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"Bound Together . . . By Blood And Soul": Donald Davidson's Strategic Retreat Into The Myth Of Life In The Old South, Carol Pigg Dec 2000

"Bound Together . . . By Blood And Soul": Donald Davidson's Strategic Retreat Into The Myth Of Life In The Old South, Carol Pigg

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Donald Davidson has often been called stubborn because of his refusal to let go of the Southern past and in his insistence that his writings be based on and in the regional concerns that he saw as fundamental to all Southern literature. In many ways, Davidson's loyalty to the Agrarian and Fugitive causes, which are best defined in these groups interest in keeping the South's history alive and maintaining an agrarian lifestyle, is his greatest contribution to the Southern and American literary canon. Despite this fact, though, Davidson is now, as he was during his lifetime, ignored because of the …


Distributive Justice And Perceptions Of Fairness In Team Sports, Leslie Specht Dec 2000

Distributive Justice And Perceptions Of Fairness In Team Sports, Leslie Specht

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Distributive justice refers to the perceptions of fairness of outcomes received by individuals for their efforts in organizational settings. Punishment is frequently used to eliminate offensive or undesirable behavior in organizations. The present study was based on distributive justice theory and assessed the effects of severity of punishment and the application of distributive justice rules in a sports team setting. Eight scenarios were developed combining two levels of distribution of punishment (consistent or conditional), two levels of severity of misconduct (severe or moderate), and two levels of severity of punishment (severe or moderate). It was hypothesized that consistent punishment across …


A Descriptive Study Of The Selection Procedures Used By Kentucky Manufacturers, Amy Dumanois Dec 2000

A Descriptive Study Of The Selection Procedures Used By Kentucky Manufacturers, Amy Dumanois

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the selection practices used by manufacturing companies in Kentucky and whether the size of the organization and the number of employees hired in 1999 affected the use of valid selection procedures and compliance with EEO Guidelines. Surveys (300) were mailed to Human Resources professionals with a response rate of 35.7%. The majority of participants reported using three selection procedures: interviews, application blanks, and reference checks. The size of the organization and the number of employee hired in 1999 were not found to be related to the tendency to use a …


The Role Of Gender Interactions, Company Tenure And Job Tenure In Upward Feedback Ratings, Vanessa Johnson Dec 2000

The Role Of Gender Interactions, Company Tenure And Job Tenure In Upward Feedback Ratings, Vanessa Johnson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Using feedback scores from an established upward feedback program, the role of gender interactions, company tenure, and job tenure on leadership ratings of managers by subordinates were examined. Four separate analyses were conducted: a 2 X 2 ANOVA, a 2 X 6 ANOVA, and two Aptitude-Treatment Interaction (ATI) regression analyses in accordance with the procedure set forth in Pedhazur (1997). No significant main effects or interactions were found for manager gender and subordinate gender on ratings of managers. Manager company tenure had a significant effect on ratings of managers, R = .002, F (1, 168) = .53, p < .05, but manager job tenure was not found to have a significant effect on manager ratings. Subordinate company tenure also had a significant effect on manager ratings, F (5, 3973) = 5.95, p < .01. A post-hoc Scheffe's test indicated significant differences were shown between subordinates whose tenure was 6 months to 1 year and 1 to 3 years versus subordinates whose tenure was greater than 10 years, p < .05. The need for further research of factors that may influence upward feedback ratings was emphasized; limitations of the study were also discussed.


The Role Of Eeoc Factors In Determining Perceptions Of Hostile Work Environment Sexual Harassment, Libby Miller Dec 2000

The Role Of Eeoc Factors In Determining Perceptions Of Hostile Work Environment Sexual Harassment, Libby Miller

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Equal Employment Opportunity Guidelines on Sexual Harassment identify six factors that are relevant in determinations of sexual harassment. This study attempted to determine if three of these factors (i.e., frequency of harassment, number of victims and number of perpetrators) drive perceptions of what constitutes sexual harassment. Participants role-playing jurors on an hostile environment sexual harassment case demonstrated no differences in perceptions as a function of number of victims or number of perpetrators. The significant effect for frequency of harassment was not in the hypothesized direction, with less frequent harassment being perceived as more likely to constitute sexual harassment. The …


A Quest For Common Ground: Communication Factors Among Latino Patients, Medical Practitioners And Interpreters In The Daviess County, Kentucky Area, Sandra Merkel-Finley Dec 2000

A Quest For Common Ground: Communication Factors Among Latino Patients, Medical Practitioners And Interpreters In The Daviess County, Kentucky Area, Sandra Merkel-Finley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Statistical evaluation of the number of Hispanics in the United States in a given year varies. However, all data suggest that the Hispanic population will become the largest ethnic minority in the United States in the new millennium. This research illuminates for health care providers and interpreters cultural factors to consider in the delivery of patient-centered and efficacious care for the ethnic patient, specifically the Latino. The research project answered the question What culture-related factors impact effective communication between Mexican patients and American medical nurses in the Daviess County, Kentucky area? The project focused on the interpersonal aspects of culture …


Justice In Health Care Access Measuring Attitudes Of Health Care Professionals, Sandra Blanton Dec 2000

Justice In Health Care Access Measuring Attitudes Of Health Care Professionals, Sandra Blanton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

To measure attitudes toward justice in access to health care services in managed care plans in a convenience sample of medical professionals at Clark Memorial Hospital in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Methods. A sixteen item, self-administered instrument based on Morreim's four concepts of justice in health care access was administered to 147 health care professionals, representing physicians, allied health, and hospital administration. SPSS was used to analyze the results. Results. The attitudes of the respondents were negative toward managed care. They did not feel that managed care had been a positive development in the United States or that managed care had improved …


Attitudinal Outcomes Of Punishment Events In Team-Sporting Settings, Jason Tapp Nov 2000

Attitudinal Outcomes Of Punishment Events In Team-Sporting Settings, Jason Tapp

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The organizational justice perspective suggests that procedural and distributive justice evaluations of a specific punishment event will affect an individual's reactions to the punishment. A 3 (decision-making procedure: autocratic, participative, group) X 3 (punishment severity: low, moderate, high) factorial design was utilized to develop punishment scenarios in team-sport settings which were evaluated by 205 participants. Decision-making procedure and punishment severity both produced significant main effects on evaluations of the fairness of the procedure. Only punishment severity produced a significant main effect on perceptions of the fairness and appropriateness of the punishment, as well as on perceptions of the likelihood of …


Studies Of Sulfur Reduction Of Taurine And Taurine-Conjugated Bile Acids By Bile Acid 7Α-Dehydroxylating Bacteria, Jiang Qian Aug 2000

Studies Of Sulfur Reduction Of Taurine And Taurine-Conjugated Bile Acids By Bile Acid 7Α-Dehydroxylating Bacteria, Jiang Qian

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Bile acids are C24 steroids that are derived in the liver from cholesterol and secreted into the intestinal lumen to aid in emulsification of dietary lipids and lipid-soluble vitamins. The indigenous intestinal microflora modify bile acids, producing up to 20 unique bile acid metabolites. The 7α-dehydroxylation of the bile acids is the most physiologically important bile acid biotransformation. All known intestinal bacteria capable of bile acid 7α-dehydroxylation are anaerobic, gram-positive rods of the genera Clostridium and Eubcicterium. Bile acid 7α-dehydroxylating bacteria often contain bile salt hydrolase, which hydrolyzes the peptide bond in taurine-conjugated bile acids to yield a free bile …


The Controversial Career Of George Nicholas Sanders, Melinda Squires Aug 2000

The Controversial Career Of George Nicholas Sanders, Melinda Squires

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

George Nicholas Sanders' involvement in regional, national, and international affairs in the mid-nineteenth century significantly shaped the history and unique character of America, as perceived by both Americans and Europeans. Sanders influenced the course of national political events not by idealistic leadership but by active participation. No one has yet written a biography on George N. Sanders, even though he played a prominent role in the annexation of Texas, Young America, presidential elections, diplomatic affairs, and in the Confederacy. Historians often ignored or slighted him because he tended to wield his influence behind-the-scenes. Hence, Sanders' true significance was often masked …


Investigating Emotional Intelligence In Children: Exploring Its Relationship To Cognitive Intelligence, Margaret Allen Aug 2000

Investigating Emotional Intelligence In Children: Exploring Its Relationship To Cognitive Intelligence, Margaret Allen

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The phrase emotional intelligence was made popular in the mainstream culture by Daniel Goleman's book Emotional Intelligence. Goleman's book focuses mainly on aspects of emotional intelligence in adults, as does most of the literature that exists concerning emotional intelligence. The little empirical research that exists in the field of emotional intelligence has been conducted primarily with adults. With the advent of the BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version, it has become possible to measure this construct in children. In the current study, sixty children ages nine to twelve were administered the BarOn EQ-i:YV and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children …


High School Teachers' Perceptions Of School-Related Violence: Effects On Fear Of Victimization And Perceived Risk, Brandon Ungetheim Aug 2000

High School Teachers' Perceptions Of School-Related Violence: Effects On Fear Of Victimization And Perceived Risk, Brandon Ungetheim

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Using a sample of 204 high school teachers from nine different counties in Kentucky, this study examined the predictors of both teachers1 fear and perceived risk of victimization at school in an attempt to learn more about this adult population. The predictors that were analyzed on both fear and perceived risk of victimization are as follows: age, sex, school location (metropolitan/nonmetropolitan), victimization experience, indirect victimization experience, and perceived seriousness of school violence. Results indicate that, sex, school location, victimization experience, and perceived seriousness of school violence were all significant predictors of both teachers' fear and perceived risk of victimization. Females …


Trends In Fertility In Kentucky Counties: Social And Structural Components, Tara Beard Aug 2000

Trends In Fertility In Kentucky Counties: Social And Structural Components, Tara Beard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Stratification variables - such as educational attainment, income, poverty, race, women in the labor force, and metropolitan residence - as they relate to demographic change and response theory and economic analysis theory were examined. The theoretical perspectives were supported in the findings because the variables related to economic status highly correlated with fertility levels. This study used the United States Census Bureau and Kentucky Vital Statistics data to examine changes in fertility in Kentucky counties from 1970 to 1990 and to test whether fertility rates (GFR and children ever born) for the years 1970, 1980, and 1990 varied according to …


The Effects Of Corporate Culture On The Value Of Performance Appaisals, Connie Pearson Aug 2000

The Effects Of Corporate Culture On The Value Of Performance Appaisals, Connie Pearson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This research project attempts to provide information that will determine the effects of corporate culture on the value of performance appraisals in an organization. To provide analysis for this theory, the researcher utilized information found in prior written literature that examined results of performance appraisals and conducted interviews in various manufacturing organizations on results not yet published. In particular, the researcher examined the development and practice of performance appraisals at Logan Aluminum Inc. and used this team management greenfield site as a basis for looking at results from other organizations. Results of the study found strong evidence to support the …


A Comparison Of The Situational And Patterned Behavioral Description Interview In Predicting Job Performance, James Little Aug 2000

A Comparison Of The Situational And Patterned Behavioral Description Interview In Predicting Job Performance, James Little

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The preference for the use of employment interviews over other selection measures is evident in the wide usage, popularity and the vast amount of research on the utility and psychometric properties of interviews over the last 60 years. Although the vast majority of interview research has focused on the factors influencing the interviewer's rating and comparing unstructured to structured interviews formats, little in the way of comparing structured formats (i.e., the situational interview and patterned behavioral description interview) has been performed. This researcher addressed this specific concern in regard to soft-skills in a retail setting. After development of situational and …


Development Of Bismaleimide/Cyanate Ester Based Aerospace Polymers For Possible Use In Nasa's Relaunchable Vehicles Program, Brian Sisk Aug 2000

Development Of Bismaleimide/Cyanate Ester Based Aerospace Polymers For Possible Use In Nasa's Relaunchable Vehicles Program, Brian Sisk

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Since the beginning of the space age, the goal of materials development in the aerospace industry has been to replace metal alloys with much lighter polymer resins, while maintaining the strength over a wide temperature range characteristic of metals. Polymers such as polyimides and epoxies have been used to satisfy many needs, but strength, temperature resistance, and ease of processing are difficult to incorporate into a single polymer. Because of this gap, bismaleimides and cyanate esters, and possibly combinations of the two, are seen as having potential in applications where ease of processing characteristic of epoxies is desired, but for …


Study Of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons Emitted In The Fly Ash From Coal Combustion In A Fluidized Bed Combuster, Rebecca Heltsley Aug 2000

Study Of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons Emitted In The Fly Ash From Coal Combustion In A Fluidized Bed Combuster, Rebecca Heltsley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Exposure to Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) has long been identified as an environmental concern because of their carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a list of 16 PAHs that are found on the Priority Pollutant List due to the extensive amount of data suggesting the hazards of these compounds. These toxic compounds are often emitted into the atmosphere by anthropogenic sources, such as combustors. Therefore, analysis of these compounds must be conducted during coal combustion. Two 1000-hour coal combustion burns were performed using the 0.1 MWth bench-scale fluidized bed combustor (FBC), which is found in the …


Improving Oral Reading Performance: A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Two Reading Interventions, Allison Morris Aug 2000

Improving Oral Reading Performance: A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Two Reading Interventions, Allison Morris

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Reading can be considered as the most fundamental skill learned in a person's life. It lays the foundation for later success in academics, vocational pursuits, and life. Because of reading's importance in everyday life, the search for effective reading interventions for those experiencing reading difficulties is continual. A single-subjects design was used to examine the overall effect of two reading interventions, listening previewing and folding-in, on oral reading performance. Nine regular education third-grade students served as subjects in the present study. Results indicated that neither the listening previewing procedure nor the folding-in technique were particularly successful at improving oral reading …


Claybrook V. Owensboro: Equality, Integration, And Struggle, Lori Coghill Aug 2000

Claybrook V. Owensboro: Equality, Integration, And Struggle, Lori Coghill

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In 1883 the case of Claybrook v. Owensboro was one of the first challenges to equal educational funding under the Fourteenth Amendment. The definition of the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause was vague and left blacks with little guidance about their new found constitutional rights. By analyzing the case along with legal, educational, and local racial attitudes toward blacks at the time, historians and educators can better understand the evolution of the Fourteenth Amendment in state and local issues. The case record from Federal Reports as well as the case file from the law final record book at the National …


The Perception Of Ordinal Depth Relationship From Static And Deforming Boundary Contours, Shane Raines Aug 2000

The Perception Of Ordinal Depth Relationship From Static And Deforming Boundary Contours, Shane Raines

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Previous investigations of the perception of 3-D shape from deforming boundary contours have focused on judgments of global shape (Cortese & Anderson, 1991), judgments of rigid vs. nonrigid motion (Norman & Todd, 1994), and object recognition (Norman, Dawson, & Raines, 2000). Raines and Norman (1999) provided the first study demonstrating that deforming boundary contours could support the accurate perception of local 3-D surface structure. The present set of experiments extend the Raines and Norman study by further investigating whether the distance from the boundary contour or the amount of overall boundary deformation affect the human ability to make local judgments …


A Survey Of Minority Students Who Use Retention Program Services At A Predominantly White Institution, Jamalya Luney Aug 2000

A Survey Of Minority Students Who Use Retention Program Services At A Predominantly White Institution, Jamalya Luney

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This researcher seeks to examine the characteristics of those minority students, at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI), who frequently use retention program services versus those who do not frequently use retention program services. Frequent use of retention program was considered to be every other week or more. Infrequent user of retention program was considered once a month or less often. Data analysis revealed many similarities between the groups relating to grade point average (GPA), marital status, and housing status. Despite the similarities between the groups, there were some differences, although not significant. The mean age of the frequent users was …


Morphological, Molecular, And Biogeographical Variation Within The Imperiled Virginia Spiraea, Constance Anders Aug 2000

Morphological, Molecular, And Biogeographical Variation Within The Imperiled Virginia Spiraea, Constance Anders

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Spiraea virginiana Britton is a rare federally listed rhizomatous shrub endemic to the southern Blue Ridge and Appalachian Plateau physiographic provinces. Populations of S. virginiana are found restricted to scoured sections of high gradient streams within the Ohio River drainage. Present evidence indicates the species is reproducing asexually, most probably through the deposition of rhizomes from upstream populations forming new downstream ramets. Phenotypic variation was examined through a morphometric evaluation of 25 leaf measurements and analyzed using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and discriminant function analysis. Identity and structure at the molecular level as examined with Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPDs) …


The Upward Pygmalion Effect In The Organization, Lei Wang Jul 2000

The Upward Pygmalion Effect In The Organization, Lei Wang

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examined the upward Pygmalion effect from the subordinate to the supervisor. One hundred and sixty-one undergraduate participants assumed the role of a supervisor and were randomly assigned to one of nine experimental conditions representing different levels of expectations and performance feedback. Participants then completed questionnaires designed to measure self-efficacy and the performance effort level of the supervisor. The result of the study failed to support the hypotheses that positive subordinate expectations would improve supervisors' self-efficacy level and that negative subordinate expectations would have little impact on supervisors' self-efficacy level, but succeeded in supporting the hypothesis that supervisors' performance …


Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation, And Behavior In Majority And Minority Groups, Suzanne Hillin Jul 2000

Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation, And Behavior In Majority And Minority Groups, Suzanne Hillin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The influence of authoritarianism, social dominance, and ingroup identification on ingroup favoritism and outgroup discrimination in a minimal group paradigm were investigated in this study. Possible effects of majority and minority group size interactions with these constructs were also examined. It has been previously shown that right-wing authoritarianism (Altemeyer, 1981) and social dominance orientation (Pratto, Sidanius, Stallworth, & Malle, 1994) influence ingroup favoritism and outgroup discrimination in Tajfel's (1978) minimal group paradigm (McFarland & Ageyev, 1992; Perrault & Bourhis, 1999; Sidanius, Pratto, & Mitchell, 1994). Majority and minority group status also influence behavior in minimal groups (Gerard & Hoyt, 1974; …


Are The Cognitive Processes Underlying Practical Intelligence Redundant With Those Underlying Traditional Intelligence, Shari Rauscher May 2000

Are The Cognitive Processes Underlying Practical Intelligence Redundant With Those Underlying Traditional Intelligence, Shari Rauscher

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

none


Impact Of Employee Performance And Job Status On Perceptions Of Sexual Harassment, Charla Arnold May 2000

Impact Of Employee Performance And Job Status On Perceptions Of Sexual Harassment, Charla Arnold

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Once unnoticed and unreported, sexual harassment claims have risen dramatically within the last two decades. Although guidelines published by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1980 provided a definition of sexual harassment, researchers continue to examine variables affecting individual perceptions of sexual harassment. Contextual factors impacting the labeling of sexual harassment include the type and severity of the harassment, the ambiguity of the sexually harassing behaviors, and gender differences in perceptions of sexual harassment. The present researcher examined the impact of employee performance and employment status on perceptions of sexual harassment. Results indicated that female participants were more likely than …


Gene Inhibition Using Genetic Suppressor Elements In Escherichia Coli Jm109de3 Cells, Ronald Chuke May 2000

Gene Inhibition Using Genetic Suppressor Elements In Escherichia Coli Jm109de3 Cells, Ronald Chuke

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Genetic suppressor elements (GSEs) are short biologically active gene fragments that encode inhibitory antisense RNAs or truncated proteins that function as negative dominants. GSEs can be constructed from a single gene or isolated from a multigene library consisting of short random fragments of the target gene or genes. The goal of this study was to determine if gene inhibition in bacterial cells could be achieved by isolating GSEs from a genomic library. Additionally, if it was possible to use GSEs to inhibit gene function in E. coli JM109DE3 cells, could this method be used to locate and determine the function …


Place, Disease And Mortality: Trimble County, Kentucky 1849-1894, Nancy Demaree May 2000

Place, Disease And Mortality: Trimble County, Kentucky 1849-1894, Nancy Demaree

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This researcher describes the characteristics of place...physical, cultural and human...of a small Kentucky county and looks at the incidence of disease and dying that occurred in that place in the last half of the nineteenth century. The impact of death on particular subsets of the general population was given a closer evaluation. Very young, females and the slave/Black communities were investigated individually. The overall site and situation of all aspects of Trimble County, Kentucky were viewed in an effort to support the notion that it is the manner in which man interacts with this environment that causes disease and death …


Density And Age Distributions Of Trees In Upland And Lowland Oldfields 60 Years After Abandonment: The Role Of Dispersal, Virginia Mcdaniel May 2000

Density And Age Distributions Of Trees In Upland And Lowland Oldfields 60 Years After Abandonment: The Role Of Dispersal, Virginia Mcdaniel

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

I attempted to determine whether the patterns of seedling establishment described in the literature for forests and recently abandoned oldfields are maintained in fields sixty years after abandonment. To determine this distribution pattern, as well as to compare patterns of age and density distribution in upland and lowland oldfields, I conducted research at Mammoth Cave National Park. I studied three species, the seeds of which are dispersed by three different modes: Juniperus virginiana, a predominantly bird-dispersed species; Acer rubrum, a predominantly winddispersed species; and Fagus grandifolia, a predominantly mammal-dispersed species. The establishment patterns observed by others in recently abandoned oldfields …


The Effects Of Interviewer Self-Monitoring On Male Appearance Discrimination In Employment Decisions, Charles Mcdowell May 2000

The Effects Of Interviewer Self-Monitoring On Male Appearance Discrimination In Employment Decisions, Charles Mcdowell

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This research examined the effects of appearance discrimination toward men as regards employment decisions and the extent to which the degree of interviewer selfmonitoring influences these decisions. Past research has indicated that discrimination does indeed occur for women, but no empirical research has been conducted on male discrimination in which hair length has been manipulated. Specifically, length of hair (shoulder length, approximately 1 inch, and balding) was manipulated for potential job applicants. These conditions were examined across different types of jobs (traditionally conservative, neutral, and traditionally liberal). Several hypotheses are offered, with most focused on the concept that those scoring …