Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Hand Center: Considerations Related To The Design, Planning, Staffing, And Marketing, Marcia L. Miller

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

A therapist intent on planning a hand therapy center has no resources that are specific to this specialty area of practice. There are contributions utilized to plan occupational and physical therapy departments that can be synthesized to a degree in the planning of a hand therapy center. The practice of hand therapy incorporates a high degree of physical interaction, with close proximity to the patient and handling by the therapist. This paper explores the unique requirements of a hand therapy department. In order to determine hand therapists' preferences for equipment and space utilization a survey was developed and distributed to …

A Comparison Of Perceived Stress Levels And Coping Styles Of Junior And Senior Students In Nursing And Social Work Programs, Robin L. Walton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference in the perceived stress levels and the coping styles of junior and senior students in nursing and social work programs. The study used a descriptive comparative approach and was non[1]experimental. Research questions were developed to guide this research. The population for this research included all junior and senior nursing and social work students preparing for or in clinical courses at a selected university. The sample consisted of 89 nursing students and 33 social work students. Data was obtained through self-reported survey procedures. The researcher visited appropriate classrooms …

Depression And Its Causes In Women Recovering From Substance Abuse, Angelica Silvia Garcia, Coralyn Finlayson Mccabe

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of the study was to determine the extent environmental problems such as family history of substance abuse, loneliness and lack of support contribute to high levels of depression for substance abusing women seeking recovery in residential treatment facilities.

Determination Of The Protein Fraction And Presence Of Antibodies In The Seminal Fluid Of Llama (Lama Glama), Francisco Flores Lopes

Theses and Dissertations

At an international level, Bolivia possesses the largest population of llamas followed by Peru. This makes our country a power, in this renewable resource, to create and generate economic development primarily for the quality of llama meat which has nutritional properties superior to other species of animals used for food. The development of the investigation of llamas in our country has not been very far-reaching. In other countries, advances have been made for quite some time, specifically in the area of reproduction, which presents problems in bringing about an intensive repopulation due to the unique characteristics of llama copulation and …

The Effects Of Regular Aerobic Exercise On Tension Headache, Brittany E. Canady

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A substantial portion of the population will suffer from headache at some point in their lives. This study examines the effect of a simple behavioral treatment for one of the two most common forms of headache, tension headache. Participants selected for the study were drawn from introductory psychology and exercise courses at Marshall University, reported having at least one tension headache per week, and exercised two or fewer times per week. Participants enrolled in an eight-week physical education aerobic exercise course through the university, and monitored their headache activity both during the class and through an eight-week baseline period. Participants …

Ritalin And The Child, Valerie Vickers

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study focuses on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) the history of the disease, sufferers, individual accounts from sufferers, and both positive outcomes and negative repercussions of its treatment. Extensive secondary research and the collection of a personal account form the body of the work. The information focuses attention on key points regarding the historical background of ADHD, including: the discovery of the disease, change in categories of drugs used to control it, and the rate of evolution in thoughts on and treatment of the disease. Also researched are the various guidelines as well as ignored factors in the diagnosing …

Comparison Of Hydrostatic Weighing And Plethysmography Techniques For The Development Of Skinfold Prediction Equations For Children, Tomoko Tozuka

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Regression equations between skinfold (SKF) measurements and air displacement plethysmography (ADP) were determined 6 to 18 year old athletes (80 males / 34 females) using Pearson r correlation coefficients. Triceps and mid-calf SKF and percent body fat (%BF) by ADP were measured during an Athletic Ability Assessment at The HIT Center (Huntington, WV). A high relationship was found between SKF and %BF by ADP (males; r² = .76, females; r² = .74, all; r² = .77). Data from the subjects were compared with similar correlations determined between SKF and %BF by hydrostatic weighing (HW) from another study …

Promoting Total Wellness In The Health Education Curriculum: A Holistic Approach, Alicia Marie Mciver

All Graduate Projects

The benefits of exploring, understanding, and balancing the social, mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual dimensions in one's life were researched. The research suggests that providing students in health education classrooms with meaningful avenues to learn about these dimensions within themselves would lead to higher levels of wellness and an overall higher quality of life. A handbook for educators was created to supplement parts of the existing curriculum, as well as show readers that this type of supplemental health handbook can be created by anyone to be used with any type of health curriculum. This handbook contains three health units. Each …

An Investigation Of The Effects Of A 12-Week Exercise Programme For People With Diabetes, Olive Fanning

Theses

To determine and examine the effects of a 12-week exercise programme for people with diabetes on their blood glucose control, physiological components and psychological well-being.

The purpose of the study was to examine a wide variety of physiological components including assessment of aerobic capacity, body composition, lung, function, flexibility and blood glucose control (HbAlc levels). Psychological well-being was also assessed which includes sub scales for depression, anxiety, energy and positive well being. This had the purpose of identifying exact levels of these variables so as to compare these to the general public norms. It additionally had the benefit of being …

Maternal Characteristics And Timeliness Of Initiating Infant Immunizations., Wendy P. Dimicco

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Hip Taping On Hip And Knee Muscle Activity, Kyle Barker, Greg Charlton, Grant Goven, Daren Martin

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Background and Purpose: It has been hypothesized that patellofemoral pain may be precipitated by weak hip abductor musculature that does not pull the pelvis and femurs into correct alignment during gait activities. The misalignment at the pelvis leads to misalignment down the kinetic chain, eventually affecting the knees. It is theorized that hip taping may aid in supporting the pelvis, thus reducing the EMG activity of the hip abductors and normalizing the alignment of the knees. The purpose of this study is to describe muscle activity and joint motion during a step-down test in subjects with and without the hip …

The Effects Of Magnetic Insoles On Lumbar Flexion, Kari Braaflat, Becky Cox, Angela Delacruz, Heather Skarsgard

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Magnets have been used for therapeutic purposes for hundreds of years. Today, magnetic devices and other alternative therapies are more popular than ever among the general public. The effect of these magnetic devices is dependent on several variables including strength, depth of penetration, placement, time exposed to the magnetic field, and polarity. There are many proposed theories on how magnets affect the body, but there is little research to support them. One of the theories proposed is that magnets alter connective tissue elasticity and allow greater range of motion (ROM). Additional research needs to be conducted to validate or negate …

Reliability Of Shoulder Goniometric Measurements In Persons Who Are Elderly, Karina Koch, Lauri Paulsen, Heather White, Richard Williamson

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

The population of the United States is rapidly aging; this is exemplified by the cohort of "Baby-Boomers" who make up a large part of the population. This becomes relevant to physical therapists, as our clients will reflect this "graying" of America. There is a lack of research regarding normative values for shoulder range of motion (ROM) in the elderly population. Due to many different factors in the aging process, there may be a decline in ROM in elderly persons. Current normative values may not be applicable to this population.

Two pilot studies were conducted measuring active and passive shoulder ROM …

Level Set Segmentation Of Mr Images For Extraction Of Femur Bone And Tissues, Christina Shanti Nayagam

Student Works (2000-2009)

This research explores a potentially useful segmentation algorithm, known as the level set method. It is suitable for images obtained from the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRJ) modality, despite the fact that MR images have low contrast between bone and tissue. The level set method is a numerical technique designed to track the evolution of an interface. The fast marching version of the method is implemented for two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) segmentation in this research. Femur segmentation is the main thrust of this thesis, however brain and heart images are also presented. Pre-processing steps are first performed for the 2-0 …

Vocal Hygiene Training In The Elementary School Teacher Population, Jamie Hethke Talley

Masters Theses

This study investigated the effectiveness of vocal hygiene training in improving knowledge and self-rated characteristics of the voice. The subjects were 10 kindergarten through third grade school teachers who received 4 half-hour sessions of vocal hygiene training in the experimental group. Eleven kindergarten through third grade school teachers served as control subjects and received no training. The teachers were placed in subgroups dependent upon their reports of experiencing voice difficulties or not experiencing voice difficulties. This study also researched the effectiveness of vocal hygiene for teachers with self-reported vocal difficulties versus those without difficulties. Lastly, the perception of importance of …

Distance Education And Dementia Caregivers: A Comparison Of Three Methods, Mary Colleen Corrigan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the research is to examine the family experience of dementia caregiving and design an educational intervention to assist family members in the caregiving role. Stress results when a caregiver confronts environmental demands (dementia behaviors) that threaten personal well-being. The perception of threat is the process of primary stress appraisal. Caregivers evaluate coping options, a process of secondary stress appraisal. Positive secondary appraisal (view the situation as amenable to change) has the potential to trigger re-appraisal of the primary threat, and to reduce overall stress.

Education is one way to affect secondary appraisal. Adult learners benefit from progressive …

The Effect Of Endodontic Solutions On Resorcinol-Formalin Paste, Ronald Nicholas Vranas

Theses and Dissertations

This study determined if any of four endodontic solutions would have a softening effect on resorcinol-formalin paste and if there were any differences in the solvent action between these solutions. Resorcinol, formalin and zinc oxide were mixed and allowed to set for 30 days. The solutions tested were 0.9% sodium chloride, 5.25% NaOCl, chloroform and Endosolv R. Seven samples per solution were tested and an additional seven samples served as controls. Each sample was saturated with one of the solutions and the depth of penetration was tested at 1 min, 2 min, 5 min, 10 min and 20 min using …

An Instructional Manual For Implementation Of Voice Recognition (Vr) In Written Communication, Lori Odagiri

All Graduate Projects

This project investigated the use of voice recognition for written communication. The literature review revealed a lack of research in using voice recognition with individuals with disabilities. An instructional manual consisting of a step-by-step process to guide students through the general training process and teaching students the additional features of the program to promote independent use of Dragon Naturally Speaking Version 5 for written communication. Field tests were completed with 3 students, two with physical disabilities and one with a learning disability.

Examination Of Tester Reliability Utilizing The Limits Of Stability Test On The Neurocom Balance Master For Assessing Balance In Healthy Individuals, Casey Bartolo, Katie Miller, Rachael Seals, Christal Stotesbery

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Balance is critical for optimal function in completion of everyday tasks. Physical therapists frequently work with people that have balance disturbances in order to help return them to optimal function. One tool used in the assessment and treatment of balance disorders is the NeuroCom® Balance Master 7.06 (NBM), a computerized forceplate system that provides objective measurements of balance performance. In order to obtain accurate measurements on the NBM, it is necessary that the tester have adequate training. The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of training necessary for a therapist to obtain reliable results using the NBM. …

A Survey Of College Students With And Without Low Back Pain: A Comparison Of Risk Factors, Carrie Bristow, Erika Buckhouse, Jessica Nelson

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Many people suffer from low back pain. The lifetime incidence of low back pain has been widely studied in the general population. Previous research has found risk factors that have been correlated with an increase in low back pain. Individuals with low back pain seek different sources of treatment; outcomes of treatments vary. This survey targeted younger adults, specifically college students of ages 18 to 26. The results of this survey attempt to answer these three research questions: 1) What is the lifetime incidence of LBP in young adults ages 18 to 26? 2) In college students, is there a …

A Survey Of Perception And Awareness Of Physical Therapy Services In North Dakota, Dustin Carter, Nathanyal Jacklitch, Chris Nephew

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Physical therapists treat patients with a wide array of medical conditions, diseases, and dysfunctions in a variety of settings across the state of North Dakota. Few studies have been conducted to determine the level of public awareness of physical therapy and/or the existing perceptions toward physical therapy. The purpose of this study is 1) to determine the level of public awareness concerning physical therapy services that exist in North Dakota and 2) to determine the public perceptions of North Dakota residents towards physical therapy. The results of this survey were analyzed according to descriptive and analytical statistics and were shared …

Intra And Inter-Tester Reliability For Lumbar Flexion And Extension Using The Dualer Digital Inclinometer, Amber M. Flatland, Jennifer Johnson, Tracy Stommes, Kimberly Weeda

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the intra- and inter-tester reliability of the DualerTM Digital Inclinometer when measuring lumbar flexion and extension. Past studies examining reliability of inclinometers have reported variable results. Few studies in the literature have sought to determine the reliability of the Dualer™ Digital Inclinometer for measuring lumbar flexion and extension.

Methods: The subjects who participated in this study were university students between 20 and 41 years of age without a significant history of back pain (n=22). Two testers measured each subject's lumbar flexion and extension, hip flexion and extension, and straight leg raise …

Determining The Level Of Knowledge Of Und College Women In Their Childbearing Years Regarding Exercise During Pregnancy, Tricia Flohr, Sara Hoerner, Kari J. Melby

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

With an increase in the number of pregnant women exercising, there is an increased need for patient education and the distribution of updated guidelines to promote appropriate exercise activities.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the level of knowledge in English-speaking, college women in their childbearing years attending the University of North Dakota regarding the risks, precautionary measures and recommended modes of exercise during pregnancy.

SUBJECTS & METHODS: Eighty-four women between the ages of 18 and 40 enrolled in the summer school session completed a thirty-one question survey. The survey was used to gather information about the …

An Emg & Motion Analysis Study Of The Elliptical Trainer, Chris Hansen, Jaime Horner, Filip Johnson, Emily Wolkomir

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Background and Purpose

The purpose of this study is to describe lower extremity muscle activity and joint range of motion while moving both forward and backward on an elliptical trainer at minimum and maximum inclines.

Subjects

Ten healthy subjects (7 female and 3 male) gave informed consent to voluntarily participate in this study.

Methods

A single group experimental design was used. A maximum contraction was performed for comparison measure and electromyographic (EMG) data was collected while the subjects performed the stride at the specified variables.

Results

The vastus lateralis was the most active of all the muscles throughout the entire …

The Effects Of Boron On The Range Of Motion Of Dexterity Related Joints: A Patient With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Nicole Herda, Jessica Woehl

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive, destructive and chronic, inflammatory disease of the joint synovium. Signs and symptoms include pain, limited range of motion, swelling, and tenderness, which may progress to deformity. These manifestations may limit dexterity, independent living, and the overall well being of an individual. Living with daily restrictions proves to be a psychologically distressing experience.

An increase in the dietary boron level of laboratory rats has shown to have a positive effect on the range of motion in their involved joints. This concept was tested on a human subject at the United States Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition …

A Comparison Of Abdominal Muscle Activity During The Crunch, Crunch On Ball, And Abslide Exercises, Jessica M. Norton, Lesley Splonskowski, Hayley Strauss, Sabrina Wagner

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

People have developed an obsession with flattening their stomachs and slimming down their waistlines. The so called "ab machines" have become the most popularly purchased home exercise tools. Although numerous electromyographic (EMG) analysis studies have been done on various forms of equipment-free abdominal exercise, little research has been done to evaluate the effectiveness of equipment-aided exercise. The purpose of this study was to analyze and evaluate any differences in EMG activity between three abdominal exercises: the traditional crunch, the crunch on a ball, and utilization of a prone rolling machine (AbSlide®).

Thirty, healthy subjects between the ages of 19 and …

A Survey Of The Use Of Physical Agents And Therapeutic Modalities In Physical Therapy, Kyle B. Seto, Eric D. Walberg

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Background and Purpose. It is desirable that physical therapy programs update their curricula according to the clinical application patterns of physical agents and therapeutic modalities in physical therapy. The purpose of this study is to 1) determine the frequency of use of physical agents and therapeutic modalities, 2) determine the factors in deciding which physical agent or therapeutic modality to use, 3) determine the educational coverage of each physical agent or therapeutic modality and identify strengths and weaknesses of the respondents training, and 4) compare the frequency of use with the current training in physical agents and therapeutic modalities at …

The Effects Of Food Restriction On Wheel Running In Rats, Vanessa M. Lopak

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The impact of food restriction and refeeding on wheel running was examined in 3 groups of rats: 55 day old male rats in Experiment 1; 140 day old male rats in Experiment 2; and 180 day old female rats in Experiment 3. After a baseline period of 24 to 40 days wheel experience with ad lib food access half of the animals were food restricted for 16 days by being given a limited amount of food daily to reduce (and maintain) their body weight at 85% of their baseline weight. After food restriction the rats were returned to ad lib …

A Qualitative Analysis For Sex Determination In Humans Utilizing Posterior And Medial Aspects Of The Distal Humerus, Veronica L. Wanek

Dissertations and Theses

Visual and metric analysis both provide accepted methods for sex determination in humans. Visual ascertainment uses differing morphological traits in males and females to establish sex. Researchers have continually sought accurate methods of sexing long bones when skulls or pelves are absent or fragmented. These long bone elements may not have sexually distinct characteristics, but tend to survive in the field quite well.

Metric analysis depends on size dimorphism between males and females to correctly assign sex. Metric methods fail where the sexes overlap or when skeletal elements cannot be assigned to their correct biological population. Under these conditions, visual …

Home Health Care Nurses' Knowledge Of Advance Directives, Jennifer L. Zoeteman

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe home health care nurses' knowledge of advance directives. Dorothea Orem's Theory of Self-Care guided this descriptive correlational study which investigated the relationship between knowledge of advance directives and the variables of nursing educational preparation and years of nursing experience. A convenience sample of 40 subjects employed by a Michigan home care agency completed a 39 item questionnaire adapted from Crego and Lipp (1998). The mean knowledge score was 84.68%. Analysis of the demographic profile showed no significant difference in knowledge levels by educational preparation. Years of nursing experience was found to have …