Digital Commons Network^™

Content Analysis Of Mathematical Concepts In Children’S Literature, Jessica John

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of The Role Of Experiential Avoidance In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Meaghan M. Lewis

Honors Theses

Experiential avoidance is a construct that researchers have proposed as a possible mediating factor between psychopathology and a prior history of traumatic events. Among the traumatic events investigated in the research literature, experiential avoidance has demonstrated correlations with prior experiences of sexual victimization. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and PTSD symptoms have also been linked with incidence of sexual victimization and engaging in experiential avoidance. Another variable commonly associated with this construct is problematic alcohol consumption. The present study presumed that women with a history of sexual victimization would report high PTSD symptoms, a stronger likelihood of partaking in problem drinking, …

The Honogenization Of Trombone Sound Preferences: The Effects Of A More Global Society On National Styles, Alyssa B. Madeira

Honors Theses

The trombone and music in general have been greatly influenced by globalization. Over the past few decades the ideal playing style of trombone has become increasingly similar throughout the word. The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the integration of Eastern Europe into the rest of the Western world marked a turning point in the way that music was perceived and shared. More and more musicians began to blend their playing styles as they traveled across borders and oceans. Sharp contrasts by region in interpretation of literature and the ideal sound were common in the early 1990's, but …

Activity Choice And Extinction Intervention For Escape Maintained Behavior, Ali M. Markowitz

Honors Theses

Tantrums and non-compliant problem behaviors challenge children diagnosed with autism’s progress in early childhood special education classrooms by interfering with the child’s learning opportunities. Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder causing abnormal or impaired development in social interactions and communication (DSM-IV, 1994). This paper looks at a single case on a preschool aged child diagnosed with autism exhibiting tantrums and problem behaviors. These tantrums and non-compliant problem behaviors included kicking, scratching, screaming, hitting, flopping on to the floor or eloping (leaving the table, chair or work area). One study conducted showed that activity choice intervention decreases the occurrence of problem …

Using A Reinforcer Hierarchy To Increase Compliance And Skill Acquisition, Bertilde U. Kamana

Honors Theses

The purpose of this intervention is to increase compliant behavior and skill acquisition in a child who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with the use of a reinforcer hierarchy. This hierarchy will be determined by conducting preference assessments. These assessments are established by allowing the child to choose the most preferred object of at least two objects which are presented to him by his tutor—a preference assessment can also be conducted by observing which objects or toys the child chooses to interact with the most in his environment. When the preference assessment is established, a reinforcer matrix …

Using Tag To Increase Play Skills, Melissa A. Boggs

Honors Theses

TAG (Teaching with Acoustical Guidance) involves using auditory stimuli as a reinforcer for correct behavior or correct components of a behavior chain. Theoretically, TAG is an effective reinforcer because a click (the auditory stimuli) is paired with back up reinforcers (tangible reinforcers and social praise) and consequently becomes a conditioned reinforcer. The current study assesses the effectiveness of TAG in structured playtime activities in a child diagnosed with autism. The behaviors measured include a receptive identification procedure, an imitative drawing procedure and a paperclip drop procedure. Each of these responses required multiple behaviors to be completed with the paperclip drop …

Insights Of A Wmu Student Into The Particularities Of Non-Profit Organizations: Observations From Cross-Cultural Experience In Two Organizations., Alyssa L. Lord-Hill

Honors Theses

Through my voluntary service in the non-profit sector I have been given the opportunity to experience the benefits that non-profit organizations provide and their missions and strategies to go about fulfilling them. In the course of completing my 6-month internship abroad and as founder of the German Club at WMU, these experiences have sparked my interests in non-profit organizational and success factors. Personal experience is the key to understanding and being able to accurately analyze a situation. Thus I will be using the two non-profit organizations to aid in the understanding of non-profit organizations and their counterparts, for-profit businesses. My …

Teaching, Writing, Writing Teaching: Reflective Journal Responses From Teaching Engl 1000, Christine Hamman

Honors Theses

A series of reflective journals and responses written to reflect on and improve in the teaching of English. Each journal was written following each class meeting of a Fall 2011 ENGL 1000 course, reflecting on the lesson, activities, and teaching for the day. From these journals, responses were written for 9 of them and lesson plans for those days were revised and added for the purposes of comparison. Using research in best practices in teaching writing, educational training, and personal experience, responses were written to each journal to condense the strengths and weaknesses of my teaching, to chart progress as …

The Impact Of Quantitative Easing Measures On Interest Rates, Financial Markets, And Economic Activity: A Case Study Of U.S.A., Aneesha A. Rai

Honors Theses

This study focuses on the impact of Quantitative Easing measures done by the Federal Reserve and its impact on the U.S.A, with a focus on interest rates, financial markets and economic activity. The Quantitative Easing measures studied are Operation Twist, Quantitative Easing I as well as Quantitative Easing II. The secondary research is conducted using event studies, and different perspectives of economists have been taken into consideration. The answer whether further quantitative easing should be pursued by the Federal Reserve is debated. A different step-by-step view is given into reasons as to why this quantitative easing has been pursued. A …

Creating A Multi-Functional Liquid Assay Utilizing Alamarblue Redox Indicator, Victor B. Nguyen

Honors Theses

Yersinia outer proteins (yops) are effector proteins that have been known to cause cytolysis to host cells. Using a yeast genetic model, Yop genes from Yersinia enterocolitica can be inserted and expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. With the utilization of alamarBlue® indicator, we hope to create a multi-functional liquid assay with the intent of further analysis and quantitative investigation on the effects of galactose induction of the effector protein genes. AlamarBlue® is a REDOX colorimetric/flourometric indicator specialized in detecting metabolic activity. As Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolized, the indicator is added to monitor cell viability. In developing an effective assay, we determine that …

Theatre And Eating Disorders, Jeniece K. Salness

Honors Theses

Theatre is an excellent tool for education and instilling the will and ideas to make societal changes. Using the techniques and theories of Augusto Boal, Dr. Christine Iaderosa at Western Michigan University created musical titled “Food Prisons” to address the social stigmas and issue involved with eating disorders and disordered eating. These techniques positively model the actions and effects involved in eating disorders to show alternative routes to eating disorders and the effects eating disorders have on the person and those around them. The show was positively received when it was performed in 2012 when the audience and cast were …

Quantifying Urbanization In Grand Traverse County, Mi, Benjamin T. Roush

Honors Theses

Grand Traverse County, MI has witnessed population growth in the past thirty years, largely because of its popularity as a tourist destination and “wilderness” area in Michigan and around the Great Lakes basin in general. Accordingly, there has been human development and urbanization in the county, particularly around its major community, Traverse City. This paper seeks to quantify that urbanization. This will be done by classification of Landsat 5 – TM imagery collected in 1984 and 2010, utilizing the Gaussian maximum likelihood supervised classification method. After this process, changes in proportions of the various land use types in the county …

Navigating The Skills Of Successful Leaders In Business And Sailing, Aras Karaitis

Honors Theses

This research starts by examining some men who have achieved great success in both business and sailing. Looking at the skills and competencies that set these men apart from their competition. The research shows how leaders in both situations organize teams, motivate, and build trust among their individual team members. While gaining an understanding of the value of using a Kaizen approach to leadership in order to promote an atmosphere of continuous improvement and open communication. The research also examines how successful leaders in both business and sailing monitor and react to the external environment, consistently working to manage risk, …

Theatre: My Undergraduate Experience, Erin Hemming

Honors Theses

For my honors thesis, I wanted to present my entire portfolio of work from my time in the theatre department at Western Michigan University. In the theatre department, we are encouraged to create a portfolio of work during our four years, which will be essential in future job applications as well as in graduate school interviews. This sounded like the perfect concept for my honors thesis: I would create a portfolio of work that would serve me in all of my future endeavors. My preferred presentation setting was URTA, a week-long conference, in which graduate school representatives from various theatre …

The Increased Savings Of Cash By United States Firms, Robert M. Zak Jr.

Honors Theses

Today, many United States firms are holding nearly double the amount of cash they held in the 1980s. The purpose of this discussion is to interpret and analyze the increase of cash-holdings of United States firms throughout the last 30 years, and to determine exactly how and why firms are holding so much more cash than they used to hold in the past. This discussion conveys significant reasons of why firms throughout the United States are holding more cash, including: a recent drop in on-hand inventories, an increased risk of cash flows for firms, money spent on capital by firms …

Local Identity, Melissa A. Phizacklea

Honors Theses

Buying local is the first step preventing numerous economical and environmental issues and is becoming more crucial every moment. Unfortunately, independent businesses face unprecedented competition from larger competitors that enjoy national or international branding power. Local governments, chambers and independent business networks have recently launched hundreds of buy-local campaigns to increase awareness on these issues. Regrettably, most campaigns quickly fade away with little or no impact on shifting local culture.

With this idea in mind I am proposing to explore and develop a permanent local identity that will endorse a number of local brands. This identity highlights the individual local …

Deriving Significance From The Capstone Experience, Christina G. Clark

Honors Theses

This thesis is a cumulation of my experience as a participant of Western Michigan University's COM 4500: Public Relations Program Development and an observer after completion of the course. I took the course in the fall of 2011 and in the spring of 2012 interviewed previous clients. I was most curious with what the process of the course was like for the clients and what recommendations they had for the future. The biggest take-away from my interviews is the notion that the capstone course is essentially the finish line for the students and the starting point for the clients.

This …

Interaction Of Pharmaceutical Compounds With Dissolved Organic Matter, Carlen Nigl Smith

Honors Theses

Highly prescribed pharmaceutical compounds and their metabolites used to treat conditions ranging from infections to depression are of environmental concern as these excreted compounds are increasingly appearing in wastewater influent. As pharmaceuticals enter treatment plants they also can interact with dissolved organic matter (DOM) present. This potential interaction between pharmaceutical compounds and DOM may inhibit the advanced oxidation process (AOP) based removal of drugs during water treatment. The focus of this research was to utilize multinuclear magnetic resonance and hydroxyl radical kinetics to assess whether an interaction between influent pharmaceuticals and DOM does occur, the extent of the interaction, and …

Revolutionary Events: Jean-Paul Marat And His Role, Kiri D. Johnson

Honors Theses

This thesis evaluates the influence radical journalist Jean-Paul Marat had on events during the French Revolution. Historians have viewed Marat in many different lights over time, and his influence during the revolution has been greatly debated. It would be impossible to prove Marat’s exact influence on the revolution; however, careful examination of particular revolutionary events suggests that Marat was significant in helping to incite the revolutionary crowds to action. This thesis focuses on several major revolutionary events to determine Marat’s influence, including the Women’s March on Versailles, the Champs de Mars Massacre, the Storming of the Tuileries Palace, the September …

Neuromusicology And Combat-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury, Brittany L. Neuser

Honors Theses

The number of reported cases of combat-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) among American veterans is rapidly increasing. The results of TBI are often a combination of deficits in cognitive, physical, emotional, and behavioral functions. Each case poses unique challenges for all involved—soldiers, their families, and health care personnel. Though each case is unique, common symptoms include impaired gross and fine motor, speech and language, memory, attention, visual, auditory, and emotional functioning (Davis, Gfeller, Thaut, 2008).

Due to the holistic nature of TBI symptoms, finding an effective yet cost-efficient treatment modality proves to be a difficult task. Previous research has suggested …

A Flexible Home Design For A Comfortable Lifestyle: A Case Study Of The Effect Of Universal Design, Meghann Balmer Dehaan

Honors Theses

This thesis examines a case study of a married couple who are transitioning into a new stage of their life after retirement. They are no longer comfortable in their current home and are considering other living options. A floor plan was universally designed to meet the needs of the couple and also the needs of all others who enter the home. This includes no-step entry, barrier free design, and adaptability in each room of the home. The project puts an emphasis on the importance of efficiency, adaptability, flexibility, and comfort in the home environment. An occupational therapist’s scope of practice …

Rpe And Mode Of Exercise, Victoria Helmus

Honors Theses

The American College of Sports Medicine currently recommends that all individuals age 18-65 perform vigorous aerobic activity for at least 20 minutes 3 days a week, or moderate intensity aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes 5 days a week. Activities that fall under this category include, but are not limited to walking, running, cycling, swimming and elliptical machines. When an individual exercises, they have a sense of what their intensity level is based on how they 'feel'. Ratings of Perceived Exertion charts serve as a guide for this subjective thought process. There are wide ranges of intensities associated with …

Mobile Device Security: Current Challenges And Existing Solutions, Hugo J. Martinez

Honors Theses

The mobile device industry has increased exponentially over the past couple decades. This has created a great demand for the devices along with great dependence on their capabilities. There is an assortment of mobile devices among which can be found laptops, tablets, smartphones, and personal music players. All these provide a way of making personal productivity and business capabilities greater. While businesses and the public benefit from the capabilities of these devices, not everyone notices how valuable the information that they handle is. Today’s mobile devices handle information such as contacts, banking details, GPS location, and personal and corporate e-mail …

Neuromusicology And Combat-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury, Elisabeth C. Spinniken

Honors Theses

The number of reported cases of combat-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) among American veterans is rapidly increasing. The results of TBI are often a combination of deficits in cognitive, physical, emotional, and behavioral functions. Each case poses unique challenges for all involved—soldiers, their families, and health care personnel. Though each case is unique, common symptoms include impaired gross and fine motor, speech and language, memory, attention, visual, auditory, and emotional functioning (Davis, Gfeller, Thaut, 2008).

Due to the holistic nature of TBI symptoms, finding an effective yet cost-efficient treatment modality proves to be a difficult task. Previous research has suggested …

Neuromusicology And Combat-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury, Brittany Neuser

Honors Theses

The number of reported cases of combat-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) among American veterans is rapidly increasing. The results of TBI are often a combination of deficits in cognitive, physical, emotional, and behavioral functions. Each case poses unique challenges for all involved—soldiers, their families, and health care personnel. Though each case is unique, common symptoms include impaired gross and fine motor, speech and language, memory, attention, visual, auditory, and emotional functioning (Davis, Gfeller, Thaut, 2008).

Due to the holistic nature of TBI symptoms, finding an effective yet cost-efficient treatment modality proves to be a difficult task. Previous research has suggested …

Neuromusicology And Combat-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury, Elisabeth Spinniken

Honors Theses

The number of reported cases of combat-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) among American veterans is rapidly increasing. The results of TBI are often a combination of deficits in cognitive, physical, emotional, and behavioral functions. Each case poses unique challenges for all involved—soldiers, their families, and health care personnel. Though each case is unique, common symptoms include impaired gross and fine motor, speech and language, memory, attention, visual, auditory, and emotional functioning (Davis, Gfeller, Thaut, 2008).

Due to the holistic nature of TBI symptoms, finding an effective yet cost-efficient treatment modality proves to be a difficult task. Previous research has suggested …

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Hvac Optimization, Jessica Hartl

Honors Theses

The objective of the proposed project is to convert the current heating ventilating and air conditioning system, or HVAC system, on the plug in hybrid Toyota Prius into a completely electric system. As the vehicle is now, the gas engine is required to provide heat loss for the forced air heating system on extremely cold days. The data, which has been gathered over several years, shows a drop in MPG equivalence from approximately 100-120 MPG on ideal days (70° F) to about 50 MPG equivalence on cooler days. This problem can be solved by increasing the effectiveness of the HVAC …

A Literary Review Of Adhd Treatments: An Advocate For Neurofeedback, Jessica A. Steele

Honors Theses

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common behavioral disorder affecting a tremendous portion of children in the United States. Medication and traditional Behavioral interventions have remained the primary forms of treatment. Research has demonstrated that brain wave frequencies are directly associated with behavior. Children diagnosed with ADHD have abnormal EEG profiles compared to their peers. EEG Neurofeedback developed as an operant conditioning treatment for brain waves to influence behavior. Neurofeedback has been found as effective as medication without the negative side effects or high percent of non-responders. Unlike medication and Behavioral Treatments, Neurofeedback offers long-term effects following the conclusion of …

Investigation Of Kinesin-1-Maspardin Interaction: Potential Link Among Hereditary Spastic Paraplegias, Savannah D. Brookins

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Reconstruction Of I-94 And I-69 Interchange, Andrew Dobbs

Honors Theses

On April 17^th, 2012, my team of Civil and Construction Engineers gave a presentation on our recommendation for the reconstruction of I-94 I-69 interchange. Our recommendation consisted of many aspects that were taken into consideration. Our analysis and recommendation is fully portrayed in our thesis.

In order to make a good design, we first had to understand the problems with the current design. All of the problems were located in one area of the interchange; this led us to define our design recommendation to only that area. Once the constraints and problems were identified, the preliminary horizontal design …