Digital Commons Network^™

Wetland Study Of Southeastern Portage Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Kevin M. Walsh

Masters Theses

Under the Clean Water Act, Congress passed legislation to maintain and restore the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the water of the United States. The objective of this study is to determine if the wooded area located in Upjohn Company's Property in southeastern Portage Township, Portage, Michigan falls under the classification of a wetland.

This objective has been pursued through an examination of the hydrology of the area, the soil characteristics of the area, and the vegetation types and characteristics of the area. These parameters have been utilized following the guidelines outlined in the "Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation …

A Generalized Data Distribution Model For Distributed Relational Databases, Patrick D. Yurk

Masters Theses

This thesis presents a generalized model for the allocation of data in a distributed relational database. The model is applicable to a network of computers where there are different retrieval and update costs at the various sites, and different communication costs between sites.

The method used in this model is based upon clustering of similar computers within the network. Clusters are derived from grouping together sites with similar update, retrieval and communication costs. Data is then allocated to a cluster based on actual communication and processing costs.

The data distribution method between clusters uses a technique where the benefit of …

Psychophysiological Assessment Of Panic Disorder, Kent A. Koehn

Masters Theses

This study compared physiological and psychological measures between 9 subjects meeting the DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder (PD) and 9 control subjects to identify psychophysiological differences that might be relevant to the etiology and maintenance of panic attacks. The subjects were assessed through a number of self-report measures and across three laboratory sessions involving five experimental conditions: baseline, role play, relaxation, mental arithmetic, and cold pressor. We measured electrodermal (EDG) and electro-myographic activity (EMG), heart rate (HR), and blood volume pulse (BVP) in terms of absolute values, reactivity, and habituation. Both groups were also assessed in their ability to accurately …

An Efficient Implementation Of Logical Design For Relational Databases, Shakeel Ishaque

Masters Theses

This work presents efficient methodology for the design of relational databases and an implementation of a design tool. A set of algorithms and supporting theory are discussed. Improvements are made on existing decomposition approaches.

The Dependency Preserving Normal Fom (DPNF), which is stronger than 3NF, is presented. It guarantees a decomposition with lossless join property and at the same time preserves all of the functional dependencies.

An algorithm to obtain DPNF decomposition is presented. The algorithm computes DPNF decomposition in polynomial time. It converts supplied functional dependencies to annular cover and uses reduced annular cover to compute closures and decomposition. …

The Implementation Of A Generalized Database Directory, Claudia Helms-Vaccaro

Masters Theses

This paper presents the use of an index made up of a single B+ tree connected at its leaf nodes to a lower set of B+ trees--a multitree. It may be utilized to index dense or non-dense attributes of a file. An extra benefit of this structure is the ability to store a secondary attribute value for use when searching the index, often decreasing accesses and time required to complete the search.

Improved efficiency over current indices, such as conventional B+ trees or inverted files, is evaluated.

A Laboratory Characterization Of Pulp And Paper Mill Solid Wastes For Potential Use As Hydraulic Barrier Material In Landfill Covers, Carleton Van Maltby

Masters Theses

Fifteen sludges from wastewater treatment systems of pulp and paper mills that encompass major production categories, and eight fly ashes from mill boilers incinerating wood waste, coal, or their combination were characterized for their potential suitability as hydraulic barrier material. Hydraulic conductivity was observed to range over four orders of magnitude for the materials tested.

The Effect Of Study Skills Training On The Academic Performance Of Learning Disabled Students In Mainstream Classes, Kathleen M. Allen

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Resistivity And Seismic Refraction Surveys Applied To A Groundwater Investigation In Richland Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Homa Moaddel

Masters Theses

Many geophysical methods are increasingly being applied in investigations of contaminated sites. Among the most popular ones are resistivity and seismic refraction techniques.

In this study seismic refraction utilizing a twelve channel digital seismograph and hammer impact source provided records that have given important information about the subsurface layers. Along the same traverses, the Schlumberger resistivity method was applied at selected points. An AC digital resistivity system with a separate uncoupled transmitter (50 watts) and receiver was applied to obtain these measurements.

Geoelectrical cross-sections provided information about the variation in thickness of important layers within the glacial drift aquifer system. …

An Analysis Of High Dimensional Data, Ravishankar Swamy

Masters Theses

Projection of a high dimensional data set into a two dimensional subspace can lead to very interesting projections. Note that P dimensional data can be projected onto P orthogonal two dimensional planes, which completely determines the original data. Two dimensional orthogonal projections can be analyzed for patterns in several ways.

In this work we will be trying to explore an unknown P dimensional data set by comparing its test projections with a set of standard patterns. A set of P dimensional data is transformed into K.K grid counts and the whole process of recognition is done using these K.K grid …

System Modeling And Vibration Reduction Of A Flexible Beam Under Rotary Motion, Jui-Hung Chien

Masters Theses

"The objective of this thesis work is to reduce the end-point vibration of a flexible beam using the feedback control of the partial state variables. The dynamic model is derived from the assumed-modes method. The new feature of this model is that it is applicable to control system analysis and synthesis. A practical example is presented to illustrate the use of control law to improve the transient response"--Abstract, page ii.

Automated Translation Of Digital Logic Equations Into Optimized Vhdl Code, John Evan Stark

Masters Theses

"It was desired to develop an algorithm for the automated translation of' finite slate machines from state table form to optimized VHDL form. To do this, algorithms arc needed for reducing the state machine to simplest form, making state assignments, producing minimal logic equations to represent the state machine, and producing VHDL code which describes the intended circuit. Various such algorithms were examined and a prototype program written to perform this translation"--Abstract, page ii.

Geology And Petrochemistry Of The Mount Chase Massive Sulfide Prospect, Penobscot County, Maine, Michael V. Scully

Masters Theses

"The Mount Chase massive sulfide prospect of northern Penobscot County, Maine was discovered in 1979 by Getty Mining Company. The deposit occurs within a sequence of lower paleozoic metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. The footwall units consist of rhyolitic flows, quartz-feldspar crystal tuff, and altered tuffaceous volcanic breccias. These rocks lie unconformably upon intensely folded sediments which are tentatively correlated with the Grand Pitch Formation of probable Cambrian age. The footwall volcanoclastic rocks exhibit a narrow zone of intense chloritic alteration immediately below the massive sulfide horizon, and a broader zone of sericitic alteration below that. A zone of stringer mineralization …

A Pulsed Field-Gradient System For Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Diffusion Experiments, Saumil Shirish Mehta

Masters Theses

"The construction and performance of a system to generate pulsed magnetic field gradients for use with a commercial superconducting NMR spectrometer for the purpose of molecular self-diffusion measurements is described. Types of coils that provide linear field gradients are discussed. The design and construction of a conventional Helmholtz pair is outlined. A procedure to estimate the magnitude of the field gradients generated by the Helmholtz coils is explained. The design of a circuit to generate fast current pulses using a power MOSFET has been detailed and compared with a functionally similar circuit using bipolar power transistors. The performance of the …

A Spectroscopic Study Of Charge Distribution In Transition Metal Bridging Hydride Complexes, Shixiong Chen

Masters Theses

A series of transition metal bridging hydrides of general formula C[μ-HM₂(CO)₁₀] (C = tetraethylammonium, Et₄N⁺; tetraphenylphosphonium, Ph₄P⁺; of bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium, PPN⁺; M = Cr or W) were synthesized from M(CO)₆ and NaBH₄ bt known methods. As a means of obtaining information about the charge distribution in these complexes, they were allowed to interact in solution and the solid state with triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO) on the premise that this electron donor could identify sites of relative electron deficiency. Evidence for interaction was sought via solution and …

Exploration Of Alternative Methods Of Providing Quality Educational Programs In Five Small Illinois Rural School Districts, Odus T. Cheek

Masters Theses

This study explored alternative methods that might be used by five selected small Illinois rural school districts to provide quality educational programs. Many Illinois school districts are facing problems that are unique to today's educational setting. Declining enrollments and decreasing farm land assessments along with small increases in state aid have compounded the problems of school districts. School board members must be aware of the condition of the school districts and what warning signs show impending problems. This study explored the enrollment projections, financial conditions and the instructional setting of five Shelby County Illinois school districts. Then options available to …

Two Halves Into The Water, Michael Kuo

Masters Theses

In my introductory essay (“The Dying Star: Character in Contemporary Fiction”) I argue that the contemporary fiction writer views character in a new way, breaking with traditional fiction theory and its dependence on the Cartesian division of Self and Other. The contemporary writer “finds Descartes’ division of Self and Other impotent, turning instead to a vision of character in which there are no certainties; a character in contemporary fiction cannot necessarily come to ‘know herself’ or the world around her.” I trace the influence of Descartes in a wide variety of traditional fiction and theory, and then propose a new …

An Analysis Of The Impacts Of The Illinois Board Of Higher Education' S Admission Requirements On Selected High Schools In East Central Illinois, Stephen C. Selle

Masters Theses

The Illinois Board of Higher Education in 1985 instituted mandatory subject admission requirements for all state universities beginning in the year 1990. Subsequent legislative action by the Illinois General Assembly has moved these requirements back to 1993. This field experience investigated the possible impacts of these requirements on rural schools of under 500 students in east central Illinois. A cover letter explaining the purpose of the study and a two page questionnaire were mailed to twenty- one schools. Sixteen schools in the counties of Vermillion, Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee, and Will responded and were the focus of the study. Enrollment patterns …

Derivatization Of Coal By Alkylation And Lithium Iodide Treatment, Cynthia L. Ludwig

Masters Theses

The hypothesis that hydrogen-bonded ethers in coal could be cleaved by reaction with lithium iodide in pyridine to form new phenol groups was investigated for coals #2, 3, and 5 plus their alkylated derivatives from the Argonne Premium Coal Sample Program. Changes caused by alkylation and reaction with LiI were monitored by solvent extraction yeilds, solvent swelling, FT-IR and Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC).

Solubilities of alkylated coals are rank and oxygen functionality dependent. Evidence supports the hypothesis that the solubilization mechanism is dependent on the extent of hydrogen-bonding in the coal. Elimination of hydrogen-bonds through alkylation increases toluene solubility and …

A Curriculum Response To Budgetary And Marketing Pressures On A Two-Year Community College Engineering Technology Program (Microprecision Technology), Gerald R. Hough

Masters Theses

The process described is a program level response to institutional-wide budgetary restraints. The program in question is a two-year engineering technology associate degree program (Microprecision Technology). The major focus deals with:

1. reducing unit cost

2. improving marketability (recruiting)

3. improving transferability (as it relates to recruiting

The reductions in cost center around the ratio of contact hours to credit hours in the specialty courses as well as a reduction in the number of such courses. Issues dealing with marketability are directly related to the unique nature of the program and the difficulties involved in the public presentation of such …

A Novel Synthesis Of Cyclic And Acyclic 3-Alkenoic Acids Via Ionization/Elimination Of Β-Lactones, Stephen Lucas Maluleka

Masters Theses

Exposure of spiro β-lactones and 3-substituted 4,4-dialkyl oxetan-2-ones to magnesium bromide in diethyl ether solvent resulted in the smooth generation of β,γ-unsaturated acid derivatives in high yield and isomeric purity. It is believed that this reaction occurs via the formation of a stable tertiary carbocation at the β-carbon resulting from cleavage of the carbon-oxygen sigma bond due to the complexation of magnesium cation with the ring oxygen atom. Rapid loss of an adjacent proton then furnishes the unsaturated acids. The β-lactone precursors were prepared by the dehydration of β-hydroxy acid derivatives (obtained from the condensation of ketones with acetic acid …

Mastery Learning In The Secondary Schools, Eddie Joe Steffey

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field study was to develop and implement a model for the introduction of mastery learning at Chester High School in Chester, Illinois. In 1984-85 this researcher was named principal at Chester High School, which is located in a small, blue-collar community. Academic achievement was not perceived to be at an acceptable level. The researcher felt that the introduction of the mastery learning techniques suggested by Bloom and others combined with other pertinent research on effective schools could have a positive effect on academic achievement.

Although this field study was designed for Chester High School, it may …

Effects Of New Science Textbooks On Selected Sixth And Eighth Grade Students At Crestwood Elementary School, Paris, Illinois, David R. Pruim

Masters Theses

This paper describes the results of a six-month field study to determine the effects of a newly adopted and implemented junior-high level science textbook series on student achievement. This study took place in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade science classrooms of Crestwood Elementary School, Paris, Illinois, from December 1988, until May of 1989. This study compared the science achievement of two groups of students in both their sixth and eighth grade years. The Normal Curve Equivalents or NCE's and letter grades as given by the junior-high level science teachers at Crestwood, were analyzed using non-independent t tests. Descriptive data …

The Relationship Of School Enrollment Size With Academic Achievement In Secondary Schools, Randy B. Steinkamp

Masters Theses

This investigation was designed to examine the relationship between school enrollment size and academic achievement. Fourteen schools in the East-Central region of Illinois formed the focus of this study. The schools were grouped according to the number of enrolled students: small-size (less than 300); mid-size (300-799); and large-size (over 800). Data for the study were obtained from the 1987 School Report Cards. Report Cards are documents that were completed by schools in the state of Illinois to review the status of their educational programs.

Data from the Report Cards included measures of academic achievement and also descriptive data on the …

Expansion Of An Existing Power System - A Study, Suresh Arunachalam

Masters Theses

"An existing paper mill is being expanded to increase its installed capacity. Concurrent expansions will be increasing the electrical demand by 40 - 50 MVA. The expansion also includes the addition of DC drives. The existing system has to be used effectively while additional equipment may be added to cater the load increase. Load flow study with various single line diagram configurations has been carried out to find the required solution. A harmonic analysis was also carried out on the suggested new system to install the required filters and capacitor blanks"--Abstract, page ii.

Programmer And End User Communication In Computer System Development, Theresa J. Hart

Masters Theses

Many computer professionals agree that good communication between computer programmers or analysts and the people for whom a system is being created is essential for system success. This study researches possible reasons behind the communication problems that exist between programmers and end users and suggests ways to narrow the communication gap.

Many theories, including the theories of hemispheric brain dominance, thinking styles, and motivational factors may help explain the differences in communication styles between programmers and users. To further explore the communication problem, an exploratory survey was given to programmers and users to evaluate their perception of the communication that …

A Study Of The Development Of A Second Language Program Proposal For Decatur Public Schools, Linda L. Iciek

Masters Theses

The development of a second language proposal for Decatur, Michigan, Public Schools, was undertaken as a result of an established board goal for the 1985-86 school year. Chairing the committee which investigated the possibility of implementing such a program was undertaken to fulfill the requirements of a Specialist in Education degree through the Department of Educational Leadership, Western Michigan University.

The committee met on a weekly basis to study and develop the proposal by completing the following tasks: (a) identify and visit schools within the state implementing such programs; (b) research the effects of immersion language programs; (c) survey the …

Geometry And Kinematics Of The Central Snowcrest Range: A Rocky Mountain Forehand Uplift In Southwestern Montana, Barry Christopher Mcbride

Masters Theses

The Snowcrest Range forms the southeastern limb of the Late Cretaceous Blacktail-Snowcrest uplift. The northeast-trending uplift is bounded by the northwest-dipping Snowcrast-Greenhom thrust system which consists of seven thrust zones which merge and flatten at depth along a regional detachment horizon within the Archean basement.

The structures forming the Snowcrest Range are concave westward with trends varying from N 55° E in the southern region to north-south in the northern region. Calcite twin lamellae and fracture orientations indicate that the principal shortening direction was oriented S 85° E during late Cretaceous time. This orientation requires that a significant component of …

Effects Of The Addition Of Binder On The Packing Characteristics Of Pigment Particles, Rajesh K. Garg

Masters Theses

This study describes in a quantitative manner the relationships between coating structure and optical properties. Scattering coefficient, gloss and pore volume were measured after applying different blends of polystyrene spheres using various amounts of binder to transparent Mylar film. The coatings were prepared using four proportions of two sizes of polystyrene spheres and varying amount of two binders, starch and latex respectively. Optical properties of coatings were related to changes in coating structure. A scanning electron microscope was used to observe the structure and to facilitate void size measurement. The void size distribution correlated very well with the scattering and …

A Review And Evaluation Of Research On Suspension And Expulsion Of Handicapped Students In Public Schools, Debria D. Young

Masters Theses

The purpose of this report is to review and synthesize findings of research studies about suspension and expulsion of handicapped students as a disciplinary procedure in public schools.

The first chapter begins with a glossary of frequently used terms and definitions to assist the reader in understanding the terminology used in this paper.

Chapter II reviews literature relevant to suspension and expulsion of handicapped students.

Chapter III cites statutory and mandatory provisions set forth by the .Michigan State Board of Education on suspension and expulsion.

Chapter IV explores the historical content on suspension and expulsion of handicapped students.

Chapter V …

Energy Considerations In Stock Preparation Refining Modified By Recycling, Rajendra D. Deshpande

Masters Theses

Experiments were conducted to study the effect of refining on virgin fibers as well as on recycled fibers. Interaction effects of recycling and type of treatment of virgin fibers on characteristics of secondary fiber were studied. A significant reduction in drainage properties of the furnish for both hardwood and softwood pulps were observed. This reduction in properties was found proportional to the amount of refining. It is necessary to achieve required strength properties at higher freeness values, if fibers are to be recycled. This can be done by improvement in uniformity or homogeneity of refining and by gentler and less …