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Integrating Smoking Cessation Into Daily Nursing Practice, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

This best practice guideline is intended to provide direction to nurses during daily practice in all care settings, both institutional and community. This guideline does not describe in-depth interventions for special populations such as youths, although the recommendations may also be applied to this group. This guideline contains recommendations for all Registered Nurses (RNs) and Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs). It is acknowledged that the individual competency of nurses varies between individuals and across categories of nursing professionals, and is based on knowledge, skills, attitudes and judgment, enhanced over time by experience and education.

Understanding Students' Motivation In Physical Education: Integration Of Expectancy-Value Model And Self-Efficacy Theory, Zan Gao

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to integrate the expectancy-value model of achievement choice and self-efficacy theory among middle school students, with the goal of better understanding students’ motivational beliefs and the factors that influence these beliefs. Three quantitative studies were conducted to address this purpose. In study 1, the expectancy-value model constructs (expectancy-related beliefs and subjective task values) and self-efficacy theory constructs (self-efficacy and outcome expectancy) were measured in a sample of 225 students and were used to predict students’ in-class activity levels during a 2-week follow-up. Results of path analyses yielded that the hypothesized model fit the data …

Oil Bypassing By Water Invasion To Wells: Mechanisms And Remediation, Juan Carlos Hernandez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study addresses oil bypassing caused by water invasion to wells in edge and bottom water-drive oil reservoirs – a significant problem worldwide. It is shown that the amount of by-passed (not recovered) oil is significant and could be predicted analytically and reduced by modifying well’s completion. A large statistical sample from the population of possible reservoir-well systems with edge and bottom-water has been created theoretically using several databases of actual reservoirs properties worldwide. Dimensional analysis allowed converting reservoir properties distributions into dimensionless group distributions. Then, the amount of by-passed oil was correlated with the dimensionless groups using designed experiments …

The Depression Scale For Severe Disability: A Diagnostic Tool For The Assessment Of Depression In Adults With Severe And Profound Intellectual Disabilities, Christopher Cooper

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Depression Scale for Severe Disability(DEPRESSED) is a clinically and empirically derived informant-report behavioral rating scale designed to measure depression in persons with severe and profound intellectual disabilities by assessing behavioral symptoms of depression. Behavioral symptoms of depression and item and factor analyses were used to construct the scale resulting in a 20-item four-factor solution producing factors that were labeled "Sleep"(F1), "Mood"(F2), "Skills"(F3), and "Motor"(F4). The DEPRESSED identified the core symptoms of depression including mood, anhedonia, sleep, appetite, fatigue, and psychomotor agitation and retardation. Internal consistency, interrater and test-retest reliability of the DEPRESSED scale were excellent. The DEPRESSED also demonstrated …

"Yes They're Out There": A Qualitative Study On Strong African American Marriages, Katrina D. Hopkins-Williams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Much of the research that exists on Black marriage is usually from a deficit perspective and focuses on the decline of marriages among Black Americans. Even so, many Black families are marriage based and it is unfortunate that little research exists that focuses on understanding these families from a strength-based approach. It is important that we learn what constitutes the characteristics of strong Black marriages and families and learn how Black U.S. families differ from and are similar to Euro U.S. families. This study looked at the hows, whys, and processes of enduring and sustaining marriages in Black families. Black …

Summer Fallow And In-Crop Weed Management Programs In Sugarcane (Saccharum Spp. Hybrids): Control Of Perennial Weeds And Purple Nutsedge (Cyperus Rotundus L.) Interference, Luke Moss Etheredge, Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In fallowed sugarcane fields, perennial weeds and sugarcane regrowth must be controlled to maximize productivity of sugarcane in the first production year. Isopropylamine salt of glyphosate applied in April at 1.68 kg ai/ha to 15 cm sugarcane provided 85% control 28 d after treatment (DAT). Control of sugarcane 56 DAT with isopropylamine and potassium salt formulations of glyphosate averaged 83% for 1.12 kg/ha. Bermudagrass control with glyphosate at 1.12 kg/ha was 86% 40 DAT and increased to 98% with a sequential application at 1.12 kg/ha. In comparing various combinations of tillage and glyphosate in summer fallow programs, bermudagrass ground cover …

Vascular Function, Physical Performance And Aging, Devon Dobrosielski

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This is a series of three experiments with brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (BAFMD) as the major outcome variable. The first study examined the temporal response of the brachial artery diameter following forearm occlusion in sixteen young (28±8 years) and fifteen older (85±8 years) men. Following release of the pressure cuff there is a significant reduction in brachial diameter compared to baseline, followed by a rapid increase to a PEAK. When comparing the magnitude of the decrease in diameter and the BAFMD between Young and Old, older subjects demonstrated a blunted response. A significant relation was noted between the magnitude of …

Chemical Differences Of Atherosclerotic Plaques In Native And Bypass Human Coronary Arteries And Diseased And Non-Diseased Human Aortas, Samuel Jean Washington

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT Cardiovascular disease, primarily atherosclerosis involves a number of distinct processes that are associated with plaque development. The use of differential gel electrophoresis to determine differences between proteins produced in native and bypass coronary arteries from the same heart has been studied. The analytical techniques presented in this study to characterize plaque samples include two dimensional gel electrophoresis, sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, differential gel electrophoresis, and high performance liquid chromatography. An overview of the stages involved in atherosclerosis and the theories implicated in the manifestation of atherosclerosis was presented. A design study using the Box Behnken method …

Micro Injection Fuel/Air Premixer/Combustion, Jian Zhang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Lean premixed (LP) combustion has become the dominant industrial approach to reduce NOx emissions. Homogeneous mixing of lean fuel and air mixtures prevents the presence of undesirable localized regions of near-stoichiometric fuel/air mixtures, thereby allowing a reduction in thermal NOx. A new concept, a multi-point micro injection premixer, is presented in this dissertation. The multi-point micro injection premixer is a porous plate that provides a simple but extremely effective method to mix air and fuel. An array of fuel jets is injected in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the premixer plate into an oncoming counterflow stream of air. …

Nutrient Intake In College Students In A Midwestern Regional University Compared To The Recommended Dietary Guidelines, Rukmini Sen

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The prevalence of obesity is problematic in the United States. The objectives of the present study were to determine the extent of obesity in students studying at Eastern Michigan University and to evaluate their diet quality. Body Mass Index (BMI) of students (19-30 years, n=100) was measured from self-reported heights and weights as a benchmark of their weight category. Intakes of total energy (kilocalories), macronutrients and key micronutrients were assessed from three-day food diaries maintained by participants and compared with the Dietary Reference Intake Standards. Results indicated that 4% of EMU students were underweight, 52% were within a normal weight …

Controlling The Diastereoselectivity In The Microwave-Assisted Aza-Cope Rearrangement--Mannich Cyclization, Wesley A. Turley

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Developing A Rapid Method For Assessing The Physical Stability Of Streams In Minnesota's Agassiz Beach Ridges, Abigail V. Franklund

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis assessed the physical characteristics and stability of selected western Minnesota streams that cross the eastern beach ridges of glacial Lake Agassiz. Stream and river channels in this area host unusually diverse aquatic habitat and biodiversity, but incompatible land use along channels and in watersheds impair their quality and function. Previous rapid assessment protocols have been developed for stream attributes and stability, but these methods have been developed elsewhere in the United States and are not necessarily appropriate for western Minnesota’s unique geology and landscape.

A rapid reconnaissance method was developed to assess stream conditions using an integrated numerical …

The Documentation And Preservation Of Art-In-Architecture Of Michigan: The Section Of Fine Arts Projects, Cheryl Ann Chidester

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The Section of Fine Arts’ Art-in-Architecture program created public and permanent cultural artifacts that expressed and recorded American beliefs, values, and stories for future generations. Many of these artworks have been saved. Sadly, others have been neglected, mistreated, or forgotten. This project focuses on The Section’s post office art installations in Michigan. The Section of Fine Arts, one of FDR’s New Deal programs of the Depression era, operated under the auspices of the Treasury Department. The program utilized symbols of the common man to tie together a nation’s scattered and often isolated communities, to promote a common heritage and purpose, …

A Database Of Persons Convicted Of Felonies In Washtenaw County, Michigan, 1990-2007, Donald E. Shelton

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a database of information from Washtenaw County, Michigan, court records of approximately one-fourth of its convicted felons from 1990 to 2007. It includes 3,123 sentencing appearances for 3,992 crimes committed by 2,495 defendants. It includes 1126 probation violation resentencings for a total of 5,118 sentences. It contains demographics of defendants and the dynamics of their crimes and the sentencing process. Several official court reports in each case were examined.

Preliminary descriptive and frequency analyses are reported to describe the database in detail and lay the groundwork for future sophisticated regression and other analyses. Special attention is given …

Student Perceptions Of The Shift From Soft Drink Vending Machines To Milk Vending Machines In Schools, Jillian B. Trapini

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Soft drink vending machines are available in many schools across the nation. Some schools have recently removed soft drink vending machines and replaced them with milk vending machines. The purpose of this study was to investigate high school students’ (n = 84) perceptions of the shift from soft drink vending machines to milk vending machines in schools.

Students in this survey had an understanding of the importance of drinking milk, and students generally felt that purchasing milk from the lunch line was more convenient than from the vending machine. Students felt that the vending machine might contain warm, out of …

Membrane Fragmentation By A 20-29 Fragment Of Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide And Rat Amyloid Polypeptide, Shyamprasad Samisetti

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A key factor in the development of type II diabetes is the loss of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. The amyloidogenic human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide (hIAPP, also known as human amylin) is believed to play a crucial role in this biological process. Previous studies have shown that hIAPP forms small aggregates that kill β-cells by disrupting the cellular membrane. In this study we report membrane fragmentation by hIAPP20-29 and the rat version, rIAPP20-29, using solid-state NMR experiments on nanotube arrays of anodic aluminum oxide containing aligned phospholipid membranes.

31P NMR results suggest that membrane fragmentation by hIAPP is related to peptide …

Comparison Of Quality Of Life In Diabetics Using Insulin Injection Therapy Versus Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion Therapy, Katie Michele Reynolds

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this study was to determine the effectiveness of insulin delivered via multiple injections or by infusion via a pump on the quality of life in adult insulin-dependent diabetics. Four parameters, namely hemoglobin A1C (3 month average blood sugar levels), self-reported healthy eating habits demonstrated by consumption of 3 meals/3 snacks everyday, frequency of exercise of daily 30 min or longer duration and opinion of quality of life, were evaluated in patients receiving either insulin injections or infusion.

Pump users reported enhanced eating and exercise behaviors and feeling in good health, compared with patients receiving injections. In contrast, …

Synthesis Of An Isotopically Labelled Analog Of The Antimicrobial Peptide Ll-37, Rajesh Penumatcha

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

LL-37 is a cationic cathelin-associated broad spectrum antibiotic peptide of human neutrophils. Its mechanism of action is by disruption of the bacterial cell membrane structure. LL-21 is a simplified form of the peptide that contains only the core portion of LL-37, which retains antimicrobial activity and is easier to synthesize. We synthesized an 15N –Val-labeled LL-21 peptide which allows us to perform antimicrobial assays to know the antimicrobial activity of the new peptide LL-21 on various gram positive and gram negative bacteria. We found that our new peptide LL-21 shows good minimum inhibitory concentrations on various gram positive and gram …

Kinetic Studies Of The Hydrolysis Reactions Of Ruthenium (Iii) Complexes Him Trans-[Rucl₄(Im)₂] And Hind Trans-[Rucl₄(Ind)₂] By Uv-Visible Spectrophotometry, Pramod K. Nangunuri

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The ruthenium complexes have gained importance in cancer research in recent times, as several cancers have developed resistance towards platinum compounds. Platinum compounds have severe adverse effects that limited their use towards a wide range of tumors.

Ruthenium complexes are considered as pro-drugs, as they transform into antitumor active species in the body by hydrolysis, redox reactions, and reactions with biologically occurring nucleophiles. My project involved the synthesis of two ruthenium complexes with different ligands and the study of the hydrolysis reactions under different pH at room temperature using UV-visible spectrophotometry.

These studies will enable us to understand how structural …

A Redefined Feminine From Paleolithic To Twenty-First Century Through Children's Literature & Film, Pamela Dee Mccombs

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The intention of my critical discourse is to redefine the knowledge of the feminine that Western tradition, through “master narratives,” silenced, subverted, and deferred. My guidelines were drawn from the deconstruction of philosophical works by Jacques Derrida and redefined the unique circle of “Being and beings” to be not just God and man, but God, Goddess, and Human, the Goddess being the original feminine. I discovered the feminine beginning, through archaeomythologists Gimbutas, Dever, and Davis-Kimball, with the unearthing of female figurines, temple models, and warrior priestesses. I found examples of the feminine survival through the Dark Ages in Lithuanian Dainos …

Development Of A Microwave-Assisted Epoxide Aminolysis And Investigation Of The Aza-Cope Rearrangement--Mannich Cyclization For Alkaloid Synthesis, Brendan Roberto D'Souza

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

β-Amino alcohols are important organic compounds with numerous applications. Commonly β-amino alcohols are prepared by ring opening of epoxides using an amine nucleophile and a catalyst or promoter. Ring opening can take place by the SN1 pathway or the SN2 pathway, but no single catalyst or promoter consistently gives SN2 selectivity. Additionally, long reaction times are often required to obtain adequate yields. We have demonstrated that microwave heating reduces reaction times for the aminolysis of both reactive and unreactive, sterically hindered epoxides. These reactions were accomplished with various amines. In all cases, only one equivalent of amine and epoxide were …

Effect Of Counter Ion Concentration Added With Mixture Of Water And Ethylene Glycol On Krafft Temperature Of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate, Sateesh Krishna Chand Chundru

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Surfactants are amphiphilic organic compounds having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups. Surfactants in solution form aggregates known as micelles. The minimum temperature at which surfactants forms micelles is known as Krafft temperature. The Krafft temperature of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was measured at various counter ion concentrations in two solvent systems, water and 10% ethylene glycol. The Krafft temperature of sodium dodecyl sulfate increased in both water and 10% ethylene glycol with increasing counter ion concentration. The Krafft temperature of sodium dodecyl sulfate in 10% ethylene glycol was higher than the Krafft temperature of sodium dodecyl sulfate in water, at …

Synthesis And Solid State F-Nmr Studies On Fluorine-Labeled Antimicrobial Peptide Rk-21, Mahender Budarapu

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Antimicrobial peptides act against bacteria by binding non-specifically and disrupting their outer membrane. LL-37 is the only member of the cathelicidin group of antimicrobial peptides present in humans and shows a broad range of antimicrobial activity. RK-21 is a fragment of human antimicrobial peptide LL-37, which is α-helical, cationic and amphipathic in nature. RK-21 displays similar antimicrobial activity to LL- 37. In order to understand the mechanism of lipid bilayer disruption, fluorine-labeled antimicrobial peptide RK-21 was chemically synthesized and 19F-NMR studies were done. NMR studies were done at various peptide concentrations, on different lipid bilayer compositions and temperatures. 31P-NMR studies …

The Effect Of The Reducing Agent Triphenylphosphine On Arachidonic Acid Metabolism By Prostaglandin H2 Synthase, Lalini Ailaboina

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Prostaglandin H2 synthase (PGHS) catalyzes the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandin endoperoxide (PGH2), which is a precursor to a variety of prostaglandins that function as hormones. Gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry is employed to look for the novel products produced by reaction of triphenylphosphine with arachidonic acid prior to and during the PGHS reaction. Triphenylphosphine (TPP) is known to reduce hydro peroxides to alcohols and is used in the present study to ascertain the extent to which hydroperoxides in arachidonic acid preparations and in PGHS contribute to enzyme activity. Incubation of PGHS with arachidonic acid that was treated …

Personalization Efforts And The Relationship To School Climate In Select Michigan High Schools, Karl A. Pilar

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The American high school is on the verge of a reform movement like that seen in American middle schools throughout the early and mid-1990s. In 1996 the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) released its recommendations for reform in the study Breaking Ranks: Changing an American Institution. Among these are recommendations that call for high schools to become smaller, less bureaucratic, and more responsive to student needs, where students feel a sense of belonging. Hoy and Miskel (2001) defined school climate as a “relatively enduring quality of the school’s environment that is experienced by participants, affects their behavior, is …

African Americans' Perspectives On Racial Solidarity, Paula Thompson Ross

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the fundamental formulations that shape perspectives on racial solidarity among one group of African Americans. The perspectives gained in this study aid in understanding the existence, origin, and views toward the concept. In-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted with individuals from two generational cohorts: ages 18 to 30 (post-Civil Rights era) and ages 50 and older (Civil Rights era).

This study describes a process by which racial solidarity appears to have diminished among some African Americans. This transition seems to have occurred as a result of the deterioration of the traditional African American community, the acceptance of externally …

Influence Of Physical Training On Knee Valgus Motion And Physical Performance Abilities Among Adole[S]Cent Female Basketball Players, Shauhen Charles Tahrebandi

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The intent of this study was to determine if high school female basketball players participating in a physical training intervention (including a warm-up and plyometric, jump, flexibility, and strength training) would decrease valgus motion at the knee joint upon impact of a jump landing task. In addition, another aim of the investigation was to determine if the training routine would enhance physical performance factors associated with specific basketball skills (e.g., vertical jump and agility).

Twenty high school female basketball players, (experimental group n = 8, mean = 14.2 yrs; control group n = 12, mean = 14.3 yrs) were recruited …

The Prevalence Of High Risk Sexually Transmitted Disease Behaviors Among Homosexual College Students, Teofanes Q. Natavio

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Black Aesthetics In Children's Literature, Tammy Shonta Smith

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of my research is to show that although many African American children’s books have been used as “race texts” to give children insight into race relations of the past, many are important in that they preserve the Black dialect and encourage child activism and social change. Black aesthetics are most beneficial in that they educate children about not just race but about the African American oral tradition of Black dialect. They also provide children with a strong foundation in Black aesthetics, which prepares them for the higher forms of Black aesthetics found in African American adult literature. Not …

The Association Of Whole Grain Ontakes With The Metabolic Syndrome: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study Of Aging (Blsa), Janice Eileen Maras

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Background: Whole grains and their nutrient components have an important protective effect on the metabolic syndrome. Studies are needed to examine their bioactive components in relation to diet and the metabolic syndrome.

Objective: Our objective was to examine the associations between dietary intakes of whole grains and the metabolic syndrome.

Design: The study subjects were 1516 healthy men and women participating in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Dietary information was collected with 7-day food records, and estimates of whole grain intake were obtained from a newly developed database.

Results: A total of 17% (n = 251) of subjects met …