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Jean Toomer's Cane: A Work In The American Grotesque Genre, Kathryn M. Olsen

Masters Theses

In my thesis I will discuss the fact that Jean Toomer’s Cane is a grotesque work, one which in several ways resembles Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio. While Jean Toomer never specifically alludes to any of the characters in Cane as grotesques, they consistently exhibit three of the strongest, most characteristic elements of the grotesque: physical and/or psychic deformities, alienation from the reader/viewer, and, most importantly, unrelenting conflict from two opposing elements. In fact, the figures in Cane show even more development of grotesque themes than the characters in Winesburg, Ohio, a collection known for its portrayals of modern …

Shape Recognition By Curvature Changing Points And Fourier Transform, Jianzhong Li

Masters Theses

Computer vision is a relatively new and fast-growing field. Shape representation and recognition is a very important but difficult branch in this field.

One method of using curvature changing points and Fourier transform to recognize the shape is described in this thesis. Also an important feature in computer vision, multiscaling, is achieved by this method.

Treatment Techniques To Encourage Lip Closure And Decrease Drooling In Cerebral Palsy, Kim M. Samelstad

Masters Theses

This study was designed to test the effectiveness of oral sensorimotor techniques in decreasing drooling. A withdrawal a₁-b-a₂ design was used with two subjects diagnosed as having mental retardation and cerebral palsy. The baseline phase consisted of 20 minute sessions of play, followed by a 45 minute period during which the subjects wore a bib. The treatment phase was identical to the baseline phase except that the 20 minutes of play was replaced with 20 minutes of treatment. The treatment techniques that were used included the following: light touch to the midline of the lips, maintained pressure …

Mental Practice: Its Effects On Walking Balance In An Elderly Population, Cheryl A. Linden

Masters Theses

The effect of mental practice on improving walking balance in an elderly population was studied. Walking balance was measured by the number of upper extremity equilibrium reactions elicited and placement of feet observed as subjects traversed an activity course. Twenty-three female subjects between the ages of 67-90 were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group mentally practiced traversing the activity course with the aid of a six minute audio tape. The control group participated in sedentary activities of equal duration. Both groups met for eight sessions. Independent and correlated t-tests indicated no significant difference in walking balance …

Deposition, Diagenesis, And Porosity Development Of The Middle Devonian, Lucas Formation In The West Branch Oil Field, Ogemaw County, Michigan, Scott Gregory Park

Masters Theses

The Lucas Formation in the West Branch Oil Field contains over 1000 feet of carbonates and evaporites deposited in restricted marine environments. Deposition ranged from a tidal flat environment (Richfield Member) to subaqueous basin central type deposition (Iutzi and Horner Members).

Early diagenesis of the Lucas Formation carbonates included dolomitization and related porosity development in certain depositional facies where physiochemical conditions were favorable. Significant porosity and permeability reduction occurred during burial resulting from anhydrite, celestite, and halite cementation. Calcite pseudopar and microspar (a neomorphic product) also reduced porosity.

Hydrocarbon production from the Lucas Formation in the West Branch Field is …

Hypernuclear Photoproduction Via (Γ,K*), Kimberly Ann Hodgkinson

Masters Theses

The nuclear (γ,K^*) reaction is studied using plane wave impulse approximation (PWIA) and a distorted wave impulse approximation (DWIA), which includes full Coulomb and optical distortions. The model and calculations for each model are presented. For ¹²C(γ K^*)¹²B, the two approximation methods are compared at 2 energies: 1.47 Gev/c and 1.84GeV/c. ²⁰⁸Pb(γ, K^*)²⁰⁸ i s a lso examined. Distortion effects are found to greatly alter the magnitude of the cross sections, but the shape of the angular distributions remains. the same. Conclusions suggest further study.

A Proposed Procedure For A Secondary School Teacher To Gain Entry Level Knowledge And Skills To Become A High School Principal, Wayne E. Mason

Masters Theses

The proposed procedure for a secondary teacher to gain entry level knowledge and skills required to assume a high school principalship was to examine the scope of the duties of a high school principal and to acquire knowledge, skills and administrative experience by assisting a high school principal as he performs his daily responsibilities.

The experience focused on procedures used to close and reopen a high school, practices used in handling student discipline, office duties needed to meet student needs, practices used to monitor facility maintenance, the practices used to maintain and improve community relations.

The experience brought to light …

Congruence Between Type Of Activity And Volition And Its Relationship To Life Satisfaction In Nursing Home Residents, David De Noble

Masters Theses

This study examines the relationship between life satisfaction and the volition subsystem of 32 older adults who reside in nursing homes. Specifically, it attempts to measure congruence or the perception of the individual that the inherent characteristics of an activity "fit" his or her sense of personal causation, values and interests. The study examines the relationship between this congruence and life satisfaction.

Results of the study identified positive correlations between congruence and life satisfaction. Correlations between congruence of volition subsystem components and activity were at a statistically significant level (p <.05) for personal causation, values and total volition. Correlations between congruence of volition subsystem components and some specific activities were also found.

A Computer Simulation Of The Rotary Drum Brownstock Washer System Using The Monte Carlo Method Of Distribution Sampling, Jacqueline K. Pease

Masters Theses

A steady-state probabilistic model is chosen to simulate the brownstock washing system's uncertainty which arises from unpredictable process fluctuations and measurement noise. Distribution sampling is used to construct multiple mass balances of a washing system. Included in this model is a linear relationship describing the correlation between dilution and displacement which allows displacement ratio to be generated based on dilution factor. This is an improvement over a similar, earlier model which considers all variables to be independent. There is no statistical difference between the mean output of the simulation and the means of data sets collected at two different mills. …

Jesus And Inerrancy, James Hunt

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Magnificat, Julie A. Gummert

Masters Theses

Magnificat is a five-movement setting of the "Song of Mary" as recorded in Luke 1:46-55. The Latin text was used because of its historical, liturgical significance. The musical resources required are a 3-part women's chorus, soprano soloist, organ, flute, violin, and horn in F.

The individual movements and timings are as follows: (I) Molto maestoso - Poco meno mosso - Tempo (1'15"), (II) Languidly - Andante non troppe - Come prima (2'55"), (III) Briskly - Un poco piu maestoso al fine (3'00"), (IV) Andante sostenuto - Recitative - Tempo (3'00"), (V) Vigorously (2'45"). The performance time of the entire work, …

A Comparison Of An Ideal And A Real Quality Of Work Life Program, Noreen Goldschmidt

Masters Theses

The purposes of this study were to examine the differences between: (a) a real and idealized Quality of Work Life program; (b) individual groups and the idealized Quality of Work Life program, and (c) groups surveyed.

Two departments were surveyed to obtain perceptions of a Quality of Work Life program existing within a utility company located in the state of Michigan.

Percentages were calculated on the Agree and Strongly Agree response alternatives for all items included on the survey. For the three comparisons made the difference in percent was tested at the.05 level of significance. The results indicated that the …

The Effects Of Unilateral Brain Damage On Analogical Reasoning By Stroke Patients, Letitia Lynn Gillespie

Masters Theses

This study examined the ability of individuals with unilateral left hemisphere damage (LHD) and right hemisphere damage (RHD) to complete multiple modality analogy tasks. Four groups, for a total of 46 subjects--12 LHD patients, 8 RHD patients, 20 child control subjects, and 6 adult control subjects--performed word, figure, and picture analogies. The combined non brain damaged control groups performed significantly better than the combined brain damaged experimental groups on the combined analogy tasks. No significant difference was found between the LHD and RHD groups on the combined analogy tasks. The modalities of analogical reasoning tasks did not differentially affect the …

The Effects Of Altruism On Activity Productivity In Elderly Women In Skilled-Care Nursing Facilities, Carol J. Getz

Masters Theses

This study investigated altruism as a factor in productivity in elderly women. Eight groups of institutionalized elderly women (n = 33) stenciled personalized (initials) stationery. Groups were randomly assigned to either the non-altruistic condition or the altruistic condition; there was control for time of day and location of the activity. Subjects in the non-altruistic condition made stationery for themselves, while subjects in the altruistic condition made stationery for abused children living in an innercity. The number of pieces of stationery produced and the duration of time engaged in activity were recorded for each subject. Mann-Whitney U tests revealed that subjects …

A Trace Element Geochemical Analysis Of The Lake Ellen Kimberlite, Crystal Falls, Michigan, U.S.A., Michelle Ellen Fults

Masters Theses

The Lake Ellen kimberlite located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan represents a possible bedrock source for the diamonds found in the glacial deposits around the Great Lakes. The purpose of this research was to undertake a geochemical analysis in order to better understand the evolution of the kimberlite body and to elucidate on the garnet xenolith paragenesis.

Both instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and scanning electron microscope analysis (SEM) were utilized in this research. The INAA revealed that with respect to other types of upper mantle rocks, the Lake Ellen kimberlite is enriched in both the light rare earth …

The Western Michigan University Programming Contest Proctor System, Joel Marshall Fletcher

Masters Theses

A software package for administering programming contests has been developed for DECsystem-10 timesharing computers. This package provides a neutral editing environment for contestants, a method for submitting problems for execution, and an automatic judging facility for evaluating contestants' solutions and tabulating scores. The proctor system has been used in numerous competitions, including a regional contest sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery.

Drug Use And Abuse: A Survey Of Mentally Retarded Citizens In Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Sandra Ann Burdick

Masters Theses

An abundant array of research in the area of drug use and abuse among various populations has been conducted in recent years. These studies have determined that although several demographic variables affect the prevalence of drug use, all segments of society who have access to drugs are at some risk. Whether relative risk is influenced by subaverage intelligence is unclear, however, for very little has been done to determine the prevalence of drug use and abuse among the mentally retarded.

In this survey methods were utilized to gather such information in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. A survey return rate of 73% …

An Attendance Incentive Procedure Using Group Contingencies, Norman Kevin Brown

Masters Theses

This study used a multiple baseline design to examine the effect of a lottery-based group contingency on unscheduled sick leave (USL) use by residential treatment workers. Sixty direct-care workers participated in this study. Researchers employed a group contingency that required workers to meet 2-week absence criterion levels in order to participate in a subsequent reinforcement lottery. The workers who won the lottery chose one of four rewards including 20 dollars, 4 hours paid time-off, lunch with a supervisor, and four movie tickets. The mean number of USL hours used in each of five work units was reduced significantly during intervention. …

Kinetics Of The Metal-Exchange Reaction Between N-(2-Pyridylmethyl)Iminodiacetatonickel(N) And Copper(Ii), Kassahun W. Beyene

Masters Theses

The reaction between N-(2-pyridylmethyl)iminodiacetatonickel(II) and copper(II) was studied spectrophotometrically between pH 2.30 and 3.30 over a 10-fold variation in copper concentration at an ionic strength of 1.25M, and a temperature of 25.0+0.1^oC. The reaction is first order in both NiPyIDA and copper(II). Terms involving proton attack and a copper dependent dissociation of the nickel complex were resolved from the data. Evidence is given for a stepwise unwrapping mechanism PyIDA from the nickel complex, followed by copper attack to give a dinuclear intermediate. A general mechanism is presented which is consistent with the kinetic data.

Comparisons to analogous nickel-aliphatic …

Feasibility Of The Proposed Garden Lane Recharge Basin In Portage, Michigan, Sandra K. Barnick

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential effectiveness of proposed artificial recharge basins at the Garden Lane Well Field in Portage, Michigan. The area is underlain by 7 feet of muck, 27 feet of sand and gravel, and a 10 foot semiconfining till over a semiconfined aquifer.

The vertical permeability of the semiconfining layer, and the hydraulic head difference between the upper unconfined aquifer and the lower semiconfined aquifer were determined. This was accomplished by conducting a constant-rate pump test. Test data were interpreted by three methods: (1) drawdown vs. time (both logarithmic and semilogarithmic), (2) recovery …

Academic-Point Incentives And College-Student Use Of Study Skills, Afnan Ma'rouf Almasri

Masters Theses

This was a study of the effects of academic-point incentives on the use of study skills by thirty high-risk undergraduate students. The students completed a four-session study-skills training program consisting of time management, concentration and memory, note taking, and test taking. They contracted to accomplish tasks specified weekly according to their class syllabus using special forms that specified the targeted study skills. The mean use of the study skills was 95.8% when points were given and decreased to 38% when points were withdrawn; but the use of study skills increased to 98.9% when points were again given.

Thermodynamics Of The Diluted Spin Heisenberg Chain With Single Ion Anisotropy, Salmah Ahmed

Masters Theses

The thermodynamics of the one-dimensional diluted Heisenberg magnet of classical spins in the presence of single ion anisotropy is calculated. The magnetization, susceptibility, energy and specific heat are determined as functions of the magnetic concentration and single ion anisotropy for both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic couplings. Spin-spin correlation functions and the elastic scattering are also calculated for various values of anisotropy and spin concentration for the ferromagnetic system.

Lead Seals From Fort Michilimackinac, Mackinaw City, Michigan, Diane L. Adams

Masters Theses

Archaeologists have routinely identified small lead seals found on sixteenth- to eighteenth-century sites in North America as "bale seals." An analysis of the lead seals from Fort Michilimackinac, Mackinaw City, Michigan, (1715-1781) was conducted to determine whether the seals are actually cloth seals from individual textiles.

Four lines of evidence were examined in order to clarify the function(s) of lead seals: documentary sources, quantitative analysis of archaeological data from Fort Michilimackinac, comparative data from site reports, and cloth imprint analysis.

Available evidence supports an interpretation that most lead seals are cloth marks. Lead seals served as indicators of quality, ownership, …

Effect Of Choice Making On A Self-Care Activity In Mentally Retarded Adults And Adolescents, Martin S. Rice

Masters Theses

Of central importance to occupational therapy is the issue of motivation in activity. The purpose of this study was to look at the effects of choice on motivation during an activity undertaken by mentally retarded adults and adolescents. Each subject was given a choice of five wrinkled T-shirts that had sports logos on them. The subject chose one but was then asked to iron the T-shirt before he took it to keep. With counterbalancing for order of presentation, each subject also experienced not having a choice between five T-shirts and then ironing the one given to him. The amount of …

Removal Of Eucalyptus Vessel Segments Using Centrifugal Cleaners, Amnuay Ponpued

Masters Theses

Two commercial feedforward centrifugal cleaners were used in the study of vessel segment removal from bleached eucalyptus pulp. The reduction of vessel elements yielded a reduction of vessel pick tendency and other problems caused by vessel elements which limit the use of eucalyptus pulp in paper stock furnishes. The operating conditions of the centrifugal cleaners were evaluated for their effect on separation efficiency. Pulp loss with rejects was reduced by multiple stage separation. The Vandercook Proof Press was used to compare the picking of cleaned, original pulp and two higher-vessel-content pulps. Regression analysis and ANOVA showed significant effects of feed …

A Study Of Ion Implanted Silicon Using Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy With Ion Channeling, Thomas J. Pollock

Masters Theses

Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy with channeling is the only nondestructive method for analyzing crystals which have been ion implanted. An RBS with channeling procedure has been established at the Accelerator Lab of Western Michigan University. It utilizes a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator for an incident helium beam, a goniometer for crystal alignment, and a computer for experimental control and data aquisition. State of the art measurements can be made with accuracies comparable to other labs. Specifically, ion implanted silicon was studied wherein crystal damage due to implanting was found to vary directly with implanting energy and fluence and was also …

Modernization In West Africa: How Women's Lives Have Been Marginalized, Patricia S. Peterman

Masters Theses

Social scientists have documented the effects of colonialism and independence in West Africa, but have focused on male roles in economic institutions. Recent research reveals not only the importance of women as agricultural producers but also the marginalization of women in contemporary national society. Development projects have not eased economic hardship, rather emphasis on industrialization has led to agricultural underdevelopment, borne more heavily by women and children than by men.

This paper looks at the micro-level issues of the division of labor, the structure of the household, the status of women, and issues concerning fertility and reproduction. In doing so, …

A Graphic Implementation Of Blocks World As An Example Of Artificial Intelligence, Shigenori Ochiai

Masters Theses

The objective of this study is to implement blocks world as a classic example of artificial intelligence both visually and realistically.

The visual representation is implemented by using a graphic system in a microcomputer. Real world constraints are implemented as rules concerning centers of gravity.

These goals are significant in realizing principles of artificial intelligence. Visual data help a human being to quickly understand the state of a system. Also, bringing a situation closer to the real world is a step toward to the final goal of artificial intelligence.

Hemispheric Brain Laterality Of Perception Of Tachistoscopically Presented Erotic Stimuli By Male And Female College Students, Randall Warne Stewart

Masters Theses

The effects of hemispheric asymmetry on the perception of erotic stimuli presented in either of the two visual fields was investigated. Freshmen and Sophomore college students, 20 males and 27 females, were used as subjects in the study. Subjects were bilaterally presented with combinations of erotic, neutral, and blank visual field stimuli using a "split visual field" procedure for a total of 96 200 msec. presentations. Subjects were asked to rate the presentations on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 was equal to neutral and 5 was equal to very erotic. Males and females rated erotic stimuli presented in …

A Comparison Of Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Relaxation Therapy And Cognitive Restructuring On State And Trait Anxiety In Speech Anxious Adults, Bernard C. Sefchick

Masters Theses

This study tested the following hypotheses: (a) Cognitive-Behavior Therapy would be more effective than either Relaxation Therapy in reducing speech A-state anxiety or Cognitive Restructuring in reducing speech A-trait anxiety; (b) Relaxation Therapy would be more effective than Cognitive Restructuring in reducing speech A-state anxiety; and (c) Cognitive Restructuring would be more effective than Relaxation Therapy in reducing speech A-trait anxiety.

Fifteen volunteers from a speakers organization were screened and randomly assigned to one of three treatments. The Speech Anxiety Inventory was administered before and after treatments to assess subjects' levels of speech A-state and A-trait anxiety.

Results indicated that …