Digital Commons Network^™

Change Bell Ringing And Mathematics: A High School Student Excursion Into Graph Theory And Group Theory, Kristi Carlson

Honors Theses

This unit was created as a way to introduce higher level mathematics concepts to advanced high school students. All five of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Process Standards are found in this unit. For most of the unit, students work within small groups

Cloning, Overexpression, Purification And Characterization On N-Terminal Metal Binding Domains 5 And 6 Of Wilsons Disease Protein, David Achila

Masters Theses

Wilsons disease is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism which results from mutations in the gene encoding for Wilson disease protein (WDP). The cytosolic N-terminus of WDP comprises six metal binding domains each containing a conserved metal binding motif, GMXCXXC. The contribution of these metal binding domains to copper homeostasis is poorly understood. We have cloned, expressed and purified residues 485 to 633 corresponding to N-terminal metal-binding domains 5 and 6 of WDP (WD5-6). Two of the 3 disease causing mutations in the N-terminal metal binding domains of WDP occur one in each of these domains and the two …

Detecting And Mapping The Michigan Vegetation Tension Zone Using Ecological Indicators, Janice Marie Fulford

Masters Theses

Ecotones are areas of transition between adjacent ecosystems that exist at various geographic scales, and are useful in measuring climatic changes. Ecotones are defined by their length and breadth and the ability to detect and map an ecotone from a specific period in time would be useful in measuring current and future change.

The study focused on a 1880's vegetation ecotone in the center of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. This was achieved by deriving ecological variables from the U.S. public land survey's tree species data. These variables were then used to ascertain the length of the ecotone by finding the boundary …

Hispanic Political Power: A Case Study Of Southwest Michigan, Jason Glatz

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between rising Hispanic immigration and its influence on voting patterns. It examines thirteen Southwestern Michigan counties and compares averaged Republican voting percentages from past elections for the U.S. House of Representatives with the 2000 election. Previous research has established that Hispanics, with the exception of Cubans, predominantly vote for Democratic candidates. If this relationship is true for Southwest Michigan, areas with increasing Hispanic populations should display diminishing Republican voting percentages.

A normal Republican vote was computed for 284 minor civil divisions from the period immediately preceding significant Hispanic immigration and was compared to the 2000 …

Salary Negotiation Strategies Of Female Administrators In Higher Education, Suzette Compton

Dissertations

The salary equity gap continues to exist, with men earning more on average for every dollar a woman makes. Research suggests that women's underdevelopednegotiation skills play a role in the continuation of the salary equity gap. Understanding the negotiation strategies and gendered communications traits women utilize may assist in enhancing their skills and in moving toward gender salary equity.

This study addresses the negotiation strategies and gendered communication traits of female administrators in higher education. Twenty-two women inadministrative positions in institutions of higher education in West Michigan were interviewed to determine the strategies they utilized when negotiating forsalary and other …

Higher Education Attorneys’ Perceptions Regarding Academic Freedom And Challenges To Academic Freedom, Manuel R. Rupe

Dissertations

Higher education attorneys have emerged in recent years as integral participants in the decision and policymaking processes within American higher educationinstitutions. The perceptions of higher education attorneys regarding academic freedom, including professorial, institutional, and student academic freedom, may significantly impact how higher education institutions respond to modern challenges to such freedom. Key challenges to academic freedom as identified in the literature were categorized into four groups for this study (a) judicial or governmental challenges, (b) internal or collegial challenges, (c) institutionalchallenges, and (d) outside or extra-institutional challenges.

An Internet-based survey was sent to higher education attorneys who subscribed to the …

"Far, Fast, And Fashionable": American Women Swimmers And Their Swimwear In 1920s And 1930s Sport And Consumer Culture, Elizabeth A. Zanoni

Masters Theses

This thesis examines American aquatic stars of public acclaim as displayers of clothing, and how their changing swimwear shaped the debate over physical culture, femininity, modesty, and gender roles in sport and consumer culture during the 1920s and 1930s. Performing in shortened, functional athletic attire, leading swimmers and divers conveyed cultural messages about athleticism and femininity through their athletic accomplishments and their multiple representations of the female body clothed in swimming attire. It also considers how these female aquatic luminaries, in a sphere traditionally defined as male, shaped American culture by providing a public platform from which the entire sporting …

A K-Epsilon Extension For Wall-Bounded Flows On The Broadband Aeroacoustic System Simulator, David González

Masters Theses

The turbulence modeling capabilities of the Broadband Aeroacoustic System Simulator (BASS), an experimental code developed at NASA Glenn Research Center, have been extended to include wall-bounded flow capabilities. This was done by first validating the code's viscous solving routines by comparing numerical solutions to known, simple analytic solutions. Finally, the dynamics of the wall shear flows were accounted for with the use of wall-damping functions incorporated into the turbulence model. The results for both viscous and turbulence routines agree well with published data.

A Study Of How Precursor Key Concepts For Organic Chemistry Success Are Understood By General Chemistry Students, Patrick Gerard Meyer

Dissertations

This study examines college student understanding of key concepts that will support future organic chemistry success as determined by university instructors. During four one-hour individual interviews the sixteen subjects attempted to solve general chemistry problems. A think-aloud protocol was used along with a whiteboard where the students could draw and illustrate their ideas. The protocols for the interviews were adapted from the Covalent Structure and Bonding two-tiered multiple choice diagnostic instrument (Peterson, Treagust, & Garnett, 1989) and augmented by the Geometry and Polarity of Moleculessingle-tiered multiple choice instrument (Furió & Calatayud, 1996). The interviews were videotaped, transcribed, and coded …

Performance Evaluation Models For Strategic Decision-Making: Towards A Hybrid Model, Geraldina Villalobos Quezada

Dissertations

Performance management systems serve strategic, administrative, and developmental purposes; therefore, their role in an organization cannot be overestimated. As a function of this strategic role, different evaluation models have been developed and implemented by organizations: BSC, CIPP, TQM, Six Sigma, and AOP.

Following a review of current evaluation theory and practice models that focus on improving strategic decision-making in organizations, four research questions were developed that sought to identify the interrelationships, evaluation components, evaluation indicators, data collected to support the evaluation,evaluation implementation protocols, quantitative and qualitative analyses, outcomes, and critical factors of the BSC and CIPP models.

A multiple case …

Paper Substrates For Electronic Printing, Laura K. Wood

Masters Theses

Printed Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) labels utilize conductive inks to provide the means for wireless flow of electronic signals. An RFID label is an identification label with an integrated circuit and antenna that transmits data via radio waves to a reader, which sends the data to a computer for processing. RFID labels allow manufacturers and retailers to accurately track their inventory more efficiently than previously possible with bar codes. However, etched metal RFID labels are too expensive for widespread implementation. The key to reducing the cost of RFID technology is replacing etched metal tags with tags printed with conducting ink. …

The Effects Of Acute Exercise Of Plasma Volume Expansion In Men – Variations Of The Intensity/Duration Relationship, Christopher Matthew Gregory

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the exercise variables of intensity and duration in relation to PV expansion during an acute bout of exercise, when the total amount of work performed was kept constant. Six male subjects completed a maximal graded exercise test and three two-day experimental trials. During the experimental trials, each subject performed one of three exercise protocols on a cycle ergometer: 50% VO_2peak (60 minutes), 65% VO_2peak (45 minutes), and 80% VO_2peak (30 minutes). Measurements of hematocrit, hemoglobin, and serum albumin and total protein concentrations were obtained before exercise (BASE), immediately post-exercise …

A Model Of The Natural Spread Of The Invasive Insect Species Emerald Ash Borer In The Lower Peninsula Of Michigan, Jennifer L. Weller

Masters Theses

More than 8 million ash trees in southeast Michigan have been killed by an infestation of the invasive insect species emerald ash borer (EAB). Since its identification in July 2002, EAB has been found in Ontario (Canada), Ohio, Indiana, and across Michigan. To date, EAB research has concentrated on the entomological classification and no systematic prediction of the pest's diffusion has been made.

This research presents a predictive model for the spread of EAB across the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Limited data on ash tree population distribution, ·. infestation distribution, and the dispersal rate of the emerald ash borer required …

Development Of A Web-Based Gis For Groundwater Exploration In Arid Lands, Nakul Manocha

Masters Theses

A three-fold exercise was conducted to assess the groundwater potentiality in the Eastern Desert (ED) of Egypt. First, a database was generated to host all relevant data sets in a GIS environment for a better understanding of the spatial relationships between these data sets. Co-registered digital mosaics were generated from relevant data sets including remote sensing (e.g., Landsat TM, SIR-C, SRTM, TRMM), geochemical (solute concentrations, O and H stable isotope composition), geological (geologic maps), and hydrological (lithology, depth to water table) data sets. Second, a web-based GIS interface (ArcIMS) was developed to provide a vehicle for data analysis, visualization, and …

Simulating Discriminatory Profiling, Oscar Neal

Masters Theses

There is a concern that racial profiling is being used to invoke searches and stops in spite of its violation of the fourth amendment. Simulation methods are used to study the correlation test of stops, searches and citations with race, age, and gender. The design uses sensitivity analysis of inputs to determine their relationship to outputs statistics of a police department's citations and stops. Experimental results are than used to verify and predict departmental bias. A simulation program written in Visual Basic is used as a tool to explore simulation techniques. A formulation of simulation uses in studying discriminatory profiling …

Potential Effects Of Aggressive Videogames On Young Adult’S Behavior And Physiology, Kent David Smallwood

Masters Theses

Each year, interactive technology becomes more and more advanced, offering more lifelike environments, immersive experiences, and realistic situations. Additionally, the videogame industry has over doubled in size in less than ten years, now rivaling the box office industry. However, technological advances have quickly outpaced our understanding of the effects of certain types of adult content on the game player. To date, the majority of the research on the topic was conducted before the games themselves were technologically advanced enough to draw meaningful conclusions; the few studies conducted in the last few years, while offering promising methodological advancements from previous work, …

Evaluation Of Mechanical Properties Of Recycled Aggregate Concrete, Sajjad Ali Khan

Masters Theses

The maintenance and repair work in the civil engineering infrastructures develops the production of huge wastes which causes the growth of waste piles, additional costs in construction projects and some environmental problems. If this waste is recycled and used again in construction projects, it will help to overcome the problems discussed earlier. Moreover, if natural aggregates are supplemented by recycled aggregate, it will preserve the natural resources and also put a pause in the deterioration of natural landscape.

This thesis addresses the importance of using recycled aggregate in concrete structures. Its practical feasibility in construction projects is studied in light …

Mixing Flow Structures Of Scalloped, Forced Lobed Mixers Using Piv And Plif Measuring Techniques, Nathan J. Cooper

Masters Theses

An Experimental study of internal forced lobed mixers similar to those used in jet aircraft engines is performed using whole field species concentration and velocity measuring techniques. Planar temperature and velocity measurements using Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) and 2D Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) are performed for lobed, lobed scalloped and splitter mixers in aqueous solution. Specific emphasis is given to study scallops or notches cut into the mixer trailing edge and their role in mixing enhancement. Mixing is compared through velocity and species concentration measurements on axial and streamwise planes for the three dimensional, forced mixers in a confined …

Evaluation Of Mechanical Properties Of Self-Consolidating Concrete, Bhusan Basnet

Masters Theses

The concept of Self-Consolidating Concrete is a fresh and rapidly ramping technology in USA, but in some other continents such as Japan and Europe it is in fully fledged stage. The development of this technology has a high potential to economize construction minimizing labor, scheduled time and equipment eliminating consolidation process. In USA, construction professionals are reluctant to its in-effect application because of lack of deliberate and methodological steps for production and applications. The lack of study of its durability characteristics and confusion in design and production process are seems to be vital factors hindering full scale production and application …

Ductile Regime Nano-Machining Of Silicon Carbide, Biswarup Bhattacharya

Masters Theses

This thesis describes experimental work carried out to study the ability to ductile . single point diamond turn both polycrystal Silicon Carbide (SiC) and chemically vapor deposited (CVD) SiC. A Precitech diamond turning machine was used for ductile regime machining of polycrystal SiC at depths of 10 and 25 nm. The possibility of machining SiC in the ductile mode was substantiated by post process analysis of the chips collected during machining and the surface profiles. The force data obtained during machining was recorded and compared later with the different depth of cuts. An investigation into the ability to single point …

Determination Of Stiffness Matrix Of Tapered Roller Bearings For Vibration Models, Jeeva Kumar

Masters Theses

The stiffness matrix of tapered roller bearings under radial and axial load conditions was evaluated using an analytical model and an experimental approach. An experimental test system was designed and manufactured to determine the radial stiffness of the bearing under combined axial and radial load conditions. A second fixture was designed to measure the stiffness of the bearing under pure axial load conditions. The stiffness coefficients determined have been compared with those obtained from the analytical model, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) data and ABAQUS model (finite element analysis software).

The Effects Of Feedback On Hourly Pay And Individual Monetary Incentives, Douglas A. Johnson

Masters Theses

The effects of performance feedback when individuals received fixed or individual incentive pay were examined. A 2 X 2 factorial design was used with approximately 30 college students in each group. Participants attended six experimental sessions. They entered the cash value of simulated bank checks presented on a computer screen. Monetary incentives increased the number of correctly completed checks (p = .000); however feedback had no effect (p = .825). Time spent working and rate of performance correlated strongly with the number of checks completed correctly, suggesting that both influenced the checks completed correctly. The results suggest that incentives increase …

The Journey Of A Social Movement: A Glimpse Into Hizb 'Allah And Its Integration Into The Lebanese Landscape, Lisa L. Peters

Masters Theses

Historically, research in Social Movement Theories has been limited to only certain aspects of a social movement, whether it was the impetus of the movement, explaining the reasons for its mobilization, how they recruit members and money, how social movements are able to function as an organization, or why groups suffer demise after flourishing for a period of time. This research attempts to build a framework of a particular social movement, Hizb'allah, a Shi'a Islamic movement based in Lebanon. This framework is built by extracting various elements from several social movement theories to explain and illustrate this movement's life course …

Systems For Predicting Pitzer’S Ion-Interaction Model Parameters, Theresa Balderas Obias

Masters Theses

Pitzer's Ion-interaction Model had been widely used in predicting the non-ideal behavior of solution over a wide range of conditions for natural water systems. The model is successful only when there are sufficient parameters available. However, generating these needed parameters requires a great quantity of work and it would be advantageous to be able to predict the Pitzer's parameters for salt systems when there is no data available.

This research entailed the development of ionic radii dependent equations for Pitzer's binary ion-interaction parameters β_MX⁽⁰⁾, β_MX⁽¹⁾, β_MX⁽²⁾, and C^ϕ_MX . …

Gambling On A Simulated Slot Machine Under Conditions Of Repeated Play, Andrew Ellis Brandt

Masters Theses

Three experiments using a parametric, single-subject design investigated gambling behavior in eight adult humans on a slot-machine simulation. Participants were staked with credits exchangeable for money prior to each session. Experiment 1 a was a systematic replication of Weatherly and Brandt (2004), which investigated the effects of percentage payback (the amount of money gained as a proportion of the amount of money bet) on gambling. Percentage payback was varied from 50% to 110% across conditions. Consistent with Weatherly and Brandt, gambling did not vary systematically across percentage-payback conditions. Experiment 1 b replicated Experiment 1 a but also included forced-exposure sessions …

The Effectiveness Of Aquatic Therapy With Persons Who Have Experienced A Cerebral Vascular Accident, Heather L. Tweedie

Masters Theses

This study examined the effectiveness of using aquatic therapy (AT) as a technique in the treatment of cerebral vascular accidents (CVA). The unique properties of the aquatic environment were manipulated to determine change in range of motion, muscle tone, balance, functional ambulation, and psychological functioning particularly social relationship and positive and negative feelings.

A single subject design was conducted using two subjects that participated in a twelve week aquatic therapy program. Aquatic therapy showed to be effective in treating common symptoms of a CVA. More research needs to be completed to ensure the effectiveness of aquatic therapy in congruency with …

Caregivers’ Perceptions Of Accessibility And Quality Of Services In The Community For Children With Mental Health Diagnoses: A Pilot Survey, Karin E. Brems

Masters Theses

This pilot study was intended to explore caregivers' perceptions of the mental health services available in the community for children with mental health diagnoses. A study-specific survey was developed to look at demographic characteristics, service accessibility, and service quality. This survey was distributed to caregivers through Michigan support groups. Returned surveys were analyzed for themes that could assist in the development of further research to improve community services for children with mental health diagnoses.

This pilot study yielded rich qualitative data. Upon review and analysis, five themes emerged: (1) bureaucratic hassles and getting the runaround, (2) closed doors, (3) support …

Guidelines To Select A Computerized Maintenance Management System, Dattaraj Kamalapurkar

Masters Theses

In today's highly competitive global economy, maintenance personnel are presented with more difficult challenges than at any previous point in time. In order to meet these challenges, many maintenance managers tend to rely . on Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). When properly selected and implemented, CMMS is one of the most powerful cost reduction tools in any organization. However in reality, many CMMS implementations fail rather than achieve success. While there are many contributing factors, one major factor that greatly impacts successful implementation is selecting the right CMMS system. With more than 200 CMMS systems to choose from, selecting the …

Online Support For Multivariate Integration, Shujun Li

Dissertations

In this dissertation, we present an online problem solving environment for multivariate numerical integration. To build an environment for users with various backgrounds, we address issues of Web interface support for end-users, remote application programming interfaces for distributed system programmers, visualization of multivariate integrand functions for problem analysis, and highly efficient integration methods. Compared to previous implementations, our new load balancing schemes increase the scalability of parallel integration and hence are suitable for large scale computations. A parallel integration service, called PI service, was implemented based on Web services technologies to support both remote integration and remote visualization. The multivariate …

Capacitated And Uncapacitated Facilities Locationallocation Problem With Sensitive Prices, Stochastic Demands, And Inventory, Yaser Al-Alawi

Dissertations

This study developed a quantitative model that solves a facility locationallocation (LA) problem that maximizes the net profits generated from expected sales. The model was formulated to take into consideration demand uncertainty, sensitive prices, and existence of inventory for capacitated and uncapacitated facilities. Four new models for the LA problem with stochastic demands and inventory were developed and studied. The four models were combinations of capacitated and uncapacitated facilities and sensitive and insensitive prices.

A new method was proposed for achieving optimality, and an approximation procedure was developed that could find near-optimal solutions for problems that could not be solved …