Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparison Of Computer-Assisted Instruction And Traditional Instruction In Braille Transcription, Susan Kay Vlahas Ponchillia

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the teaching effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) with the effectiveness of traditional instruction of braille transcription for sighted persons. Since the traditional method (TM) of teaching and learning braille transcription requires a great deal of time for both instructor and student, it was hoped that computer-assisted instruction would be as efficacious as the traditional method while shortening time requirements for instructor and student. A review of the literature revealed that computer-assisted instruction has been successfully used in teaching many subjects including languages, providing immediate feedback and reducing learning time. In studies where …

Mathematical Modeling Of Unsteady State Photo-Polymerization, Rong-Fa Liang

Dissertations

Mathematical modeling of unsteady state photopolymerization in an isothermal batch reactor has been investigated. An analytical solution of the distribution of active polymers as a function of reaction time has been determined. It is verified that the quasi-stationary state approximation is valid in the photopolymerization process.

The free radical polymerization of styrene is forced periodically by on-off UV light regulation to the reactor. The effect of operating condition, the ratio of light-off period to light on/off period, on the polydispersity and molecular weight distribution are theoretically and numerically investigated. Significant broadening on molecular weight distribution can be obtained during the …

Mathematical Modeling Of Distillation Operation From Non-Equilibrium Approach, Wen-Dow Pan

Dissertations

A new method for mathematical modeling of a distillation operation from non-equilibrium approach has been studied. The primary purpose of the study was to develop a model to simulate the mechanism of mass transfer between a continuous phase and the bubbles of a dispersed phase in a distillation column. The second major purpose of this work was to utilize and test the model of estimating the tray efficiency.

Distillation was considered to be purely a mass transfer process, where the less volatile component is transferred from vapor to liquid phase, and the more volatile component from liquid to vapor phase. …

The Chromatic And Cochromatic Number Of A Graph, John Gordon Gimbel

Dissertations

Clearly, there are many ways that one can partition the vertex sets of graphs. In the first chapter of this work I examine the problem of determining, for a given graph, the minimum order of a vertex partition having specified properties. In the remaining chapters I concentrate on partitions of two types--those in which each subset induces an empty graph and those in which each subset induces an empty or a complete graph.

The chromatic number of a graph G is the minimum number of subsets into which V(G) can be partitioned so that each subset induces an empty graph. …

Geographic Place Location Knowledge: An Empirical Investigation Into The Performance Of University Undergraduate Students As A Result Of Cognitive Theory Based Instruction, Sharafat Khan

Dissertations

The major purpose of the study was to determine the effects of cognitive based Atlas Exercises and cognate materials (films, data sheets, readings from a geography book, regional examinations and map tests, book reviews, transparencies, a map module, wall maps, and slides) on the geographic place location knowledge of undergraduate university and/or college students. The research sample (n = 371) consisted of students enrolled in introductory geography courses located in three institutions of higher education in Michigan. Three researcher designed survey instruments were utilized for data collection: Background Data Questionnaire, Map Location Test I, and Map Location Test II. These …

A Study Of The Work Values And Achievement Motivation Of Persons Eligible For Federal Job Training Programs In A Rural Service Delivery Area, John Desiderio

Dissertations

The focus of this study was an analysis of the work values and achievement motivation of persons eligible to participate in federal job training programs in a rural region in west central Michigan. Also under review were the possible differentiating effects of select biodemographic and educational variables (sex, age, years of formal education completed, and level of scholastic achievement) on the work values and achievement motivation of persons within this population. Finally, the study contained an examination of the relationship between achievement motivation and work values.

The subjects under study were 167 individuals (85 males and 82 females) who qualified …

A Comparative Analysis Of Faculty Perceptions Of Institutional Goals And Environments At Two Campuses Of A State University, Sarah A. Crawford

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of School Resources On Elementary Students' Achievement In Reading And Mathematics In A Selected Wisconsin School District, Susan. O'Brien

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Leader Behavior Of Principals In Securing, Utilizing, And Maintaining Community Participation In The Design And Implementation Of Alternative Educational Programs, Seymour Miller

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ovid's Epyllia: Genres Within A Genre, Marilyn Pechillo

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Development Of West Indies College, 1907-1960: A Historical Study, Anthon C. Francis

Dissertations

Problem

There is no written history of West Indies College (WIC). What little is cited in periodicals, magazines, Palm Leaves, and other sources about this institution is insignificant, incomplete, and sometimes incorrect. For over half a century, WIC has been preparing workers for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Until 1984, however, no comprehensive history was written on the development of this important institution of higher learning.

Method

The documentary-historical method was employed in this research. Books, periodicals, school bulletins, unpublished manuscripts, board minutes, school reports and agendas, school calendars, private files, correspondence, and other relevant documents as well as oral interviews …

The Relationship Of Self-Concept, Sex, Age, Major, Anxiety, Mathematics Background, And Mathematics Ability To The Level Of Mathematics And Statistical Anxiety Among College Juniors, David John Maysick

Dissertations

Problem. One's choice of career has significant effect upon one's future life in terms of earning potential and social interaction. Mathematics/statistical anxiety and the mathematics avoidance often accompanying such anxiety, can influence career choice, causing otherwise talented people to limit their future. The purpose of this study was to determine from selected variables--particularly self-concept--which, if any, were related to the problem of mathematics and/or statistical anxiety.

Method. The statistical sample used was 350 juniors. Stratification was by degree of mathematics content in subject's major field of study. For the study, subjects had to be in the same major category as …

An Investigation Of The Reliability Of Decision-Making In Educational Planning Teams, Larry J. Powitz

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Indonesia Union College : A Historical Study Of A Seventh-Day Adventist Institution, Rajoaman Nainggolan

Dissertations

Problem

The first Seventh-day Adventist training school established in Indonesia was the Netherlands East Indies Training School (Indonesia Union College after 1962) founded in 1929. The school has since grown considerably and achieved university status, but no comprehensive history of it has been written. This lack points to a need for a systematic examination of the development of Seventh-day Adventist higher education in Indonesia. This study reconstructs the history of this institution from 1929 to 1970.

Method

The documentary-historical method, based on published and unpublished materials, was used. Materials included books, periodicals, school bulletins, minutes of the Indonesia Union Mission, …

A Direct, Two-Dimensional Scaling Of The Items From Selected Measures Of Psychological Masculinity-Femininity, Steven P. Nestler

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Practices And Procedures Utilized To Determine Elementary Principals' Salaries In Selected School Districts Of Lake County, Illinois, Lawrence M. Baskin

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Supplemental Ability Of "Thinking-Aloud" Data In The Psychometric Assessment Of Aptitude Measures, Ann Reed Gaines

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Three Theoretical Frameworks For Grief Counseling Of A Bereaved Spouse: Psychoanalytic, Humanistic, And Behavioristic, Nancy Giblin

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Group Career Counseling For Adults: The Relationship Between Participant Involvement And Subsequent Level Of Job Satisfaction And Career/Educational Plans, David P. Helfand

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Italian Philosophers Of Education, 1945-1965, Charles Robert Wolf

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Longitudinal Impact Of A Small, Religiously Oriented, Liberal Arts College On The Dogmatism And Selected Value Related Attitudes And Behaviors Of Its Graduates, James Hume Barnes

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Kindergarten Admission Procedures In Independent Schools With Suggested Guidelines, Barbara B. Judy Edd

Dissertations

The purposes of this research were to (a) define the procedures used in evaluating children for admission to independent school kindergartens, (b) to investigate selected variables and ascertain their significance in the admissions process and, (c) to formulate guidelines for assessing applicants to independent school kindergartens. Subjects were 119 randomly selected independent school admissions officers and 11 professors in universities in the United States. Data were gathered from the subjects through a 25 item survey instrument designed by the researcher. The chi-square statistical analysis procedure was used to measure the significance of differences between groups on the research questions. The …

Decentralized Optimal Control With Application To Dynamic Routing In Computer Communication Networks, Ning Wang

Dissertations

This research considers the dynamic routing problem of computer communication networks in the framework of decentralized control theory. The routing dynamics are modeled in terms of a state equation with multiple controllers. Routing, or control of message flow, is formulated as an optimal control problem with multiple decision makers. Each decision maker may have access to different set of information and work cooperatively to optimize a common system performance index.

Necessary and sufficient conditions for optimality are derived for a system with a deterministic and a stochastic traffic patterns under a linear information structure and a quadratic performance index. The …

On Isomorphic Decompositions Of Graphs, Sergio Ruiz

Dissertations

A decomposition of a nonempty graph G is a collection of subgraphs G(,1), G(,2), ... , G(,k) of G such that their edge sets form a partition of the edge set of G. If G(,i) is isomorphic to a fixed graph H for each i, then G has an isomorphic decomposition into the graph H or, equivalently, G is H-decomposable. Several topics, each concerning isomorphic decompositions, are investigated in this dissertation.

An historical introduction to the subject of isomorphic decompositions is given in Chapter I. We also present there some new information on finding regular graphs that are H-decomposable for …

Mathematical Models Of Unsteady Operation Of A Packed Column, Jen-Fu Chao

Dissertations

Analytical solutions of differential equations applicable to extraction, ion exchange, or adsorption processes in packed beds are presented. Results are given for three different cases. The first case accounts for adsorption phenomena only. The second one includes surface adsorption on particles and the effects of longitudinal dispersion in the bed. The third one deals with diffusion in particles and longitudinal dispersion in the bed. In the mathematical modelling of these three cases, a linear equilibrium relationship between the solute in the liquid phase and solute in the solid phase is used. The first case is solved using the single boundary …

The Relationship Between Systems Theory And Behavior Analysis, Michael B. Oberlin

Dissertations

This paper provides a conceptual framework which clarifies the relationship between General Systems Theory and Behavior Analysis. This framework is supplied by a theoretical notion borrowed from Simon (1962), the notion of "dynamics of interaction." "Interaction" refers to interaction between the units of analysis of science, e.g., in the analysis of behavior, stimuli, responses, and consequences in economics, units of supply and demand. The paradigm of Behavior Analysis is seen to accommodate a "higher-frequency dynamics" found in subsystems; and General Systems Theory, along with disciplines like Economics and Organizational Analysis, accommodates a "lower-frequency dynamics" found in systems. Argument is based …

Parameter Optimization Using A Hierarchical System Of Learning Automata, Brian T. Mitchell

Dissertations

Many problems in adaptive control, pattern recognition, filtering, identification, and artificial intelligence can be viewed as parameter optimization problems. The learning automation approach to these problems has two distinct advantages over the classic hill climbing methods: (1) the parameter space need not be metric and (2) a global rather than local optimum can be found. Unfortunately, these advantages do not come without corresponding difficulties, namely the problem of high dimensionality. A hierarchical system of learning automata has been used to reduce this problem somewhat, but inefficiencies still remain since the current hierarchical system was balanced and static hierarchical learning automaton …

Optimization Of A New Linear Fm Detector Using Digital Signal Processing Techniques, Edward J.A. Kratt

Dissertations

This dissertation describes and synthesizes a new member of the family of FM detectors introduced earlier by Klapper and Kratt. A salient property of these detectors is low delay with excellent sensitivity. The emphasis in the new detector is on the ease of digital implementation. In addition, the new detector is also extremely linear. In congruence with the other Klapper-Kratt detectors, it makes use of zero group delay elements, balance at RF, quasi-synchronous detection and carrier cancellation. The Performance of the detector is mathematically analyzed under the conditions of a modulated input wave, sinewave [sic] interference, and noise. The results …

The Effect Of Ultrasound On The Hydrolysis Of Carbohydrates, Adel A. Khamis

Dissertations

Acid hydrolysis of dextran and cellulose were studied with and without irradiation with ultrasonic waves of different frequencies (17 - 150 KHz), and powers (0.4 - 200 w/cm²). In the case of both materials, the hydrolysis reaction was found to be first order with respect to the activity of hydrogen ions in the reaction medium. Weight average molecular weight was evaluated at different durations of the reaction course. The reaction rate of dextran was found to be proportional to the weight average molecular weight raised to the power 4/3, and raised to the power 4 for cellulose.

The …

Application Of Fuzzy Theory To Pattern Recognition, David Usechak

Dissertations

Piecewise curve approximation is used to describe boundaries of objects in pictures and waveforms. The method consists of linear and quadratic piecewise polynomial approximations in which the error must not exceed a predetermined cost threshold. A fuzzy Bayes model is used to determine if a breakpoint exists within an interval I_n or between intervals I_n and I_n+1 and to determine whether these intervals can be merged for data compaction reasons. In order to achieve these objectives a new fast algorithm has been proposed which gives good curve/object fitting. This algorithm uses a technique for generating generalized inverse …