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John Savage, John Klyczek

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Method Developments To Analyze Caffeine And Acesulfame-K Concentrations In Natural Waters In And Around Charleston, Il, Usa, Laleen Bodhipaksha

Masters Theses

Analytical methods using batch solid phase extraction were developed for two chemical markers, caffeine and acesulfame-K, to assess anthropogenic water contamination of natural water bodies in and around Charleston, Illinois.

Measurements were conducted on 12 different extracted samples using reverse phase HPLC. Two creek samples showed the presence of acesulfame-K (0.45 ± 0.10 and 0.25 ± 0.06 ppb) and two creek samples showed the presence of caffeine (3 .1 ± 1.2 and 1.6 ± 0.6 ppb ). Effluent from the Charleston waste water treatment plant showed an acesulfame-K concentration of 0.67 ± 0.15 ppb.

These results indicate measurement of both …

Assessing Intercultural Experience: Differences In Biculturalism, Intercultural Sensitivity, And Cognitive Flexibility Among Latino Immigrants, Christine Christmas

Masters Theses

This study examined first generation immigrants, defined as those who were born in a Latin American country and moved to the U.S. after the age of 12, and second generation immigrants, defined as those who were born in the U.S. or moved here before the age of 12. Literature in the field of cross-cultural adaptation suggests that intercultural communication competence tends to be further developed as a result of intercultural adaptation. The intent of this research was to test this assertion. Data was collected by way of survey administration on a sample of 216 Latino immigrants representing both first and …

At The Edge Of Two Worlds: Mary Slessor And Gender Roles In Scottish African Missions, Sarah Marcia Lennon

Masters Theses

Mary Mitchell Slessor, a missionary to Calabar, West Africa in modern-day Nigeria from 1876 until 1915, was a transitional character, combining traditional feminine roles with more masculine roles during her time as a missionary. Though many biographers focus on Slessor's eccentricities and use her life as an example of the exceptional Victorian woman, this study disagrees with that assessment and instead views her caught between two worlds, part of the previous generational thinking regarding women's work, but also progressing toward what would be considered normal in the early decades of the twentieth century. Comparing Slessor to other women working in …

God Among The Gods: An Analysis Of The Function Of Yahweh In The Divine Council Of Deuteronomy 32 And Psalm 82, Daniel F. Porter

Masters Theses

The importance of the Ugaritic texts discovered in 1929 to ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Studies is one of constant debate. The Ugaritic texts offer a window into the cosmology that shaped the ancient Near East and Semitic religions. One of the profound concepts is the idea of a divine council and its function in maintaining order in the cosmos. Over this council sits a high god identified as El in the Ugaritic texts whose divine function is to maintain order in the divine realm as well on earth. Due to Ugarit's involvement in the ancient world and the text's …

Who Maketh The Clouds His Chariot: The Comparative Method And The Mythopoetical Motif Of Cloud-Riding In Psalm 104 And The Epic Of Baal, Jordan Wesley Jones

Masters Theses

Alleging parallels between Scripture and other ancient Near Eastern texts has always been a matter of controversy. The controversy has resulted from criticism of the comparative method by those who accuse its users of being overly simplistic or reckless when applying their particular approaches to the texts. This recklessness has resulted in alleged connections that are now considered very loose, unjustified, and harmful to the context of Scripture. In order to avoid the dreaded "parallelomania" that has resulted from hasty conclusions in comparative studies, it is necessary to approach alleged comparative units in a more concrete fashion, synthesizing the best …

A Christian Augustinian Response To The Problem Of Evil In The Shinto Religion With Reference To The Thought Of Motoori Norinaga, Delia Ursulescu

Masters Theses

Despite great advances within the last few decades of Western scholarship concerning the indigenous Japanese religion, little has been written on the Shinto concept of evil. Given the overall optimistic Shinto attitude toward life, the purpose of this thesis was to analyze its view of evil with reference to Motoori Norinaga's thought in order to find out whether Shinto understands it in a realistic manner. Another aim was to compare Norinaga's position to a Christian Augustinian view to determine which one offers a more coherent and comprehensive answer to the challenge of evil. The thesis examined Norinaga's available writings and …

Shifting Borders And Shaded Boundaries: Liminality, Identity, Language, And Place In Jean Toomer's Cane, Kristin Taber

Masters Theses

This thesis locates Jean Toomer’s Cane as Modernist text operating within the context of the Great Migration, pointing out ways in which the text reflects the great sense of anxiety, upheaval, and transformation generated as many members of the African American community left the rural South and moved to urban centers in the North. I analyze various discourses and the shifting balance of power present in the text as the narrative voice awards the most value to the ideologies of the rural and spiritual through contrast with he ideologies of the urban and material. This relationship repeatedly problematizes the text’s …

Faculty Fellows: Academic Initiatives Within The Residential Learning Communities At Eastern Illinois University, Denika L. Wilson

Masters Theses

The present study is a qualitative assessment of the current Faculty Fellows program at Eastern Illinois University. The Faculty Fellows program was created to promote academic excellence and individualized attention to foster student retention both in the residence halls and at the University. Since the implementation of the Faculty Fellows program in 2004, there has been no formal evaluation of the current program. The present research will help fill this gap in knowledge about faculty-student interaction. A qualitative study was conducted using two focus groups and two groups of individual interviews following a semi-structured protocol. The focus groups and two …

Idealized Female Leadership Style: An Exploration Of Female Residence Hall Directors' Perceptions When Leading Male Staff Members, Laura P. Vietmeyer

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to explore female residence hall directors' perceptions of leadership style when leading a group of male resident assistants. This study was done specifically with female residence hall directors in the residence hall setting. Their thoughts on the ideal female leader and their own leadership styles were also explored through semi-structured interviews to ensure that the data were comparable across participants and to allow for flexibility to further explore topics that came up during the interviews.

The researcher discovered how the female residence hall directors viewed themselves as leaders and how they perceived their …

Cross-Age And Peer Tutoring In The Music Classroom, Christopher B. Gelb

Masters Theses

This is a study on the effects of a Cross-age Tutoring program implemented into a beginning band classroom. High school students worked with small groups of beginning band students. The tutoring sessions were 45-minute sessions on an every-other-day rotation. Supervising teachers provided articles and demonstrations to assist the high school-aged tutors in working with different techniques unique to each instrument. Resources for the tutoring sessions included the Essential Elements 2000 band method book and the Music Ace computer program. The high school and middle school band directors supervised the tutoring sessions and were available to answer questions and develop lesson …

Improving Resiliency Using Graph Based Evolutionary Algorithms, Jayakanth Jayachandran

Masters Theses

"Resiliency is an important characteristic of any system. It signifies the ability of a system to survive and recover from unprecedented disruptions. Various characteristics exist that indicate the level of resiliency in a system. One of these attributes is the adaptability of the system. This adaptability can be enhanced by redundancy present within the system. In the context of system design, redundancy can be achieved by having a diverse set of good designs for that particular system. Evolutionary algorithms are widely used in creating designs for engineering systems, as they perform well on discontinuous and/or high dimensional problems. One method …

Fish Assemblages In Manistee River Tributaries: Longitudinal Distribution Analysis, Seasonal Variation, And Riparian Improvement Evaluation, Nicholas J. Gressick

Masters Theses

Sedimentation affects both stream physical and biological integrity. Improperly designed stream passage accompanied with sedimentation and altered hydrology can impede fish passage and reduce fish assemblage integrity. The purpose of this study was to: 1) quantify impacts of poorly constructed road stream crossings and eroding banks on fish assemblages, and 2) assess these sites as sediment sources and connectivity breaks on entire fish assemblages and individual fish species. Electrofishing was conducted during spring and fall 2004 and 2005. A total of 29 electrofishing reaches were sampled which included 5 road-stream and streambank restoration sites. Sickle Creek (1st order) had reduced …

Coughlin And Cleveland, Karen G. Ketchaver

Masters Theses

Father Charles E. Coughlin was one of the most prominent, and most controversial, figures in the United States in the 1930s and in the early years of the 1940s. This Canadian-born cleric rose from the life of an ordinary parish priest to becoming one of the leading radio phenomena of his day, masterfully using the new medium to command a vast audience. Coughlin began his radio career addressing religious subjects, but he expanded into the realm of politics by the early 1930s. His views became more and more extreme, and, by the latter part of the decade, he became increasingly …

The Effect Of Coalmine Effluent On The Parasite Assemblages Of Lepomis Spp. In The Saline River Basin, Andrew Claxton

Masters Theses

To determine the efficacy of using parasite assemblages as bioindicators of coalmine effluent, a survey of gastro-intestinal helminths from the gut of sunfish, Lepomis spp, was performed. Five species of Lepomis, L. cyanellus, L. nwcrochirus, L. megalotis, L. microlophus, and L. gulosus, were collected from six locations near the Palzo mine, an abandoned coalmine that actively discharges into the lower reach of Sugar Creek. Sunfish were collected from three sites which did not receive effluent from the Palzo mine (Sugar Creek (37° 37'/ 88° 50'), South Fork(37° 41 '/ 88° 52'), and the Little Saline River (37° 38'/ 88° 38')) …

Reexamining Depressive Realism Using Estimates Of Real Life Events, Lindsay Babcock

Masters Theses

Early reports of the phenomenon known as depressive realism suggest the counter-intuitive notion that depressed people are more accurate in their perception of reality. These studies have been criticized for relying solely on judging control over laboratory tasks that do not relate to real life and for the use of deception. The present study investigates the relationship between depression, anxiety, locus of control, and accuracy of judgments with an emphasis on real world occurrences, as well as examining individuals' confidence in their judgments. While depression, anxiety, and locus of control were all found to be highly correlated, significant results were …

The Challenge Of Toleration: How A Minority Religion Adapted In The New Republic, Joseph Filous

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the early American Catholic Church and how its first bishop, John Carroll, guided it through the first years of the American republic. The struggles Carroll faced were the legacy of the English heritage of the colonies. English Catholics who shaped colonial Catholic life made the community private and personal in response to the religious atmosphere in the English world. The American Revolution brought toleration for Catholics and they struggled to adapt their hierarchal religion to new republican language. Some congregations went as far as to deny episcopal power, a theory known as trusteeism. Different interpretations struggled to …

Satellite Photography: Instrumental, Rhetorical, Affective?, Irangi Kaushalya Egodapitiya

Masters Theses

"This study examines how tsunami satellite images operate and could provoke various interpretations. The goal of this research project is to study whether the interpretation of tsunami satellite images could extend beyond scientific features to affective messages. Primarily based on the satellite images of Sri Lanka taken before and during the 2004 tsunami, this study analyses: How could mechanical satellite images, taken automatically by a machine in orbit, become an object of profound emotional meaning?; How do viewer's experiences, knowledge, and discourse affect their interpretations of mechanical artifacts?; How are tsunami satellite images connected to affective responses by viewers?; How …

Integration Of A Gis Learning System Into Civil Engineering Curricula: An Evaluation, Basanta Tandon

Masters Theses

"An evaluation of a web-based e-learning system to facilitate integration of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) into the Civil Engineering curriculum was conducted. The principal goals of the evaluation were to examine the effectiveness of the learning system and to develop a preliminary model to describe how students interact with the learning system. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 80 students who participated in a geotechnical engineering laboratory session, which covered soil borrow sites. Students rated the laboratory session as significantly more effective for learning, a nd more motivational than the class text. They also rated the lab significantly more …

Natural Resources, Investment, And Growth In Low Income Countries, Dena L. Reavis

Masters Theses

Rents generated by natural resource endowments can be lucrative and highly productive sources of revenue for countries of all income levels. Countries able to develop sound investment strategies that efficiently allocate resource rents into highly productive activities can set themselves on paths of long-run stable growth. This study estimates the effects of several host-country characteristics on inflows of foreign direct investment and per capita incomes for low income countries finding that investments in human capital do attract inward foreign direct investment. Some evidence supports the hypothesis of a natural resource curse when the abundant resource is agriculture or food.

Levels Of Homophobia Among Students Attending A Comprehensive Midwestern University, Amy J. Baumgart

Masters Theses

This study looks at past research completed on the topic of homosexuality in the United States, including the history of acceptance of homosexual individuals and perceptions of homosexuality in the perspectives ofreligion, gender, and the law. In addition, the research looks at how the college experience tends to liberalize students. Putting these two ideas together, the study uses the Homosexual Attitude Scale and other demographic information gathering questions to determine the factors that contribute most prominently to homophobia in college students. The sample of students being studied are all undergraduates attending a public, Midwestern, comprehensive university. As a general overview, …

Public-Private Partnerships In High Risk Transportation Projects, Kiran Rangarajan

Masters Theses

"This research examines Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) between private firms and City of Chamois, Missouri to establish a ferry boat service across the Missouri River. The study illustrates the role of PPPs in managing high risk transportation projects for rural economic development. The research study was designed to accomplish three objectives. First, understand and study the high risk transportation industry which included analyzing other ferry services in and around the region, and identifying potential risks involved in a ferry boat project. Second, study various models of PPPs, identify the attributes of each model and select appropriate models based on local and …

The Effects Of Technology On Literacy(S), Thomas Glen Petersen

Masters Theses

"One of the challenges when measuring the effects of technology on literacy(s) is finding a control group where technology; does not play a major role in the culture. The Amish successfully live in a Technocracy where mechanical/electronic tools are used only when absolutely necessary; the Amish are not dependent on them for survival. The crux of the Amish philosophy is humility, serving the community and serving God. Ironically, they have suffered tremendous repercussions for adopting a wholesome, selfless lifestyle which is contrary to most popular world views, regardless of religious or spiritual views"--Purpose, page 40.

Exploring The Use Of A Commercial Game Engine For The Development Of Educational Software, Hussain Alafaireet

Masters Theses

"Three-dimensional visualization and simulation environments are becoming increasingly important in both industrial and educational environments. However, developing these simulations can be a difficult and expensive task. Herein we explore the use of a commercial game engine to develop a 3-D, interactive computer game designed to teach players about the anatomy of a frog. The goal of this project is threefold: 1) to develop high-fidelity virtual reality educational software with a limited budget and limited personnel, 2) to define a software development process by which similar simulations can be developed, and 3) to explore the benefits that these simulations provide to …

Distribution Of Fluoride In Groundwater In Selected Villages In Northern Red Sea And Anseba Regions Of Eritrea, Filmon Tsegay Fisseha

Masters Theses

The aim of the study is to describe the fluoride concentration of water samples primarily from sources used for household needs in selected villages of Eritrea, with emphasis on the most severely affected parts of the country. Water sample quality data were collected from The Water Resource Department of Eritrea and water quality reports indicated that high levels of fluoride content were found for some villages' groundwater sources. The highest concentration was found in Aquar, 7.7 mg/L; Northern Red Sea region, above the 1.5 mg/L Maximum concentration recommended by The World Health Organization.

Waters with high fluoride concentrations occur in …

A Comparative Analysis Of Pixel-Based And Object-Oriented Image Analysis Methods Using Landsat Imagery, Jason Joseph Delisio

Masters Theses

Pixel-based and object-oriented image analysis methods are two popular techniques for classifying satellite imagery. Pixel-based analysis is typically used for coarser resolution imagery while object-oriented analysis is ideal for high resolution imagery. However, the ability of object-oriented image analysis to segment images based on factors such as shape, color, texture, and spatial attributes suggest that it can perform as well or better than pixel-based analysis in classifying medium resolution imagery. A comparative analysis of the two methods was performed using Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper imagery from September 2006 to classify grassland quality and land cover in Da'erhanmaoming'an (DaMao) Banner, Inner …

Analysis Of Spatial Distribution Of Hazardous Wastes In Semcog Region, Michigan, Junfang Chen

Masters Theses

This research is devoted to an increasingly recognized issue: environmental injustice, that is, the distribution of environmental risks and/ hazards are disproportionably distributed in the space in terms of the effects on the victims. Specifically, this thesis focuses on an analysis of the spatial distribution of hazardous materials from fixed incidents and the characteristics of neighborhoods living near the incident sites, so as to test the hypothesized relationships that poor people and minority people live near the incident sites. SEMCOG region, Michigan is chosen as the study area due to its frequent occurrence of incidents involving environmental hazards. It is …

Moving Melodies: Contemporary Music Culture Of Mongolian Nomads And Opportunities For Contextualization, Erica Marin Logan

Masters Theses

There are many obstacles to sharing Christ with nomadic peoples. Obstacles include distance of travel from one family group to another, the mobility of these family groups, the finances and investment to locate the families every season, the lack of fellowship and discipleship materials for those that do become Believers, and the peer pressure that these Believers face in the midst of this lack. What resources can be offered to fill this gap? How can the Gospel be communicated in a relevant and engaging way to a people group that is spread out across hundreds of miles, resistant to sedentary …

Incorporation Of Space Syntax Theory In Determining Safe And Efficient Construction Site Layout, Minsuck Cho

Masters Theses

Facility layout is an important to determine a proper arrangement of temporary facilities in a construction site. It significantly impacts productivity and safety of construction. The objectives of layout planning are to minimize travel distance and time, to decrease the facility transportation and setup costs, and to improve site safety. Despite the importance of facility layout, it is often overlooked in the planning phase. Several models have been developed taking some of these factors into consideration; however, construction managers and site planners often regard cost as the most important factor in layout planning and pay less attention to safety and …

Mining For Public And State Approval: Corporate Strategies For Metallic Sulfide Mining On Michigan’S Yellow Dog Plains, Teresa A. Bertossi

Masters Theses

Michigan has become a frontier for metallic sulfide mining due to a high global demand for minerals and a major concentration of sulfide deposits found throughout its Midcontinent Rift. Metallic sulfide mining is challenging, especially in a water-rich state like Michigan. The disturbance of a sulfide deposit during mining activity exposes the sulfide ore to air and water, which can result in sulfuric acid. Subsequently, precipitation can cause sulfuric acid to drain from the mine site, polluting surface water and groundwater. Recently, a corporation called Kennecott Minerals has proposed a metallic sulfide mine called the Eagle Project in Michigan's Upper …