Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Remedial Work: A Look At Re-Offending, John M. Koth

Masters Theses

Many studies have evaluated the usefulness of remedial work ( apologies, excuses, and justifications) after a transgression or injustice has been committed. The present study tested the effectiveness of remedial work after a first, and then a second transgression. One hundred and sixty undergraduates read a vignette describing a social transgression. This was followed by either an apology, an excuse, a justification or no remedial work. After completing variables rating their reactions to the vignette, participants were asked to read a second vignette and to answer the same questions. During the analyses, two justifications used in the study were found …

Social Anxiety And Problematic Drinking In College Students: The Influence Of Alcohol Expectancies And Gender, Jackie Kuhn

Masters Theses

Problematic drinking among college-aged students represents a serious problem. Research has focused on predictors of problematic drinking, including cognitive distortions and alcohol expectancies. In addition, symptoms of social anxiety have been · related to college student drinking. This paper reviews the literature on the link between social anxiety and problematic drinking and describes a study examining this link. Specifically, this study expanded on the existing literature by testing the mediating ability of positive alcohol expectancies as well as assessing depressive symptoms and their relationship to drinking behaviors. The main model in this study incorporated social anxiety and problematic drinking with …

Behavioral Mediators And Moderators Of Adolescent Victimization And Suicidal Behavior, Brett J. Litwiller

Masters Theses

This study examined the relationship between victimization and suicide in adolescents. It was hypothesized that substance use, violent behavior, and risky sexual behavior would all increase adolescent suicide risk and mediate the relationship between adolescent victimization and suicide. It was further hypothesized that parental support, dietary nutrition, and physical activity would decrease suicide risk and moderate the relationship between adolescent victimization and adolescent suicide. To test these hypotheses, selfreport surveys were administered to 4,700 public high school students. Regression analyses of data indicated that the amount of victimization significantly predicted the amount of suicidal behavior reported. Similarly, substance use, violent …

A Comparison Of The Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children Third Edition And The Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children Fourth Edition, Alyson M. Taylor

Masters Theses

There are no specific guidelines to determine when or why intelligence tests should be revised; however, revisions typically occur every 10 to 15 years to keep up with the moderate change in IQ over time, known as the Flynn effect (Flynn, 1984, 1987). Revisions also eliminate and update outdated items, content, and materials; extend age ranges, floors, and ceilings; as well as incorporate new theoretical changes. To assess cognitive abilities the Wechsler Scales are frequently used by clinical and school psychologists. Previous studies comparing versions of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) found significant correlations (.80s and .90s) and …

Contribution-Based Priority Assessment In A Web-Based Intelligent Argumentation Network For Collaborative Software Development, Maithili Satyavolu

Masters Theses

"Decision making is an important aspect of the collaborative software development process which usually involves complex process of conflict resolution. Stakeholders approach decision making process from multiple perspectives and their priorities play a vital role in it. The priority assessment methods used in the argumentation process so far are usually static. Priorities remain constant throughout the decision making process. In order to make the collaborative system more closely replicate real-world scenarios, this work incorporates dynamic priority assessment into a web-based collaborative system which is based on intelligent computational argumentation. It evaluates priorities dynamically for each cycle of decision process based …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Microspheres For Controlled Release, Gurpartap Singh Sandhu

Masters Theses

"Synthetic hydroxyapatite (HAp, (Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂) has always been of interest in medical applications because of its similarities to inorganic bone matrix. It has been used in biomedical applications for bone repair and substitution due to its biocompatibility. However, there are some differences in the stoichiometry, composition, and mechanical properties of human bone as compared to pure HAP. HAp particles have been successfully used as drug delivery carriers which deliver the drug to the affected part of the body and the remaining apatite gets degraded by the physiological processes in the body. In the present work, emphasis was on developing mechanically stronger …

The Mitigation Effects Of A Barrier Wall On Blast Wave Pressures, Nathan Thomas Rouse

Masters Theses

"The study examined the mitigating effects of a blast barrier wall. This area of blast mitigation is of interest due to the many different applications involved in protecting a specific target from an explosive attack. The research follows a 1:50 scale layout using 73 gram, hemisphere-shaped, Composition-4 charges detonated at combinations of three standoff distances from a blast barrier wall set at three different heights. This project used 45 data points for each combination of standoff distance and wall height. This project expanded prior research conducted by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) by increasing the database of …

The Placement Of Remediation Amendments Into Contaminated Sediments Via Waterjet Technologies, Gavin Hunter Ray Risley

Masters Theses

"The use of amendments to perform in situ remediation of contaminated sediments is a technique that is relatively mature. The need exists to develop a method of amendment delivery that will efficiently place the amendments into the contaminated zone at depth with minimal impacts to the benthic communities and contaminant resuspension. Waterjets have been used for hundreds of years as an excavation, cutting, and cleaning tool, but they can also be used to inject remediation amendments into contaminated sediments if setup properly. In order to test this concept, a waterjet amendment injection system and nozzle have been developed and tested. …

Application Of Life Cycle Assessment To Estimate Environmental Impacts Of Surface Coal Mining, Ofentse Ditsele

Masters Theses

"Coal plays an important role in meeting the energy needs of the World. Given its abundance and low cost, its use is bound to increase with the growing energy demand. Despite its importance, there are concerns over coal's environmental burdens. In order to extract and use coal in a sustainable manner, sustainability assessment has to be comprehensive. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) provides systematic and quantifiable measures for assessing environmental burdens of products and processes. Extensive LCA work has been done on coal use, particularly in electricity generation, but, the coal mining stage has been neglected, for the most part. This …

Finite Element Analysis And Fatigue Test On The Bicuspids To Support Theory Of Abfraction, Madhuchandra Mahadevaswamy

Masters Theses

"Abfraction is a small crack or notch found at the cervical areas of a teeth due to the loss of enamel tissues in the teeth. Proposed explanations for are that it is caused by toothbrush abrasion, acid erosion, and the mechanical forces applied on the teeth due to chewing, biting, tongue activity. There is disagreement among dentists as to the primary causes of abfraction. Some dentists believe that abfraction is caused by toothbrush abrasion and erosion due to acidic food and drinks. Other dentists believe that tensile and compressive forces acting on the teeth from non-axial, cyclical loading over an …

The Lived Experience: Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension And Intravenous Prostaglandin Therapy, Phyllis D. Boone

Masters Theses

A descriptive phenomenological study was proposed to obtain a subjective description of the experience of living with intravenous prostaglandin treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension. It was intended to determine what kinds of elements are common to the experience with study participants, to develop an aggregate structure of the experience from the individual descriptions of it, and add to what is now known about this phenomenon. It was anticipated that the stories told by the participants could help to determine how nurses can assist future patients to live optimally within the confines of a palliative treatment for this incurable illness.

Unfortunately, …

Integration And Characterization Of An Electrical Storage System For A Hydrogen Fuel Cell Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Edward Alexei Anculle Arauco

Masters Theses

"Hydrogen fuel cell hybrid vehicles are an advance technology that promises to solve the energy crisis in transportation and green houses emissions. Even more, Plug-in or extended range vehicles can add diversity in energy sources. Extended range vehicles have the capability to extract energy from the grid and hence reduce the cost of operation of the vehicle. EcoCAR: the NeXt Challenge is a Noth [sic] American competition with seventeen schools participating across North America. Missouri S&T is developing a Fuel Cell Plug-in Hybrid electric vehicle which has a large lithium-ion battery able to store 16 kWh. The fuel cell powertrain …

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle Disruption Of Store-Operated Calcium Entry In A Muscarinic Receptor Signaling Pathway, Hsiu-Jen Wang

Masters Theses

"The influences of ZnO nanoparticles on cellular responses to activation of muscarinic receptors were studied in Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing the human M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor. ZnO particles (20 nm) induced cytotoxicity in a time and concentration-dependent manner: following a 24 h exposure, toxicity was minimal at concentrations below 20 µg/ml but virtually complete at concentrations above 28 µg/ml. ZnO particles did not affect antagonist binding to M3 receptors or allosteric ligand effects, but increased agonist binding affinity while eliminating guanine nucleotide sensitivity. At a noncytotoxic concentration (10 µg/ml), ZnO increased resting [Ca²⁺]i from 40 to 130 nM without …

Fabrication Of A Memory Device Using Polyaniline Nanofibers And Gold Nanoparticles, Krunal R. Waghela

Masters Theses

"Fabrication of a memory device using one-step/one-pot synthesis for making a PANI (polyaniline)/Au nanocomposite is reported. Although various devices with horizontal and vertical electrode structures were made, the basic structure used consisted of a PANI/Au thin film sandwiched between two electrodes. The ratio of the current in the OFF state to the current in the ON state was seen to be as high as 5000. These devices showed a bistable behavior, which is typical of memory devices. The PANI/Au nanocomposite thin film was constructed right on the electrode using microfabrication techniques with ultraviolet irradiation. The fabrication techniques discussed in this …

Comparing The Chelating Abilities Of N-Acetylcysteine And N-Acetylcysteine Amide In Vitro For Lead Poisoning Treatment, Weiqing Chen

Masters Theses

"Lead poisoning is a perennial and serious health problem around the world. The daily widespread use of lead has dramatically increased the degree and longevity of its exposure to humans, exacerbating the task of lead poisoning treatment. Lead exerts adverse effects on cardiovascular, central nervous, renal, gastrointestinal, and reproductive systems. The common treatment for lead poisoning is chelation therapy. Chelators were proposed to treat lead poisoning a very long time ago. However, chelators have severe side effects that could cause more problems, in addition to lead poisoning. Therefore, another group of drugs has been suggested --- antioxidants. This type of …

Explosives Recognition And Awareness Training: A Psychological Approach To Pre-Blast Mitigation, James Wade Hawkins

Masters Theses

"The nation's security strategy tends to be reactionary to a specific event. It is rare when established policies have proven successful, even though there is substantial financial and resource investment. The payoff is measured by analyzing the desired minimal effect rather than prevention of the event altogether. Such is the case in combating explosives-related threats. Today, research and development, science and technology, are plugged as the saviors of a post-blast event. Synthetic and composite materials are used to strengthen barriers and cutting-edge technology is utilized to refine the latest in standoff detection. These legitimate measures provide a sense of security …

Graded-Index Fiber Collimator Enhanced Extrinsic Fabry-Perot Interferometer, Yinan Zhang

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, we studied a fringe visibility enhanced extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI) by fusion splicing a quarter-pitch graded-index fiber (GIF) fiber to the lead-in single-mode fiber (SMF). The performance of the GIF collimator is theoretically analyzed using a ray matrix model and experimentally verified through beam divergence angle measurements. The fringe visibility of the GIF-collimated EFPI is measured as a function of the cavity length and compared with that of a regular SMF-EFPI. At the cavity length of 500µm, the fringe visibility of the GIF-EFPI is 0.8 while that of the SMF-EFPI is only 0.2. The visibility enhanced GIF-EFPI …

An Analysis Of The Integration Of Lean And Safety, Pankaj Mahesh Pai

Masters Theses

"The lean philosophy has proven potential to help businesses improve productivity and reduce its losses. Lean can give businesses a cutting edge in this age of global competition. The fundamental principle of lean is to identify wastes in the system and reduce or eliminate them. There is a concern that during lean implementations, the focus on productivity may result in health and safety issues being ignored or worse, changes driven by lean may introduce new hazards. The relationship between lean and safety is not clearly understood. Lean and safety should be compatible. Both strive to improve processes. Both are against …

Performance Evaluation Of Energy Efficient Lighting Associated With Renewable Energy Applications, Allison Nicole Sperber

Masters Theses

"The present study demonstrated lighting loads as an energy end use associated with renewable energy system applications. Incorporating an energy efficient end use within a renewable energy system can be especially beneficial regarding size and portability. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are an energy efficient alternative to traditional outdoor lighting, which is currently dominated by high intensity discharge source lamps. LEDs provide the ability to mitigate the negative impacts of diesel consumption when a diesel generator is used independently or as a backup for renewable energy applications in remote localities. In-field data was collected of traditional metal halide lamps and two comparable …

Freeze Extrusion Fabrication Of 13-93 Bioactive Glass Scaffolds For Bone Repair, Nikhil D. Doiphode

Masters Theses

"We have investigated Freeze Extrusion Fabrication (FEF) of 13-93 bioactive glass to fabricate three dimensional scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Bioactive glass paste was prepared for consistent extrusion through micro-nozzle and controlled porosity scaffolds were fabricated using additive manufacturing FEF. CAD models were prepared for different scaffold designs and computer controlled layer-by-layer deposition of pseudoplastic paste was carried out to in accordance. Liquid nitrogen assisted freezing of pastes was used for the consolidation of deposited layers. Post processing binder burnout and sintering schedules were designed for evaporation of organic binder and densification of glass. Sintering shrinkage was measured, and X-ray …

Fraternity Member's Perceptions Of The Benefits And Limitations Of On-Campus, University-Owned Fraternity Housing And Off-Campus, Chapter-Owned Fraternity Housing, Erin Therese Morettes

Masters Theses

This purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of fraternity members in relation to their experience living in off-campus, chapter-owned fraternity housing and on-campus, university-owned fraternity housing. The fraternity resided in an off-campus chapter house for several decades and recently relocated to a housing facility provided by the university. General theme emerging from participants' responses were critically evaluated based on prior research. The findings of this study suggested that the participant's perceived on-campus housing to be an overall better living environment than off-campus housing in the areas of academic success, residential community, and student persistence and engagement. …

Technical Efficiency Of Farmers In Ethiopia: A Stochastic Production Frontier Approach, Askal Ayalew Ali

Masters Theses

This study is to investigate the farmer's efficiency in Ethiopia. The stochastic production function is applied to estimate the technical efficiency of farmers. Using 2006 survey data conducted by the World Bank in collaboration with Ethiopian Economic Policy Research Institute, shows that farmers produce under the production frontier, and the average technical efficiency of the farmers is 62.4 percent. Variation in efficiency comes from many factors, however, this study focuses on extension program participation, education, and land ownership. Lack of extension program and education cause inefficiencies of 59.8 percent and 60.21 percent respectively. Land ownership is found to have mixed …

Frederick Douglass: The Man, His Words And His Legacy As A Master Rhetorician, Tameka Lashean Johnson

Masters Theses

This thesis offers a synthesis of existing research regarding not only Frederick Douglass· literacy in the slave narrative genre. but also an Aristotelian analysis of his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself (1845). Dougiass' challenge is to reach an audience not only of abolitionists, but also of free blacks who are more grounded in the vernacular tradition than equal to his own considerable skills in rhetorical literary construction.

My research addresses the problem that existing research inadequately considers the degree to which Douglass uses his awareness of the audience and employs rhetoric in …

You're Not Really Black Unless You've Been Shot-- Or So Says Black Urban Fiction, Erin A. Talley

Masters Theses

This essay seeks to identify the injurious and hedonistic patterns that emerge from contemporary black urban fiction, reinforcing negative stereotypes. This essay comments on codes that establish a sense of authenticity as well as trends of isolationism and essentialist narratives published as the unsuccessful progeny of didactic novels written to highlight conditions in underrepresented minority communities. Through a critical examination of earlier literary movements, this essay proposes that contemporary black urban literature grows less culturally conscious and less aesthetically aware in its pursuit of commercial success than the African American canonical texts that grounded cultural realism and literary experimentation.

Influential Factors Contributing To Compliance And/Or Non-Compliance With The Gluten-Free Diet For Celiac Disease Individuals, Jill Barnes

Masters Theses

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the influential factors of compliance and/or non-compliance with the gluten-free diet (GFD) for celiac disease (CD) individuals.

Methods: The data collection instrument was a self-developed survey using kwiksurveys.com. The data were collected via online survey distribution to CD support group facilitators in nine Midwestern states. CD support group facilitators assisted snowball sampling by distributing the online survey to other members of the support groups. Qualitative data from survey question 12 was reviewed for themes and patterns and discussed in a narrative form. Statistical analysis of the data was done using SPSS …

Food Selection Trends And Requirements Of Students Participating In The National School Lunch Program, Patrick Ona

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if students that participated in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) were receiving an excessive or inadequate amount of macronutrients and micronutrients set by SMI nutrient standards and 2005 Dietary Guidelines. There were four research objectives regarding food selection trends, School Meals Initiative (SMI), 2005 Dietary Guidelines, and competitive foods. The researcher hypothesized the food selections by school-aged children would not meet the SMI nutrient standards and 2005 Dietary Guidelines.

The study was a cross-section observational study that used a self-developed observation checklist. Quantitative data was gathered over the course of 5 …

The Relative Age Effect In Junior College Baseball, Thomas C. Beals

Masters Theses

Previous research has suggested that older athletes within age groupings are often perceived to be more talented simply due to advanced maturity. This perception leads to biased selection to higher levels of competition and skewed participation rates favoring the oldest participants among groups. This resulting skewed distribution is termed Relative Age Effect (RAE). While RAE has been studied in various sports and multiple settings, college athletics has not been extensively studied. In addition, athletic organizations associated with academic institutions often group their participants according to their academic status, not strictly by age. This factor, termed Academic Timing, can result in …

Abdominal Muscle Activation And Caloric Expenditure: Ab Circle Versus Traditional Exercise Modalities, Maranda Rehg

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the activation of the rectus abdominis, external oblique abdominis, lower abdominal stabilizers, and lumbar erector spinae during performance of traditional exercises (i.e. abdominal crunch, side bridge, and quadruped) versus the Ab Circle device. The caloric expenditure during an absolute work level on a treadmill versus the Ab Circle was also investigated. Twelve volunteers (6 men, 6 women) between the ages of19 and 37 were recruited to participate in this study. Prior to the experiment, subjects attended one familiarization session during which demographic information (age, height, body mass) was recorded and body fat …

Degradation Of Organic Matter In Water In The Presence Of Catalyst And Uv Radiation, Bimali Bandaranayake

Masters Theses

Organic contaminants specially dyes, presents in water is a major environmental problem. Organic compounds can be degraded completely in the presence of photocatalysts and UV radiation. The kinetics of degradation of three dyes was studied using a variety of UV photocatalytic materials. The dyes (methylene blue, malachite green, chrysodoine R) were chosen based on their polarity differences. Catalysts consisting of pure TiO2, mixed oxides of TiO2 containing SiO2, and others containing SiO2 and iron oxide, SiO2/ ZrO2/ CeO2, and CeO2/SiO2 were studied. The TiO2/ SiO2 and SiO2/ZrO2/CeO2 catalysts exhibited the highest degradation rates for methylene blue. The more hydrophobic pure …

Nanoporous High Surface Area Silicas With Chelating Groups For Heavy Metal Ion Adsorption From Aqueous Solution, Kothalawalage Nuwan Kothalawala

Masters Theses

Nanoporous high surface area silicas are an ideal substrate for the design of materials with useful properties via chemical surface modification. The adsorption of heavy metals for contaminated water detoxification is one potential application. In this work we have used three different kinds of silica substrates with varying pore structures; commercially available narrow pore and wide pore silica gels, as well as surfactant templated mesoporous SBA-15 exhibiting a relatively narrow pore size distribution. These silicas have each been subjected to post-synthesis modification with an organosilane consisting of ethylenediamine triacetic acid functionalities for chelation/adsorption of metal ions from aqueous solution. The …