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2015

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Biomechanical Evaluation Of Surgical Loupes, Marsha Chapman Holcomb Jan 2015

Biomechanical Evaluation Of Surgical Loupes, Marsha Chapman Holcomb

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cervical musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a known occupational hazard in micro surgeons who use loupes (telescopes mounted on glasses) to operate, with over 80% having neck pain related to performing surgery. Despite this known occupational risk, the cause, prevention, and treatment of cervical MSDs have been largely ignored in this population. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of loupe use on cervical spine load and characterize the impact of loupe mount angle. In the study, loupes were systematically altered during surgical tasks simulated by twelve healthy individuals (6 male and 6 female) in a laboratory setting. …

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The Relation Of Ethnic Identity To Self-Esteem And Academic Self-Concept Of African American Students At A Predominantly White Institution, Drummond Russell Bush Jan 2015

The Relation Of Ethnic Identity To Self-Esteem And Academic Self-Concept Of African American Students At A Predominantly White Institution, Drummond Russell Bush

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Social scientists have challenged professionals and educators alike to develop a better understanding of the influences a predominantly White environment has on the academic and interpersonal experiences of African American college students. This study explored the psychosocial impact of several factors, both dispositional (e.g., ethnic identity, self-esteem, and academic self-concept) and contextual (e.g., racial composition of the institution), for 91 African American college students enrolled at a predominantly White institution in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Pearson correlations indicated the other group orientation sub-factor of ethnic identity is positively correlated with self-esteem and academic self-concept. Multiple regression analyses …

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Dimensions Of The Use Of Volunteered Geographic Information In Mass Crisis Events, Xiannian Chen Jan 2015

Dimensions Of The Use Of Volunteered Geographic Information In Mass Crisis Events, Xiannian Chen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent studies have suggested that catastrophic events that trigger mass evacuation require surrounding communities to be well-prepared to act as ingress or pass-through areas for potential evacuees; however surrounding rural communities may have insufficient disaster-related logistical resources. In the response phase of disaster management, officials must be able to deploy resources to demand locations in types and quantities based on real-time requirements. Effective cross-jurisdictional disaster management needs real-time information, which is usually unavailable from official, authoritative sources. Conversely, VGI (volunteered geographic information) has the capability to provide real-time and local information in disaster management. This study investigates the possibility of …

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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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Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Recovery Methods Of Trace Evidence For Pollen Particles, Christie Cyktor Jan 2015

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Recovery Methods Of Trace Evidence For Pollen Particles, Christie Cyktor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Within the forensic science community, pollen as a form of trace evidence is extremely underutilized. In many instances, trace evidence examiners and crime scene investigators are unfamiliar with how best to recover pollen from a piece of evidence. Methods such as vacuum sweeping, tape lifting, and sonication have been implemented for the recovery of the test dust from materials such as clothing, shoes, or improvised explosive devices. While these methods are known to be beneficial with some trace materials, their effectiveness with pollen has yet to be determined. The goal of this research project was to implement and compare multiple …

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How Are The Dimensions Of Technology, Culture, Kinship, And Economics And The Experience Of Stress Described By African American Students Who Gained Weight During Their Freshman Year In College?, Shavon Darden Jan 2015

How Are The Dimensions Of Technology, Culture, Kinship, And Economics And The Experience Of Stress Described By African American Students Who Gained Weight During Their Freshman Year In College?, Shavon Darden

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

African American college students are gaining weight at a pace faster than other ethnic groups yet research on this population is lacking. Exploration of freshman weight gain through the cultural lens of an African American student may provide a better understanding of this event. The research question for this study was, "How are the dimensions of technology, culture, kinship, economics, and the experience of stress described by African American students who gained weight during their freshman year in college?." Using Leininger's Cultural Care Theory and Sunrise Model as study frameworks, a qualitative study involving face-to-face interviews was conducted with directed …

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Amphibian Metamorphosis In Created And Natural Wetlands, Lauren A. Mcpherson Jan 2015

Amphibian Metamorphosis In Created And Natural Wetlands, Lauren A. Mcpherson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Functional assessment of created wetlands is an important factor in monitoring the success of wetland mitigation projects. Determining the ability of a created wetland to replace lost wildlife habitat and to support productive wildlife populations should be a priority in the assessment of created wetland success. We used a mesocosm design featuring water collected from 3 created wetlands and 3 natural wetlands in West Virginia to evaluate how the water quality from the 2 wetland types were able to support metamorphosis in larval spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) and wood frogs ( Rana sylvatica). Spring peepers displayed similar metamorphosis rates in …

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Cumulative Effects Modeling In The Mountaintop Removal Mining Region Of The Central Appalachians, Eric Richard Merriam Jan 2015

Cumulative Effects Modeling In The Mountaintop Removal Mining Region Of The Central Appalachians, Eric Richard Merriam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Anthropogenic alteration of natural land cover is a global driver of aquatic resource impairment. It is increasingly recognized that aquatic systems are impacted by multiple land use activities that combine additively and interactively to result in unique patterns of degradation (i.e., cumulative effects). Moreover, stream networks are multi-scaled, hierarchically structured systems wherein localized impacts can have both local (e.g., stream segment) and regional (e.g., watershed) consequences. Thus, there has been a recent push to construct statistical models capable of predicting and forecasting aquatic conditions under current and future landuse scenarios (i.e., scenario analysis) and characterize local and regional processes dictating …

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Expanding The Use Of Rna In Forensic Science: A Quantum Dot Molecular Beacon Approach, Joshua R. Moore Jan 2015

Expanding The Use Of Rna In Forensic Science: A Quantum Dot Molecular Beacon Approach, Joshua R. Moore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As the popularity of shows such as CSI increases, so does the demand for DNA evidence in court cases. This has led to the overwhelming of capacity for analysis of biological samples at crime labs across the country, and to the development of a massive backlog of DNA evidence waiting to be processed. At the end of 2011, labs had a processing capacity of 250,000 cases per year, but an annual total of nearly 350,000 that needed to be processed. Such delays have effects throughout the US justice system. One way to reduce the backlog would be to increase the …

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The Online Lamodel User's & Training Manual Development & Testing, Christopher R. Newman Jan 2015

The Online Lamodel User's & Training Manual Development & Testing, Christopher R. Newman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In order to better inform and train industry professionals, as well as engineering students and new users, an electronic user's manual and comprehensive online training course for LaModel has been developed in an open online learning environment. The online user's manual provides widespread access to detailed information on the installation, proper use, and troubleshooting procedures through a combination of: written documentation, voiced-over and captioned software simulations and slide presentations, and relevant academic articles. Some of the online LaModel material has also been organized into a set of progressive, self-paced training modules using a number of the slide presentations and software …

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Salix Spp. As A Biomass Crop: Investigating Their Potential On Marginal Lands And The Use Of Biochar As A Soil Amendment, Heather A. Nobert Jan 2015

Salix Spp. As A Biomass Crop: Investigating Their Potential On Marginal Lands And The Use Of Biochar As A Soil Amendment, Heather A. Nobert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Energy consumption has drastically increased over the past 150 years and the pressure put on the environment to provide these resources has increased as a consequence. At least 2.5 million hectares of land in the United States has been disturbed as a result of surface mining for coal. Biomass crops have been explored as an alternative energy source. In West Virginia little land is available for those crops; however as a result of coal extraction, at least 50,000 acres of previously strip or surface mined area has been deemed suitable for reclamation with biomass crops. Due to the challenges associated …

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A Phenomenological Study Of Living With Excess Facial Hair For African-American Women, Courtney M. Pate Jan 2015

A Phenomenological Study Of Living With Excess Facial Hair For African-American Women, Courtney M. Pate

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Excess facial hair is a characteristic of hirsutism. Excess facial hair can alter a woman's presentation of self in living day-to-day. Research is sparse in the realm of studying women who do not suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome, who have excess facial hair. Women of varying racial backgrounds are also underrepresented in the current literature. The purpose of this study was to explore the structure of meaning of living with excess facial hair for African-American women. The stories of eight women were gathered and analyzed using van Manen's phenomenological approach and middle range story theory. As a result of this …

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Evaluation Of An Evidence-Based Breastfeeding Education Program For Pediatric And Women's Health Care Providers, Family Practice Residents, Medical Students, And Physician Assistant Students, Alissa Terry Parker Jan 2015

Evaluation Of An Evidence-Based Breastfeeding Education Program For Pediatric And Women's Health Care Providers, Family Practice Residents, Medical Students, And Physician Assistant Students, Alissa Terry Parker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background.;Every year approximately {dollar}13 billion are spent and an estimated 900 infant lives are lost in the United States as a result of infants not exclusively receiving breast milk for the first six months of life. Many health care providers lack knowledge and supportive skills regarding basic breastfeeding management. However, the results of several research studies indicate that health care providers who provide support and who are knowledgeable in breastfeeding management can improve the breastfeeding rates of the maternal-infant dyads that they serve. An evidence-based breastfeeding educational program can significantly increase the breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes of health care providers.;Objectives.;The …

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Kriging-Based Design Of Experiments For Multi-Source Exposure-Response Studies In Nanotoxicology, Ying Pei Jan 2015

Kriging-Based Design Of Experiments For Multi-Source Exposure-Response Studies In Nanotoxicology, Ying Pei

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

One of the major challenges with toxicology studies of nanomaterials (NMs), compared to traditional materials or chemicals, lies in the large NM variety (or sources) caused by their various physico-chemical properties. How to efficiently design multi-source biological experiments for the toxicity characterization of NMs in terms of their exposure-response profiles? This work intends to address this question by a two-stage experimental design procedure, which is developed based on the statistical model, stochastic kriging with qualitative factors (SKQ). With a given experimental budget, the SKQ-based design method aims at achieving the highest-quality SKQ, which synergistically models the exposure-response data from multiple …

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Perceived Burdensomeness In Older And Younger Adults: Evaluation Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire, Julie Lutz Jan 2015

Perceived Burdensomeness In Older And Younger Adults: Evaluation Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire, Julie Lutz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Perceived burdensomeness is a major risk factor in the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, and may be particularly relevant in the older population, in which suicide rates are relatively high. However, there is currently only one widely-used measure of perceived burdensomeness, and there is currently little information on the validity of this measure for older adults. The aims were to 1) evaluate measurement invariance of the INQ-15 Perceived Burdensomeness subscale across younger and older adult age groups, and 2) evaluate the construct validity of the Perceived Burdensomeness subscale in younger and older adult age groups by comparing nomological networks in both …

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The Correlation Of Chin Prominence And Esthetics, Nicholas Maddux Jan 2015

The Correlation Of Chin Prominence And Esthetics, Nicholas Maddux

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In part I, a sample of pre-treatment lateral cephalograms collected consecutively was analyzed to look for correlation between soft tissue and hard tissue chin measurements. In part II a survey was constructed to investigate the effects of changes in chin prominence on perceived facial profile attractiveness. Materials & Methods: (Part I) 105 cephalograms of patients in the permanent dentition, 12 years old or greater, were analyzed with a series of hard tissue and soft tissue measurements. The sample was also grouped based on skeletal class and category. (Part II) A facial profile photograph was obtained from one female subject. The …

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Role Of Stem-Like Cells In Carbon Nanotube-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis, Amruta Manke Jan 2015

Role Of Stem-Like Cells In Carbon Nanotube-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis, Amruta Manke

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent studies have shown that pulmonary exposure to (CNT) results in rapid and progressive interstitial lung fibrosis in animals without causing persistent lung inflammation, which is normally associated with other known fibrogenic agents. This unusual fibrogenic effect of CNT raises important health issues since the exposure could result in deadly and incurable lung fibrosis. Accumulating evidence indicates the fibrogenic potential of carbon nanotubes, however, the underlying mechanism remains poorly addressed. Recent studies have demonstrated the pathogenic role of mesenchymal stem cells in pulmonary fibrosis that differentiate into myofibroblasts and contribute to disease progression. Understanding the molecular/cellular basis of these fibrosis-associated …

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Legalized Racial Profiling And Arizona Sb1070: A Framing Effects Study, Agnieszka N. Marciniak Jan 2015

Legalized Racial Profiling And Arizona Sb1070: A Framing Effects Study, Agnieszka N. Marciniak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Immigration has become one of the most important topics on the agenda of federal and state governments. President Obama just passed his pro-immigration executive order allowing five million undocumented immigrants to gain legal work visas. Conversely, there are laws such as Arizona Law SB1070, passed by Governor Jan Brewer in 2010, opposing Obama's pro-immigration stance. In the case of Arizona Law SB1070, it is important to have a basic understanding of the stereotypical perceptions people have of immigrants if laws like these are going to be enforced. In this study, we experimentally manipulated a real-life scenario of an immigrant being …

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Three Essays In Health Economics, Patrick Manzi Jan 2015

Three Essays In Health Economics, Patrick Manzi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I examine three issues in health economics. I first consider the effect of smoking bans on weight gain and find that while smoking bans do not lead to weight gain among the whole population, they may lead to slight increases in weight gain among current smokers. In the second essay I examine differences in maternal and infant health outcomes among mothers enrolled in the WIC program using a regression discontinuity approach. Results indicate that WIC participation decreases the likelihood of premature births, reduces the likelihood of breastfeeding and leads to decreases in maternal weight gain during pregnancy. Finally I examine …

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Becoming A Mindful Sport Psychology Consultant: Defining, Developing, And Integrating Mindfulness Into Practice, Michelle M. Mcalarnen Jan 2015

Becoming A Mindful Sport Psychology Consultant: Defining, Developing, And Integrating Mindfulness Into Practice, Michelle M. Mcalarnen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sport psychology consultation is a problem solving situation and process (Sears, Rudisill, & Mason-Sears, 2006) in which sport psychology consultants (SPCs) are interpersonal and content communicators. To date, research in applied sport psychology has not examined consultants from the perspective of consultants as communicators in problem solving situations. Additionally, it remains unclear how consultants' graduate education and applied training experience relates to certain communication skills, such as mindfulness, cognitive flexibility, and communication flexibility. Yet, these skills, and its influence on consultants, have garnered interest for further study in professional practice literature (Baer et al., 2008; Davis, 2013; Poczwardowski & Sherman, …

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Evaluating The Impacts Of Vaccination, Antiviral Treatment And School Closure On Influenza Epidemic, Xiaofei Shi Jan 2015

Evaluating The Impacts Of Vaccination, Antiviral Treatment And School Closure On Influenza Epidemic, Xiaofei Shi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Multi-objective simulation optimization was performed to synergistically investigate the cost and benefits of the most commonly-used strategies for H1N1 epidemic mitigation: vaccination, antiviral treatment, and school closure. By simultaneously considering the three intervention strategies, this study leads to findings that supplement those in the existing work, and provides additional insights regarding intervention decision making. Specifically, our investigation suggests that different vaccine prioritization strategies, the age-based versus ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) recommendation, be implemented depending on vaccine availability; individual school closure policies are favored over their global counterparts, at least when both vaccination and antiviral treatment are implemented with …

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Examining Legalism, Scrupulosity, Family Perfectionism, And Psychological Adjustment Among Lds Individuals, Kawika Allen, Kenneth T. Wang, Hannah Stokes Jan 2015

Examining Legalism, Scrupulosity, Family Perfectionism, And Psychological Adjustment Among Lds Individuals, Kawika Allen, Kenneth T. Wang, Hannah Stokes

Faculty Publications

This study examined the relationships and interactions between legalism, scrupulosity, family perfectionism, guilt, and shame among 421 Latter-Day Saints (LDS or Mormons). The results showed that scrupulosity fully mediated the links between legalism and guilt, as well as legalism and shame. A moderated-mediation effect was found, in which family discrepancy (maladaptive perfectionism) intensified the scrupulosity–shame association in the mediation model of legalism and shame by scrupulosity. Family discrepancy was not a significant moderator for the mediation model of legalism and guilt by scrupulosity. Additional results are provided and implications of these findings are outlined.

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Exploring Perceived Attitudes Of Counseling Between Lds Religious Leaders And Mental Health Therapists, Kawika Allen, Curtis Hill Jan 2015

Exploring Perceived Attitudes Of Counseling Between Lds Religious Leaders And Mental Health Therapists, Kawika Allen, Curtis Hill

Faculty Publications

Perceived attitudes between mental health therapists and local congregational LDS religious leaders regarding the value, function, and efficacy of mental health therapy were qualitatively examined. Qualitative data emerging from 4 LDS religious leaders (all male; 3 bishops and 1 stake president) and 7 mental health therapists (5 females, 2 males) were analyzed. Results showed differences in attitudes related to the collaboration process as well as the efficacy and process of counseling between local mental health therapists and LDS religious leaders in a specific Southwest region of the U.S. Additional results are reported. Implications are discussed related to these findings.

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Bringing Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapies Into The Health Care Mainstream: A Call For Worldwide Collaboration, Kawika Allen, P. Scott Richards, Peter W. Sanders, Troy Lea, Jason A. Mcbride Jan 2015

Bringing Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapies Into The Health Care Mainstream: A Call For Worldwide Collaboration, Kawika Allen, P. Scott Richards, Peter W. Sanders, Troy Lea, Jason A. Mcbride

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to describe an overall strategy and specific plans for bringing spiritually oriented treatment approaches into the health care mainstream. We describe Bridges, a practice-research network created in 2012 that is devoted to helping practitioners, researchers, educators, and pastoral professionals collaboratively pursue this goal. We describe the achievements of Bridges thus far, which include a website for networking, an online psychotherapy research system, several completed studies, and grant funding for future collaborative research studies. We conclude with an invitation to health care professionals around the world to join with us in efforts to mainstream spirituality …

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Statistical Abstract, Fiscal Year 2015, Tennessee. Department Of Correction Jan 2015

Statistical Abstract, Fiscal Year 2015, Tennessee. Department Of Correction

Annual Statistical Abstract

This document is the annual statistical report for the Tennessee Department of Correction during the fiscal year.

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Furman University Libraries Annual Report. 2014-2015, Janis M. Bandelin Jan 2015

Furman University Libraries Annual Report. 2014-2015, Janis M. Bandelin

Libraries Institutional Records

The Annual Report of the Furman University Libraries provides statistics, accomplishments, and updates related to the Libraries for the 2014-2015 fiscal year.

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Analysis Of Rna Degradation In Dental Pulp To Estimate Postmortem Interval, Amanda Balasko Jan 2015

Analysis Of Rna Degradation In Dental Pulp To Estimate Postmortem Interval, Amanda Balasko

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There are several methods that are currently used to estimate a postmortem interval (PMI), including physiological, biochemical, entomological, and archeological approaches. However, these methods are not effective in estimating PMI's extending from several weeks to months. The study presented here was performed to create an independent, objective biological method to estimate PMI by analyzing the degradation of 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) from porcine and human dental pulp. If successful, this method would overlap and extend the current PMI estimation methods. With a concept similar to that of radioactive carbon-14 dating, this method analyzed two different sized segments -- one large, …

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Gender, Policies, And Politics, Andrea S. Barrick Jan 2015

Gender, Policies, And Politics, Andrea S. Barrick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the role of gender in shaping policies and politics. In the first empirical chapter, I explore support for women candidates for elected office and positions of public authority. The chapter investigates how membership in groups defined by race and gender shapes attitudes towards women holding political office. Next, I map how the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) made it to the legislative agenda and seek to answer the question of how gender entered the discussion of violence. Using the literature on issue framing and entrepreneurship, I explore how attention to the issue …

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Understanding Falls Risk Screening Practices And Potential For Electronic Health Record Data-Driven Falls Risk Identification In Select West Virginia Primary Care Centers, Adam Baus Jan 2015

Understanding Falls Risk Screening Practices And Potential For Electronic Health Record Data-Driven Falls Risk Identification In Select West Virginia Primary Care Centers, Adam Baus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Unintentional falls among older adults are a complex public health problem both nationally and in West Virginia. Nationally, nearly 40% of community-dwelling adults age 65 and older fall at least once a year, making unintentional falls the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries among this age group. This problem is especially relevant to West Virginia, which has a population ageing faster on average than the rest of the nation. Identifying falls risk in the primary care setting poses a serious challenge. Currently, the Timed Get-Up-and-Go test is the only recommended screening tool for determining risk. However, nationally this …

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A Journey In Magic And Realism Performing The Role Of Titania From William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Mya Brown Jan 2015

A Journey In Magic And Realism Performing The Role Of Titania From William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Mya Brown

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This document consists of a detailed account of my process in developing my thesis role and the pedagogical experiences which have contributed to my artistry. The purpose of this thesis role was to allow exploration of the character Titania, from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Titania was an interesting character to portray due to the fact that I had previously performed this role. My study consisted of applying acting methodology to Shakespeare's play in order to realistically present a fresh characterization of the role. A detailed interpretation of the text along with the engagement of my imagination provided the …

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