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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

An Examination Of The Five Factors Of Personality, Pubertal Onset And Alcohol Usage In Adolescent Males, Sarah Wickman Dec 2005

An Examination Of The Five Factors Of Personality, Pubertal Onset And Alcohol Usage In Adolescent Males, Sarah Wickman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Recent national surveys have demonstrated an increase in alcohol use among adolescents over the past five years (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003; Kann et al., 2000). It is important to understand factors that influence alcohol use in order to aid in the creation of preventative measures due to the many possible negative consequences associated with drinking alcohol (i.e., unwanted sexual activity, delinquency, abuse of other drugs, violence, car accidents, and poor academic performance) (Boyd, Howard, & Zucker, 1995). Two factors that have been studied as possible predictors of adult and adolescent alcohol use are personality and pubertal onset. Specifically, studies …


The Effects Of Usda Farm-Bill Restoration Programs On Prairie Voles (Microtus Ochrogaster) In The Barrens Region Of Kentucky, Jestin Clark Dec 2005

The Effects Of Usda Farm-Bill Restoration Programs On Prairie Voles (Microtus Ochrogaster) In The Barrens Region Of Kentucky, Jestin Clark

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Much of the area that is now west-central Kentucky historically existed as grass dominated ecosystems. Unfortunately, most of those grasslands are gone due mostly to disturbance suppression and conversion to agricultural lands. Federal, state, and nongovernmental agencies have, particularly within the last several decades, undertaken the responsibility and goal of preserving and attempting to restore many of North America's lost grasslands. The USDA in conjunction with local landowners has initiated the CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) and the CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program); two popular farm bill-based conservation programs. Among the many conservation practices that these programs fund is grassland restoration. …


Effects Of Stretching On Jumping Performance, Carisa Chavez Aug 2005

Effects Of Stretching On Jumping Performance, Carisa Chavez

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Stretching has been a part of warm-up for a very long time. Some recent research has shown that stretching could possibly hinder performance and others have shown it enhances performance. The purpose of this study was to examine whether stretching has an effect on vertical jump, and if so, how long the effects last. Twenty Western Kentucky students (10 M and 10 F) performed three trials each. There was a non-stretching group, a pre-stretching group and a between-stretching group; each of the subjects performed all three. The stretching protocol included a static stretching routine of the gluteus maximus, hamstrings, quadriceps, …


Flow Reversal Events Increase The Abundance Of Nontroglobitic Fish In The Subterranean Rivers Of Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, Michael Ruhl Aug 2005

Flow Reversal Events Increase The Abundance Of Nontroglobitic Fish In The Subterranean Rivers Of Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, Michael Ruhl

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Mammoth Cave National Park (MCNP) is home to the longest cave system in the World and is dissected by the Green River, one of the most speciose watersheds on the continent. Cave springs create a direct aquatic link between subterranean waterways and the Green River. The history of these subterranean river systems is filled with eyewitness reports of various species of surface water (nontroglobitic) fishes, including introduced rainbow trout. This study documents the occurrence of Green River fish species in the cave system of MCNP. Four sites were sampled over a two year period using a variety of gears. In …


Factors Affecting Distribution And Abundance Of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates In Autumnal Wetlands In Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, Usa, Jered Studinski Aug 2005

Factors Affecting Distribution And Abundance Of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates In Autumnal Wetlands In Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, Usa, Jered Studinski

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Despite a recent surge of interest in temporary lentic systems, a strong theory linking the biota to its environment has not emerged. Data were collected from ten autumnal wetlands at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, U.S.A., in an effort to elucidate the environmental variables (EV's) that affected both between- and within-pond macroinvertebrate distribution and abundance. Canonical correspondence analyses performed with between-pond data failed to find strong relationships between the macroinvertebrates and EV's. Additionally, the theory that hydroperiod would effect richness did not apply to these ponds. Within-pond canonical correspondence analyses, however, yielded strong relationships. Further testing using regression analysis and …


Concurrent Validity Of The Clinical Assessment Of Depression With The Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition, Shelley Hicks May 2005

Concurrent Validity Of The Clinical Assessment Of Depression With The Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition, Shelley Hicks

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Depression is a disorder that can affect every aspect of one's life, ranging from physical health issues to interpersonal relationship difficulties. Therefore, it is imperative that the depressive symptoms of college students be identified, evaluated, and treated. Self-report measures are a common technique to identify depressive symptomatology in individuals and assist in diagnosis and treatment. Existing measures are often used as a criterion by which to validate the psychometric properties and effectiveness of newly designed, self-report measures. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the concurrent validity of a newly published self-report measure of depression, the Clinical Assessment of …


Exposure Assessment Of Mercury In Fish From Kentucky Surface Waters, Najla Gubari May 2005

Exposure Assessment Of Mercury In Fish From Kentucky Surface Waters, Najla Gubari

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Consumption of fish contaminated with mercury is the primary exposure pathway by which humans are exposed to mercury. Mercury is known to be a neurological toxin that can cause attention and language deficits, impaired memory, and impaired visual and motor function, especially in children under the age of six. In addition, mercury exposure can lead to other health problems in adults, such as damage to the kidney and increased risk of coronary heart disease. This study assesses the exposure to mercury through consumption of fish from Kentucky surface waters. The exposure assessment is based on data collected by the Kentucky …


Contribution Of Reference Agents To Recovery Maintenance: A Social World Analysis Of Narcotics Anonymous Affiliation, Christa Moore May 2005

Contribution Of Reference Agents To Recovery Maintenance: A Social World Analysis Of Narcotics Anonymous Affiliation, Christa Moore

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Few studies have examined the social process of drug abuse recovery. To determine how recovering addicts use reference agents, such as reference groups and/or reference others, to achieve and maintain sobriety within the context of the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) support group experience, this study examines how Newcomers learn the norms and values associated with NA, how Newcomers become integrated into the NA group and internalize acceptable recovery behaviors, and how Newcomers transition to becoming Oldtimers. In this study, participant observation and in-depth, semi-structured interviewing (N = 13) based upon convenience sampling were employed. This study elicited six stages of social …


Effects Of A Small Mammalian Herbivore On A Grassland Undergoing Restoration, Margaret Murphy May 2005

Effects Of A Small Mammalian Herbivore On A Grassland Undergoing Restoration, Margaret Murphy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis examines the effects of the prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster, on a grassland undergoing restoration. The study addresses these effects with respect to treatment plots (vole-enhanced enclosures and vole-excluded exclosures) and control plots, which have not had the small mammal community manipulated. This study has also been accepted as a manuscript for publication in the "Proceedings of the 18th North American Prairie Conference."1 Two ancillary studies were also conducted. The first, reported in Appendix I, examines the composition and effects on plant community structure by the unmanipulated, small mammal community from the control plots within the area undergoing restoration …


Relationships Between Environmental Factors And Fungi On Occupants' Perceptions Of Indoor Air Quality, Monica Rodriguez May 2005

Relationships Between Environmental Factors And Fungi On Occupants' Perceptions Of Indoor Air Quality, Monica Rodriguez

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In recent decades, concerns about potential health effects resulting from exposure to contaminants that cause indoor air pollution have dramatically increased. The purpose of this study was to assess the indoor air quality of three buildings at Western Kentucky University and to examine and characterize indoor levels of basic comfort parameters, carbon dioxide, and fungi as well as occupants' perceptions of poor indoor air quality and the role of fungi on reported health symptoms. The three buildings included in the study were: Tate Page Hall (TPH), Jones Jagger Hall (JJH) and Science and Technology Hall (STH). Fifty-three questionnaires were completed …