Digital Commons Network^™

Controlling Political Corruption In Latin America: Institutional Constraints On Executive Power, George G. Lluberes

Dissertations

Corruption has remained resilient in Latin America. In just two decades, six Latin American executives from five distinct countries have faced impeachment processes resulting in removals from office due to issues surrounding corruption. Certainly, corruption has been a longstanding challenge to Latin American democracy and good governance. This study analyzes this phenomenon while discerning between grand and petty corruption. By focusing on executive corruption specifically, this study creates a more nuanced understanding of what affects corruption at high-levels of government in Latin America.

Why have political corruption levels in Latin America remained stagnant in spite of significant gains in political …

An Examination Of Behavior Analysts' Treatment Selection Behavior For Escape-Maintained Problem Behavior, Rebecca Eldridge

Dissertations

The advent of functional analysis procedures has helped identify reinforcers for problem behavior; however, the behavior analyst is then faced with the task of selecting an appropriate treatment for problem behavior. When selecting treatments, in addition to behavioral function, behavior analysts also need to consider contextual variables, such as current client repertoires, setting conditions, time and resources of current caregivers, as well as client and caregiver goals (Benazzi, Horner, & Good, 2006). Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) must consider these factors when developing treatment according to their ethical code (Behavior Analyst Certification Board [BACB]’s Professional and Ethical Compliance Code [PECC], …

Color-Connected Graphs And Information-Transfer Paths, Stephen Devereaux

Dissertations

The Department of Homeland Security in the United States was created in 2003 in response to weaknesses discovered in the transfer of classied information after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. While information related to national security needs to be protected, there must be procedures in place that permit access between appropriate parties. This two-fold issue can be addressed by assigning information-transfer paths between agencies which may have other agencies as intermediaries while requiring a large enough number of passwords and rewalls that is prohibitive to intruders, yet small enough to manage. Situations such as this can be represented by …

An Ethnohistorical Study Of The Dowagiac Chieftains, Kathryn A. Bishop

Masters Theses

This research uses ethnohistorical methods to examine the use of imagery appropriated from American Indian cultures by the Dowagiac Union Schools. High School yearbooks from 1899- 2014, along with other artifacts, were identified as sources of information to describe students’ experiences. Applying Brayboy’s (2005) Tribal Critical Race Theory, an off-shoot of Critical Race Theory, combined with the research of historical and theoretical scholars like Davis (2002), Pewewardy (2001), and Deloria, King, and Springwood (2001), a case is made for the removal of American Indian mascots used by educational institutions, including the Dowagiac Chieftains. Though over 1,750 occasions of American Indian-appropriated …

Cio Updates - 12/2017, Office Of Information Technology

Tech Talk

• ITDirect update
• Scanning services update
• Virtual Reality Lab update
• Staff changes
• My MediaSite Desktop Recorder
• IT security education for WMU students
• Google Apps for Education
• PRTG
• Remind.com

16th Century Shakespeare And 21st Century Students, Sheridan Lynn Steelman

Dissertations

Drawing on examples from the author’s and colleagues classrooms, this dissertation shows how an historical approach to teaching Shakespeare, drawing on primary documents from the period, opens meaningful interpretations, issues and questions for secondary students. Chapter One reviews current pedagogical approaches to teaching Shakespeare, close reading, reader response, and performance to set forth the rationale for teaching Shakespeare using primary documents. Chapter Two highlights ninth grade students studying Romeo and Juliet and includes classroom stories about engagement with documents about gender, sexuality, violence, and potions. Chapter Three describes two general English 11 classes and their successes and challenges with Hamlet …

High School Seniors' Educational Experience Lnfluencing The Decision To Pursue A Career In Nursing, Ryan L. Rowe

Dissertations

Many high school students interested in nursing as an occupation choose to engage in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program and subsequently progress through the exploration stage of Super’s Career Development Theory in a succinct, deliberate, and intentional manner. While CTE continues to serve as an educational option for many high school students interested in nursing, its value as a means for students to crystallize, specify, and implement the choice to pursue the high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand career of nursing is not understood to the extent possible. CTE is regularly overlooked as a viable educational option by high school …

Peri-Operative Regional Nerve Blocks (Pnb) In The Treatment Of Pain In Patients Undergoing Operative Fixation Of Lower Extremity Fractures, Joshua K. Radi

Dissertations

This research explores current approaches to managing pain control in patients undergoing operative fixation of lower extremity fractures. As opioid use in the U.S. and abroad increases, alternative methods of treating and preventing opioid requirements are being examined. Patients with lower extremity fractures are susceptible to nonunion when anti-inflammatories are consumed, so alternative approaches are warranted. One such alternative, a peri-operative regional nerve block (PNB), is accomplished by injecting local anesthetic adjacent to one or more peripheral nerves supplying the area of the fracture to decrease pain (Fowler, Symons, Sabato, & Myles, 2008). The goal of this research was to …

Evaluation Instruction In Council On Education For Public Health Accredited Master Of Public Health Schools And Programs, Kristin Ann Hobson

Dissertations

Despite the increasing role of evaluation in public health practice and research (Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health [ASPH], 2006; Institute of Medicine [IOM], 1998; Public Health Functions Steering Committee, 2008; United States Government Accountability Office [GAO], 2012), as well as Henry and Mark’s (2003) assertion of a need for systematic evidence on evaluation training and education, the literature continues to lack studies on evaluation instruction in Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)-accredited Master of Public Health (MPH) schools and programs. As such, this study explored evaluation instruction in CEPH-accredited MPH schools and programs in the following …

Self-Generated Absorption Filter Based Optical Densitometry Calculations For Expanded Gamut And Spot Color Printing On Paperboard For Packaging Applications And Proposed Oba Index, Awadhoot Vijaykant Shendye

Dissertations

In the printing industry, process color printing is a very common way of reproduction of color photographic images. As continuous tone reproduction is not possible, images are converted to halftone format. Process control of a halftone image quality is carried out by measuring optical density of solid patches. ISO 5 defines measurement of optical density, formula, filters and requirements. As per ISO document optical density can be calculated only for the 4 colors cyan, magenta, yellow and black, known as process colors. To enhance quality of color reproduction of images, the number of reproducible colors are increased by gamut expansion. …

High Performance Computing Techniques For Analyzing Risky Decision Making, Vinay B. Gavirangaswamy

Dissertations

The process or activity of making choices when subject to gain or loss can be understood as risky decision making (RDM). Risky Decisions consists of outcomes of decisions that may probabilistically result in unfavorable results. Every organism that lives faces this challenge and recent research suggests that there is a computational process involved in making these decisions. This has led to new approaches in the study of RDM. My dissertation is towards contributing to expand on the existing knowledge of RDM processes.

The core contribution of my work is an analysis and development of high performance computing techniques that improves …

The Effectiveness Of Using Leadership Practice Lnventory (Lpl 360) Feedback On Leaders' Lnsight Into Their Leadership Behaviors In Higher Education, Abdulrahman S. Alajlan

Dissertations

One of the most popular 360-feedback processes for leadership development is the Leadership Practice Inventory (LPI 360). According to the Leadership Challenge website the LPI tool has been translated into six languages. In addition, it has been implemented in a variety of organizations around the world and there are about 500 studies that have been built around it. However, the popularity of the LPI 360-feedback is not enough reason for it to be adopted for higher education without assurance that it aligns with a higher education organization’s specific vision and goals. After reviewing approximately 153 LPI studies across 766 databases …

A Deep Learníng-Based Data Minimization Algorithm For Big Genomics Data In Support Of Lot And Secure Smart Health Services, Mohammed Aledhari

Dissertations

In the age of Big Genomics Data, institutes such as the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI),1000-Genomes project, and the international cancer sequencing consortium are faced with the challenge of sharing large volumes of data between internationallydispersed sample collectors, data analyzers, and researchers, a process that up until now has been plagued by unreliable transfers and slow connection speeds. These occur due to the inherent throughput bottlenecks of traditional transfer technologies. One suggested solution is using the cloud as an infrastructure to solve the store and analysis challenges. However, the transfer and share of the genomics datasets between biological laboratories …

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Session December 12, 2017, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

• Acceptance of the Agenda
• Approval of the Minutes
• Remarks by the Chair
• Remarks by the President
• Comments by the Faculty Senate President
• Comments by the Western Student Association President
• Comments by the Graduate Student Association President
• Foundation Scholars Demonstrating Success Presentation
• Public Comments Regarding Action Items
• Action Items

Distributed Model Predictive Control Of Power Converters In Microsrids Under Different Modes Of Operation, Riyadh Toman Thahab Toman

Dissertations

Microgrids consist of many distributed energy sources (DERs) and the overall system is viewed as a number of subsystems. In this work, a finite control set model predictive control is proposed to control power converters in both grid and island modes of operation of the microgrid. Each subsystem is assigned a local controller that relies on measurements of common coupling point (PCC) and/or terminal quantities to provide accurate regulation of current or voltage components. This meets the local objective of each subsystem and contributes to the global objective of the microgrid.

In the first part of the work, a microgrid …

A Phenomenology Of Calling Among Undergraduates At A Public University: Reliance On Faith During An Intentional Career Decision-Making Process, Justin Arnold

Dissertations

Recent studies in vocational psychology and student development have discussed the fact that many college students value spirituality, and that a spiritual calling is positively associated with desirable work traits (Astin, Astin, & Lindholm, 2011; Chickering, 2006; Dik & Duffy, 2012; Duffy & Dik, 2013; Hunter, Dik, & Banning, 2010). What has yet to be deeply explored is how undergraduates at a public university who believe they are called explore careers and make vocational decisions.

The purpose of this phenomenology was to describe and interpret the lived experiences of emerging adults at a public university who believe they are called …

A Hybrid Parallel Approach To High-Performance Compression Of Big Genomic Files And In Compresso Data Processing, Sandino N. Vargas Pérez

Dissertations

Due to the rapid development of high-throughput low cost Next-Generation Sequencing, genomic file transmission and storage is now one of the many Big Data challenges in computer science. Highly specialized compression techniques have been devised to tackle this issue, but sequential data compression has become increasingly inefficient and existing parallel algorithms suffer from poor scalability. Even the best available solutions can take hours to compress gigabytes of data, making the use of these techniques for large-scale genomics prohibitively expensive in terms of time and space complexity.

This dissertation responds to the aforementioned problem by presenting a novel hybrid parallel approach …

Architectural Representation And The Dragon’S Lair In Beowulf, Margaret Heeschen

Masters Theses

Since the early twentieth century, the dragon’s lair of Beowulf has been primarily associated with the early megalithic mounds of northern Europe. This interpretation of the space, however, does not account for the many contradictions present in the poet’s descriptions. In order to fully understand the quiddity of the dragon’s lair, we must resolve three major issues with previous interpretations: the use of rare words with unclear meanings, contradictions in descriptions of the physical space, and an assumption by scholars that the poet is describing a single type of space identifiable in the historical record. By addressing each of these …

Enhancing Intersection Safety For The Blind And Visually Impaired (Bvi) Pedestrian Using Device-To-Infrastructure Communication, Mohammad Sayyah Al-Akash

Masters Theses

Visually impaired pedestrians have limited mobility options, where they rely heavily on walking and transit for their transportation needs. One of the major issues facing these pedestrians is intersection crossing. Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS), as a means of helping their intersection crossings, were introduced in the United States as early as 1920 but were not included in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Device (MUTCD) until 2000. The most recent type of APS is the beaconing APS which has shown improvements in road crossing abilities of blind pedestrians though it has many downsides to it. This study developed a cane …

Visual Literacy: Integrating Social Justice Art Education Into The Middle School Curriculum, Anna Kazmarski

Masters Theses

The purpose of this paper is to explore how social justice art education and visual literacy can facilitate growth and compassion for the diverse other in society. Social justice art encourages exploration of art-making in a variety of settings in order to dispel anxiety or misunderstandings about those affected by injustice. An investigation of original lesson plans designed to meet national core art standards will be introduced to elaborate on how social issues can be incorporated into a comprehensive art education curriculum based on critical and analytical inquiry at the middle school level.

Finite Element Analysis Of Tibiofemoral Contact Mechanics, Erika Fojtik

Masters Theses

The effects of lateral meniscus posterior root avulsions (LMPRA) have been studied in combination with meniscofemoral ligament (MFL) deficiencies. The purpose of this study is to validate a set of biomechanical finite element analyses against previously reported experimental results to predict the contact area and peak contact pressure in the lateral tibiofemoral compartment of the knee during lateral meniscal root avulsions in combination with MFL deficiencies. Patient specific MRI data was used to develop finite element models for three distinct testing conditions: 1) intact, 2) lateral meniscus posterior root avulsion, and 3) lateral meniscus posterior root avulsion with deficient meniscofemoral …

Visualizing The Constructability Of A Steel Structure Using Building Information Modeling And Game Simulation, Mohammed Al Dafaay

Masters Theses

This research aims to visualize a steel structural design to: (1) analyze its constructability, and (2) support collaboration between project participants at the planning stage. The visualization uses Building Information Modeling (BIM) and game engine simulation to develop a realistic interactive simulation for constructability analysis. A case study experiment was conducted on visualizing the erection process of a steel structure to facilitate the understanding of needed construction operation. The simulation incorporated construction domain knowledge through various entity components and predefined interaction rules. Results showed that through such a visualization method, field operation can be observed in real-time at the planning …

Libya, The New York Times, And A Propaganda Model Of The Mass Media, Randy Laprairie

Masters Theses

This project derives a set of research expectations from the propaganda model, a structural model of the corporate news media developed by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky. The model predicts that the news media will reflect elite views and priorities and marginalize views outside the range of elite opinion. Consequently, it is expected that the media will tend to support the elite’s preferred modes of exercising state power in international affairs. This often entails demonizing official enemies of the United States in order to justify military interventions while downplaying the crimes of the United States and its allies. To …

25 Year Club: 36th Annual Gala, Western Michigan University

25 Year Club

25 Year Club: 36th Annual Gala

November 28, 2017

• New Inductees
• Members
• Retirees

Ncgrg Mission Statement, Ncgrg Mission Statement Vol.4_2

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

NCGRG Mission Statement

Kinship Care And Communication Family Portraits Project “Helping Teens To Tell Their Stories”, Emi Disciullo

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

This practice brief focuses on the importance of communication within the kinship family with particular emphasis on the challenging teen years. It highlights information on the changes impacting relationships within kinship families as children age. This brief includes details about the Family Portraits Project, a specific and easy to replicate intergenerational project designed to enhance communication in kinship families.

Complete Issue: Volume 4 (2), Complete Issue Vol4_2

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Vol4_2

Western News, November 16, 2017, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Scores of transformative ideas under review; Men’s soccer will go to the dance, host NCAA round; Emeritus continues to be key figure in sea’s resurrection; On Campus with Yumi Takahashi-Ede.

Western News, November 2, 2017, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: WMU at center of national STEM network, Nursing wins $2 million grant to boost diversity, Three University researchers snag prestigious NSF prize, Men’s soccer team moves up to No. 5 in the nation, University earns geospatial sciences status, Children’s Place grant supports student-parents, Turkey Trot 5K run, walk scheduled for Nov. 18, On Campus with Veronica Thomas

Inspire E-News 11 2017, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences News

• 2017 Alumni Excellence Academy Award Recipients
• Students take top awards for best paper at transportation conference
• Nathan LaWarre: Change Agent on Campus