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The Effectiveness Of The Adult Tutoring Program In Increasing Reading Levels Within The Kalamazoo Literacy Population: A Research Proposal, Sarah Beu

Honors Theses

Purpose: The results of this study will examine the effectiveness of the Adult Tutoring Program in increasing adult reading levels within the population served by the Kalamazoo Literacy Council (KLC). Method: The data in this study will be collected using a quantitative design comparing the reading levels of subjects who participated in the Adult Tutoring Program to those who dropped out of Program. The researcher will collect subjects' reading levels using the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE), and will compare subjects' previously reading levels (collected between 13 weeks and two years prior to implementation of this study) to their …

Effects Of Age On Induced Glaucoma In An In Vivo Rat Model, Robert Cox

Honors Theses

Previous in vitro studies from this lab have demonstrated that injection of a hypertonic saline solution into the episcleral vein of the rat’s eye mimics the effect of glaucoma. However, the age of the rat related to the amount of cell loss in the retina ganglion cell (RGC) layer is unknown. To address this issue, we propose to analyze the correlation of age and cell loss between 3-6 month and 1-year-old Long Evan rats. When inducing glaucoma in the Long Evan rats, the left eye in each rat was left untreated and used as an internal control. In the right …

Crizotinib: A Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, Graham Mclaren

Honors Theses

Crizotinib is a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is currently being marketed by Pfizer under the trade name Xalkori^®. After its development in 2005, an appropriate target was discovered in 2007. By 2011 the FDA had approved crizotinib for use in patients with ALK+ non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ALK+ NSCLC is caused by a genetic mutation that truncates and flips a section of the EML4 gene and attaches it to a section of the ALK gene. The result is the EML4-ALK oncogene. The resulting protein from this mutation is capable of undergoing ligand independent dimerization, …

Warning Signs: A Study In The Proximate Causes Of Genocide, Bradley Ryktarsyk

Honors Theses

This paper analyzes the cases of genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda as well as the humanitarian interventions in Kosovo and Libya to study the proximate causes of genocide. Proximate cause, defined as any event or condition, leading directly, or indirectly, to genocide, or the intervention by foreign powers, occurring within the immediate generation preceding the genocidal acts, or perceived threat thereof, is herein explored through Gregory Stanton’s “Eight Stages of Genocide” (1996). “The Eight Stages of Genocide” allows these cases to be examined through a preexisting, though imperfect, framework which compartmentalizes the process of genocide into stages allowing for analysis …

The Effect Of An Exercise Regimen On The Psychological Health Of Parkinson's Disease Patients, Alexander Stephens

Honors Theses

This paper reports a study on the effect of an exercise regimen on the psychological health of Parkinson's disease patients. The 11 participants of the study were Parkinson's disease patients who were participants of a six-week exercise program titled 'Delay the Disease,' which was specifically designed for Parkinson's disease patients. The participants of the study were given the Geriatric Depression Scale twice before the start of the exercise regimen, and once per week for the duration of the six-week exercise regimen. They were also given a quality of life questionnaire at the beginning and end of the regimen. The data …

Co And Cr Adsorption On Maghemite, Quartz, And Maghemite-Quartz Mixtures, Amy Troy

Honors Theses

In aquifers and other natural systems, single mineral systems are rare. Solids are commonly heterogeneous, containing multiple minerals, and mineral interactions are expected. Mineral interactions such as formation of coatings and physical blocking of adsorption sites have the potential to significantly change the adsorption of ions onto solids. To investigate such interactions, batch experiments using Co(II) or Cr(VI) were conducted to compare adsorption edges of these sorbates on pure and mixed mineral systems. Specifically, sorption of 10^-5 or 10^-6 M Co(II) and Cr(VI) was measured as a function of pH, with a background electrolyte concentration of 0.01 M …

Intraocular Pressure Measurements In A Rat Glaucoma Model, Michael Doyle

Honors Theses

The main objective of this study was to determine if consistent intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements could be obtained from an in vivo Long Evans rat glaucoma model. An increase in IOP is the primary risk factor associated with glaucoma and reliable IOP measurements would validate our in vivo glaucoma model that we are inducing in rats. The study used nine Long Evans rats. Three rats severed as controls, three received surgery to induce glaucoma and three were administered PNU-282987 neuroprotective eye drops and then surgery to induce glaucoma. IOP measurements were obtained by tapping the retina of the rat eye …

The Reaction Of Small States To The Advancement Of The People's Republic Of China In The South China Sea, Michael Miller

Honors Theses

This paper will outline the internal and external factors that have spurred the People's Republic of China (PRC) to issue strong rhetoric and naval expansion in the defense of their claims to territory in the South China Sea (SCS). An analysis of the PRC's posturing will provide the contextual background necessary for answering the following research question central to this paper. What strategies have relatively less capable states engaged in the region as a reaction to the advancing capacity of the PRC? The escalation of tensions between the PRC and other states in the region, namely , the Republic of …

Interdisciplinary Health Fair And The Tendencies Of Young Adults To Receive Follow-Up Health Care, Kaelyn Monroe

Honors Theses

The following proposal outlines the planning, implementation, and follow-up regarding an organized health fair that aims to promote healthy lifestyle in a minority population. The health fair will be conducted on October 9' 2012 at Climax Scott's Alternative High School. The populations addressed through this project include: 60 students ranging from 16-19 years of age, 30 individuals 19 years or older and 10 teachers. The health fair will be organized by three senior-level Bronson School of Nursing students: Alexandra Scheidt, Abby Smith, and Kaelyn Momoe. The thesis project committee consists of: Dr. Sally Vliem, Professor Wendy Kershner, and Professor Alice …

Interdisciplinary Health Fair And The Tendencies Of Young Adults To Receive Follow-Up Health Care, Alexandra Scheidt

Honors Theses

The following proposal outlines the planning, implementation, and follow-up regarding an organized health fair that aims to promote healthy lifestyle in a minority population. The health fair will be conducted on October 9' 2012 at Climax Scott's Alternative High School. The populations addressed through this project include: 60 students ranging from 16-19 years of age, 30 individuals 19 years or older and 10 teachers. The health fair will be organized by three senior-level Bronson School of Nursing students: Alexandra Scheidt, Abby Smith, and Kaelyn Momoe. The thesis project committee consists of: Dr. Sally Vliem, Professor Wendy Kershner, and Professor Alice …

Sisters Of The Spirit: Black Women In The Civil Rights Movement, Terra Warren

Honors Theses

No abstract available.

A Comparison Of Caregiver And Speech-Language Pathologist's Ratings Of Speech Outcome In Oral Cleft Clinic, Emily Swain

Honors Theses

Background: Cleft lip and/or palate is one of the most common congenital anomalies. The goal of treatment of cleft palate is normal speech, but a proportion of children with clefts exhibit speech disorders. Various outcome measures are used, but relatively few have focused on self-assessment or caregiver perception of outcome. The studies that have been done focus on comparing parents' and speech-language pathologists' ratings of speech outcome. These studies can be used to determine the degree to which caregivers are satisfied with speech outcome over time.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between speech ratings …

Investigations At The Fort St. Joseph Archeological Project Unit N25 W9, Erika Mammen

Honors Theses

The Western Michigan University Archaeological Field School is a program that allows students with an interest in Anthropology or History an opportunity to participate in a learning community devoted to the practice of archaeology. Since 2002 the field school has been held regularly at the site of historic Fort St. Joseph (20BE23). During the summer field season of 2011 I was a student archaeologist at Fort St. Joseph. For my honor’s thesis I am presenting a summary of my field experience and a discussion of my findings.

The purpose of this thesis is twofold. First, I aim to provide future …

Closing The Book On Libraries? Challenging The Idea That Libraries Are Obsolete And Discovering Why They Are More Important Now Than Ever Before, Kayla Hampton

Honors Theses

Libraries have been a part of civilization for thousands of years, but many people are beginning to believe that the information centers are becoming obsolete due to the Internet and other technological advancements. This thesis challenges that opinion by focusing on the past, present and future of libraries. In “The Past” section, the historical background of libraries is discussed, beginning with the first libraries in Greece during the fourth century B.C. to the first public library that opened in the United States, which was located in Peterborough, New Hampshire. During the portion of the thesis that discusses the challenges that …

Residential Treatment Of Adult Women With Eating Disorders, Chelsea Cook

Honors Theses

A qualitative-type study was done in which residents of a residential eating disorder facility were interviewed about their eating disorder and daily life in the treatment center. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics uses the Nutrition Care Process which includes Intervention amongst its four steps. This study will look at the intervention of nutrition education and counseling on these residents and relate it back to Social Learning theory.

Eight residents agreed to the study. All participants were female, and ages ranged from 18-38 with an average age of 24.75. The registered dietitian serving the residents was also interviewed. Interviews were …

The Forgotten Pandemic: A Short History Of The 1918-1919 Influenza Outbreak & The Effect On Kalamazoo And Western State Normal School, Katie Jones

Honors Theses

The influenza outbreak of 1918-1919 began its widespread destruction in September of 1918. Before the outbreak was over, more than twenty-five percent of the United States population became ill. However, the United States was not alone in this silent war. The influenza outbreak (named the “Spanish Flu” or “La Grippe” at this time) killed approximately fifty million people worldwide and is still considered to be the “world’s worst pandemic” since the onset of written history. The state of Michigan, including Kalamazoo and the campus of Western State Normal School were not immune to this highly contagious virus. From October 1918 …

Continuums: Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity Leadership Program, Jacob Smallegan

Honors Theses

In 2011, Western Michigan University was one of three Michigan universities to be ranked in the Top 25 Gay Friendly Universities according to Newsweek and the Daily Beast. This is not surprising considering WMU’s current 4.5 out of 5 score on the Campus Pride Index. The Campus Pride Index lists 362 universities and WMU is one of 22 with a score of 4.5. In the LGBT-Friendly Campus Report, there are only eight areas identified that are not currently in place at WMU, one of which is an LGBT studies program. I decided, given my interest in the Student Affairs …

Prevalence Of Pregnancy Folkloric Beliefs Among Nurse-Midwifery Client Populations, Iris Aleece Campbell

Honors Theses

OBJECTIVE: To explore prevalence of pregnancy related folklore beliefs by conducting a survey of CM/CNMs in the United States. Research questions included: What folklore beliefs are most commonly encountered by nurse-midwives? Does the prevalence of folklore beliefs differ by geography? Does the type of folklore beliefs differ by the ethnicity and culture of the nurse-midwifery clientele?

METHODS: After IRB and ACNM approval, a geographically diverse sample of 1,000 active CM/CNM members was sent an invitation email. The survey was developed following a literature review to include 12 pregnancy beliefs. Responders were asked to rate how frequently they heard each (never-I, …

Examining The Effects Of A Mirror On Imitation In Children With Autism, Chelsea Vanderwoude

Honors Theses

Those with autism often show deficits in imitation skills (Freitag, Kleser, & Gontardf, 2006; Killen & Uzgiris, 1981; Rogers, Bennetto, McEvoy, & Pennington, 1996; Stone, Ousley, & littleford, 1997). Previous research has suggested that imitation is a prerequisite for major developmental milestones including social communication skills. Past studies have shown Video Modeling to be an effective intervention for teaching imitation skills, especially Video Self Modeling (VSM). However, VSM can cost researchers a great deal of time and resources. The purpose of this study is to find a new intervention that applies the mechanisms of VSM, while expanding on past research. …

When Evil Met Science: Nazi Medicine And Eugenics, Ashley Corey

Honors Theses

During World War II, millions of innocent people were murdered in Nazi Germany. For Hitler and his followers, having a pure race meant having a strong, unified country, and Germany took this idea to extreme and disturbing lengths. Corruption filled the government at all levels. As physicians were the only people authorized to run the gas chambers, traditional healers became death symbols. The Nazis and their physicians used their power to manipulate and murder for the collective goals of the country, as well as the personal gains that came with the high-end job titles. As I reveal the history and …

How The Media Covers Lawmaking: The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act, Savannah Priebe

Honors Theses

The mass media holds extreme gatekeeping and framing functions. It is the media's ability to frame stories that tells viewers what to think about during a particular period of time, if not explicitly how to think about a topic. Over the course of health care reform in January of 2009 to April 2010 when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed, key concepts in news coverage were analyzed. The New York Times and The Houston Chronicle's articles at this time were researched in order to provide insight on the use of ideological bias in reporting on policy and …

Behavioral Intervention To Reinforce Correct Youth Employee Behavior At A Nonprofit Boy Scout Summer Camp: A Case Study, Joshua Kallen

Honors Theses

A reinforcement plan was implemented to improve employee adhesion to set parameters in performance at a 24-hour employment scenario. The reinforcement plan successfully negated the extinction effects of the contingency across the 4 week quasi-experimental period which showed improvement compared to qualitative baseline data. These findings suggest that the reinforcement plan, rather than punishment contingencies, is a more effective tool for encouraging employee participation in activities which participation is aversive.

The Effects Of Preprinted Versus Handwritten Safmeds On Fluency, Samantha Fodrocy

Honors Theses

Precision Teaching is an instructional evaluation technique used by educators to ensure that targeted skills are being achieved by learners (Moran & Malott, 2004). Say all fast a minute each day shuffled (SAFMEDS) is a specific PT influenced instructional strategy intended to develop fluency within timed trials (Eshleman, 2000). However, there is little empirical research related to the proposed effects of SAFMEDS. A recent study by Meindl and colleagues (in press) demonstrated the position of the text on SAFMEDS affected fluency. Results of this study suggest extraneous variables affect responding indicating a possible stimulus control issue. However, there were methodological …

Editor-In-Chief Of The Laureate, Andrea Walker

Honors Theses

The Laureate is an undergraduate literary journal that is distributed by the Lee Honors College (LHC) of Western Michigan University. It accepts submissions from all undergraduate students from Western. In fall 2012, I was selected as editor-in-chief of this operation with Becky Cooper as my faculty advisor. My first task was to create a team of assistant editors. The LHC and Sigma Tau Delta sent out emails that let students know of this opportunity. I interviewed several applicants before selecting three assistants. My next task was to create flyers let students know how to submit. I created the flyers myself …

Physical Activity In Health Profession Students, Sara Haller

Honors Theses

Physical inactivity is a major issue for college-aged students. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of text messages as an intervention to increase physical activity in students who attend classes at the College of Health and Human Services. Physical activity is bodily movement that requires the expenditure of energy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011a). A quasi-experimental study using a convenience sample was conducted in order to answer the research question. Students (n=134) were recruited from the College of Health and Human Services and were asked to fill out a demographics questionnaire and sign an …

Tendencies Of Young Adults To Receive Follow-Up Care, Abby Smith

Honors Theses

The following proposal outlines the planning, implementation, and follow-up regarding an organized health fair that aims to promote healthy lifestyle in a minority population. The health fair will be conducted on October 9^, 2012 at Climax Scott’s Alternative High School. The populations addressed through this project include: 60 students ranging from 16-19 years of age, 30 individuals 19 years or older and 10 teachers. The health fair will be organized by three senior-level Bronson School of Nursing students: Alexandra Scheidt, Abby Smith, and Kaelyn Monroe. The thesis project committee consists of: Dr. Sally Vliem, Professor Wendy Kershner, and Professor …

What Is Your Informatics Skill Level? The Reliability Of An Informatics Competency Measurement Tool Developed From Kaminski's Assessment Tool., Xiaomeng Sun

Honors Theses

Objectives: To determine the reliability of the nursing informatics self- assessment tool which was developed and extended from Kaminski’s assessment tool among health care students. It was hypothesized that there would be no significant difference in participant responses for a test/retest survey completed by nursing students. Methods: A survey was administered (N = 25) via a test/retest methodology at Western Michigan University. Results: For the majority of the statements, there were no significant differences between test and retest responses (p>0.05). Conclusions: The study showed that the majority of the statements were reliable. Recommendations related to the study were discussed.

The Gluten-Free Diet: An Effective Treatment For Autistic Spectrum Disorders?, Susanna Zammit

Honors Theses

In 2006, autism was recognized as a national problem due to a sharp increase in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Characteristics of autism include impairments in the areas of social interaction, communication, and play, while demonstrating restricted or repetitive interests and activities. Children diagnosed with ASDs may also develop angry outbursts or feeding difficulties. An estimated one-third of autistic children have a gastrointestinal (GI) disorder. Theories as to why GI distress is common with autism have resulted in the research of different therapeutic treatments. Most notably, researchers have completed studies on the gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet as a …

The Future Of Geography In Health Policy : The Applicability Of The Dartmouth Atlas To Health Reform In The United States, Catherine Chase Eager

Honors Theses

Regardless of political ideology, most policy makers agree that the United States health care system is severely flawed and significant reform is crucial.1 However, consensus ends there. Numerous reform efforts have been made over the past few decades, but the only major successful reform has been through the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March 2010.2 With each reform effort there are many conflicting proposals considered and much controversy arises. The Affordable Care Act, as the law is more commonly called, is a controversial law and does not have unanimous support.3 However, to many, this landmark …

Why Isn't China Exporting Automobiles? : A Model Of Technology Adoption, Nianchen Han

Honors Theses

In modern times, the automobile industry has become a relatively labor intensive industry as compared to other industries such as the food processing industry orIT industry. Normally, several people are involved in each process of an automobile production line. However, for a food processing firm such as a bottled water firm, it only takes a few people to control the huge machine in the factory. Under the Heckscher-Ohlin theorem’s assumption, a country will operate an industry that is intensive in its abundant resource. That means a labor abundant country will produce labor intensive goods and a capital abundant country will …