Digital Commons Network^™

Cross Sectional Analysis Of The Demand For Prescription Pain Killers, Christopher Reed

Masters Theses

This paper is a cross-sectional analysis of the demand for prescription painkillers. Demand was broken down into illegal adult use of painkillers, illegal adolescent use, and legal prescriptions per capita for each state. Data for 2012 were taken from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and the National Prescription Audit as well as from other sources such as the Census Bureau. Prescription drug monitoring programs were found to decrease illegal use, while medical marijuana laws and poverty rates increased legal use and use among teens. Both white population and number of officers decreased illegal use among adults, …

From Prairienet To The Cdi: Writing The History, Sally Van Der Graaff

Masters Theses

This paper, the companion to the written work I completed for the Center for Digital Inclusion (CDI) at the University of Illinois, will provide the background of the project and describe my involvement in its production. The project itself is a comprehensive history of the center's work in the field of information access, with particular emphasis on the digital divide. Insofar as gaining an understanding of digital divide theory was a necessary precursor to researching and writing this history, the companion paper will begin with an exploration of the literature on the digital divide debate and proceed with an analysis …

Political Intolerance In The 21st Century: The Role Of Ideology And Emotion In Determining Intolerant Judgments, Matthew Cain

Masters Theses

Decades of research in Social Psychology have demonstrated that political intolerance is not displayed equally with respect to ideology. In particular, conservatives and those with right-wing beliefs are much more likely to display intolerant judgments than those with liberal or left-wing beliefs. This "prejudice gap" has been found to be so ubiquitous that it is now the conventional wisdom regarding the relationship between ideology and intolerance. However, a small, but growing literature challenges this presumed ideological asymmetry and has instead found that liberals and conservatives display intolerance under certain circumstances. Synthesizing the recent research showing ideological symmetry in intolerance judgments, …

From Trade Deficit In Goods To Trade Surplus In Services: An Eclectic And Extended Gravity Model Approach In Analyzing The Determinants Of Service Trade Of The United States, Tofayel Ahmmad

Masters Theses

This paper employs an eclectic and extended gravity model of trade to assess the most important determinants of real export and import of services of the United States by analyzing US service trade with its 33 partner countries for 15 years. Distance affects US real export of services negatively, but has no influence on US real import of services. A devaluation of the US dollar increases service export of the United States. We find a positive relationship between US goods trade and US service exports. US outward FDI has a positive impact on US real export of services, but has …

Effects Of Treated Wastewater Effluent On Microbial Community Structure In A Natural Receiving Aquatic System, Matthew D. Hladilek

Masters Theses

Despite our dependency on treatment facilities to condition wastewater for eventual release to the environment, our knowledge regarding the effects of treated water on the local watershed is extremely limited. Responses of these lotic systems to the treated wastewater effluent have been traditionally investigated by examining the benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages and community structure; however, these studies do not address the microbial diversity of the water systems. In the present study, planktonic and benthic bacterial community structure were examined at fourteen sites (from 60 m upstream to 12,100 m downstream) and at two time points along an aquatic system receiving treated …

Written Discourse Performance After Blast Injury, Brittany M. Loomis

Masters Theses

A blast injury (BI) is caused by a wave from a bomb which damages organs, specifically the brain. Once soldiers/veterans have sustained a BI, they will most likely present with a cognitive-communication deficit resulting from the traumatic brain injury. Language related symptoms are most apparent in written language skills due to the high level of cognitive function required for writing. This study investigated written discourse skills following a BI. Written discourse samples were collected from four participants and four controls. A description of the Butcher Picture from the Aphasia Diagnostic Profile was analyzed for productivity, efficiency, and local and global …

Gendered Pathways To Office For Members Of The 112th U.S. House Of Representatives, Samantha Sarich

Masters Theses

Research both asserts that there is a particular path through careers in either business or law that many political candidates take to Congress and that female candidates do not always follow this standard path. Female candidates have been found to emerge from a wider array of experiences outside of business and law. Differences in pathways male and female candidates take to public office have been widely studied, yet little attention has been focused on whether or not female candidates having experience serving on the board of a non-profit organizations can be a part of a viable alternate pathway to public …

The Impact Of Nutrition Education On Fruit And Vegetable Consumption Of Elementary School Students, Constance Evans Herriott

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of nutrition education on the fruit and vegetable consumption of third grade students. This was in an effort to determine whether nutrition education played a role in the consumption of fruits and vegetables because current intakes are very low. This quasi-experimental study consisted of a relatively small convenience sample at a rural elementary school. For this study, thirty-minute nutrition education lessons were delivered for four consecutive weeks to the experimental group. In order to assess the impact of the lessons, fruit and vegetable plate waste were gauged prior to and …

Comparison Of Agency And Volunteer Stream Assessments Using Macroinvertebrate Assemblages, David William Petry

Masters Theses

Professional stream assessments can be both time and cost intensive. Many states have developed citizen science programs in an effort to provide reliable data to supplement agency assessments. To test how two of these protocols and their conclusions compare, I sampled 16 sites in seven streams within east central Illinois using techniques from two different organizations: Illinois RiverWatch and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Overall, spring RiverWatch, fall RiverWatch, and fall IEPA sampling all produced unique results and conclusions. Compared to fall IEPA assessments, spring RiverWatch was affected by differences in both sampling protocol and season. RiverWatch sampling in fall reduced …

Breaking The Chains Of Trafficking: An Educational Program, Amanda K. Feder

Masters Theses

With popular television shows and films focusing on the issue of sex trafficking, many discursive constructions of the issue allow for a "script" to be followed and replicated in many anti-trafficking discourses. Ultimately, the constructions of the issue become a basis of understanding on sex trafficking, which can consequentially limit the availability and accuracy of anti-trafficking resources. From examining popular discourses and their construction of sex trafficking on a global and U.S. scale, to creating an educational program designed for college-level courses on the realities of trafficking, this project focuses on de-bunking the myths of sex trafficking on a local …

Contextual Conditions Related To The Undergraduate Experience And The Nature Of Alumni Involvement: A Qualitative Study, Kasey G. Evans

Masters Theses

The researcher used qualitative methodology to analyze the perspectives of 5 alumni of a mid-sized Midwestern institution regarding their experiences as an undergraduate at the institution and the context of their current relationship with their alma mater. Overall, participants placed a value on giving back to the organizations and groups that they were most involved with as an undergraduate. The participants do not currently give to the institution financially but would like to in the future. The study suggests that undergraduate context is vital to future involvement with the institution.

Resident Assistant Training And Students With High Functioning Autism, Tyler Fisher

Masters Theses

Utilizing qualitative methodology, Resident Assistants' perceptions were examined with regards to the training they receive for identifying and assisting High Functioning Autistic Students. Current Resident Assistants were interviewed and themes were developed. RA's expressed dissatisfaction with current training concerning the characteristics of this population. Specifically, participants shared the need for additional training on identifying HFA students and the referral process to disability services. Lastly, participants shared feeling strong support from supervisors; however, lack the knowledge and confidence to effectively support these students.

A Study On The Personality Characteristics Of Dreamers, Joshua Lambert

Masters Theses

Nightmares are frightening dreams that cause the dreamer to wake, with the events that occur within the nightmare well remembered after awakening. There are those who experience nightmares frequently (at least one nightmare a week). While studying nightmares, Hartmann (1989, 1991) theorized a distinct personality trait he referred to as boundaries of the mind, and conceptualized a boundary continuum ranging from thin boundaries to thick boundaries. Those with thin boundaries were hypothesized to express permeability between cognitive processes, whereas those with thick boundaries are thought to better separate cognitive processes. Those who experience frequent nightmares are typically shown to report …

Cyber-Victimization, Depression, And Social Anxiety Among College Students, Kenna L. Mager

Masters Theses

Cyber-victimization, a new form of bullying, emerged with the development and evolution of technology. Recent research shows discrepancies in cyber-victimization definitions and there are inconsistencies of methods used to measure cyber-victimization. This paper reviewed the literature on cyber-victimization and developed a new scale to measure cyber-victimization with the intention of making cyber-victimization research more consistent. The current study examined known correlates of cyber-victimization (e.g., depression and social anxiety) in a sample of college students using the newly developed measure. The current study also explored the moderating role of social support in the relationship between cyber-victimization and depression, as well as …

Being Bromo In A Heterosexual Dominated Culture: A Qualitative Approach, Nathan J. Wehr

Masters Theses

Homosexual males want to be a part of a social fraternity for the same reasons heterosexual males want to join a social fraternity, however, homosexual males going through recruitment could soon be welcomed into an environment that is not supportive of homosexual males. Studies have proven that unwelcoming and unsupportive environments can hinder identity development of males who are either homosexual, questioning their sexual identity, or bisexual (Long, 2011). This study was designed to focus on the support fraternities have for homosexual members joining fraternities and the level of support as a fraternity community. Using a qualitative approach, the researcher …

Moral Judgments Of Differing Transgressions & The Influence Of Willingness To Seek Counseling & Religiosity, Marni Naleway

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine how moral judgments differ towards substance abusers and unfaithful spouses. Furthermore, the study compared judgments regarding the gender of the transgressor, the transgressor's willingness to go to counseling, and the participant's level of religiosity. Participants in the study were provided with a scenario describing a substance abuse transgression or an infidelity transgression followed by a survey of questions inquiring about their judgments towards the transgressor. Results indicated individuals judge a transgressor more harshly in an infidelity transgression compared to a substance abuse transgression. Results also indicated a gender bias between transgressions as …

Metagenomic Analysis Of The Lacrimal Caruncle Region Of Canis Lupus Familiaris Using Miseq Technology, Seun A. Ikugbayigbe

Masters Theses

The identification of ocular microbiota may allow early diagnosis and treatment strategies against eye diseases and disorders with canines. However, clinical microbial identification has been limited to cloning and conventional culture-based studies, which typically underestimate community diversity. In this report, lllumina MiSeq analysis of the 16S rRNA gene was used to examine the microbiome of the lacrimal caruncle region from five healthy dogs. The breeds sampled were a Golden Retriever (Dog A), a Weimaraner (Dog B), a Shih Tzu mix (Dog C), a Yorkie mix (Dog D), and a Dachshund (Dog E). MiSeq analysis revealed a total of 370 operational …

The Functional Role Of Leaf Nutrients In An Old-Field Successional Community, Kirstin I. Duffin

Masters Theses

In functional ecology, traits that capture aspects of plant performance are used to understand how organisms interact with their environment. Leaf nutrients are an example of a functional trait that directly links to plant metabolic processes and therefore may describe plant assemblage dynamics. Multivariate leaf nutrient analyses may be used with other functional traits to understand ecological strategies because they are a direct measure of leaf metabolic processes and can describe nuances in plant allocation patterns. In this thesis, I explored (1) whether a suite of leaf nutrients (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) was related to plant growth …

Mental Illness In Early American Fiction: Charles Brockden Brown And The Sentimental Novelists, Katie E. Walk

Masters Theses

The late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries witnessed the development of the United States of America as a new nation. This development brought with it new ideologies and social and political change; included in these changes was the way that sexual conduct outside of marriage was dealt with. Because the emerging legal system became less concerned with matters of morality, some people became frightened that sexual promiscuity would become rampant. The sentimental novel or seduction tale became a means of attempting to control sexual behavior when the law was not able to step in.

The way that madness, a term …

Financial Literacy: Past, Present And Future Impact On College Freshmen, Jennifer Monkman

Masters Theses

This study researched the financial literacy of first-year students relating to their personal finances and financial aid at a rural, Midwestern, four-year public institution. The participants in the study were limited to first-year students with no previous college credit. There were 97 participants in this study, with 84 participant's completing the entire survey. Results of the study indicated that overall students did have financial literacy relating to their financial aid. The results also indicated that students main and original source of financial knowledge came from their parent or guardian. Recommended for Student Affairs Professional is to create more comprehensive orientation …

The Effects Of Cued Speech On Phonemic Awareness Skills, Jessica M. Phillips

Masters Theses

Research suggests phonemic awareness is enhanced through multimodality training. Cued Speech is a multimodality system that combines hand signs with mouth movements to represent phonemes of the spoken language. This system has been utilized successfully in developing phonological awareness with children with hearing loss. However, no research is available on its effectiveness with children who are not deaf or hard-of-hearing. The efficacy of the use of Cued Speech for the enhancement of phonological skills in typically developing 1st grade students was evaluated in this study. Twenty-six 1^st graders identified as low-achieving readers by their classroom teachers were administered the …

Veterans' Perceptions And Use Of Student Support Services At A Midwestern University, Amanda J. Starwalt

Masters Theses

The number of student veterans on college campuses is increasing (NCVAS, 2012). There is a need to support these students, but how? Campuses must take a closer look at the student services they offer to student veterans, and how they are being utilized (McBain, Kim, Cook, & Snead, 2012). In this study, six student veterans were interviewed to better understand what resources and support student veterans utilize on campus. It was found that student veterans are similar to adult learners and bring with them experiences and responsibilities which play an important role in the support and services they utilize. Student …

Can Consumers Perceive A Difference In Quality When Comparing Whole-Grain Gluten-Free Baked Goods To Refined Gluten-Free Baked Goods At Varying Flour Levels, Jenna R. Carlson

Masters Theses

The prevalence of celiac disease and gluten intolerances has increased drastically in the last few decades, accounting for 1 in 100 individuals, or about 1% of Americans (Mager, Qiao, & Turner, 2012). The only treatment for celiac disease or any other gluten intolerance is the gluten-free diet. The gluten-free diet can lack many essential nutrients. The purpose of this research was to identify if consumers could perceive a difference in quality when comparing whole-grain gluten-free baked goods to refined gluten-free baked goods at varying flour levels of 20%, 50%, and 100%.

The researcher-developed Carlson Acceptability of Gluten-Free Baked Goods Survey …

An Exploration Of College Student Experiences Regarding Healthy Eating At A Midsized Midwestern University: A Qualitative Approach, E. Jordan Stayer

Masters Theses

This study was an exploration of the experiences college students have while eating in on-campus dining centers at a midsized, Midwest, public university. The present study examined college students' (n = 7) experiences of eating in the dining centers with a campus meal plan. Participants were asked a series of questions regarding their individual beliefs, their surrounding environment, and their physical behaviors while dining.

The study concluded that dining habits are very personal to each and every human being in the world. At the higher education level, because each student brings with them a completely different taste, desire, and …

Detecting Diesel Particulate Matter Using Real Time Monitoring Under The Influence Of An Exhaust Fan System, Yasir Helal Alghamdi

Masters Theses

"Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM) is a complex mixture of diesel exhaust gas that consists of carbon, ash, metallic abrasion particles, sulfates and silicates. The diesel soot particle includes a solid core made of elemental carbon, and organic carbon compound attached to the surface of the soot particle. The main source of DPM is diesel exhaust gas. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have determined that DPM is the source of most of the emissions of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxide of nitrogen, and hydrocarbons in underground coal, metal and non metal …

A Decision Support Simulation Model For Bed Management In Healthcare, Raja A. Baru

Masters Theses

"In order to provide access to care in a timely manner, it is necessary to effectively manage the allocation of limited resources such as beds. Bed management is key to the effective delivery of high-quality and low-cost healthcare. An efficient utilization of beds requires a detailed understanding of the hospital's operational behavior. It is necessary to understand the behavior of a hospital in order to make necessary adjustments to its resources, and policies, which can improve patient's access to care. The aim of this research was to develop a discrete event simulation to assist in planning and staff scheduling decisions. …

Healing Of Bone Defects In A Rodent Calvarial Defect Model Using Strong Porous Bioactive Glass (13-93) Scaffolds, Yinan Lin

Masters Theses

"The main objective of this project was to evaluate the capacity of strong porous silicate (13-93) bioactive glass scaffolds prepared by a robocasting technique to regenerate bone and stimulate angiogenesis in a rat calvarial defect model. The scaffolds were created with the same grid-like microstructure but in a variety of formulations: (i) as-fabricated, (ii) pretreated in an aqueous phosphate solution to convert the glass surface to hydroxyapatite, (iii) loaded with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) (1 µg per scaffold), and (iv) doped with copper (0.4-2.0 wt. % CuO). When compared to the as-fabricated scaffolds, the pretreated scaffolds enhanced bone regeneration at …

Freeform Extrusion Fabrication Of Titanium Fiber Reinforced 13-93 Bioactive Glass Scaffolds, Albin Thomas

Masters Theses

"Although implants made with bioactive glass have shown promising results for bone repair, their application in repairing load-bearing long bones is limited due to their poor mechanical properties as compared to human bones. This thesis study is on freeform extrusion fabrication of silicate based 13-93 bioactive glass scaffolds reinforced with titanium fibers. A composite paste was prepared with 13-93 bioactive glass filled with titanium fibers (~16 µm in diameter and aspect ratio of ~250) having 0.1 to 0.4 vol. % of the bioactive glass scaffold. This paste was then filled into a syringe manually, and then extruded through a nozzle …

A Remote Sensing Based Early Warning System For Algal Blooms In Kuwait Bay And Coastal Waters, Cameron Manche

Masters Theses

The Kuwait Bay and its coastal waters are being threatened by a perpetual hazard, the proliferation of harmful algal blooms (HABS). The frequency of HAB occurrences is a growing problem that is only reported subsequent to the onset of a HAB event. Little effort has been invested in investigating the spatial and temporal distribution of these events in Kuwait Bay and even less is known about their controlling factors. All previous studies within the Kuwait Bay have focused either on measuring nutrient availability and the biodiversity of algal species.

The overall study objective is four-fold: (1) to monitor the spatial …

Generation And Use Of Monoclonal Antibodies To Ldentify Subpopulations Of Post Thaw Stallion Sperm, Sarah Abdulaziz Almuhanna

Masters Theses

Artificial insemination (AI) is commonly used for breeding of horses. Selecting high quality semen is critical to AI success but is difficult to achieve. In this study, we investigate the potential of generating antibodies against stallion sperm to identify subpopulations of post-thaw sperm based on surface markers. Female Balb/C mice are immunized with semen from a 24-year-old fertile stallion followed by booster immunizations each week for at least six weeks. Monoclonal antibodies are generated by fusion of myeloma cells to mouse spleen cells. Eight monoclonal antibodies resulting from these fusions are subdivided into four immunostaining patterns. These patterns differentially recognize …