Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Factors Which Influence College-Aged Men To Perform Testicular Self-Examinât I On, Keith Odendahl

MSN Research Projects

Testicular cancer (TC) has been determined to be the most common malignancy in men 15 to 34 years of age. An estimated 7,400 new cases of TC will be diagnosed in 1999, and approximately 3 00 men will die this year from TC. Evidence suggests the incidence of TC is on the rise in North America, especially among Caucasian men. However, TC is nearly 100% curable if detected in its early stages. Testicular self-examination (TSE), a strategy employed by men to detect TC in its early stages, has not been endorsed by leading authorities on cancer. Education on the disease …

The Impact Of An Education Program On Glycemic Control In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients, Norris Johnson Doss

MSN Research Projects

This quasi-experimental study examined the impact of an education class on glycemic control in Type 2 diabetes patients.

Effects Of Cns Injury Education On High School Students' Knowledge And Attitudes, Kelli May Davidson

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this quasi-experimental two-group study was to determine if any changes in infant behavior occurred during examination in the parent's lap or on an examination table.

Personal Health Screening Practices Among Female Nurse Practitioners, Lisa A. Dement

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which female nurse practitioners within the state of Mississippi are in compliance with the United States Preventive Services Task Force Guidelines.

Evaluating Changes In Infant Behavior During Examination In The Parents Lap Versus The Examination Table, Angela Whitehead Campbell

MSN Research Projects

This study examined the use or nonuse of hormone replacement therapy in rural southern women.

Emergency Contraception: A National Survey Of Nurse Practitioners' Attitudes And Management Practices, Felicia Ellison

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an educational intervention on high school students' knowledge and attitudes about CNS injuries.

The Use Of Hormone Replacement Therapy In Rural Southern Women, Sylvia Blanchard

MSN Research Projects

The focus of this descriptive study was to describe the facilitators and barriers to prenatal care for African-American women in rural northeast Mississippi.

Prenatal Care In African-American Women, Angela Atkinson

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, one-group test-retest study was to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching health-promotion knowledge to post-stroke patients.

Evaluating Changes In Infant Behavior During Examination In The Parents Lap Versus The Examination Table, Kelli May Davidson

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this quasi-experimental two-group study was to determine if any changes in infant behavior occurred during examination in the parent's lap or on an examination table.

Teaching Health-Promotion Knowledge To Post-Stroke Patients, Angela Atkinson

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, one-group test-retest study was to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching health-promotion knowledge to post-stroke patients.

The Use Of Hormone Replacement Therapy In Rural Southern Women, Angela Whitehead Campbell

MSN Research Projects

This study examined the use or nonuse of hormone replacement therapy in rural southern women.

Effects Of Cns Injury Education On High School Students' Knowledge And Attitudes, Felicia Ellison

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an educational intervention on high school students' knowledge and attitudes about CNS injuries.

Prenatal Care In African-American Women, Sylvia Blanchard

MSN Research Projects

The focus of this descriptive study was to describe the facilitators and barriers to prenatal care for African-American women in rural northeast Mississippi.

Characterization Of 50s Ribosomal Subunit Assembly Inhibition In Erythromycin Treated Escherichia Coli Cells., Jerry Edward Usary

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Erythromycin has long been recognized for its ability to inhibit protein synthesis by interfering with mRNA translation on the bacterial ribosome. We have recently shown that erythromycin also inhibits the assembly of the 50S ribosomal subunit in growing bacterial cells. The nature of this assembly inhibition has been investigated using ³H-uridine pulse-chase labeling of control and erythromycin treated E. coli cells.

Subunit assembly was examined by sucrose gradient centrifugation of labeled cell lysates. Normal assembly kinetics of subunit assembly were observed in control cells at 37°C. Formation of the 30S subunit was completed by 7.5 minutes and assembly of …

Gender Identity Development In Self-Disclosed Gay Men In Hidalgo County, Texas, Sammy Lee Flanagan Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Although gay individuals are now more visible than ever, homosexuality remains among the most stigmatized of personal identities. It is because of the various variables associated with coming out and being out and the multitude of persons affected by an individuals' decision to disclose his orientation that are the focus of this research.

This research is designed to document the “coming out” experiences of self disclosed homosexual men, in Hidalgo County, Texas a predominately Mexican American, Catholic community, This research will look at the identity change that takes place when people choose to disclose their homosexual identity to other people. …

A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Eye Protection Methods Used In General Anesthesia, Larry W. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quasi experimental, clinical study was to determine whether taping of the eye or applying ophthalmic ointment along with taping of the eye yields a difference in occurrence and symptoms of corneal epithelial defects in surgical patients undergoing general anesthesia. Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory provided the theoretical framework for this study.

Fifty subjects were randomly selected from a convenience sample of surgical patients in two 300 bed hospitals located in a Midwestern state. The subjects ranged from 18 to 60 years of age. The subjects had no history of previous eye surgery or glaucoma, and were not …

Detection Of Biomarkers Of Potential Pathogens In Varied Matrices, Carol Ann Smith

Masters Theses

Methods that use signature biomarkers have become increasingly important in the field of environmental microbiology. Signature lipid biomarker (SLB) analysis is a method of analysis for the quantitative definition of viable biomass, community composition, and nutritional status of microbiota isolated from a wide variety of environmental matrices, including air, soil and water. Biomarkers examined in this thesis were glyco- and phospholipids, and dipicolinic acid. Organisms tested were Cryptosporidium parvum, C. baileyi, C. muris, Eimeria tenella, E. acervulina, E. maxima, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus subtilis.

Three species of Cryptosporidium were examined using signature lipid biomarker analysis. This analysis was successfully …

Comparison Of Health Promotion Behaviors And Performance On The Navy Physical Readiness Test Among Active Duty Shipboard Personnel With And Without Anterior Knee Pain, Robin Theresa Mckenzie Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

Health promotion is the number one health priority of the nation, yet, health promoting behaviors (HPB) are rarely part of the management plan for persons with anterior knee pain (AKP). In an active duty military population, AKP can interfere with performance on the required, semi-annual physical readiness test (PRT). The purpose of this descriptive, comparative study was to compare the relationships among HPB, AKP and performance on the PRT between two groups of active duty Navy shipboard personnel (those with AKP and those without AKP). Pender's (1996) Health Promotion Model (HPM) served as the theoretical framework. Subjects completed demographic and …

Bipolar Disorder And Locus Of Control: Implications For Treatment Compliance, Linda J. Ryan-Cox

Theses

Theoretically, a paradigm shift in the 1960s made community-based care and out-patient treatment an acceptable alternative to institutionalization of the chronically mentally ill. Utilizing the Levenson Multidimensional Locus of Control Scale for Psychiatric Patients, the author conducted a causal-comparative study to determine if a link exists between having bipolar disorder, a chronic mental illness, and an external locus of control, a link which might explain the inability of this population to maintain their optimal level of mental health utilizing the out-patient treatment model. Though the study failed to demonstrate any significant differences in external measures of loci of control between …

Participation In A Support Group And Quality Of Life For The Caregiver Of The Patient With Alzheimer's Disease, Shirley Ffreeman Wade

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

Alzheimer's disease presently affects four million people in this country. This disease not only affects the patient, but it also has a profound effect on the family. The caregiver could potentially spend two decades caring for the Alzheimer disease patient. Provision of this care can cause feelings of loneliness and despair for the caregiver. The caregiver should be encouraged to seek support from family and community programs to ease the burden of caregiving and to improve quality of life. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of support group participation on the quality of life for caregivers …

Signal Modeling With Non-Uniform Time Sampling Of Features For Automatic Speech Recognition, Montri Karnjanadecha

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation presents an investigation of non-uniform time sampling methods for spectral/temporal feature extraction in speech. Frame-based features were computed based on an encoding of the global spectral shape using a Discrete Cosine Transform. In most current “standard” methods, trajectory (dynamic) features are determined from frame-based parameters using a fixed time sampling, i.e., fixed block length and fixed block spacing. In this research, new methods are proposed and investigated in which block length and/or block spacing are variable. The idea was initially tested with HMM-based isolated word recognition, and a significant performance improvement resulted when a variable block length and …

Role Of Lipolysis And Lipogenesis In The Development Of Diet-Induced Obesity, Michael John Davies

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Obesity is an increasingly common public health problem with approximately one-half of the American adult population overweight and one-quarter considered obese. This alarming trend has led researchers to determine potential causative factors of excess weight gain in humans. However, it is difficult to discern whether perturbations that result in obesity are the cause or simply the result of the obese state. Diet-induced obesity is one of the animal models that allow researchers to address temporal issues. Our laboratory utilizes a diet-induced obesity model in which Sprague-Dawley rats are placed on a purified moderately high fat diet and ultimately diverge into …

Validation Of Passive Air Sampling Monitors Onboard United States Navy Submarines, Larry A. Mcfarland

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

An operating submarine creates a unique air quality mixture of compounds that result from a combination of human metabolism, construction materials, materials brought onboard and compounds created through the interaction of ship systems. A comprehensive study of submarine atmospheres is ongoing during deployments of U.S. Navy nuclear submarines. As part of the overall effort, a paired air sampling comparison field validation was conducted to compare the air sampling effectiveness of passive diffusive monitors compared to more traditional active air sampling methods when sampling for acrolein, formaldehyde and ozone in the enclosed submarine atmosphere. Acrolein monitors containing 2-hydroxymethylpiperidine (HMP) impregnated glass …

An Ultrastructural Survey Of The Nuchal Glands Of Rhabdophis Tigrinus (Serpentes: Colubridae), Kathleen A. Roberts

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Rhabdophis tigrinus, an Asian natricine snake, possesses a series of integumentary glands located in the nuchal skin. Previous studies indicated that the nuchal glands are of mesodermal origin, contain cardiac steroids analogous to bufotoxins found in the parotoid glands of toads, which are included in the snake's diet. The nuchal glands are defensive in function. Preliminary histological studies revealed differences in quality of the gland tissue compared to previous studies, and difference in fixation techniques were suspected. Seven specimens of R. tigrinus were fixed by perfusion using a conservative fixation process standard for electron microscopy. The nuchal gland series …

A Study To Determine Why Some Women Age Fifty And Over Choose Not To Have Frequent Papanicolaou Tests, Dorothy Hicks-Burchwell

Masters Theses

This discriptive study used the Health Belief Model to examine the benefits, barriers, and action cues to obtaining Papanicolaou tests perceived by women age 50 and older. A convenience sample of 48 women were interviewed. Comparisons were made between those who obtained Papanicolaou tests at least every three years (n = 24) and those who did not (n = 24)..

One cue to action and four perceived benefits were found to be important influences. Women who had received Papanicolaou tests less frequently than every three years agreed that certain barriers had influenced their decisions more than women who had received …

Functional Significance Of The Upregulation Of Adhesion Molecules On Irradiated Endothelial Cells, Balabhaskar Prabhakarpandian

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Ionizing radiation is a major therapy for cancer. Damage to the endothelium and upregulation of inflammatory responses are major side effects of radiotherapy, but the mechanisms behind these processes are not clear. A key component of the inflammatory response is leukocytes adhesion to the endothelium in a multi-step process involving leukocyte tethering to the endothelium, followed by rolling, firm adhesion/spreading and extravasation. Adhesion molecules mediate this process, particularly, E-selectin and ICAM-1, which are inducible adhesion molecules. E-selectin is involved in the initial tethering and rolling steps of the adhesion cascade while ICAM-1 appears to be involved in the latter steps. …

Qualitative Evaluation Of Data Compression In Real-Time Ultrasound Imaging, Bijoy J. Sundersingh

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The purpose of this project was to evaluate qualitatively real-time ultrasound imaging using objective and subjective techniques to determine the minimum bandwidth required for clinical diagnosis of various anatomical and pathological states. In the experimental setup live ultrasound video samples representing the most common clinical examinations were compressed at 128, 256, 384, 768, 1152 and 1536 kbps using a compressor-decompressor (CODEC) adhering to International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) recommendation H.261. A protocol for qualitative evaluation was developed and subjective and objective testing were performed based on this protocol. Subjective methods comprised of inter-rater reliability tests using kappa statistics and three way …

An Evaluation Of The Short And Long Term Effects Of Quad Helix Expansion, Sonja F. Finnie

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was conducted to examine, retrospectively, orthodontic and orthopedic changes resulting from quad helix expansion therapy in mixed and permanent dentition stages. Twenty-one subjects with an average age of 10.2 years who experienced an expansion of at least 3 mm with the quad helix appliance were selected for this study. The subjects were evaluated according to facial type and age for both short and long-term stability. Plaster dental casts and posteroanterior (frontal) radiographs were evaluated at the beginning of treatment (T1), at the completion of Phase 1 or full treatment (T2), and approximately two years following the completion of …

An In Vitro Study Of The Durability Of A Proprietary Decalcification Inhibiting Sealant, Michaela Camille Neagu

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Plaque accumulation, although undesirable, is prevalent in orthodontic patients with poor oral hygiene and is linked with enamel decalcification. A proposed product designed to seal the tooth around the orthodontic bracket was tested for its durability. It also was evaluated for its ability to seal the enamel.

We measured prepared areas of sixty bovine teeth that were divided equally into two groups: a control group, protected with light-cured Concise sealant, and a group treated with the test sealant, Odyssey, both by 3M Unitek. The teeth were thermocycled for 1000 cycles in alternating 5° C and 55° C waterbaths at 10-second …

Failure Mode Of An Orthodontic Resin Alone And With Bonded Brackets, Marc Cody Dunn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Since the introduction of bonded orthodontic brackets in the early 1960's spontaneous debonding has been a constant nemesis. Most attempts to avoid this problem by orthodontic manufactures have focused on "bond strength" issue. Whether they chose to address the materials, the bracket base or both, the common method used to evaluate improvements entailed the use of just one testing apparatus: a static universal testing machine such as the Instron.

Metal, ceramic and plastic bonded brackets were tested with the traditional shear/peel method as well as a new high strain rate impact test. The resin itself was also evaluated for physical …