Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Lds Life Tables: A Comparison Of Long-Lived Populations, Christopher R. Layton

Theses and Dissertations

This research estimates the life expectancy of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Utah. We create gender-specific life tables for four groups: total Utah, active LDS, less-active LDS, and non-LDS. Male life tables are based on data from 1991-1995; female life tables are based on data from 1994-1998. Life expectancy at birth is 75 years for all utah males, 79.8 years for active LDS Utah males, 71.6 years for less active LDS Utah males, and 71.5 years for non-LDS Utah males. Female life expectancy at birth is 80.4 years for all Utah females, 83.9 …

Decision-Making In Ryan White Care Act Planning Bodies: An Analysis Of The Decision-Making Process Of The Joint Committee Of The Jacksonville Hiv/Aids Planning Council And Consortium, Andrea Clarkson Davis

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine which factors and the degree to which these factors influenced the Joint Committee when deciding how much money should be allocated to the different services funded by the Ryan White CARE Act. This study focused on the possible explicit and implicit factors influencing the decision-making process and interactions of the members of the HIV/AIDS Joint Prioritization & Allocation Committee in the decisions that were being made on behalf of the people who are infected and affected by this disease.

The methodology included a combination of quantitative and qualitative data, utilizing surveys, coding …

Protein Polymorphism In Two Populations Of The Brown Ear Tick, Rhipicephalus Appendiculatus Neumann (Acari: Ixodidae), F. N. Baliraine, E. O. Osir, S. B. Obuya', F. J. Mulaa

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was used to compare the protein profiles of two geographically isolated populations of the tick Rliipiccplmlus appcndiciilalus Neumann (Acnri: Ixodidne) in Kenya. Most of the protein spots were common to both populations, but a number were specific to each population. Since proteins are encoded by genes, the presence of populationspecific proteins suggests that there.may be genetic differences between the two populations. It is proposed that some of these population-specific proteins might be related to the differences in susceptibility of the ticks to Thcikria pawn infection. ©2000ICIPE.

Personal Values And Work Satisfaction Of Registered Nurses Working In Hospitals, Marie M. Prothero, Elaine S. Marshall, Donna M. Fosbinder, Leland J. Hendrix

Faculty Publications

Personal values are increasingly recognized as important factors in work environments, including health care systems (Cameron & Whetten, 1995; Covey, Merrill, & Merrill, 1995; Fagermoen, 1997). The personal values of nursing students have been explored (Eddy, Elfrink, Weis, & Schank, 1994; Sivberg & Petersson, 1997) as have those of nurses, in the context of work design (Koerner, 1993 ). Factors of nurses' work satisfaction have also been studied extensively (Avallone & Gibbon, 1998; Brown, Naughton, & Nolan, 1998; Johnston,1997; Kangas, Kee, & McKee-Waddle,1999; Seymour & Buscherhof,1990). However, little is known about the personal values of nurses as they relate to …

The Treatment Of Essential Voice Tremor With Botulinum Toxin A: A Longitudinal Case Report, Christopher Dromey, Paul Warrick, Jonathan Irish, Lisa Durkin

Faculty Publications

Summary: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of bilateral botulinum toxin injection into the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscles of a patient with essential voice tremor. Acoustic and aerodynamic data were collected weekly over a 16-week period. Flexible nasolaryngoscopy was performed prior to injection and 2, 6, 10, and 16 weeks post injection. Perceptual analyses of the acoustic and nasolaryngoscopic data were performed. A reduction in frequency tremor and, to a lesser extent, amplitude tremor was observed during the 1-10 week period. Estimated laryngeal resistance decreased after injection and was accompanied in perceptual measures by a reduction in …

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Subthalamic Nucleus Stimulation On Acoustic Measures Of Voice, Christopher Dromey, Rajeev Kumar, Anthony E. Lang, Andres M. Lozano

Faculty Publications

Summary: Seven patients with Parkinson’s disease were implanted with deep brain stimulators to provide chronic electrical stimulation to the subthalamic nucleus bilaterally. Acoustic recordings and neurologic assessments were undertaken before surgery in the medication-off and medication-on conditions and after surgery with and without electrical stimulation in the medication off and medication-on conditions. The data showed significant improvements in limb motor performance in response to medication before surgery and when the subthalamic nucleus was stimulated after surgery. Six months after surgery, there were small but statistically significant increases in sound pressure level and fundamental frequency variability in response to stimulation in …

Portuguese-Americans And Mental Health Treatment Client-Therapist Ethnic Match, Ethnic Identity, And Satisfaction With Treatment, Katherine B. Gamble

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Multicultural issues in psychotherapy have increasingly been recognized as important in the provision of mental health services to our diverse population. Issues such as beliefs about mental health, attitudes toward authority, and even world view affect how clients access and make use of psychotherapy. Cultural views are essential to how one sees the world, and consequently there is much debate about whether clients would benefit from having therapists from the same cultural background. Ethnic identity, or the degree to which a person holds to the beliefs of their culture of origin, consequently plays an important role in psychotherapy. The Portuguese …

Telomerase Activity In Human Preimplantation Embryos, Diane Lynne Wright

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein, has been described as an essential component of highly proliferative cells, which stabilizes the telomeres and avoids cellular senescence. Telomerase has been identified in various embryonic cell stages, hematopoietic cells, and in >85% of tumor tissue biopsies analyzed. The ability to measure the potential to proliferate successfully could provide an objective measure of an embryo's quality. The objectives of this study were to modify the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay system for increased sensitivity to allow detection of telomerase activity in the single cell of an oocyte and embryo, obtain telomerase activity levels for the oocyte …

The Use Of The Cognitive Status Examination In Detecting Cognitive Impairment In Elderly People, Geoff Mccann

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Dementia is a growing social problem in Australia because as the population ages, the incidence of dementia increases. While the prevalence rates are only about I% at age 65, they double every five years until by 85 years of age the rate is over 24%. It is expected that by the year 2030, the number of elderly people with dementia will increase by 200%. Dementia is easily recognized in its advanced stages but can be overlooked in the early phase. Family members, care-givers and even the treating medical practitioner may mistakenly attribute the early decline in mental function to the …

Influence Of Public Image Of Nurses On Nursing Practice, Miyuki Takase

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many researchers believe that nurses live in a dual structure, encompassing both the social and nursing worlds. They contend that these two worlds have contrasting views toward nurses. This is, while nurses are guided to establish professional status, society still expects them to remain in a dependent role. This conflict is assumed to have a negative impact on nurses’ psychological and functional states (Kalisch & Kalisch, 1983 & 1987). However, this assumption has not yet been explored sufficiently. The aim of this descriptive correlational study was therefore to investigate the relationships among the public image of nurses, nurses’ self concept, …

How General Practitioners And Aged Care Workers Perceive Incidences Of Elder Abuse, Paul Howrie

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

As the Australian population is expanding and ageing, there is an associated need for a focus to be placed on the Individual rights of elderly people, and for the general populus to be made more aware of areas related to our older generation. Elder abuse, as an area of concern, developed as an offshoot of investigations into child abuse and general domestic violence, and initially surfaced in the 1970s and 80s. Some sections of the medical profession were made specifically aware of the problem initially in 1975, through a letter that was sent to the British Medical Journal. However, throughout …

Perceived Social Support Of Family Members Of Aged Care Facility Residents And Its Relationship With Family Members Well-Being And Their Support Of Relatives In Residential Care, Christine Toye

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

When elderly people are cared for In Aged Care Facilities (ACFs) it is known that their family members frequently suffer negative effects. These effects may be alleviated by social support and, because they feel better, family members may then offer more support to residents. In this study, the researcher tested a model with a sample of 213 family members of ACF residents. Predictive relationships were hypothesised among incentives for family members to support residents, stress related factors, the perceived formal and Informal support of family members, their psychological wellbeing, and the support they offered to residents. The researcher also developed …

University Baccalaureate Curriculum Analysis For Safety And Health In The United States Of America (Usa) Toward A Model University Baccalaureate Curriculum, Margie L. Kolbe-Mims

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The goal of this research was to determine a model safety and health baccalaureate curriculum. A secondary target was to ascertain if safety and health practitioners and safety and health educators would concur on course offerings. To simplify this study effort, a search of literature was conducted on the Occupational Safety and Health field. There were no in-depth studies of this type for such a general population; therefore no instrument was available for this study. The perusal of literature indicated that most such studies had been conducted using a more specific target group of subjects. That is, faculties or former …

Dual Disorders And Implications For Assessment And Treatment, Eva Rosada

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Part 1: Literature review. This review of the published literature examines the consequences for individuals with co-occurring substance use disorder and chronic mental illness in traditional treatment systems that provide separate mental health and substance use treatment and identifies barriers to effective service delivery. Barriers to effective assessment and treatment are related to a lack of integration of treatments, a Jack of networking among services, and a failure to identify and assess adequately for the presence of a dual disorder. The attitude of professionals towards DD individuals is indicated as a potential barrier. Professional education in dual disorders is emphasized …

The Relationship Between Functional And Histological Changes In Muscle Following Eccentric Exercise In Mice, Michael John Newton

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is known to be produced by novel or unaccustomed exercise, especially high force eccentric contractions. Histological myofibre disruption, force loss and muscle soreness are associated with EIMD and have implications for sporting performance. Traditional practices of assessing the extent of disruption to the myofibres is by performing needle biopsies and subsequently analysing the histology of the fibres. Recently there has been interest in investigating whether changes in force production and contractile properties of muscle following damaging exercise correlate strongly with the magnitude of disruption to the myofibres. The main aim of this study was to investigate …

Early Attachment And Eating Disorders: A Comparative Study Between Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa, Francoise Ringer

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this research was to study the association between adult mental representations of curly attachment relationships and eating disorders, and to compare attachment classifications between anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The sample consisted of 62 women with eating disorders, divided between anorexia nervosa [restricting type (n=20) and binge-eating/purging type (n=l6)], and bulimia nervosa (n=26). The measures were (a) a structured interview based on the ''Diagnostic Survey for Eating Disorders" (Johnson and Connors, 1987) and the DSM IV criteria for the classification of eating disorders, and (b) the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) (George, Kaplan and Main, 1985). The AAI …

Self-Esteem: The Influence Of Parenting Styles, Jean Wolff

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examines parent/child relationships and their possible influence on self-esteem. The parenting styles: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and unmatched, are assessed (by child report) and compared to levels of global and specific domains of self-esteem to determine whether parenting style influences self-esteem in children. Eighty-four children aged 11-12 years of age; male and female were asked to complete three questionnaires. The questionnaires were: Child Report of Parental Behaviour Inventory (Schluderman & Schluderman, 1970) to ascertain their parent's parenting style; Harter's (1985), Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC), to measure the child's self-esteem and a demographic questionnaire. ANOVA and ANCOVA were used …

A Linkage Study Of Autism Using Multipoint Sib-Pair Analysis, Tamara Rogers

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Autism is a severe developmental disorder that was first described by Kanner in 1943. It is characterised by four major criteria: marked social deficits, delay in language development, a restricted range of stereotyped repetitive behaviours and onset of the disease within the first three years of life. The last decade of research has provided support for a strong genetic basis in the aetiology of autism. Firstly, a number of genetic conditions, such as fragile X syndrome, chromosome 15 anomalies and tuberous sclerosis, have been associated with autism. Secondly, family studies have demonstrated that the recurrence risk for autism among siblings …

Force And Electromyographic Responses To Ergometer Rowing, Darryl A. Turner

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

During many athletic events, fatigue influences the physiological and biomechanical characteristics of performance. For optimal performance in events such as rowing, athletes must maintain a skilfully co-ordinated movement technique. The ability to produce high force outputs during repetitive contractions is influenced by fatigue and dependent on a number of factors including neuromuscular activities. Neuromuscular activation may be expressed by amplitude and frequency characteristics of the electromyographic signal (EMG) sample from the muscle. During sustained isometric contractions, changes in EMG characteristics are related to changes in force, which may be useful in monitoring the fatigue process (Basmajian, 1974: De Luca, 1985). …

Tactile Hazardous Material Information System (Thmis), Alejandro Ruiz

Theses

In today's work environment, many dangers exist around that can harm workers who are not aware of the hazards in their environment. If these workers happen to be visually impaired, then identifying those hazards with the present labeling systems would be difficult. The Hazardous Material Information System (HMIS) was chosen to be adapted with tactile patterns and numbers. The tactile patterns and numbers would not change the layout and intent of the HMIS, but enhance its effectiveness.

Five tactile patterns and five tactile numbers were designed to be recognizable and simple. The patterns and numbers were tested and observed to …

The Effects Of Suicide Intent And History Of Self-Harm On Emotional Reactions And Willingness To Help, Paul A. Buttigieg

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The present study was a preliminary investigation of factors that affect potential helpers' emotional responses, perceptions and willingness to help when confronted with information about a hypothetical friend who overdoses. One hundred and forty-two undergraduate students attending Edith Cowan University (Joondalup Campus) were randomly assigned to one of six conditions and read two vignettes. In the first vignette, information was provided of a hypothetical female friend's overdose. The second vignette included information about the overdose that either supported or contradicted information in the first vignette regarding the woman's history of self-harm. Participants then completed a questionnaire designed to measure their …