Digital Commons Network^™

Anger: In Black & White: A Meta Analysis, James Hazlewood

Masters Theses

The following research investigates whether black and white populations have divergent perceptions of anger and anger expressions in black and white males. A great deal of the research to follow concerns itself with exploring what anger is and how it is delineated. What becomes readily apparent is that anger is a complex component of human experience. There is general agreement that culture and environment are important components in anger expression. The purpose of this research is three fold: 1. Investigate the definition of anger. 2. Investigate whether black and white populations view anger differently and if so how, and 3. …

Saxo Grammaticus: History And The Rise Of National Identity In Medieval Denmark, Christopher L. Bailey

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Internet And Traditional Media Displacement, Jessica Cartledge

Masters Theses

This study consists of a survey that measures how much of the Internet college students are using and why they are using it. Using the uses and gratifications perspective and an adapted version of Rubin's 1984 Television Motives Scale this study analyzes what gratifications media consumers are actively seeking to satisfy their communication needs. 217 students were surveyed and results showed that high Internet users were using traditional media less. The study also concluded that high and low Internet users have similar reasons for using the Internet.

Regional Specific Brain Apoe Modulation By The Estrous Cycle And Exogenous Estrogen, Emily Rosario

Masters Theses

Previous studies have demonstrated that 17β-estradiol can modify apolipoprotein E (apoE) expression. I found that apoE protein varied as a function of the estrous cycle and 17β-estradiol (E2) in a region specific manner in the mouse brain. I also found that apoE concentration was lowest on estrus in the hippocampus, cingulate cortex and frontal cortex; apoE concentration was highest on estrus in the olfactory bulb and cerebellum. No changes in apoE were found in the striatum throughout the estrous cycle. Exogenous E2 significantly raised tissue levels in the olfactory bulb and cerebellum, but did not increase apoE in cortical samples …

Analyses Of Prairie Restorations At Rock Springs Environmental Center, Decatur, Illinois, Jennifer A. Ward

Masters Theses

Rock Springs Environmental Center was acquired in 1969 by the Macon County Conservation District. Several tracts totaling 1.6 hectares were developed as prairie restorations of varying ages on former farmland starting in 1977. During the summers of 1999 to 2001, 123 species were collected at Rock Springs. Of these, 56 species were collected within the sampling transects. The largest number of species (36 out of 56) was collected in the 1983 tract. The highest importance value of all tracts for any species was 42.6 for Andropogon gerardii. Sorensen's Index of Similarity between tracts ranged from 53.97- 72.97. The coefficient …

A Web Content Management And Personalization Model Using One-To-One Strategy For Higher Educational Institutions, Yee Pong Ng

Masters Theses

This research explored a Web content management and personalization model for higher educational institutions. Through a review of literature and data collected from users, it formulated a conceptual model for Web content management and personalization. The study used the Web site of School of Technology at Eastern Illinois University as a typical case from which to develop the model for higher educational institutions. Understanding the factors influencing user attitudes about the adoption of new Web technologies is extremely important. Such an understanding can help Web developers develop a theoretical framework for a Web model as well as identify its components. …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Profitability And Iso 9000 Certification For Fortune 500 Companies, Teng-Yun Chiang

Masters Theses

This study examined the relationship between ISO 9000 Quality Management Systems and profitability to determine if there is any relationship between implementation of ISO 9000 and their profit or loss. Fortune 500 companies in the United States were selected as the research population.

Data were collected from Fortune magazine, Quality magazine, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), ISO Survey, ISO Secretariat, Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB), and ISO Directory of ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 Accreditation and Certifications Bodies. Companies that remajned on the Fortune 500 list from 1990 to 2000 were selected for this study.

The research utilized a …

Pheidippides Revisited, James C. Stockwell

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Convergent, Discriminant, And Construct Validity Of The Acters And Asca, Katie Sprouls

Masters Theses

The present study examined the convergent, discriminant, and construct validity of the ADD-H Comprehensive Teacher's Rating Scale, Second Edition (ACTeRS) and Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA). Participants included 106 children between in first through sixth grade for the ACTeRS and ASCA comparison of teacher ratings. The children assessed were 53 children meeting DSM-4 criteria for ADHD and 53 randomly matched control group children. Results of this study indicated moderate correlations between similar scales of the ACTeRS and ASCA. Discriminant function analysis and diagnostic efficiency estimates revealed significantly high capabilities for both instruments in accurately differentiating between known groups. …

A Comparison Of The Level Of Maturity Of Manufacturers In The Lake Land College School District In Lean Manufacturing Techniques As Compared To Goodson's Survey Data, Mark W. Henderson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if manufacturers in the Lake Land College School District have implemented Lean Manufacturing techniques and score as high as the manufacturers in Goodson's Michigan study. Lean Manufacturing techniques have revolutionized the auto industry, with the Toyota Production system the benchmark in Lean Manufacturing techniques. A survey using Goodson's Rapid Plant Assessment compares the level of maturity in the utilization of the Lean Manufacturing techniques with the manufacturers in the Lake Land College School District and Goodson's survey of manufacturers in Michigan. The mean score of 57.67 for the manufacturers in the Lake …

Institutional Representation Of Student Presentations At Psychology Research Conferences: Trends And Implications, Cathy D. Schoonover

Masters Theses

Student participation in psychology undergraduate research conferences has pedagogical benefits encompassing experiential and collaborative learning, and enhancement of critical thinking skills. This project was designed to determine whether more conference participants originate from baccalaureate colleges than from research universities and what topics they present. Archival data were gathered from five geographically diverse undergraduate conferences and information extracted to determine institutions of origin. Institutions were categorized according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, then compared using chi-square tests. Information concerning topics presented were categorized according to six content domains of psychology and also analyzed with chi-square tests. The …

A Descriptive Comparative Study Of Student Learning Styles From Selected Medical Education Programs, Dennis C. Gregory, Steven K. Huisman

Masters Theses

The authors’ hypothesis was to determine whether comparable variation coexisted among the individual learning styles of health professional students and the general population. Our purpose was to demonstrate learning style variability, as well as justification for the utilization of different teaching modalities throughout education. We administered David Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory IIa to sample populations of Emergency Medical Technician/Paramedic students (n = 53), third and fourth year Medical students (n = 28), undergraduate Nursing students (n = 65), second and third year Physician Assistant students (n = 49), and a General student population (n = 70). The results were analyzed …

Alcohol Use And Perceptions Of Alcohol Use Among Biology, Criminal Justice, Health Science, And Psychology Capstone Students At Grand Valley State University, Rebecca Postma

Masters Theses

This study brought the widely used Rutgers PRSP survey to upper level students in biology, criminal justice, health science and psychology capstone classes in the academic year of 2000/2001. The survey explores student perceptions of their own alcohol use, of their friends’ use, and that of other students. Data from 291 participants reveals gender differences in perception, differences in self-reported drinking habits among the four capstone groups, and differences between this group of participants and their expectations of other students’ drinking. These areas of information along with other interesting findings give important insight into the upper level students of Grand …

Home Health Care Nurses' Knowledge Of Advance Directives, Jennifer L. Zoeteman

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe home health care nurses' knowledge of advance directives. Dorothea Orem's Theory of Self-Care guided this descriptive correlational study which investigated the relationship between knowledge of advance directives and the variables of nursing educational preparation and years of nursing experience. A convenience sample of 40 subjects employed by a Michigan home care agency completed a 39 item questionnaire adapted from Crego and Lipp (1998). The mean knowledge score was 84.68%. Analysis of the demographic profile showed no significant difference in knowledge levels by educational preparation. Years of nursing experience was found to have …

Examination Of Therapeutic Alliance And Dependent-Care Agency In The Context Of Complementary And Alternative Therapy Utilization By Mothers For Their Children With Asthma, Mary C. Vanderwal

Masters Theses

Complementary and alternative therapies (CAT) are being used by increasing numbers of individuals as both self-care and dependent-care strategies. Nursing leadership is needed to provide guidance and support to individuals using CAT Nurse-client relationships that center on therapeutic alliance may be a vehicle for supporting appropriate use of CAT as self-care and dependent care modalities. Eighty-seven mothers whose asthmatic children were involved in a 6-month glyconutritional supplementation trial were surveyed to evaluate their perceptions of therapeutic alliance using the Kim Alliance Scale (KAS). Greater that 90% of the sample perceived therapeutic alliance most of the time in relationship with the …

Comparison Of Maternal Perception Of Birth: Labor Induced By Misoprostol Vs Spontaneous Labor, Kristine E. Barber

Masters Theses

This study was a comparison of the maternal perception of birth with spontaneous labor vs. labor induced by misoprostol. Perception of control, a primary factor linked with satisfaction in childbirth, was also evaluated.

Levine’s Conservation Principles guided this study. Many studies have evaluated misoprostol’s effectiveness and safety, but none have evaluated patients’ perception of their birth experience when receiving the drug. An awareness of this aspect is essential to evaluate the drug’s effect on the integrity of the whole individual.

A convenience sample of women who delivered at one regional hospital were given two questionnaires to complete before discharge. There …

Stratigraphy And Diagenesis Of The Paleoproterozoic Bushy Park Zinc-Lead Deposit, South Africa, William Daniel Baugaard

Masters Theses

“The Bushy Park zinc-lead deposit is located in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa. The sulfides are hosted by karst-related breccias that were formed in carbonate shelf deposits of the Neoarchean (2.55 Ga) Campbellrand Subgroup. These rocks are dolomitized completely and silicified partially but have not undergone major metamorphism and thus display remarkable preservation of depositional fabrics. The stratigraphic interval includes the Papkuil and Klippan Formations (> 210 m), a sequence of cyclic microbial laminates interbedded with domed and columnar stromatolites. The Klippan is distinguished from other formations b intense silicification and brecciation. These strata are overlain by the Kogelbeen …

Mechanical Response Of Nets Of Graphical Objects, Rakesh Kumar Bajaj

Masters Theses

"This research produces networks of graphical objects that respond to human manipulation in a fashion that would be deemed physically reasonable. That is, a graphical network is given a mechanics-like behavior in the presence of the human interaction. In this approach, nonlinear models replace commonly used linear models to mimic physical reality better. Software solutions are provided via a class library useful for such interactive visual modeling"--Abstract, page iii.

Benefiting From Eiu: The University As Catalyst For Economic Development In Charleston, Il, Cara L. Oosterbaan

Masters Theses

In the city of Charleston, Illinois, home of Eastern Illinois University, there exist economic problems such as underemployment, potential for brain drain, and recent market failure in the retail industry. After being defined, the traditional role of EIU is expanded to include the promotion of economic development efforts in Charleston. An economic impact study shows EIU's influence on the local Charleston economy. It is concluded that with the establishment of an Office of Economic Development at EIU and the aid of local government and Charleston citizens, Eastern Illinois University may be able to reverse the effects of underemployment, potential brain …

The Effects Of Parents, Teachers, And Peers On Academic Motivation, Amanda R. Holden

Masters Theses

The focus of this study was to assess the relationship between perceived support of parents, teachers, and peers and academic motivation. The second focus was to assess which variable was more predictive of academic motivation. The Children's Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory by Gottfried, 1986, the Peer Social Support, Peer Academic Support, Teacher Social Support, and Teacher Academic Support subscales of the Classroom Life Measure by Johnson, Johnson, Buckman, and Richards, 1985, and the Family Cohesion subscale of the Family Environment Scale by Moos and Moos, 1994 were administered to the students. A total of 72 students from 3rd, 4th, and …

Birth Of A Paradigm: Digital Technology And Its Effect On Literary Studies, Chad Michael Verbais

Masters Theses

Digital technology is changing the landscape of literary studies. In essence, the proliferation of computer technology and hypertext is forcing literary scholars to look at how the expanded role of the visual in our society is influencing the way we read and disseminate texts, especially hypertexts, while they also come to a better understanding of the role of the reader in a digital environment and the overall value of electronic literature. Literary studies is witnessing the birth of a new paradigm through digital technology in textual production and dissemination that will not only raise new questions, but further examine age-old …

Factors Influencing Teachers' Decisions To Refer Students For Special Education Evaluation, Amanda R. Perry

Masters Theses

This study examined the factors that influence teachers to refer students for psycho-educational evaluation. Fifty seven teachers from Midwest and Southwest suburban and rural school districts completed a questionnaire designed to gather information about the factors teachers consider when referring students for evaluation, as well as their opinion of the etiology of Learning Disability and their preferences for services. Results indicated that the most influential factors in participants' referral decisions were low achievement and behavioral problems. The majority of teachers agreed that eligibility decisions should be based on the child's needs. However, there was no agreement that an ability-achievement discrepancy …

Connecting People: An Exploration Of Building An Intranet Through Autoethnography, Christopher J. Martinez

Masters Theses

This study examines the development and failure of an Intranet at a small company in Southern Illinois. Using autoethnographic methods, I analyzed the events surrounding the development and rejection of the Intranet by the organization's president. Using Burke's concepts of identification and mystery, I analyzed the relationship between the failure of the Intranet and the president's reasoning for not supporting its development. Throughout this study I evaluate the lntranet's development, the impact of other's involvement, as well as the impact that the design of the layout could have on communication at the Company. I find that the failure to develop …

Marty On The Edge, Bill Feltt

Masters Theses

Marty Kaden can fly. A champion Taekwondoist with serious hopes and a good chance of making the United States team, propelling him all the way to the Olympic Games one day, he takes his chosen martial art seriously. Trouble looms on the horizon, however, and soon brings Marty down to Earth. After suffering defeat at the hands of an arch-rival, Marty spins out of control. Worse, his master instructor disappears under what Marty believes are mysterious circumstances. Yet no one will take him seriously—the police, his mother, his master's assistant. None of them shares his concern. Marty's despair sends him …

Calvin Klein: Semiotic Phenomenology, Stephanie L. Crase-Moritz

Masters Theses

This study examined print advertising as a visual communication method by focusing on five of Calvin Klein's jeans advertisements and the themes that are expressed to determine what realities or social meanings Calvin Klein's jeans advertisements constructed and/or reflected. To uncover the themes within Klein's advertisements, the following three-methods were applied: Content Analysis, Informal Focus Group and Semiotic Phenomenology. Together the three-methods, based upon data collected from fourteen males and females aged 13-18, 19-21, 22-24 and 28 years old or above, identified fifteen underlying themes containing stereotypes, potentially dangerous realities and evidence showing our desensitization to controversy and shocking images …

American Kitsch: Dreams Of Vegas And Apollo Beyond Aporias, Daniel Gerling

Masters Theses

Aside from a recently published compendium of happy stories by Dan Rather and a few real estate agencies in Florida, the American Dream has been considered dead. The most common poison deemed responsible for this death has been, not the lack of success, but, the "kitschiness" of the reward. Postwar novels such as Henry Miller's The Air-Conditioned Nightmare and Edward Albee's play The American Dream declared that the Dream was no longer genuine and, therefore, no longer functional or valid.

Horatio Alger's blueprint for American prosperity began to lose its momentum to a generation of skeptics who rejected the idea …

The Effect Of Telepathic Assistance On Performance In A Visual Target-Search Task, James A. Wachtel

Masters Theses

Given the significant controversy regarding parapsychology and the study of psi phenomena, there appear to be opportunities to improve design in parapsychological experimentation through the use of more sensitive and reliable means of measurement. The current study was an attempt to introduce a design that employs time as an outcome measurement, the use of groups and individuals as opposed to just individuals, and the use of more specific and focused content through the use of problem-solving tasks, in an attempt to create a sensitive and replicable experiment in telepathy. Twenty-three undergraduate participants completed 12 trials each by finding targets in …

Modulation Of Apolipoprotein E Expression And Glial Activation In Mouse Olfactory Bulb During Estrous Cycle: An Immunohistochemical Study, Matthew Kircher

Masters Theses

Estrogen (E2) plasma levels fluctuate as a function of estrous cycling in the mouse. Apolipoprotein E (apoE) mRNA has been shown to increase in both hippocampal astrocytes and microglia during proestrus when plasma estrogen levels are high. The current study was designed to evaluate apoE localization and glial activation in mouse olfactory bulb (OB) as a function of the estrous cycle. In the rat OB, estrogen receptor β (ERβ) is present in the glomerular and external plexiform layers, but not the internal plexiform and granule cell layers. Normal female mice 2-3 months old at the start of the study were …

The Rural Public Television System: The Paradox Of Identity And Role, James C. Jones Jr.

Masters Theses

The American television broadcasting system is preparing for it's greatest upgrade since color television. This change will not only effect commercial television it will also effect our community public television stations.

Since it's inception in 1967 the public television system has been the innovation leader in the broadcast industry for using new technologies to benefit education and servicing the public. Public television was the leader in satellite programming distribution, descriptive television services and closed captioning. Public television has defined and demonstrated its role as a technology leader. This research study was undertaken to define from the public's perspective what it …

Framing The War: Government Strategies Used During The Kosovo Conflict, Jocelyn Tipton

Masters Theses

NATO's success in Kosovo ultimately depended upon each member's ability to carefully balance national interest and opposing viewpoints against international pressures from the Alliance. In reconciling these factors, each country created framing strategies designed to garner public support for its involvement in the military operations. Indigenous public support was integral to each country's participation in these efforts and in NATO's ability to maintain a sustained campaign.

This thesis focuses specifically on the strategies used by the government leaders in the United States, Italy and Germany, to influence public opinion and gain national support for military involvement during NATO's operations in …