Graduation date: 1995

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2006. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Feb. 14, 2007). Includes bibliographical references.

Heparin, a highly sulfated and acidic glycosaminoglycan, has been clinically used in parenteral formulations to prevent and/or treat thromboembolic disorders for more than 90 years. Actions of heparin are not limited to anticoagulation and antithrombosis. Rather heparin has several other important actions which include fat clearing, antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects. However, use of heparin for such applications has been limited by its route of administration.<p> Historically, it has been believed that heparin is not absorbed following oral administration and therefore is only available for clinical use by parenteral administration. This belief has been challenged several times by our laboratory and other researchers showing heparin binding to endothelium following oral administration as well as prevention of thrombosis and lowering blood pressure, etc. However, the site of oral heparin absorption and the mechanism responsible for absorption have not been investigated. This in vitro study was designed to address these important questions.<p> We mounted pieces of rat gastrointestinal mucosa in a vertical diffusion Ussing chamber with both sides of the mucosal membrane exposed to Krebs bicarbonate buffer solution containing mannitol on the mucosal side (lumen) and glucose on the serosal side. Electrical properties across the membrane including potential difference (PD), resistance (R), and short circuit current (Isc) were recorded following heparin addition to the mucosal buffer under different mucosal buffer pH conditions. Mucosal and serosal buffer and tissue were collected and extracted for heparin and heparin recovery was performed by gel electrophoresis and anticoagulation tests. The first chapter (chapter 4) was designed to investigate if stomach mucosal tissue is a site for unfractionated heparin (UFH) absorption when mounted in the Ussing chamber. We found that stomach mucosa is able to transport UFH in an intact form when both mucosal and serosal buffers are at neutral pH of 7.4. When the mucosal buffer pH is made more acidic, at pH 4, transport is facilitated.<p> The second study (chapter 5) was designed to investigate if stomach mucosal tissue is also capable of transporting low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs). We showed that LMWHS were transported across stomach mucosa. However, the rate of transport was faster at mucosal buffer pH of 7.4 compared to pH 4.<p> The third study (chapter 6) investigated the effect of molecular weight on rate of heparin transport across stomach mucosal tissue since pH dependency of this transport was evident from both previous studies. This study suggested that decreasing the molecular weight increases the rate of heparin transport across stomach tissue under neutral pH but not acidic pH conditions. The fourth study (chapter 7) investigated how UFH is transported across the ileal mucosa and if Peyers patches contribute to this transport. It was shown that UFH is transported across ileal mucosa containing Peyers patches at a rate faster than ileal mucosa without Peyers patches. Making the mucosal buffer pH acidic facilitated UFH transport in the absence of Peyers patches but not when ileal mucosa contained Peyers patches.<p> The final study (chapter 8) investigated the mechanism of UFH transport across stomach mucosa mounted in the Ussing chamber using pharmacological inhibitors sodium fluoride, colchicine, and amiloride. Results showed that UFH is transported across the stomach mucosa at physiological acidic pH by an active transport mechanism using metabolic energy, cytoplasmic tubule formation, and sodium-coupled systems. From this, we conclude that oral heparins are absorbed across the gastrointestinal tract. The acidic environment of the stomach is a better absorption site for UFH. On the other hand, the more basic environment of the intestine is a better site for absorption of LMWHs. UFH is mainly absorbed across the stomach mucosa by an active transport mechanism using metabolic energy, cytoplasmic tubule formation, and sodium-coupled systems. Considering the very much larger surface area of the intestine than the stomach and that intestine, especially the ileum, contains many Peyers patches where UFH transport is not pH-dependent, larger amounts of UFH may be transported across the intestinal tissue compared to the stomach.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the presence of peers upon the oral reading performance of high achieving and low achieving students in a regular classroom setting.Related literature and research in the area of social facilitation has indicated that the presence of an audience serves to increase drive level. The interaction of drive level and habit strength results in the emission of dominant responses. During early stages of learning, incorrect responses are dominant since a response hierarchy has not been established. As learning occurs and mastery level is approached, correct responses become dominant.In order to relate these research findings to the classroom, subjects whose reading skills were below grade level were selected to represent those in the learning stage. Students whose reading skills placed them above grade level were selected to represent those in the mastery stage.The research hypotheses were as follows:1. The presence of peers will adversely affect a student's performance on an oral reading task when the instructional reading level of that student is below grade level.2. The presence of peers will enhance a student's performance on an oral reading task when the instructional reading level of that student is above grade level.Subjects were drawn from five fourth grade classes in two elementary schools in east central Indiana. A total of 76 subjects (34 low achievers and 42 high achievers) participated in the study. Participation in the study required that each student read orally at his instructional level a one hundred word passage in the presence of peers and again in isolation. Instructional levels were determined for each student through the administration of an initial placement test. This is a group test which is provided for each reading level to ensure that the student is placed at his/her instructional level. The passages read were d--aim from supplementary materials provided with the basal. reading series and designed for use at appropriate instructional levels. The passages were unfamiliar to the subjects. Data were collected in the classroom during the regularly schedule reading period in an effort to maintain normal classroom atmosphere. The subject's performance was tape recorded under each treatment condition. These tape recordings were later scored by a panel of judges. Responses which were scored as errors were miscues, repetitions, insertions, and omissions. The dependent variable was the subject's oral reading performance under each of the two treatment conditions. Oral reading performance was selected as the dependent variable because it represents not only an observable, measureable variable, but also an established classroom activity.A repeated measures design was utilized to investigate differences in performance of high achievers and of low achievers under audience present and audience absent conditions. Since the research hypotheses were directional in nature, a one tailed t test for correlated groups was selected to determine the statistical significance of the differences between means using the .05 level of confidence.Results of statistical analysis revealed that there was no significant difference between the oral reading performance of either the low achieving or high achieving groups under audience present and audience absent conditions. Thus support was not found for the research hypotheses that the presence of an audience would adversely affect the oral reading performance of low achieving subjects and enhance the performance of high achieving subjects.

The population of older adults has grown rapidly in recent years and is expected to continue to grow into the middle of this century. The aging of the population means that nurses need to have specialized gerontological knowledge in order to properly care for older adults. In spite of the current need for specialists in this field, gerontological nursing is not a popular choice and nurses often lack adequate preparation to care for older adults. The complex reasons behind these issues are rooted in the history of the development of this specialty. This study takes a historical look at the development of gerontological nursing in British Columbia through the stories of seven nurse educators who were leaders and innovators in their field. The findings of the study tell a story of the nurses’ work to change unacceptable nursing practice, improve standards of care and professional status of gerontological nursing and advocate for older adults. In doing so, these nurses challenged cultural values about aging and care of older adults and worked toward giving gerontological nurses a voice in policy and decision-making. The findings from this study can be used to guide today’s gerontological nurses as they continue to develop this specialized field of nursing knowledge.

No description available.

Heparin, a highly sulfated and acidic glycosaminoglycan, has been clinically used in parenteral formulations to prevent and/or treat thromboembolic disorders for more than 90 years. Actions of heparin are not limited to anticoagulation and antithrombosis. Rather heparin has several other important actions which include fat clearing, antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects. However, use of heparin for such applications has been limited by its route of administration.<p> Historically, it has been believed that heparin is not absorbed following oral administration and therefore is only available for clinical use by parenteral administration. This belief has been challenged several times by our laboratory and other researchers showing heparin binding to endothelium following oral administration as well as prevention of thrombosis and lowering blood pressure, etc. However, the site of oral heparin absorption and the mechanism responsible for absorption have not been investigated. This in vitro study was designed to address these important questions.<p> We mounted pieces of rat gastrointestinal mucosa in a vertical diffusion Ussing chamber with both sides of the mucosal membrane exposed to Krebs bicarbonate buffer solution containing mannitol on the mucosal side (lumen) and glucose on the serosal side. Electrical properties across the membrane including potential difference (PD), resistance (R), and short circuit current (Isc) were recorded following heparin addition to the mucosal buffer under different mucosal buffer pH conditions. Mucosal and serosal buffer and tissue were collected and extracted for heparin and heparin recovery was performed by gel electrophoresis and anticoagulation tests. The first chapter (chapter 4) was designed to investigate if stomach mucosal tissue is a site for unfractionated heparin (UFH) absorption when mounted in the Ussing chamber. We found that stomach mucosa is able to transport UFH in an intact form when both mucosal and serosal buffers are at neutral pH of 7.4. When the mucosal buffer pH is made more acidic, at pH 4, transport is facilitated.<p> The second study (chapter 5) was designed to investigate if stomach mucosal tissue is also capable of transporting low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs). We showed that LMWHS were transported across stomach mucosa. However, the rate of transport was faster at mucosal buffer pH of 7.4 compared to pH 4.<p> The third study (chapter 6) investigated the effect of molecular weight on rate of heparin transport across stomach mucosal tissue since pH dependency of this transport was evident from both previous studies. This study suggested that decreasing the molecular weight increases the rate of heparin transport across stomach tissue under neutral pH but not acidic pH conditions. The fourth study (chapter 7) investigated how UFH is transported across the ileal mucosa and if Peyers patches contribute to this transport. It was shown that UFH is transported across ileal mucosa containing Peyers patches at a rate faster than ileal mucosa without Peyers patches. Making the mucosal buffer pH acidic facilitated UFH transport in the absence of Peyers patches but not when ileal mucosa contained Peyers patches.<p> The final study (chapter 8) investigated the mechanism of UFH transport across stomach mucosa mounted in the Ussing chamber using pharmacological inhibitors sodium fluoride, colchicine, and amiloride. Results showed that UFH is transported across the stomach mucosa at physiological acidic pH by an active transport mechanism using metabolic energy, cytoplasmic tubule formation, and sodium-coupled systems. From this, we conclude that oral heparins are absorbed across the gastrointestinal tract. The acidic environment of the stomach is a better absorption site for UFH. On the other hand, the more basic environment of the intestine is a better site for absorption of LMWHs. UFH is mainly absorbed across the stomach mucosa by an active transport mechanism using metabolic energy, cytoplasmic tubule formation, and sodium-coupled systems. Considering the very much larger surface area of the intestine than the stomach and that intestine, especially the ileum, contains many Peyers patches where UFH transport is not pH-dependent, larger amounts of UFH may be transported across the intestinal tissue compared to the stomach.

The data used in this study were secondary, kindergarten data from a longitudinal, five-year, federal experimental research project: English and Literacy Acquisition (ELLA) (R305P030032). The overall goal of ELLA was to examine the impacts of two different programs (Bilingual and Structured English Immersion) on the performance of Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in grades K to 3. My first research question was to determine to what extent a curriculumbased measure could be developed and validated to measure oral proficiency and vocabulary knowledge among ELLs who are participating in a controlled oral language development intervention. In addressing validity the scores of the S4 were compared with the scores of the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery - Revised (WLPB-R) and the IOWA Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) language and vocabulary subtests. The correlations were .283 to .445 and they were statistically significant (p<.01). The S4 underwent several iterations. With each iteration intrarater reliability improved (Kappa .817 to 1.00 and Cramer's V .330 to 1.00). Interrater reliability also improved (Kappa .431 to 1.00 and Cramer's V .616 to 1.00). The second research question was to determine to what extent teachers could use the Semantic and Syntactic Scoring System (S4) for the STELLA vocabulary fluency measure with minimal training to accurately assess students' vocabulary knowledge and oral proficiency. The teachers' Kappas ranged from .786 to 1.00 and Cramer's V from .822 to 1.00. On average they were able to score a given student measure in under 22 minutes. The third research question was to determine to what extent the Semantic and Syntactic Scoring System (S4) differentiates the level of knowledge regarding expressive vocabulary and oral proficiency of kindergarten students under two different program placements: enhanced Traditional Bilingual Education and the enhanced Structured English Immersion Program in comparison to the WLPB-R (language and vocabulary subtests). The S4 was able to distinguish between the control and experimental groups (unlike the other subtests); but was not able to distinguish program type (bilingual and structured English immersion).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Open University. BLDSC no. DX77744.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Wisconsin -- La Crosse, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-62)