The relationships between family communication about the illness experience of middle phase Alzheimer's Disease and caregiver depression were examined in this study of 29 primary caregivers and their family members. Lag sequential analyses and repetitive sequence analyses were conducted on observational data to determine the effects of joint problem solving, joint illness talk, and competing problem solving/illness talk on caregiver depression. The findings indicate that caregivers who compete with family members about the focus of the communication were more depressed. In contrast, caregivers were less depressed when they talked jointly with family members about the illness. Communication about joint problem solving and joint illness talk were also strongly related in these families. Possible explanations for these findings and implications for family therapy and future research are discussed. / Ph. D.

This research explores how older women have been empowered by their religious faith to survive losses and crises in their lives. Using triangulated methodology, a feminist perspective and a theoretical orientation based on symbolic interactionism, the researcher conducted focus groups and in-depth interviews with Lutheran women over 65 in the United States and Germany. She also kept a personal journal to record her reactions to the research experience. Differences in the perception of how external factors influence resiliency as persons age have not always been taken into account in past studies of successful aging. This study confirmed that the way in which an older woman interprets her situation may be just as important as external factors. Her interpretation raises questions of meaning that are also questions of faith. The study is specific to gender because often the voices of older women have been neither respected nor heard. It is specific to denomination because lack of denominational clarity in religion and aging research has, at times, prevented clear understanding of themes and images of spirituality. It is cross-cultural because variations in how women survive crises and reconstitute their sense of self after losses can be greatly influenced by the particular historic events and symbols of their culture. Themes of community, affect, and relationality occurred repeatedly in the narratives of these older women. For them, a strong sense of community was integral to their spiritual strength, and provided worlds of meaning (Berger, 1967) not just avenues for social activity. The women had integrated affective aspects of their religious experiences with their daily lives, and were able both to feel and to express a wide range of human emotion. As expected, human relationships were important to the women's faith, but these relational interests were maturely integrated with traditional beliefs and with the capacity for on-going theological reflection. / Ph. D.

Limited research exists that explores the needs of the burgeoning, well elderly sector of our population. Using a phenomenological approach, this inquiry investigated the lived world of six older women, between the ages of 65-85 years, struggling to continue living alone. Research was conducted in response to the question: What is the experience for older women of learning to use assistive technology for task performance and home modification, and what is the meaning of that experience? Data collection followed the four step, descriptive phenomenological model of Barritt, Beekman, Bleeker and Mulderji (1983). Taped interviews held with the six co-researchers led to the development of individual descriptions and to co-researcher validation of the written descriptions. Extended reflection on the confirmed protocols allowed the development and final confirmation of the older womens' experiences of learning to use technology at home. Research findings delved into the complex meanings of daily experiences of six older women learning to use assistive technology in order to better manage chronic disease. This learning experience was described in the context of self-care needs, such as the impact of declining health status, and self-care practices, such as increased motivation for learning to use assistive technology. Co-researchers' reluctance to accept extended family help with self-care/home maintenance tasks facilitated their use of learning as a strategy to enhance declining task performance abilities needed to live alone. Leaming outcomes strengthened autonomy and encouraged pursuit of familiar social roles. The study delved into the inner experiences of older women living alone and learning to use assistive technology. Findings suggested that future research needs to explore the significance of role participation among men and women in late life. Study findings suggested that access to assistive technology products was seriously limited, that product design was inappropriate and that written direction for products was frequently unclear. Implications for practice indicates the need for health educators to find ways to increase access to ATD education and to move beyond existing barriers that limit diffusion of learning about assistive technology products in task performance and home modification. / Ed. D.

An ethnographic study of 30 elderly men and women was done in a matrilineal group in Malawi, a small landlocked country in southeastern Africa, with the purpose of determining how societal change influences the well-being of the elderly. The study was carried out on the outskirts of the capital city and in a rural area so as to draw a comparison on societal change. Well-being was defined as the subjective evaluations of personal life experiences in terms of health and functional status and access to resources (George & Bearon, 1980). A theoretical framework that combined symbolic interaction, social exchange and modernization theories was used in order to get a larger understanding of human relationships at both the micro and macro levels. The combination of exchange theory and symbolic theory has been suggested by other researchers (Mancini & Blieszner, 1989 & Mutran & Reitzes, 1984). Qualitative data analysis method was adapted from McCracken (1988). The purpose of the analysis was to develop themes of logical interpretation of the respondents view of well-being. Four interrelated themes emerged in the study as affecting the well-being of the elderly. Societal change had the most influence with presence of biological children, socio-economic status of adult children and gender of adult children as the other themes. Societal change was occurring even in rural areas such that the extended family which traditionally provided care to elders, is seen to be shifting its responsibility to biological children. Results also showed that environmental factors such as drought and inflation also affect the well-being of the elderly. This study was the first documented gerontological study in Malawi. It is hoped that the results will generate interest at the action, policy and research levels. Therefore recommendations were made as to future research. / Ph. D.

Along with the combined use of steel and polymeric materials in offshore oil production applications, there is a joining problem. This work focused on the behavior of adhesively bonded systems subjected to substitute ocean water (SOW). The systems were combinations of two types of stainless steel; 310S and 316, two types of polymeric composites; carbon-fiber reinforced bismaleimide (CBMI) and Kevlar-fiber reinforced epoxy (KE), and two types of adhesives; acrylic and epoxy. The performance of each adhesively bonded system subjected to air (static), to SOW (static), and to air and SOW (cyclic), was monitored during exposure for both 720 and 1440 hours by measurements of the length of a crack induced upon insertion of a wedge. The failure modes were evaluated by visual inspection, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis and scanning electron microscopy. Steel/CBMI and steel/KE systems bonded with the acrylic and the epoxy adhesive, and stainless steel/stainless steel systems bonded with the acrylic adhesive, experienced sudden and rapid crack extension when subjected to SOW (both static and cyclic exposure). The sudden and rapid crack extension was correlated with a change from the individual initial failure modes, (i) mixed adhesive/cohesive at the composite side in the case of steel/CBMI systems (regardless of the adhesives), (ii) delamination in the upper layer of the composite in the case of stainless steel/KE systems (regardless of the adhesives), and (iii) cohesive in the acrylic adhesive in the case of steel/steel systems, to adhesive at the steel side in all the steel containing systems. The change in failure modes and crack extension in SOW were more extensive for steel/composite systems bonded with the epoxy adhesive than for corresponding systems bonded with the acrylic adhesive. Composite/composite systems experienced no environmental effect on either crack extension or failure modes, regardless of the adhesives. / M.S.

Brucella abortus is a gram negative, facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen, capable of growth and replication within macrophages, and is the causative agent of bovine brucellosis. The progression of brucellosis within the host is determined by the interaction of Brucella with its host. Therefore, it was of interest to specifically examine several features of the Brucella-host interaction. The Brucella-macrophage interaction is central in the progression of brucellosis and, therefore, it was possible to study this interaction in vitro in the form of the abilities of Brucella strains to grow and replicate within macrophages. Furthermore, it was of interest to see if the in vitro model was capable of assessing the degree of attenuation of the Brucella. Various strains of B. abortus and B. melitensis were used to infect two murine macrophage-like cell lines to study their intracellular growth kinetics and to compare these kinetics with the growth characteristics observed in mice. It was determined that Brucella growth in one murine macrophage-like cell line (J774.A1) clearance pattern reflected the in vivo growth kinetics of the various Brucella tested. All strains tested in the macrophage model had a significant 1-4 log decrease in intracellular bacteria at 24 hours post infection. The decrease in intracellular numbers at 24 hours postinfection was due to the bactericidal activities of the macrophages as opposed to changes in the Brucella. This model was determined not a satisfactory means in vitro for assessing the degree of attenuation of Brucella mutants, as the model was not capable of predicting the reduced virulence of the B. melitensis RM1 rifampin resistant mutant. Vaccination with live B. abortus strain RB51 protects both mice and cattle against challenge with virulent strain 2308. As B. abortus is a facultative intracellular pathogen, the host's cell-mediated immunity is assumed to be important in the clearance of the bacteria. Therefore, selected antigens from strain RB51 could be used and tested in vitro for their ability to induce a cellular immune, specifically a T helper type 1 (T_H1) response, by splenocytes from mice vaccinated with strain RB51. An extract from strain RB51, designated S2, was found to stimulate the proliferation of splenic lymphocytes from strain RB51 vaccinated mice as well as the production of interleukin (IL)-2 and interferon (INF)-γ, but not IL-4. This cytokine profile is consistent with a cell-mediated T_H1 immune response. As the T_H1 response is assumed to be important in the clearance of Brucella by the host, mice were immunized with S2 extract in adjuvant. Upon virulent challenge with strain 2308, no protection was observed as compared with challenged control mice. The S2 extract contained nine proteins ranging in size from 10 kDa to 80 kDa. In order to determine which of the individual S2 proteins was responsible for the observed T_H1 activity, a means of separating the proteins into individual bands for testing was needed. Sufficient resolution of the nine proteins could not be accomplished by isoelectric focusing (Rotofor) or by fast performance liquid chromatography (FPLC). Therefore, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was used to separate S2 into individual proteins. Two proteins, 10.2 kDa and 11.5 kDa in size, were observed to stimulate the production of INF-γ by sensitized splenocytes. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of these two proteins were obtained and their putative DNA sequences deduced. Another antigen known to be a component of the S2 extract is the lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Polymyxin B is thought not to bind B. abortus LPS as it does not contain 3-myristic acid. However, it was important to evaluate the role, if any, of LPS contamination of the S2 extract in the in vitro responses observed with splenocytes from mice vaccinated with strain RB51. The S2 extract was treated with polymyxin B linked to agarose beads. The treated S2 extract contained less 2-keto-3- deoxyoctonate (KDO) which indirectly suggests a decrease in LPS. Furthermore, the proliferation of sensitized splenocytes induced by polymyxin B treated S2 extract was observed to decrease slightly, while the INF-γ levels were observed to increase following the treatment. Reactivity of a monoclonal antibody (Bru 48) specific for B. abortus rough LPS was observed by immunoblot analysis only with samples not treated with polymyxin B beads. This suggests that the amount of rough B. abortus LPS contained in the preparation is less than is detectable by the monoclonal antibody when the S2 extract was treated with polymyxin B beads. In contrast to published results, these data suggest that polymyxin B interacts with B. abortus LPS. The use of a live vector delivery system as a means of vaccination needs to be examined further in the case of brucellosis. In this manner, the expression of the S2 proteins may more accurately be assessed as to their role in eliciting a protective immune response. / Ph. D.

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae synthesizes a serotype-specific capsular polysaccharide (CP) that protects this bacterium from host defenses. In the presence of anti-CP IgG, encapsulated A. pleuropneumoniae K17 was killed in precolostral calf serum (PCS) but not in normal serum used as a complement source. In contrast, two capsule-deficient mutants were killed in normal serum. The CP of A. pleuropneumoniae contributed to serum-resistance by limiting the amount of C9, a component of the membrane attack complex, but not C3, that bound to the bacteria in PCS. A second mechanism of serum resistance was due to a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-specific antibody present in the IgG fractions of normal swine serum, swine anti-K17 serum, and guinea pig anti-K17 LPS serum that blocked anti-CP IgG complement-mediated killing of A. pleuropneumoniae. This LPS-specific antibody prevented complement-mediated killing of K17 in the presence of potentially bactericidal anti-CP IgG by reducing the deposition of C9 onto A. pleuropneumoniae, and by directing the deposition of C9 to sites on the bacteria where the bound C9 was easily eluted. Thus, CP and anti-LPS antibody may act synergistically or at different stages of infection to limit the ability of complement to eliminate A. pleuropneumoniae. Two overlapping regions of the A. pleuropneumoniae J45 capsulation locus were cloned and partially sequenced. One region was conserved among A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes and contained four open reading frames, cpxDCBA, that were highly homologous at both the nucleotide and amino acid levels to genes involved in the export of the CP of H. influenzae type b (bexDCBA), Neisseria meningitidis group B (ctrABCD), and to a lesser extent Escherichia coli K1 and K5 (kpsED, kpsMT). The J45 cpxDCBA gene cluster was able to partially complement kpsM::TnphoA or kpsT::TnphoA mutations within a plasmid-encoded E. coli K5 kps locus and restored sensitivity to a K5-specific bacteriophage, indicating that cpxDCBA functioned in capsular polysaccharide export. A DNA region adjacent to A. pleuropneumoniae J45 cpxDCBA was identified that was serotype-specific. This region contained two complete open reading frames (cpsA and cpsB), and a third partial open reading frame, cpsC. These genes may encode proteins involved in A. pleuropneumoniae J45 CP biosynthesis. A recombinant A. pleuropneumoniae J45 mutant in which the three serotype-specific genes, cpsABC, were partially or completely deleted was generated by allelic exchange. This mutant did not produce intracellular or extracellular CP, was serum-sensitive, and was attenuated in pigs. These studies demonstrated that CP contributed to the serum-resistance and virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae. This noncapsulated mutant will be evaluated as a potential live vaccine strain for the control of swine pleuropneumonia. / Ph. D.

Several experiments were conducted to determine optimum methods for extraction, isolation and analysis of selected aroma components and the influence of grapevine canopy manipulation and fermentation on those components. A polymeric styrene resin (XAD-2) was evaluated for its ability to absorb and desorb five monoterpene alcohols, three monoterpene hydrocarbons, four monterpene oxides, two aromatic alcohols and a glucopyranoside from White Riesling juice at two different pH values. The percent recovery and the coefficients of variation for each compound was compared with a continuous Freon 11 extraction system. The percent recovery averaged 90% or greater for both systems with the coefficient of variation being smaller with the resin extraction. In two separate studies canopy manipulation was evaluated for the effect on aroma components using the XAD-2 resin isolation procedure. The influence of shoot topping to 10 or 20 nodes or ethephon application on grape aroma components was measured for three seasons. Canopy modification by both topping levels and ethephon treatment increased sunlight penetration into the canopy fruiting zone. Free volatile terpenes (FVT) were increased by ethephon in two of three seasons while shoot topping increased FVT and potentially free volatile terpenes (PVT) in one of three seasons. In the second separate three-year study, two to four leaves were removed from the fruiting zone of grapes grown on two training systems. Selective leaf removal increased sunlight penetration into the grape canopy but generally did not influence FVT. However, PVT was frequently higher in the leaf-pulled fruit including four of six commercial harvest dates. The total quantity of the bound geraniol, nerol, linalool, and a terpineol was higher in fruit from the leaf-pulled vines at harvest. Four strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were evaluated for their influences on free and conjugated aroma components of White Riesling grapes, immediately following and 45 days post-fermentation with lees or Sur lie. Fermentation generally reduced free terpenes except for «- terpineol, hotrienol, citronellol, and linalool oxides. Fermentation also increased free benzyl and 2-phenylethanol. In newly fermented and aged wines the concentrations of free volatiles were always below the sensory threshold for each compound. The potentially volatile terpenes (PVT) were Similar among treatments following fermentation, the exception being the Fermiblanc (FB) yeast strain. Additional hydrolysis of bound compounds occurred in each wine following lees storage, the exception being the wine fermented with the Fermiblanc (FB) strain. / Ph. D.

Dry etching processes for patterning of ferroelectric thin films using environmental benign etching gases was developed. The PbZr_xTi_1-xO3 (PZT) and RuO₂ films were patterned using CHCIFCF₃ and O₂. Selective etching between PZT and RuO₂ was achieved by changing the gas composition. The etched profile and surface were anisotropic and smooth. Surface residues were found after etching and were removed by a post-etch heat treatment. In addition, the reactive ion etching damage to PZT ferroelectric capacitors was first defined and studied using Ar and CHCIFCF₃ etch gases. It was found that the internal field developed in the capacitors during etching was responsible for causing the shift in hysteresis loop and the reduction of switchable remnant polarization. The increase in leakage current after etching can be attributed to the electrical properties change at the interface of Pt/PZT and the roughness along the side wall of a PZT capacitor after RIE. Furthermore, the etching damage effect to PZT capacitors was substantially recovered by post-etching annealing at 400 °C for 30min. The dry etching processes for new layered structure SrBi₂(Ta_xNb_1-x)₂O₉ ferroelectric films were developed in this research using CHCIFCF₃and SF₆ as etching gases. Physical sputter etching was the dominant etching mechanism in RIE of SBT and SBN films. Sr-enrichment on the etched surfaces was observed for both SBT and SBN films and was removed by post etching cleaning solution developed in this research. From a technological point of view, a practical dry etch process for etching of RuO2 films was first developed using O₂/CF₃CFH<sub>2<sub> (R-134) etching gases. The maximum etch rate, 1625 Ȧ/min, of RuO₂ was obtained at pressure of 75 mTorr and rf power of 200W in Or₂-2.5% CF3CFH2 discharge. RuO₂ films were successfully patterned under these conditions using SiO₂ as the etch mask. The etching mechanism was investigated from a scientific aspect. Several impurity gases, such as N₂, SF₆, and H₂, were added into the oxygen discharge for this investigation. Atomic oxygen is the dominant active species reacting with RuO₂ films to form RuO₄ volatile products. The addition of impurity gases in oxygen discharge increased the generation rate and/or the life-time of atomic oxygen in the reactor thereby enhancing the etch rate. CF₃CFH₂ gas had the strongest effect in increasing the generation rate (G), and accordingly, addition of a small amount of CF₃CFH₂ in oxygen discharge yielded the highest etch rate. The decrease in the etch rate with increasing mole fraction of R-134 in the feed (>5%) was mainly due to the F atoms reacting with RuO₂ to form a surface residue layer that occupied surface reaction sites impeding the reaction between O and RuO₂. / Ph.D.

Recently, studies have suggested that the incidence of sexual violence within the college community is extremely pervasive {Finley & Corty, 1993; Koss & Oros, 1982; Muehlenhard & Linton, 1987). Popular media has targeted alcohol and Greek organizations as primary causes of sexual aggression on campus. However, few empirical studies have investigated this notion. This study broadened the empirical base to this line of research and may assist in developing preventative strategies by identifying student groups with high levels of sexual aggressiveness on college campuses. A quantitative approach was used to examine if significant differences existed for undergraduate students based on gender and Greek affiliation in their self-reported incidence of sexual victimization experiences, sexual victimization experiences with alcohol involved, and sexual aggressiveness. An attitude measure was also examined. The survey was administered to students in a variety of classes during the 1991-92 academic year. The respondent group for this study consisted of 1276 subjects, of which 308 were Greek affiliated. Frequency data, means, and standard deviations for all relevant variables are reported. The data were analyzed using four separate general linear model procedures, one for each dependent variable. Results found significant differences for both gender and Greek affiliation for sexual victimization, sexual victimization with alcohol involved, and sexual aggressiveness. Gender was also found to play a significant role in the attitude measure. / M.A.