Thesis (Ph. D.)--Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006. / Klausmeier, Christopher, Committee Member ; Montoya, Joseph, Committee Member ; Snell, Terry, Committee Member ; Sarnelle, Orlando, Committee Member ; Hay, Mark, Committee Chair.

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, June, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 88-96)

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, March, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 100-116)

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, June, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 153-170)

Master of Science / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Deborah Norris / Language development in early childhood is an important indicator and precursor for children’s later development in various areas, such as emotional, social, cognitive, and academic development. Studies have shown that pretend play, as one of the predominant play types during the preschool period, is an important activity to facilitate children’s learning experiences and exploration. However, there has been a lack of consistency in findings across studies due to different study designs. It is likely that these varying study characteristics have resulted in the variability of effects in the pretend play-language relationship, which has been also suggested by previous reviews. These factors point to the potential of meta-analysis for organizing the studies into a common paradigm and better understanding the practical significance of play-language relationships. The current meta-analysis systematically reviewed and analytically investigated 25 existing empirical studies that had examined the associations between pretend play and language development among young children. The overall magnitude of the association between pretend play and language development, .36, showed a moderate association. Furthermore, moderator analyses indicated that several factors, such as the role of adults or children’s play types, tended to have considerable impacts on the associations between pretend play and language development. This study has determined the strength of the research foundation that currently supports inclusion of pretend play in preschool classrooms and has charted future research on the pretend play-language associations in the early childhood research field.

Doctor of Philosophy / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Sandra M. Stith / Intimate partner homicide (IPH) is a serious problem throughout the world. Research has identified a history of intimate partner violence (IPV) as a risk factor for IPH (Campbell et al., 2007). However, we know that not all individuals who perpetrate IPV end up perpetrating IPH, and not all victims of IPV end up becoming victims of IPH. There is a need to identify additional risk factors for IPH in order to potentially help identify individuals who may be at a greater risk for IPH perpetration or victimization. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis on risk factors for male IPH perpetration and female IPH victimization. This meta-analysis examined results from 17 studies, which included 148 effect sizes to be used in the analysis. The overall sample size included in the study was 10,143. This study compared IPV samples and IPH samples as a means to aid in identifying risk factors that may place individuals who are victims or perpetrators of IPV at a greater risk for IPH perpetration or victimization. Results of our analyses indicated that the strongest risk factors for male IPH perpetration were the perpetrator having direct access to a gun, perpetrator’s’ previous threats with a weapon, perpetrator’s previous non-fatal strangulation, perpetrator’s previous rape of the victim, perpetrator’s demonstration of controlling behaviors, perpetrator’s previous threats to harm the victim, and the perpetrator’s previous stalking of the victim. We found that the strongest risk factors for female IPH victimization were the victim being abused by the perpetrator while pregnant, the victim’s substance abuse, the victim having less than a high school education, being separated from the perpetrator, and having children from a previous relationship (not with the perpetrator). Implications for law enforcement personnel, victim advocates, mental health professionals, as well as other professionals who may be in contact with potential IPH perpetrators and victims are discussed.

Abstract The aim of this doctoral thesis is to present methods of search, evaluation and analysis of a specific research domain (schizophrenia) from four perspectives: bibliometric analysis of 1) Finnish doctoral theses and 2) Finnish journal articles on schizophrenia, and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of 3) alcohol use disorders and 4) cannabis use disorders in schizophrenia. Over the years, the number of Finnish articles on schizophrenia has increased, as well as the amount of international collaboration. Bibliometric methods were also found to be feasible in the evaluation of psychiatric research. However, the methods should be used with care. Articles written in collaboration with international organisations seem to receive more citations and are published in journals with higher impact factors, which highlights the importance of developing scientific networks. A considerable proportion (20%) of Finnish scientific schizophrenia articles were published in theses consisting of original papers. The current funding system supports the writing of doctoral thesis consisting of original articles and favours epidemiological and biological research over research into medical treatments. This may affect the research culture in Finland and even slow down the development and improvement of the national treatment system. The reported prevalence of alcohol and cannabis use disorders has differed considerably between studies. No meta-analysis on alcohol or cannabis use disorders in schizophrenia has previously been conducted. In studies (n = 71) on schizophrenia patients, the median prevalence was 15% for current and 26% for lifetime alcohol use disorder, and 16% for current and 27% for lifetime cannabis use disorder. Alcohol use disorders are common in schizophrenia patients, although a declining trend was observed when comparing previous reviews. Cannabis use disorders were found to be more common in younger and first-episode patient samples, as well as in samples with a high proportion of males.

Class of 2015 Abstract / Objectives: To retrieve data from RCTs for lorcaserin and phentermine and topiramate combination on weight loss, BMI reduction, and other factors from the placebo groups and to determine if there is a difference in weight loss between those groups. Methods: Design: Meta-analysis Inclusion criteria: RCTs that compared lorcaserin or phentermine/topiramate to placebo as submitted to the FDA and posted to the FDA website. The studies needed to report weight loss or BMI values at baseline and post-treatment. Measures: The primary dependent variables were weight lost in kilograms, change in BMI, and percent who achieved 5% weight loss in the placebo arm. Data Collection: A standardized data collection form was used to extract data from the selected trials. Data was independently extracted by 3 researchers and discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Data Analysis: Data was analyzed by constructing a forest plot of the amount of weight lost in the placebo arm stratified by type of drug. A funnel plot and Kendall’s tau were used to assess publication bias. Heterogeneity was assessed with I2. The a priori alpha level was 0.05. Results: Statistically significant weight loss was achieved in the placebo arm in all 6 RCTs Weight loss was consistent across type of study Lorcaserin studies, mean = 2.42 kg Phentermine/topiramate studies, mean = 2.14 kg Overall rate of 5% weight loss was 0.32 No data was reported on actual caloric intake or actual quantity of exercise Funnel plot and Kendall’s tau (p = 0.85) indicated there was no publication bias There was heterogeneity in the lorcaserin studies resulting from one study reporting a large effect Conclusions: Participants in the placebo arm lost weight with monthly counseling on calorie intake and exercise, however, actual caloric intake or quantity of exercise that resulted in the weight loss is unknown.

Class of 2015 Abstract / Objectives: To establish the impact pharmacists can have on adult immunization rates by having pharmacists available to provide, administer, and advocate for immunizations. Methods: The following databases were searched from inception to November 2014: NLM PubMed; Ovid/MEDLINE; and Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria were comparative studies reporting pharmacist intervention and their impact on immunization rates. Of 38 publications originally identified, 15 met inclusion criteria. Variables examined included study characteristics, pharmacist intervention, and immunization rates. Results: Of the 15 studies we identified, only ten studies could be analyzed in the meta-analysis. All studies showed increases in immunization rates with pharmacist involvement, but there was high variance. Pharmacist interventions at hospital sites had the greatest benefit for increasing immunization rates (average odds ratio [OR], 10.64, confidence interval [CI] 95%, 5.25-21.49). Pharmacist intervention at one or two community sites had the second highest impact (OR, 2.81; CI 95%, 2.31-3.41). Studies covering multiple sites (more than two) showed the lowest increase in immunization rates (OR 2.26; CI 95%, 1.81-2.81). Conclusions: Pharmacist’s involvement in advocating and administering immunizations directly increases immunization rates in some patient populations. The greatest increases in immunization rates can be seen when pharmacists advocate for immunizations in the hospital setting.

Class of 2013 Abstract / Specific Aims: To assess the impact that exercise-type has on diabetes control through improvement in monitoring parameters such as hemoglobin A1c and fasting blood glucose. Methods: Studies were selected using a study inclusion tool and then data was extracted using the data extraction tool. The primary outcomes assessed were BMI and HbA1c. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was the main summary measure and the I2 statistic ¬¬¬¬¬¬was used to assess variability among the studies. Main Results: Ten studies met inclusion criteria (Total N = 1,787). The age range of patients was 40-66 years old with equal amounts of male and female participants. Aerobic and resistance exercise were effective (p < 0.01) in reducing A1c; Tai Chi was not (p = 0.50). Aerobic exercise did not have a significant effect on BMI (p = 0.07), however Tai Chi and Resistance exercise did (p<0.04). Conclusion: Aerobic and resistance exercise produced a significant reduction in HbA1c, whereas Tai Chi did not. The non-significant impact aerobic exercise had on BMI was probably due to large variation between the studies. No significant differences were found between the different forms of exercise and their overall impact on diabetes control. Based upon the data incorporated in this meta-analysis, it is reasonable for patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 to use aerobic or resistance exercise to improve their HbA1C. However, it remains to be seen whether recommending specific exercise types over others will provide increased benefit.