Digital Commons Network^™

Continuous Quality Improvement And Music Therapy: An Analysis Of Importance, Training, Familiarity, And Involvement, Jane E. Mclaren

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Systematic Approach To The Implementation Of A Computer Integrated Manufacturing (Cim) For Small To Medium Sized Companies, G. Steven Trimmer

Masters Theses

CIM technology is rapidly becoming an essential part of businesses of all types and sizes. The impact on the culture of the enterprise is possibly of even greater complexity. Most existing implementations have been done by large businesses large teams of specialized talent.

The unique scope of this work is to simplify the implementation of CIM for small companies. The basic research derived from the WMU/IBM CIM Management Center, a fully functioning CIM facility that provides hands on experience to students and regional businesses.

The cultural references concerning CIM are derived from reading and personal experiences with industry while setting …

The Effects Of Public Commitment And Group Feedback Of Curbside Recycling, Iser Guillermo Deleón

Masters Theses

Several methods for increasing recycling have been presented in the psychology literature. However, many rely on incentive systems that require individual response monitoring for differential delivery of consequences, thus rendering them prohibitively expensive on a community-wide scale. This study examined the effects of three community interventions which may circumvent this limitation: public commitment, group feedback, and a combination of both. The Commitment Only intervention produced no substantial increase in recycling when superimposed upon a curbside recycling baseline. The Feedback Only intervention and the Combined Intervention produced increases of 25.47% and 40.00%, respectively. A no-intervention Control Group decreased in amount recycled …

Assassination In Modern America: Political Participation Through A Gun Barrel?, Richard Grossenbacher

Masters Theses

Assassination has been a constant companion of the world's societies from the beginning of recorded history. Only relatively recently have social scientists begun empirical study of these acts in an effort to reveal any commonalties and possible predictive traits. Investigation of the assassination phenomenon assumed a special urgency in America as violence seemed to escalate in the 1960s, which resulted in some notable research.

The present research collected data of presidential and non-presidential assassinations and attempts that occurred from 1969 through 1992 and compared the findings with the results of earlier studies.

The data indicate that presidential assaults increased in …

The Use Of Activity Analysis By Occupational Therapists In Treatment Decisions, Hiromi Yoshikawa

Masters Theses

The use of activity analysis in occupational therapy daily practice was examined by survey. One hundred occupational therapists who serve as fieldwork educations received survey forms with thirty seven usable questionnaires being returned. The study found that all therapists were doing activity analysis as a mental process; however, only 2 therapists were using a written activity analysis form in their daily practice. Most subjects indicated that activity analysis is important to occupational therapy but that formal activity analysis is too time consuming. Several therapists recognized the benefits of completing formal activity analysis. The respondents identified selecting activities for treatment which …

A Study Of Automated Estimating Of Software Cost, Steven Shouli Wang

Masters Theses

The objectives of this thesis are to survey software cost estimation methods and to discuss how the methods can be applied as conceptual knowledge in a software cost estimation expert database system. The various applications of expert database systems are discussed. Consequently, a new method to approach the software cost estimation has been proposed.

This proposed method is based upon a dozen years of analyzing software cost models which have been done by some dedicated scientists in universities, research organizations, and industry. A CASE tool called IASCE has been designed to assist the project manager to estimate a proposed project …

Optimizing Communication Routing In Parallel Computer Architectures, Nikolaos T. Liolios

Masters Theses

This thesis is a research effort to improve on existing algorithms for processor placement and routing on hypercube and 2d-transputer parallel architectures that perform communications through message propagation. Given a set of processors N, randomly distributed on the parallel computer network, the problem is to find an optimal communication routing that minimizes the number of required links and intermediate processors. It was concluded that the spanning tree is the best starting heuristic for the routing problem. For hypercubes an algorithm was developed that outperforms all algorithms in the literature. For 2d-transputers the method of overlap maximization used in VLSI routing, …

Contracts In Conflict: Perestroika And The Decline Of Soviet Legitimacy, Karl Glenn Hokenmaier

Masters Theses

Gorbachev's perception of the Soviet Union's socio-economic crisis and his subsequent actions to correct the economy and reform the political system were linked with attempts to renegotiate the social contract between the state and the Soviet people. However, reformulation of the social contract was incompatible with the conditions of a second arrangement between the leadership and the nomenklatura--the Soviet ruling class. The failure of Gorbachev's reforms and the decline of Soviet legitimacy were linked to the irreconcilability of the nomenklatura's "political contract" and the social contract.

The construct of the social contract was utilized to represent the Soviet state-society relationship …

Community Development Corporations And Their Contributions To Democracy In Chicago, Carl E. Hanssen

Masters Theses

Community development corporations (CDCs) are non-profit, neighborhood-based, real estate developers. They share a common mission to improve social conditions in communities where they work. CDCs were developed based on two distinct models: (1) an intervention model, and (2) a grass-roots model.

This work was predicated on a theory of political science: high levels of social conditions correspond with high levels of democracy. High levels of democracy will be demonstrated by high voter participation. The work of CDCs and their impact on communities in Chicago was analyzed to test this theory.

Four CDCs and corresponding communities were chosen for this study. …

Correlates Of Job Satisfaction Among Private Sector Employees In Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Al-Helelah

Masters Theses

The primary objectives of the present study were to explore the level of job satisfaction and commitment among private sector employees in Saudi Arabia, and to examine the relationship between job satisfaction and employees' commitment.

Seven alternative hypotheses were tested against seven null hypotheses. Chi-square (x^2) was the test statistic for all seven hypotheses. The critical value of chi-square was determined by the degrees of freedom (df) and an alpha level of.05. Three hypotheses were confirmed that related job satisfaction to employees' commitment, satisfaction with length of working hours, and satisfaction with opportunities for interaction with co-workers on the job. …

Designing A School Wide Discipline Policy Using Staff Involvement, Cynthia A. Ruscett

Masters Theses

This study offers a way of designing a school wide discipline policy for an elementary school. Three components are necessary for successful design, implementation, and support. The first component is to involve as many staff members and parents as possible in making the decisions about the policy. The second component is to review current research pertaining to important components of a discipline policy. The third component is to review current discipline policies in use by effective schools. Next, design a discipline policy tailored to your building's specific needs. The result of this study is a discipline policy completed by an …

Offense Perceived, Appropriate Actions And Possible Solutions: A Research Of Censorship, Sharon K. Van Poolen

Masters Theses

Students at Western Michigan University were asked via a survey to read lyrics and indicate an offensiveness rating. Lyrics containing vulgar or sexual language or derogatory statements about religion received higher offensive ratings. Actions deemed acceptable in response to offensive lyrics include picketing and boycotting. Prevalent themes identified in the lyrics are antagonism toward religion, sexism and unhealthy sexual relations. Groups cited most frequently as potentially harmed by lyrics are children 5-12, adolescents and women. Respondents were questioned about participation in certain activities and what alternatives to direct censorship are acceptable. Most would prefer to be involved indirectly, for example, …

Using American Sign Language With A Direct Instruction Mathematics Program To Affect The Mathematics Achievement Of Deaf Students, Annette J. Bass

Masters Theses

The effectiveness of supplemental instruction using a scripted direct instruction program, Connecting Math Concepts (Englemann & Carnine, 1992), with four lower elementary deaf students was compared to the effectiveness of supplemental instruction in their traditional math curriculum, Mathematics Today (Abbott, 1985). A two-phase multiple baseline design across students was used. During the first phase, the students' achievement on curricula-based math probes was assessed while using the Mathematics Today as a supplement. During the second phase, the students' achievement was assessed while using Connecting Math Concepts as a supplement. The teacher presentation scripts in this program were translated into American Sign …

Signal Processing With Neural Networks, Pero Smrzlic

Masters Theses

In this study, we introduce the Adaptive Back Propagation (ABP) learning algorithm, computationally superior to the standard Back Propagation. The ABP is based on the new activation function, with its corresponding adaptive learning parameter. By using the combination of computer simulations and analysis in the domain of activation function, the Method of One Hidden layer was developed for the effective utilization of units in one-hidden layer networks. A parallel version of the ABP was designed and implemented on a nCUBE-2 supercomputer with 128 processors.

The simulation results suggested a strong correlation between frequency of signals and the role of hidden …

On Clock Routing Techniques For Vlsi Synchronous Systems, Wasim A. Khan

Masters Theses

The clock signal is vital in maintaining proper dataflow, and thus the total throughput, of a high performance synchronous system.

In this thesis, we develop a clock distribution scheme for high performance systems which maximizes the operating clock frequency. We develop an algorithm which routes a planar clock tree with zero skew, minimum source to sink pathlength, and minimal total wirelength. The algorithm also provides a smooth tradeoff between maximum source to sink pathlength and total wirelength while keeping the clock skew at zero.

In many microprocessor designs, multi-phase clocks are used for improved system design. Routing a multiple clock …

An Exegetical And Theological Examination Of Matthew 5:17-20, Marc A. Clauson

Masters Theses

Recent polemics relating to the use and validity of the Mosaic Law make a reexamination of some of the key Biblical passages imperative as well as a rethinking of the basic framework by which the issue of the Law is discussed. Matthew 5:17-20 is a passage often used by all sides in the Law debate and is here analyzed as to its relevance to the Law issue. This periscope is Jesus' programmatic statement about his mission with respect to the Law. The passage clearly states that the Law is not abolished and this truism serves as the broadest interpretational framework …

Physical Therapy Job Mobility And Satisfaction, Teresa A. Bortolameolli

Masters Theses

This research study attempts to explore staff physical therapists job mobility as it relates to job satisfaction. It discusses the use of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators and their affect on job mobility and job satisfaction in the hospital setting. Several key motivators were identified as they relate to job satisfaction. The impact that these motivators have on the retention of staff physical therapists was examined. In addition, the importance of identifying the key motivators that affect job satisfaction is noted.; A questionnaire was constructed by the investigators and mailed to 337 physical therapists in the lower peninsula of Michigan who …

Language Abilities Of Male Adolescents In A Juvenile Detention Center, Krista J. Klein

Masters Theses

This study was designed to analyze the language abilities of male adolescents with delinquent behavior. It was based on the hypothesis that male adolescents with delinquent behavior would have lower language skills during expressive language tasks. Language skills of male adolescents in a juvenile detention center were examined by comparing 12 grammatical variables, four subtest scores, and one total score from the Screening Test for Adolescent Language (STAL; Prather, Ausdal-Breecher, Stafford & Wallace, 1980). Results indicated that the adolescents with delinquent behavior omitted significantly more words, but also produced significantly more secondary verbs in a narration task. Significantly lower results …

Language Skills Of Adolescents With Emotional Disorders, Diane T. Hardy

Masters Theses

The language abilities of adolescents with emotional impairments were examined to determine the differences that may occur between this population and that of a control group of similar age, race, and gender. Ten adolescents with emotional impairments and ten students in general education were examined using two procedures. The Screening Test of Adolescent Language (STAL) (Prather, Breecher, Stafford, & Wallace, 1980) includes four subtests: vocabulary, auditory memory span, language processing, and proverb explanation. A language sample was also gathered using a cartoon video narration task (Dollaghan, Campbell, & Tomlin, 1990) which examined for syntactic, semantic, and discourse variables.

Results indicated …

A Comparison Of Two Resistance Training Programs On Gains In Strength And Endurance, Pamela S. Canavan

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to find how two different resistance training programs would contribute to each subject's overall fitness level. Fifty-five subjects were tested to determine their 1RM and the maximum number of repetitions performed at 60% of 1RM. Subjects were then divided into three training groups: control (N=19) , strength (N=20) , and endurance (N=16). The strength group performed three sets of five repetitions each and two sets of three repetitions. The endurance group performed three sets of 15 repetitions. At the completion of the six week training programs, the subjects were retested. A significant difference was …

Story Writing By Students With Hearing Impairments, Lois A. Ketchum

Masters Theses

Students with hearing impairments (N = 21) wrote a personal narrative each academic year from 1990 to 1992. These narratives were rated on maturity of the story as a whole and maturity of the language used in the story by senior undergraduate students in the education department at Western Michigan University. The method used for rating was a holistic magnitude estimation technique.

Significant change over time was found for story scores, but not language scores. Grade level was found to have no significant effect on change from first to last ratings for either story scores or language scores. Degree of …

The Use Of Music Therapy To Influence The Self-Confidence And Hostility Of Adolescents Who Are Sexually Abused, Joy Clendenon-Wallen

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether music therapy would be an effective therapeutic medium for reducing hostility and increasing the self-confidence of sexually abused adolescents. The study utilized an experimental and control group which is unique in the sexual abuse literature. Most studies are descriptive or quasi-experimental in nature. Some of the subjects increased their self-confidence and decreased their hostility although no statistical significance was achieved for either group. This study describes the treatment problems of sexually abused adolescents and offers examples of non-confrontational and goal directed treatment strategies which can be achieved through music therapy. Music …

Multicultural Literature: The Need For Inclusion, Barbara Gripton

Masters Theses

Since Muskegon Public Schools serves a multicultural population, and since the canon of the textbooks used in the secondary language arts classes reflects neither this diverse population nor the current publications of the diverse cultures of the society, this study, in the form of a survey will show the need for the district to include literature contributed by ethnic minority writers from the American literature scene. The study shows the increasing need for such inclusion as well as offering rationale for doing so.; Finally, this paper will propose a three year pilot class, minority literature, similar to the minority history …

Comparing Selection-Based And Topography-Based Language Systems With Verbal Adults Learning Japanese Words, Matthew A. Stratton

Masters Theses

This study compared selection-based with topography-based learning of similar verbal relationships. In two previous studies, using developmentally disabled subjects, topography-based relations were easier to learn. The previous researchers suggested that the advantage of a topography-based system would increase as the number of relations to be learned increased.

To investigate this possibility, the present study used a 5 and 20-stimulus version of each system. Four independent groups of seven college students each were used in a two by two design. The selection-based task consisted in learning to point to the Japanese character appropriate for each English sample. The topography-based task consisted …

Impurity Modes In Photonic Band Structures, Yi-Fen Chang

Masters Theses

In this thesis I study a theoretical model of one-dimensional dielectric array (a layered system of dielectric slabs) which forms a periodic dielectric system in which band gaps are opened in the frequency spectrum. Specifically, we study such a one-dimensional array with linear impurities introduced in the periodic dielectric system. In these impurity structures narrow resonant modes are found in the band gaps as impurity modes and these impurity modes change with the dielectric constant. This impurity problem is similar to the donor and acceptor state problem in electronic semiconductors. The calculations presented in this thesis are based on numerically …

The Use And Effectiveness Of Facilitated Communication For A Child With Autism, Danielle Gayton

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The More Things Change, The More They Remain The Same: The Feminist Rhetoric Of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lisa S. Strange

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Self-Esteem And Achievement In An Rotc Leadership Development And Assessment Setting, Robert W. Dinnen

Masters Theses

This study was designed to determine whether there was a positive relationship between an individual's self-esteem and their achievement in a leadership development and assessment setting. While correlational studies have been conducted utilizing self-esteem and achievement as variables, no known study has been conducted with achievement at ROTC Advance Camp as a dependent variable. The hypothesis tested focused on determining if there is a positive relationship between self-esteem and achievement at ROTC Advance Camp. Sixty-six ROTC cadets from five select universities in the state of Illinois were administered the Barksdale Self-Esteem Evaluation Number 35. The results of their evaluation was …

A Review Of Alcoholism Typology And A Study Of Type I And Type Ii Alcoholism In A Treatment Sample, Kevin L. Elliott

Masters Theses

Matching alcoholics to appropriate intervention methods increases the likelihood of successful treatment. In order to better accomplish this, researchers have sought to identify distinct types of alcoholism. One promising approach is the Type I/Type II model of alcoholism. Type I alcoholism is characterized by a later onset and less severe social complications. It seems to be inherited from either natural parent and can affect children of either sex; it seldom occurs without the presence of a stressful environment. Type II alcoholism is distinguished by early onset and greater severity of consequences. It appears to be inherited only from father to …

Raiders Of The Lost Ark And The Hollywood Tradition: Nostalgia, Parody, And Postmodernism, Michael F. Deters

Masters Theses

The film Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in 1981 to immediate success. Using a noticeably retrospective style, Raiders appealed to the public's desire to experience once again the same kind of viewing pleasure that Hollywood offered in the classical period. Accordingly, the film's nostalgic recreation of classical Hollywood entails a reliance on type characters, tough dialogue, and stock situations--with an overarching emphasis on maintaining a breakneck pace in its action. The appeal for the viewer, then, involves the satisfaction of a need to return to a superficially "simpler" time when the movies themselves were "simpler"--as they fulfilled the …