Digital Commons Network^™

Toward A Comprehensive Model Of Parent-Teen Socialization: The Antecedents And Consequents Of Parent-Teen Interaction, Gregory L. Sanders

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Multiple Personality Disorder And Major Depression: A Comparative Study, Mary L. Wassink

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Computer-Aided Process Design For Waste Minimization, Konstadinos Abeliotis

Dissertations

Problems related to process design with environmental considerations have been studied in this dissertation. A new heuristic design methodology has been formulated with the objective of minimizing the adverse environmental impact of chemical processes.

This hierarchical methodology starts with the definition and analysis of a process flowsheet followed by quantification of the process environmental loads. The quantification of environmental loads is an essential aspect of this methodology, because it serves as the comparative measure for environmental performance.

If the calculated environmental loads do not satisfy the environmental constraints (e.g., regulatory limits), waste minimization is investigated in the following order:

• Pollution …

A Theoretical Analysis Of Volatile Contaminant Removal By The Pneumatic Fracturing Process, Yuan Ding

Dissertations

A mathematical model that simulates the process of contaminant removal from a pneumatically induced fracture within a porous medium is presented. It includes: (1) model development; (2) parameter evaluation; (3) statistical sensitivity analysis; and (4) model validation.

Based on the dual porosity approach, a mathematical model for a fractured porous formation is developed for both two dimensional and axial symmetrical cases. This model constitutes a pair of coupled partial differential equations for the porous medium and discrete fracture, respectively. The initial and boundary conditions have been determined based on field considerations of a soil vapor extraction system. By means of …

Assessing Pediatricians' Diagnostic Practices: An Analogue Study Of Responses To Adhd-Like Presentations In Preschoolers, Helle Augustesen

Dissertations

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been considered one of the most chronic behavior disorders observed in the preadolescent population and is one of the most frequently diagnosed childhood disorders in North America. Currently, however, there is little consistency in terms of identifying specific criteria which need to be present in a child's behavior to make a diagnosis of ADHD. This difficulty is even more pronounced in very young children of preschool age. This study utilized a three year old male child shown to 80 subjects on a videotape engaging in either a high or a low level of activity. …

Evaluation Of A Computer Simulation To Assess Subject Preference For Different Types Of Incentive Pay: Part Two, Stephen Mark Sundby

Dissertations

This study further investigated the use of a computer simulation to assess subject preference for different types of pay systems. Subjects were eight undergraduates recruited from psychology classes at Western Michigan University. The dependent variable was the subjects’ choice of pay system, either simulated hourly pay or base pay plus incentive. Simulated work performance was determined by the computer with 0.50 probability of low or high performance. For Experiment 1, the independent variable was the maximum amount of simulated pay that subjects could earn under each pay type. For Experiments 2 and 3, the independent variable was the percentage of …

Visual Pattern Recognition Using Neural Networks, Jenlong Moh

Dissertations

Neural networks have been widely studied in a number of fields, such as neural architectures, neurobiology, statistics of neural network and pattern classification. In the field of pattern classification, neural network models are applied on numerous applications, for instance, character recognition, speech recognition, and object recognition. Among these, character recognition is commonly used to illustrate the feature and classification characteristics of neural networks.

In this dissertation, the theoretical foundations of artificial neural networks are first reviewed and existing neural models are studied. The Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART) model is improved to achieve more reasonable classification results. Experiments in applying the …

Biodegradation Of Mixed Wastes : Basic Kinetics And Reaction Engineering For Cyclic Reactor Operation, Kung-Wei Wang

Dissertations

This study dealt with the determination of the detailed kinetics of the biodegradation of mixed substrates by pure cultures, and with reaction engineering studies of bioreactors employed in treatment of substitutable substrates under cyclic operation.

In the first part of the study the degradation of phenol and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) by two strains of Pseudomonas species was investigated. Strain P. putida 0 was found to be capable of utilizing both phenol and 4-CP as sole carbon and energy sources. This suggests that this strain follows the ortho-cleavage pathway for the aromatic ring. Strain P. putida N could grow on phenol, and …

Beliefs And Perceptions Of Michigan Superintendents Toward Females Advancing In The Ranks: Perspectives To Increase The Minority Pool, Dennis J. Stanek

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine potential factors which affect the advancement of females in the role of superintendent. With the research pointing to a variety of causes for the low percentage of female superintendents, the reason for this study was to make various groups in leadership positions aware of such factors.

Three research questions were studied:

1. Do practicing K-12 male superintendents in Michigan possess significantly different beliefs and perceptions toward female superintendents than do practicing female superintendents?

2. What experiences did the respondent have in working with a female superintendent?

3. What perceptions do K-12 superintendents …

Stress And Healthwellness, A Longitudinal Study, Howard Allen White

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to compare and examine the self-evaluated general health status of individuals in a five year longitudinal research study. Self-evaluations of health status have been shown to predict mortality, above and beyond the contribution to prediction made by indices based on the presence of health problems, physical disability, and biological or life-style risk factors.

The association between the stressful events of everyday living and the onset of the disease process suggests the importance of understanding the specific relationship under which stress is likely to result in illness. This research investigated the interrelationship of the different …

Toward A Biocritical Sociology, John Neuhaus

Dissertations

This dissertation is a critical discourse with three prominent trends in contemporary sociology. It is a critique of Emile Durkheim's admonition that sociological analysis, by definition, requires the exclusion of biological and psychological data. It shows, in contrast, that the exclusion of biosocial data removes vast sources of information which are useful and necessary in any interpretation of human behavior. This work also demonstrates that a biosocial perspective facilitates the development of a transcultural theory of human needs, which, if utilized, would enable sociologists to clarify a number of unproductive disciplinary conflicts concerning the definition and extent of social problems. …

Robust Approach To Object Recognition Through Fuzzy Clustering And Hough Transform Based Methods, Tianxiong Fu

Dissertations

Object detection from two dimensional intensity images as well as three dimensional range images is considered. The emphasis is on the robust detection of shapes such as cylinders, spheres, cones, and planar surfaces, typically found in mechanical and manufacturing engineering applications. Based on the analyses of different HT methods, a novel method, called the Fast Randomized Hough Transform (FRHT) is proposed. The key idea of FRHT is to divide the original image into multiple regions and apply random sampling method to map data points in the image space into the parameter space or feature space, then obtain the parameters of …

Literary Allusion And Myth In The Five Canonical Ancient Greek Novels, Edmund P. Cueva

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Leadership And Organizational Change: An Examination Of Superintendents, Theresa M. Sak

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Radical Scot: The Educational Ideas And Philanthropies Of William Maclure (1763-1840), Eleanor Nicholson

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Validation Of A Stress Scale For Asian American College Students And Variables Related To Their Perceptions Of Stress, Stephanie Falk

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Phenomenon Of Flow As Experienced By Classroom Teachers: Implications For Leadership Practice, Alyson B. Caouette Edd

Dissertations

The purposes of this qualitative study were to investigate the phenomenon of flow as experienced by classroom teachers and to determine the implications of the understanding of flow for leadership practice. The phenomenon of flow, as described by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, is reported to be experienced when individuals are engaged in activities that have (a) a balance of challenge and skills that can be varied and controlled, (b) a structure with clear goals, and (c) a structure that provides immediate and relevant feedback. The questions addressed within the study involved determining the specific experiences of classroom teachers of the phenomenon of …

Circulating Androgens And The Response To Stress, Elena W. Bingaman

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Histological And Immunohistochemical Analyses Of The Pulmonary Pathology That Occurs As A Direct Result Of Acute Lethal Graft-Vs.-Host Disease, Diane L. Workman

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Women And Men In Collaborative Working Partnerships: Connecting Two Disparate Modes Of Experience, Steven Blue Robbins Edd

Dissertations

This study provides an in-depth description of mixed gender working partnerships in a collaborative effort over a one year period. The research identified differences between men and women in mutually collaborative working partnerships at the undergraduate level in order to also discover what was productive or problematic between those women and men in the partnerships. The research studied twenty-two UCSD undergraduate women and men who worked together in partnerships with mutual goals. The research utilized phenomenological interviewing techniques. The focus was the perceptions and experiences of the participants. The interviews were designed to address two primary research questions: 1) What …

Experiences Of Moral Commitment: A Phenomenological Study, Suzanne West Macrenato Edd

Dissertations

This study's purpose was to increase understanding and meaning of the lived experience of moral commitment as practiced by participants at the time of the study, not in retrospective. Phenomenology was the research methodology selected to elicit participants' understanding of moral commitment through in-depth interviews. Study participants were referred using selection criteria which included: demonstration of sustained selfless service to others outside of one's work life and a demonstrated tendency to inspire others to engage in similar service. The four women and six men in the study, ranging from 33 to 78 years of age, represented blue-collar and professional occupations. …

The Transition Era In Medical Education: A Critical Period For Loyola University School Of Medicine, Lucy Smith Shaker

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Subjective Mental Health And The Interaction Of Biology And Environment In Personality, Stephen M. Gedo

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Investigation Of Self-Esteem, Achievement Motivation, Learning Style, And Parental Relationship Across Black And White Gifted/Talented Adolescent Groups, Michele Meaux

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cloning Of Multiple Novel Human Trinucleotide Repeat Containing Cdna's: A Novel Application Of Rapid Amplification Of Cdna Ends (Race), James P. Carney

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Amino Acids Relevant To Activity And Substrate Specificity Of The Human Dna Repair Protein 0-6-Methylguanine Dna Methyltransferase (Mgmt), Susan Elizabeth Morgan

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Ethanol On Growth Hormone And Prolactin Gene Expression In Male Rats, John James Tentler

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Perinatal Regulation Of A Novel Mouse Cytochrome P450 Induced By Pregnancy, Helen Lietz

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Proteolytic Processing Of The Murine Coronavirus Polymerase Polyprotein, Shanghong Dong

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Dexamethasone And Insulin Regulation Of Tumor Necrosis Factor And Interleukin 6 Production During Septic Shock, Elisabeth Lilli Hahn

Dissertations

No abstract provided.