Digital Commons Network^™

Overcoming Unadaptive Behavior: An Assertive Skills Program For Women Entering The Workforce, Julia Sara Wolf

Masters Theses

This study examined the various relationships between the assertive content of a structured phone call and the probabilities of obtaining an interview in a program designed to generate new assertive behaviors for women entering the workforce. This study was implemented in the setting of a job finding program. It was shown that the difference between calls that produced interviews and those that didn't was a higher percentage of component use in those calls that resulted in an interview. In addition, the utilization of two specific assertive components when placing a call was associated with, a higher probability of obtaining an …

The American Race Issue As A Factor In “The Black Horror On The Rhine" Controversy (1919-1922) As Reported By The New York Times And Selected American Periodicals, W. Wilson Woods

Masters Theses

The international controversy arising from the use of black colonial troops by the French occupation forces in the German Rhineland after World War I is examined in this paper. Particular emphasis is given to American press accounts of the events on the Rhine (1919- 1922) including those of the New York Times, the Nation, the Literary Digest, and the New Republic. Two questions are addressed: Were the events on the Rhine, particularly the alleged atrocities committed by French black colonials, accurately reported? Secondly, was the reporting of the controversy affected by racial violence in the United States?

With the exception …

Improving Customer Service Using A Self-Recording Checklist, Donald Troy

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to investigate a method for improving customer service of three parttime salespeople. A job aid which consisted of a checklist was used to increase the frequency of eight target behaviors. The target behaviors consisted of: appropriately approaching and greeting the customer, being courteous and helpful, appropriately ringing up the sale and closing, having a neat appearance and wearing an identification badge. After training, the salespeople were taught to self-record their customer service behavior. Training increased the subjects' performance, but only had a short term effect. Customer service behaviors increased after implementing the checklists …

The Effects Of Insulin On Hepatic Glucocorticoid Receptor Content In The Diabetic Rat, Jeffrey John Yourick

Masters Theses

The streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat liver was analyzed for glucocorticoid receptor (GCR) content by a saturation and Scatchard analysis. A preliminary study was performed on the stabilization of the cytoplasmic GCR in a frozen cytosol preparation. The addition of 10% glycerol (V/V), 10 mM sodium molybdate, and 0.2 mg/ml trypsin inhibitor resulted in an approximate 20% sparing of GCR content upon freezing.

The hepatic GCR content of diabetic rats was significantly decreased from a control level of 0.1667 ± 0.0142 pmol/mg protein to 0.1094 ± 0.007 pmol/mg protein. Insulin replacement therapy to the diabetic rat dramatically increased the hepatic GCR content. …

A Comparison Of Three Monitoring Systems On The Management Of Contingency Contracting Behavior, James V. Yanna

Masters Theses

Three student monitoring systems were compared to determine their efficacy in maintaining student contracting behavior. These systems were (1) teacher monitoring, (2) student peer monitoring, and (3) self monitoring. The study examined the extent to which each of the three systems would maintain students correctly including all of the necessary contract components. The results showed a small and statistically insignificant variation between the three procedures. Each procedure resulted in an approximately 70% contract component specification. Additional research was recommended to determine if student contracting behavior would maintain in the presence of a longer self-monitoring condition. It was also recommended that …

Sedimentation Rate Of Salt Determined By Micrometeorite Analysis, James Matthew Barnett

Masters Theses

The sedimentation rate of the A-l Evaporite of Michigan was determined by analysis of micrometeorites found as inclusions in the halite deposit. The samples were obtained from the Dow Chemical Company salt well number eight. The residue from the dissolved salt was magnetically separated and later analyzed by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE), X-ray diffraction , and microprobe techniques. The amount of extraterrestrial material was determined from the quantity of nickel present.

A sedimentation rate of .01 to .4 centimeters per year was calculated for the salt based on a constant influx rate of meteoritic material of 1 x 10 …

Seasonal Effects On Blood Pressure, David C. Dotson

Masters Theses

The relationship of seasons and blood pressure was investigated. The individuals in the sample groups were of two types: normal individuals and individuals who have been diagnosed as hypertensives and under medical supervision. This was a seasonal study? measurements were taken during midsummer and early fall, 1979. Factors constituting the variable for individual differences included: sex, age, genetic factors, diet, general body build and managerial vs, laborer workload.

Individual differences were controlled by use of a randomized complete block design with each individual constituting a block. Season was the treatment factor, and individual was the blocking factor. Measurements were taken …

A Biomechanical Analysis Of The Stages Of Motor Development Of Horizontal Jumping Patterns In Young Children, Theresa J. Landis

Masters Theses

The problem of the study was to investigate motor patterns of children performing forward and backward horizontal jumps from a two foot takeoff. The investigation of motor patterns involved a biomechanical analysis of kinematic parameters associated with the forward and backward jumps, as well as those associated with stages of development.

The study revealed that arm and leg development occurred independently of each other and the development did not adhere to age. At ages 2 and 3 years, females traveled a greater horizontal distance, but at ages 5 to 6 years and 8 to 9 years, males traveled the greater …

Mechanical Properties Of Alumina For Orthopedic Implant Use, Ho Tong Fang

Masters Theses

"The static fatigue, flexural strength and chemical corrosion of three commercially prepared, polycrystalline aluminas, two of orthopedic implant grade, were measured in demineralized water at 37°C and 70°C. The dissolution of a Ca-rich impurity phase, probably a glass, segregated at the grain boundaries and external surface, appears at least partially responsible for the significant difference in static fatigue of these three aluminas. The present results indicate that the minimum static fatigue in demineralized water, and the highest flexural strength in demineralized water and HF solution are both achieved by the alumina characterized by a low concentration of Ca at the …

Real Time Interactive Graphics Systems Identification, Youcef Hammada

Masters Theses

“This thesis describes the implementation of an identification procedure as a package of graphic programs. This package of graphic programs will allow the user to perform a least squares parameter estimation, a recursive least squares parameter estimation, and a maximum likelihood parameter estimation of a linear second-order transfer function model. This model describes in a linear form the dynamic response of an automobile in a field operating environment.

The model is to reasonably reproduce the physical behavior of an automobile through two of its dynamic variables. These are the yaw rate as output and wheel angle as input. The model …

Unifac Parameters For Maleic Anhydride And 2-Methyl Furan In P-Dioxane System, Kow-Jen Daumn

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this work was to develop a method for calculating equilibrium concentrations for reversible liquid phase reactions from a minimum of experimental data. The example reaction studied was the Diels Alder reaction between 2-methyl furan and maleic anhydride. Specifically, interaction parameters of the UNIFAC model for groups in the compounds 2-methyl furan, maleic anhydride and the solvent, p-dioxane, were determined. The activity coefficient of each substance was then predicted by the UNIFAC method. Equilibrium constants at 45°C for the Diels Alder reaction between 2-methyl furan and maleic anhydride were then calculated from these activity coefficients and two previously …

A Theoretical And Experimental Investigation Of Single Phase Flow Through A Small Centrifugal Pump In Three Quadrants Of Operation, Lee Charles Cadwallader

Masters Theses

"The operating characteristics of a conventional centrifugal pump have been investigated, both theoretically and experimentally, in three modes of operation with single phase liquid water at atmospheric pressure and room temperature.

Simple one-dimensional theory has been used to evaluate the theoretical pump performance, and these evaluations are compared to actual experimental data. The actual data shows the degradation effects of flow friction and shock losses that the theory does not take into account. The comparison of the curves illustrates these differences.

The data obtained compares well to and reinforces data from experiments found in the literature review.

Based on the …

Investigation Of Important Surface Characteristics Of A Finned Tube Heat Exchanger, Bobby Dale Stafford

Masters Theses

"Surface characteristics of a finned tube heat exchanger were examined to help predict the contact geometry between metal surfaces. These characteristics were the surface roughness and waviness and the material hardness. A scanning electron microscope was used to observe the surface topography of the fins as well as examining the contact between the aluminum fin and the copper tube.

Comparisons of the surface roughness were then made between heat exchangers having different fin numbers (20, 14, and 6) with the result that as the fin number decreased, the roughness also decreased. For a given fin number, it was discovered that …

A Technique For Obtaining Very Efficient Dynamical Equations For On-Line Computation Of Joint Forces Of Robotic Mechanisms, Dennis A. Dohogne

Masters Theses

"In order to increase the operational speed and positional accuracy of robotic mechanisms, on-line force control has been proposed. Because of the complexity of exact dynamical formulations, real-time computation of joint forces may be too slow.

Since force control is accomplished with a dedicated computer, unique, dedicated sets of force equations are justified. An efficient force computation technique based on the algebraic expansion and recombination of exact dynamics formulations is presented. Developments of the robotics matrix notation and of a Lagrangian dynamics formulation are also presented. A generalized three link manipulator model is used to compare the computational complexities of …

Contouring And Analysis Of Rock Hardness And Point Load Strength Index Values For The Bethany Falls, Winterset, And Argentine Limestones In The Greater Kansas City Area, John Robert Cramer

Masters Theses

"A field study was conducted to evaluate the variations in selected physical properties of the Bethany Falls, Winterset and Argentine Limestones in the Greater Kansas City Area. On-site and laboratory testings of these rocks for hardness and strength were made. Data from the different sites were contoured to graphically illustrate changes in the rock properties geographically. Results of this study are presented with the hope that they may be useful preliminary information for rock excavation engineers working in the area.

The area covered by the study included Platte, Clay, Johnson, and Cass counties in Missouri, and Leavenworth, Wyandotte and Johnson …

The Effects Of Training In Visual Cognitive Skills On Reading Comprehension, Valerie Joan Croll

Masters Theses

In an effort to design learning materials which de-emphasize the decoding process, and concentrate instead upon cognitive and critical thinking processes, picture study has been chosen as a potentially effective vehicle for providing delivery of programs for remediation of reading problems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of training in visual cognitive skills as an alternative remedial technique for increasing the reading comprehension of children whose reading skills are considered to be lower than expected due to a learning disability. The population was a group of children in grades four, five, and six (n=34) in a …

Assertiveness Training With Mildly Mentally Retarded Institutionalized Persons, David Larry Bokor

Masters Theses

Assertiveness training is a psychological intervention strategy designed to develop the skills of individuals who fail to defend and express their rights, feelings, or beliefs in a straightfoward manner.

Currently there is no set procedure regarding the composition of assertiveness training when modified to suit the needs of various populations. However a vast majority of professionals do employ effective basic techniques, i.e. behavior rehearsal, coaching, feedback, and social reinforcement to shape assertive request and refusal behavior.

Low intelligence limits the mentally retarded person's ability to cope with emotional difficulties. Individuals that recognize their limitations often experience feelings of inadequacy, frustration, …

Understanding Needs And Concerns Of Black Students In Pursuit Of Higher Education, Thomas M. Caulfield

Masters Theses

The problem of this study was to increase the general publics' awareness of the difficulties Black Americans faced in pursuit of higher education.

The procedure was a twofold process. First, the writer reviewed some of the pre-college variables that affected the Black student. Second, the needs and concerns of the Black student at a predominantly White University were studied by the use of a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to three groups on the Eastern Illinois University Campus. The first group was comprised of twenty-five Black students that were currently enrolled in the University. The second group was twenty Black …

The Sound And The Theory: A Study Of The Theoretical Position Within Metzian Film Semiotics Of Sound In Cinema, Kathryn L. Ingle

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify and critique the theory of sound in film semiotics. In order to accomplish this task, a cursory analysis of the nature and objectives of semiotics generally and cinesemiotics especially has been included. Direct references to the function of sound recording made by pioneer film semiologist Christian Metz, as well as others in that discipline, constitute the object of this study. Finally, a detailed critique of the resulting cinesemiotic position concerning sound in film evaluates this position in light of stated goals.

As is the case with most theories of film, the aural …

Establishing The Essential Building Blocks For Understanding Collective Behavior, Janet L. Heitgerd

Masters Theses

It has been argued by researchers that collective behavior, as a field of study in sociology, lacks important theoretical and methodological developments. This has resulted in limited empirical knowledge of collective behavior. There exist many inadequacies in our present theoretical development. These include a failure to not only specify a social dimension of collective behavior, but also, to separate cause and effect, and to describe collective behavior. Scholars have argued that in the study of collective behavior, we are lacking sound, theoretical perspectives and definitions of collective behavior, which have resulted in poor and unsystematic observations of phenomena.

As a …

The Relationship Between Whole Brain Catecholamine Depletion In Carassius Auratus And The Exposure To Inescapable Shock In A Learned Helplessness Paradigm, Roderick J. Misunis

Masters Theses

Learned helplessness is a psychological concept that describes the subsequent escape-avoidance behavior of experimental subjects who are exposed to uncontrollable stressors. Subjects after treatment are unable to respond in situations where escape is possible. Two major theorists, Seligman and Weiss, have proposed explanations concerning the phenomena. Seligman feels that the subject is unable to respond due to the fact that the exposure to an uncontrollable stressor has caused him to learn to be "helpless". Weiss feels that the inability to respond can best be described by alterations in the subject's brain neurochemistry, specifically the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. This paper is an …

Relationship Of Field Dependence/Independence To Personality For Younger And Older Adults, Thomas T. Lambirth

Masters Theses

The cognitive style of field dependence/independence is a perceptual construct that relates degree of reliance on the visual field to a variety of personality variables. Among the relationships found are that the field independent individuals are less involved with other people, independent in judgment, and cold and distant in interpersonal relationships. In contrast, field dependent subjects are seen as seeking close involvement with others, conforming in judgment, and warm and accepting in interpersonal relationships. Although field dependence/independence has received much attention in the literature over the years, little interest has been shown in the relationship between field dependence/independence and personality …

"Bootstrap Theatre": A Prompt Book For The Fantasticks, Jayne A. Ball

Masters Theses

This paper is the description of a creative fine arts project involving the direction and design of a full-length musical theatre production within a very low working budget. The purpose of this project was to create a work which showed how the arts of theatre, music, dance, and visual art may be combined to achieve a total presentation of the arts in one package, while demonstrating how it may be presented in an economically feasible manner. It is hoped that this work will provide directors of amateur organizations, such as community theatres, with a guide for step-by-step preparation for the …

Post Object Art And Sociological Influences On The Internal Processes Of Art Making, Steve Havens

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to discuss how external sociological factors inevitably have a profound effect on current art.

Much great art has been created against the flow of what is critically "popular" or "fashionable," but as these external factors become more prominent so the art work produced inevitably suffers.

The exhibition of Frank Stella's black and aluminum paintings at the turn of the 60's, in my own opinion, provided something of a landmark in the history of art. These works, in all their stark, flat, geometric nakedness denied both "form" and "content." They bare no illusions, no mythology, …

A Plan And Guide For The Implementation Of A Computer Curriculum At Southeast Fountain Elementary School, Robert Joseph Baker

Masters Theses

This project was developed to provide an orderly plan for the introduction of microcomputers into the total curriculum. A computer curriculum was developed that became a vibrant part of the total experience at the elementary level. The uniqueness of an elementary curriculum has been the manner in which each subject area complemented the other. Science, for example, has not been taught as an independent content area. It has been taught as an extension of the reading program. Also computer instruction must be blended with the other disciplines.

It was the purpose of this study (1) to show a plan for …

Inflation And Taxable Capacity: Some Recent Evidence, Barbara Allison Haney-Powell

Masters Theses

Colin Clark's theory of inflation has had a profound effect on present-day economic theory concerning taxation policy. While his belief that inflation occurred when all tax revenues exceeded 25 percent of national income was rejected by his contemporaries in the 1940's, supply-side economists incorporate Clark's theory into their proposals for curing the unemployment and inflation of the 1970's and 1980's. These proposals gained popular support and resulted in the election of President Ronald Reagan who implemented such proposals. The purpose of this study is to determine the veracity of Clark's theory.

Clark's theory was tested in this study with the …

The Oral Interview As A Predictor Of Academic Performance In A Preservice Law Enforcement Training Program, M. Nicholas Meier

Masters Theses

The oral interview is a standard technique used in the selection of police officers and the prediction of their subsequent academy and on the job performance. This study attempted to construct a model that could accurately predict academic performance from oral interview performance in a preservice law enforcement training program. Previous research in the use of the oral interview as a predictor of academic performance has produced conflicting results.

The sample in this study consisted of 159 candidates accepted by an oral interview board for training in a preservice police academy. Average academic performance was correlated to scores on an …

Development Of Glass Microspheres For Radiotherapeutic Applications, Thomas A. Wetteroth

Masters Theses

"Oxide glasses make excellent candidates for radiotherapeutic microspheres used in liver cancer treatment because of their generally high chemical durability and safety of manufacture. From the compositions containing ~5 wt% P₂O₅ studied, magnesium alumino silicate glass microspheres and magnesium alkali silicate glass microspheres with 4 wt% ZrO₂ had acceptably low releases of both elemental phosphorus in deionized water at 50°C, and radioactive ³²P in human blood plasma at 37°C. The relative ranking of glass compositions in the elemental phosphorus leach test shows good agreement with the rankings of compositions in the radioactive ³²P leach …

Variables That Affect Success In Debate, Karen S. Shelton

Masters Theses

This study examines the effect of the six traditional categories of debate evaluation on the A.F.A. Form C and Form W ballots upon win/loss and gender. It also examines the effect of nonperformance variables, such as proximity, gender of the debaters, and gender of the judge, upon the outcome of intercollegiate debates. The data were gathered from the Owen L. Coon Memorial Debate Tournament hosted by Northwestern University in February, 1983. In all, the data pool consisted of 42 debates. The data were submitted to analysis to the SAS computer program at Eastern Illinois University.

The results of the discriminant …

School Effectiveness Model For Washington Elementary School, Clara Coleman Rouse

Masters Theses

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this field study was to develop a school effectiveness model which may be implemented at Washington Elementary School in Centralia, Illinois. In 1980 this researcher was named principal at Washington Elementary School. At the same time Centralia City Schools were entering a desegregation program which included bussing. For the first time there were more than three minority students at Washington Elementary School. More than half the students at the school are from economically disadvantaged families and achievement had been low for many years. Thus, this study was deemed timely and relevant.

Procedure

Although this …