Thesis (M.S.)--University of Kentucky, 2004. / Title from document title page (viewed June 21, 2004). Document formatted into pages; contains x, 63 p. : ill. Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 61-62).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Institute of Paper Chemistry, 1941. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-97).

Flame retardant (FR) intumescent additives and montmorillonite (MMT) organoclay incorporated nylon-6 nanocomposite (FR-NC-PA6) fibers with a diameter of about 200 nm were fabricated by electrospinning. Before electrospinning, dispersion and exfoliation of the FR additive and MMT in nylon-6 were achieved by twin-screw extrusion. Tensile, TGA and UL-94 flammability tests were first performed using injection-molded bulk samples. The tensile modulus of FR-NC-PA6 was 45% higher than that of neat PA6, but tensile strength and elongation at break decreased by 23% and 98.7%, respectively. It is worth noting that although the TGA results show that FR-NC-PA6 has a slightly earlier decomposition temperature than neat PA6, it did not drip under fire and had the best rating (V-0) in UL 94 test, while neat PA6 is only rated as V-2. SEM and EDX of char residues after the UL 94 test clearly show the oxygen-rich protective char layer on the surface. These results indicate the advantage of using clay and FR additive in bulk-form PA6. Flammability of electrospun nanocomposite fibers was characterized by Micro-combustion calorimeter (MCC), a small-scale test to screen flammability of polymer materials. The MCC results show that the nano-fillers in both bulk and fiber form could effectively improve flame retardant properties of the material. Electrospun fibers had similar combustion properties as bulk materials. In addition to FR applications, superhydrophobic surface was another area that was explored using the electrospun nanocomposite fibers. Static water contact angle (WCA) test showed that samples with 5wt% clay even without plasma treatment greatly improved the WCA to 140°, probably due to the barrier effect of nanoclay platelets. Plasma treatment was used to modify the surface energy, further improving WCA to as high as 160°. However, fiber structure was partially etched away when overexposed to the plasma. This etching effect increased the surface roughness. Clay incorporated samples had higher level of surface roughness and better resistance to plasma etching compared to neat nylon 6. / text

The purpose of this study has been to examine what assistance potential mothers’ of the next generation suggest for girls, in order for all to be able to complete primary education. This has been investigated through asking 36 women age 18-25, what obstacles they see for socio- economically constrained girls. They have also been asked about how they think these obstacles can be altered for the next generation. The study method has been focus group interviews. When analysing the interview material Empowerment theory and the Salutogenic theory have been applied. The main solutions presented by the respondents is support in income generating activities for the poorest mothers and advocacy for girls’ education. The best way of supporting mothers would according to the respondents be for the Ethiopian Government to assist the poorest mothers to start and run businesses. Religious leaders are perceived to be the possible assistance provider in position to affect the public opinion making the whole society more willing to invest in girls’ educational chances.

A sample of APS workers, law enforcement officers, criminal justice and social work students were surveyed. Participants were asked how much knowledge they believed professionals working in their respective fields had about elder abuse and how much those same professionals needed to know. The differences between needed and possessed knowledge, also referred to as level of anomie, was compared across groups. Students in both groups believed those working in their fields had significantly less knowledge than they needed on all elements of responding to elder abuse. APS workers and law enforcement officers felt those in their fields had enough knowledge on some elements of responding to elder abuse but not others. APS workers had the least total anomie, and criminal justice students had the most. All groups experiences significant levels of anomie on some elements of responding to elder abuse and neglect, suggesting more training is needed.

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Suicide is believed to be the second leading cause of death among college students, and recent data on the prevalence of suicidal ideation on college campuses signifies the need for suicide prevention efforts. Historically prevention efforts have emphasized identifying and shepherding into specialized mental health treatment those students who are currently in a heightened state of risk. One limitation of this approach is that college mental health services find themselves stretched to capacity, with utilization rates steadily on the rise. Thus, several scholars have called for suicide prevention efforts to take a public health approach, seeking to intervene more broadly by improving the mental health of the larger population. One way of broadening these prevention efforts is to investigate factors that preserve the emotional and mental resilience of college students facing similar life stressors and distress levels. Thus, the suicidality literature has seen an increase in the investigation of these protective factors. Self-compassion emerges in the literature as a promising protective factor that may have applicability in shielding individuals from entering the continuum of suicidality.<<par>> This study aims to build upon existing research by examining within a college student population the relationship between suicidal ideation and possessing a self-compassionate attitude, a relationship that has yet to be examined in the literature. Further goals of this research include the following: determining if any of the six subscales of the self-compassion construct in particular convey more robust protection from developing suicidal ideation, examining the potential mediating effect of self-compassion on the relationship between depression and suicidal ideation, and investigating whether self-compassion has a differential influence on developing suicidal ideation for women as compared to men. The proposed study will use a stratified randomized case control design in which those endorsing suicidal ideation in the past month will be matched with those indicating the absence of suicidal ideation in the past month on perceived impact of recent life stress and demographic characteristics. Self-report methods will include a measure of self-compassion, depression, life events, and an item aimed at examining presence or absence of suicidal ideation during the past month. Findings from this study will contribute to an understanding of resilience factors that protect from the development of suicidality and will have implications for intervening broadly at the population level. / text

This project examines the systemic causes of transfer shock, the phenomenon wherein students transitioning onto a university campus from a community college experience a drop in their grade point average (GPA) in their first semester of transfer. Previous research has focused on student characteristics that are predictive of transfer shock, but few researchers have approached this topic from the perspective of the students themselves. This study seeks to understand how transfer students experience the initial transition onto the four-year university campus and the interactions with managerial professionals, and how those interactions impact the likelihood of students experiencing transfer shock or not. I used the work of Tinto (1975) and Deil-Amen (2011), as well as interviews with 15 transfer students, to theorize that students' procedural interactions are significant for their socio-academic integration. This study demonstrates the process of socio-academic integration and highlights the ways that the institution can support or impede student academic performance and success.

When a child is diagnosed with a chronic life threatening illness there is a significant impact on the entire family. Siblings are at risk for psychological adaptation problems because of their unique relationship with the ill child and the effect of that illness on family functioning. Few studies have been reported which examine the impact of chronic life-threatening illnesses in children on healthy siblings.The purpose of this study was to investigate the predisposing risk and protective factors that affect the psychological adaptation of healthy siblings of a child with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). A descriptive study was conducted using a convenience sample from two CF centers. The relationship between several variables was explored using non- parametric correlations.In this sample, significant negative correlations were found between parental stress and their reported financial well being and emotional or behavioral problems in the well siblings prior to the diagnosis of CF was made in the sick sibling and perceived parental support.For adolescent siblings, The Behavioral Symptoms Index (BSI) was correlated to reported stress in their parents and negatively correlated to the parental perceived support. The Emotional Symptoms Index (ESI) was correlated to the BSI. A significant negative correlation was also noted between age and Internalizing Behaviors. These relationships were not significant for the child siblings in this sample.There were no significant relationships among gender, maternal education, and caretaker for the well sibling when the child with CF was hospitalized and their Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors. The health care teams in these clinics seldom discussed CF with the well sibling. However, for the children in this study, there was a significant negative correlation with this discussion and their Externalizing Behaviors.Findings from this study suggest that the family environment, especially parental stress and perceived social support, may affect the adaptation of the well sibling. Adolescent siblings were more at risk for this environmental influence than their younger counterparts.

The combined effect of Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) involving gas packaging, oxygen absorbent and other environmental factors to control aflatoxin production by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus in both synthetic media and peanuts were studied using a process optimization technique termed Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Regression analysis of the data indicated that water activity (a$ sb{ rm w}$), pH, storage temperature, initial concentration of headspace oxygen and inoculum level were all highly significant factors (p 0%). These changes in the barrier characteristics influenced the headspace gas composition within the product and under modified atmospheres hence the level of aflatoxin detected in these stored products. / In conclusion, this study has shown that the combined effect of several "barriers" can be used in conjunction with low oxygen modified atmosphere and high barrier packaging films to inhibit or reduce aflatoxin to safe and acceptable levels, particularly at abusive temperatures encountered during storage.