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A Comparative Electromyographic Study Of The Effect Of Four Selected Closed Chain Squat Exercises On Vastus Medialis Oblique And Vastus Lateralis, Barbara D. Campbell, Michelle Kosiara, Heidi Tolloff

Masters Theses

Patellofemoral dysfunction (PFD) usually involves patellar maltracking. Vastus medialis oblique (VMO) and vastus lateralis (VL) are two key muscles that help maintain patellar alignment. Open kinetic chain (OKC) studies suggested that the optimum ratio of VMO:VL is about 1:1. With PFD the VMO becomes much weaker. Purpose: To determine which of four partial squat exercises, often used in rehabilitation, best favors VMO firing: partial squat, partial squat squeezing a ball between knees, partial squat with pulley resistance and partial squat with 45° oblique pulley resistance. Analysis of EMG for 31 normal subjects randomly performing all four exercises using repeated ANOVA …

The Relationship Of Eccentric Hamstrings Time To Peak Torque And Anterior Knee Joint Displacement, Julie Ann Clark, Maureen B. Godfrey, Noreen R. Laborde

Masters Theses

Research suggests that females are more likely to sustain an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury when compared to males and that the ACL and hamstring muscles work together to preserve joint stability. Information is limited regarding any relationship between anterior knee joint laxity, in the absence of injury, and eccentric hamstring time to peak torque. This study compared anterior knee joint displacement and eccentric hamstrings time to peak torque in 30 female athletes and 30 female non-athletes ages 14-18 years. The passive anterior drawer was measured on both lower extremities using the KT-1000® arthrometer before and after eccentric hamstrings time …

Music And The Effect It Has On The Motor Learning Of A Serial Task In Children, Ages Seven And Eight, Karen L. Kurncz, Tara K. Nielsen

Masters Theses

Purpose: To study the hypothesis that music will improve the motor learning of a serial task in seven and eight year old children.

Design: Acquisition - Retention Design

Intervention: The twenty-one subjects were randomly divided into two conditional groups, those who received musical intervention and those who did not. Each subject performed the serial task eleven times during the acquisition session. During the acquisition session, the only difference between the groups was the addition of music to the verbal cues in the experimental group. Approximately twenty-four hours later, each subject returned for a retention session to assess the motor learning …

The Effects Of A Five-Day Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program On The Standing And/Or Sitting Balance Of Children Ages 8-18 With A Wide Variety Of Disabling Diagnoses As Measured By The Functional Reach Test And The Modified Functional Reach Test, Richard A. Chaperon, Pamela A. Staszewski, Heather L. Vavrina

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect that a five-day horseback riding program had on the standing and/or sitting balance of children ages eight to eighteen afflicted with a variety of disabling diagnoses. The stated hypothesis is that after participating in a five-day session of therapeutic riding, subjects will show significant improvement in standing and/or sitting balance as measured by the Functional Reach Test (FRT) and the Modified Functional Reach Test (MFRT). The 15 subjects tested using FRT and the 17 subjects tested using the MFRT were all participants of the Cheff Center riding program. Subjects were …

A Secondary Analysis Of Self Assessed Assets Of Ninth And Twelfth Grade Students, Carolyn H. Young

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify the assets possessed by ninth and twelfth graders. This is a secondary analysis of data collected from a survey taken in rural northeastern lower Michigan. This study compared and discussed the similarities and differences in the community, family, and personal characteristics that can be interpreted as assets possessed by these students. Thirty - nine such assets were identified as being possessed by at least one of the student populations. These data can be used to help develop programs which can prevent adolescents from engaging in high - risk behaviors such as early …

Behavioral And Emotional Indicators Of Sexual Abuse: A Comparison With Physically Abused And Non-Abused Children, Janine L. Post-Anderle

Masters Theses

The focus of this study was to identify behavioral and emotional symptoms among hospitalized children who were 1)sexually abused 2)physically abused 3)non-abused, and non-hospitalized non-abused children.

Information about children between the ages of 6 and 12 was obtained through a retrospective analysis of 120 closed records from two different child psychiatric hospitals. A convenience sample of 40 parents with non-hospitalized children was used to obtain data about non-hospitalized non-abused children.

The “Child Behavior/Emotion Checklist”, developed by the author, was used to collect data regarding symptoms exhibited by children. Results indicated no difference in symptoms among the hospitalized groups of children. …

Hiv/Aids Patients' Perceptions Of Nurse Caring Behaviors, Jennifer Lynn Jordahl

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine which nurse caring behaviors HIV/AIDS patient's perceived as most important. Subjects were recruited from an HIV/AIDS clinic in a large Midwestern city. Twenty-three subjects completed Cronin and Harrison (1988) Caring Behaviors Assessment (CBA) along with a patient demographic questionnaire and an open ended question asking, "Is there anything else a nurse could do to make you feel care for or about? If so what?".

Results of this study suggest that HIV/AIDS patients perceive expressive nurse caring behaviors, such as, listening to the patient, treating the patient with respect, and knowing when …

Patient Participation In Decision-Making Regarding Post-Operative Ambulation: How It Affects Patient Outcomes, Martha Ann Ruble

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of patient participation in decision-making regarding post-operative ambulation on ambulation behaviors, occurrence of post operative complications, and overall satisfaction for patients undergoing bowel surgery. A convenience sample consisted of 39 subjects, aged 20-80, who underwent bowel surgery at a 300-bed medical center in a midwest metropolitan area.

An active negotiated approach to encourage patient participation in decision-making regarding post-operative ambulation was utilized for subjects in the experimental group (n = 19). It was hypothesized that subjects in the experimental group would ambulate farther and more frequently, would experience fewer post-operative …

Adolescents' Perceived Reasons For Choosing Abstinence Or The Use Or Non-Use Of A Condom During Sexual Intercourse, Susan L. Vrobel

Masters Theses

Adolescents’ perceptions of reasons for abstinence, safer sex, and unsafe sex were investigated. The study used a descriptive design, with a questionnaire administered to 82 Midwestern ninth grade students enrolled in a school health class. From a written scenario describing a couple who are sexually attracted to each other, students were asked to identify reasons the couple might choose to abstain from, or use or not use a condom if they chose to have, sexual intercourse. This study supported earlier research by Keller et al. (1996) which identified four factors perceived by adolescents as contributing to sexual behavior; social norms, …

Evaluation Of The Community Living Adaptation Scale, Jane M. Morris

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the CLAS. Seventy-three subjects participated from mental health case management agencies. The reliability coefficient for internal consistency o f the CLAS was .82. CLAS was compared to the Global Assessment of Functioning scale using the Pearson’s correlation. Convergent validity was significant to the .36 level indicating a significant relationship at the .01 level. The Self Profile Scale (SPS) was developed by this researcher as a parallel scale to compare the client’s perceptions to the case manager perceptions regarding functional status level. Item to item comparison of the CLAS and SPS indicated similar …

The Relationship Of Selected Health Beliefs And Exercise Adherence 6-12 Weeks Post Cardiac Event, Kristi L. Bianconi

Masters Theses

The hypothesis tested in this study was: Perceived benefits, barriers, and self-efficacy of individuals who are adherent to a cardiac exercise program will differ from individuals who are non-adherent. The study was a descriptive, correlational design using the Health Belief Model. Data were collected from 25 subjects, recruited from a private cardiology practice who participated in a cardiac rehabilitation program 6 to 12 weeks post hospitalization for a coronary event, defined as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, coronary angioplasty or stenting, or coronary artery bypass grafting.

Measurement of subject’s responses to perceived benefits, barriers and self-efficacy were collected through mailed questionnaires. …

An Efficient Library For Parallel Ray Tracing And Animation, John Edward Stone

Masters Theses

"A parallel ray tracing library is presented for rendering high detail images of three dimensional geometry and computational fields. The library has been developed for use on distributed memory and shared memory parallel computers and can also run on sequential computers. Parallelism is achieved through the use of message passing and threads. It is shown that the library achieves almost linear scalability when run on large distributed memory parallel computers as well as large shared memory parallel computers.

Several applications of parallel rendering are explored including rendering of CAD models, animation, magnetic resonance imaging, and visualization of volumetric flow fields. …

Characterization Of Petroleum Fog Oil And Vegetable Oil Smokes, Andrew Oliver Larouche

Masters Theses

"Deception and concealment to gain tactical advantage in the battlefield has been an integral part of warfare. Smoke has been a common tool used for signaling, concealment of troop movement and weapon deployment. U.S. Armed Forces have made use of smokes in an organized manner since the 1st world war. Since then various materials such as white phosphorus, zinc chloride, diesel fuel and petroleum oil aerosols have been used to obscure military targets. For the past thirty years fog oil (FO) a medium distillate has been extensively used by the U.S. Armed Forces for generation of obscurant smokes (OS). During …

Albert Camus & The Post-Modern Generation, Lisa Ann Tekancic-Salamat

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Choice On Off Task Behavior In A Child With Autism, Stacia Gibson

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Integrated Learning Systems In The Public Schools, Mary N. Parker

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of an Integrated Learning System (ILS). This study focused on how public school districts in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and Iowa were using the ILS. Eighty-five surveys were sent to public school contact persons whose names were provided by Computer Curriculum Corporation (CCC) which produces an ILS called SuccessMaker. Other software providers refused to cooperate in supplying names for the study. The study also asked if the ILS were effective in producing student gains.

While this study did not statistically evaluate the effectiveness of the ILS compared to control groups, or …

Of What She Lets Go, Amber Dawn Garrison

Masters Theses

Of What She Lets Go is a young-adult novel that focuses on the physical, emotional and sexual development of a thirteen-year-old girl named Emily. Emily is faced with the challenges of becoming a self-respecting and confident young woman despite the social and familial difficulties she encounters.

As the story develops, the problems Emily faces proportionally increase her sense of alienation. She becomes increasingly negative and turns outside her family and long-term friendships to establish a relationship with a rebellious sixteen-year-old male named Steve. Steve is attentive to Emily's need for affection and uses it to move the relationship to the …

The Effects Of Teacher Involvement In Classroom-Based Intervention For Vocabulary Acquisition And Classroom Communication Skills, Alexis A. Paramboukas

Masters Theses

The present study investigated curricular vocabulary acquisition in children enrolled in grades kindergarten through third. A collaborative classroom-based treatment approach was compared with a classroom-based "SLP-teach" method of intervention. Children at the collaborative school received a curricular language lesson in the classroom which was team taught by the classroom teacher and speech-language pathologist. The speech-language pathologist and classroom teacher met weekly to determine curricular vocabulary words and materials for the lessons. Children at the SLP-teach school received the same curricular language lessons, however, the classroom teachers were not present during the lessons and collaborative planning did not occur between the …

A Comparison Of F2 Transitions In The Disfluent Speech Of Persistent And Recovered Preschool Children Who Stutter, Jennifer K. Niemann

Masters Theses

This study investigated second formant transition extent and direction in disfluent speech samples recorded close to stuttering onset in preschool age children. Comparisons were made among subgroups of children known to persist in stuttering, those who recovered from stuttering, and normally fluent control subjects. Twenty-eight subjects, eight persistent stutterers, eight recovered subjects, and twelve normally fluent subjects participated. These children were enrolled in the longitudinal Stuttering Research Project at the University of Illinois at Urbana. The initial consonant to vowel transition in the second formant of the repeated portion of the part-word repetition was compared to the transition in the …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Tactile Stimulation For Task-Related Behaviors And Language Comprehension On Two Children With Autism, Lynn A. Patterson

Masters Theses

Previous research has investigated the effects of tactile stimulation on autistic behavior in the realm of occupational therapy (McClure, & Holtz-Yotz, 1991; Zissermann, 1991); however, no studies were found which investigated the effects of tactile stimulation on autistic behavior within the realm of speech-language pathology. This study was conducted to examine the effects of tactile stimulation on task-related behaviors and language comprehension.

The subjects were two school-aged males with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (Autism) grouped for speech-language therapy. The subjects exhibited difficulties in modulating sensory input in the areas of tactile/proprioceptive functioning, as assessed by an occupational therapist. Both subjects were …

An Analysis Of Using Dramatic Activities To Communicate And Stimulate Learning Of Biblical Principles Regarding Drug/Alcohol Abuse Among Teens, Victoria Norton

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Student Retention Practices And Development Of A Proposed School Retention Policy For The Beecher City, Illinois School District, Douglas C. Heiden

Masters Theses

The purposes of the study were to investigate student retention policies and practices in selected elementary schools in the Beecher City, Illinois, area and to develop a proposed school retention policy for the Beecher City School District where the author was employed as an emementary school principal. The issue of student retention has been debated across the country for decades. The review of literature and research found mixed evidence concerning the effectiveness of student retention. Since retention is an age-old practice, an historical review of literature was included to inform the reader of progression of the practice of retention in …

An Investigation Of Parental Perceptions Of Facilities, Communication Practices, Parental Involvement, And Educational Programs Of St. Mary School, Mount Vernon, Illinois, Aletta Lawrence

Masters Theses

This study investigated the parental perceptions of St. Mary School (a parochial K-6 school located in Mt. Vernon, Illinois) in order to assist the principal and school board in the implementation and formulation of policies which could benefit the students. The study addressed the following questions:

1. What are the perceptions of parents regarding the facilities at St. Mary School?

2. What are the perceptions of parents regarding the ways in which they are informed about St. Mary School?

3. What are the perceptions of parents regarding the extent to which they attend school related activities at St. Mary School? …

A Study Of Parent Perceptions Of The Home/School Connection With Technology In Georgetown-Ridge Farm Cusd #4, Andy Weathers

Masters Theses

The last three years has brought dramatic changes in implementation of technology for the Georgetown-Ridge Farm Unit District #4 (G-RF Unit #4). Since 1995 the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has initiated increased grant funding for schools in the areas of technology deployment, staff development and software purchase and upgrades. ISBE has placed special emphasis on the home/school connection with technology. Districts are required to assess what ISBE refers to as their "current reality" in these areas and take steps to close the gap in the inequities that exist. Districts were required to use gap analysis data to prepare …

Current Discipline Procedures Used In Southern Illinois High Schools, Les Oyler

Masters Theses

Class disruptions caused by unwanted student behavior account for lost instruction time and reduce the amount of learning that can take place within the school setting. There were three purposes of this study. The first purpose was to determine how detentions and suspensions were used to discourage disruptive and unwanted student behavior by southern Illinois high school administrators responsible for student discipline. A second purpose of the study was to determine the extent of satisfaction of southern Illinois high school administrators responsible for student discipline with current discipline procedures being used. The third purpose of the study was to identify …

"The World Adrift In Emptiness": Crossing The Abyss Of Transition In Four Tragedies By Wole Soyinka, Michael H. Lake

Masters Theses

1986 Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, Nigerian dramatist, poet, essayist and novelist, names the Yoruba god, Ogun, as his tragic muse for ritual theatre in "The Fourth Stage," his early artistic manifesto. In this essay Soyinka maintains that in contrast to Dionysus, Nietzsche's hero in The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music, Ogun balances within himself elements that could be described as Dionysian, Apollonian, and Promethean. Archetypally, Ogun thus constitutes a destructive-creative unity which overcomes the dyad of good-versus-evil of Europe's Christian civilization.

For this reason, Soyinka upholds Ogun not only as a natural patron of tragedy …

"That Gentil Text Kan I Wel Understonde": Textual Authority In Chaucer’S The Wife Of Bath’S Prologue, Emilie Roy

Masters Theses

It has become a critical commonplace to note that Chaucer created the character of the Wife of Bath out of an anti-feminist textual tradition that condemns just the kind of strong-voiced proto-feminist woman that she is. The anti-feminist tradition is deeply embedded in the western cultural framework. Established and perpetuated by a male clergy, it was an integral part of the institutionalized religious structure that controlled education, literacy, and thus access to texts of all kinds. The tradition assumed that woman—viewed as a collective entity—was portrayed as either a moral ideal or a wicked sinner, with little possibility for nuances …

Sex Differences In The Relations Between Sex Guilt And Sexual Experience, Melanie M. Brown

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine whether sex differences exist in the relations between sex guilt and sexual behavior. Past research has examined variables that affect sex guilt and found that sex guilt and sexual behavior are inversely related. This study specifically examined sex differences and how they affect this relation. The participants were 163 male and female undergraduate students at Eastern Illinois University. Mosher's revised Sex guilt Inventory and Paulson and Sputa's Sexual Behavior Frequency survey were administered along with a biographical data sheet.

Bivariate correlation analyses revealed that sex guilt and sexual behavior were inversely related. …

Validity Of The Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale With A Rural Sample, Julie A. Lindstrom

Masters Theses

The problem that was investigated in the current study was that the norms of the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale (RADS) (Reynolds, 1987) may have had limited generalizability to students attending Paris High School and Mayo Middle School in rural Paris, Illinois because it was normed on "normal" subjects in only one urban/suburban school district in Wisconsin. The purposes of the current study were to establish Paris norms for the RADS and to fulfill Paris' need for an instrument to efficiently and inexpensively assess students suspected of having depression. This investigator hypothesized that the norms on the RADS would differ between …

The Brachiacantha (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) Of Illinois, Harry Wilson Montgomery Jr.

Masters Theses

The Illinois fauna of Brachiacantha (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is treated in this paper. Seven species were found to occur in Illinois through active collecting and study of specimens from 16 museums and private collections. A key to the identification of adults, descriptions of the adults, habitus photographs and national and state distribution maps are provided. The most commonly collected Illinois species are B. ursina, B. felina, B. quadripunctata quadripunctata and B. decempustulata. Uncommonly collected species are B. dentipes and B. rotunda. Brachiacantha indubitabilis is represented in the Illinois fauna only by the lectotype for the species. Malaise traps, sweep netting, yellow …