Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Longitudinal Study Examining The Stability Of Occupational Stressors Identified By Nursing Home Administrators, Gay Lynne Andrucci-Armstrong

Health Services Research Dissertations

As a result of the ever changing and expanding role of the nursing home administrator in conjunction with the stricter legislation governing nursing facilities over the past decade and the graying of America, a study specific to this population was warranted. The purpose of this study is to determine the relative change in the self-reported occupational stressors of nursing home administrators over a five year period (December 1994 to June 1999) secondary to the increased regulatory climate of the nursing home industry.

This study was carried out in three phases and included all practicing nursing home administrators in Virginia. Phase …

Barrier To Utilization Of Primary Healthcare Resources In Children Two Years Of Age And Under, Ruth A. Waibel

Health Services Research Dissertations

This is a retrospective longitudinal study of health service utilization using the Immunization Practice Data Set obtained from the Center for Pediatric Research, Norfolk, Virginia. Cluster sampling was used to identify a cohort of children (n = 271), aged 0 to 24 months, from the city of Norfolk, Virginia. A two-year abstraction of medical records was used to determine utilization practice patterns for three categories of health: well-baby, acute and chronic care. The purpose of this study was to identify socio-demographic, need, and health system factors associated with under-utilization of primary care services using Aday's model. The proportion of children …

An Examinaton Of The Enhanced Primary Care Model For The Organization Of Team Care In Managing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In The Elderly Population, Carolyn Morcom Rutledge

Health Services Research Dissertations

The healthcare system is faced with overwhelming demands as a result of the growing elderly population, especially those with chronic illnesses. One disease that significantly impacts the morbidity and mortality of the elderly population, especially the minority and poor population, is type 2 diabetes. This population often lacks access to resources and quality healthcare that may be due to inadequate knowledge by the patients and their healthcare providers regarding available services. Current models of healthcare have not been effective in meeting the healthcare demands of this population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Enhanced …

Minimum Mean Square Error Spectral Peak Envelope Estimation For Automatic Vowel Classification, Jaishree Venugopal

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Spectral feature computations continue to be a very difficult problem for accurate machine recognition of speech. In this work, which focuses on vowels, a new spectral peak envelope method for vowel classification is developed, based on a missing frequency components model of speech recognition. According to the missing frequency components model, vowel recognition depends only on the spectral (harmonic) peaks. Smoothing and interpolation of the spectra, performed in the standard cepstral analysis method commonly used in automatic speech recognition, actually loses valuable information and results in reduced recognition accuracy. The new method for feature extraction presented in this thesis is …

The Effect Of Occupant And Vehicular Parameters On The Onset And Severity Of Whiplash Associated Disorder, James Keith Wilkerson

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Whiplash Associated Disorder (WAD) cases millions of injuries and billions of dollars in litigation and medical cost. The purpose of this study was to determine if any relationship existed between certain occupant and vehicular constants and the onset and severity of WAD. One hundred subjects involved in low-speed collisions were selected from an active database. Fifty-nine subjects were females and 70% of the subjects were drivers. A discriminant function analysis was performed, with occupant position and duration as the only variables that had significant discriminating power. However, eighty-four percent of the subjects experienced 100millisecond accelerations and 70% were drivers. Therefore, …

Parenting Behaviors Related To Young Adult Depressive Symptomology, Rebecca D. Abramson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Parental stress, hostility, warmth, acceptance, amount of control, and overall security of parent-child attachment appears to influence childhood and adult adjustment. Several relationships have been found between parenting style and the emotional and psychological well being of children and adolescents (e.g., Baumrind, 1967, 1971; Parker, 1979a, 1979b; Ge, Conger, Lorenz, & Simons, 1994; Ge, Best, Conger, & Simons, 1996). The present study examined the effects of perceived parenting styles on young adults' reported psychological distress and depressive symptomology. Participants viewed both mothers and fathers as equally attentive, supportive, and controlling, while viewing mothers as slightly more caring. However, participants' perceptions …

The Effects Of Occupational Ultrasonic Noise Exposure On Hearing In Dental Hygienists: A Pilot Study, Jennifer S. Dunning

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this case-control study was to determine whether long-term ultrasonic noise exposure via the dental office environment is related to dental hygienists' hearing status. Registered dental hygienists (N = 698) who live in the Hampton Roads area were mailed a Dental Hygiene Work History Questionnaireto determine those meeting the inclusion criteria and willing to participate in the study. Consenting subjects were categorized into one of two groups according to ultrasonic scaler usage rate and matched on age. Persons with known hearing loss due to infection, disease, or congenital defect were excluded from the study. The final sample …

Sulphur By-Product: A Potential Indicator Of Early Dental Plaque-Induced Gingival Disease Activity: A Pilot Study, Hui Zhou

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between volatile sulfide compounds and gingival health status, and to identify if volatile sulfide compounds can detect early dental plaque-induced gingival disease, using an experimental gingivitis model. The sample consisted of 12 subjects between 19 and 28 years, with a healthy gingival status. A split-mouth design utilizing only the mandibular arch was used. A baseline full-mouth periodontal probing status was measured. After baseline data collection and for two weeks, subjects refrained from brushing and flossing one randomly selected half of the mandibular arch. At baseline and six subsequent appointments, gingival …

A Scanning Electron Microscopy Comparison Of The Effects Of The Arkansas Stone And The Ida-Hone Ceramic Stone On Curet Sharpness And Root Smoothness, Marian Gayle Rubino

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there are statistically significant differences between the Arkansas sharpening stone and the Ida-Hone ceramic sharpening stone in producing a sharper cutting edge on dental curets, and to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between the degree of root smoothness achieved by the sharpened curet cutting edges on extracted human teeth.

Methods: A two-group, randomized subject (n=39), double blind, post-test only design was employed using 39 factory new Hu-Friedy 11/12 gracey curets. Curets in group one were sharpened using the Ida-Hone ceramic stone, curets in group two were sharpened …

Positive Regulation Of Pka On Human Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (Hgnrh) Gene Expression In Human Placental Jeg-3 Cells, Zhaoyang Wen

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Using the human placental choriocarcinoma JEG-3 cell line as an in vitro human placental model, we studied the mechanisms of the PKA positive regulation of the hGnRH gene expression in the human placenta. Studies in JEG3 cells showed that through the PKA catalytic subunit a, human GnRH upstream promoter activity was stimulated by PKA signaling pathway in a cAMP dependent mechanism. The sequence between —202 (Afl II) and —554 (BamH I) base pair in the human GnRH upstream promoter region appeared to be responsible for the PKA positive regulation of the gene expression. Furthermore, Western blot analysis demonstrated the involvement …

Estrogen Regulation Of The Pregnant Baboon Placental 11Β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase (11Β-Hsd)-Catalyzed Metabolism Of Cortisol And Cortisone And Its Effect On The Development Of The Fetal Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis, William Adair Davies

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Pepe and Albrecht previously demonstrated that the estrogen-regulated change in transuteroplacental metabolism of cortisol (F) and cortisone (E) from preferential reduction (E to F) at midgestation to oxidation (F to E) near term results in a decline of bioactive cortisol crossing the placenta and reaching the fetus culminating in activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis of the baboon and the ontogenesis of rate-limiting steroidogenic enzymes culminating in de novo F secretion. Protein kinase A (PK-A) activity in the baboon fetal adrenal gland cytosolic fraction was increased 2-fold both at term [day 165 of gestation (term = 184 days)] and following …

Interactions Among Murine Cytomegalovirus Us22 Family Gene Products That Influence Viral Pathogenesis, Zaruhi Karabekian

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a complex, ubiquitous herpesvirus that is characterized by acute, chronic, and latent infections. Monocytes-macrophages are the key target cell type involved in pathogenesis, which is most effectively studied using the murine model of CMV infection. Previously three murine CMV (MCMV) genes (M139, M140, and M141) were identified to regulate viral expression in cultured macrophages and in mice. These genes are members of the US22 gene family with respect to HCMV homology. There is no function assigned to the proteins encoded by these genes. However, deletion of M139, M140, and M141 significantly curtails growth of MCMV in macrophages …

Effects Of Hormonal Changes Throughout The Menstrual Cycle On Joint Laxity In Females, John C. Roberts

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this study was to examine the levels of estrogens, progesterone, LH, FSH, estradiol and testosterone and their relation to ACL laxity throughout the menstrual cycle. Subjects were tested at the onset of menses, the first day of ovulation (days 8–17) and day 23 at the mid-luteal phase. A Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient revealed that there were no statistically significant relationships between laxity measurements, of the KT-2000 or radiographic comparisons, and elevated concentrations of any of the hormones. LH was observed in the follicular phase, at the onset of menses, to have a negative correlation with only …

Self-Criticism As Experienced By Performing Artists A Phenomenological Study, Rosemary Hakes

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe and document the essence of the experience of self-criticism for performing artists with the aim of providing recommendations for educational and therapeutic purposes. Moustakas (1994) defines essence as “that which is common or universal, the condition or quality without which a thing would not be what it is” (p. 100). In this study a phenomenological research paradigm was used. Each step in the data reduction process built directly toward revelation of essence through synthesis.

The central question guiding this research was: What is the essence of self-criticism as it is experienced by …

A Comparison Of The Semi-Adjustable Articulator And The Virtual Articulator By Centric Relation And Centric Occlusion Contacts, Donald Shane Witherow

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The articulator as we know it has evolved since the late 1700's, however, it has not changed much in function since the 1970's. Our methods of determining contact information i.e., centric stops and pre-maturities also has not changed much beyond that of "carbon paper". With the advent of new computer technologies, dental models are now being placed into the virtual world through variations of image slicing and laser scanning. The purpose of this paper is to determine if the Occlusogram developed by OrthoCad is as accurate as common methods currently used to determine occlusal contacts.

Twenty dental students volunteered to …

Evaluation Of Alveolar And Soft Tissue Changes After Muscular Release Surgery In Patients Undergoing Fixed Orthodontic Therapy, Virginia Bernal

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study compared pre-treatment to post-treatment changes in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic therapy who have had muscular release surgery. The alveolar and soft tissue changes in the mandible of 128 subjects from a private practice in Northern Italy (74 females and 54 males) were analyzed. In addition, comparisons were made of changes related to age, gender, facial type, and movement of the lower incisor. Lateral cephalograms were analyzed before and after treatment for skeletal, esthetic, and dentoalveolar changes. Photographs were used to assess changes in the soft tissue of the lower anterior region at pretreatment (Tl) versus post-treatment (T2). The …

The Effect Of Thermocycling On Orthodontic Adhesives As Measured By Tensile Bond Strength, James Changwon Choi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of thermocycling only on the tensile bond strengths of four orthodontic adhesives. With the advent of bonded orthodontic brackets, spontaneous bond failures have been a constant confounding phenomenon. Consequently, numerous studies have been published dealing with the 'bond strength' issue. The focus of these studies is varied, and range from the mode of tooth surface preparation, the type of adhesive, and the type of bracket base design used.

Other studies investigated the effects of different testing methods, such as the traditional shear/peel-type to impact testing. This study was designed to …

A Continued Investigation Of Craniofacial Growth In Infant Heart Transplant Recipients Receiving Cyclosporine, John Michael Cornali

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Cyclosporine is an effective immunosuppressive drug that has found widespread application in organ transplantation. A couple of studies, however, have implicated cyclosporine as adversely affecting craniofacial growth in the pediatric population. The purpose of this follow-up study was to continue to evaluate the possible untoward effects of long-term use of cyclosporine on craniofacial growth in a group of infant heart transplantation recipients by re-evaluating as many subjects as possible from the original study and evaluating new subjects. A prospective group (N=29) of eighteen Caucasian subjects (7 female and 11 male, ages 6-15 years) and eleven Hispanic subjects (3 female and …

Prediction Of Long-Term Intellectual And Neuropsychological Effects Of Closed Head Injury In Infants And Children, Tamara Sue Brenner

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The ability to predict long-term intellectual and neuropsychological outcome (1-7 years post-injury) in children (ages 1 week - 14 years at injury) with a history of closed head injury were investigated. Clinical indicators of injury severity including EEG reading and age at injury as well as ’H-MRS variables of NAA/Ch, Ch/Cr, and lactate presence accurately classified 100% of children as functioning either within or above the average range or below the average range for most outcome measures. Combined clinical and H-MRS variables accounted for approximately 50% of the variance in outcome confirming the validity of their predictive use and also …

Cocaine Induces Apoptosis In Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells: Cellular And Molecular Mechanisms, Jiale He

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Cocaine abuse has been associated with numerous cardiovascular consequences, such as depressed myocardial contractility, elevated blood pressure, coronary artery vasoconstriction, and myocardial ischemia and infarction. The multifactorial effects of cocaine often contribute to its sympathomimetic function. However, the direct cytotoxic effects of cocaine on the cardiovascular system, especially vascular endothelium, and the cellular and molecular mechanisms remain unknown. The present study was designed to examine the general hypothesis that cocaine induces apoptosis of coronary artery endothelium by suppressing nitric oxide synthesis, stimulating cytochrome c release from mitochondria and subsequently activation of the caspases cascade, which lead to endothelial cell apoptosis. …

Factors In Predicting The Number Of Home Care Physical Visits, Bruce D. Bradley

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

There has been a significant increase in the utilization of home health care during the past decade. Medicare has attempted to control home care costs by 1) allowing Medicare beneficiaries to join Health Maintenance Organizations, and 2) requiring the use of the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) for all patients admitted to home care services. These changes have challenged the home care physical therapist to be a better predictor of the total number of visits needed to complete the rehabilitation process. This was a retrospective study of 335 patients who received home health care physical therapy. The first part …

Probing Bone Level Measurements For Determination Of The Depths Of Class Ii Furcation Defects, Youngil Suh

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: Probing bone measurements as an alternative to open bone measurements to evaluate regenerative procedures in furcation defects do not seem to have been used as of yet. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the reliability of probing bone measurements in such defects.

Methods:15 patients scheduled for surgical treatment of a total of 30 mandibular 1st or 2nd molars with buccal or lingual class II furcation defects were studied. During treatment, duplicate vertical and horizontal recordings of probing attachment levels, probing bone levels and open bone levels were taken by independent examiners. Results: Deviations of both …

The Effect Of Chronic Hypoxia On Cardiac Function In The Fetal Ovine Heart, Rodney David Rodrigo

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

It has been shown that long-term high altitude hypoxia during pregnancy was associated with a decrease in cardiac contractility in fetal sheep. Given that hypoxia caused apoptotic cell death in fetal and neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, the present study tested the hypothesis that chronic hypoxia during pregnancy increases apoptosis in the fetal sheep heart. Pregnant (d 30) sheep were divided between normoxic control and chronically hypoxic (maintained at high altitude, 3,820 m, PaO₂: 60 Torr for 110 days) groups. Hearts were isolated from near-term (d 140) fetal sheep, and samples from all four chambers, right and left atria, and …

Hard Tissue Forming Potential Of Mta Compared To Common Root-End Filling Materials, Nooshin Noghreian

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

An ideal characteristic of root-end filling materials used in endodontics is the ability to enhance hard tissue formation. Studies have shown that MTA has the potential to enhance hard tissue formation when placed in contact with periradicular tissues. The mechanisms involved in hard tissue formation of MTA and other root-end filling materials have not been completely elucidated. The purpose of this investigation was to study the mechanism of hard tissue formation of commonly used root-end filling materials and MTA by evaluating alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and cell layer protein. Extracts of materials tested in this experiment were added to the …

Age Related Changes In Contractile Sensitivity To Cyclic Gmp And Intracellular Calcium Compartmentalization In Ovine Arteries, Surya Margono Nauli

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The study examines the hypothesis that maturation changes the ability of cGMP to produce cerebral vasodilatation and alters the relative intracellular calcium pool sizes in ovine arteries. In ovine basilars taken from near-term fetal and young adult sheep, 8- pCPT-cGMP relaxed potassium- and serotonin-induced tone with pD2 values of 4.4±0.1 and 4.9±0.1 (fetal basilar) and 4.0±0.1 and 4.7±0.1 (adult basilar), respectively. In fura-2 loaded arteries, 8-pCPT-cGMP significantly lowered increases in cytosolic calcium concentration induced by serotonin but not potassium regardless of age. When calcium sensitivity was calculated in the same arteries as the slope of the relation between calcium concentration …

Fracture Properties Of Different Orthodontic Bonding Materials, Daryl Lynden Proctor

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Spontaneous debonding has proven a constant problem since the introduction of bonded orthodontic brackets in the early 1960's by Newman¹.

Components in classic bond strength testing are the bracket, the adhesive, the adhesive curing method, the type of teeth used, and the test method. These tests lead to extensive and compounding variables that make it difficult to evaluate the performance of any of the components individually.

The purpose of this study was to compare several contemporary orthodontic bonding adhesives by testing the physical and mechanical characteristics of the adhesives alone. Material properties compared were sonic and tensile measurements …

Evaluating Pit And Fissure Sealant Materials When Used As Bonding Agents In Preventive Resin Restorations, Paul Shields Gerber

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Preventive resin restorations (PRR) are an increasingly popular alternative to the traditional amalgam restoration for small occlusal caries in posterior teeth. The technique for placing the PRR was first suggested by Simonsen (1980) and involved a minimal removal of tooth structure. After preparation, the tooth is etched, followed by an application of a bonding agent, filled with composite, and then sealed with a pit and fissure sealant. In an attempt to simplify the protocol of the PRR this study was designed to determine if pit and fissure sealant material could serve a dual role and eliminate the need for a …

Optimum Bonding Time Of Four Different Curing Lights, Nathan Don Cotten

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

With the development of new high-intensity curing lights, the time required to bond orthodontic brackets is steadily decreasing. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum curing time for bonding orthodontic brackets using four different visible curing lights (Standard Optilux 501, High Intensity Optilux 501 with Turbo Tip, Virtuoso Plasma Arc, and ESPE LED light). This study also tested the new generation of light emitting diode (LED) lights to determine if they can be used for bonding orthodontic brackets. Three hundred freshly extracted bovine teeth were mounted in acrylic resin and divided into 20 groups of 15 teeth …

The Differential Impact Of Sexism In Latino Men And Women’S Psychiatric Symptoms, Astrid Magalij Reina-Patton

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The study assessed the reliability of the Spanish and English versions of the Schedule of Sexist Events General Form (SSE-G). The extent to which Spanish and English-speaking men and women differed in their responses on the SSE-G was investigated, as was the degree to which men and women differed in their report of psychiatric symptoms. Further, the extent to which the SSE-G predicted psychiatric symptomology for Spanish and English-speaking men and women was assessed, as was the extent to which sexism (i.e., gender-specific stress) accounted for additional variance in symptoms, above and beyond that accounted for by acculturation, language, and …

Toward The Optimal Waveform For Electrical Stimulation, Scott Douglas Bennie

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Electrical stimulation (ES) is used to strengthen muscle, improve abnormal tone, and improve the healing rate of pressure sores. Four male and three female research subjects received four minute bouts of electrically stimulated isometric contractions equal to 10% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of their right quadriceps muscle to study subjective comfort and physiological responses to different waveforms, including Russian, interferential, sine, and square. Frequency remained constant at 30pps. The pulse width for the Russian waveform was 200ps, while the sine, square, and interferential waveforms used a lOOps pulse width. The amplitude of stimulation was adjusted to maintain the …