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Vertebral Age Estimation: An Examination Of The Seventh Cervical, Seventh Thoracic, And Fourth Lumbar Vertebrae, Holly Hernandez

Masters Theses

This project examines the utility of vertebral osteophyte development to estimate age at death. Skeletal joint degeneration is a common method for estimating individuals' age at death, however studies regarding vertebral degeneration and age estimation are lacking. My study follows the work of Stewart (1958) in comparing stages of osteophytic lipping of vertebral bodies to age at death.

I examined the seventh cervical (C7), seventh thoracic (T7), and fourth lumbar (L4) vertebrae in 100 individuals of known ancestry, sex, and age at death from the Hamann-Todd skeletal collection. Degenerative stages and composite scores were analyzed through descriptive statistics and chi …

Linear Enamel Hypoplasia And Dental Disease: Implications Of Health And Lifestyle Behaviors Of The Urban Enslaved From Two Burial Grounds In Bridgetown, Barbados, Jennifer Yamazaki

Masters Theses

This project investigates aspects of diet, health, and lifestyles of enslaved Africans of Bridgetown, Barbados during the 17th-19th centuries. The dentition of 10 Pierhead and Fontabelle individuals was examined to provide evidence of stress and coping capacities experienced within the urban context of slavery. Linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH), dental disease, and cultural modifications were noted. The frequencies of the pathologies were calculated and the peak age of stress occurrence for LEH were timed and compared with other New World enslaved populations in order to determine if differences existed in overall health and lifestyle experiences between those enslaved in cities and …

Neoliberalism, Hegemony And Community Imaginings, Boone W. Shear

Masters Theses

The idea of "community" evokes many long held, positive imaginings. Community implies neighborliness, togetherness, helping each other, tolerance and understanding. Community is set against modem society and is commonly understood to be a solution to the deleterious impacts of capitalism and the state. Although community can be a site of resistance, I am also interested in the ways in which the ideology of community assists in facilitating capitalist inequalities.

The latter part of the twentieth-century saw a significant restructuring of capital in the United States as privatization and deregulation were accompanied by a decline in the welfare state. These efforts …

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Session July 14, 2006, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Minutes of the WMU Board of Trustees meeting include appendices:

• Acceptance of the Agenda
• Revised Procedure to Address the Board
• Remarks by the Chair
• Remarks by the President
• Remarks by the WSA President and GSAC Past Chair and Current Chair
• Reorganization of the College of Education

Emeriti News, Summer 2006, Emeriti Council

Emeriti News

Contents from Volume XI, Number 1:

• From the Council Chair
• Council Members for 2006/2007
• Emeriti Council Activities
• Electronic Delivery
• Sindecuse Pharmacy Services
• Attention Widowed Spouses of 25 Year Club Members
• Emeriti Council Textbook Scholarships
• Emeriti Medallion Scholarship
• A Message from the Emeriti Council Medallion Scholar
• WMU Flu Clinic for Retirees
• Hearing Tests
• Retiree Fringe Benefits: A Summary

The Civil War Reborn, Sharon Carlson

Gatherings: Friends of the University Libraries Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Gatherings No. 38 Summer 2006, Friends Of The University Libraries

Gatherings: Friends of the University Libraries Newsletter

Complete issue of Gatherings no. 38. Edited by Laurel Grotzinger.

Entry Level Therapists’ Perceived Readiness To Prescribe Low-Technology Adaptive Equipment To Geriatric Populations, Russell Wood

Masters Theses

In this research entry-level therapists' were questioned about their readiness to prescribe low-technology adaptive equipment to geriatric populations. The analysis of 33 returned questionnaires have been discussed, with the overall results indicating that experience, familiarity, and education of specific equipment are all significantly related to the confidence levels of entry-level therapists in prescribing those equipment.

Additionally, the results of specific analysis for the groups of equipment, namely dressing, bathing and toileting were entertained. Open ended questions regarding equipment usage, follow up and trends are also discussed. Finally prediction equations are shared resulting from statistical analysis.

The Western Michigan University Magazine, Summer 2006, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Magazine (1997-present)

• No stone left unturned
• The second time around
• College news
• Campus places
• Classnotes/Obituaries

The Effects Of A 6-Weekly Plyometric Training Program On Agility, Jeremy Herniman

Masters Theses

PURPOSE: To determine if six weeks of plyometric training can improve an athlete's agility. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: Subjects were divided into a plyometric training and a control group. The plyometric training group participated in a six week plyometric training program. The control group did not perform any plyometric training techniques and were told to refrain from initiating any lower extremity training program. SUBJECTS: Twenty eight subjects were randomly assigned to 2 groups, a plyometric training group and a control group. Subjects were at least 18 years of age, free of lower extremity injuries, and were not involved in any type …

Exposure Of Nervous System Cells To Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs), Results In Alterations Of Neurotrophic Factor Expression, Gordon H. Gurley

Dissertations

Toxic insult by PCBs results in learning and memory deficits in humans. Alterations in expression of neurotrophic factors (NF) and/or their receptors have been linked to changes in learning and memory. How PCBs affect cognition is not known. We suggest that PCBs affect cognition by altering NF expression.

We exposed cultured C6 rat glioblastoma cells (an astrocyte cell-line) to medium containing PCB (Aroclor 1254 (10ppm)). Control cells were treated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or regular medium. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were used to determine glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor(GDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) concentrations in all samples. We also …

Molecular Analysis Of The Effects Of Atrazine On Xenopus Laevis Frogs, Ronald Edward Celestine

Dissertations

Atrazine, the most commonly used herbicide in the U.S., has been implicated as one of the factors that may be causing the worldwide decline of amphibians. First, I examined effects of atrazine on laboratory raised Xenopus laevis tadpoles, treated from 5 days post fertilization to NF stage 65/66 with a concentrationof 25 ppb of atrazine. This study showed no significant difference in body weight, length and metamorphic rate.

Second, I used DNA microarrays to examine mRNA expression levels of genes in atrazine treated and control Xenopus laevis tadpoles. I found significant changes in gene expression levels of 18 genes. These …

Providing Uninsured Adults With Free Or Low-Cost Primary Care: Does It Influence Their Use Of Hospital Emergency Departments?, Anne G. Zahradnik

Dissertations

This study analyzes one component of the health care safety net to determine whether or not being enrolled in a free or low-cost primary care physician access program subsequently affects emergency room utilization by uninsured adults ages 18 through 64. Those individual decisions are analyzed from both public goods and rational choice schemas. Additionally, physician access programs of different formats (a low-cost physician referral program and a freewalk-in clinic) are analyzed and compared for relative effectiveness. The study is a quantitative analysis of more than 40,000 individual patient records rather than relying on qualitative patient recall or on analyzing broad …

The Representation Of Race And Ethnic Relations In Japanese Junior High School English Language Textbooks From 1987 To 2002, Mieko Yamada

Dissertations

This dissertation explores how cultural attitudes about race/ethnicity are taught and how international power relations are expressed in Japanese junior high school textbooks. In a content analysis of Japanese junior high school textbooks in English as a foreign language, I examine how race and ethnic relationswere expressed and what types of interracial communication took place in the textbooks. Applying the racial formation theory developed by Omi and Winant (1994) and the concept of color-blind racism by Bonilla-Silva (2001, 2003), I explain how cultural ideology towards racial and ethnic relations were guided in the Japanese English language textbooks.

Fifteen English language …

Landfill Gas As A Fuel For Ic Engine Operations, Guruprasath Narayanan

Masters Theses

An alternative fuel research facility was developed to study different alternative gaseous fuels like Landfill gases and Biogases and their mixtures with hydrogen as a fuel in a single cylinder spark ignition engine. Landfill gas was used as a fuel and the optimum process parameters such as compression ratio, spark timing and equivalence ratio were identified and reported.

Hydrogen enhanced combustion of landfill gas was studied and it was found that the addition of small amounts of hydrogen in the land fill gas has improved the combustion characteristics of the fuel and the performance of the spark ignition engine in …

Coordination Environment: A New Approach To The Sensing Of Lead (Ii) Itself, Kristina Marie Nespechal

Masters Theses

Lead(II) is a silent poison that has plagued society since 3800 B. C. The average intake of lead in the United States alone is 50 μg per day, which is approximately 100-1000 times greater than that of prehistoric lead levels. Regardless of the banning of lead in paints and gasoline, lead poisoning prevails as a major environmental health risk. Science has the ability to address the concern with this environmental contaminant. The future production of an economical and reliable test kit for lead(II) relies on the luminescence of the heavy metal itself.

The absorption and emission spectra for a series …

Sedimentology And Stratigraphy Of The Pennsylvanian Saginaw Aquifer, Central Lower Michigan, U.S.A., Niah B. H. Venable

Masters Theses

The Saginaw Aquifer is an important bedrock aquifer serving the needs of over 400,000 people in the Tri-County area of the Central Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The aquifer is comprised of the Pennsylvanian Grand River and Saginaw Formations. This study focuses on expanding existing knowledge of the general sedimentologic and stratigraphic characteristics of these units using conventional geological methods including core analysis, local log to core correlation, local and regional log to log correlation, and biostratigraphy. Analysis of new core from the study area examines facies and depositional environments given cursory coverage in outcrop studies by past researchers.

Incised valley …

Impact Of Enrollment Management, Marketing And Strategic Planning On Adult Higher Education Enrollment Patterns, Kinfu Adisu

Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the impact of enrollment management, marketing and strategic planning practices (or lack thereof) on enrollment trends in two graduate programs across five Grand Rapids, Michigan-based institutions of higher education. Deans, department heads or program directors associated with the Master's of Business and Master's of Education degrees in each institution were interviewed, as were regional administrators and marketing personnel for a total of 15 participants. In addition, the challenges faced by these graduate programs and how such challenges impacted enrollment patterns were analyzed.

Findings indicate that to a large degree the concepts of enrollment management, marketing and …

A Survey Of Music Therapists Regarding The Efficacy Of Music Therapy In The Treatment Of Children And Adolescents With Williams Syndrome, Mayumi Hata

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine music therapist' perception of the efficacy of music therapy interventions for clients with Williams syndrome. By surveying music therapists who have clinical experience with individuals with Williams syndrome, this study attempted to gather following information: (a) music therapists' perception of the efficacy of music therapy (b) predominant technique or approach (c) predominant goals (d) collaboration with other professionals and (e) the referral sources for music therapy. The results indicated that music therapists lack information and experience working with the Williams syndrome population. However, many of the participants who had worked with individuals …

Exploring The Influence Of Supportive Communication Practices On Volunteer Satisfaction, Role Identity, Safety Perceptions, Loyalty, And Burnout, Virginia Ann Gregory

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to assess supportive communication practices as predictors of volunteer outcomes. As healthcare organizations continue to grow and expand services to patients, the need for volunteers will expand as well. If volunteers are supported within the organization they will become a part of the healthcare environment and ultimately can make a difference for the organization. lt was hypothesized that supportive communication by both staff and co-volunteers would predict higher levels of volunteer satisfaction, role identity, safety perceptions, and loyalty, and lower levels of volunteer bumout. Results indicate that emotional support from staff was the strongest …

Occupational Stress And Slavery: Evidence From Bridgetown, Barbados, Sarah Muno

Masters Theses

In 1996 and 2000, construction workers uncovered unmarked burial grounds in the Pierhead and Fontabelle sections of Bridgetown, Barbados. The human remains were removed in salvage excavation and are now housed at the University of the West Indies and the Barbados Museum and Historical Society. The associated grave goods, documentary record, and initial osteological analysis indicate these individuals were part of the enslaved workforce during the early to mid- eighteenth century. This thesis will explore the presence of vertebral osteophytosis, vertebral anterior wedge compression fractures, vertebral apophyseal facet remodeling and musculoskeletal stress markers among the human remains from Pierhead and …

Western News, June 22, 2006, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Johnson is new EUP dean; Merrion leads search committee for provost; Undergraduate program review details explained; Obituaries for Audrey Davidson, Amy Kizziee, Max McKitrick; On Campus with Elena Wood.

Western News, June 8, 2006, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Pisaneschi named provost; Bundy appointed admission director; Joslin and Dybek star at Chicago book fair; Bailey unveils results of latest business survey; On Campus with Richard McMullen.

Physics Department News, June 2006, College Of Arts And Sciences

Physics Newsletter

Contents from Volume 5, Issue 1:

• Editor’s Note
• From the Chair
• What’s New at the University
• Faculty Highlights
• Staff Highlights
• ICPEAC 2009
• Student News
• In Memorium…
• Annual Student Awards
• Recent Graduates
• Book Awards
• Department Roster
• Feedback/Update Reply Form

Bibliography: Works By Sylvia Thrupp, Joel T. Rosenthal, Caroline Barron

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Land, Family, And Women In Medieval Rome: Reassessing A Mentor's Classic Article, Constance H. Berman

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Western News, May 25, 2006, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Review leads to sweeping changes in grad programs; Anonymous donor gives $2 million to fine arts; Provost Delene resigns; Shields is new business dean; On Campus with Vicky Meinema.

Faculty Retirement Recognition Dinner 2006, Western Michigan University

Faculty Recognition

Faculty Retirement Recognition Dinner Program

May 16, 2006

Honored Guests:

• Gregory W. Boothroyd
• Robert O. Brinkerhoff
• Rollin G. Douma
• Adrian E. Edwards
• Sandra J. Edwards
• Alonzo E. Hannaford
• Dona G. Icabone
• David K. Issacson
• F. William McCarty
• Janet I. Pisaneschi
• Mary E. Ross
• Linda Trotter-Heger
• Edo Weits
• William R. Wiener
• Lawrence A. Williams
• Benjamin C. Wilson

Western News, May 11, 2006, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Geological facility for state gets new home ; Campuswide diversity plan approved; Marie Stevens earns STAR Award; Szarmach garners more medieval honors; On Campus with Mat Kanan.

Prism #16, May 2006, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.