A retrospective validation study was implemented to identify the defining characteristics of the nursing diagnosis Alteration in Comfort-Pain, specifically chest pain. The interventions instituted by coronary care nurses to relieve the chest pain were also explored. Fifty-two records were reviewed. A Demographic Instrument (DI) and Alteration in Comfort-Pain (Chest Pain) Intervention Instrument (ACPII) were developed for the study and the Alteration in Comfort-Pain Assessment Tool for Chest Pain (ACPAT-CP) was revised from the Alteration in Comfort-Pain Assessment Tool (ACPAT) for the study. The three instruments were assessed for content validity and reliability. The critical defining characteristic was determined to be a verbal complaint of chest pain with or without a specific descriptor and nurses made the appropriate nursing diagnosis for chest pain in the majority of the records reviewed. Nursing interventions documented for the relief of chest pain were interdependent interventions, specifically monitoring and an electrocardiogram. The results indicated that there is a need for improved documentation in nurses' notes.

This study was conducted to explore the influence of architecture on emotions and communication. Correlations were proposed between dimensions of affect (pleasure, arousal, dominance) and communication (formality, warmth, privacy, familiarity, constraint, psychological distance) in interaction environments. Hypotheses also proposed that affective and communicative responses would differ for architectural styles as well as for architects and laypeople. Three contemporary styles of architecture (Modern Traditionalism, Deconstructivism, and Post-Modernism) were depicted in photographs of houses. Using written self-report measures, architects and laypeople rated their affective responses and expectations for communication in stimulus houses. Hypotheses were partially confirmed for correlations between affect and communication dimensions. Results also confirmed that different architectural styles are perceived differently in terms of affect response and expectations for communication. No differences, however, were found between architects' and laypeople's perceptions of architecture. Implications of the findings were discussed concerning the impact of architectural style on human communication and behavior.

An hedonic model of apple prices was developed using data from the three largest producing regions of the United States. Results were used to determine the relative values of selected quality attributes. Specifically, coefficients on the variables produced by the regression represented price premia and discounts for the quality attributes. The variables included in the model were crop year, seasonality, region, variety, size, grade, storage, and a variable designed to measure the impact of the Alar scare on the 1988 crop of Red Delicious apples. Three models were developed. Model I utilized a linear functional form; Model II utilized a log-linear functional form; and Model III utilized a linear functional form with real price as the dependent variable. The results of Model I were used in the final analysis. It was found that size, grade, storage, and seasonality had consistent relationships to the price of an apple. The findings are applied to the Arizona apple industry.

Two experiments using lambs were conducted to obtain additional information on the potential nutritional value of halophyte forages for ruminants. In experiment one, Salicornia bigevolii Torr. planted in mid-March and harvested at three dates (July, August and September) replaced wheat straw (30%) in a 65% forage diet. Nutrient composition and digestibility of Salicornia forage declined with advancing maturity. Forage from the July cutting was superior to wheat straw, while that from later cuttings was approximately equal to straw. In experiment two, digestion coefficients were lower when Atriplex deserticola replaced 50% of the alfalfa hay in a 70% roughage diet. Even when all of the alfalfa hay was replaced using a mixture of 85% Atriplex barclayana and 15% Atriplex deserticola consumption by lambs was not adversely affected. It is concluded that Salicornia bigevolii and Atriplex deserticola have potential as feedstuff for ruminants, especially in geographical areas where conventional feedstuffs are not available.

Because of the removal policy of the American government, Indian Territory was made the new home of over thirty Indian nations, including the Five Civilized Tribes of the Southeast. In an effort to stabilize and maintain peaceful and helpful relations between these immigrant nations over fifty international councils were called throughout the history of this territory. During the 1870's, the delegates of the nations attending the Okmulgee Council also attempted to form a confederacy. These circumstances provide an excellent microcosm of Native American internationalism, and by analyzing the nature of the diplomacy that occurred among these nations this thesis will propose a pattern or model that will hopefully be useful in understanding the international relations that occurred between the indigenous nations over the last 500 years.