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2015

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Validation Of An Experimentally Motivated Predictive Model For The Spontaneous Clustering Of Receptors On The Cell Membrane, Emine Guven Jan 2015

Validation Of An Experimentally Motivated Predictive Model For The Spontaneous Clustering Of Receptors On The Cell Membrane, Emine Guven

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Membrane receptors are specialized membrane-bound proteins that facilitate communication be- tween the intracellular and extracellular membrane. They control signal initiation in many im- portant cellular signaling pathways. Cell signaling (or signal transduction) provides the logical inputs individual cells need in order to perform their role in the context of the organism. Signal- ing molecules such as hormones, neurotransmitters or growth factors, are secreted by cells in the organism as a result of certain conditions; the cells receiving the signal change (or maintain) their state in response to the signaling input. The incoming information is processed and the response is formulated …

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Closing Plenary: Preventing Torture In The Fight Against Terrorism, Claudio Grossman Jan 2015

Closing Plenary: Preventing Torture In The Fight Against Terrorism, Claudio Grossman

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

No abstract provided.

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Nondestructive Evaluation Of Corrosion In Reinforced Concrete Structures With Or Without Frp Wraps, Jonas Kavi Jan 2015

Nondestructive Evaluation Of Corrosion In Reinforced Concrete Structures With Or Without Frp Wraps, Jonas Kavi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Reinforced concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials for infrastructure applications across the world due to its reasonable durability and competitive cost. One of the major concerns with reinforced concrete is the deterioration caused by premature corrosion of embedded steel reinforcement under the influence of moisture, chlorides, and oxygen in the field environment. Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP), a material with many engineering properties better than concrete and steel, is increasingly being used in the rehabilitation of aging infrastructure and the construction of new ones.;The need for maintenance and repair of bridges, buildings and other infrastructure for their …

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Investigating Stuttering Attitude Change Of Middle School Students In A Rural Appalachian School, Chelsea D. Kuhn Jan 2015

Investigating Stuttering Attitude Change Of Middle School Students In A Rural Appalachian School, Chelsea D. Kuhn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Effects of the Stuttering: For Kids, By Kids video on stuttering attitudes was investigated with middle school students in a rural Appalachian middle school in West Virginia. Participants completed the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA-S) before (PRE) and immediately after watching the video (POST1) to measure attitude change following the intervention. The participants again completed the POSHA-S one month later (POST2) to determine the stability of their attitudes. Tabular and graphic comparisons were generated for each of the three administrations of the POSHA-S. For PRE versus POST1 and POST1 versus POST2 analyses, individual item and combined item ratings …

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The Portrayal Of Protagonists With Communication Disorders In Contemporary Award-Winning Juvenile Fiction, Jane Lefevre Jan 2015

The Portrayal Of Protagonists With Communication Disorders In Contemporary Award-Winning Juvenile Fiction, Jane Lefevre

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Twenty-six contemporary North American award-winning intermediate children's and young adult fictional books were identified that contained twenty-seven protagonists with communication disorders (CD). These books were evaluated using an adaptation of the Dyches & Prater (2000) Rating Scale for Quality Characterizations of Individuals with Disabilities in Children's Literature. Each guideline is discussed in detail while examining the quality of portrayed characterizations and literary elements in the eligible literature. The types of CDs depicted were language, speech and hearing disorders. No protagonists with central auditory processing disorders were found. Almost half of the protagonists had language disorders, making it the most commonly …

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Assessing Feeder Space Access And Commercial Phytase Production Methods On Performance Of Commercial Broilers Fed Pelleted Diets, Mark Edward Lemons Jan 2015

Assessing Feeder Space Access And Commercial Phytase Production Methods On Performance Of Commercial Broilers Fed Pelleted Diets, Mark Edward Lemons

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Applied research conducted at universities is essential for further advancements in poultry science and ultimately the commercial poultry industry. One important area of applied nutrition research is examining production methods associated with the important feed additive/enzyme phytase. Exogenous phytase inclusion in poultry diets has consistently been associated with decreased diet cost, increased broiler performance, and reduction in negative environmental impact. However, thermal stability of commercial phytases are variable. Strategies for production of phytases that ultimately maintain activity after being subjected to the pelleting process is essential. Phytase manufacturers have modified production methods in an effort to maximize phytase thermal stability …

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Development Of Drilling Control Technology To Reduce Drilling Noise During Roof Bolting Operations, Mingming Li Jan 2015

Development Of Drilling Control Technology To Reduce Drilling Noise During Roof Bolting Operations, Mingming Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Noise induced hearing loss is a serious health issue among coal mine workers. The roof bolting operation is one of the noisiest underground mining operations. It is second among all equipment in underground coal mines whose operators exceed 100% noise dosage according to MSHA data. In roof bolting, the noise generated in the roof drilling normally contributes a major proportion to the noise exposure to this particular group of miners. This study is to develop a drilling control technology to reduce noise generated during roof bolting drilling.;Previous research shows that the specific energy consumed in drilling bolt holes is inversely …

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Thermal Stress Analysis For Early Age Mass Concrete Members, Yun Lin Jan 2015

Thermal Stress Analysis For Early Age Mass Concrete Members, Yun Lin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research findings in the past have demonstrated that the heat of hydration can induce thermal cracking in early age concrete. The disproportionate thermal expansion can cause considerable tensile stresses at concrete surfaces. The minimum size of mass concrete has remained unsolved due to the complexity of the problem. In this study, a way to predict early age concrete temperature and associated thermal stresses is described, including the needed experimental testing and finite element modeling technique.;In thermal analysis, an adiabatic calorimeter was designed and built to measure the adiabatic temperature rise of the concrete. The measured adiabatic temperature rise was converted …

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The Professional Quality Of Life And Resiliency In Mental Health Professionals Working With Suicide In Crisis Care, William Bradley Little Jan 2015

The Professional Quality Of Life And Resiliency In Mental Health Professionals Working With Suicide In Crisis Care, William Bradley Little

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the professional quality of life (ProQOL) and resiliency among a sample of 85 active and licensed mental health professionals working in acute/crisis settings in the United States. Within the ProQOL construct exists the constructs of burnout, secondary-traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction. It was hypothesized that impaired levels of resiliency, higher frequencies of contact (FOC) with clients admitted to care due to suicide, female gender, and fewer years of experience would be associated with increased burnout and secondary traumatic stress scores and decreased compassion satisfaction scores as measured by the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5. Multiple …

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Semi-Supervised And Active Learning Models For Software Fault Prediction, Huihua Lu Jan 2015

Semi-Supervised And Active Learning Models For Software Fault Prediction, Huihua Lu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As software continues to insinuate itself into nearly every aspect of our life, the quality of software has been an extremely important issue. Software Quality Assurance (SQA) is a process that ensures the development of high-quality software. It concerns the important problem of maintaining, monitoring, and developing quality software. Accurate detection of fault prone components in software projects is one of the most commonly practiced techniques that offer the path to high quality products without excessive assurance expenditures. This type of quality modeling requires the availability of software modules with known fault content developed in similar environment. However, collection of …

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The Impact Of Autonomous Vehicles On Freeway Throughput, Abdullah Maarafi Jan 2015

The Impact Of Autonomous Vehicles On Freeway Throughput, Abdullah Maarafi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Autonomous vehicles are expected to provide a number of benefits to the individual, road infrastructure and the society from the perspective of safety and efficiency. The use of autonomous vehicles is expected to increase freeway throughput, allowing vehicle groups travelling together with a shorter headway time resulting in a reduction of traffic congestion.;The purpose of this research was to use microsimulation software, VISSIM, to test the impact of autonomous vehicles on freeway throughput, delay, and travel time. A realistic corridor of I-79 and a conceptual corridor were modeled to understand how mixed traffic flow conditions could impact the freeway throughput. …

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Measuring Brachial Artery Blood Flow Following A 3mhz, 1.0 W/Cm² Thermal Therapeutic Ultrasound Treatment, Katherine Jeanette Strand Jan 2015

Measuring Brachial Artery Blood Flow Following A 3mhz, 1.0 W/Cm² Thermal Therapeutic Ultrasound Treatment, Katherine Jeanette Strand

Health Nutrition and Exercise Science

Ultrasound has been suggested to be one of the most commonly used therapeutic modalities in clinical practice. One of the purported benefits of thermal ultrasound, is the ability to increase blood flow to local tissue. This benefit however, has not been sufficiently supported by current literature and research. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant increase in blood flow to the brachial artery following a 3MHz thermal ultrasound at 1.0 W/cm2 treatment over the brachial artery. Blood flow was measured in time-averaged mean velocity using a diagnostic ultrasound machine prior to, and following an …

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Graduate Counseling Students' Interest In Gerocounseling A Quantitative Study, Twyla Ann Nielsen Jan 2015

Graduate Counseling Students' Interest In Gerocounseling A Quantitative Study, Twyla Ann Nielsen

Human Development and Family Science

A growing population of older persons in the United States will require not only additional counselors but counselors who are trained to work with an aging adult population. Recent trends indicate that counselor education programs have moved away from gerocounseling as an academic track as well as eliminating units on aging from courses currently offered to counselors-in-training. Some graduate counselor education programs offer individual courses in aspects of gerontological counseling. If the counseling profession is to meet the rapidly increasing needs of a growing older population, more attention must be given to training counselors to meet the needs of this …

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Acceleration Of Non-Equidiffusive Flames In Channels: Computational Simulations And Analytical Studies, Serdar A. Bilgili Jan 2015

Acceleration Of Non-Equidiffusive Flames In Channels: Computational Simulations And Analytical Studies, Serdar A. Bilgili

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

When a premixed flame front spreads in a narrow pipe, wall friction continuously distorts the flame shape. As a result, the flame front acquires a larger surface area, consumes more fuel per unit time and, thereby, propagates faster. While this mechanism of flame acceleration due to wall friction has widely been studied, especially within the last decade, the analytical and computational studies were mostly devoted to equidiffusive flames, where the Lewis number, defined as the thermal to mass diffusivity ratio, is unity, Le = 1. However, in reality thermal and mass diffusion are typically not balanced, especially in rich and …

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Identification Of A Critical Gene In The Dihydroergot Alkaloid Pathway, Yulia Bilovol Jan 2015

Identification Of A Critical Gene In The Dihydroergot Alkaloid Pathway, Yulia Bilovol

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ergot alkaloids, bioactive compounds produced by some species of fungi, have had significant impacts on agriculture and medicine. Claviceps purpurea and Epichloe spp. are ergot alkaloid producers associated with agricultural commodities and negatively affect humans and grazing animals, respectively. Another ergot alkaloid-producing fungus called Aspergillus fumigatus is ubiquitous in the environment; infections arising after inhaling the spores may kill immunocompromised persons. Ergot alkaloids and their derivatives are utilized by the pharmaceutical industry for the development of drugs. Some of these drugs are derived from lysergic acid, whereas others are derived from dihydrolysergic acid. Lysergic acid derivatives have vasoconstrictive properties and …

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Upscaling Of The Acidizing Process In Heterogeneous Porous Media, Vahidreza Bitarafhaghighi Jan 2015

Upscaling Of The Acidizing Process In Heterogeneous Porous Media, Vahidreza Bitarafhaghighi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Coupled fluid flow, reaction and transport in porous media has been the topic of research in various disciplines for the past few decades. Conventional approach assumes a homogeneous and isotropic porous media, and simplifies the nature of coupling between fluid and rock interactions. However, including the reality of the process, i.e. assuming heterogeneous and anisotropic porous media with fully coupled rock fluid interaction, can lead to more advanced understanding of the fundamental physics behind the problem and developing efficient industrial applications. In the oil and gas industry optimization of different well stimulation techniques such as matrix acidizing in order to …

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Variable Data Collection Rate System For A Wildlife Behavior Monitor, Sheldon Blackshire Jan 2015

Variable Data Collection Rate System For A Wildlife Behavior Monitor, Sheldon Blackshire

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Behavior monitors typically collect data, and consequently spend energy, at fixed intervals. For devices that utilize energy harvesting, a fixed data collection interval may result in inefficient battery usage due to variability in available solar radiation. Work was performed for a system capable of adjusting a data collection rate, proportional to changes in battery charge, such that data obtained was maximized without sacrificing battery energy sustainability. Energy consumption, of an actual behavior monitor, was modeled to aid in design and evaluation of a changeable data collection rate system. Model validation was performed by comparing simulated to empirical data for battery …

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A Qualitative Study Of Medical Student Perceptions Of The West Virginia University School Of Medicine's Competency-Based Electronic Portfolio System's Design And Implementation, Carrie A. Calloway Jan 2015

A Qualitative Study Of Medical Student Perceptions Of The West Virginia University School Of Medicine's Competency-Based Electronic Portfolio System's Design And Implementation, Carrie A. Calloway

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The West Virginia University School of Medicine (WVU SoM) created and implemented medical student electronic portfolios in the 2012-2013 academic year as a means to stimulate self-reflection and life-long learning, document competency attainment using both formative and summative assessments of performance and facilitate career counseling and advising. Though existing research explores the benefits and challenges of electronic portfolios in medical education, few studies investigate them from the medical student perspective. This phenomenological qualitative research study examined medical student perceptions---through their stories of the electronic portfolio system as a tool for documenting and reflecting on performance---in order to better understand how …

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Path Planning And Control Of An Autonomous Quadrotor Testbed In A Cluttered Environment, Trevor W. Caplinger Jan 2015

Path Planning And Control Of An Autonomous Quadrotor Testbed In A Cluttered Environment, Trevor W. Caplinger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A classical problem for robotic navigation is how to efficiently navigate from one point to another and what to do if obstacles are encountered along the way. Many map based path planning algorithms attempt to solve this problem, all with varying levels of optimality and complexity. This work shows a review of selected algorithms, and two of these are selected for simulation and testing using a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a dynamic indoor environment which requires replanning capabilities. The Dynamic A* algorithm, or simply D*, and the Probabilistic Roadmap method (PRM) are used in a scenario designed to …

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The Impact Of Model-Lead-Test Coaching On Parents' Implementation Of Reinforcement, Prompting, And Fading With Their Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Liyu Chen Jan 2015

The Impact Of Model-Lead-Test Coaching On Parents' Implementation Of Reinforcement, Prompting, And Fading With Their Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Liyu Chen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Parents play an essential role in furthering the development of their children with special needs. They are being trained to be co-therapists for their own children. The goal is to improve the ways they interact with their children in order to create improvements in their children's everyday functioning. If the proper teaching strategies are consistently applied, a learner can significantly improve his/her performance of various life skills, including communication, self-care, social skills, along with other skill sets. Because adults' learning processes differ substantially from children's, it will be critical to utilize the "coaching" method that employs a Model-Lead-Test (MLT) approach …

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A Parallel Programmer For Non-Volatile Analog Memory Arrays, Spencer L. Clites Jan 2015

A Parallel Programmer For Non-Volatile Analog Memory Arrays, Spencer L. Clites

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since their introduction in 1967, floating-gate transistors have enjoyed widespread success as non-volatile digital memory elements in EEPROM and flash memory. In recent decades, however, a renewed interest in floating-gate transistors has focused on their viability as non-volatile analog memory, as well as programmable voltage and current sources. They have been used extensively in this capacity to solve traditional problems associated with analog circuit design, such as to correct for fabrication mismatch, to reduce comparator offset, and for amplifier auto-zeroing. They have also been used to implement adaptive circuits, learning systems, and reconfigurable systems. Despite these applications, their proliferation has …

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Effects Of Protein Supplementation On Parasitism And Growth In Grazing Lambs, Crista Crawford Jan 2015

Effects Of Protein Supplementation On Parasitism And Growth In Grazing Lambs, Crista Crawford

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Controlling gastrointestinal nematode infection of sheep has become a challenge resulting from reduced anthelmintic efficacy. Previous data have indicated that grazing lambs supplemented with a 16% CP ration at 1% BW maintained growth comparable to lambs given anthelmintic despite greater infection. Thus the objective of the following studies was to determine the effects of bypass protein on fecal egg count reduction and post weaning growth in parasitized, grazing lambs. Experiment one utilized spring-born Suffolk crossbred lambs separated into 3 supplement groups: alfalfa pellets (AFP) (15% CP), corn and soybean meal (CSM) (19% CP) and corn, soybean meal and fish meal …

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Development Of A Cell Morphological Analysis Tool To Evaluate The Ultrasound Vibrational Effects On Cell Adhesion, Joseph M. Smith Jan 2015

Development Of A Cell Morphological Analysis Tool To Evaluate The Ultrasound Vibrational Effects On Cell Adhesion, Joseph M. Smith

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Fibroblast encapsulation is a stage of the wound healing process in which the implanted device is separated from the biological environment due to the formation of fibrotic tissue. Uncontrolled adhesion of fibroblasts, called fibrosis, has the ability to inhibit an implanted device’s functionality over its lifetime. Over time, fibroblasts have been shown to cause loosening and failure of bone-anchor implants which could include the possibility of harming the patient. The encapsulating process could also hinder the sensitivity of implanted biosensors operating in the body for continuous monitoring. Unfortunately, the antifouling surfaces which are commonly used on implanted devices to control …

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The Influence Of Passive Ankle Joint Power On Balance Recovery, Stephanie E. Hamilton Jan 2015

The Influence Of Passive Ankle Joint Power On Balance Recovery, Stephanie E. Hamilton

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Over one–third of Americans over the age of 65 fall each year, costing more than $19 billion in health care costs in 2000. Many adults 65+ who have not experienced a fall still fear falling, and fear can decrease quality of life and increase the likelihood of falls. Several factors such as muscle strength, power, stiffness and tendon properties change in the human body with age affecting balance, which has been tagged as a fall risk predictor. Additionally, balance recovery strategies also differ between young and older adults, with young adults primarily utilizing their ankle joint and older adults utilizing …

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Parent And Child Perceptions Of Parenting Practices: Do Differences Matter For Child Outcomes?, Ali Nila Jan 2015

Parent And Child Perceptions Of Parenting Practices: Do Differences Matter For Child Outcomes?, Ali Nila

Human Development and Family Science

The aim of the current study was to examine whether differences in perceptions of parenting have an effect on child outcomes. Data were taken from an Early Risers study, which incorporated the Early Risers evidence-based competence enhancement program, offering skills training and support to children with adjustment problems and parents. The sample of 110 consisted of well-adjusted children and children with adjustment problems. Parenting practices were measured by child and parent reports, and child outcomes were reported by the child’s teacher. Child and parent reports did not correspond, and results indicated the parent report of spanking predicted child’s aggression. Results …

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High-Intensity Interval Training Vs. Superset Training: A Comparison Of Energy Expenditure, Jacob Eisenreich Erickson Jan 2015

High-Intensity Interval Training Vs. Superset Training: A Comparison Of Energy Expenditure, Jacob Eisenreich Erickson

Health Nutrition and Exercise Science

The purpose of this study was to compare energy expenditure between high intensity interval training (HIIT) and agonist-antagonist (SUPER) resistance training (RT) exercise protocols. Twelve males (23.91 ± 3.58 years) with at least six months of RT experience were recruited for the study. Each participant completed both exercise protocols while VO2, lactate, respiratory exchange ratio (RER), heart rate (HR), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured. Significant differences were seen in RPE, RER, aerobic, anaerobic, and total overall energy expenditure when comparing protocols. There were no significant differences in VO2 or HR. Rest interval length and volume load can …

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Parents’ Experiences As They Interact With Their Transgender Children’S Schools, Dawn Renee Baldwin Jan 2015

Parents’ Experiences As They Interact With Their Transgender Children’S Schools, Dawn Renee Baldwin

Human Development and Family Science

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of parents and caregivers in a parenting role of a transgender child as they interacted with their children’s schools. For this study, 22 interviews with parents and caregivers were analyzed. Utilizing a queer feminist framework, analysis revealed that parents’ experiences with schools depended largely upon the school’s degree of inclusiveness regarding gender, gender identity, and gender expression. Results, educational and clinical implications, and limitations, as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.

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Transgender Couples' Beliefs And Experiences Of Couple And Family Therapy, Kalene Ann Sharstrom Jan 2015

Transgender Couples' Beliefs And Experiences Of Couple And Family Therapy, Kalene Ann Sharstrom

Human Development and Family Science

The purpose of this study was to explore transgender couples’ beliefs and experiences of couple and family therapy. This study utilized a secondary data set of interviews from seven transgender participants and three partners. A queer feminist framework guided this study. The results of this project indicate that participants believe couple and family therapy to be relevant to their lives and therapeutic needs of transgender couples and their families. However, participants expressed unfamiliarity with the field and uncertainty that couple and family therapists are equipped to provide affirmative care.

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Intake Of Fat-Soluble Vitamins Among Undergraduate College Students Attending North Dakota State University, Samantha Erin Fuhrmann Jan 2015

Intake Of Fat-Soluble Vitamins Among Undergraduate College Students Attending North Dakota State University, Samantha Erin Fuhrmann

Health Nutrition and Exercise Science

Fat-soluble vitamins are essential micronutrients that are critical in normal physiological processes. Deficiencies can pose increased risk of chronic diseases. This may be particularly important among college students, since the majority of this population is in peak phases of development. The purpose of this study was to determine intake of fat-soluble vitamins in 352 (212 males, 140 females) students. Students completed dietary analyses of their 72-hour food record, which were analyzed to determine if student intake met Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) recommendations. Additional analyses determined relationships between intake and gender, age, and frequency of attending a dining center. Few students …

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Challenges Of Change: Technology Ease Or Technology Upset?, Cherie Noteboom, Julee Hafner Jan 2015

Challenges Of Change: Technology Ease Or Technology Upset?, Cherie Noteboom, Julee Hafner

Research & Publications

New knowledge learning that involves errorless task performance has become a key objective for healthcare organizations [Rushmer & Davies, 2004]. As knowledge changes to incorporate the use of computer systems, service delivery using the Electronic Health Record (EHR) has created unforeseen challenges for service providers and the organizations they serve. This challenge appears mainly to involve a change in actions, behaviors and mental models by providers using the EHR [Senge, 2006]. This is necessary for healthcare organizations if they want to remain competitive, improve the quality of care, and reduce costs. The challenge is to develop and implement this new …

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