Digital Commons Network^™

Using Composite Sampling Techniques To Monitor Bathing Beach Water Quality In Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Jeffrey David Reicherts

Masters Theses

The Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department conducts water quality monitoring at public bathing beaches to determine public health risks and compliance with Michigan water quality standards. These standards require local health departments to collect and analyze a minimum of three water samples during each sampling event. Water samples are analyzed for Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, an organism that indicates the presence of fecal contamination. During the 2007 sampling season, nine bathing beaches were monitored once each week. Three individual point samples (n = 486) and a composite sample (n = 144) were analyzed for each sampling …

Cyber Tribe: The Rhetorical Implications Of The Daily Kos Political Filter Blog Community, Rachel Lutz

Masters Theses

My thesis analyzes the ways in which blogs are changing the accumulation and exchange of knowledge both within and outside of the blogosphere. To this end, I closely examine the features and activities of the blog site Daily Kos and use these observations to extend the orality-vs.-literacy theories of Walter Ong and the media theories (particularly that of de- and retribalization) of Marshall McLuhan. My application of ideas presented by these rhetoricians, together with more recent Internet research that has addressed blog analysis in terms of knowledge-formation and intellectual authority, helps bring greater clarity to a dynamic and complex phenomenon: …

Warriors, Lovers, Mothers: Women's Physical Powers In The Irish Sagas, Jessica L. Powell-Pickering

Masters Theses

This thesis is an examination of four primary female characters from the 8t-century Irish sagas and the powers that they exhibit through their physical actions. By placing primary emphasis on body language rather than, or in conjunction with, the words spoken by each character, a reader may gain a more comprehensive sense of the true nature of that character. These women are not simply standing in the background; they are performing actions imperative to their individual narratives that aid in story development and larger contextual plots found in the sagas as a whole. Each of these women-Grainne, Deirdre, Medb, and …

Textile Recycling Attitudes And Behaviors Among College Students, Elizabeth Eileen Walter

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to examine the recycling attitudes and behaviors among Eastern Illinois University undergraduate students in the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences, and to determine if students are willing to include textile in their recycling behavior. The potential benefits of this research include an increase in environmental awareness among students and a decrease in the amount of textiles sent to the landfill.

A survey was distributed to seventeen Family and Consumer Sciences, Business, and Technology classes. Surveys were also distributed at a meeting for non-traditional students. A total of 194 surveys were returned to …

Effects Of A Health Program On Dietary Behaviors, Physical Activity, And Weight Loss In College Students, Megan A. Mccallister

Masters Theses

The 2003 National College Health Risk Behavior Survey suggests that 35% of college students may be overweight/obese. The purpose of "The Biggest Loser: You Gotta Lose It to Win It" was to assist college students to become nutritionally and physically healthier. A needs assessment reported a weight-loss program to be the number one requested type of program by students. "The Biggest Loser: You Gotta Lose It to Win It", a ten-week weight-loss study was implemented due to this needs assessment. This study applied nutrition and physical activity education to assist with a healthy weight loss in three phases (initial, middle, …

Lola's Story: Writing Comfort Women In World War Ii History Of The Philippines, Krishna Ignalaga Thomas

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the origins of the Japanese-imposed comfort station system in the Philippines during World War II. In order to show that the Filipino former comfort women lolas) are not marginalized victims, but are active agents instead, I illustrate how successfully the lolas have used various strategies to keep this issue at the forefront. This thesis analyzes their testimonies and other genres, (legal proceedings, newspaper articles, poetry, dance and language usage) highlighting the growing need for outlaw genres to bridge the gap in a contemporary landscape where history needs to cross national, cultural and language barriers. By presenting these …

Stepping Outside The Sacred Circle: Narratives Of Violence And Disempowerment Of The Contemporary Indian Woman, Koeli M. Goel

Masters Theses

India is a secular socialist republic and one of the largest democracies in the world. It prides itself on its modern constitution, extensive educational system and progressive society. The sophisticated mainstream English print media - frequently staffed by erudite, internationally acclaimed journalists and managed by India's biggest business houses - sketches the image of a prosperous, "rising" and "shining" India through glossy publications. Beneath this superficial veneer of the story of India's progress is an underbelly of repressive practices, gender-based discrimination and human rights' violations which reveal a society in which women's rights are minimal, oppression is endemic and economic …

An Exploration Of The Perception Of Collective Identity Threat Among Muslim Students In Higher Education, Donna Vitale

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to examine the perspectives of Muslim students in higher education concerning their connections to campus based on their perceptions of collective identity threat. Collective identity exists when an individual holding group membership fears that in-group members' behavior will reinforce a negative stereotype about their group. Similarly, stereotype threats are personally relevant threats in which individuals may fear reinforcing the stereotype themselves (Cohen & Garcia, 2005). Research in the area of stereotype threat has high generalizability and can transfer to any race or gender (Steele, Spencer, & Aronson, 2002). For the purpose of the …

Female And Male Student Leadership Characteristics: Differences & Similarities, Amber Mishala Shaverdi

Masters Theses

Females and males differ in a variety of areas, yet these genders also have similar qualities. Are these similarities and differences affecting our college environment? In this research thesis the researcher set out to gather data that identifies the similarities and differences among undergraduate student leaders at a mid-sized Midwest public institution. The researcher first identifies student involvement and the many advantages for students who choose to be involved in cocurricular activities. Literature is presented highlighting a variety of theories that identify gender differences among females and males. The theories range from male masculinity, cognitive development, and societal gender roles. …

Beneficial Effects Of Estradiol Are Mediated Through Apoe, Aseem Hussain

Masters Theses

Estradiol is the primary premenopausal hormone circulating in women. It is a powerful hormone in the female body since it sends signals to the brain, regulates ovulation and menstrual cycle and acts on the nervous syste~ heart, breast and many other tissues in the body. However all estradiol production is stopped after menopause. Post menopausal women can develop a host of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. If the onset of progressive dementia is after menopause during loss of estradiol, it seems logical to assume that the lack of estradiol should have a big role to play in the pathogenesis …

Influence Of Seed Source On Vegetative And Reproductive Performance Of Three Common Prairie Grasses Common In Grassland Restoration, Matt Burmeister

Masters Theses

Though tallgrass prairie once covered 250 million acres of the midwestem U.S, now less than one percent· of this original area is left. In recent years the restoration and reconstruction of tallgrass prairie has become more popular throughout the prairie region. There is evidence that local and distant populations may both be practical seed sources for ecological restoration projects. To address this basic issue in restoration, I tested the how performance of three grass species from different locations was affected by the distance from the restored area. Three species, Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans and Panicum virgatum, of perennial grasses common …

High School Students' Academic Achievement And Their Mothers' Attitudes And Level Of Education, Nicole M. Classen

Masters Theses

What is life like for a teenager growing up with a sibling who has a disability? Using their own words, five high school students explored, through an interview format, how their experiences, family systems, and identity have been shaped in direct and indirect ways by having a brother or sister with a disability. Several common themes emerged and included how sibling-care responsibilities influenced their ability to participate in social activities outside of the home, reported perceptions of having more household responsibilities than their peers and/or siblings, recognition that the sibling with a disability influenced family members and family life, an …

Family Structure And Psychological Factors: The Effects Of Family-Of-Origin Variables On Young Adults' Psychological Well-Being, Catherine E. Morgan

Masters Theses

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between family structure and life satisfaction in young adults. Additionally, the study examined explanatory style, parenting style, family cohesion, family satisfaction, and the presence of siblings as potential moderating factors between divergent family structures and levels of life satisfaction in young adults. Ninety male and 121 female university students completed a demographic survey, the Parental Authority Questionnaire, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales IV, the Attribution Style Questionnaire, the Family Satisfaction Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. As anticipated, results indicated that participants who grew up in single parent and step-family …

Development Of Face Recognition System Using Verilook Software Development Kit, Paras Pradhan

Masters Theses

With built-in libraries and functions, VeriLook Software Development Kit (SDK) provides interfaces for biometric face recognition systems. This research was conducted to gain experience in the development of face recognition system using VeriLook SDK. A prototype named FRECPROJ was developed using the SDK. Major functions were implemented in the prototype, including face enrollment and match using still image files, live streaming with a web camera, or video files.

Through this research, it was realized that a typical face recognition system performs enrollment, verification and identification functions. A single image consisting of a single face is enrolled and the enrolled template …

A Narrative Study: Exploration Of Arts And Crafts As Meaningful Productivity In A Middle-Old Adult Who Resides In An Independent Living Facility, Sara E. Thornburg

Masters Theses

This qualitative study explored the meaningfulness of engagement in arts and crafts in one older adult who resides in an independent living facility. A narrative approach was used and one participant was purposefully selected for the study. Data was collected through the use of semi-structured interviews. Additional data sources included the participant’s book of memories, artifacts, and photos. Analysis consisted of thorough readings of the data and the development of a chronology from the participant’s stories and hook of memories. Participant feedback and peer debriefing was elicited in order to insure validity of the researcher’s findings. Consistent with narrative research, …

Cutting Back The Mask: Character And Coiffure In Fiction By F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, And Robert Penn Warren, Lisa Anne Powell

Masters Theses

Realistic fiction has recorded changing fashions of architecture and landscape, clothing and coiffure. For at least three centuries, writers of narrative have described the clothing and the hairstyles of their fictional women both to set them within a specific time ar place and to offer a key to their character. Hair as natural endowment and artificial adornment has served as an essential component to the character costume. Novelists have understood that women send messages, albeit sometimes unconscious ones, about themselves, their lives, and their feelings through the style, color and length of their hair. Writers have sometimes described women's hair …

Educated Mothers At Home: Motivation, Expectations, And Experiences, Adrienne Lynn Riegle

Masters Theses

This studuy explored the motivation for educated stay-at-home mothers (SAHНMs) to stay at home with their children and examined expectations and experiences regarding their decision. Twenty-two participants earned the minimum of a bachelor's degree or higher prior to staying at home with their own children for a period of at least 1 year and responded to an online survey of demographic information and open-ended questions. Qualitative data analysis led to a theoretical model of the SAHM experience. The model included 3 specific concepts: 1) individual interests as motivation; 2) commitment to and identity associated with the SAHM; and 3) the …

College Debt: An Exploratory Study Of Risk Factors Among College Freshmen And Its Effect On College Choice, Renee M. Smith

Masters Theses

College student loan debt has become an increasing concern in recent years. There has been a steady increase in the number of students taking out loans and in the total amounts borrowed for a college education (CollegeBoard, 2006). The majority of college students will graduate with some amount of college debt, but some graduates leave school with much higher loan debt than others. It is important to examine what makes some students more willing to take on higher educational loan debts than other students.

The primary purpose of this study was to explore risk factors associated with educational debt and …

Motivational Factors Of Marathon Running, Donna Lakinger

Masters Theses

This study was created to identify the motivations of marathon runners, that is, why they choose to participate in marathons. It is hypothesized that motives for running a marathon differ depending on experience, age, and gender.

Participants were eligible to complete the questionnaire if they had run at least one full marathon. Age, gender, and amount of experience were not restricted. Volunteers for the study were found at the Health and Fitness Expo for the Chicago Marathon and through various online running groups. The data was collected through an online survey • located at www.myg3.com. The Motivation of Marathoners Scales, …

Discussing The Argumentativeness Scale, Jacob A. Sweet

Masters Theses

Studies have shown that people may associate the word "argue" on the argumentativeness scale with concepts associated with verbal aggressiveness, such as name calling or quarrels. The perceptions of the words used in the argumentativeness scale may result in considerable social desirability bias. A possible way of rectifying this problem involves I the substitution of key words. This thesis reports three studies investigating participants' perceptions of the word "argue" and its derivatives as well as synonyms for the word "argue." Findings show that individuals tend to perceive the words "argue" and "argument" in a negative light. Substituting "discuss controversial issues" …

Searching For A Connection: Internet Communication And Mobile Phone Use For Social Membership, Cathy Marie Quast Sowa

Masters Theses

College students struggle to develop successful interpersonal relationships, explore personal identity and establish social group memberships. The purpose of this study was to explore measured levels of social connectedness and social assurance among undergraduate student users of Internet communication and mobile phone. Survey results indicated that the number of hours students used electronic communication tools was not related to their feelings of social connectedness on campus. However, the data indicated that students mixed electronic communication media to make connections, even to simultaneous use of mobile phone and Internet communication. Results supported the researcher's connection attachment theory, which proposed that students …

Barriers Faced By Hispanic Women In Higher Education Institutions In The State Of Illinois, Zoraida Irizarry

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to ascertain the perceptions of Hispanic women concerning barriers to their career advancement to faculty and administrators in higher education institutions in the state of Illinois. Specifically, attention was given to issues of national origin, mentoring relationships, education, gender, culture, socialization, socioeconomic status, and financial compensation.

Qualitative one-on-one interview were conducted with six Hispanic women who were faculty and directors of departments at state universities. The interviews were tape recorded, transcribed into computer files, and coded to identify themes.

The findings of the present study revealed that most of the factors, excluding those …

"I See By This Woman's Features, That She Is Capable Of Any Wickedness": Murderous Women, Public Justice, And The Social Order In London, 1674-1799, Annie Tock

Masters Theses

Crime held a certain fascination for eighteenth-century Londoners. They devoured case summaries, ballads, broadsides, pamphlets, and collections of criminal biographies. In addition, they flocked to Tyburn Tree to witness the malefactors hang for their crimes. Then, like now, murders were appalling, but murders committed by women were especially shocking. While part of the interest in murderesses is attributable to their relative rarity, eighteenth century Londoners were also concerned with the implications of deviant women on the state of their society. This was a culture that firmly believed that women's subordination to men was critical to the maintenance of order. In …

Evaluation Of The Oxalate-Consuming Activities Of Probiotic Microorganisms, Alexandra E.C. Baluka

Masters Theses

This study identifies the oxalate-consuming capabilities of mixtures of probiotic microorganisms, present as commercial probiotics, as well as in seventeen pure cultures of probiotic microorganisms. Probiotics are sold commercially as powders, tablets, and supplements of live microorganisms that, when taken in large amounts, confer a health benefit to the host. Increased levels of urinary oxalate coincide with the formation of kidney stones, so this study sought to identify organisms capable of oxalate consumption that could potentially be manufactured for those suffering from calcium oxalate kidney stones. This study determined that consumption of oxalate was not directly tied to active growth …

Collectively We Unite On Facebook: A Case Study Of Egypt's Collective Action On Facebook Toward Social Change, Basma Botros

Masters Theses

The development of the famous social networking site, Facebook, has been associated with significant challenges to regimes that are characterized by being repressive to its citizens in terms of freedom of speech and expression, and mostly are third world developing countries that suffer. Egypt provides a good case study of Facebook ability to organize a strike among its citizens. April 6, 2008 is curved in the memories of Egyptians as a "general dissent day" that was initiated through Facebook and then was transmitted to almost every Egyptian citizen using other media sources. This paper shows how Facebook facilitates collective identity …

Women Candidates And Television Advertising: An Examination Of The 2006 Mid-Term Elections, Sharlin Aldao

Masters Theses

Television campaign ads are considered by scholars as the primary resource which candidates for national office use to introduce themselves and their views to the public, regardless of whether they are male or female. The majority of research nonetheless has focused on advertising at the Presidential and Congressional level. It has also focused on the use of negativity in their ads. Women candidates as an aggregate have many obstacles in terms of television advertising. The long standing stereotype of women as the homemaker and mother would lead many to believe that they should and only focus on women's issues such …

The Coordination Of Multiple Roles By Female Graduate Students From Three Different Cultures, Smita Srivastava

Masters Theses

This research studied the coordination of multiple roles by female graduate students who are mothers. Zika (2006) reported that working women in the developed world contribute 40 to 50 percent of the gross national product at the same time that they continue to be responsible for most of the household and childcare responsibilities in the home. Some researchers have suggested that having multiple roles can be deleterious, while others have suggested benefits. Because women from around the world today are participating in multiple roles, the present study investigated, using a qualitative research method, how three female graduate students from different …

Automated Estimation Of Time Codes For Captioning Digital Media, Daniel P. Harvey Ii

Masters Theses

Captioning provides accessibility to media resources for deaf and hearingimpaired persons and is mandated by federal and state laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, the process of creating synchronized captions for media is time consuming and labor intensive. Consequently, many content providers still do not incorporate captions into media presentations on the web.

In this research, algorithms were developed to automate part of the captioning process by estimating the timing of captions for web-based audio and video files using plain-text transcripts and their corresponding audio recordings. Recordings used in this study were of professional speakers/readers from American …

Predicting Eating Disordered Behavior In Adolescent Boys, Kurt Wagner

Masters Theses

Although much research exists on eating disorders, little exists regarding the prevalence and correlates of eating disordered behavior among males, particularly at the peak age of onset: early adolescence. The current study hypothesizes that eating disordered behavior in male adolescents is most correlated with self-dissatisfaction of musculature, then dissatisfaction of apparent body fat, drive for muscularity, their reasons for exercise, and body mass index. High school males (n = 148) were surveyed regarding these attitudes and beliefs, and about symptoms of eating disordered behavior. The purpose was to determine correlates of eating disordered behavior among adolescent boys, then develop a …

A Qualitatively Grounded Curriculum For Western International Student Orientation To Chinese Higher Education, Lin Yi

Masters Theses

More and more U.S. students are seeking university study abroad in China. Information about how to prepare for overseas study in China, and what challenges need to be overcome, is limited. To develop the proposed orientation curriculum, Chinese professors teaching international students, international student affairs professionals serving international students, English-speaking international students studying in Chinese universities, and U.S. citizens visiting and working in China contributed their insights and experiences of culture shock, culture surprises, and cultural differences. The themes emerging from the interviews were organized into the content of the proposed orientation curriculum. When U.S. international students experience this Chinese …