Digital Commons Network^™

"So God-Damned Far Away": Soldiers' Experiences In The Vietnam War, Tara M. Bell

Honors Theses

This paper is based off of a collection of Vietnam War letters that I processed at the Western Michigan University Archives and Regional History Collections. They are all written to a local woman, Carol, by five soldiers, named Mitch, Dennis, Ron, Willis, and Kenneth. Carol’s responses are not included in the collection.

Carol, Mitch, and Willis all graduated in the same class from Vicksburg High School. From using databases and yearbooks, I learned that Carol knew each of the soldiers from organizations they both belonged in. Although I could not exactly determine how Carol knew Ron and Kenneth, it seems …

Change In First-Year Women's Body Dissatisfaction In Relation To Drive For Thinness And Social Body Comparison, Marie L. Chardon

Honors Theses

Drive for thinness (DT) and social body comparison (SBC) have been highly correlated with body dissatisfaction, a robust risk factor for eating disorders; however, there is little understanding of how these two variables relate to increases in body dissatisfaction over time. In the present study, I investigated how high initial levels of DT and SBC correlate with changes in body dissatisfaction and ideal body by surveying 110 first-year women at the beginning and end of their first semester. There was no significant relationship between high initial DT and SBC and changes in either body dissatisfaction or ideal body. However, high …

Behavioral Economics And Physician Behavior, Allyssa S. Ward

Honors Theses

This study seeks to answer whether the availability heuristic leads physicians to utilize more medical care than is economically efficient. Do rare, salient events alter physicians' perceptions about the probability of patient harm? Do these events lead physicians to overutilize certain medical procedures? This study uses Pennsylvania inpatient hospital admissions data from 2009 aggregated at the physician level to investigate these questions. The data come from the 2009 Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4).

The study is divided into two parts. In Part I, we examine whether bad outcomes during childbirth (defined as maternal mortality, an obstetric fistula or …

Thought-Action Fusion And Neutralization Behavior, Angela L. Foster

Honors Theses

This study presents a new inventory to assess thought-action fusion (TAF). 160 college students ages 18 to 22 (M = 19.17, SD = 1.11) completed the new Modified Thought Action Scale (MTAFS). Results indicated high internal consistency in the MTAFS (Cronbach’s α = .95). A principal component analysis suggested a three factor solution of TAF-Moral (TAFM), TAFLikelihood (TAFL), and TAF-Harm avoidance-Positive (TAFHP) all with eigenvalues above 1, and factor loadings above .4. A second study examined the association between TAF, obsessivecompulsive and anxiety tendencies after the activation of TAF-like thought processes in a nonclinical sample (n=76). Subjects were randomly assigned …

Double Take Project: Using Applied Theatre For Campus Climate Change, Christina M. Cody

Honors Theses

Despite research gathered in the Campus Climate Report, I believe that it underrepresented the student experience of the social scene. The document primarily served as an identification tool for four major problems on campus: binge drinking, sexual assault, diversity, and disengagement in the classroom. Double Take Project also identifies similar issues however, this project uses theatrical techniques to gather the anecdotal reality of the student perspective. Double Take Project expands beyond the Campus Climate Report to inspire dialogue in a variety of student-to-student interactions and, more importantly, the project seeks action and solution plans.

The social scene dominates our culture …

Catalyst Studies With Implications On The Design And Fabrication Of Microreactors, Eric Snider

Honors Theses

Biodiesel, or fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), 'is a potential alternative, renewable fuel source to lessen foreign fuel dependency. Dr. Frank Jones' microreactor research group is investigating the use of microreactors to produce biodiesel. Microreactors can increase reaction rates, heat transfer, and lessen production costs due to their small size. The first generation of microreactors, coated with a nickel oxide (NiO) catalyst, has been developed and needs to be tested to determine their performance. Also, a catalyst study comparing NiO and platinum oxide (PtO2) will be performed to find the better catalyst for FAME production.

The Effect Of Phosphite On Mycorrhiza Formation In American Chestnut (Castanea Dentata), Matthew T. Perkins

Honors Theses

One of the primary hindrances to Castanea dentata restoration in the Southeast is the root rot disease caused by the fungus-like microorganism Phytophthora cinnamomi. Root rot can be combated by the application of mono- and di-potassium salts of phosphorous acid, which are marketed as phosphite fungicides. Despite its value in preventing infection by P. cinnamomi it is also thought that phosphite may impede root colonization by beneficial, ectomycorrhizal fungi. I hypothesized that plants given a routine application of phosphite will display fewer mycorrhizas in the root tips than those plants that were not treated with potassium phosphite. Therefore I attempted …

Sedimentology, Depositional Age, And Provenance Of Sedimentary And Volcanic Rocks Exposed Along Willow Creek, Eastern Susitna Basin, South-Central Alaska: Implications For Modification Of A Forearc Basin By Spreading Ridge Subduction, Erin E. Donaghy

Honors Theses

This is the first detailed study of the westernmost portion of the outcrop belt, which extends along the western flank of the Talkeetna Mountains and includes thick, well-exposed outcrops along Willow Creek in the eastern Susitna basin. New sedimentologic, compositional, and geochronologic data were obtained from stratigraphic sections within Arkose Ridge Formation strata at Willow Creek. This data combined with new geologic mapping and geochronologic data from Willow Bench and Kashwitna River Bluff (north of Willow Creek), and from the Government Peak area (east of Willow Creek), help constrain depositional processes and source terranes that provided detritus to the westernmost …

Mesoproterozoic Deposition, Regional Metamorphism And Deformation In North-Central New Mexico: Evidence From Metamorphic Monazite And Detrital Zircon Geochronology In The Picuris Mountains, Lily S. Pfeifer

Honors Theses

Detrital zircon and metamorphic monazite ages from the Picuris Mountains, north central New Mexico, were used to confirm the depositional age of the Marquenas Formation, to document the depositional age of the Vadito Group, and to constrain the timing of metamorphism and deformation in the region.

Detrital zircon 207Pb/206Pb ages were obtained with the LA-MC-ICPMS from quartzites collected from the type locality of the Marquenas Formation exposed at Cerro de las Marquenas, and from the lower Vadito Group in the southern and eastern Picuris Mountains. The Marquenas Formation sample yields 113 concordant ages including a Mesoproterozoic age population with four …

The Use Of Excess Aircraft As Maximization Of Resources, Jean Paul Pion Garcia

Honors Theses

The United States currently has within just 6 airfields approximately 4,600 grounded aircraft. Out of these excess aircraft, approximately 66,900 metric tons of secondary aluminum could be extracted. All this amount of material equals to approximately 147 million US dollars if sold to the current aluminum market price; the United States government could save up to 450 million US dollars just in electrical power expenses by choosing to recycle these aircraft, instead of producing primary aluminum out of bauxite. Recycling all these aircraft, would also have a positive impact in the environment, since hundreds of acres would be freed from …

Differential Reinforcement Of Alternative Behavior In A Child With Autism, Mackenzie M. Sullivan

Honors Theses

Some children diagnosed with autism engage in aggressive behavior with different functions. There is a great need to find ways to reduce these behaviors to protect these children and make them more suitable to interact with other child in classroom settings. A Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior intervention was designed in an effort to decrease aggressive behavior in child with autism. The goal of the intervention was to train Brian, the single participant, to engage in more appropriate behaviors instead of aggressing toward other children. The participant was placed in a room with another child and instances were created where …

Replacement Options For The Ap1-Lew System, Tiffany M. Sherburn

Honors Theses

This report details the upgrade of Pfizer’s Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient-Low Endotoxin Water (API-LEW) distribution system. The current system is suffering from chloride induced stress corrosion which has caused pitting and cracking throughout the exterior portions of the loop. The system will eventually fail catastrophically if an update is not undertaken. Many variables and system constraints are considered to maintain the API-LEW grade water.

The system operates at 65 ^○C and maintains turbulence to prevent any microbial growth. The distribution loop spans 8,500 feet of 4 inch diameter stainless steel pipe which is carried on trestles that are exterior to …

Incorporating Hispanic Culture Into A Secondary Instrumental Classroom, Alexander Armstead

Honors Theses

For much of history, there has been a long-standing belief of the superiority of Western art music; that it is more natural, complex, expressive, and meaningful than other musics. This standpoint is being challenged more than ever as advances in musicology, ethnomusicolgy, global communication and media bring musics of other nations and cultures to the doorstep of the American people. There are many benefits to teaching cultural music in the instrumental classroom, including social and musical components. These components have the ability to open the minds of students to a higher sense of community as they enter the "world village" …

In The Garage, Christopher James Hart

Honors Theses

In the Garage is an audio podcast containing works by student writers at Western Michigan University who read their stories to be recorded. Coalescing stories, music, and connective segues, the three episode series seeks to explore the theme of nostalgia through the works of student writers. In doing so, a cohesive narrative arc is achieved through the use of theme and connection. Recorded on GarageBand, an apple sound editing product, the project endeavors to bring together disparate stories, poems, and essays together into a collective and cohesive whole accompanied by various musical interludes. The author of the project provides introduction …

Personal Savings In The United States, Samanatha A. Marsh

Honors Theses

Over the past decade personal savings in America has been much lower than in the past. The question is why household savings is so much lower and what factors are contributing to the decline. To answer this question, I look at data collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS has conducted a survey of consumer expenditures, or buying habits, since 1984. By using the BLS 2010 Consumer Expenditure Data, I can look at how different factors, such as income, age, family size and number of kids under the age of eighteen all effect household savings. Using the …

The Impact Of Whistleblowing Legislation On Developed And Emerging Markets, Catherine C. Koh

Honors Theses

This paper intends to study the impact of whistleblowing legislations and on developed and emerging markets. The main reason the study is carried out is because there is lack of research and literature conducted on this topic areas. The testing of the relationship between how whistleblowing affects the equity markets in developed and emerging countries is conducted through a multi-regression analysis across four parameters (i) the weekly historical adjusted returns of the countries' indices around the time the legislation was proposed or passed, (ii) the occurrence of the event which is the week when the legislation was promulgated or enacted, …

Simplifying Scholar Access - The Modernization Of The Lee Honors College Website, Sean E. Chiplock, Jeremy B. Conley

Honors Theses

As the undeniable breadth of the World Wide Web’s usefulness continues to expand at a rapid rate along with Western’s own marked growth in its faculty, buildings, and funding, so too does the demand to put that “wonder of the modern web” to use. Today’s rising scholars use the internet for their daily work now more than ever and this includes the rapid-fire atmosphere of college applications, visits, and considerations that go on near the end of high school careers. With dozens of college emails stuffing inboxes, students are accustomed to needing to learn a lot of information in a …

Graeco-Roman Bioi And The Gospels, Matthew L. Hillman

Honors Theses

This paper explores the genre of ancient biography and its connection to the gospels. The work is also a case study that examines Suetonius’s and Plutarch’s biographies of Julius Caesar in comparison to Mark’s and Luke’s lives of Jesus. Suetonius’s, Plutarch’s, Mark’s, and Luke’s biographies have many similarities and may be considered in the same sub-categories of political biography, philosophical biography, and holy man biography. In What are the Gospels? A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biography, Richard Burridge writes about the characteristics and features that determine genre. Burridge was the first person to publish a thorough, systematic analysis of the genre …

Changes In Handgrip Strength, Flexibility, And Reaction Times Due To The Menstrual Cycle, Katie Money

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Curriculum Integration: History And Music Hand In Hand, Kathryn Wilburn

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Discovering Aristotle: An Examination Of His Life And The Development Of His Immutable Brilliance, Timothy H. Sparling

Honors Theses

A synoptic piece which addresses the life of Aristotle and analyzes the development of his philosophical thought, Discovering Aristotle: An Examination of his Life and the Development of his Immutable Brilliance reviews multiple facets of this thinker's being, ranging from his genealogy to his pedagogical and theoretical contributions, and serves as a standard of measurement through which his vast works may be studied, thus granting his "exoteric" or early works with a certain preponderance in the text itself. Additionally, a respectable number of appendices, which are extremely relevant to Aristotle's world, are also included in the work; these provide the …

Investigation Of Saccharide Release Through Acidification, Sonication, Thermal, And Microwave Treatments, William K. Storck

Honors Theses

With diminishing fossil fuels, renewable sources are becoming much higher in demand. Algae are becoming an increasingly important source of biofuels. Production of biofuels from algae exceeds yields from every other source, most notably corn, per acre. It also provides a highly viable method of reusing carbon dioxide and does not compete with other crops for growth. The production of ethanol through fermentation requires the release of saccharides produced by the algae. The more saccharides extracted, the more ethanol can be produced. This project investigates for a more effective method of maximum saccharide release.

The purpose of this project is …

Golden Rice: The Need, The Science, And Public Reception Of Gmos, Elizabeth A. Quemada

Honors Theses

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) affects people all over the world. The most severely affected individuals are those in countries where access to Vitamin A rich foods such as dark leafy greens and dark red or orange vegetables, along with liver, eggs, and cheeses are not readily available. Vitamin A deficiency most harmfully affects young children, where it is needed for correct development, and pregnant women, where Vitamin A stores are depleted. Several methods have been put into action over the years in severely affected countries to help combat VAD. There are programs to increase the availability of Vitamin A in …

The Effects Of Interstate Speed Limit Increases: Fatality Rates And Traffic Diversion Versus Speed Spillover, Daniel L. Dillon

Honors Theses

This thesis examines two panel data sets of 48 states from 1981 to 2009 and utilizes ordinary least squares (OLS) and fixed effects models to explore the relationship between rural Interstate speed limits and fatality rates and whether rural Interstate speed limits affect non-Interstate safety. Models provide evidence that rural Interstate speed limits higher than 55 MPH lead to higher fatality rates on rural Interstates though this effect is somewhat tempered by reductions in fatality rates for roads other than rural Interstates. These results provide some but not unanimous support for the traffic diversion hypothesis that rural Interstate speed limit …

The Future Of Orthopedic Medicine, Brian M. Willie

Honors Theses

Orthopedic medicine is changing and advancing along with the rest of the medical field. There are new concepts developing in orthopedic trauma, tissue engineering, collagen, nano-orthopedics, biodegradable implants, robot-assisted surgery and more. The changes to orthopedics are focused on the changing needs of patients, and orthopedists are also changing their ways to keep up with the demand required of them. Advancements in fields such as stem cells, imaging technology, functional tissue engineering, and robotic assistance will further propel the diagnostic and treatment abilities of orthopedic medicine. In order to accomplish these advancements and provide for the needs of the future …

A Single Spotlight: Solo Performance In Undergraduate Theatre, A' Mari Jo Rocheleau

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Spontaneous Recovery In Children With Expressive Language Delay, Jaimie Sierakowski

Honors Theses

By age 2, most children have an expressive vocabulary of approximately 200 words and begin to combine these words into meaningful phrases. However, some children acquire expressive language skills more slowly than others while displaying no signs of cognitive, receptive, or sensory delays. These children who experience an expressive language delay are often characterized in the literature as late talkers. Research shows that many of these children have delays early in childhood, but eventually catch up to their typically-developing peers, with no need for language intervention. Others, however, continue to experience expressive delays and. have an increased risk of developing …

Psychosocial Factors Affecting Dance Auditions, Catherine T. Mcgrath

Honors Theses

Purpose: Competitive environments like auditions magnify the importance of optimal performance for dancers and often create considerable pressure for them, increasing the potential for injury. The purpose of this pilot study is to assess the relationship between psychological stressors and audition processes, evaluate the difference between significant psychological stressors of professional versus collegiate dancers and identify correlations between audition-related stressors and injury occurrence during auditions.

Methods: Twenty-three professional dancers and thirty-eight collegiate dancers were recruited from a professional modern company and a Division I university dance department during an audition. Subjects participated using two validated surveys expanded for this project: …

Chester's Place, Kendra Flournoy

Honors Theses

Chester’s Place is a one act drama that follows the relationships between a husband and wife and a father and son. The newlywed couple that the drama revolves around is Eric and Raine who reside in Chester’s Place, an apartment building that has taken a turn for the worse. The grounds are unkempt, the apartments are in need of repair, and the tenants are loud and disruptive. The couple decides that they have had enough and are ready to move into a home of their own where they can prepare for the future. In order to hurry the process along, …

The Health Care Debate And Health Care Coverage In The U.S. A. Today, Antonio Giraldi

Honors Theses

The health care system in the United State has struggled during the past few decades. This has been accompanied by many controversies and debates among U.S. policy makers and health insurance providers. Dissatisfaction with health care in the United States today can be divided into three main aspects of health care; coverage, cost, and quality. The first problem, coverage, is a major issue because about 15 percent of the population of the U.S. (45 million) is uninsured today. The first and second problems, coverage and cost, are somewhat related since the rising cost of obtaining health services is one of …