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Benefiting From Eiu: The University As Catalyst For Economic Development In Charleston, Il, Cara L. Oosterbaan

Masters Theses

In the city of Charleston, Illinois, home of Eastern Illinois University, there exist economic problems such as underemployment, potential for brain drain, and recent market failure in the retail industry. After being defined, the traditional role of EIU is expanded to include the promotion of economic development efforts in Charleston. An economic impact study shows EIU's influence on the local Charleston economy. It is concluded that with the establishment of an Office of Economic Development at EIU and the aid of local government and Charleston citizens, Eastern Illinois University may be able to reverse the effects of underemployment, potential brain …

A Ghost In Europe: Right-Wing Extremism And Its Metamorphoses, Raluca Viviana Stireanu

Masters Theses

The main assumption of this thesis is that fascism is not an historical feature, nor a geographical one. The premises for the rise of fascism are beyond time and space; it can develop anywhere, anytime, in a certain context and under some conditions. These context and these conditions are to be explained and described in this thesis. I will compare the features of fascism in inter-war Europe with those of neo-fascism, and I will also compare the features of Eastern European fascims with those of the Western Europe; the main reason for these comparisons is that it was argued that …

The Aftereffects Of The Boarding School Experience For Native Americans In Michigan, Sharon Marie Brunner

Masters Theses

This study focused on the family history and boarding school experience of nine Native Americans in the state of Michigan. Primary questions were utilized to gain information regarding perseverance and problems still being faced as they tie to their boarding school experience. Interview participants were selected who attended the Mt. Pleasant and Holy Childhood boarding schools. These individuals reported both negative and positive recollections about their boarding school experiences. Themes were derived from the interview summaries and utilized for the analysis portion of this project. The results revealed similarities and differences between the experiences of those who attended both institutions. …

A Geostatistical Screening Strategy For Assessing Contaminated Sediment, Yasuyo K. Makido

Masters Theses

Many environmental problems involve the collection and interpretation of spatial data. Screening methods attempt to develop efficient test procedures to determine the presence and absence of contaminants in samples. Screening methods can reduce monitoring costs and effectively identify contamination problems. Adaptive sampling has the flexibility to adjust for follow-up sampling based on the observed patterns in the population. Geostatistical method is employed for the adaptive sampling scheme. Geostatistics are statistical methodologies that use spatial coordinates to help formulate models used in estimation and prediction.

This study seeks to map Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) concentrations in sediment in Lake Allegan and Morrow …

The Strange Races On The Hereford Mappa Mundi: An Investigation Of Sources, John H. Chandler

Masters Theses

The Hereford Mappa Mundi, a thirteenth-century world map, includes mention of fifty-four strange races. Many of the races can be found in three earlier sources: Pliny's Naturalis historia, Solinus's Collectanea rerum memorabilium, and Isidore's Etymologiae. By comparison to these three sources, the works used by the author of the map will be made clear.

This study provides an edition of all the inscriptions relating to these races, and compares them to excerpts relating to the races from the three above sources, as well as St. Augustine's De civitate Dei and Pomponius Mela's De chorographia. Translations …

Development Of An Arc View™ Extension To Measure Local Fractal Dimension, Christopher Page Caird

Masters Theses

Texture is defined as the visible cue suggesting the smoothness or coarseness associated with image tone or color (Emerson, 1999). Fractal dimension (D) offers insight towards understanding texture in the spatial as well as spectral context of an image (Mandelbrot, 1982). Fractal dimension is best understood as a range of values between two and three that are used to quantitatively describe a surface. (D) values near 2.0 represent a uniform area containing similar pixel values. In contrast, (D) values near 3.0 represent a domain that is spectrally complex. This complexity stems from light and dark pixels in close proximity to …

Adapting The Habitat For Humanity Model To Sabah, Malaysia, Rozita Abdul Manap

Masters Theses

Building sustainable housing and community developments through the Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) homeownership program, is one of the many ways that has successfully improved housing standards for low-income communities in the U.S. Findings show that this model can be used as a mechanism to stimulate serious programs and as an alternative to improve and solve housing problems.

This study focuses on how the Habitat for Humanity model can be applied towards increasing the benefits to the community in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Located on Borneo Island, Sabah is the second largest state in the Federation of Malaysia, but is regarded …

Exploring The Social Dimensions Of Grog-Temper Use At The Ink Bayou Site (3pu252): A Plum Bayou Culture Site In Central Arkansas, Eric Chadwick Drake

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the social implications involved with the technological decision to use grog (crushed potsherds) as a ceramic tempering agent by potters affiliated with the Plum Bayou culture of central Arkansas. The analytical technique of point-counting ceramic thin sections is used to search for patterns of grog-temper use at a single Plum Bayou culture site, the Ink Bayou site (3PU252). While the thermal properties of grog-temper may help to explain the variability of use observed at the Ink Bayou site, the social implications of producing grog-tempered pots are best illuminated by the sequence of productive operations employed by the …

Journey To The Frontiers Of Perception: How Women Wrote About The Westward Movement During The Nineteenth Century In Relation To Land, Animals, And The Domestic Sphere, Brandi Dale Spelbring

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Cmc Technology In The Classroom: A Look From A Professors Point Of View, Michael J. Shannon

Masters Theses

Technology now influences every aspect of daily life. Education is no exception. This is particularly true for Eastern Illinois University. With the increase of CMC technology on campus, it is important to know how professors feel about it and identify why some professors are not using it.

The specific purpose of this research was to focus on why CMC is beneficial in the classroom. This study discusses the kinds of technology available on campus and discovers the reasons why professors are reluctant to use CMC technology on campus.

This study identified a significant level of technology and assistance available on …

Effects Of Gender And Position Of Test Stimuli On Undergraduates ' Spatial Task Performance, James Brenton Curley

Masters Theses

This study predicted that sex differences in performance can occur where the sense of touch serves as vision, and that the position of the test array may significantly affect performance. Sixty-four college undergraduates (32 males and 32 females), with ages ranging from 18-27 (M = 20.06, SD = 1.82) were recruited from the psychology subject pool of Eastern Illinois University for participation. Apparatus consisted of templates with raised line drawings of tilted jars containing water drawn on them. The subjects were blindfolded and instructed to interpret four jar drawings at a time. The task consisted of identifying the jar with …

Reconsidering The Auricular Surface As An Indicator Of Age At Death, Daniel Osborne

Masters Theses

Using standards established by Lovejoy et al. (1985) to score and estimate age at death from auricular surface morphology, the auricular surfaces of 266 individuals of documented age from two different skeletal collections (Terry and Bass Donated Collections) were examined. The age, sex and race of the individuals used in the study were unknown to the investigator during analysis. This study supports the claim proposed in the original study that auricular surface morphology is unaffected by an individual's sex or race. However, this study indicates that auricular surface morphology does not change as regularly with age as was originally proposed. …

Time Series Analysis Of Twenty Year Hourly Precipitation Record In Oshtemo, Michigan, Robert James Ruhf

Masters Theses

Hourly precipitation data from Oshtemo Township four miles (6.4 km) west of Kalamazoo, Michigan were examined for the period of July 18, 1979 through March 31, 2000.

Diurnal analysis of precipitation was performed on years, months, seasons, and the overall period of record. An overall maximum in the mean accumulation of precipitation was detected around 2000 LT, while a secondary maximum was detected during the morning hours. Elevated spring and fall accumulations were responsible for the evening maximum. Elevated summer and winter accumulations were responsible for the secondary morning maximum.

The pulse analysis of the time series of hourly precipitation …

Relationships Between Land Cover Change And Breeding Birds In Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Daniel Mark Hoffman

Masters Theses

Effective conservation planning of breeding birds requires knowledge of responses to landscape change and pattern. This study analyzed associations between land cover type and change among three ecological groups, forest birds, shrubland birds, and grassland birds using Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data for Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Land cover maps for the years 1974 and 1996 were produced to assess land cover changes for BBS data from the period 1970-1996. The Pearson coefficient of correlation was used to correlate land cover type percent within BBS radii and the total birds of a bird group observed within each radius. Conclusions of the …

Mapping Stamp Sand Dynamics: Gay, Michigan, Thomas H. Rasmussen

Masters Theses

Monitoring coastal change is an important undertaking because a high percentage of the population lives within close proximity to coastal areas. This paper examines a portion of Lake Superior's shoreline where coastal change has been shaped by the introduction of 25 million tonnes of stamp sand, a man-made sediment. Longshore currents erode and deposit sediment changing the geomorphology of the coastline on both a short- and long-term basis. This movement may be documented through comparison of archival and current air photos. A series of historical air photo mosaics were input to a Geographic Information System (GIS). The GIS was used …

Clean Versus Sterile Wound Care Technique Utilized By Registered Nurses In Acute Care When Dressing A Pressure Ulcer, Donna S. Pennington

Masters Theses

The purposes of this study were to identify the wound care technique practiced by acute care nurses and the deviations made from sterile technique when dressing a pressure ulcer. A descriptive design using a survey methodology was employed. A questionnaire, the Faller Wound Care Technique Survey, was distributed to a convenience sample of 131 acute care nurses. Forty nurses (30%) responded.

The study findings indicate that the typical wound care technique of dressing a pressure ulcer is a combination of sterile and clean procedures and is not consistent with the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research Guideline recommendations to …

Patterns And Implications Of Aberrant Singing Behaviors Of Black-Capped (Poecile Atricapillus) And Carolina (Poecile Carolinensis) Chickadees In Illinois, Patrick Caesar Enstrom

Masters Theses

I studied the singing behavior of the closely related Black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina (Poecile carolinensis) Chickadees along their range interface in central Illinois. These sibling species are parapatrically distributed from the Appalachians through the Midwest to Kansas. Where their ranges do overlap, small hybrid zones form and chickadees in these areas frequently sing aberrant songs. The majority of the songs studied were recorded 17 April-16 July 1999 in fifteen counties throughout central Illinois. I measured 8 frequency and duration characteristics of the first two notes of songs that began with two whistled notes. The averages of these characteristics …

Dermatoglyphic Analysis Of Male Criminals, Jeremy Matyas

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between genetics and criminal behavior. Using specific dermatoglyphic features of 100 Caucasian male criminals, comparisons were made to a comparable control group of noncriminals. Dermatoglyphics are known to be, in part, genetically determined. Differences between the non-criminal and criminal samples would support the belief that certain criminal behaviors are genetically determined.

Statistical tests were performed on the dermatoglyphic pattern types and ridge counts of the criminal and non-criminal samples. There were three tests of the total ridge counts (TRC) that were found to be statistically significant. The principal difference was …

The Educational Nature Reserve Problem: Selecting A Prairie Reserve Location For The Kalamazoo Nature Center, Theresa M. Mau-Crimmins

Masters Theses

This study investigates a complex location-planning problem that is often faced by managers of nature centers: how to select sites on which to position new habitat reserves. Mission statements of these establishments often indicate objectives of habitat preservation and public education. Inherent in land preservation is a limited amount of traffic through the area. In contrast, in order for visitors to fully experience an ecosystem, access to the site is required.

In order to address site selection problems at such institutions, the Educational Nature Reserve Model was developed. This model fits situations in which the conflicting goals of conservation and …

Thomas Jefferson And The United States Constitution: A Comparative Study Of Jefferson As Maturing Political Thinker To Jefferson The Political Operative, Thomas A. Parker

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to use historical, qualitative, and comparative methods of research in studying the life of Thomas Jefferson, his views on governance, and his impact on the highest law of our land, the United States Constitution. Thomas Jefferson's constitutional thoughts and theories evolved first as a maturing political thinker and later as a political operative on the state, national and international stage. His beliefs were shaped by many factors including Jefferson's own principles and character, his scholarship via learned men and life experiences, American and overseas events in and out of his control, titles and offices …

Spatial And Temporal Variations Of Cloud-To-Ground Lightning In Southern Michigan, Michael A. Crimmins

Masters Theses

Lightning has a profound impact on many aspects of modern day society. Understanding its temporal and spatial distributions is fundamental in learning to coexist with its destructive power. This study surveyed the spatial and temporal distribution of cloud-to-ground lightning over southern Michigan using data provided by the Detroit Edison Company. Flash density and 'lightning day' maps were produced for every year of the 1985 to 1995 study period and then averaged to determine long term trends. A temporal analysis determined the distribution of lightning from the inter-annual down to the diurnal scale.

The spatial analysis indicates both deficiencies in the …

Spatial Analysis Of Agricultural Cucurbita Sp. Varieties In The Eastern Broadleaf Province, Kathleen M. Baker

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to explain and quantify twentieth century agricultural distributions of the genus Cucurbita in the United States to determine the effect of temporal changes in economic utilization and a variety of historical, environmental and social circumstances on those distributions. Geographic information system (GIS) methods were combined with statistical software techniques to analyze the spatial and temporal trends of pumpkin and squash growth in one region (the Eastern Broadleaf Province, as defined by Bailey) of the United States from 1982-1992.

Counties with fewer frost free days, later spring frosts, more accumulated growing degree units throughout the …

The Contemporary Migration Of Russian-Germans From Russia And Kazakhstan To Germany: A Case Study In Migration Geography, Jacquelin K. Tylzynski

Masters Theses

Since the collapse of communism in Central Europe and the former Soviet Union in the late 1980's/early 1990's over two million ethnic Germans have migrated to Germany (predominantly from Russia and Kazakhstan). Ethnic Germans are descendants of Germans who migrated to Central Europe and to Russia centuries ago who are returning to their historic roots since they have been allowed to leave. The reason ethnic Germans are migrating to Germany stems from a strange law written into West Germany's post-World War II constitution (in 1949) that promised ethnic Germans and their descendants the "right to return" to Germany; however, the …

The Social Diffusion Of Safe Sex Behaviors In College Women, Sherry Pagoto

Masters Theses

With the ever rising numbers of people becoming infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 1997) the need for preventing the spread of infection is clear. One promising intervention, based on a theory called social diffusion, involves training popular opinion leaders to act as behavior change endorsers within their community (Kelly, 1991). This study found 25-30% reductions in high-risk behaviors and 16-18% increases in safe sex behaviors in a male homosexual population as a result of this type of intervention. The current study examines the effectiveness of this intervention within a …

Spatial And Ethnic Patterns Of Real Estate Control Affecting Upward Mobility Of Immigrants In A Nineteenth Century Industrial Community, Debra S. Alfonso

Masters Theses

The subject of immigrant success has previously been analyzed in the context of ethnic characteristics, individual heroism, worker solidarity, and advancement of industrialization. Most immigrants start at the bottom of the social-economic ladder. The mechanisms of advancement vary depending on both ethnic values and the constraints of the socioeconomic system. The key variable is normally thought to be advancing occupational status.

The problem addressed is how did recent immigrants to a 19th century steel-town obtain home ownership and advancement in spite of declining industrial wages. Using a GIS system to link and analyze geographic and historical records I was able …

The Effects Of Field-Based Learning On The Knowledge, Behaviors And Practices Of Teachers And Students, Mary Jo Kosco

Masters Theses

The outdoor environment has the potential to serve as a teeming laboratory with numerous opportunities for students to study various science-related phenomena and processes. However important teachers deem outdoor experiences in science, they also bear doubts about their abilities to teach in these natural surroundings. Providing teachers with the training necessary to teach using field-based activities would help develop and strengthen the teachers' and consequently their students' interest in science, their background knowledge of basic science concepts and processes and possibly affect their behaviors towards the environment. This study was designed to measure the extent science teachers' field-based learning experiences …

Internet In The Classroom, Nathan J. Aslinger

Masters Theses

Purpose of the Study

This study was conducted to determine the role of the Internet in Illinois high schools, how it is integrated into the business education curriculum, and the status of technology in these high schools. Most schools are "hooked up" and the teachers are usually trained through internal workshops. Some schools even have a specific "Internet" course. The following questions are the research questions used for this study:

1. What is the general status of the Internet in secondary schools as perceived by business teachers?

2. To what extent is the Internet being included in the secondary business …

The Other And Narrative Framing In Nabokov's The Real Life Of Sebastian Knight, Lolita, And Pnin, Stacey Vivian Overend

Masters Theses

Vladimir Nabokov is often noted for his portrayal of controversial characters, isolated from the real world. These characters, known as Others, are shunned by society because of their socially unacceptable or inappropriate behavior. However, in order to understand fully the Other and his motives, readers must evaluate the Other's behavior within the context of his alternate existence, an isolated existence created in response to the threat common society imposes on his Self. Focusing on three of Nabokov's novels, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Lolita, and Pnin, this thesis examines the character of the Other through two …

How West Germany's Ostpolitik Contributed To German Unification, Lothar J. Noetzoldt

Masters Theses

This thesis describes and examines two decades of political relations between East and West Germany and their respective allies, and also presents a thorough analysis of political developments and events that took place from the beginning of West German Ostpolitk in 1969 until unification on October 1990. The term unification is used because Germany was not re-unified within the pre-war borders of 1937.

One of the principal goals of this thesis focuses on the discussion on the influence Ostpolitik alongside with the policy of rapprochement toward the GDR and USSR had on achieving a working relationship between Bonn and East …

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

Masters Theses

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

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