Digital Commons Network^™

A Survey Of Computer Use In Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Sites, Martha E. Parks

Masters Theses

Eighty-three Western Michigan University occupational therapy fieldwork sites were surveyed to determine: (a) extent of computer use, (b) diagnostic categories with which computers are used, (c) extent of computer knowledge of registered occupational therapists (OTRs), and (d) adequacy of computer knowledge of fieldwork students. Forty-seven (56.6%) of the 83 surveys were returned. OTRs at 36 (76.6%) of the 47 sites currently use computers. Word processing is the most common way in which these OTRs use computers. The most common clinical use of computers is perceptual/motor assessment and treatment, while the most common research use of computers is for report writing. …

Single And Double Ionization Of Helium By Highly Charged Sulfur Ions, Karen M. Lifrieri

Masters Theses

Single and double ionization of helium by highly charged sulfur projectiles is investigated over an energy range of 0.16 to 1.6 MeV/u. Absolute cross sections for the processes of pure ionization, ionization associated with single capture, and ionization associated with single loss by S^6,13+ projectiles were experimentally determined and compared with previous results and theories. Ratios of double-tosingle ionization for each outgoing projectile charge state were also determined and compared with theory. The pure ionization ratios for S⁶⁺ at the highest energies investigated show the q²/E dependence predicted by Knudsen et al. (1984). For S^{13+ …}

The Application Of A Statistical Trend Analysis Program To Ground-Water Quality Monitoring Data From Eight Western Michigan Solid Waste Landfills, Amy Decosta Lachance

Masters Theses

A statistical analysis and interpretation of ground-water chemistry data from eight landfills in Western Michigan was performed. Data were collected over approximately the past ten years, pursuant to the requirements of Michigan's Solid Waste Management Act. A statistical regression model was used to reduce the data to identifiable trends and estimated magnitudes. These results were analyzed with respect to each landfill's characteristics and hydrogeological setting. Comparisons were made concerning the landfills' relative potential for environmental harm. Also, the effectiveness and applicability of this model to the analysis of ground-water monitoring data was assessed.

It was concluded that this analysis and …

Environmental Factors Influencing Prehistoric Site Selection Along The Portage River, A Tributary Of The St. Joseph River, Southwest Michigan, Timothy D. Knapp

Masters Theses

This study examines the environmental factors influencing the location of prehistoric sites within the Portage River drainage. Over 100 sites recorded during four seasons of archaeological survey are examined applying the following environmental variables: type of glacial deposit, glacial landform, soil, distance to the nearest source of water, distance to the nearest ponded water, and vegetation zones occurring within 100, 500, and 1000 meters. Site locations are then statistically compared with the location of 100 randomly generated loci within the study area.

The findings of this research indicate that sites are non-randomly located with respect to certain environmental variables. Sites …

Preventive Dental Care- Instruction And Contingency Management In The Acquisition And Maintenance Of Oral Hygiene Skills, Sandra K. Kallstrom

Masters Theses

Inadequate oral hygiene is one of the largest problems facing the dental profession to date. It is estimated that 98% of individuals suffer from dental problems associated with neglect. The objective of this study was to develop effective techniques which aided in the acquisition and maintenance of oral hygiene skills. This study compared the effects of instruction and demonstration with contingency management on plaque percentage scores. A between-subjects design was used with one control and three experimental groups. The results indicated that, oral hygiene instruction and demonstration appear to be ineffective in reducing plaque scores. Significant plaque reductions where found …

Hands-On Versus Verbal Occupation: Effects On Free Recall In Brain-Injured Adults, Aaron M. Eakman

Masters Theses

This study compared the effects of hands-on occupation versus verbal occupation in terms of free recall performance in brain-injured adults. Thirty males who had sustained a closed head injury with Rancho Los Amigos (Malkmus & Stenderup, 1974) cognitive levels of either VI, VII, or VIII were selected from nine midwestern brain injury rehabilitation facilities and randomly assigned to either the hands-on or verbal condition. After all subjects received preliminary verbal instructions for a food preparation occupation, verbal subjects again received the verbal information while the hands-on subjects prepared the food item. Subjects were then asked to recall the occupation's steps …

Fountain Solution Ph And Conductivity Changes Caused By Paper Extractables During Offset Printing, Douglas E. Cox

Masters Theses

Economical and environmental issues are causing papermakers to change from the traditional acid papermaking process to neutral and alkaline papermaking processes. Also, offset printers are changing from traditional acid type fountain solutions, with or without alcohol, to: (a) neutral, (b) alkaline, and (c) acid with alcohol substitute type fountain solutions. The interaction between these new papermaking variables and fountain solutions and their effect on printability needs to be investigated.

The pH, conductivity, and contact angle changes of five different offset printing fountain solutions were monitored during offset printing press trials on acid, neutral and alkaline basestocks.

The results indicate that …

Optimization Of Sodium Carbonate-Sodium Hydroxide Pulping Of Wheat Straw For Corrugating Medium Production, Irmak Yayin

Masters Theses

This study's primary objective was to present sodium carbonate pulping as an alternative to soda or lime pulping of wheat straw for corrugating medium production. If sodium carbonate pulping is comparable with soda pulping in terms of strength properties, it could be the preference of choice because the recovery of sodium carbonate is simpler requiring less capital investment. The two strength properties that were optimized with respect to total chemical charge, cooking time, and sodium hydroxide fraction in the cooking liquor were Concora crush resistance and STFI compressive strength. These are the two most important strength properties for the end …

Graph Theory Based Routing Algorithms, Bo Wu

Masters Theses

In this thesis, we study two VLSI layout problems.

We investigate the Minimum-Bend Single Row Routing Problem in which the objective function is to minimize the number of doglegs (or blends) per net. Our approach uses a graph theoretic representation in which an instance of the Single Row Routing Problem is represented by three graphs, an overlap graph, a containment graph and an interval graph. Using this graph representation, we develop three algorithms for minimum-bend single row routing problem.

We present a three-layer over-the-cell router (ICR-3) for the standard cell design style based on a new cell model which assumes …

Hydrogeologic Characterization Of A Multi-Aquifer System At Station 11 In Kalamazoo, Michigan, Linda G. Jones

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the hydraulic connection between the upper and lower confined glacial drift aquifers. The results of this study are based primarily upon the geologic profiles, a comparison of the head differences within each aquifer, potentiometric surfaces and different lag times for precipitation to reach each aquifer.

Results of the aquifer test showed that the upper confining layer pinches out in the western part of the well field. This area also provided significant recharge to the well field during the aquifer test. Data collected during the aquifer test and the increases in water levels …

A Comparative Study Of High And Low Achieving Inner-City African-American Sophomore Males’ Expectations Of Self, In-School And Out-Of-School Support, John L. Jackson Sr.

Dissertations

Academic and personal successes and failures of young inner-city African- American males are invariably linked to the dynamics of family life, societal acceptance, economic and political opportunities and participation, and cultural expressions and peculiarities. Additionally, there may be other important factors, such as personal meanings, present and projected insecurities, differing values, hopes, and so forth, which may be highly contributive to determining the extent to which these youngsters perceive their chances of succeeding in the larger society. The implication here is that academic and other life successes are not only depended on individual responsibility and commitment, but also the supportive …

The Psychological Typologies And Leadership Behaviors Of First-Line Supervisors In A Large Automotive Company, James Joseph Conlen

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological typologies and leadership behaviors related to participative management of first-line supervisors in a plant of a large automotive company. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI, Myers & McCaulley, 1985) was used as a measure of psychological typologies. The Group Environment Scale (GES, Moos, 1974) was used as a measure of leadership behaviors. The population was 113 first-line supervisors; complete data were obtained for 76 supervisors (67%).

Hypotheses were formulated upon the expectation that GES mean scores would differ depending upon MBTI personality type. Twelve directional hypotheses were investigated using four MBTI …

Practices In Results-Oriented Hrd: Levels Of Support And Agreement Between Hrd And Upper-Level Managers, Abdulmohsin Al-Luheid

Dissertations

The study surveys the acceptance of, and support for, results-oriented training activities by upper-level managers and HRD managers in representative companies in Southwest Michigan. The study also examined the agreement between the perceptions of upper-level managers (ULM) and HRD managers (HRDM) concerning results-oriented HRD activities.

The study produced a profile of the support for and/or the acceptance of those activities in the selected organizations. This profile includes both the most-recommended and the least-recommended practices as reported by upper-level and HRD managers. Additional analysis looked at levels of support for the activities across, within and among the four types of organizations …

Teacher Induction: An Investigation Of Factors That Affect First-Year Teachers' Attitudes Toward Their Jobs, John G. Longcore

Dissertations

This study compared specific induction-year support variables that might affect the attitudes that first-year teachers have about their jobs. Forty-eight first-year teachers from randomly selected school districts in western Michigan participated by completing the Teacher Attitude Inventory (TAI) as a pretest-posttest measure. Each participant also submitted a professional activity checklist which determined the level of support they experienced. All subjects were then divided into a high, medium, and low support group to locate any differences in attitude among the groups. No differences in attitude toward their job among the groups was found.

Using Computerized Cinematography To Develop A Predictive Model Relating Muscle Stress And Wrist Movement, Joseph M. Kaczmar

Honors Theses

Workers in many jobs are required to perform the same tasks day after day. As a result of this repetitious work, many employees are developing what is know as Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD). There has been much research done on ways to prevent these disorders. Cumulative Trauma Disorders involving the wrist are of special concern. Repetitive motions and awkward positions of the wrist are a major cause of CTD's in the wrist. One such factor dealing with the posture is the angle between the hand and the forearm. In order to help limit the affects of CTD's of the wrist, …

Job Aids, Feedback, And The Teaching Of Verbal-Reasoning, Angela Williams Campbell

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to test the effects of a job aid and feedback on learning to solve directional verbal-reasoning problems, and (2) to examine whether students’ skills transferred to similar problems following the removal of both the job aid and feedback. Some previous researchers who studied problem solving utilized the think-aloud technique and used solutions generated by expert problem solvers. The think-aloud technique, although perhaps a good one, is not practical in the classroom. In the main study, a job aid was incorporated within the problem so students would be able to use guidance toward …

Interpersonal Issues Of Dependency In Adult Children From Dysfunctional Relationships, Dennis Michael Beaufait

Dissertations

This study was designed to examine issues of interpersonal behavior among adult children of alcoholics when compared to adult children of non-alcoholics by assessing the functioning level of family of origin relationships. Undergraduate students from a midwestern university were divided into four groups based on their scores on the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST) by Jones (1981) and the Index of Family Relations (IFR) by Hudson (1982). The sample consisted of 302 subjects between the ages of 18 and 50 who volunteered to participate in a study which examined interpersonal behavior as measured by the Interpersonal Dependency Inventory (IDI). …

A Comparison Of Blood Volume Pulse And False Biofeedback In The Treatment Of Migraine, Paul Greilick

Dissertations

The efficacy of temporal artery blood volume pulse (BVP) biofeedback in the treatment of migraine was investigated. After four pre-treatment baseline psycho-physiological monitoring sessions, 8 migrainuers were randomly assigned to undergo 12 sessions of either BVP biofeedback or a placebo procedure (false feedback). Both treatments resulted in clinically significant and statistically equivalent reductions in headache activity and medication intake. Subjects exhibited substantial within-session decreases in BVP amplitude during pre-treatment baseline sessions and during false feedback, and the introduction of BVP biofeedback failed to increase the magnitude or the rate of BVP amplitude reductions. All subjects failed to show evidence of …

Exploring The Self-In-Relation Theory: Women's Idealized Relationships-Of-Choice And Psychological Health, K. Heidi Fishman

Dissertations

The self-in-relation theory (e.g., Kaplan, 1984; Kaplan 6 Klein, 1985; Miller, 1984, 1986, 1988; Surrey, 1985, 198?) asserts that women's development is based on relationships. According to the Stone Center theorists (Kaplan, 1984; Miller, 1988; Stiver, 1986-1989, 1986- 1990; Surrey, 1984), psychopathology in women can stem out of non-growth-fostering relationships which leave women feeling a profound sense of disconnection and loss. Similarly, psychological health develops out of growth fostering relationships. This study investigates the connections between women's relational experiences, their idealized relationships-of-choice, the health of their families-of-origin, and current psychological health.

Thirty-eight women were interviewed and given psychological measurements in …

Spatial Visualization And Leadership In Teaching Multiview Orthographic Projection: An Alternative To The Glass Box, Mark A. Curtis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of using one instructional method versus another in teaching multi view orthographic projection to college students possessing varied spatial visualization abilities. Two instructional methods were used: (1) the traditional hinged glass box method and (2) an unconventional method in which an object is placed in the middle of a bowl/ hemispheric shape where the front view of the object is seen by looking directly into the bowl. Other views are developed by sliding the object along the surface of the bowl until they are at right angle to the viewer's …

A Comparison Of Four Methods To Teach Complex Verbal Concepts Using A Computer-Assisted Instruction Program, John Byron Connors

Dissertations

This study compared four instructional programs which taught terminology in behavioral psychology using computer-assisted instruction (CAD with college students. The independent variable was the type of instruction presented by one of four CAI programs: (a) Rules Only, (b) Rules Plus Positive Examples, (c) Rules Plus Negative Examples, and (d) Rules Plus Positive and Negative Examples. The dependent variables were the: (a) pretest scores, (b) posttest scores, (c) 1-week delayed posttest scores, and (d) preference questionnaire scores. Using the pretest as a covariate, results approached significance (p=.07) on posttest scores only for the Rules Only and Rules Plus Positive Examples over …

Appeal And Vulnerability Patterns In Girl Victims Of Incest, Ruth Mausert-Mooney

Dissertations

This study compared certain personal characteristics and behaviors of sexually abused girls with those of matched controls. Experimental subjects were 49 girls, aged 6 to 16 years, who had been sexually abused by an older male family member. Fifty girls who had not experienced sexual abuse served as the comparison group, matched on the basis of age, race and socioeconomic status.

Demographic and psychological measures were completed by each research participant and her mother. Videotapes were made of an initial session in which each child met an unknown male tester.

This study hypothesized and affirmed that sexually abused girls appeared …

A Progressive Disease Model For Doubly-Censred Bivariate Survival Data That Accommodates Covariate Information, Hilmi F. Yahya

Dissertations

A model for the natural history of a progressive disease is developed. The model has three disease states and can be expressed as the joint distribution of two survival random variables.

Covariate information is incorporated into the model using the proportional hazards model for the marginal distributions. The model will also accommodate data with observations which are censored on one or both of the survival random variables.

The likelihood function for censored data is exhibited for finding the maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters and their standard errors for testing the effects of the covariates. The method used to obtain …

The Relationship Between Cooperative Education And Other Criteria In Attractiveness For Hiring, Carl B. Wagner

Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of employers who belong to the Midwest College Placement Association and actively recruit graduates from Midwestern colleges and universities. Their attitudes on hiring criteria and kinds of work experience which influence the decision to hire were surveyed using an equal-appearing interval scale. The data collected were disaggregated according to the academic majors of the graduates hired using a chi-square analysis and t tests. The validity of the instrument developed by a team of experts was tested with a pilot survey to determine mean and modal scores of each item to establish which items should be …

The Impact Of A Stress Management Training Program On Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia, Robert J. Sheppard

Dissertations

Fibromyalgia is a noninflammatory rheumatic disorder characterized by musculoskeletal pain, nonrestorative sleep, and mood disturbance. Emotional stress is frequently reported as a factor that exacerbates symptoms. This study was designed to assess the impact of stress management training on perceived stress and fibromyalgia symptoms. Four female subjects with fibromyalgia participated on an individual basis in a 10 week stress management training program, which was administered in the fixed sequence of training in self-monitoring, relaxation, cognitive behavioral skills, and assertion. The effects of the training on self-report measures of perceived stress, pain, functional disability, sleep disruption, daytime fatigue, and depression were …

Correlating Bod And Cod In Paper Mill Effluent Streams, Lloyd M. Tuskan

Paper Engineering Senior Theses

Biochemical oxygen demand (BODs) is a five-day test. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is a two-hour test. Both measure the oxygen demand exhibited by organics in a wastewater sample.

It was proposed that if a significant correlation exists between BODs and COD, the faster and simpler COD test could be substituted for the more commonly used BODs test. Three effluent streams were chosen to test: a pulp mill stream, a paper mill stream, and a combined effluent stream. The correlation that existed between BODs and COD in the combined effluent and paper mill streams were 0.90 and 0.92 respectively. A correlation …

Particle Size And Velocity Measurements In Two Phase Flows Using Laser Doppler Velocimetry, Joseph Parker

Honors Theses

Laser Doppler Velocimetry is used in fluid mechanics to measure the velocity of particles in fluid flows. A small particle exhibits motion closely corresponding to the fluid behavior because of its ability to follow high frequency flow fluctuations. Large particles do not follow the flow field precisely but represent a second phase. This project used LDV to measure the size and velocity of particles in two phase flows by computer analysis of the Doppler signal.