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The Western Kentucky University Horticultural Gardens: A Design & Implementation Plan, Catharine Schriver

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this thesis was to design a master landscape plan rnd serve as a preliminary planning tool for the development of Horticulture Gardens at Western Kentucky University. The planning process involved the development of a mission statement and goals for the gardens, analysis of the site, and design of a landscape plan for the proposed six acre Horticultural Gardens located at the WKU farm. Other areas related to the Garden's development explored in the thesis include: an outline of course learning objectives that could be achieved through learning activities conducted at the Horticultural Gardens, an examination of ways …

Effects Of Employment-At-Will Policies On Corporate Image, Job Pursuit Intentions, & Union Membership Intentions, Susan Walker

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Since 1884, the courts have embraced and applied the doctrine of employment-at-will which states that employers may terminate their employees, with or without cause or notice, at any time. Recently, the courts have recognized exceptions to this doctrine. In order to avoid these exceptions, lawyers and human resource specialists have suggested that employment materials should explicitly state that all employment is at-will. However, while stating an employment-at-will policy may protect employers' rights to terminate at-will, little is known about the consequences of adopting these measures with respect to applicant and employee attitudes.

The concept of employment-at-will is explored and research …

Radon Contamination Of Residences In A City Built Upon A Karst Landscape Bowling Green, Warren County, Kentucky, James William Webster

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 8 to 12% of U.S. homes have radon concentrations that equal or exceed 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/l). A statewide screening of Kentucky by EPA resulted in an average residential radon concentration of 2.8 pCi/l with 17% of the homes at or above 4 pCi/l. EPA requires routine monitoring and maintenance or worker health records in mines and caves having radon daughter concentrations at or above 0.30 working levels (WL).

Bowling Green is a city located in a karst region of south central Kentucky. Residents of Bowling Green have been subjected …

The Southern Misfit And The Dream Of Escape In The Fiction Of Carson Mccullers And Flannery O’Connor, Tammy Oberhausen

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The misfit and the dream of escape are popular motifs in American literature, particularly in the literature of the South. Critical studies of works employing these themes have largely ignored the connection between the two. The Southern misfit – the Southerner who fails to or refuses to conform to his society’s strict standards – often dreams of escaping the restrictions of the South for some Northern “promised land.” In the works of two Georgia writers, Carson McCullers and Flannery O’Connor, the related themes receive different treatments. Carson McCullers’s misfits in the novels The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and The …

Effects Of Three Organizational Policies On Individuals’ Attitudes About Drug Testing, Alan Walker

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The consensus of recent literature appears to be that drug testing is both legal and valid. However, a testing program can meet legal and technical criteria and still fail to meet organizational objectives because one vital component has been left out – employees’ attitudes. The present study uses data from 148 college juniors and seniors to assess the effects of three hypothetical drug testing policies: (a) consequences of detected drug use (termination vs. rehabilitation), (b) timing of the program (expected interval vs. random interval vs. reasonable cause), and (c) business purpose (weak vs. strong) on attitudes toward drug testing. It …

A Survey Of The Utilization Of The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Guidelines For Playgrounds In Tennessee, Michael Alsup

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's A Handbook For Public Playground Safety was published in 1981 in response to a petition to develop a mandatory set of safety standards. The National Recreation and Park Association and the National Bureau of Standards were selected to work on the project. As the study developed, the Commission realized that a set of standards was needed instead of mandatory requirements.

Because there has not been any improvement in injury statistics nation-wide to date, the purpose of this study was to determine the degree of utilization of the guidelines in Tennessee. This was seen as …

An Estimation Of Human Capital Loss Resulting From Subversive Deaths Due To The Northern Ireland Conflict, Brian Armour

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Conflict entails numerous sacrifices in human resources in addition to loss of life, while it is difficult to appraise the real cost of conflict, one can determine the number of fatalities. It is the primary goal of this thesis to develop an accounting technique by which the human capital cost of fatalities due to the Northern Ireland Conflict may be measured in an accepted unit of account. While the development of a model for measuring human capital loss is in itself an important part of the study, the ultimate objective is to arrive at an estimate of the human capital …

All Points Distant, Scott Earle

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Fictional story written by Scott Earle.

Part I: Oxidation Of Heavy Metal Sulfides In Relation To The Environment; Part Ii: Fundamental Theory & Experiments Concerning Gas Chromatography & Mass Spectrometry, Judith Morgan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Oxidation of heavy metal sulfides is a thermodynamically spontaneous process. Because of this, metal sulfides in the presence of oxygen are not stable. Currently there are over 100 streams and rivers, within the U.S., contaminated with heavy metal mine drainage; therefore an approved method of restoration is necessary. Precipitation of heavy metals as sulfides using H₂S as a reductant has been favorably reviewed as a restorative technique to clean up mining areas. However, using this technique on the laboratory scale does not prove to be a viable answer and shows strong pH dependence.

In the past three years …

Processes And Perceptions Of Remaining Current, Diane Paul

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This research examined the problem of professional obsolescence and mechanisms available to employees to avoid becoming obsolete. Current literature is reviewed on obsolescence and on remaining current in the nursing profession. Specific areas addressed are indicators of obsolescence and an examination of what happens to skills and abilities when an individual moves from a technical field into its administration. Participants in the research include registered nurses at three hospitals. The research is composed of two phases: an interview phase and a survey phase. Qualitative and quantitative analysis reveal categories of concerns about remaining current. The special concerns an obsolescence of …

Testing The Existence Of Reputational Capital Among Major League Baseball Teams, Stuart Towne

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate the existence of reputational capital among Major League Baseball teams.

Previous studies have shown that there is a strong relationship between past performance and current attendance at professional baseball games. Using reputational capital as an explanation, this paper provides a general discussion of this relationship.

The discussion of reputational capital is followed by an empirical analysis which includes several model specifications designed to show the effects of past performance on current attendance. One series of models uses cross-sectional data to measure the effects in general across the league and another series of …

The Effects Of Television Newscaster Style On Short-Term Viewer Retention, Eric Harlan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Samples of several populations, made up of both traditional and non-traditional students attending the University of Tennessee at Martin were shown different "newscasts," each newscast depicting a different style of news presentation. One style was the "Formal" newscast, and the other was the "Informal" style.

The Formal style is characterized by direct eye-camera contact by the newscaster, a direct style of presentation, and no interaction between newscasters. The Informal style is characterized by interaction between newscasters, a more Informal presentation of the facts, and a relaxed atmosphere as the newscast progresses. The study attempted to find whether either style increased …

Evaluation Of Imazaquin, Imazethapyr & Postemergence Herbicide Combinations For Control Of Johnsongrass (Sorghum Halepense) In Soybeans (Glycine Max), Terry Mashburn

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) competition in soybeans (Glycine max) has adverse effects on soybean yields. Profitable soybean production in Kentucky and the Southeastern United States has depended upon good, cost effective johnsongrass control. Several herbicides have been developed to control johnsongrass in soybeans. Four of these recently developed compounds were imazaquin (2-[4,5-dihydro-4-methy1-4- (1-methyl-ethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imidazo1-2-y1]-3-quino1inecarboxy1ic acid), imazethapyr (+/-)-2-C4,5-dihydro-4-methy1-4-(1-methy. lethyl)-5-oxo-IH-imidazol-2-y1)-5-ethy1-3-pyridinecarboxylic acid, quizalofop 2-[4-[(6-chloro-2-quinoxalinyl) oxylphenoxyjpropaonic acid,ethyl ester, and analog of quizalofop (DPX Y6202-31).

Field experiments were conducted in 1986 to evaluate (a) the effectiveness of imazaquin and imazethapyr preplant incorporated, postemergence, or in combination with pendimethalin [N-(1-ethylpropy1)-3,4-dimethy1-2.6-dinitrobenzenamine], and (b) herbicide antagonism with fluazifop[butyl(R)-2-(4-[(5- trifluoromethy 1 …

Reductive Chemistry Of Dicyanoalkane Reactive Intermediates, Beshakeh Fonkeng

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Radical ions are reactive intermediates that are both radicals and ions (either a radical cation or a radical anion). The intrinsic properties of radical ions are not yet well -characterized. Such knowledge is mechanistically important to the organic chemist.

The specific question that motivates this research is as follows: is it possible to controllably express free radical processes in a radical ion independent of ionic chemistry (and vice versa) and, if so, what factors dictate which type of chemistry is expressed?

Our investigation focused on the chemistry of radical anions of dicyanoalkanes that are formed upon metal reduction. Factors influencing …

Public Relations: Its Importance In The Public School System, Lawrence Crittenden Hunter

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Literature was reviewed to determine the importance of a public relations program in the public school system. Information was retrieved from various published sources, including materials from the National School Public Relations Association, professional journals, books relating to public relations and a variety of other educational reports.

An analysis of the literature reveals the following components of a successful public relations program:

1. A plan of action benefits the public relations program.
2. Staff participants benefit the public relations program.
3. Parent involvement is an important aspect of the public relations program.
4. Community involvement is essential to a successful public relations program

Factors Affecting Wood Fuel Consumption And Environmental Impacts In Warren County, Kentucky, Barry Vann

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this research is to identify factors that contribute to wood fuel consumption as a space heating source and estimate a county-wide proportion for wood fuel consuming households. In addition, environmental problems associated with deforestation such as erosion and loss of wildlife habitat are delineated; moreover, air pollution resulting from wood fuel emissions are discussed.

An exhaustive literature review provided the basis for the study. Data on Warren County wood fuel consumption patterns were derived from a mail survey. Proportion estimates were tested by using a classical two-tail test of hypothesis. Subsequently, factors were identified and used in …

German Foreign Policy & Diplomacy 1890-1906, Lee Button

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

From 1871 to 1914, Germany experienced its first taste of world power and the failure of controlling and retaining that power. German power after 1871 had sought only a dominance of continental politics and a maintenance of a status quo in Europe favorable to Germany. Following 1890, however, the German course deviated to include a vision of world power. German foreign policy until 1890 was based on two things: hegemonic control of the heart of Europe and the force of will of one man, Otto von Bismarck. Yet despite relative control of the European situation and a cautious and able …

Major General Sterling Price's 1864 Missouri Expedition, Scott Sallee

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Early in the Civil War, the Union Army drove pro-southern Missouri leaders and their followers into Arkansas, and the state fell under Federal occupation. However, many people of southern sympathies remained in Missouri, and between 1862 and 1864 Confederate forces launched four large scale cavalry raids into the state from their Arkansas bases. Major General Sterling Price, C. S. A., led the fourth and largest of these raids, September through November, 1864.

An ex-Governor of Missouri, Sterling Price was the truly representative figurehead of the state's Confederate element. Throughout the war, he constantly believed that an oppressed, hidden majority of …

Site-Based Management, Knowledge Base Of Kentucky Superintendents, Alan Reed

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Recent educational literature has stressed the benefits of site-based management as a valuable tool in school reorganization. Following a recent ruling of the state Supreme Court and legislative mandate for implementation of site-based management, a survey was designed for the purpose of ascertaining the knowledge base among superintendents of the Commonwealth of Kentucky on the topic “site-based management” The data revealed that while there was considerable interest in site-based management among superintendents, there was also considerable confusion on the topic. Superintendents were largely unaware of a rather large body of research which clearly demonstrated the merits of participatory management in …

The Effects Of Within-Row Spacings & Cultivars On The Yield Of Bush Snap Beans (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.), Timothy Hafner

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The effects of within-row spacings and cultivars on the yield of bush snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were studied in two experiments. In each experiment, two cultivars and four within-row spacings (8, 15, 23 and 30 cm) were arranged in a split-plot with four replications. Spacing treatments were the whole plots and cultivars were the split plots. In 1988, the two cultivars were 'Blue Lake 274' and 'White Half Runner'. In 1989, the cultivars were 'Blue Lake 274' and 'Kentucky Wonder 125'. All rows were spaced 91 cm apart. Pods were harvested and oven dried. The data were subjected …

Wendell Berry’S Cyclic Vision: Traditional Farming As Metaphor, Morris Allen Grubbs

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Although Wendell Berry’s first book, a novel, appeared in 1960, he did not gain significant national attention until the publication of his nonfiction manifesto, The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, in 1977. Since its publication, Berry has moved increasingly toward the prose of persuasion as he continues to sharpen his argument in support of a practical, continuous harmony between the human economy and Nature. His canon as a whole – the poems, essays, and novels – is an ongoing and thorough exploration of man’s use of and relationship to the land.

Arguing that the health of a culture …

Adapting The Health Knowledge Inventory For Use With High School Seniors, Cara Case

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Knowledge alone is not enough to ensure that the individual will act in a healthy manner or choose positive health behaviors. However, knowledge may enable one to engage in sound health practices. Health education must respond to the changes in American culture by developing approaches that achieve maximum communication and learning. The purpose of this thesis is to assess the suitability of the Health Knowledge Inventory – High School Version (HKI-HS) for testing with high school seniors. A field test was performed to assess whether the HKI-HS is an appropriate measurement instrument of personal health knowledge among high school seniors. …

Processes Of Performance Production & Maintenance: Interactions Between Rock Bands & Sound Technicians, Linda Reese

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

During the past three decades there has been growing academic interest in the sociology of popular music. Social researchers have investigated the economic impact of music consumers as well as the emerging roles of agents, managers and promoters. Other researchers have explored the sociological implications of musical performance from the perspectives of performer and audience. While we have learned much about some of the roles that people assume within the music industry, there is one important role that has received little attention: the role of the sound technician. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the social …

The Comparability Of A Field & A Device-Mediated Performance Test For M1 Armor Crewmen, Sylvia Smith

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A study was conducted to evaluate the construct validity of four measures of Armor combat performance derived through the Simulation Networking (SIMNET) system. Problems with field testing, such as high cost, low reliability, and lack of realism, has lead the Army to look for alternative methods for soldier evaluation. SIMNET's utility for supplemental training and hardware development has been documented and the device holds promise as a low-cost alternative for soldier evaluation. Performance by 120 M1 tank crews on a SIMNET test was compared to their performance on a field test measuring four critical domains of Armor combat performance: command …

Analysis Of The Relationship Between Levels Of Ability Grouped Students & Their Attitudes Toward Teachers & The Learning Process, Martha Davis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the ability grouping of a student and his/her attitude toward teachers and the learning process. Three groups of students enrolled in the Logan County School System in the spring of 1988 were administered the Arlin-Hills Attitude Survey. These groups of students were those who had been identified as gifted/talented, special education (EMH or LD) and regular class students. The findings of this study indicated that the three groups did not differ significantly in attitudes toward teachers or attitudes toward the learning process.

Stress Indicators Of Kentucky Elementary Principals, Helen Kirby

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Stress has become a problem to which people of all walks of life may relate, affecting the actions of the individual on both professional and personal levels. In the field of education, administrators often report a high level of stress, sometimes referred to as burnout. Much has been written about teacher stress, but very little research has been done on stress encountered by elementary principals. Research was conducted on stress as perceived by elementary principals in the Commonwealth of Kentucky for this study.

The questionnaire used was compiled by the researcher using Koff, Laffey, Olson and Cichon’s table of Stress …

Temporal Changes In The Ommatidial Structure Of The Cockroach, Leucophaea Maderae, Becky Reitcheck

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A circadian rhythm in eye sensitivity to light has been previously reported for Leucophaea maderae. Temporal changes in eye cell morphology that could be correlated with those changes in eye sensitivity to light were examined. Rhabdom area, screening pigment organization and palisade layer area about the rhabdom were the parameters measured to detect structural change through time. Measurements of those parameters from tissue samples obtained from the anterior one-third of compound eyes surgically removed at midday, light offset, midnight and light onset from roaches entrained to a 12-h light / 12-h dark photoperiodic cycle were used to assess the …

Need For Cognition Scale: A Study Of Its Psychometric Properties And Its Ability To Predict Academic Achievement, Arthur Cleavinger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The psychometric properties of the Need for Cognition Scale (NCS; Cacioppo & Petty, 1982) were investigated in two studies with independent samples of undergraduates at Western Kentucky University. In the first study (N = 379), the internal consistency and factor structure of the NCS were examined, and the NCS was compared to the Achievement subscale of the Personality Research Form (Jackson, 1974) and the State-Trait Curiosity subscale of the State-Trait Personality Inventory (Speilberger, 1979). Also, the possibility of differences in “need for cognition” attributable to socio-economic status (i.e. the educational attainment of the subjects’ parents) were examined. The second study …

Stigma And The Negotiation Of Identity By Rural And Small-Town Lesbians, Margaret Cooper

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Fifteen women who identify themselves as lesbians were located through snowball sampling. These women participated in confidential taped interviews and assigned pseudonyms. They were questioned on topics which included growing up gay, family, work relations and friendship associations.

It was assumed that life experiences may differ on the basis of social environments. This study focused on the unique experiences of rural lesbians.

Erving Goofman’s book, Stigma, provided the theoretical framework utilized in the analysis of lesbian identity management. It also allowed for a discussion of stigma and its effect on lesbians.

The women in the study experiencing homosexual feelings during …

The Effect Of Phosphorous Placement & Rate On Phosphorus Uptake, & Growth & Yield Of Tomatoes, Christopher Thompson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research was undertaken in the summer of 1989 to determine the effect of phosphorus placement on the yield and quality of field grown tomatoes Lycopersicon esculentum. A subsequent study was undertaken in the winter of 1989 to determine the effect of phosphorus rate and placement on the early growth and phosphorus uptake of young tomatoes in the greenhouse.

The purpose of this study was to attempt to find the most efficient placement and rate of supplemental phosphorus when growing tomatoes. It has been shown that placing phosphorus in a concentrated zone in contact with plant roots results in more …