Digital Commons Network^™

Coping Methods Of Female Correctional Officers, Kathryn Flannery

Justice Studies Theses

A huge population increase has happened in the last 39 years for females working in the correctional field. Unfortunately, the research has barely kept up with such gender progress in the workforce. A much needed study on stress and the female correctional officer was conducted to evaluate three certain hypotheses: it is hypothesized that years of service are associated with different stress levels, that years of service is associated with different coping strategies, and that stress and coping are negatively related. Independent T-tests, multiple ANOVAs, and one-way ANOVAs found that there were not any correlational relationships for years in service …

In Vitro Studies With Lunar Dust Simulant/Lunar Dust In Calu-3 Human Lung Epithelial Cells, Tram Ngoc Cao

Theses (Pre-2016)

With the ongoing successes of space missions, greater pressure has been made into decoding the impact of space particulates and residue upon human pulmonary physiological responses. To date, lunar dust inhalation toxicity has been taken to be one of the more worrisome consequences of aeronautic travels; the primary reason being that much remains unknown about its potential harms and/or risks. Despite constant protocols to ensure that no undocumented crosstalk between space debris and Earth's atmosphere are occurring, the probability of space dust and other residual substances entering into the environment still remains high. A full understanding into the complete effects …

Effects Of Microgravity On The Growth Kinetics Of Aspergillus Nidulans, Robbyn Chavonne Barnett

Theses (Pre-2016)

N/A

Critical Realism In Conversation With Postmodern Theology, Science And Hermeneutics, Matthew J. Graham

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Western Rock Lobster Puerulus Workshop, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

P63 Expression In Randomized Odontogenic Cysts., Maryam Seyedmajidi, Shahryar Shafaee, Ensieh Shafigh, Ali Bijani, Hamid Hamidi

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To find out the immunohistochemical assessment of p63 expression in odontogenic cysts based on the differences among their clinical behaviors. METHODS: This study was carried out on 34 archival paraffin-embedded specimens of odontogenic cysts. We obtained the specimens from the Pathology Department of Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran from March 2003 to February 2008. The specimens comprised 12 dentigerous cysts, 9 radicular cysts, and 13 keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOTs). The immunohistochemical technique was performed using the Envision system for evaluation of p63 expression. RESULTS: The KCOT revealed the highest p63 expression and the differences between the 3 …

Treatment Planning For High Dose Rate Brachytherapy Of Cervical Cancer Based On Total Dose Constraints., Yasir A. Bahadur, Camelia T. Constantinescu, Ashraf H. Hassouna, Mohamed E. El-Sayed

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To compare the inverse planning optimization based on total dose constraints versus conventional treatment plan (point A planning method) for cervical carcinoma, and evaluate the benefit of CT-based image-guided brachytherapy. METHODS: We prospectively analyzed data of 10 consecutive patients with cervical cancer treated with external beam radiotherapy to the whole pelvis (45 Gy in 25 fractions) followed by high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy (21 Gy in 3 fractions). For treatment planning of HDR brachytherapy, the basic equations of the linear-quadratic model were used to calculate the physical dose for each brachytherapy fraction needed to achieve a given total iso-effective dose for …

Repair Of Large Abdominal Wall Defects Using The Proceed™ Surgical Mesh With Open Intra-Peritonium Onlay Method., Feide Liu, Jiye Li

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To report our experience with the use of Proceed™, Ethicon, Norderstedt, Germany surgical mesh in the management of large abdominal wall defects with the open intra-peritonium onlay method. METHODS: Thirty-six patients with large incisional hernia or defects resulting from tumor resection carried out at the Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, General Hospital of People9s Liberation Army, China between May 2007 and June 2010 were studied. The abdominal wall defect was repaired using Proceed™ mesh with the intra-peritonium onlay method. Different parameters were evaluated considering the complications such as seroma, hematoma, wound infection, mesh infection, chronic pain, …

Parental Struggles With Obtaining Services For Children With Special Needs, Regina Lynn Carr

Master's Theses

This thesis is an in-depth review of the literature addressing parental struggles, attitudes, and perceptions of barriers in obtaining services for young children with special needs. Researchers, policy makers, and educators need to be aware of how families identify and report their experiences with obtaining services for their young children. Service providers for young children and families with special needs must understand the perspective of the family in order to better serve the children and families. Implementations for future research, practice, and policy changes are discussed.

Testing The Utility Of The Consortium For The Barcoding Of Life's Two 'Agreed Upon' Plant Dna Barcodes, Matk And Rbcl, Iam Michael Cohen

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

DNA barcoding is the use of short standardized regions of DNA to identify unknown specimens to species. Currently, the zoological community has agreed that cytochrome oxidase I subunit 1 (COI), a mitochondrial gene region, will serve as the barcode region for all animal taxa. Due to oftentimes complicated evolutionary histories of plants, the plant barcoding community has had a much harder time agreeing on a gene region or regions that should be used to barcode the various land plant lineages. This is in large part due to poor reproductive barriers, which allows for chloroplast sharing between closely related species. In …

Exploring Individual And Organizational Level Antecedents Of Experienced Workplace Incivility, Sara Ann Terlicki

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The present research explored antecedents of experienced workplace incivility, specifically, the individual characteristics of agreeableness, negative affectivity, and emotional stability, and organizational (work) characteristics including social and contextual factors. Three competing models linking these antecedents to experienced workplace incivility were developed. One hundred seventy six participants were included in the final sample. Participants were recruited directly from companies and through an internet-based snowball sampling approach. Participants completed a questionnaire to assess experienced workplace incivility and dispositional individual and work characteristics. The results indicated that individual and work characteristics are important antecedents of experienced workplace incivility. However, work characteristics, specifically social …

How Do Teacher Qualifications Impact Student Achievement In Relation To The Achievement Model Established By The Mississippi Department Of Education?, Timothy Darren Holland

Dissertations

The following study was conducted in a six-county geographical region and involved teachers from various high schools that taught classes which were involved in the subject area testing program. Each participant taught one of the four state-mandated subject area classes that are tested to determine achievement levels and accreditation ratings for each high school.

The focus of the study was to collect information from each teacher regarding the qualifications they held during the 2009-2010 school year and to compare those qualifications with the mean scale score for each teacher’s subject area classes. The researcher focused on five separate teacher qualifications …

Teacher Professional Development And Its Effects On Reading Instruction, Kristen Lea Suarez

Dissertations

The world of education is an ever-evolving profession. We, as a society, have learned so much about education and how we can better benefit our students. Students depend on education to equip them with the tools needed to become successful. This dissertation addresses the need for and adequacy of today’s teacher professional development in Reading instruction and how that training can translate into more meaningful classroom education.

The writer surveyed elementary Reading teachers in grades 3-6 from two school districts in southern Mississippi to determine their perceptions concerning various elements of the professional development training they received during the 2009-2010 …

Examining Dietary Acculturation In Hispanic Males Residing In South Mississippi, Diana Katherine Cuy Castellanos

Dissertations

This study explored dietary behavior in terms of dietary intake, dietary intake change and dietary contributing factors in a sample of Hispanic males residing in southern Mississippi that are at various stages of the acculturation process. Grounded theory and the bidimensional acculturation model were incorporated to identify the dietary factors and assess acculturation in each participant. Qualitative and quantitative measures were used in data collection. Qualitative measurements included Semistructured interviews, a focus group, and photovoice with group interviews. The ARSMA-II, Marginality Scale, Fruit/Vegetable and Fat Food Screeners, a psychosocial dietary questionnaire, and the New Vital Signs Food Label for Health …

Assessing The Validity Of The Communalism Scale Using Cultural Groups, Lashawn Thompson

Dissertations

Communalism has become a very important variable for research investigation recently because the field of cultural psychology has been searching for new models to foster a clear understanding of culture or for ways to improve current models. This study investigated the validity of using The Communalism Scale to assess the communal (group focus rather than individual focus) aspect of culture in specific ethnic groups. Until now, the scale was used only with African Americans; however, the current study assessed the validity of the scale with several cultural groups. Results from previous studies have demonstrated clear internal consistency for The Communalism …

The Readiness Of Adults With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder For Self-Directed Learning, Melissa Sue Wright

Dissertations

This study investigated the readiness for self-directed learning of adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), as well as their overall educational experiences. Using Guglielmino’s Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale for Adults (SDLRS-A), the researcher investigated whether the following factors were significantly related to adults with ADHD and their readiness for self-directed learning: gender, age of diagnosis, treatment for a period of at least six months, level of education, and the existence of co-morbid conditions. Fifty-four adults who were at least 18 years old and self-reported a formal diagnosis of ADHD participated in this study. There were 22 (41.5%) males and …

The Structure Of Equine Personality, Rachel Etta Kristiansen

Dissertations

The current study was designed to investigate the structure of equine personality. Two personality questionnaires were replicated from previous studies and implemented simultaneously to test the theory that different questionnaires may extract different personality structures. Breed and sex differences were also hypothesized to be significantly different for some personality dimensions. A total of 827 horses were rated on a 90-item personality questionnaire. Participants were recruited online via email and completed the survey at their own convenience. An additional 121 respondents rated a horse that had already been rated; these results were used to calculate inter-rater reliability.

After data collection was …

Student Achievement In Block And Non-Block Schedule Schools, William Shelton Smith Jr.

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the number of minutes allocated for high school instructional periods influences student achievement. The study also examined the perceptions of principals regarding one method of instructional time allocation, block scheduling.

The study examined the differences in student achievement on a high school exit examination in the content areas of Reading and Mathematics between schools in a southern state using a four-period block schedule and schools using a non-block schedule in order to ascertain if the type of schedule has any impact on student achievement. Additionally, information pertaining to scheduling was collected …

Microarray-Based Analysis Of Differential Gene Expression Between Infective And Noninfective Larvae Of Strongyloides Stercoralis., Roshan Ramanathan, Sudhir Varma, José M C Ribeiro, Timothy G Myers, Thomas J Nolan, David Abraham, James B Lok, Thomas B Nutman

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Differences between noninfective first-stage (L1) and infective third-stage (L3i) larvae of parasitic nematode Strongyloides stercoralis at the molecular level are relatively uncharacterized. DNA microarrays were developed and utilized for this purpose.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: Oligonucleotide hybridization probes for the array were designed to bind 3,571 putative mRNA transcripts predicted by analysis of 11,335 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) obtained as part of the Nematode EST project. RNA obtained from S. stercoralis L3i and L1 was co-hybridized to each array after labeling the individual samples with different fluorescent tags. Bioinformatic predictions of gene function were developed using a novel cDNA Annotation …

Comparison Of Human Memory Cd8 T Cell Responses To Adenoviral Early And Late Proteins In Peripheral Blood And Lymphoid Tissue., Amita Joshi, Biwei Zhao, Cara Romanowski, David Rosen, Phyllis Flomenberg

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Treatment of invasive adenovirus (Ad) disease in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (SCT) recipients with capsid protein hexon-specific donor T cells is under investigation. We propose that cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) targeted to the late protein hexon may be inefficient in vivo because the early Ad protein E3-19K downregulates HLA class I antigens in infected cells. In this study, CD8+ T cells targeted to highly conserved HLA A2-restricted epitopes from the early regulatory protein DNA polymerase (P-977) and late protein hexon (H-892) were compared in peripheral blood (PB) and tonsils of naturally infected adults. In tonsils, epitope-specific pentamers detected a significantly …

Designing More Inclusive Streets: The Bicycle, Gender, And Infrastructure, Ainsley Henry Judge

Geography Honors Projects

The number of bike commuters is increasing in cities across the U.S., but men are cycling at double the rate of women cyclists. This paper focuses on how different bike infrastructure and street design options relate to gender and how streets can welcome or inhibit different users. A survey conducted in October of 2010, analyzes the ways in which men and women cyclists in the Twin Cities prioritize and perceive characteristics of the street. The results and culminating research address how to most effectively and inclusively incorporate all cyclists into the urban geographic setting.

The Madness Is Catching : Transsexuality And The Cartesian Subject., Andrew Edward Clark 1986-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project uses the work of Michel Foucault and Lynne Huffer to examine the creation of the transsexual subject in 1950s American sexology through the Cartesian subject. I argue that medical professionals utilized the Cartesian subject as a standard to create and classify transsexuality as deviant. Further, through their joining, medicine and psychology positioned the transsexual subject in both madness and abnormality. Such a position leaves transsexuals in a subject position that cannot speak for itself and requires medical qualification. I demonstrate how such a subject position, created through medicalized discursive practices, carries over into judicial discourse. I find that …

Cultural Competence And Racist Attitudes Of Direct Patient Care Registered Nurses In A Midwestern State, Linda K. Hardy

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Interest-Based Instructional Strategies Secondary Teachers Use To Promote Student Engagement And How Administrators Support Their Work, Dawn Marie Macy

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Stories Of Anti-Racist White Feminist Activists: "A Conversation With Myself", Christina Linder

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Novel Shear Thinning And Thixotropic Plga Micro Particulate Suspension System For Controlled Drug Delivery, Sonia Bedi

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Poly lactide‑co‑glycolide (PLGA) polymer has been the polymer of choice for many parenteral controlled drug release applications. This is mainly due to the inherent advantages of this polymer i.e. biodegradability, biocompatibility and non-toxic nature. The polymer, however, has a characteristic degradation pattern whereby the final erosion phase does not begin until the polymer reaches a certain molecular weight (MW) limit. After this, the accumulated acidic degradation byproducts initiate a bulk erosion phenomenon that leads to a disruption of the polymer matrix and release of the remaining drug in a short period of time. Furthermore, most of the delivery systems or …

Characterization Of The Sigma Factor Proteins And The Dna Binding Protein Euo Of Chlamydia, Cory L. Blackwell

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Chlamydia spp. are prokaryotic obligate intracellular pathogens with a unique, biphasic developmental cycle in which an infectious, extracellular form termed the elementary body (EB) interconverts with a metabolically active intracellular reticulate body (RB) within host cells. Subsets of genes are differentially expressed during the developmental cycle, and these genes are believed to be responsible for the transitions between the EB and RB forms. The goal of these studies was to explore two potential mechanisms that may function in regulating developmental cycle stage‑specific gene expression in chlamydiae: a cascade of sigma factor expression and the binding of the early stage protein …

The Relationship Between Lower Extremity Bone Mass And Body Mass Index In A Nhanes Adolescent Population, James Randall Post

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The effect of body mass index (BMI) on bone mineral content (BMC) among adolescents has been researched yielding mixed results. This study explored the relationship of left lower extremity (LLE) BMC on BMI across the spectrum of weight in a large nationally representative group of adolescents. This descriptive study used secondary data from the publically accessible, cross-sectional survey files of the 1999-2004 Continuous National Health Assessment and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) that contained whole body dual energy X‑ray absorptiometry (DXA) data as well as BMI calculations looking at the adolescent population 12- to19-year-olds at the time of the exam. The …

On The Cranial Osteology Of Eremiascincus And Its Use For Identification., William B. Gelnaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A persistent problem for Australian paleontology has been a lack of diagnostic characters for identifying lizard fossils. Eremiascincus is one of the most widespread genera in Australia, so it was examined for distinguishing features and how it fits into a model of skink evolution. Skulls of Eremiascincus were examined within five separate contexts: 1) a description of the cranial osteology, 2) a qualitative comparison of individual cranial elements of Eremiascincus to closely related Ctenotus, 3) a description of the cranial allometry in Eremiascincus using linear morphometrics, 4) using cranial morphometrics of skinks to deduce their phylogeny, and 5) using …

Molecular Modulation Of A-Subunit Visit-Dg Sequence Residue Asp-350 In The Catalytic Sites Of Escherichia Coli Atp Synthase., Sneha R. Jonnalagadda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ATP Synthase is the fundamental means of cellular energy production in animals, plants, and almost all microorganisms. In order to understand the mechanism of ATP catalysis, critical amino acid residues involved in Pi binding have to be identified. The αVISIT-DG sequence at the interface of α/β subunits that contains residues from 345-351 is highly conserved and αAsp-350 has been chosen because of its negative charge side chain and its close proximity (~2.8 Å) to the known phosphate binding residue αArg-376. The mutant's αD350R, αD350Q, αD350A, αR376A/D, and αG351R/A/D were generated by site directed mutagenesis and several biochemical assays were performed …