Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Facing Down Death And Moving Beyond: Strategies Utilized By Female Survivors Of Childhood Maltreatment, Tonya Barri Broyles

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a secondary analysis of a federally funded study of survivors of childhood maltreatment, who now consider themselves to be successful and effective in their current environments as adults. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to identify strategies that female survivors of childhood maltreatment have used as children and as adults to move beyond the effects of the abuse. An in-depth analysis of 27 women who have completed three interviews over the course of a year has revealed a generative theme of “Facing Down Death” and two interconnected themes of “Purposeful Cognitions/ Emotions,” and “Purposeful Actions.” Each …

Promises To Keep: A Phenomenological Study Of Icu Nurses’ Experiences Caring For Dying Patients, Phyllis Ann King

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of nurses caring for dying patients in the critical care unit. Using a phenomenological approach based on the works of Merleau-Ponty, the researcher completed 14 interviews in which ICU nurses were asked to describe experiences of caring for patients who died while in their care. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a hermeneutical approach developed by Pollio and applied to nursing research by Thomas. Each interview was examined within the context of all the interviews to identify themes found throughout. The world of the ICU was grounded in …

An Analysis Of Female Roles In Popular Sports Video Games, Brennan W. Galloway

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the roles and portrayal of female characters in popular sports video games. The 15 best-selling sports games of 2005 were played by the researcher without a time-limit or specified path within the game. Gameplay was videotaped and analyzed using a qualitative, descriptive participant- observation model (Glesne, 2006). This method is unique to video game analysis, as previous studies have used quantitative methods. Gameplay was typically about three hours for each game, and copious notes were taken during gameplay. Roles were then analyzed using a framework from previous work in both sports media …

Protein Expression Of G-Protein Inwardly Rectifying Potassium Channels (Girk) In Breast Cancer Cells, Madhu S. Dhar, Howard K. Plummer

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Large Animal Clinical Sciences

Background

Previous data from our laboratory has indicated that a functional link exists between the G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channel and the beta-adrenergic receptor pathway in breast cancer cell lines, and these pathways were involved in growth regulation of these cells. Alcohol is an established risk factor for breast cancer and has been found to open GIRK. In order to further investigate GIRK channels in breast cancer and possible alteration by ethanol, we identified GIRK channel protein expression in breast cancer cells.

Results

Cell pellets were collected and membrane protein was isolated to determine GIRK protein expression. GIRK protein …

Effects Of An Artificially Lengthened Vocal Tract On Glottal Closed Quotient In Untrained Male Voices, Christopher Somers Gaskill

Doctoral Dissertations

The use of hard-walled narrow tubes, often called resonance tubes, for the purpose of voice therapy and voice training has a historical precedent and some theoretical support, but the mechanism of any potential benefit from the application of this technique has remained poorly understood. Fifteen vocally untrained male participants produced a series of spoken /Ψ/ vowels at a modal pitch and constant loudness, followed by a minute of repeated phonation into a hard-walled glass tube at the same pitch and loudness targets. The tube parameters and tube phonation task criteria were selected according to theoretical calculations predicting an increase in …

Effect Of Speech Presentation Level On Acceptance Of Noise In Listeners With Normal And Impaired Hearing, Melinda Carol Freyaldenhoven

Doctoral Dissertations

Experiment I investigated the effects of speech presentation level on acceptance of background noise in listeners with normal (N = 30) and impaired hearing (n = 69); Experiment II investigated the potential for the effects of speech presentation level on acceptance of noise to differentiate full-time (N = 25), part-time (N = 21), and non-users (N = 23) of hearing aids; and Experiment III investigated the predictive probability of acceptance of noise measured at multiple speech presentation levels. Conventional ANL (i.e., ANL at MCL), global ANL (i.e., ANL averaged across speech presentation levels), and ANL growth (i.e., the slope of …

Structure And Fibrillogenicity Of 11-1f4 Epitope Peptide, Demet Ataman

Masters Theses

Conformation-dependent antibodies serve as important tools for understanding the mechanism of aggregation on the pathway of amyloid fibril formation. Furthermore these antibodies may be used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes because of their fibril-reactive nature. One of the important drawbacks of these antibodies is their potential for cross-reactivity with the soluble precursor proteins in addition to the amyloid fibrils.

11-1F4 is a murine monoclonal antibody generated against the amyloid fibrils of the immunoglobulin light chain Len. This antibody has been shown to recognize amyloid fibrils composed of other light chains regardless of their subgroup (λ or κ). In addition, this …

A Critical Case Study Of Program Fidelity In Tenncare, Carole Lynn Myers

Doctoral Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the fidelity of the design of Tennessee's Medicaid managed care program in comparison to the actual program operation. Program fidelity is a broad measurement of how true the implemented program is to the intended program (Heflinger & Northrup, 2000).

Background: In the span of only 15 years, the introduction of managed care and other market-based strategies from the private sector precipitated a transformation of the delivery of Medicaid services in the United States. These monumental changes remain poorly understood. The implementation of managed care in Tennessee's Medicaid program is an excellent …

Parent-Daughter Relationships In Abusive Families As Perceived By Adult Female Survivors Of Childhood Abuse, Kimberly Sue Bolton

Doctoral Dissertations

The numbers of children who suffer childhood abuse are in the millions. A great percentage of this childhood abuse occurs within the family of origin and takes place within the child's own home. Parents who are supposed to love and protect their children are most commonly the abusers of children with consequent mental health outcomes for children. Secrecy and societal denial are obstacles to these children being helped at the time of abuse; often emotional and social problems extend into adulthood. The girl abused in her own family does not have the usual experience of her parents as loving and …

Validation Of The Parvomedics Trueone® 2400 Metabolic Measurement System For Measuring Resting Metabolic Rate In A Heterogeneous Adult Population, Tracie M. Weinheimer

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to validate and compare the accuracy of the ParvoMedics TrueOne® 2400 Metabolic Measurement System in measuring resting VO₂ against the criterion Douglas bag method, and secondarily to compare the Douglas bag measures of VO₂ to those from the ParvoMedics TrueMax® 2400 Metabolic Measurement System, which has been previously validated up to near maximal metabolic rates (3). Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is determined by measuring the oxygen consumption (VO₂) of the subject lying in the supine position in the early morning following an overnight fast. The TrueOne® system uses a …

Dads Matter: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Fathers' Influence On Collegiate Female Athletes' Sport Experience, Tanya Raquel Prewitt

Masters Theses

Female sport history, stereotypes of female athletes, and the socialization of females in sport that currently influence female athletes cannot be disregarded when attempting to understand the psychology of the female sport participant (Brustad, 2002). Additionally, reciprocal relationships between men's and women's lives need to be examined in sport studies and in all fields, even though few have been conducted (McKay, Messner, & Sabo, 2000). Furthermore, little empirical research has been done on the father-daughter relationship, and, in particular, its influence on girls' and women's experiences in sport. Therefore, the purpose of this project was aimed at exploring female collegiate …

Validation Of Measures By The Lifecorder Ex Activity Monitor, Scott Andrew Schmidt

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the validity of the Lifecorder EX activity monitor in calculating resting metabolic rate, counting steps taken at a variety of speeds, reporting energy expenditure across a range of intensities, and categorizing exercise intensity in descriptive units as light (1-3), moderate (4-6), and vigorous (7-9). Ten male (24.6 ± 5.3 years) and ten female (26.6 ± 5.1 years) recreationally active adults participated in this study. Height, weight, resting metabolic rate, and body composition were measured prior to performing treadmill exercise at 9 speeds (54, 67, 80, 94, 107, 121, 134, 147, 161 m•min …

Counteracting Muscle Wasting In Hiv-Infected Individuals, Kenneth D. Phillips

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

No abstract provided.

Spiritual Well-Being, Sleep Disturbance And Mental And Physical Health Status In Hiv-Infected Individuals, Kenneth D. Phillips

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

No abstract provided.

Alcohol And Other Drug Disorders, Comorbidity And Violence In Rural African American Women, Kenneth D. Phillips

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

No abstract provided.

Inflammatory And Immune System Correlates Of Rape, M.W. Groer, Sandra Thomas, G.W. Evans, S. Helton

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of measuring stress hormones and immunity following rape. The long-term goal is to evaluate the predictive value of stress-immune-inflammatory responses to later health outcomes. Fifteen women reporting rape were compared with 16 control participants. Serum stress hormones, proinflammatory cytokines, acute phase proteins, functional assays, and lymphocyte subsets were measured in blood samples. Women reporting rape had higher cytotoxic cells, lower B lymphocyte counts, higher proinflammatory biomarkers, and decreased lymphocyte proliferation compared to the control group. This finding suggests that rape produces activation of the innate immunity and suppression of some …

Nurses' Narratives Of Unforgettable Patient Care Events, M.E. Gunther, Sandra Thomas

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

Purpose: To explore the experience of registered nurses (RNs) caring for patients in contemporary hospitals. Design: The descriptive phenomenological study was based in the philosophical perspectives of Husserl and Merleau-Ponty. Methods: A purposive sample of 46 RNs employed in acute care hospitals in the southeastern United States (US) were recruited by network sampling. Data from unstructured interviews were analyzed in an interpretive group and themes were identified. Findings: Four themes were identified: (a) extraordinary caregiving events, (b) incomprehensibility, (c) questioning whether anything else could have been done, and (d) “alone or together,” indicating the isolation nurses often experience while giving …

Predictors Of Quality Of Life In Hiv-Infected Rural Women: Psychometric Test Of The Chronic Illness Quality Of Life Ladder, C. Murdaugh, L. Moneyham, K. Jackson, Kenneth D. Phillips, A. Tavakoli

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

The Chronic Illness Quality of Life Ladder (CIQOLL) underwent psychometric testing in a sample of 278 women with HIV disease. The CIQOLL, a self-anchoring striving scale based on Cantril’s Ladder, measures seven domains (physical , emotional, financial, family and friends, spiritual well-being, peace of mind, and overall life satisfaction) across four time periods (present, past, future, life without a diagnosis of HIV). The domains were derived from focus groups with persons with HIV disease. Women with a diagnosis of HIV Infection, age 18 or older, residing in rural areas in the southeastern United States, completed questionnaires that measured physical functioning, …

Talking It Over With The Gals: An Analysis Of Editorials By Phyllis Stern, Sandra Thomas

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

Editorials written by a journal editor proved a glimpse of that individual's philosophy and opinions about topical events. The purpose of the present project was to analyze the editorials of Phyllis Noerager Stern during the years that she served as editor-in-chief of Health Care for Women International (1983-2001). Using ethnographic content analysis, 65 editorials were examined to ascertain: (1) what event triggered the editorial; (2) what aim or objective could be identified; and (3) what rhetorical devices the editor employed. Personal narratives and editorials about the abuse/exploitation of women made up the largest categories. Stern's grounded theory orientation, fascination with …

Frontiers (Anniversary Edition 2006) - Celebrating 50 Years, University Of Tennessee Medical Center, University Of Tennessee Graduate School Of Medicine

Frontiers Magazine

No abstract provided.

Frontiers (1st Quarter 2006) - Books For Children; Becoming A Doctor; Surviving A Heart Attack, University Of Tennessee Medical Center, University Of Tennessee Graduate School Of Medicine

Frontiers Magazine

No abstract provided.

Frontiers (4th Quarter 2006) - A Focus On Women's Healthcare: It's Not Just Delivering Babies Anymore, University Of Tennessee Medical Center, University Of Tennessee Graduate School Of Medicine

Frontiers Magazine

No abstract provided.

Frontiers (2nd Quarter 2006) - Trauma, There Are No Accidents; Fellowships; Lifestar, University Of Tennessee Medical Center, University Of Tennessee Graduate School Of Medicine

Frontiers Magazine

No abstract provided.

Volume 4, Number 1 (2006), Ut Institute Of Agriculture

Tennessee Land, Life and Science Magazine

Issue Highlights:

• A focus on agriculture and natural resources programs at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

Volume 4, Number 2 (2006), Ut Institute Of Agriculture

Tennessee Land, Life and Science Magazine

Issue Highlights:

• From Grow to Go for a New Bioeconomy