Digital Commons Network^™

Treatment Updates Regarding Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma And Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma, Khurshid Ahmed Khan, Ahmed Nadeem Abbasi, Nasir Ali

Department of Radiation Oncology

Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma / Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma (AO/AOA) is a WHO Grade-III primary brain tumor. These tumors comprise about 5 - 10% of all gliomas, which make them the third most common primary brain tumors after glioblastoma multiforme and astrocytomas. For many years standard of treatment remained Maximum Safe Resection (MSR) followed by Radiotherapy (RT). These tumors have also been known to be sensitive to alkylator-based chemotherapy particularly the subset having 1p/19q co-deletion signature. There is robust data showing that these tumors are responsive to chemotherapy in recurrent or progressive setting. Recently, up front chemotherapy has been added to standard post-surgery RT. …

Professional Experiences Of Women Administrators In Student Services, Christy M. Mayo

Masters Theses

The number of women pursuing higher education now outnumbers that of men. However, the number of women in administration and faculty roles does not mirror that of the student population. Instead, women are often found in midlevel and low level positions, especially within student services and student affairs. This thesis is a qualitative study that employs the phenomenological method to explore and examine the professional experiences of seven midlevel administrators in student affairs and student services at GVSU. The constant comparative method of coding was used to analyze the data, identify themes, and articulate assertions. The themes that emerged from …

Application Of The Transtheoretical Model: Assessing Exercise Behavior In African Americans In A Church-Based Setting, Robin Marie White

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Sedentary behavior rates are higher among African-American men and women than in other American races and ethnicities, placing them at greater risk for chronic illness. Routine physical activity reduces the risk of chronic health problems such as: (a) overweight and obesity, (b) type 2 diabetes, (c) hypertension, (d) coronary artery disease, (e) stroke, (f) congestive heart failure, and (g) cancers. Assessment of African-Americans' exercise attitudes in a church-based setting may provide information with which to develop effective interventions to improve physical activity. This descriptive, cross-sectional study used components of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) to assess whether any associations exist between …

The Lived Experience Of Nursing Students During Their Psychiatric Nursing Education: Does It Influence View Of Psychiatric Nursing As A Career Choice?, Lisa Mcconlogue

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Using a van Manen phenomenological approach combined with a Colaizzi step-wise data analysis procedure, this study seeks to describe the lived experience of recent nursing school graduates during their psychiatric didactic and clinical education and how the experience influenced their view of psychiatric nursing as a specialty choice.

Inclusion criteria for participants were registered nurses (RN) who graduated from their entry level nursing program within the last three years; graduated from a United States RN program; and are currently working as an RN in an inpatient setting. Two groups of participants were selected; one group of nurses who chose psychiatric …

Hemispheric Asymmetry In The Perception Of Musical Pitch Structure, Matthew Adam Rosenthal

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Both the left and right hemispheres contribute to the perception of pitch structure

in music. Music researchers have attempted to explain the observed asymmetries in the perception of musical pitch structure by characterizing the dominant processing style of each hemisphere. However, no existing characterizations have been able to account for all of the empirical findings. To better explain existing empirical findings, this dissertation characterizes the left hemisphere as dominant in temporal pitch processing (i.e. with respect to the sequential ordering of pitches) and the right hemisphere as dominant in non-temporal pitch processing (i.e. without respect to the sequential ordering of …

Client Selected Music Based Effects On Marital And Couples Therapy, Kevin Matthew Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study was designed to examine the interaction of music-based interventions in the therapeutic process of Martial and Couples Therapy. The use of pre-recorded music was found to be under researched within the literature and created a void within the knowledge that clinicians have about how music might enhance effectiveness of treatment. The inclusion of music in this process is not currently known, which led to this study being conducted. Through a phenomenological lens, the awareness and understanding of how clients react and experience pre-recorded music during the therapeutic process, while still having a selection of options to preserve autonomy, …

Vaccine Effectiveness And Risk Factors Associated With Measles Among Children Presenting To The Hospitals Of Karachi, Pakistan., Aysha Zahidie, Saba Wasim, Zafar Fatmi

Community Health Sciences

OBJECTIVE:

To determine the risk factors regarding guardian's practices associated with development of Measles and also find out effectiveness of Measles vaccine among children less than 12 years of age presenting to the hospitals of Karachi.

STUDY DESIGN:

Matched case control study.

PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY:

Multicenter surveillance was conducted in 11 public and private sector hospitals of Karachi from January 2011 to September 2012 in consultation with World Health Organization Measles Surveillance Cell.

METHODOLOGY:

Cases were children aged less than 12 years with Measles presenting to the hospitals. Controls for cases were enrolled from the same hospitals without …

Gut Bacteria And Their Influence On Metabolic Disorders, Stephanie Sorbara (Class Of 2015)

Biology Undergraduate Publications

The human gut microbial genome encodes for several metabolic processes that are not encoded for in the human genome. Through the study of metagenomics, mice, and human models, researchers have shown that changes in the gut bacterial composition can generate oxidative stress, release endotoxins, and induce lipogenesis. These pathways can disrupt normal metabolic function, resulting in obesity and other related metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Most of the health implications associated with obesity originate from the biological reactions carried out by the gut bacteria, which are strongly impacted by environmental factors. Probiotics, prebiotics and fecal transplantation are methods that can …

Gis-Based Route Risk Assessment Of Hazardous Material Transport, Myungwoo Lee

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The transportation of hazardous materials keeps increasing across the United States due to the growing consumption of goods and rising need for manufactured materials. Furthermore, concerns are mounting over the safe surface transportation of hazardous materials. Highways and rails are the most common modes of transport for hazardous materials, although the risk posed from highway transport of hazardous materials may be higher due to the fact that highways are public while rails are mostly private. The majority of hazardous material cargo is carried on the highway network by trucks. Due to possible adverse effects on human and animal populations in …

Strategic Indicators At Assemblies Of God Colleges, Charles Bryan Davis

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify strategic indicators for use at Assemblies of God colleges. Strategic indicators are metrics which synthesize data to report on the current condition and trajectory of an institution in terms of the institution’s ability to pursue its mission. While some indicators are useful to almost all types of institutions of higher education, other indicators reflect the unique mission and goals of the individual institution. These indicators can be used to monitor trends over time at the same institution, or to compare data among a group of peer institutions. Peer institutions compare their …

Low Molecular Weight Glucosamine/L-Lactide Copolymers As Potential Carriers For The Development Of A Sustained Rifampicin Release System: Mycobacterium Smegmatis As A Tuberculosis Model, Jorge Ragusa

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Tuberculosis, a highly contagious disease, ranks as the second leading cause of death from an infectious disease, and remains a major global health problem. In 2013, 9 million new cases were diagnosed and 1.5 million people died worldwide from tuberculosis. This dissertation aims at developing a new, ultrafine particle-based efficient antibiotic delivery system for the treatment of tuberculosis. The carrier material to make the rifampicin (RIF)-loaded particles is a low molecular weight star-shaped polymer produced from glucosamine (molecular core building unit) and L-lactide (GluN-LLA). Stable particles with a very high 50% drug loading capacity were made via electrohydrodynamic atomization. Prolonged …

A Universal Appointment Rule With Patient Classification For Service Times, No-Shows And Walk-Ins, Cayirli Tugba, Kum Khiong Yang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study evaluates patient classification for scheduling and sequencing appointments for patients differentiated by their mean and standard deviation of service times, no-show, and walk-in probabilities. Alternative appointment systems are tested through simulation using a universal Dome rule and some of the best traditional appointment rules in the literature. Our findings show that the universal Dome rule performs better in terms of reducing the total cost of patient’s waiting time, doctor’s idle time, and overtime, and its performance improves further with the right sequencing of patient groups. Although it is a challenge to find the best sequence, we propose a …

On The Limitations Of Using Situational Judgement Tests To Measure Interpersonal Skills: The Moderating Influence Of Employee Anger, Jerel E. Slaughter, Michael S. Christian, Nathan P. Podsakoff, Evan F. Sinar, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Many authors have suggested that situational judgment tests (SJTs) are useful tools for assessing applicants because SJT items can be written to assess a number of job-related knowledges, skills, abilities and other characteristics (KSAOs). However, SJTs may not be appropriate for measuring certain KSAOs for some applicants. We posit that using SJTs to measure interpersonal skills may lead to invalid inferences about applicants with higher levels of angry hostility (AH), and thus, AH should moderate the relation between interpersonally oriented SJTs and job performance. Three studies, using samples of healthcare workers (n = 225), police officers (n = 54), and …

Where There’S A Will: Can Highlighting Future Youth-Targeted Marketing Increase Support For Soda Taxes?, Sungjong Roh, Jonathon P. Schuldt

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Objective: Amid concern about high rates of obesity and related diseases, the marketing of nutritionally poor foods to young people by the food industry has come under heavy criticism by public health advocates, who cite decades of youth-targeted marketing in arguing for reforms. In light of recent evidence that the same event evokes stronger emotional reactions when it occurs in the future versus the past, highlighting youth-targeted marketing that has yet to occur may evoke stronger reactions to such practices, and perhaps, greater support for related health policy initiatives. Method: In a between-subjects experiment, Web participants (N = 285) read …

2014-12-01 Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Staff Congress.

Staff Congress Records

Staff Congress meeting minutes for December 1, 2014.

Use Of Remote Imagery And Object-Based Image Methods To Count Plants In An Open-Field Container Nursery, Josue Nahun Leiva

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In general, the nursery industry lacks an automated inventory control system. Object-based image analysis (OBIA) software and aerial images could be used to count plants in nurseries. The objectives of this research were: 1) to evaluate the effect of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight altitude and plant canopy separation of container-grown plants on count accuracy using aerial images and 2) to evaluate the effect of plant canopy shape, presence of flowers, and plant status (living and dead) on counting accuracy of container-grown plants using remote sensing images. Images were analyzed using Feature Analyst® (FA) and an algorithm trained using …

Earth Abundant Thin Film Technology For Next Generation Photovoltaic Modules, Githin Alapatt

All Dissertations

With a cumulative generation capacity of over 100 GW, Photovoltaics (PV) technology is uniquely poised to become increasingly popular in the coming decades. Although, several breakthroughs have propelled PV technology, it accounts for only less than 1% of the energy produced worldwide. This aspect of the PV technology is primarily due to the somewhat high cost per watt, which is dependent on the efficiency of the PV cells as well as the cost of manufacturing and installing them. Currently, the efficiency of the PV conversion process is limited to about 25% for commercial terrestrial cells; improving this efficiency can increase …

The Depressing Of China's Economy: The Effect Of Rural---Urban Educational Inequality And Absence Of Land Market, Huayong Zhou

All Dissertations

This paper argues that too many workers were placed in traditional agricultural sector in China's economy after 1978. I investigate two factors which hindered the labor mobility from agricultural and non-agricultural sector: (1) human capital dierence between rural and urban workers brought by China's urban oriented public educational policy; (2) absence of land property rights and a well functioning land market. I incorporate those two frictions into a two-sector dynamic macro model. I calibrate the model and show that it provides a good fit for the evolution of GDP per-capita and employment share in agriculture in the Chinese economy. I …

The Black Baptist Denomination Of South Carolina: A Social Capital Analysis, Sheila Snoddy

All Dissertations

The question of the Black church's relevancy, power, and influence has been at the forefront of theological and social debates since the Civil Rights era. The continuation of these debates in the 21st century has postulated that today's Black church has become less theologically grounded and less vision-driven in initiatives and movements and is becoming ineffective advocates in addressing the social ills and challenges that cripple the upward mobility of individuals and communities. This study attempts to support the hypothesis that the Black church still possesses the relevancy, power, and influence as a vital and progressive community institution for positive …

Toward Understanding The Thermodynamics And Mechanisms Of Actinide Sorption Reactions, Shanna Estes

All Dissertations

The environmental fate of actinides is greatly influenced by interfacial reactions, including sorption onto solid surfaces. Because changes in the primary hydration sphere of the actinide are expected to greatly influence the thermodynamics (i.e., reaction enthalpy and entropy) of these reactions, examining actinide sorption thermodynamics may provide insight into actinide sorption mechanisms. Additionally, examining actinide sorption thermodynamics may enhance the ability to model or predict these reactions in environmental or engineered systems where variable or elevated temperatures are expected. However, few researchers have studied actinide sorption thermodynamics. Therefore, this research examined the thermodynamics of Eu(III) (a trivalent actinide analog), Th(IV), …

Sustainable Heritage Tourism: A Tourist-Oriented Approach For Managing Petra Archaeological Park, Jordan, Mohammad Alazaizeh

All Dissertations

Although sustainability of heritage tourism has become a major concern from the perspectives of both academics and practitioners, the majority of research and studies have tended to understand the cultural and educational issues of heritage tourism rather than focusing on the application of sustainability in a practical context. To achieve sustainability in heritage tourism, heritage sites should be managed effectively in a way that ensures preservation of heritage resources and provides quality experiences to the tourists. Traditionally, heritage tourism planning and management relied on a top-down, professional-led approach that ignores the interests of different stakeholders (e.g., heritage tourists) in heritage …

Assessment Of The Effect Of Sustainability Practices On Financial Leakage In The Hotel Industry In Jordan, Nidal Alzboun

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT Tourism revenues are not an accurate indication of the financial impact of this industry because in some cases a proportion of the profits leaves the host country for various reasons, resulting in what is referred to as leakage. The research reported here investigates this issue in connection with the sustainability practices of hotels in Jordan, one of the strategies firms and governments can adopt to enhance performance and to address problems related to environmental, community, and economic development adding a novel contribution to the tourism literature. A mixed method approach was used to collect and analyze the data obtained …

Ahr-Related Activities In A Creosote-Adapted Population Of Adult Atlantic Killifish, Fundulus Heteroclitus, Two Decades Post-Epa Superfund Status, Josephine Wojdylo

All Dissertations

Atlantic killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, have adapted to, or at least developed a level of resistance to creosote-based polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found at the Atlantic Wood (AW) superfund site in the southern branch of the Elizabeth River, VA USA. Historically, 90+% of the mummichogs at this site have hepatic lesions of varying severity, and 30+% of these fish have tumors of various origin. Many xenobiotics, including select PAHs found at the Atlantic Wood site, are ligands for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which is a promiscuous ligand-dependent transcription factor involved in developmental regulation, environmental sensing, and induction of a suite …

Effects Of Transportation Hazards On Package Performance And Food Product Shelf Life, Kyle Dunno

All Dissertations

This research studied the effect of transportation hazards on food product shelf life and package performance. Studies were conducted to determine the effect of package headspace volume, product viscosity and storage temperature on package integrity. Finally, accelerated shelf life testing (ASLT) was utilized to determine how simulated transportation hazards affected the shelf life of a specific food product. Institutional retort pouches containing either water or 5% starch solution were filled with varying amounts of headspace volume to determine if package headspace volume could aid in package performance during simulated engineering tests for packaged products. Fixed displacement vibration testing and compression …

The Influence Of Mindfulness During The Travel Anticipation Phase On Search And Choice Behaviors, Search And Choice Outcomes, And Trip Evaluations, Lorraine Taylor

All Dissertations

Anticipation is the first travel phase (Clawson & Knetsch, 1966) and consists of the vacation planning process. Tourists may exhibit varying levels of mindfulness during this phase. Mindfulness is associated with analytic decision making through a heightened sensitivity to one's environment and openness to new information (Langer & Moldoveanu, 2000). This study considered the influence that mindfulness during the travel anticipation phase has on: search and choice behaviors, search and choice outcomes, and trip evaluations. Analysis was also conducted to determine if there was a significant influence on the relationships based on the mediating effect of the amount of the …

Acute Sleep Organization Following Unanesthetized Circumcision Of Neonates, Margeaux M. Gray

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sleep changes in response to environmental pressures and the needs of individuals. The adaptability of sleep is noticeable following largely stressful or adverse events, and is understood to facilitate recovery. Rapid changes in sleep occur in-utero, during the days following birth, and across the first few postnatal years. These rapid changes are considered adaptive and indicative of normal and healthy development. Elective surgical intervention, such as circumcision, may influence the organization and quality of sleep during this developmentally sensitive period. Neonates undergoing circumcision, a prevalent procedure in the U.S. (American Academy of Pediatrics Circumcision Policy Statement [AAP], 1999, 2005, 2012), …

Synergistic Inhibition Of Cyclooxygenases And Monoacylglycerol Lipase In Neuropathic Pain, Molly S. Crowe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Neuropathic pain is caused by altered nerve function that often presents as allodynia, which is the painful perception of typically non-noxious stimuli. Neuropathic pain is commonly treated with GABA analogues, steroids, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs inhibit one or more cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes and are effective, commonly used analgesics that have relatively fewer side effects than other treatments. However, chronic cyclooxygenase inhibition also causes gastrointestinal inflammation and increased risk of cardiac events. Like NSAIDs, cannabinoids have analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and reduce neuropathic pain in preclinical models. The present study investigated the analgesic effects of inhibiting both monoacylglycerol lipase …

Development Of A Transport System For Advancing Tissue Engineering And Cell Identification, Suzanne Mae Tabbaa

All Dissertations

This work centers on the development of a novel passive transport system for two tissue engineering applications – cell distribution and cell separation. This approach relies on a wicking fiber-based system, derived from the textile field that functions by directing and maintaining transport of cells as well as fluids and biomolecules. This system has the ability to enhance cell movement for both the purpose of cell seeding distribution as well as to isolate specific cell types from heterogeneous cell populations.

The success of spinal fusions and large bone defects is often limited by the decreased surrounding vasculature and the ability …

Genetic Dissection Of Neuromuscular Diseases Affecting Domestic Dogs, Caitlin Rinz

All Dissertations

The domestic dog, Canis familiaris, has a unique population structure that lends itself to the study of hereditary diseases. Purebred dogs populations are genetically isolated and as a result are affected by more than 400 naturally occurring diseases, many of which have human counterparts. In the last 15 years, dogs have emerged as a model for the study of human hereditary diseases, fueling the development of resources including a 7.6X coverage reference genome and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping arrays.

Congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) is a neuromuscular disorder of both humans and dogs in which transmission across the neuromuscular …

United We Stand: The Possibilities Of Museums, Schools, And Anti-Bullying, Ashley Scotto

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

In 2001, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) described bullying as “widespread in American schools.” The results of an extensive survey throughout the United States revealed that over 16% of school children reported that they were recently bullied. As of 2013, the Kidsbridge Tolerance Museum in Ewing, New Jersey identified that over 30% of all students are involved in bullying as the bully, victim, or both. The comparison of the NICHD study and the statistics provided by the Kidsbridge Tolerance Museum indicate that bullying in the United States has increased within the past twelve years and …