Digital Commons Network^™

Evidence For The Endoparasite Giardia Lamblia In Human Paleofeces From Salts Cave. Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, Lisa Karen Ruppert

Masters Theses

Three desiccated human feces recovered from Salts Cave, Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, were analyzed for evidence of parasitic infection, specifically Giardia Lamblia. Positive detection of Giardia cysts was made using a direct immunofluorescent assay (IFA) technique. Scanning electron microscopy revealed what appear to be Giardia lamblia trophozoites. One additional fecal sample, analyzed for its dietary content, was composed primarily of Helianthus annuus (sunflower) and Chenopodium berlandieri (goosefoot). Over one hundred seeds of Cucurbita pepo (squash) were also contained within this specimen. This sample has been radiocarbon dated to 2420±90 B.P., falling into the cluster of previous dates from …

Children's Tool Making Capabilities: Implications For Hominid Intelligence Models And Skill Acquisition Theory, Jill S. Mccleary

Masters Theses

The focus of this study was on morphological differences in stone tools that could be attributed to varied instruction and cognition levels.

In this study two groups of children, one second grade class and one fourth grade class, were selected to make stone tools. The tools that they made included both Oldowan-type flake tools and Acheulean-type handaxes. The primary variables considered in this study were the subjects' level of cognitive development (pre-operational versus concrete operational) as determined by a series of Piagetian tests, and the effects of varied instructional techniques.

Results suggest that Oldowan flake tools can be produced, at …

The Importance Of Recreational Reading, And Its Impact On Children's Motivation, Attitude Towards Reading, As Well As Reading Achievement, Lisa Marie Digiovanna

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether children's voluntary/recreational reading and their attitudes toward reading would affect their overall, reading achievement. Third, fifth and seventh grade students were the subjects for this study. Student surveys, parent questionnaires, teacher observations and standardized test scores were used to assess students' attitudes, time spent on recreational reading and overall achievement. Students were placed in an "above average", "average", or "below average" achievement group according to overall achievement. Significant differences were found among the three achievement groups. The "above average" and "average" achievers, from all three grade levels, showed greater amounts of …

Investigating The Influence Of Pre-Theoretical Assumptions On Clinical Reasoning, Barbara R. Hooper

Masters Theses

This study explored what internal beliefs a therapist holds about the nature of reality and how those beliefs influence how he/she delivers occupational therapy. A single-case study design was utilized. Data were collected from three in-depth interviews and observation of multiple treatment sessions.

The results suggest that this therapist's view of the world could be categorized into four areas: (1) What she believed about ultimate reality; (2) What she believed about life, death and eternity; (3) What she believed about human nature; and (4) What she believed about the nature of knowing. The study also suggests that this core world-view …

A Comparison Of The Differences Of The Chinese Language And The English Language Using Voice Analysis, Chia-Lin Hsieh

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to see if differences exist in Taiwanese students when speaking in their native Chinese language as compared to a secondary language (English) using voice analysis. Not only was the study intended to compare pitches and octaves of 2 languages, but it also hoped to identify the possible factors that influenced the voices of 2 languages.

Fifty Chinese students were randomly selected from a population of 84 Chinese students who were from Taiwan, had established residence in the USA for at least 6 months, and were enrolled in WMU with TOEFL score of at least …

Academic Achievement Motivation In Hispanic Students, Lisa A. Schuck

Masters Theses

There is a lack of research on academic achievement motivation in Hispanic students, and instruments which measure achievement motivation have not been validated with Hispanic students. Fifteen regular-education teachers rated 67 third through fifth grade Hispanic students on the Teacher Rating of Academic Achievement Motivation (TRAAM). Students completed the Achievement Motivation Scale (AMS). Construct validity was investigated by examining the relationship of the TRAAM with the AMS. Criterion-related validity was established by examining the relationship of the TRAAM with Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) scores and grades. The TRAAM, AMS, Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) scores, and grades were used to …

Lithic Raw Material Utilization And Social Interaction In The Late Prehistory Of The Lower Kalamazoo River Valley, Daniel Barton Goatley

Masters Theses

Lithic debitage from Late Woodland sites in the Lower Kalamazoo River Valley were examined for identifiable raw material. These data were analyzed for their relationships with source areas from throughout the Midwest region. The presence of exotic raw material in archaeological sites was then compared to social interaction patterns of the Early Allegan, Late Allegan, and Upper Mississippian traditions in the region.

Exotic raw material data suggest that a pattern of exchange and social interaction existed throughout the Late Woodland period. This pattern appears to have fluctuated in intensity through time. A decrease in social interaction is evident during the …

Multicultural Art Across The Curriculum, Yvonne J. Delamar

Masters Theses

The arts, by nature, can lend themselves as an essential unifying force in the multicultural curricular development in our increasingly diverse classrooms. A compilation of research and investigation is presented for teaching multicultural art throughout the curriculum. The finished project includes a model for teaching multicultural art across the curriculum and a bibliography of resources.

A Survey Of A Number Of Megalithic Grave Complexes In Tamil Nadu, South India, David K. Mcconkey

Masters Theses

This study compares and contrasts a number of Megalithic cemeteries from South India. The project involved the mapping of a number of cemeteries from the Lower Moyar Shelf. I then compared and contrasted them to the cemeteries of the upper Nilgiris.

Some have suggested that these two regions had very limited contact with one another. From the evidence that I have gathered I now believe that they were wrong. There is a strong continuity in grave types between the lower regions and the upper Nilgiris, which I believe demonstrates some degree of contact. I also believe that based on the …

An Analysis Of The Artifacts From The Historic Components Of The Elam Site (20ae195), Allegan County, Michigan, Mary Lynn Jeakle

Masters Theses

This study involved the analysis of the historic artifacts recovered from the excavation of the Elam site (20AE195) during the 1978, 1983, 1985, and 1987 field seasons, conducted by Western Michigan University.

The results of the analysis indicate that there were at least two pre-twentieth century historic occupations of the site. The first dates between A.D. 1680-1770, and was a transient and probably repeated usage of the site by Potawatomi Indians. The second dating to approximately A.D. 1840, is possibly the short term, temporary residence of an unknown fur trader, prior to settlement of the area by Americans.

The Suburban Rice Farmers: Economic And Cultural Change In Japan, Makoto Chiwaki

Masters Theses

The world economic situation is forcing the Japanese government to initiate policies designed to make its rice farming industry more competitive on the world market. These new policies, along with the growth of Japan's urban areas, are causing certain stresses on the cultural institution called bunke among the part-time rice farmers in the Kaizuka region of Chiba City, Japan.

An ethnographic study of these farmers reveals that the farmers of the Kaizuka region have responded to recent changes differently from the farmers of other regions because of their cultural institutions and traditions.

Environmental Factors Influencing Prehistoric Site Selection Along The Portage River, A Tributary Of The St. Joseph River, Southwest Michigan, Timothy D. Knapp

Masters Theses

This study examines the environmental factors influencing the location of prehistoric sites within the Portage River drainage. Over 100 sites recorded during four seasons of archaeological survey are examined applying the following environmental variables: type of glacial deposit, glacial landform, soil, distance to the nearest source of water, distance to the nearest ponded water, and vegetation zones occurring within 100, 500, and 1000 meters. Site locations are then statistically compared with the location of 100 randomly generated loci within the study area.

The findings of this research indicate that sites are non-randomly located with respect to certain environmental variables. Sites …

Telling Grimm Tales: Rhetoric That Molds, Comforts And Remains, Constance S. E. Cooper

Masters Theses

An explanation of oral tradition and its portent for language clarifies the fairy tale genre. Its purpose, various cultural impacts, criticism and limitations are introduced. Ludwig and Wilhelm Grimm translated their personal interest into a form of speech that endures past cultural and linguistic barriers. The Grimms' scholastic credentials and lifework reveal the original storytellers and subjects in a historical/geographical framework. Part II isolates 68 tales of animal dialogue, discusses human-like character responses of help and harm, and submits a brief narrative criticism of the conglomerate rhetorical entity. Character insights and communication findings are resolved with Delphi compilations of 27 …

Perestroika From Below: Civil Society And Informal Associations In The Soviet Union, Jerry James Sheehan

Masters Theses

During the 1980's the Soviet Union underwent a decade of dramatic change. The study of these changes initiated by the Gorbachev government has focused primarily on the reforms initiated by the state- perestroika from above. However, by the mid 1980's it was apparent that the state was not so much reforming society as society was drastically altering the state. Some analysts at this time began to shift to examining reforms at the grassroots level- perestroika from below.

This thesis is an examination of these perestroika from below reforms. The thesis seeks to asses the usefulness of the civil society model …

Oedipal Identity And The Freudian Construction Of Orality In Okot P'Bitek's Song Of Lawino And Song Of Ocol, Paul Kent Oakley

Masters Theses

In Okot p’Bitek’s Song of Lawino and Song of Ocol, Ocol and Lawino, presenting themselves as a university-educated man and his non-literate village wife, argue the various merits and failings of traditional, Acholi village life and modern, Westernized life. Accompanying this sociopolitical argument is the personal, emotional conflict between the two: Ocol is rejecting Lawino in favor of a Westernized second-wife, but Lawino refuses to leave him, trying instead to coerce him into returning, body and soul, to her bed. The scenario seems straightforward. But below this superficial reading is a more complex one in which Lawino is Ocol’s …

A Study Of The Correlation Between Alcoholism And Fingerprint Patterns, Miyo Yokota

Masters Theses

The study of 51 white male alcoholics and 50 white male nonalcoholics between the ages of 15 and 40 was undertaken to learn whether there are differences in the fingerprint patterns between the two groups. Previous research demonstrated that fingerprint patterns are genetically determined and influenced by the intrauterine environment. Fingerprint patterns, ridge counts, pattern intensity index, pattern type symmetry and ridge counts on whorls were studied. Both groups were compared by means of the Z statistics and chi-square tests. It was hoped that the differences observed in the fingerprint patterns of the two groups could be used as a …

The Debate On Lesbian Sadomasochism: A Discourse Analysis, Gudbjorg Ottosdottir

Masters Theses

This study examines an issue debated within the U.S. lesbian community since the mid-1970s, lesbian sadomasochism. The issue has been whether sadomasochism is consistent with lesbian feminism, a political ideology which has much shaped lesbian identity and community. The claims and counter-claims made about lesbian sadomasochism are analyzed, as are the underlying ideologies and their relationship to general lesbian political and cultural history. It is argued that the debate is the result of a limited subject position offered by lesbian feminism. The perspective of lesbian sadomasochists is seen as a call for a renewed lesbian feminist discourse. It is proposed …

The Siriono People Of Eastern Bolivia: Cultural Survival Amidst Directed Social Change, Ronald S. Scholte

Masters Theses

This thesis is an ethno-historical reconstruction of the Siriono from their roots among the Paraguayan Guarani of the 16th century to the present Siriono life styles in eastern Bolivia. A description of the Siriono culture at the time of contact is juxtaposed with analyses of the current varying results of post-contact approaches to directed social change taken by outsiders among the Siriono.

The findings from this study indicate that: (a) to the extent that underdevelopment does exist among the Siriono it is not only the result of contact this century, but began as a process of deculturation long before contact; …

Flotation Data Sampling Strategies In Archaeological Research: An Experiment At The Elam Site (20ae195), Allegan County, Michigan, Brian David Deroo

Masters Theses

Studies of prehistoric Native American subsistence patterns have benefited greatly from data recovered through the technique of flotation, which allows investigators to recover small scale organic remains which would otherwise be missed using standard excavation procedures. Using data recovered through flotation researchers have been able to more fairly evaluate the role of plant foods, both wild and cultivated, in the aboriginal diet.

A common method of obtaining a flotation sample is to define a column through the center of the cultural feature or midden and removing a specified volume of soil matrix (usually 10 liters) from this column. This thesis …

The Paleoethnobotany Of Schwerdt (20ae127): An Early Fifteenth Century Encampment In The Lower Kalamazoo River Valley, Gregory R. Walz

Masters Theses

Carbonized macrobotanical remains from the Schwerdt Site, an Upper Mississippian sturgeon fishery in the Lower Kalamazoo River Valley are identified and analyzed in terms of their implications for localized subsistence-settlement systems operating during the Berrien Phase in southwestern Michigan. The exploitation of wild plant foods at this limited-activity, spring sturgeon fishery and the environmental composition of the site environs are reconstructed from their representation in flotation samples derived from excavated feature and midden contexts.

Botanical data indicate a strong wetland-aquatic orientation in plant procurement, with aquatic tubers being the primary plant resource exploited at the site. Data from several sites …

Purity Of Purpose: The Aesthetics Of Bernard Of Clairvaux Based On His Monastic Anthropology, Daniel Marcel La Corte

Masters Theses

Questions concerning Bernard of Clairvaux’s view of art and architecture have been answered primarily from his words on monastic art found in his work the Apologia. Some scholars have taken these statements out of context to their intended audience. Others have placed them firmly within the framework of his monastic vocation. More recently, scholars have analyzed the treatise in a broader context by using the Apologia to explore the role of art in the Middle Ages. None of these scholars question the fundamental motivation for Bernard’s view on art and the role it plays in the hierarchy of the …

Maintaining A High School Elective/Vocational Program With The Increase In College Entrance Requirements, Clyde W. Frankie

Masters Theses

This field experience examines how 21 selected Illinois unit district high schools have maintained their elective/vocational enrollments with the 1985 increase in college admission requirements. The 21 high schools identified had a student population between 700 and 1000. A questionnaire was sent to each school requesting information regarding their master schedule. Questions specifically requested data on number of class periods, length of class periods, number of graduation units, faculty teaching load, class maximums and minimums, and percent of college-bound students in respective schools. This data was analyzed through comparative data tables to identify potential solutions or trends high schools are …

Of Berry Pickers, Shanty Boys, And The Jack Pine Bird: Patterns Of Settlement And Subsistence In Nineteenth Century Oscoda County, Rose Lockwood Moore

Masters Theses

The provisions of the Homestead Act of 1863 (U.S. Congress 1862a) required a settlement pattern of dispersed single families on small tracts of land, which, in turn, affected the subsistence strategies available to the homesteaders. The interaction of federal land legislation with the ecosystem of southern Oscoda County resulted in marked spatial and temporal differences between the tracts that were homesteaded as opposed to those acquired for their timber. A sample population of quarter sections was analyzed in terms of the physical and biotic environments, date of entry, and use. The analysis confirmed that the timber lands were located on …

Three Women Saints In The Thirteenth Century: Mentalities And Roles, Ulrike Strasser

Masters Theses

This case study analyzes the lives of three thirteenth-century female saints, Lutgard of Aywiferes, Margaret of Ypres, and Christina Mirabilis, and places them against the broader theoretical frame of quantitative studies on the subject sainthood. The focus of the study is the pursuit of holiness as well as the perception of holiness. Both, pursuit and perception, serve as the point of departure for a discussion of the mentalities and the social realities which the women’s sainthood reflects.

The findings from this study indicate that female saints display numerous commonalities which can be traced back to the saints’ gender and its …

Ethnography Of A Lesbian Community In Michigan, Carol W. Burton

Masters Theses

The purpose of this master's thesis is to describe the structure and workings of a community of women in a major western Michigan metropolitan area, who identify themselves as lesbians, and to describe how this subcommunity relates to the dominant American culture in the area. This study examines the ways in which these lesbians define themselves and their subculture.

To facilitate this research, the researcher participated in the group's meetings, both formal and informal, and spoke with individual members about the history of the group, organizational principles, problems and concerns, formal and Informal rules of conduct, values, and any other …

Analysis Of Guatemalan Textiles, Cristina Keiko Tomita

Masters Theses

This study applies John L. Fischer's (1961) hypothesis that design elements reflect certain social variables to 50 Guatemalan textiles from the collection of the Field Museum of Chicago, to test its applicability. The results of the analysis were consistent with expectations, but some modifications to the original hypothesis are suggested to minimize ambiguities. The modified analysis can be applied in areas such as archaeology, art history and museum work to expand the interpretative potential of material objects, including works of art.

Alcohol Use In The Industrialized West: One View, E. Michael Smith

Masters Theses

Alcohol has great antiquity and is used by most of the world's cultures. Invariably, there are many theories which account for its use. Regardless, whether psychological, biological or sociological they tend to represent alcohol use, alcohol abuse and alcoholism as stages of the disease process. The present paper uses a multidisciplinary approach to the study of alcohol use, incorporating ideas that are psychological, sociological, biological and anthropological. Alcohol use in the industrialized West may, in part, be accounted for because of "subsistence insecurity."

For the purpose of this paper "subsistence insecurity," in the industrialized West, will be represented by the …

'Pleonexia': A Modern Pathology Of Self, George R. Ingham

Masters Theses

This study is an examination of the compulsion to shop or acquire commodities seen as a culturally and historically distinctive pathology of the modern self. The Greek term 'pleonexia' ('acquisitiveness') is borrowed as a covenient and more accurately descriptive term than the common 'shopaholic'. Pleonexia is seen as a complex, habitual, impulsive behavior which attempts to maintain order and continuity in the sense of self. Pleonexia represents a failure in self­cohesion, an attempt to counter feelings of emptiness created by the fragmentation and objectification of desire in our commodity culture. Such internal functions as regulation of feelings, self-esteem, as well …

Patterns Of Refuse Disposal In New Orleans During The Middle To Late 19th Century, James M. Wojtala

Masters Theses

Patterns relating to refuse disposal practices during the middle to late 19th century in New Orleans are revealed through the analysis of artifacts from the Robin Street Nuisance Wharf site 16 OR 116. Various analyses allow chronological, economic, and behavioral patterns to be discerned. Intrasite patterns are compared on an intersite basis in an attempt to interpret refuse disposal behavior on a citywide basis. Historic documents are used to supplement archeological data and aid in the delineation of chronology and the economic and social makeup of those groups contributing to the archeological record. Observations are used as a basis for …

Archaeology And The Public: A Survey Of People's Knowledge Of The Archaeology Profession, Heidi Stoneman

Masters Theses

Archaeologists have an obligation to communicate the significance of data and research results to a fascinated but often uninformed public. How much the public understands about the field of archaeology is important to the profession. Through the media, people learn about the discovery of spectacular artifact treasures. This information often fosters the practice of treasure hunting, the looting and destruction of important archaeological sites. Via treasure hunting, along with land alteration and traffic in the sale of antiquities, the field of archaeology loses vast amounts of valuable information.

An interview questionnaire was given to 232 people with varying levels of …