Digital Commons Network^™

Family Structure And Attachment And Their Role In Reducing Delinquency In The African American Family, Kiesha Warren

Dissertations

The study uses data from the over sampling of African American youth (4,808) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to explore the relationship between family structure, attachment and their role in reducing delinquency. Using theelement of attachment from Hirschi’s (1969) social control theory, this study examines the historical development of the various family structures and the role attachment plays in reducing delinquency in those family structures. The study uses structural equation modeling to test this hypothesis. This study shows that when attachment is present regardless of the family structure delinquency will be reduced.

A New Type Of Particle Detector For Nuclear Scattering Experiments, Philip Ugorowski

Dissertations

A new detector was needed for counting recoil protons resulting from proton-proton (pp) elastic scattering during pion production experiments by the Polarized Internal Target Experiments (PINTEX) group at Indiana University Cyclotron Facility (IUCF). The previous silicon detectors were only usable forincoming protons up to 9 MeV, and a stopping power of at least 40 MeV was needed. In addition, the detector had to operate in nanotorr vacuum, and near strong varying magnetic fields, ruling out standard organic plastic scintillators and photomultiplier tubes. We needed to find the most suitable inorganic scintillator and another method of detecting the photons produced when …

Substance Abuse Treatment: Substance Abuse Counselors' Belief Systems And How These Beliefs Impact Treatment, Ann Crabb

Dissertations

The treatment of substance abuse is an anomaly within the mental health field. Historically, the treatment of addicted people has relied more on the personal experiences of those who have recovered than empirical findings (Shaffer, 1987). The founding of Alcoholics Anonymous sparked the creation of a belief system regarding substance abuse and recovery that, despite contradictory research findings, remains strong today (McElrath, 1997). This study was conducted to explore the belief systems of both recovering and nonrecovering substance abuse counselors today to determine what their beliefs are, how these beliefs were formed, and whether their belief system has changed over …

Ideology Or Insanity? Media Presentation Of Ted Kaczynski And Tim Mcveigh, Matthew P. Sheptoski

Dissertations

This dissertation explores mainstream media presentation of two convicted murderers: Theodore J. Kaczynski, otherwise known as "The Unabomber," and Timothy J. McVeigh, found guilty of the 1995 destruction of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. More specifically, I analyze The New York Times's and Time's presentation of these two actors in order to assess whether their acts were attributed to political and ideological motivation or psychological abnormality and mental illness. Quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that Kaczynski's crimes were more likely to be attributed to psychological abnormality and mental illness, while McVeigh's crimes were more likely to be …

The Taiwan Issue In Sino-Japanese Relations In The 1990'S, Melanie Kintz

Masters Theses

The Taiwan issue did not figure prominently in the relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Japan between the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations in the 1970s and the early 1990s; other issues dominated and shaped the relationship. However, in the 1990s the Taiwan question re-emerged as a source of disturbance in the relationship between the PRC and Japan. Especially during the so-called missile crisis of 1995-1996, the Taiwan issue was pushed into the world media's center of attention and significantly affected the dynamics of the Sino-Japanese relationship. What accounts for this observable change in the importance of …

Metal Ion Separation Mediated By Organized Molecular Assemblies, Hong Cao

Masters Theses

We have investigated the separation of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) by the ligands 8-hydroxyquinoline- 5-sulfonic acid and 7-iodo-8-hydroxy-quinoline- 5-sulfonic acid in the presence of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the cationic surfactant octyltrimethylammonium bromide (OTAB) . Baseline separations have been achieved by HPLC employing an octadecylsilanized silica (ODS) column. The underlying mechanisms of separation have been determined.

The significant new results of our studies are: (1) separation is not possible without the presence of surfactants and hence organized assemblies; (2) separations can be achieved under submicellar concentrations; (3) the separations are not driven by micelles; and …

The Development Of Occupational Therapy In Kenya, Mindy C. Owens

Masters Theses

Occupational therapy is a profession that is growing throughout the world. Kenya is one country in which occupational therapy is fairly well established. The purpose of this study was to document how occupational therapy has evolved over recent years. A major focus of this study was to identify the educational levels of occupational therapists in Kenya, types of practice settings, prominent diagnoses of patients treated, utilization of rehabilitation services, current trends and practice in occupational therapy, and acquisition, use, and maintenance of adaptive equipment.

The Development of Occupational Therapy in Kenya survey was sent to 28 practicing occupational therapists in …

Western News, July 11, 2002, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Faculty concerts part of annual music student seminar schedule
Administrative changes announced, Holistic health is seminar topic, VP tapped for two-year NSF post, Two WMU-produced jazz CDs get kudos from journal critic
Time turns to WMU experts, Academic calendar changes put end to campus 'winter', Gary Fund spring drive reaches record total of more than $750,000 for athletic support, Diane Swartz gets nod as new VP for student affairs.

Communicator Vol. 1, No. 1, School Of Communication

Communicator: School of Communication Newsletter

External Advisory Group to assist Department of Communication; Notes from the Chair; New Faculty/Faculty Retirements/Faculty Honors/Faculty In Print; Common Ground Grant; Students in the News, Ethics Bowl Team Victorious

Western News, June 20, 2002, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: WMU archaeological team finds evidence of multiple area locations for Ramptown, GOP primary debate will be held July 2 on WMU campus, DeVos pediatric specialist named director of Sindecuse, Bedrosian gets three-year NIH grant to study communication theory, ACA is University's newest aviation partner, Four Staff Service Excellence winners named, Mangla's trip to Pakistan falls victim to political unrest there, Wireless education; University's use of technology are engineering conference topics, On Campus with Ray Wolfram, More than 1,500 will get degrees in June 29 ceremonies at Miller, Juneteenth celebration slated for June 23, WMU professors chronicle rise and …

Don't Worry... It [Corn] Won't Kill You: The Starlink Crisis, Kelly J. Price

Honors Theses

What would you do ... if someone told you that the food you just ate was not safe for human consumption? In 1999, consumers across the nation were faced with this fear and began to second-guess the food they had been accustomed to eating for years. After Kraft Foods' Taco Bell taco shells were recalled in September for containing traces of StarLink corn, a genetically modified corn hybrid not approved for human consumption, consumer confidence in U.S. corn by-products decreased and manufacturer credibility dwindled (Aventis stops, 2000). People wanted to know who to blame for the apparent food contamination problem. …

The Link Between Smoking And Body Weight Among Adolescents, Tracey Barnett

Dissertations

Trends in smoking rates among adolescents indicate that white females generally smoke more than their adolescent counterparts, the only substance in which this occurs. Another trend in which white females far outnumber any other adolescent group is eating disorders. This study was conducted to assess the relationship between cigarette smoking and perception of weight among adolescents. A logistic regression model was constructed to test the relationship using the Adolescent Health Public Dataset. For females, there was a link between cigarette smoking and perception of overweight which was not found among the males. Similarly, white females had a significantly higher rate …

What Have They Told Us About Gangs? A Content Analysis Of Twentieth Century Texts On U.S. Gangs, Douglas Lee Gilbertson

Dissertations

Inspired by a scholarly desire to understand and explain things, formal theoretical explanations for the social problem of gangs have been around just about as long as gangs themselves. This is an inductive content analysis of the texts within twentieth century works explaining gangs. This study explores those explanations as social artifacts and analyzes the text within them in order to identify textual similarities. This is accomplished by consolidating codified text or words until typologies of abstract theoretical concepts are revealed. The purpose of this study is to identify probable causal factors for gang formation and gang joining behavior that …

Assessment Of The Discriminative Stimulus Effects Of (±)-3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Mdma, "Ecstasy") And (+Lysergic Add Diethylamide (Lsd) In A Three-Lever Drug Discrimination Procedure, Amy K. Goodwin

Dissertations

(±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a common drug of abuse known as "ecstasy." Currently, MDMA is classified into the traditional drug classes as both a "stimulant" and a "hallucinogen" because it is reported to share both subjective and physiological properties of both classes. MDMA is thought to produce its psychoactive effects by acting as both a serotonin and a dopamine agonist. However, the relative importance of the serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter systems in mediating the stimulus properties of MDMA remains unclear.

The drug discrimination assay is used to classify drugs as "similar" or "dissimilar," as well as to examine underlying neurochemical changes …

A Small Flaw Translates Into Many Miscalculations: A Narrative Criticism Of The Intel Pentium Chip Crisis, Christine H. Hoek

Masters Theses

This study uses the Intel Pentium chip crisis of 1994 to gain an understanding of how technology issues are socially constructed in contemporary American public discourse. Two primary and competing narratives were discovered. First, Intel's narrative minimized the problem and argued that chip flaws are commonplace and the company would replace the chips for anyone who could "prove" the need for a replacement. The consumer' s narrative, conversely, was one in which customers asserted that Intel's policy was paternalistic and instead demanded the replacement of their chips. The narratives were analyzed as the crisis moved through five primary events, with …

Playing The Game: Exploring Dialectical Tensions And Co-Cultural Communication Strategies Of Black Males In Predominantly White Organizational Structures, Mark C. Hopson

Masters Theses

As non-dominant group members enter and attempt to succeed within the United States' organizational structures, there continues to be a need for scholarly examination concerning how their communication is impacted by culture and power. This thesis focuses specifically on how discourse is influenced by these factors. It is an exploration of the dialectical tensions that beset the communication of African American males whose interactive success or failure in academic and professional organizations is often associated with the historical differences of culture and power. A review of existing literature addresses the communication dilemmas and co-cultural strategies that "outsiders within" (Collins, 1986), …

The Adjustment Problems Of African Students At Western Michigan University, Apollos Bitrus Goyol

Dissertations

There are more international students enrolled in colleges and universities in the U.S. than in any other country as reported by the Institute of International Education. In the 2000/01 school year, the institute estimated that 547,867 international students were studying in the U.S. Most of these students, 302,058 (55%) came from countries in Asia; and 80,584 (14.7%) came from Europe. Latin America had 63,634 (11.6%); followed by the Middle East, with 36,858 (6.7%); Africa, with 34,217 (6.2%); North America, with 25,888 (4.7%), and Oceania, with 4,624 (.8%). Ten students were Stateless. As a response to the high number of international …

Parties And Realignment: The President’S Role In Political Party Realignment, Kevin B. Dockerty

Masters Theses

Using "The Youth-Parent Socialization Panel Study" that covers 1965-1982, the role of individual presidential candidates in bringing about changes in mass partisanship and party realignment is studied. Previous research has ignored the role of popular, prestigious, charismatic presidential candidates shaping and changing citizens' partisanship. Historical political party realignments guide my research in showing the strong influence of the chief executive in realignment periods.

Following the work of Niemi and Jennings (1991) I expand on their issue model explaining partisan choice by creating a candidate-issues model to provide a more complete explanation of party identification. I specifically look at the presidential …

Faculty Retirement Recognition Dinner 2002, Western Michigan University

Faculty Recognition

Faculty Retirement Recognition Dinner Program

May 30, 2002

Honored Guests:

• Dale M. Brethower
• Mary Anne V. Bunda
• Seamus A. Conney
• Loren D. Crane
• Ronald A. Crowell
• Richard J. Dieker
• Jay Easwaran
• Jeffrey B. Gardiner
• Earl E. Halvas
• R. Dean Kaul
• Diann J. Miller
• Thomas F. Pagel
• Karen K. Seelig
• Thomas H. Seiler
• John F. Shaw
• Nancy H. Steinhaus
• Ralph K. Steinhaus
• Morton O. Wagenfeld

Western News, May 9, 2002, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Mesaba expands aviation hiring agreement, Next WMU Board of Trustees meeting1 is set For May 17, Dutch-American artist uses chainsaw to take wood carving to new heights for sake of art, New Udall scholar is WMU's third student to nab prestigious environmental award, Youth Arts Festival; Gilmore event join forces, YWCA to honor three from WMU at 'Women of Achievement' event, Newly retired Seiler feted by medievalists for lifetime's work, Copeland leads U.S. Latvians, Brigham, Wiest join staff in key campus catering and conference service roles, On Campus with Connie Bashaw, Fulbright awards take two to distant lands.

Chapter 11 Of Nafta V. U.S. Democracy, Cara Mroczek

Honors Theses

The roots of the democratic system in the United States are deeply embedded within the compelling language of the Declaration of Independence. This document is still held on high regard for the inspiration it has provided to the development of democratic institutions and ideals. The creation of United States democracy was founded on the principles outlined in this historic document "that certain truths are self-evident, that people are created equal, that they are endowed with inalienable rights, that governments derive their power from the consent of the governed and that the purpose of government is to protect these rights." These …

Sojourner Truth: A Video Essay, Christina Laemers

Honors Theses

To hear people talk about Sojourner in areal context, with real stories from her days in Battle Creek gives the story the human element that eluded me for quite a time. Though my story changed its focus several times, the meaning of the project was always in the back of my mind. I really had to struggle to keep it in focus as time went on and the project began to grow exponentially.

Improving The Campus Sustainability Assessment Process, Andrew Nixon

Honors Theses

The human enterprise is rapidly overwhelming the Earth’s ecological systems and draining its natural resources. According to Vitousek et al., as much as one-half of the planet’s land surface has been transformed by human activity; more than half of the world’s available fresh water is used by humans; and a quarter of the planet’s bird species have been driven to extinction by human activity (Vitousek et al, 1997). These and many other negative trends pose catastrophic implications for the future of our species and for the planet’s other inhabitants.

30th Conference On Senior Engineering Design Projects, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

Senior Engineering Design Conference

The 30th Conference on Senior Engineering Design Projects was held on April 16, 2002 at the College of Engineering and applied Sciences on the Parkview Campus of Western Michigan University. The college sponsors the conference to showcase the work of its graduating seniors, who are required to complete a capstone project that puts into practice what they have learned. Many of the projects are sponsored by business and industry.

Libraries Are People, Joseph G. Reish

Gatherings: Friends of the University Libraries Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Changing The Face Of Reading Instruction: Recommendations Of Six National Reading Reports, D. Ray Reutzel, Parker C. Fawson

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

In the past several years, a number of reading research reports have been published in an effort to bring an end to the "reading wars" and to inform teachers and administrators about the essential aspects of effective, comprehensive reading instruction. This study analyzes, summarizes, categorizes, and compares the instructional recommendations for providing effective, comprehensive reading instruction from six widely disseminated and influential national reading research reports. It provides a comprehensive listing, identification of themes, and areas of common ground among the more than 231 separate reading instructional recommendations found within the six national reading research reports analyzed.

A Lesson Before Prying: Invitation To Inquiry Within A Collaborative Community Of Literacy Educators, Nancy L. Williams, Mary Lou Morton

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

A university-school collaborative, responding to the many challenges of urban educators, including high-stakes testing, invited the authors to improve literacy instruction. The authors chronicle their initials steps of this action research. Their lesson before prying into the teaching and learning lives of the stakeholders of the learning community indicated that the teachers a) used professional vocabulary that often conflicted with classroom practices, b) expressed interest in improving instruction, and c) highly value their students.

Reading Horizons Vol. 42, No. 4

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 42, issue 4.

Ladies' Library Associations Of Michigan: Women, Reform, And Use Of Public Space, Sharon Carlson

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the ladies' library associations in Southwestern Michigan from the middle nineteenth century through the early twentieth century to explore the impact of these organizations as agents of reform and in shaping public space. Ladies' library association records provide a major component of this study. Association records, consisting of constitutions, bylaws, minutes, treasurer records, book catalogs, yearbooks, and published reports yield valuable information to analyze and interpret the activities of ladies' library associations. Plat maps, panoramic maps, photographs, architectural drawings, and tax records offer evidence about the built environment and material culture of ladies' library associations. The actual …

Rheology Of Silica Based Inkjet Coatings And Their Filterability, Peeyush Tripathi

Masters Theses

Coating rheology has long been understood to be a key factor in the smooth operation and performance of a coater. As coaters run faster and formulations become more complex, the demands on a coating's rheology grow more stringent.

Silica based coating formulations present unique rheological challenges, thus providing the opportunity for coating formulators to improve their performance through rheological studies under various conditions of shear. Due to rheological restrictions (gelling), silica based coatings are generally applied at 25-26% solids which is very low as compared to calcium carbonate or clay based coating, at 68-70% solids. Consequently, any improvement in coatings …