Digital Commons Network^™

Teaching Paragraph Construction To Second Grade Students Using A Structured, Sequential Instructional Program, Sheryl Ann Miller

Masters Theses

The present study proposed that specific methods of teaching writing could be implemented through the application of established principles of behavioral, educational technology. A group of eight second grade students took part in a five week sequential writing program designed to teach them to construct a paragraph incorporating the following components: title, name, introductory sentence, three explanatory sentences, and a conclusion sentence.

Samples of the student's writing were obtained at the beginning and end of the program. Changes in writing style were analyzed for the absence or presence of each component. Every child demonstrated some improvement regarding one or more …

The Effects Of Frozen Storage And Repeated Freeze-Thawing On Salmonella In Varied Concentrations Of Waste Activated Sludge, Joseph Toman Jr.

Masters Theses

Commonly, waste activated sludge is applied to farmland as a fertilizer supplement and soil conditioner. The use of waste activated sludge is not only an efficient way of sludge disposal, but also an economical one. Much concern has been raised about the safety of such a practice. Harmful pathogens, like Salmonella, are commonly present in waste material. Treatment at wastewater plants is successful in eliminating these organisms from final effluent, but the solids generated are full of indigenous microorganisms, including Salmonella.

Work of this paper attempts to determine the safety of the sludge product after simulated winter conditions …

Antibiotic Effects On Coliform Enumeration, Keith Leonard Wozniak

Masters Theses

The inhibitory effects of Bacillus polymyxa on Escherichia coli were studied. Significant coliform inhibition was observed. The inhibitory agent (presumably polymyxin) was active against coliforms after a one hour holding time. Different suspending menstrua were analyzed for their effects on coliform inhibition. It was observed that Peptone water provided the highest recovery of coliforms while phosphate buffer provided less protection. Two methods of enumeration were also studied as to their ability to quantify coliforms inhibited by B. polymyxa. Comparable inhibition was shown using both methods. No significant differences exist between the Standard Plate Count and Membrane Filter techniques. Overall, …

A Curriculum Review And Coordination And Articulation Study Of The Niantic-Harristown Unit School District #6, David O. Bills

Masters Theses

Reform of the public schools is a major issue in Illinois today. Numerous reports claim that public education is mediocre at best. These reports have fostered public concern that has led to a call for school accountability that has caused those involved in education to take a close look at their schools. In this atmosphere of school accountability, a careful and thorough examination of the school curriculum by the local administration can be useful.

Strong instructional leadership from the Superintendent of Schools in a local school district is an important characteristic of an effective school. In the face of state …

The Relationship Between Functional Disability Of Chronic Low Back Pain To Depression, Janice Ellen Looman

Masters Theses

This study is proposed for the purpose of determining if a relationship exists between the functional disability of chronic low back pain (LBP) to depression. In the investigation a random sample of 40-50 clients from area back clinics, at Blodgett Memorial Medical Center and Butterworth Hospital will be selected. The clients who have had LBP over six months will be asked to take a modified Dartmouth Pain Questionnaire (DPQ) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The modified DPQ includes two parts relating to the client's self perception and activity level prior to the LBP event. The self-administered BDI which measures …

Ethernet Performance: Design And Implementation Study, Michael M. Chaney

Masters Theses

"General concepts concerning local area network designs, functions and topologies will be presented. Ethernet as a multipoint bus topology local area network will be presented in detail. The Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detect (CSMA/CD) method of fairly regulating access to the shared network bus is studied. The Ethernet Network in relation to the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) is reviewed, but only the layers pertaining to Ethernet are discussed throughout the majority of the paper. The specifications as described by Xerox, Digital and Intel are presented to help the designer understand the network's physical limitations. Analytical models are used to predict …

Isolation And Partial Characterization Of Serogroup Specific Antigens From Bradyrhizobium Japonicum 61a123, Miguel Eduardo Carrion

Masters Theses

Serogroup specific antigens of Bradyrhizobium japonicum 61A123 were isolated using an immunochemical assay. Bacterial antigens were isolated by phenol-water extraction. These antigens were detected by inhibition of an enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). Low pressure chromatography and digestion with proteinase K served to purify the antigens. Chemical composition was determined by gas chromatography (GC), mass spectrometry (MS), and colorimetric assays. The antigens were also characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and immunological properties determined by ELISA. These antigens were shown to be lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) containing fucose, a 2-amino-2,6-dideoxy hexose (unidentified), glucose and mannose as the major sugars, along …

An Evaluation Of The Primary Prevention Of Substance Abuse Program Of Mattoon Community Unit School District Number Two, Kathryn Hanneken

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Primary Prevention of Substance Abuse Program grades kindergarten through six in Mattoon Community Unit School District Number Two, Mattoon, Illinois. In order to accomplish this purpose the study utilized the Purpose--Input--Process--Outcome—Decision Model for program evaluation. The study was divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 presents the background and statement of the problem of substance use and abuse by America’s youth. Chapter 2 is a review of current literature and related research. For organizational purposes, the literature and research are divided into two sections: the problem of substance abuse …

Medicinal Herbs Of Central Illinois, James E. Hefley

Masters Theses

A survey of the medicinal plants of central Illinois was conducted from fall of 1985 to the summer of 1987. This study concentrated on those herbaceous plants which have a scientific basis for their medicinal value. The study range included the following counties: Coles, Moultrie, Shelby, Fayette, Christian, and Montgomery.

In this paper, 58 species were considered, representing 33 families. A description of external morphology is included for each specimen, as well as folknames and habitat preferences. In addition, the medicinal qualities and active constituents are included for each specimen, as well as comments about their scientific and folknames.

In …

Image And Meaning In The Floral Borders Of The Hours Of Catherine Of Cleves, Elizabeth R. Schaeffer

Masters Theses

The Book of Hours of Catherine of Cleves, produced in

the Netherlands c. 1440-45, is one of the most beautiful and

complex illuminated manuscripts of the late Middle Ages.

The Master's originality in his symbolic use of floral

images in the borders of the manuscript is remarkable, yet

little study has been made of this subject. The meaning of

these floral images is, however, important to a complete

understanding of the illumination of the manuscript.

Using a set of criteria based on the tenets of the

Devotie Moderna, a philosophy strong in the Netherlands at

the time, I show that …

Training For The Airland Battle With Modeling And Simulation On The Microcomputer, David Dean Holmes

Masters Theses

"This paper describes a methodology for modifying a combat training simulation model to include a comprehensive data structure and computer software, to allow the model to be implemented on a microcomputer. It begins by developing a topology for combat simulation models and proceeds to define a data structure suitable for describing military units and facilitating the varied aspects of the simulation. An eclectic approach to the development of the model and the implementing software is followed throughout. Appropriate aspects of a number of models are incorporated into a single model suitable for training military commanders and their staffs. PASCAL, a …

Performance Predictions For Oil Reservoirs Under Water Influx, Briareus Mitchell Wilkinson

Masters Theses

"The intent of this thesis is to develop a program that will give reasonable recovery predictions for oil reservoirs under water influx. The main advantage is to avoid the massive storage and computational requirements of numerical simulators while achieving roughly comparable results. There are many methods already in existence that have not received their full benefit, mainly because they were developed prior to the recent advances of the computer age. This thesis therefore brings some already proven methods together with new techniques in a program which, with the aid of the computer, stimulates new life in these methods. The main …

A Report Of An Internship In Coloma Community Schools, Coloma, Michigan, David A. Defields

Masters Theses

The objective of this report is to describe the 240 hour internship completed with the Coloma Community School System, Coloma, Michigan. The majority of the intern's time was devoted to work on the school budget and the negotiating process. However, time was also spent in areas including co-op purchasing, insurance, energy conservation, vocational education and Chapter I fundinq.

An Ethnographic Study Of Punk Rock In Western Michigan: Identity In A Youth Subculture, Robert P. Pomeroy

Masters Theses

This thesis presents an ethnosemantic analysis of the punk rock subculture of western Michigan. Assertion of personal identity is demonstrated to be the underlying principle which organizes punk terminology for their music, cultural environment, and members of the subcultures. An analysis of punk song lyrics, visual style, and verbal style demonstrates that this assertion of identity is accomplished through opposition to the dominant American culture. Punk rock can then be understood as a subculture of cultural rebellion which allows its members to assert their individuality through violation of culturally accepted aesthetic values.

Historical & Contemporary Reasons For The Existence Of 17,000 Unreached People Groups And Factors Being Employed To Lessen Their Number, Larry W. Lagrande

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Cognitive Levels Of Thinking For Religious Training Materials And Infusion Across The Curriculum, Patrick Low

Masters Theses

The major accomplishment of this project was the creation of cognitive levels of questions spanning Bloom's (1964) taxonomy of learning, fostering religious training in nontraditional class settings at Kalamazoo Christian High School, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Classes involved were business mathematics, health, and physical education.

Descriptors, i.e., key terms, were developed from teachers' goals and objectives. Descriptors were then checked in a concordance to help develop Scripture reference for question development. Weekly or biweekly, participating teachers and the curriculum committee were supplied draft sections of the project; they gave feedback relative to usefulness and acceptability.

The results have been termed "very useful" …

Instructional Leadership: The Role Of The Director Of Library Services For The Grand Rapids, Michigan, Public School District, Judy A. Deruyter

Masters Theses

The purpose of this project was to familiarize the intern with the position of director of library services. A review of the district's media program enabled the intern to assist in the district's media program and work on the curriculum development changes that would be occurring during the duration of the internship.

The major results of the internship were a district handbook detailing policies and procedures for the media specialists and, using Appleworks (Lissner, 1983), a computer program was written for library management and utilization.

Important aspects of the project were curriculum work sessions and the resulting plans for implementing, …

Dual-Purpose Activity Versus Single-Purpose Activity In An Institutionalized Geriatric Population, Rita M. Yoder

Masters Theses

The use of purposeful, goal-directed activity has traditionally been a central theme for occupational therapy. In dual-purpose activity the participant has two goals: successful task completion and the making of adaptive responses in the activity process. This study compares the extent to which a dual-purpose activity (stirring for the purpose of exercise and baking cookies) enhances performance in contrast to a single-purpose activity (stirring for the purpose of exercise alone) in an institutionalized geriatric population.

Thirty women between 70 and 92 years of age were randomly assigned to either the single- or dual-purpose activity. Duration, exertion, and discontinuities were measured …

The Michigan Intermediate School District Superintendent: A Unique Job Role, Lanny Ray Johnston

Masters Theses

One of the job roles in Michigan's system of public education is that of the Intermediate School District Superintendent. However, the definition of this job role and the skills required to function in it are unclear for those striving to attain an intermediate school district superintendency. This lack of clarity in the areas of interpersonal, conceptual, and technical skills, makes career planning difficult. In an effort to improve this situation, this intern elected to investigate the role of the intermediate superintendent as a public school, high management/leadership/administrative position.

The outcome of this investigation includes: (a) a clearer perspective of the …

Female Criminality And Feminism – Is There A Causal Relationship?, Heather Whitcroft

Masters Theses

In the past, many criminologists have viewed the collective sentiments of feminism as potentially crimogenic (Lombroso, 1985; Thomas, 1923; Pollak, 1950). Even female academics writing in the last decade have claimed the women's movement has a "darker side" (Cowie, 1968; Adler, 1975; Simon, 1975; Hart, 1975; Dening, 1977). Substantial sceptics appear to remain unheard amongst those who profess that "liberated" women are committing more masculine, violent, serious, male-dominated and occupational crimes. Such remarks are generally unsubstantiated by research.

Box and Hale (1983:36) suggest that "... those who are attempting to prove a causal connection between emancipation and female crime by …

Follow-Up Study Of Counselors Using Individualized Career Plans, Margaret Slattery Fiorillo

Masters Theses

Statement of the Problem

This study took place in public high schools in east central Illinois. The subjects studied consisted of 13 school counselors who were using Individualized Career Plans in their respective high schools. All of these counselors had received a mini grant from the Career Guidance Center, Region 9, Lake Land College, Mattoon, Illinois.

The study was done to provide information from the counselors involved about usage, evaluation, future plans, advantages, and disadvantages of Individualized Career Plans.

The study also was conducted to determine whether or not the Career Guidance Center should continue funding and support of Individualized …

A Study Of The Organizational Climate Of Effingham High School As Perceived By The Faculty, Calvin R. Kirk

Masters Theses

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this field study was to determine how the faculty at Effingham High School in Effingham, Illinois, perceived the organizational climate of the school.

As first year assistant principal of the high school, the researcher saw the need to understand the personality of the organization with which he worked. The researcher viewed teacher perceptions of the school's organizational climate as a meaningful beginning point for initiating an ongoing project to build a positive school climate at Effingham High School.

Procedure

The Organizational Climate Index constituted the instrument used to gather faculty perceptions of the organizational …

Implementation Of The Individualized Career Plan In Effingham Unit Schools, Larry Micenheimer

Masters Theses

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this field study was to develop an Individualized Career Plan program for use at Effingham High School. An Individualized Career Plan is based on a process that relates a student's formal learning experiences to his/her career goals. The Individualized Career Plan is a tool for students and staff to use to coordinate school career developmental experiences. The Individualized Career Plan is used as a roadmap for the future to help students make effective career decisions.

Procedure

A review of the literature and research included information from field test sites around the state and from …

The Use Of Traditional Articulation Tests In Phonological Analysis, Teri L. Moser

Masters Theses

Phonological analysis is an established, comprehensive, and effective means of assessing the speech patterns of unintelligible children. However, many practicing speech-language pathologists have not incorporated this procedure into their diagnostic batteries and continue to use traditional articulation tests because of convenience and familiarity of the tests (Garber, 1984). If articulation tests could be modified to assess phonological simplification processes, speech-language pathologists may be more likely to use this method of speech analysis. The purpose of this study was to determine if traditional articulation tests employing a phonological analysis procedure are a valid measure of phonological simplification processes.

This study compared …

What's On Tv? A Demonstration Of The Utility Of Contextualism And Content Analysis In Mass Media Research, Craig P. Gaumer

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis has been to develop, test and utilize a reliable method to quantify the prevalence of pro- and anti-social behavior on children's television as assessed from a contextualist perspective. Many previous studies in the area of television have arbitrarily assigned either pro- or anti-social labels to television programs without the benefit of analyzing the content of these programs

The few studies that have attempted to analyze the pro- and anti-social content of children's television have used only physical parameters to define pro- or anti-social behavior. Through the development of a reliable method of analyzing the contextually …

An Investigation Of The Low Voltage Failure Mechanism In Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors, Christopher John Brannon

Masters Theses

"Enhanced leakage current was induced into multilayer ceramic capacitors by the introduction of micro-cracks. These cracks extended from the surface through the electrode layers and were formed by means of thermal shock. The capacitors were then exposed to a low voltage bias and a humid atmosphere. Results indicated that a simple electrolytic solution mechanism may be responsible for the increased conduction, and that the proposed dendritic growth mechanisms may be more complex than necessary"--Abstract, p. ii

Integration Of Visual Art With Other Subjects In The Illinois High Schools, Laura Lynn Pottala-Irle

Masters Theses

The true nature of this work is to show that integration of visual art is taking place in the Illinois High Schools. This conclusion is the result of a survey sent out to a group of Illinois High Schools. The results show that the Central and Southern Illinois High Schools have more integration of academic subjects incorporated in their curriculum compared to Northern Illinois High Schools. Yet integration of other art subjects are taught more in the Northern Illinois High Schools then the Central or Southern Illinois High Schools. Physical Education proved to be the subject least likely to be …

The Effect Of A Bacteriophage On The Competition Of Rhizobium Japonicum Strains For Nodulation Of Glycine Max (L.) Merr, Lori Kelley

Masters Theses

The symbiotic relationship between Rhizobium japonicum (Kir.) Buch. and Glycine max (L.) Merr. was the concern of this thesis. This relationship occurs naturally in soybean fields. In the field there are many different strains of Rhizobium. Some of these strains fix atmospheric nitrogen more efficiently than others resulting in a higher crop yield. The problem is the more efficient nitrogen fixers are out-competed by less efficient nitrogen fixers. In order to solve this problem the more competitive strains have to be controlled. There are two main ways to do this. One is to increase the number of the desired …

Characterization Of The Capsular Polysaccharides On Cell Membranes Of Rhizobium Trifolii And Three Of Its Nod- Mutants, Jesse Ardosa

Masters Theses

The ever-present specter of the inavailability of food production to increase in direct proportion to population growth haunts practically every nation of the world. As more and more tracts of land are incorporated to accommodate expanding cities, they become less available for food production. Emphasis, therefore, is placed on obtaining a higher yield per acreage planted. Since fertilization is not reliable in the long term due to an eventual depletion of raw materials for fertilizers, the ability of plants like legumes to assimilate free soil nitrogen on their own has become increasingly important [1,11,14,17]. However, the mechanisms involved are still …

Isolation And Partial Analysis Of Proteins And Polysaccharides Of Rhizobium Trifolii, Manuelito M. Ordonez

Masters Theses

The outer membrane and periplasmic proteins of Rhizobium trifolii ANU 843 and its mutants ANU 851 and ANU 845(pRt150) were isolated and analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). ANU 843 is the wild type strain which possesses all the characteristics necessary for nitrogen fixation. ANU 851 has a transposon (Tn5) inserted into the nodD gene of the root hair curling region of the symbiotic plasmid. It has lost its ability to cause root hair curling and therefore can not form nodules and can not fix nitrogen. ANU 845(pRt150) harbors only the 5.5 kb root hair curling region of the …