A Brand New Task Force Bolsters USD's Brand; Alisa Burke's Canvases Add Life to Manchester; USD Participants Walk the Talk; SEA Snippets; Task Force Members; Construction Corner; It's A Date! Party at the Plaza; Chapel Tour; Icons Exhibit; Alumni Mass; Feasts; Real Estate Conference; December Graduates Mass; Weight Watchers At Work; Milestones; Classifieds

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Fostering Total Wellness Through Peer Helping: Reflections On The Smu Experiences, Gilbert Tan, Timothy Hsi Dec 2005

Fostering Total Wellness Through Peer Helping: Reflections On The Smu Experiences, Gilbert Tan, Timothy Hsi

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Peer Helping is widely implemented in Colleges and Universities in the United States and Canada. Despite the popularity of these programs, very little has been researched on peer helping in the Asian context. This paper traces the theoretical foundations of peer helping and the nascent development of a peer helping program in the Singapore Management University and how this program has developed since the beginning of 2004. The initial focus of the program was based on the model of paraprofessional student counselors assisting their fellow peers through difficult moments in their lives. Over time, the program was fine-tuned to embrace …

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