Digital Commons Network^™

Photopigments As Descriptors Of Phytoplankton Assemblages For Biotic Assessment Of Illinois Lakes And Reservoirs: An Hplc Aided Analysis, Robert J. Krenz Iii

Masters Theses

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEP A) identify needs to monitor aquatic resources by quantitative means using biocriteria in conjunction with routine environmental assessment to identify sources of impairment, and determine the effectiveness of management protocols (IEP A 2007; USEPA 2007). Though bioassessment protocols have been implemented within lotic systems and lakes of natural origin, investigation of their application to functionally unique reservoir habitat, which dominates the Midwest, has been limited. This study .evaluated the utility of photopigment profiles, attained using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), for development ofbioassessment protocols for Illinois lakes and reservoirs. …

Disparity Between Boys' And Girls' Academic Achievement, Laura M. Harris

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that contribute to the disparity between the academic achievement level of boys and girls in the school setting. Current literature indicates that while boys have historically outperformed girls in the area of math, girls have all but closed this achievement gap.

One hundred and twenty-four fourth and fifth grade students (71 girls, 53 boys, predominantly Caucasian) from a school in the Midwest region of the United States participated in the study. Gender and living with a male role model were found to have no relationship with academic achievement. These results …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Athletic Identity And Academic Success Among Intercollegiate Athletes, Kimberly A. Garkie

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between athletic identity and academic success at a small, NCAA Division I institution. Two hundred and twenty-eight student-athletes (143 men, 85 women), representing 15 intercollegiate sports at Eastern Illinois University, completed the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS; Brewer, Van Raalte, & Linder, 1993) and these responses were correlated with the student athlete's Grade Point Averages. Results indicated that no statistically significant relationship was found between athletic identity scores and self-reported Grade Point Average (GPA). Limitations of the current study, as well as a need for future research regarding …

Familial Factors And Attachment Styles Of Adult Children Of Alcoholics, Tiffany Marie Konz

Masters Theses

Substance abuse is a prevalent issue that has far-reaching implications for not only the abuser but also the family. Research on parental alcoholism and its effects on offspring have developed over the last several years. Following the lead of other researchers, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between parental alcoholism and attachment styles in adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) and possible mediating or moderating effects of familial factors. A sample of 84 college students completed a series of measures on parental alcoholism, family satisfaction, family cohesion, parent-child attachment, and psychological and physical maltreatment. Participants were divided into two …

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 …

Conditional Reasoning In Depression, Niyati Sheth

Masters Theses

Most of the studies on reasoning have suggested that individuals with depression show poor performance on reasoning tasks (Channon & Baker, 1994). Previous researches and major theories attempt to explain the association between errors in reasoning process and working memory limitations (Braine, 1994; Gilhooly et. al., 1993; Johnson-Laird, 1983). Research also shows that working memory is impaired in individuals with depression (Channon, Baker & Robertson, 1993; Christopher & MacDonald, 2005). Hence, as per this view, depressed individuals perfonn poorly on reasoning tasks because of working memory limitation or preload rather than their ability to manipulate relevant infonnation (Channon & Baker, …

In Vitro Evaluation Of Bioactive Glass Scaffolds And Modified Bioactive Glasses With An Osteogenic Cell Line, Vernon C. Modglin

Masters Theses

"This investigation consisted of two parts focused on bioactive glasses and scaffolds for in vitro growth of bone cells for tissue engineering and bone repair. The first part involved evaluation of the ability of two new types of porous 13-93 bioactive glass scaffolds to support the growth and differentiation of mouse MLO-AS cells, an established osteogenic cell line used as a model of developing bone tissue. The two scaffold types tested included 13-93 glass fiber and trabecular-like scaffolds seeded with MLO-AS cells and cultured for intervals of 2 to 12 days. Collectively, in vitro results indicate that the 13-93 glass …

Oxidative Stress, Calcium Homeostasis, And Altered Gene Expression In Human Lung Epithelial Cells Exposed To Zno Nanoparticles, Chuan-Chin Huang

Masters Theses

"The influence of 20 nm ZnO nanoparticles on oxidative stress, intracellular calcium homeostasis, and gene expression was studied in human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). ZnO caused a concentration- and time-dependent cytotoxicity while elevating oxidative stress and causing membrane damage (cellular LDH release). There was a remarkably steep relationship between concentration and toxicity at concentrations from 5 to 10 μg/ml. Exposure to ZnO increased intracellular calcium levels in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Treatment with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine prevented cell loss and diminished the increase in intracellular calcium concentration, suggesting oxidative stress mediated cytotoxicity. Exposure to a sublethal concentration of ZnO …

A Renewable Energy Feasibility Study To Power A Water Supply Pump In Sacala Las Lomas, Guatemala, William Anthony Granich

Masters Theses

"A clean and sufficient source of drinking water can be a challenge to develop in the rural highlands of Guatemala. Installing a submersible pump in a groundwater well can provide a source of water that is free of contamination and yields sufficient water throughout the year. Submersible pumps are typically powered from grid-power; however, an alternative energy source may be considered. An evaluation of the renewable energy resources has been conducted in Sacala las Lomas de San Martin Jilotepeque, Chimaltenango, Guatemala (Sacala). The drilling of a deep groundwater well has been proposed in Sacala to supply the community with sufficient, …

Time-Weighted Average Solid-Phase Microextraction (Twa-Spme) For In-Planta Detection Of Chlorinated Solvents, Emily Moore Sheehan

Masters Theses

"Recent interest in the use of phyto-mapping for plume delineation at contaminated sites has promoted a need for new and innovative sampling techniques. Solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) methods have been developed as a chemical analysis tool offering fast, simple, non-invasive sampling without the use of solvents. In this study SPME devices were tested for applicability for in-planta detection of chlorinated solvents. To evaluate the use of SPME for VOCs in-planta a number of integrated studies were undertaken. Uptake profiles were developed for nine chlorinated solvents in a liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix with 100 µm Carboxene SPME fibers. Timeweighted average (TWA) sampling …

Comparison Of In-Planta Sampling Methods For Delineating Groundwater Contaminants, Kendra Marie Waltermire

Masters Theses

"Plants directly interact with surrounding water, air, and soil, collecting and storing chemicals and elements from the surrounding environment. Two new and innovative sampling methods have been developed in which this valuable data can be accessed to replace as well as supplement contaminated-site investigations. When determining the extent of the plume on a contaminated site, groundwater sampling may be limited due to time, site access, and expense. Using new techniques that place sampling devices in trees on site, we can sample trees naturally occurring on a contaminated site or those planted in phytoremediation or redevelopment efforts. Using these sampling devices, …

Hydrogen Applications For Lambert - St. Louis International Airport, Mathew Thomas

Masters Theses

"Today, major airports are facing challenges related to pollution, energy efficiency, and safety and security. Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, regarded as one of the key energy solutions of the 21st century are more energy efficient and reliable than conventional systems and have the potential to diminish these challenges. These technologies can also play a significant role in reducing the noise, air, and water pollution and enhancing energy security. This paper presents the design of a set of hydrogen technologies and systems that are commercially available and are ready for practical, real-world use. The hydrogen applications selected for Lambert-St. Louis …

Functional Testing Of Faults In Asynchronous Crossbar Architecture, Sriram Venkateswaran

Masters Theses

"The challenge of extending Moore's Law past the physical limits of the present semiconductor technology calls for novel innovations. Several novel nanotechnologies are being proposed as an alternative to their CMOS counterparts, with nanowire crossbar being one of the most promising paradigms. Quite recently, a new promising clock-free architecture, called the Asynchronous Crossbar Architecture has been proposed to enhance the manufacturability and to improve the robustness of digital circuits by removing various timing related failure modes. Even though the proposed clock-free architecture offers several merits, it is not free from the high defect rates induced due to nondeterministic nanoscale assembly. …

Development Of A One Dimensional Subsurface Contaminant Transport Model With Stochastic Applications, Benjamin Waldon Johnson

Masters Theses

"Contaminant source release history is a necessary element of contaminant mass transport simulation in the saturated zone. The source release history is unknown at many sites, and many inverse models have been developed to define finite release histories. To define a likely domain of three source history parameters, a mass balancebased one dimensional approach is developed and tested by discretizing the spatial domain into bands. By incorporating the approach in a spreadsheet model, observed data is represented by both variable length and constant length bands of analysis. Each representation of observed data was tested to determine the most appropriate band …

On-Line Depth Measurement Of Micro-Scale Laser Drilled Holes, Rock Allen Powell

Masters Theses

"A micron-precision micro-hole depth detection scheme has been developed which utilizes a confocal structure and a photomultiplier tube as a photodetector. This scheme is experimentally confirmed to posses an accuracy of greater than 95% for micro-holes on the order of one-hundred microns in diameter and tens of microns in depth and could be easily be integrated for the control of industrial and research oriented laser micro-machining process"--Abstract, page iii.

Preventing Chemical Product Failure, Kenneth Ombete

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate a research methodology to prevent chemical product failures. This methodology extends the risk in early design (RED) method for prevention of failure in electromechanical products to include products with chemical subsystems. Inclusion of this domain is demanded by the ever-growing semiconductor and energy industries. The RED method was extended by first identifying principal chemical failure modes and adding them to the failure mode taxonomy. The RED database was then augmented with historical failures of products that included chemical subsystems. Finally, the extension was validated with a case study of a fuel cell"--Abstract, …

Adapting Management Strategies To Enter New Global Markets, Karuna Vineetha Vemulapalli

Masters Theses

"With globalization spreading its roots into every country, people from various countries are working together, and will be trying to understand the cultural differences between the organizations in different nations. Effective management of the cultural differences will be an important and competitive advantage. Keeping in mind the different perceptions of the term “Management” by varying cultures, namely United States and India, this research will be focused on understanding and managing these differences.

The proposed research will deal with concepts of cultural diversity, economic differences, intercultural and organizational differences between the two countries. Understanding why some factors like motivation, responsibility, and …

Transcending Tragedy: The Power Of The Green World In Renaissance Drama, Sheridan Lynn Steelman

Masters Theses

Hospitals in the twenty-first century are using healing gardens to help patients heal their minds, bodies, and souls by offering views of lush flora from their rooms and calming pathways for their walks. Recent studies have shown that patients who are able to witness nature’s beauty request less pain medication and report shorter stays. Today’s use of gardens as part of a total wellness package may have found its roots in the work of John Gerard (1597) who was the first to study and catalog over 300 varieties of plants and herbs, many of which had common medicinal uses. Gerard’s …

Exploring Social Class And The Rural/Urban Dichotomy: A Critical Approach To Rural Community College Student Empowerment Through Composition, Amanda Groves

Masters Theses

Rural community college students arguably face more barriers to socioeconomic class mobility than their urban peers. Rural students who attend college where the prevalence of working-class status is much higher and deal with the hindrances their geographical location inflicts have typically remained in their respective classes with little chance of change. However, just as their geographical location presents physical barriers to mobility, so does the rural/urban dichotomy which contains and urban biased definition of the elements of middle- and upper-class status. Part of the problem with this system of social class lies in the definitions that would have rural students …

Food Selection Behaviors Of Children In A Buffet Setting, Megan J. Merrill

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate food choices made by children of varying ages when a wide assortment of both healthy and unhealthy food items were available. The results were used to assess the importance of caregiver influence with regard to children's dietary intakes and to determine significant relationships between age. food preference. and relevant behavioral patterns.

Fifty children between the ages of 3 and 15 were observed in buffet-style restaurants with their caregivers. A food and beverage selection checklist was used to determine children's food selections when each food group was present and available to them, A …

The Acceptance Of Heart Healthy Food Items Among College Students, Waleed Mohammed Alrayyes

Masters Theses

This thesis project was undertaken to discover the acceptance of heart healthy food items among college students. Previous studies stated that many college students leaving home and entering college for the first time often make choices that are less healthful. The researchers suggest that this is because of adopting poor diets. As a result of consuming an unhealthy diet coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, students may increase their risk of developing a variety of diseases, such as CVD, later in life.

Data for this study were collected from a sample of 100 college students at a Midwestern University. The samples …

Impact Of Alcohol On Dietary Behaviors Of Male College Students, Cheryl Anne Rozela

Masters Theses

Research has suggested that many male students increase consumption of alcohol during their college years (Von Ah, Ebert, Ngamvitroj, Park & Kang, 2001). As alcohol consumption increases during this time many students also make less healthy dietary choices, suggesting a relationship between alcohol use and dietary patterns may be present (Adams & Rini, 2007). Although suggestive of a relationship, there is a lack of research documenting an association between alcohol use and dietary behaviors of male college students, therefore, the current study utilized a convenience sample of twenty male participants from a midwestem university and a series of five open-ended …

A Content Analysis Of Food Advertisements During Children's Tv Programming, Jillian Hurt

Masters Theses

The purpose was to determine nutritional quality of foods and marketing techniques and messages used in food ads during children's television programming. Programming was taped on 4 networks (PBS, Disney, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for l day each, from July 8 to July 11, 2008.

One third of ads shown in 36 hours of programming were for food. Eighty-four percent of food ads promoted foods that were high in fat, saturated fat, added sugar and sodium or low in vitamins, minerals, fruits, vegetables and fiber. Animation was used in 44% and taste in 58% …

Effect Of Load Reductions Over Consecutive Sets On Repetition Performance, Maureen Khairallah

Masters Theses

In order to achieve specific muscular adaptations, repetitions need to be maintained within a certain repetition range throughout consecutive sets; however, maintaining repetition performance can be difficult when using short rest intervals (i.e. :S I-minute). Therefore, purpose of this study was to determine whether a 0%, 5%, 10%, or 15% decrease in resistance would be the most effective in maintaining repetitions over consecutive sets in the squat, leg curl, and leg extension. Eleven male college students volunteered to participate in the seven week study. Each participant was tested over the first three weeks, with one testing session each week. During …

Perspective-Taking In Adolescents With Asperger Syndrome And Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Caitlin Scaliatine

Masters Theses

Theory of mind is the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and other individuals, allowing us to predict the thoughts and feelings of others based on their behaviors. Research has established that individuals with Asperger syndrome (AS) experience difficulty with advanced theory of mind tasks; however, theory of mind abilities have not been evaluated for individuals with nonverbal learning disability (NVLD). The following test battery was administered to four adolescents with AS, five adolescents with NVLD, and five adolescents with neurotypical development to examine their theory of mind abilities: the Pragmatic Judgment and lriferences subtests from the Comprehensive Assessment …

Ecology And Impacts Of Lianas In Regenerating Forests, Laura Marie Ladwig

Masters Theses

Although they are important components of forest communities, the general ecology of temperate lianas, especially during forest regeneration, is largely unknown. The dependence of lianas on other plants for physical support makes them a potentially important driver of community dynamics. I examined current and past vegetation data from an old-field succession study in the Piedmont region of New Jersey, USA to determine the dynamics of liana expansion and their role in forest regeneration. Fifty years of vegetation data were utilized to determine community controls and population dynamics oflianas during expansion. Five lianas, Celastrus orbiculatus, Lonicera japonica, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Toxicodendron radicans, …

Interaction Of Apoe With Estrogen In The Olfactory System During Nerve Maintenance And Recovery, Michael M. Tonsor Ii

Masters Theses

Estrogen replacement profoundly aids in nerve regeneration after injury in adult mammalian models. Estrogen replacement also protects against olfactory dysfunction in mammals. The mechanism underly1ng estrogen's neuroprotective effects remains ambiguous. My goal is to investigate and better clarify if apolipoprotein E (apoE ), a lipid transporting protein, is a critical intermediary to estrogen's effects on nerve maintenance and regeneration.

My hypothesis is that apoE is a mediator of estrogen's beneficial effects. This hypothesis is based on the following observations from previous studies. First, olfactory nerve regeneration was delayed in apoE-gene knockout (KO) mice as compared to wild type (WT) mice. …

Fragmentation Effects On Fitness In Five Common Prairie Species, Lydia Miramontes Loyd

Masters Theses

Midwest tallgrass prairies have suffered extensive habitat loss and as a result persist as isolated and highly fragmented remnants. In such small, isolated remnants, genetic drift and inbreeding depression can lead to a loss of genetic variation over time. Reduced genetic variation is often associated with reduced levels of growth, survival, and reproduction as well as increased susceptibility to stress. This study examined fitness traits of five common prairie species to determine whether plants in small fragmented remnants had reduced fitness as compared to those in a larger remnant. Five prairie species were chosen for this study based on their …

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Elementary School Children In A Rural Illinois School District, Amy M. Miller

Masters Theses

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), one of the most commonly diagnosed childhood disorders, adversely affects children's academic, social, and emotional functioning. There were three purposes for this study. First, this study attempted to determine the number of students diagnosed with ADHD in the three elementary schools of a rural Midwestern school district as reported by parents. Secondly, the study attempted to discover discrepant practices in the methods of diagnosis and treatment ofADHD for students from a lower socioeconomic status than for those from the middle or upper class as reported by the parents. Thirdly, this study assessed teachers' knowledge and …

Factors Influencing The Academic Major Selection Of Undecided Students: A Phenomenological Study, Christina D. Thompson

Masters Theses

This phenomenological, qualitative research study was designed to determine the most commonly selected academic major chosen by previously undecided students, the various factors that influenced the academic-major decision, and the similarities between the study participants. By comparing a Fall 2006 spreadsheet of undecided freshmen enrolled at Eastern Illinois University to a Fall 2008 spreadsheet of Eastern Illinois University students, the major choice of these previously undecided students was Communication Studies, determined to be the most highly selected academic major. Previously undecided students who had chosen Communication Studies were recruited for participation in this research. Data was collected through a demographic …