Digital Commons Network^™

An Efficient Collective Communication Library For Pvm, Chirapol Mathawaphan

Masters Theses

PVM enables the use of network of workstations for parallel and distributed computation. PVM provides the message-passing primitives which include those for point-to-point communication and collective communications. The current approaches for the collective communication operations in PVM use algorithms that do not exhibit good performance.

In this thesis, we develop new approaches to improve the performance of collective communication operations in PVM by using shared memory with IP broadcasting and IP multicasting mechanism. We have implemented these approaches and have run extensive tests. This report shows the comparison of the time used by current approaches and our approaches.

Addressing Spirituality In Occupational Therapy Treatment, Barbara R. Howe

Masters Theses

Literature review identified confusion in the definitions of spirituality with religion. However, there have been attempts to separate the two definitions by professionals who consider holism an important concept of clinical practice. This · study was designed to identify occupational therapists' definitions of spirituality in clinical practice. Also under investigation was the therapist's assessment and use of spirituality for treatment purposes.

A survey was sent to a random sample of occupational therapists in order to gather data about their spiritual activities, their personal definitions of spirituality and their use of spirituality in evaluation and treatment of clients.

Occupational therapists who …

Implementing Resources For Reform: One Teacher’S Experience With A Standards-Based Mathematics Curriculum, Lynn Best Royer

Masters Theses

This study addresses the issue of implementation of a reform mathematics curriculum, focusing on one teacher's personal experience. Its purpose is to uncover what motivated this teacher to persist in learning new ways to teach mathematics. There is greater emphasis on discovering what discouraged this effort. Impediments to implementation are emphasized because of their potential to undermine the movement to restructure mathematics education.

This case study used common methods of qualitative data gathering and analysis. Interviews, observation, and video tapes were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. The impediments to implementation which emerged were then compared to reports from similar reform projects. …

Physician’S Willingness To Treat Hiv Positive Patients, Tania Tiara Kazanjian

Masters Theses

Two research questions guided the present study: (1) Are there physicians' traits that influence their willingness to treat HIV positive patients? (2) Are there patients' traits that influence physicians' willingness to treat HIV positive patients? A total of 12 independent variables were selected for this study, five of which were related to the following physicians' traits: age, religion, geography, OSHA training, and the method of health insurance compensation. The other seven related to patients' traits such as race, ethnic background, and the manner in which patients contracted the disease. Three modes of transmission selected for study reflected on patient behaviors …

The Commercialization Of The Medieval Ideal: The Spanish Forger And Handbooks Of Illumination, Amy E. Dawson

Masters Theses

This study analyzes the commercialization of popular medievalism that occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. By examining the works of a forger of medieval manuscripts this research identifies a market created for works that expressed a particularly "Romantic" vision of medieval society. Moreover, this study offers a discussion of late nineteenth century handbooks that teach techniques of illumination. These works are examined to gain an understanding of the audience for which "medieval" works were created. Publication information reveals the popularity of these handbooks. The. prefatory material examined here pinpoints the idealization of the "medieval" that made handbooks …

L-Shell Resonant Electron Transfer And Excitation In Cu18-19+ + H2 Collisions, Jeffrey A. Wroblewski

Masters Theses

Measurements of L-shell resonant electron transfer and excitation (RTE) were conducted for 45-72 MeV Cu^18-19+ (Na-like and Ne-like, respectively) ions colliding with H₂ using the Western Michigan University EN tandem Van de Graaff accelerator. The RTE process involves an electron-electron interaction between the projectile and the target where electron capture occurs simultaneously with projectile excitation. In previous measurements involving RTE with subsequent L x-ray relaxation for Nb^q+ (q=28-31) ions, the magnitudes of the RTE cross sections were found to be nearly a factor of two smaller than theory. In the analogous electron-ion process of dielectronic recombination, measurements …

A Depositional Analysis Of The Wymer Site, Berrien County, Michigan And Its Relationship To Post-Glacial Lake Levels In The Lake Michigan Basin, Kevin A. Kincare

Masters Theses

The Wymer site is an archeological site on the St. Joseph River floodplain 1.5 miles north of Berrien Springs, Michigan. Early and Middle Archaic cultural phases were found at the site. These sites are unusual in that their occurrence corresponds to low lake levels associated with Lake Chippewa and were assumed to occupy the now submerged shoreline areas.

A site evaluation was undertaken to examine the types of sediments and depositional structures. Trenches, grainsize analysis, ¹⁴C samples and valley topography were used to determine that the site was a point bar situated on a terrace above the modern floodplain. …

Factors Affecting The Educational Attainment Of African-American Males: An Observational Analysis, Chauncey Williams

Masters Theses

African-American males participation in higher education has declined due to low academic achievement. The research suggests that this low achievement is caused by racism, academic preparation, self-esteem, teacher expectation, and goals. Although I agree with most of the research, I have concluded that along with teacher's expectations, four other factors greatly impact academic achievement. These other four factors are (1) school demographics, (2) curriculum, (3) parental involvement, and (4) peer pressure. These factors were observed through casual conversations with African-American male high school students in a large midwestern area. The observational analysis suggests that improvement in these areas will help …

Conflict And Balance Among Asean Countries: Geopolitics And Security Issues, Akihito Yonekura

Masters Theses

This paper examines the changing geopolitical scene in Southeast Asia and regional security issues managed by the states belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). A crucial research question is "How has the end of the Cold War influenced the security perspectives of these nations?"

Historical research of the political cultures and complex ethnicities of the ASEAN countries shows causes of awkward relationships (originating in the colonial era) between them. For managing regional security issues, these countries have established several regional organizations, although most of them have failed. The withdrawal of the British and U.S. forces from Malaysia, …

Solitas: An Evaluation Of A Non-Government Organization's Approach To Gender Needs In Latin America, Tara J. Vette

Masters Theses

This study is an evaluation of a project conducted by a non-government organization working with single women in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The focus of the evaluation was how Solitas, a non-government organization project approached gender-specific needs of the women. More specifically this study will ascertain if the skills learned by the women were sustainable, the amount of participation in decision making for the project and if the skills taught by the organization led to the participants organizing independently.

This evaluation was conducted by examining the organization's own reports concerning the progress of the project and the organization's gender policy. In …

Group Cohesiveness Represented Through A Multidimensional Analysis Of Group Improvisations, Rosemary Hakes

Masters Theses

This research examined the particular aspect of group process, group cohesiveness, through an electroacoustic analysis of group musical improvisations. The musical parameter, amplitude, was displayed and compared to independent judges' ratings of group cohesiveness. The interrater reliability for ratings of group cohesiveness vs. noncohesiveness was very high (100%). The interrater reliability for the degree of group cohesiveness or non-cohesiveness was, given the small number of examples used, adequate (80%). The improvisations rated cohesive by the judges also matched in rank order placement. The two dimensions of the amplitude patterns that were relevant to this study were density and form. These …

A Strategy For Distributed Relational Database Design, Ismail Omar Hababeh

Masters Theses

This thesis presents a strategy for the fragmentation and allocation of data in a distributed relational database. The strategy introduces a way to fragment and allocate data to accomplish the benefits of allocating each fragment independently for each site. Some fragments may be allocated to multiple sites in order to achieve some constraints such as availability, consistency, and integrity. The strategy is appropriate for different types of computers at various sites connected to a network, with different costs of retrieval, update, and communication.

To increase the system 1/0 performance, sites having similar communication costs are grouped into clusters to which …

Game Theory And The Application To Mainland China-Taiwan Relations From 1949-1995, Po-Tung Chang

Masters Theses

This study is dedicated to evaluating the capacity of game-theoretical models in analyzing and explaining international crises like mainland China-Taiwan relations. To highlight and reflect the nature of these complicated long-run relations, the author formulates a dynamic game model based on the combination of three well-known models, Deadlock, Prisoner's Dilemma, and Chicken instead of occupying one dominant model.

The mainland China-Taiwan relations (1949-1995) are divided into three individual phases in accordance with the configuration of game models: (1) the military confrontation phase (1949-78); (2) the peaceful competition phase (1978-86); and (3) the premature cooperation phase (1987-95). By generating and suggesting …

"Permit Me Then Good Friends To Sing": Reflections, Reactions, And Manipulations In Civil War Songs, Joanne Thomas

Masters Theses

Musicologists, folklorists and historians agree that the music of the Civil War was a significant means of communication for Americans in all regions and classes. The popularity of music soared during the war, with songs about the war holding center stage. This study moves beyond the acknowledgment that these songs were an important means of communication to seeing what messages were being communicated by both professional and amateur songwriters. These lyricists criticized and praised behaviors, often pointing out the social acceptance or exclusion that could result from individual behaviors, made assumptions about and passed moral judgements on female, male, and …

The Study Of The Impact Of Possible Selves On The Goal-Setting Skills Of Incarcerated Male Students With Learning Disabilities, Susie M. Martin

Masters Theses

Possible selves is a theory. It involves strategies in helping students view themselves in a more desirable future state. It is focused on the self in three basic domains; Hoped for Selves, Expected Selves, and Feared Selves. Possible Selves leads an individual into goal setting skills.

Student inmates with learning disabilities do not have well developed plans for their futures upon release from prison. As a result, such students often return to prison for illegal acts.

A solution to the problem is to implement a goal setting skills program that is based on the students' view of positive possible selves …

From Sexual Prejudice To Patriarchy And Its Agents: The Radicalization Of Mary Daly's Analysis Of Sexism, Teresa Bellow-Stratton

Masters Theses

This thesis interprets key concepts in Mary Daly's analysis of sexism as they are developed in her first three books. It highlights the continuities more than the discontinuities in Daly's writing. The constant features of Daly's writing are her existentialist orientation and a complex synthesis of ideas that relates the subjective experience of individuals, the objective social circumstances of individuals, and socially constructed stereotypes, especially those stereotypes expressed in religious language.

Applications Of Artificial Neural Networks In Interactive Simulation, Payman Jula

Masters Theses

Although there have been many improvements in simulation technology over the past few years, it still suffers from many limitations. Simulation methods are usually time consuming and hence not suitable for the interactive decision making processes.

In this project, applications of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to simulate manufacturing systems have been studied. The backpropagation Multiple Layer Perceptrons (MLPs) have been applied to simulate manufacturing systems. Some guidelines for developing appropriate ANNs have been presented. The results of ANN approach have been compared to those of conventional simulation methods.

The Role Of Marriage, Marriage-Type Relationships And Alcohol Use In Woman-Abuse Cases, Dianna M. Cleaver

Masters Theses

This research explores the relationships between marriage, alcohol use, and woman abuse. The role that the institution of marriage plays in woman abuse is examined from a historical perspective.

This study also explores how, historically, alcohol use, being as a part of the male macho and physical culture, became a socially adopted excuse for woman abuse. Critical feminist perspectives are used to guide this inquiry. Kalamazoo County Court System domestic violence arrest records are analyzed and interpreted in terms of offender-to-victim relationships. Also, the percentages and dynamics of those arrests in which alcohol use was a factor are explored.

This …

Students Talking About Relationships (Star): An Evaluation Of A Sexual Assault Peer Education Program, Angela R. Evans

Masters Theses

This study examined the effectiveness of Students Talking About Relationships (STAR), a sexual assault peer education program at Western Michigan University. Research has shown sexual assault to be a significant problem on college campuses around the country. In response to this research, many universities have instituted sexual assault programming. Unfortunately, the evaluation of these programs has not been as prevalent as their use. This study was proposed to help fill this gap.

This research used a quasi-experimental design in which students were pretested, exposed to the sexual assault program, and post-tested afterwards. Surveys were compared to evaluate whether there were …

The Flora And Ecology Of Seidman Park, Kent County, Michigan, Pamela J. Laureto

Masters Theses

A floristic study of Seidman Park, Kent County, Michigan was performed. The study identified 521 vascular plants belonging to 96 families and 284 genera. The plant communities of Seidman Park were delimited by identification of dominant species and observation of the physical environment. It was believed that communities existed within the upland forest that could not be identified by observation alone. The use of Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS) ordination techniques identified three communities within the upland forest. These were a xeric community, a dry-mesic community and a nutrient-rich community. Three sub-communities of the dry-mesic community were also identified.

Differences In The Self-Talk Of Students With Language Impairments When Completing Math Computation And Story Problems, Jennifer Shepard Crouse

Masters Theses

This study was designed to analyze the differences in the self-talk of students with language impairments when compared with students with normal language. Nine fifth grade students with language impairments and nine fifth grade students with normal language, identified by their teachers as average-achieving, participated in this study. Participants were instructed to use a think-aloud technique while completing sets of computational and math story problems. Resulting samples of self-talk were transcribed and coded.

Results indicated several significant differences in the self-talk of students with language impairments when compared with their normal language peers. In regard to quantitative aspects of self-talk, …

Political Stability And The Division Of Czechoslovakia, Timothy M. Kuehnlein

Masters Theses

Utilizing the historical development of relations between Czechs and Slovaks for a century and more, the following thesis contends that Czechoslovakia has exhibited a propensity for dissolution and the lack of a sound basis for stable order.

Socio-political, economic and ethno-cultural variables have traditionally characterized Czechoslovak society as highly bifurcated, and with negative implications for a stable political union, especially within the post-revolutionary period.

This thesis argues that the division of Czechoslovakia need not be lamented. Rather, division may be viewed less negatively than other examples of modern state devolution in post-revolutionary Europe. Indeed, the division of Czechoslovakia has positive …

The Effect Of Rewards And Motivation On Student Achievement, Lori Kay Baranek

Masters Theses

A review of research is conducted to examine the effect of rewards on intrinsic motivation and learning for children in general education and special education. Intrinsically motivated students experience school success because they display behaviors such as choosing challenging activities and spending more time on task. The use of rewards undermines intrinsic motivation and results in the slower acquisition of skills and more errors in the learning process. The implications of the research are discussed and a collection of strategies designed to promote intrinsic motivation is presented. One part of the collection presents strategies for all students, and the other …

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Adolescents And Risk For Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection, Margo A. Adams

Masters Theses

The adolescent population has been identified as the age group most quickly increasing in HIV transmission. Specific subpopulations of adolescents may be more at risk than others due to their unique situations. Characteristics commonly discussed in the literature describing individuals with attention deficits and hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) are similar to those that put individuals at risk for HIV infection (i.e., impulsivity, overactivity, drug use). This anonymous survey study investigated several hypotheses suggesting that ADHD adolescents may be more at risk than controls for HIV infection. Undergraduates at a midwestern university completed the sexual behavior survey. Eight male subjects reported a …

An Assessment Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Psychology And Physical Health Comorbidity Among Law Enforcement Officers, Terri L. Belville

Masters Theses

A qualitative survey was employed to gather descriptive information on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and collateral psychological and physical health conditions among law enforcement officers. Three diagnostic assessment instruments for PTSD were utilized including a self-report traumatic stress questionnaire to screen for PTSD, as well as provide information on the range of personal and on-the-job traumatic events experienced by officers. At a structured clinical follow-up interview the C-DIS-R and MCMI-III were used to verify a diagnosis of PTSD and establish psychological comorbidity on Axis I and Il, respectively. A self-report physical health questionnaire was also used to assess for physical …

Assessment Of The Stimulus Properties Of Mda And Mdma Stereoisomers In A Lsd-Saline-Amphetamine Discrimination, Michele Marie Taylor

Masters Theses

This study employed a three-choice drug discrimination procedure in order to further delineate the discriminative stimulus properties of the stereoisomers of 3,4- methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate amphetamine (1.0 mg/kg) and LSD (.08 mg/kg) from saline in a three-lever, food reinforced (sweetened condensed milk) drug discrimination procedure. A fixed-ratio (FR) 20 schedule with a reset condition for incorrect responses was employed. When criteria (85% over 10 consecutive sessions) were met, (+)-MDA, (-)-MDA, (+)-MDMA (.31, .63, 1.25 mg/kg) and (-)-MDMA (.88, 1.75, 3.5 mg/kg) were tested for substitution. All of these compounds produced …

Changes In Communication After The Diagnosis Of An Illness, Kimberly M. Sniderman

Masters Theses

A cancer, HIV, or AIDS diagnosis may alter a person's life. This may be exhibited communicatively, particularly when people with illnesses (PWI) disclose their diagnosis to people without illnesses (PWOI). The present study examined the premise that communication between PWI and PWOI was likely to be affected by illness disclosure. PWI were asked whether and how (positively or negatively) they perceived communication to change in family, doctor, nurse, other health care professional and their own contexts. Results indicated that PWI communication did change, though this was not found across contexts. Specific types of communication changes PWI experienced included greater openness, …

The Introduction Of E-Mail And Its Effect On The Expanded Use Of Computers Among Teachers In The La Porte Schools, David M. Randall

Masters Theses

Despite a major investment in technology by the LaPorte, Indiana school district, some teachers were not using the computers installed in their buildings and classrooms. Consequently, they were not using instructional applications. This project is intended to demonstrate that where building level e-mail had been introduced, there was an increase in the number of teachers using computers and instructional applications.

Data were collected with a survey of teachers to determine the extent to which computers, computer applications, and other technology were being used in the district. Extent of use was analyzed for two groups: (1) teachers who had e-mail, and …

A Comparison Of The Physical Activity, Body Composition And Self-Esteem Levels Of 5th And 6th Grade Students In Southwest Michigan, Rebevva C. Coady

Masters Theses

The problem of this study was to compare the physical activity levels, body fat percentage and self-esteem levels for children 1 O to 12 years of age. Subjects were 5th and 6th grade students who attended Schoolcraft or Lawton Middleschools in Southwest Michigan. The instruments used for this study consisted of the Lohman 2-site skinfold test, the Harter "What I am Like" self-esteem questionnaire, and a physical activity checklist. Subjects were grouped according to body fat percentage and physical activity level. Significant differences were found for males body fat groups for 4 of the 6 subscales of self-esteem: (1) . …

Using An Evolutionary Strategy To Solve Frequency Allocation Problems, Min Chen

Masters Theses

Frequency allocation problem (F AP) is to assign radio frequencies to a number of stations subject to a number of constraints, so that the minimum interference is suffered. FAP is NP-complete. In order to solve FAPs, there are interference constraints to be satisfied. There are two constraints of FAP which were the focus of this study: (1) co-channel interference, (2) adjacent channel interference.

Evolutionary Strategies (ESs) are very efficient optimization algorithms based upon the principles of adaptive selection found in nature. In this study, a (μ,A)ES algorithm was implemented to solve instances of FAP.

This thesis has demonstrated that …