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The Female Sport Experience: History, Development, And Psychological Implications, Dawn A. Whittington

Masters Theses

This paper reviews the literature related to women in athletics with a focus on the psychological perspective. The paper is divided into three major parts.

Chapter I traces the historical antecedents with specific emphasis on the development of sports psychology and women's gradual integration into amateur and professional athletics. Chapter II reviews literature devoted to the psychosocial issues related to the female athlete. These issues include personality traits and patterns, psychosocial problems associated with women entering and maintaining status in athletics, stereotypes, homophobia, socialization issues and the incidence and etiology of eating disorders among female athletes. Chapter III addresses the …

The Future Relationships Between Mainland China And Taiwan, Tian Li

Masters Theses

This thesis is a study of the possible future developments of the Taiwan issue and the relationships between Mainland China and the island of Taiwan. After examining all the alternative scenarios, the author predicts that in the foreseeable future political and economic cooperation between Mainland China and the island of Taiwan will gradually increase, with avoidance of military confrontation, but complete reunification between Taiwan will not occur, nor will Taiwan become a legal state.

The author will examine evidence, including both domestic factors in the two parts of China and external factors, which may either reinforce the above prediction or …

Parental Factors Affecting Child Restraint Device Use In Children Ages 3-5 Years, Peggy Sue Meulenberg

Masters Theses

Motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Although Michigan law requires all children to be restrained, many children remain unrestrained or improperly restrained. The purpose of this study was to determine how preschool children are restrained and to examine where parents obtain information on restraining techniques. A descriptive study utilizing a newly developed questionnaire was performed. The Health Belief Model served as the conceptual framework. A significant relationship was found between parents who wore their seat belts all the time and the child being restrained. Most parents restrained their child by a lap and …

The Inter-Relatedness Of Nutrition, Menstrual Status, Lean Body Mass, And Injury Among High School Female Varsity Basketball Players, Megan Jean Pavlak, Robyn Kristina Smith, Kristie Ann Wood

Masters Theses

Basketball is one of the highest risk sports for injury, especially for the female population. Studies have been performed looking at intrinsic and extrinsic factors that may contribute to an increased injury rate among female athletes. This study focused on nutrition, menstrual status, lean body weight and injury in female high school varsity basketball athletes (n=138). Nutritional and menstrual surveys were administered to these athletes. The athletes’ body fat percentages were measured and calculated into lean body weight. Injuries were documented for one season. No clinically significant relationships were found among the variables. Descriptive data concerning nutrition, injury, menstrual status, …

Correlation Of Emergency Department Nurses' Beliefs About Wife Abuse And The Use Of Carative Factors In Transpersonal Interactions With Abused Wives, Judith A. Baker

Masters Theses

Emergency department nurses from seven general hospitals were surveyed to elicit information on their beliefs about wife abuse (using the Inventory of Beliefs about Wife-Beating) and their self-reported behaviors with clients who may be physically abused. They were asked about beliefs about institutional and peer attitudes toward caring for abused wives. Information on the nurses’ education about and experience with wife abuse was gathered. Data were summarized to provide descriptive statistics regarding beliefs and behaviors. High levels of caring behaviors were reported. Analysis of correlation between beliefs and behaviors was conducted. Significant findings were correlations between caring behaviors and the …

The Repulping Of Wet-Strength Paperboard, Angelo N. Melchiorre

Masters Theses

Beverage carrier paperboard containing the polyamide wet-strength resin is one type of fiber that is presently landfilled. In this study, it was repulped at a 15% consistency and a pH of 10 at 150° F. in a z-bar mixer. Hydrogen peroxide (HP), ammonium perswulfate (AP), sodium persulfate (SP) and dimethyldioxirane (DMD) were used during repulping. The HP was added at 1.0%, 2.5% and 5.0%, based on O.D. weight of the fiber. The remaining chemicals were added at the same oxidation equivalent. During repulping, the pulp was screened using a Britt Jar to determine percent yield over time. Samples were taken …

Latvians In Southwest Michigan: A Transnational Perspective, Andrew K. Dove

Masters Theses

The focus of this study was to look at the Latvian population in Southwest Michigan utilizing the transnational theoretical framework. Transnationalism examines the three-way relationship between the migrant, home community (Latvia), and host community (United States). First and second generation Latvian-Americans were interviewed to assess the nature of their transnational activities with regard to economics, politics, family ties, communication, and organizational membership.

The data were collected through the use of in-depth interviewing. Both an interview protocol and demographic survey were utilized. A total of 16 adult Latvian-Americans (N = 16) were interviewed. Eight were first generation Latvian-Americans (N = 8), …

Activation Of Signal Proteins By Insulin And Selenate In Primary Rat Hepatocytes, Ginny Lynn Garlock

Masters Theses

Insulin has a wide range of metabolic and mitogenic effects in cells. The mechanism of insulin action in controlling these events is not well understood, but involves, at least in part, a complex phosphorylation cascade. Selenate has been shown to mimic insulin on several metabolic processes, including the regulation of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) gene expression. Its mechanism of action, however, is not known. To investigate the mechanisms of insulin and selenate action on the regulation of G6PDH, signal proteins from primary rat hepatocytes were first studied. Insulin and sodium selenate similarly increased tyrosyl phosphorylation of the β-subunit of the insulin …

Defining American Dreams: An Ideological Analysis Of The Michigan Militia, Pamela Labelle

Masters Theses

The primary goal of this thesis is to explicate the system of beliefs underlying the militia movement in order to better understand how their particular ideology helps them make sense of the complexities and contradictions in the world in which we live. By delineating and analyzing their ideology, I demonstrate how it is rooted in the Constitution and the Bible, as well as how that rootedness can alternately support and work against their system of beliefs. I then examine the ideology of the mainstream American Dream to understand how militia ideology works in tandem with some of the principal tenets …

Professional Football Players Attitudes Toward Women And Violence, Shannon Marie O'Toole

Masters Theses

This study examined whether or not professional football players, because of the violence and aggression associated with their sport, tended to have attitudes that condoned or were conducive to violence against women. The forty-six subjects in this study were active members on teams in the National Football League and/or the National Football League sponsored World League. Information was gathered through the sue of self-reporting, non-random, questionnaires and interviews.

The study also explored the dynamics of domestic violence, the linking of aggression with professional sports and the characteristics of sport in United States society, especially as it relates to masculinity and …

Inclusion: An Overview Of Working Models, Robertta Ruth Devries

Masters Theses

Increasingly, students with disabilities are being placed in general education classroom; defined as inclusion, to be educated with students without disabilities. Proponents such as parents, professionals, economists, researchers, and the general public are recommending a change in the continuum of services and a move toward a more integrated setting. Supporters proclaim: (a) special education is discriminating because it segregates students, (b) combining special education with general education will decrease the ever expanding budget, and (c) the American educational system is lacking and a “higher quality” education is essential. But, current research is not proving inclusion is a positive move forward …

Is The Educational Level Of Technology Coordinators Aligned With International Standards?, Keith Alan Platte

Masters Theses

School districts that employ technology coordinators have not fully implemented standards set by the International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) for technology coordinators. This research examines the role of the technology coordinator, the ISTE standards for technology coordinators, graduate programs available to technology coordinators, and job descriptions of technology coordinators. This research also includes the results of a self-assessment survey of technology coordinators in southwest Michigan. The average proficiency of technology coordinators on select ISTE benchmarks is 2.54 on a 3.0 scale (3.0 is proficient). However, their proficiency level is considerably lower when most of their skills are attained …

Geographic Information Systems In High School Geography Education: A Feasibility Study, C. Sonia Wardley

Masters Theses

This research focused on three aspects of the integration of GIS into the high school curriculum. Firstly, the investigation strove to demonstrate how GIS could enrich the high school geography curriculum in Michigan. Secondly, GIS software programs were evaluated for suitability using three techniques, and thirdly, the study area high schools were assessed for their technological capabilities relative to GIS.

The pedagogical and cognitive benefits of using GIS as a tool were established _ from the pertinent literature and the feasibility of incorporating GIS into the curriculum was examined with the reference to the Michigan geography content standards and benchmarks. …

Geophysical Characterization Of A Jp-4 (Lnapl) Contaminated Site At The Wurtsmith, Air Force Base, Oscoda, Michigan, Kristina C. Sprietzer

Masters Theses

The detection of hydrocarbon contamination in the subsurface using geophysical techniques has been based on the known physical properties of high electrical resistivities (ρa) (low conductivities). However, geophysical field investigations at uncontrolled spill sites yield measurements of low resistivity (high conductivity). The purpose of this study is to test that in the natural environment some hydrocarbon spills (in the case of LNAPLs), can exhibit changes with time due to biodegradation, from electrically resistive to conductive. Since time is an important factor, this hypothesis was tested at a site where the time when a hydrocarbon release occurred is known and where …

Flying Universities: Educational Movements In Poland 1882-1905 And 1977-1981, A Socio-Historical Analysis, Gregory A. Lukasik

Masters Theses

In Poland in 1977, a group of intellectuals formed an independent educational enterprise under the name "Flying University." Interestingly, the original "Flying University" was organized by a group of radical professors nearly a century earlier, at a time when the Polish state disappeared from the political map of Europe. I was interested in seeing whether the two were the same, as their common name would suggest, or if they differed in any respect. I attempted to answer this question by focusing on the so-called universities' memberships, ideologies, and objectives.

I have followed the method of interpretive historical sociology (Skocpol, 1979) …

From Socrates To Leonardo: Integrating Education In The European Union, Kara P. Wegener

Masters Theses

This thesis examines French education policy in response to European Union (EU) initiatives since the 1970's. It demonstrates that policy-making at the EU and national level have both supported decentralization, i.e. supranational and national policies encourage more regional development and local decision-making. A new model, termed "Europeanization," accounts for the new regionalism and multi-level governance in the EU. The three hypotheses tested in this thesis claim that if French higher education is becoming europeanized, then the number of actors involved in policy-making will increase, funding for higher education will become more diversified, and participation rates of regional universities will grow. …

Prostitutes And Prostitution In Late Medieval Barcelona, Jana L. Byars

Masters Theses

Prostitution was by the late Middle Ages a well established, legal, and regulated institution in Barcelona and indeed many European cities. After a discussion of modern scholarship in chapter one, I proceed to examine, with original, unedited archival materials, the civic and ecclesiastical position on the prostitute, procurers and procuresses, and the institution of prostitution in Barcelona.

Through laws and ordinances, witness testimony, and expulsion records, I am able to demonstrate that the prostitute was a widely tolerated and common member of society. Despite the existence of legal brothels and the efforts of municipal authorities, illicit brothels flourished and independent …

Diversity And Spatial Structure Of Revitalization In The Vine Neighborhood In Kalamazoo, Michigan: 1980-1990, Lotta M. Jarnefelt-Burns

Masters Theses

Neighborhood revitalization, a process of turning an old, often run-down urban neighborhood into a fashionable and attractive place to live, has been studied in major cities in Europe, Australia and the United States. This process is a controversial combination of various social and economic changes since the late 1960s, and its magnitude and parameters have been disputed. This thesis zeroes in on one neighborhood that appears to be revitalizing, the Vine neighborhood in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The census data from 1980 and 1990 generally conflict with the revitalizing image of the area. In order to address this conflict, this research analyses …

The Role Of Free Radicals In The Plant's Response To Pathogen Attack In Tobacco, Phillip L. Peters

Masters Theses

Previous studies have implicated the involvement of free radicals, specifically reactive oxygen species (ROS), as a key component in plant response to pathogen attack. In this study we examined the effect free radical scavenging compounds have on lesion area, salicylic acid levels, catalase, and superoxide dismutase in response to inoculation with Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV), a viral pathogen. Hydroponically grown Nicotiana tabacum (Xanthi nc) were pretreated with one of two antioxidants, either purpurogallin (PPG) or N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). Antioxidants were supplied to the plant via the root system and the leaves were subsequently challenged by inoculation with theTMV. Leaf material …

The Development And Validation Of A Multicomponent Scale Measuring Aids Phobia, Jessica Purtan Harrell

Masters Theses

The development, reliability, and validity of a new instrument, the Multicomponent AIDS Phobia Scale (MAPS), is described. The results indicate that the MAPS has strong internal consistency and moderate test-retest reliability. In addition, an assessment of concurrent and discriminant validity indicates statistically significant correlations with other self-report measures of anxiety, hypochondriasis, obsessive compulsive disorder, and fear of AIDS. The results of a factor analysis indicate that the scale consists of 2 factors: fear of infection and fear of others/avoidance. The instrument appears to be a reliable and valid measure of AIDS Phobia and may prove useful for improving clinical assessment …

Little Golden Bookstm: An Analysis Of Every Child’S Literature, Sandra Ballman-Burke

Masters Theses

Modeling theory proposes that consequences received by the model are considered critical in determining whether or not modeled behaviors will be imitated (Bandura, Ross & Ross, 1961).

Despite the apparent significance of consequences, analyses of children's literature have failed to explore this link. Utilizing feminist research perspectives, I sought to examine variables explored in previous analyses of picture books, with emphasis on consequences received by models. I was interested in (a) consequences received by female and male characters when engaged in instrumental/independent activities (Kortenhaus & Demarest, 1993); (b) the ways in which female and male characters are stereotyped; and (c) …

History, Mission, And Visitors At The Kalamazoo Valley Museum In Kalamazoo, Michigan: A Study Of The Museum As Cultural Practice, Lynnette Z. King

Masters Theses

This study investigates the interrelationship between the museum, its mission, and its visitors. The history of museums in general and the Kalamazoo Valley Museum in particular shows how the mission developed in relationship to culture, community, and individuals. Observations and ethnographic interviews of visitors and staff, as well as drawings made by school children who had visited the museum were used to identify viewers' perceptions of the museum and its mission. The museum is guided by an official stated mission as well as various staff and administrative interpretations of the mission. Although the museum and its mission have changed through …

The Implications Of Deweyan Pragmatism For Liberal Democracies, Robert B. Fenneuff

Masters Theses

My research explores John Dewey's political theory in order to determine what practical and theoretical significance it has for liberal democratic nation-states that face significant problems in a number of areas. The problems Dewey's political theory is most concerned with stem from the impact of highly complex modern technology upon the ability of a democratic society to strive closer towards its ideals of freedom , equality, and community. My research shows that Dewey's theory calls for an experimental re-creation of social and political institutions with the purpose of creating an effective means by which society can organize the complex technology …

Geophysical Investigation Of Anomalous Conductivity Associated With A Hydrocarbon Contamination Site, Mike S. Nash

Masters Theses

The high electrical conductivity measured from chemical analyses from ground water below a hydrocarbon contaminated site was the focus of this study. Most theoretical studies have indicated that the electrical conductivity of hydrocarbon contamination is lower than that of the surrounding medium. Geochemical studies at other sites have shown that areas of dissolved fuel oil plume have a higher electrical conductivity. Six methods: Self Potential, Mise-a-la-Masse, Vertical Electrical Sounding, Dipole-Dipole Resistivity Profiling, Electromagnetic Induction, and Ground Penetrating Radar were all used in an attempt to see which method( s) could identify regions of high conductivity.

The findings of this study …

An Emg Analysis Of Five Abdominal Exercises, Teresa E. Brady

Masters Theses

The problem of this study was to compare the basic crunch, Ab Roller Plus, EZ-Krunch, and Resist-A-Ball abdominal exercises. For the Resist-A-Ball, a beginner and advanced abdominal exercise were measured. Subjects performed 5 repetitions of each of the 5 exercises and the 4th repetition of each exercise was analyzed. The dependent variables were peak EMG and time to peak EMG of the rectus abdominis; time spent in the concentric, coupling, and eccentric phases; range of motion for the low back, hip, and trunk; and EMG activity of the vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and biceps brachii. The results indicated …

Thermal Characterization Of Ground And Surface Waters At The Upjohn Company's Portage Road Manufacturing Facility, William K. Hunsberger

Masters Theses

This study focused on thermal characteristics of the ground water and recharged surface water at The Upjohn Company's (now Pharmacia and Upjohn) Portage Road manufacturing facility. Major objectives were: (a) a compilation and graphical evaluation of historical lower aquifer ground water temperatures; (b) estimates of thermal energy introduced into the ground water system through recharge from Upjohn Pond, and predictions of future production well discharge temperatures; (c) an evaluation of hydraulic conductivity related to changes in water density and viscosity influenced by variable temperature; and (d) the stratigraphy beneath Upjohn Pond.

Records reveal increasing ground water temperatures through time in …

Acculturation Differences Among International Students At Western Michigan University, Kemal Aydin

Masters Theses

The acculturation of international students at Western Michigan University was studied in this thesis. Acculturation variables of perceived prejudice, observance of cultural practices and social ties, and language usage were measured. The results of this study shows that in terms of perceived prejudice, Western Michigan University's international students (except European and Hispanics students) tend to move away from a stimulus. Acculturation and language usage, however, indicate that there is no significant acculturation differences among the respondents. International students at Western Michigan University seem to prefer integration as reflected in a commitment to pluralism. In summary, international students at Western Michigan …

Determinants Of Worker Perceptions Of Team Effectiveness, Scott D. Mist

Masters Theses

This study measures perceptions of team effectiveness in a research and development organization from data obtained during an evaluation of a Federal Re-Invention Laboratory. The study is a secondary analysis which examines five scales, selected for their ability to measure team performance and satisfaction through the use of several values, behaviors and attitudes. These include empowerment, cohesion, team fitness, culture-power distribution, and culture.

A confirmatory factor analysis was used to analyze the strength of the question items of the scales. The factors were then utilized in four logistic regression analyses of dependent variables.

The analyses showed the relative strength of …

The White Extremist Movement: A Metatheoretical Analysis, Suzanne Vanweelde

Masters Theses

This study is a metatheoretical analysis of the white extremist movement in the United States. Five separate major and several smaller white extremist organizations were examined with respect to updated information as to the organizational levels, membership profiles and activities of: (1) the Ku Klux Klan, (2) the Militia, (3) Skinheads, (4) Aryan Nations, (5) the Neo-Nazi and (6) other organizations.

Several theories developed by foundational, developmental and contemporary sociologists were analyzed for their individual concepts. Pertinent and significant concepts were noted as being applicable to a theory of white extremism. Specific examples of the concepts' usage within the extremist …

Making An English Bestiary: An Examination Of The Tradition And A Modern Experience Of The Technical Aspects Of Production, Pamela S. Rups

Masters Theses

My thesis involves the compilation of information on the physical characteristics and production methods of English Bestiaries in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries as well as the actual production of my own Bestiary. Working with microfilm copies of six manuscripts, color slides and illustrations, and color reproductions of the miniatures of a seventh, I will examine and compare briefly the images, paleography and sources for the purpose of analyzing aspects of production.

Along with this written analysis I am producing my own Bestiary using authentic materials and methods as much as possible. I am limiting my own manuscript …