Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Context, Delivery, And Providers’ Perspectives Of Family Life Education In Tn, Usa, Ruby Yadav

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2015, TN had the 9^th highest teen birth rate in the United States. School-based sex education programs have shown promise in curbing teen pregnancy rates. In TN public schools, sex education could be taught by teachers of subjects like biology, health education, or invited guests from ministries, or national or local nonprofit agencies. The content, rigor, and approach of sex education taught by these diverse groups of providers remains unknown. This pilot study tested a survey questionnaire and methodology, while providing information on the providers’ sex education practices and perspectives.

We adapted validated measures from past sex education …

An Exploratory Study Of Military Management Practices, Physical Activity, And The Prevalence Of Shin Splints In Rotc Cadets, Jakayla Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS, Shin splints) is very common in military personnel accounting for up to 35% of incidences, which is almost twice the incidence seen in the average active individual. Each year there is in increase number of injuries in Army recruits. Though Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs are known for commissioning approximately 60% of 2^nd Lieutenants and 40% of generals on active Army duty, no research has been done examining MTSS occurrences in relation to military management practices. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between military management practices and …

Assessing Readiness For Group Therapy In Primary Care: An Initial Survey Exploring Need, Philip Randall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Primary care providers have become the front line of treatment for mental health in the United States. Group interventions have been argued to be an effective way to treat more patients with fewer resources, which could reduce the burden of psychopathology on primary care settings. Group therapy faces many barriers to successful implementation in primary care, including site constraints, provider perceptions, population needs, and recruiting difficulties. A survey was developed to assess primary care providers’ perspectives on these areas and distributed via online survey to practitioners in Appalachia; 28 providers responded. No hypotheses were supported, likely a result of the …

A Role Of Vitamin B2 In Reducing Amyloid-Beta Toxicity In A Caenorhabditis Elegans Alzheimer’S Disease Model, Muhammad Tukur Ameen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with amyloid-beta peptide deposition and loss of mitochondrial function. Using a transgenic C. elegans AD worm model expressing amyloid-beta in body wall muscle, we determined that supplementation with either of the forms of vitamin B₂, flavin mononucleotide (FMN) or flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) protected against amyloid-beta mediated paralysis. FMN and FAD were then assayed to determine effects on ATP, oxygen consumption, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) with these compounds not significantly improving any of these mitochondrial bioenergetic functions. Knockdown of the daf-16/FOXO transcriptional regulator or the FAD synthase enzyme completely abrogated the …

The Combined Neuropharmacology And Toxicology Of Major 'Bath Salts' Constituents Mdpv, Mephedrone, And Methylone, Serena Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The synthetic cathinones, 3,4- methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), 4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone), and 3,4- methylenedioxymethcathinone (methylone), gained worldwide notoriety as the psychoactive components of ‘bath salts;’ a marketing term used to circumvent federal drug laws and permit their legal sale. Previous studies have shown that these drugs share pharmacological characteristics with cocaine and the amphetamines, however, descriptions of their neurotoxic properties are limited. Moreover, while forensic analysis has revealed that the most frequently abused bath salts ‘brands’ contain binary and ternary mixtures of MDPV, mephedrone, and methylone, the majority of preclinical research has focused on explicating the individual effects of these drugs. Therefore, the …

Fear Of Missing Out, Social Media Abuse, And Parenting Styles, Kylie Richter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing rise in technology use, particularly engagement in social media, it is important for researchers to gain a better understanding of the usage patterns along with the antecedents and consequences of heavy social media usage. In addition to the rise in social media usage, a new anxiety driven phenomenon is storming the research world, FoMO (Fear of Missing Out). To date, there has been little empirical research on the relationship between social media usage and psychological adjustment. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between FoMO, social media abuse, and parenting styles. It is theorized that because FoMO …

An Exploration Of Barriers To Health Care Access Among Uninsured Patients: Using The Moderating Effect Of Patients’ Enablement, Enedelia L. Jessup

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT On March 23, 2010, Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to increase value of care, improve clinical outcomes, decrease health care costs, and increase affordability in health care access. The purpose of the study attempts to examine the moderating effects of patient enablement impacting barriers, low socio economic status, and unmet basic needs, toward health care access in uninsured populations post ACA. Only certain aspects of patient enablement in self-management of an individual’s health care goals have been conducted with uninsured populations with barriers toward health care access. The research design was a quantitative, exploratory, …

Survey Of Rickettsia Spp. In Ticks In Nacogdoches County, Texas, Nathaniel Blakley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rickettsia parkeri is an obligate intracellular pathogenic bacterium that is commonly transmitted by the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum. Rickettsia parkeri is the causative agent of Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis, which is a disease characterized by nonspecific symptomology. Significant effort by numerous research groups focuses on determining the geographic distribution of potential vectors of this pathogen. The purpose of this study was to study A. maculatum populations in Nacogdoches County, Texas, for the presence of Rickettsia parkeri. Over a two-year period, 49 ticks were collected in Nacogdoches county and taxonomically identified. The DNA was extracted using DNeasy Blood and Tissue …

Entry-Level Physical Therapy Students' Knowledge And Attitudes Of Nutrition, Jordan D. Day

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Like other allied health fields, physical therapy has incorporated health promotion as a part of their practice. A large and important component of health promotion is nutrition. Little research has been conducted on the knowledge and attitudes of nutrition in physical therapists and has only included small sample sizes. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to expand upon the knowledge and attitudes of nutrition in physical therapy students. Subjects included doctoral physical therapy students from across the United States, ranging from first year to senior level. The present research was conducted online via a Qualtrics survey. Surveys, included …

Development Of Low Frequency Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Methods And Instrumentation For Biological Applications, Laura A. Buchanan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

EPR is a powerful biophysical tool that can be used to measure tumor physiology. With the addition of magnetic field gradients, the spectral properties of paramagnetic species can be mapped. To facilitate EPR imaging, methods and instrumentation at frequencies between 250 MHz and 1 GHz were developed.

At low spin concentrations, the rapid scan background signal is often many times larger than the EPR signal of interest. To help remove the background contribution, a data acquisition procedure that takes advantage of a cross-loop resonator and bipolar power supplies was developed at 250 MHz. In this procedure, two scans are collected. …

An Exploratory Study Of Session Limited Models Of Therapy Outcomes In An Employee Assistance Program, Ivy C. Donaldson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) have grown increasingly popular over recent years. The prevalence of organizations utilizing and investing in EAP services for their employees has grown; however, companies that purchase EAPs are not well-informed as to which session-models are most effective for various diagnoses. The current study is the first to explore treatment outcomes of session-limited models (measured by Therapist Perception of Change, TPC) for diagnoses (anxiety and depression) in an EAP delivery system. Outcomes were measured by TPC ratings including: a) Regressed, b) remained at Baseline, c) Improved, and d) issue was Resolved. Analyses (Chi-Square and =t-test) were used …

Studying Facial Expression Recognition And Imitation Ability Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Interaction With A Social Robot, Farzaneh Askari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience limited abilities in recognizing non-verbal elements of social interactions such as facial expressions [1]. They also show deficiencies in imitating facial expressions in social situations. In this Master thesis, we focus on studying the ability of children with ASD in recognizing facial expressions and imitating the expressions using a rear-projected expressive humanoid robot, called Ryan. Recent studies show that social robots such as Ryan have great potential for autism therapy. We designed and developed three studies, first to evaluate the ability of children with ASD in recognizing facial expressions that are presented to …

Psychotropic Medications And Children: Perceptions Of Mental Health Professionals, Elinor Jane Brereton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project explores mental health professionals' perspectives on the prescription of psychotropic medications to children. It emphasizes the placement of biomedicine within its larger social, economic, and political context, and the influence these structures have on the way mental illness is conceptualized and treated in children. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted in Denver, Colorado with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and a pharmaceutical board member to capture multiple perspectives from different positionalities within the field. Participants discussed factors that they believe influence prescribing practices including: professional role changes, issues of access, limited evidence, cost, and institutional pressures to practice within a …

Patient-Specific Quantification Of The Relationship Between The Left Atrium Pressure And The Ostial Diameter Of The Left Atrial Appendage, Sky Tianqi Gao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The left atrial appendage has been a historically understudied region of the heart until fairly recently with the new understanding of its role in the stroke pathway of patients with atrial fibrillation. The goal of this study is to take a look at the biomechanical behavior of the left atrium and left atrial appendage under normal physiological loading conditions using material properties taken from biaxial stretch tests. Several different options for material properties models were tested and biaxial stretch test data of cadaveric human tissue samples for the left atrium and appendage were fit to a Fung-type strain-energy function for …

The Impact Of Sudden Gains And Deteriorations On The Psychotherapy Process, Joanna Mary Drinane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within the field of psychotherapy research, there has been significant evidence to suggest that people change and improve because of treatment (Lambert & Ogles, 2004). One common phenomenon that has been observed when looking more closely at outcome trajectories has been termed sudden gains/deteriorations. These are defined as sudden changes in outcome (either positive or negative) of 25% or more from the pre-change level of symptoms that are in turn sustained over time (Tang & DeRubeis, 1999). Although there are data regarding how people who experience sudden gains end up after treatment, no studies have examined the impact that sudden …

Life Partner Perceptions Of The Emotional Impact Of Stuttering, Athanasia Svenning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of the present study is to investigate the extent to which life partners understand the emotional impact stuttering has on their loved one who stutters. This was accomplished by administering the Speech Situation Checklist - Emotional Reaction (SSC-ER), a subtest of the Behavior Assessment Battery (BAB; Vanryckeghem & Brutten, 2018) via Qualtrics, an online survey software, to the participants who stutter and a modified version of the SSC-ER to their life partner. No significant differences and a positive correlation were observed between groups (people who stutter (PWS) and their life partner (LP) as it relates to total score …

The Identification And Segmentation Of Astrocytoma Prior To Critical Mass, By Means Of A Volumetric/Subregion Regression Analysis Of Normal And Neoplastic Brain Tissue, Lyn Higgins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the underlying cause of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is presently unclear, this research implements a new approach to identifying and segmenting plausible instances of GBM prior to critical mass. Grade-IV Astrocytoma, or GBM, is an aggressive and malignant cancer arising from star-shaped glial cells, or astrocytes, where the astrocytes, functionally, assist in the support and protection of neurons within the central nervous system and spinal cord. Subsequently, our motivation for researching the ability to recognize GBM is that the underlying cause of the mutation is presently unclear, leading to the operative that GBM is only detectable through a combination of …

A Review And Selective Analysis Of 3d Display Technologies For Anatomical Education, Matthew Hackett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of anatomy is complex and difficult for students in both graduate and undergraduate education. Researchers have attempted to improve anatomical education with the inclusion of three-dimensional visualization, with the prevailing finding that 3D is beneficial to students. However, there is limited research on the relative efficacy of different 3D modalities, including monoscopic, stereoscopic, and autostereoscopic displays. This study analyzes educational performance, confidence, cognitive load, visual-spatial ability, and technology acceptance in participants using autostereoscopic 3D visualization (holograms), monoscopic 3D visualization (3DPDFs), and a control visualization (2D printed images). Participants were randomized into three treatment groups: holograms (n=60), 3DPDFs (n=60), …

Simulating Human Pleura Performance In Medical Training Using Measured Tissue Mechanical Properties, Jack Norfleet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Medical simulations provide hands-on training at various levels of medical expertise. Yet these simulators fail to accurately mimic the look, feel and behavior of human tissue. Applying measured mechanical properties from human cadaver tissues promises to improve the fidelity of simulated tissue behaviors when subjected to medical procedures. Samples of human parietal pleura were tested under uniaxial tension to failure and measured characteristics were replicated in synthetic pleura. Context specific parameters were then collected and compared between human pleura and the new synthetics. These comparisons tested the hypothesis; H1 Gaps exist between synthetic and human pleura performance, H2: Human tissue …

Effects Of Parent Role Modeling Behaviors In Correlation To Child Overweight And Obesity In Preschool-Aged Children, Nicole Van Heek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: Parents have been proven to shape their children’s health through their growing years.1-6 Extensive research has been done on the correlation between adolescent’s health status and parent’s role modeling behaviors. However, little research has been done in preschool-aged children. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if parenting style with food and meal behaviors was associated with body mass index (BMI) and weight status in preschool-aged children (3-5 years).
METHODS: This study is a part of South Dakota State University’s iGrow Readers study. For this study, a total of 229 child/parent dyads participated from 14 recruited daycare …

Universal Swine Influenza Antigen And Vaccine, Zhao Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Swine influenza A viruses pose a serious concern for global health and worldwide swine industry considering their evasion from vaccine-induced immune responses. Formulation of effective influenza vaccines can be complicated by both antigenic shift to a different subtype of hemagglutinin (HAs) and antigenic drift within a particular HA subtype. To address these concerns, we employed a systematic approach to determine the antigenic determinants of swine influenza A viruses by focusing on H1 and H3 subtypes. In parallel, we used a cross-disciplinary approach including structural biology and modeling, virology, and immunology to identify swine influenza A virus-derived HA fusion intermediates broadly …

Serological Evidence For The Co-Circulation Of Two Lineages Of Influenza D Virus In Equine Populations Of The Midwest United States, Hunter Theodore Nedland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Influenza D virus (IDV) is a newly described lineage of the Orthomyxoviridae virus family that was first isolated from diseased swine in 2011 and has subsequently been detected in cattle around the world in 2014. In addition, serological evidence for IDV infection in humans has been recently established. Despite all the progress, the full range of susceptible hosts for this novel virus has yet to be determined, but includes swine, bovine, small ruminants and human. This study was designed to determine if equine is a possible host to this newly emerging influenza virus. 364 equine serum samples were collected in …

Ischemic Preconditioning Improves Maximal Accumulated Oxygen Deficit In Ncaa Division I Middle-Distance Runners, Emily Paull

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: There is an ongoing debate concerning whether ischemic preconditioning elicits consistent and meaningful exercise performance benefits. We have previously demonstrated no performance benefits of ischemic preconditioning at submaximal aerobic exercise intensities. It is likely that the beneficial effects of ischemic preconditioning on performance only involve supramaximal anaerobic exercise bouts, which elicit greater metabolic and neuromuscular stress. The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that ischemic preconditioning improves maximal accumulated oxygen deficit (aO2D), an indicator of anaerobic capacity, in NCAA Division I middle-distance runners. Methods: A randomized sham-controlled crossover study was employed in which 10 NCAA Division …

The Role Of Programs And Policies In Shaping The Observed School Nutrition Environment And Rural Childhood Obesity, Shadai Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Childhood obesity is an ongoing public health concern that impacts many children in the United States. Research has shown that the prevalence of childhood obesity is higher in rural populations compared to non-rural populations. This may be attributable to differences in the school nutrition environment, particularly school meals and school wellness policy implementation. In order to design effective intervention targeted at weight management and obesity reduction, information regarding the school nutrition environment must be known. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to examine the school nutrition environment, particularly school lunch participation and weight outcomes between metro, non-metro and rural …

Baseball In The Background: Season Ticket Holder Retention In Summer Collegiate Baseball, Susan Wallrich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate season ticket purchasing motives in summer collegiate baseball, specifically in the Northwoods League. The Sport Fan Motivation Scale (Wann, Schrader, & Wilson, 1999) was used in this study to determine fan attendance motives at summer collegiate baseball games. The literature review examines fan motivation, sports as entertainment, and season-ticket holder retention. The results from this study were obtained by administering a modified version of the Sport Fan Motivation Scale (Wann et al., 1999), a 20-question, 5 point, Likert scale survey to season ticket holders of a Northwoods League team. The outcome of …

Effects Of Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Yeast Supplementation And Supplementation Frequency On Immune Parameters, Performance, And Digestibility Among Periparturient Beef Cows And Calves, Janine Swartz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Effects of enzymatically hydrolyzed yeast (EHY) and supplementation frequency (FREQ) on immune parameters among beef cows and calves was evaluated. Eighty multiparous (parity = 4.2 ± 0.3) cows were fed a common brome hay-based diet (CP = 8.0 ± 0.17%). Cows were blocked by expected calving date and stratified by body condition score (BCS) before random assignment of treatment. Beginning 88 ± 5 d prior to parturition, cows were provided 1 kg daily or 3 kg every 3 d of a soybean hull-based supplement (CP = 34.0, % of DM) that contained 0 or 3 g/kg EHY. The daily supplement …

Chronic Risk And Disease Management Model Using Structured Query Language And Predictive Analysis, Mamata Ojha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with chronic conditions are the ones who use health care most frequently and more than 50% of top ten causes of death are chronic diseases in United States and these members always have health high risk scores. In the field of population health management, identifying high risk members is very important in terms of patient health care, disease management and cost management. Disease management program is very effective way of monitoring and preventing chronic disease and health related complications and risk management allows physicians and healthcare companies to reduce patient’s health risk, help identifying members for care/disease management along …

The Effects Of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus And Bovine Herpesvirus Type 1 On Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells, Jacob Sobraske

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1) are important pathogens that affect cattle. In this in vitro study, the main goal was determining the direct effects of BVDV and BHV-1 infections of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDC) on cytokine mRNA expression. For the BVDV infected MDDC experiments, Holstein Friesian and Brown Swiss calves were included with a breed comparison with cytokine expression. Surface marker expression was also measured in BHV-1-infected MDDCs. For both viruses, a high virulent strain (1373 for BVDV and Cooper for BHV-1) and lower virulent strains (20508 for BVDV and Los Angeles for BHV-1) …

Weight Management Related Factors And Healthy Behaviors In Adults, Sumadhuri Pamarthi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is an ongoing global pandemic that affects more than one in three adults in the United States. Being overweight or obese also increases the risk of chronic health conditions. Weight management does not only center on immediate weight loss but also on the proper maintenance of an appropriate body weight over the years. Methods of weight management include eating a healthy diet and meeting physical activity guidelines. Such weight management practices are important to ensure that the people suffering from obesity can decrease risks of morbidity or even mortality. Nevertheless, unhealthy weight management strategies might lead to unintended health …

Effectiveness Of A Low-Budget Sports Vision Training Program For Improving Batting Statistics Of An Ncaa Division I Baseball Team, Adam J. Melstrom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Context: Sports vision training (SVT) has been increasing in popularity among many dynamic reactive sports. Dynamic reactive sports require extremely accurate detection and discrimination of visual stimuli in order to execute a precise motor response. Manual interception, locomotion, and depth judgement are found to be the most important visuomotor abilities with interceptive sports such as baseball. Baseball is a highly visually demanding sport, especially offensively. The effectiveness of the batter is dependent on his/her ability to locate, track, and swing at a projectile in ~0.2 seconds. This presents the opportunity to implement an SVT program with a baseball team as …