Digital Commons Network^™

Agricultural Irrigation Induced Evaporation In A Temperate Study Area: A Stable Isotope Approach, Lincoln Grevengoed

Masters Theses

In regions where groundwater is used for irrigation, significant water losses take place due to evaporation. Previous studies demonstrated the utility of stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in estimating evaporative water loss experienced during return flow back to an aquifer. Unlike arid regions where the other studies took place, this study examined the region around Kalamazoo, Michigan, the United States, which experiences a more temperate climate. Irrigation in the Kalamazoo area primarily uses center-pivot systems supplied by wells, unlike flood irrigation in previous study areas. Water samples were taken periodically from wells close to center-pivot irrigation systems. Water losses due …

Intelligent Roadside Unit Deployment In Vehicular Network, Xiangyu Xu

Masters Theses

Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) has been an important research area in building the foundational infrastructures of self-driving vehicles and improving traffic efficiency of future transportation systems. Scientists have been hoping to incorporate intelligence into traditional transportation systems to help reduce the risks, accident rates, traffic congestion, and even environmental emissions.

There are many research works that have been focused on the communication part of ITS, such as vehicular networks, which collect data from vehicles and send it to the cloud for analysis. In the vehicular networks, Roadside Unit (RSU) is a key infrastructure as an intermediate layer between the vehicles …

How Do Food Shopping Behaviors Differ Between High-Income And Low-Income Shoppers In The Grand Rapids Metropolitan Area?, Alison M. Cooney

Masters Theses

Background: The social determinants of health and health equity are influenced by access, environment, and socioeconomic status (SES). Health inequities are preventable and can be avoided with systemic policy change surrounding the distribution of wealth and resources. Few studies have researched the differences in different income levels and the influence income has on food shopping behaviors.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in food shopping behaviors between high-income and low-income shoppers living in the same zip code. Subjects Sixty-eight individuals who live in the 49341 zip code which represents a small city in Kent County, …

Confronting Wicked Crypto: Wicked Problems, Encryption Policy, And Exceptional Access Technology, Kevin Nicholas Kredit

Masters Theses

Public debate has resumed on the topic of exceptional access (EA), which refers to alternative means of decryption intended for law enforcement use. The resumption of this debate is not a renege on a resolute promise made at the end of the 1990s “crypto war”; rather, it represents a valid reassessment of optimal policy in light of changing circumstances. The imbalance between privacy, access, and security in the context of constantly changing society and technology is a wicked problem that has and will continue to evade a permanent solution. As policymakers consider next steps, it is necessary that the technical …

An Investigation Into The Development Of A Low Cost, Easy To Use Seizure Analysis Tool., Cody Dean

Masters Theses

The need for collaborating and sharing data and research between doctors, researchers, universities and patients has never been more necessary. We are seeing firsthand how a deadly virus can completely devastate the world in a matter of months and being able to react quickly is the top priority. Open source tools are making it possible to share research and learnings about viruses like COVID-19 across countries, industries, and universities and these tools and philosophies extend across all areas of medical research.

The amount of data that is being collected within the medical industry is increasing at an exponential rate and …

Meta-Analysis Of The Association Between Acute Particulate Matter Exposure And Cardiovascular Disease, Issa El-Kildani

Masters Theses

Cardiovascular disease, which involves a wide range of conditions, including narrowed or blocked coronary arteries, has remained the leading cause of death in the United States for over 50 years. The majority of cardiovascular conditions are preventable, which can be identified through risk factors. However, maintaining healthy life choices can be difficult for most Americans, as the vast majority live in populated urban cities. Urban life can pose hazardous conditions to individuals, especially air pollution. Air pollution includes gaseous pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone and sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter. Of these pollutants, particulate matter has become …

Drivers Of Decadal Vegetation Change In Northern Alaska, Jacob Allen Harris

Masters Theses

The Arctic is experiencing rapid climate change. This research documents vegetation change near Atqasuk and Utqiaġvik, Alaska. At each location, 30 plots distributed in a matrix across the landscape, were sampled annually from 2010 to 2019 using a point frame. For every encounter we recorded the height and classified it into eight broad functional groups (deciduous shrubs, evergreen shrubs, forbs, graminoids, bryophytes, lichens, litter and standing dead vegetation); for vascular plants we also identified the species. We found a consistent increase in plant stature and cover over time which was dramatic at Atqasuk. Graminoid cover and height increased at both …

Towards Development Of A Remote Charting System For Connected Healthcare, Alex Bodurka

Masters Theses

Health Care Providers play a crucial role in a patients well-being. While their primary role is to treat the patient, it is also vital to ensure that they can spend adequate time with the patient to create a unique treatment plan and build a personal relationship with their patients to help them feel comfortable during their treatment. Health Care Providers are frequently required to manually record patient data to track their healthcare progress during their hospital stay. However, with hospitals continuously trying to optimize their workflows, this crucial one-on-one time with the patient is often not practical.

As a solution, …

Marks The Spot, Timothy Paul Crane

Masters Theses

This thesis is an investigation into the prtoblem of marketing for small businesses with little funds and means for advertisement. Past, present and predicted future methods of marketing prove there is room for improvement in affordability through existing advancements. Literature reviews and case studies explore the most lucrative ways forward. Research also indicates that large numbers of potential consumers are missed by small businesses due to their general lack of embracing newer communication technology such as store apps. This extra support measure provides users with notifications that highlight coupons and deals and has a proven record of success for larger …

Raising Consciousness: Challenging Diversity In Christian Publishing, Michael Omari Johnson

Masters Theses

The Christian publishing industry has overlooked the importance of diversity, particularly its impact on black American audiences. While studies show that diversity and inclusion can lead to more innovation through problem-solving, there persists a paradox where a lack of opportunities, disparities in wealth and employment and systemic prejudices can play a role in the ethnic and racial homogeneity of the Christian publishing industry. Thus, there are many barriers preventing people of color from emerging to the market, reflecting in the storytelling, content creation and audience of African-descent followers.

In-Training Improvement: A Tactical Athletic Approach To Enhance The Performance And Wellness Of Law Enforcement Officers, Shai-Enne Kerry Haynes

Masters Theses

Fitness and musculoskeletal injuries are a major health concern among United States law enforcement personnel. The objectives of this study were twofold: 1) to compare the effects of wearing work gear and not wearing work gear during job related specific activities; and 2) identify the negative effects of the required work equipment on law officials and exploring methods to decrease the negative effects. There is an undeniable prevalence of law officials and back issues and other musculoskeletal complications which presents an interrelated research and field test environment. This study leverages research to help advance the knowledge of law enforcement performance, …

English Language Learners And Cultural Responsivity In The Art Classroom, Jessica Wycoff

Masters Theses

English Language Learners are a heterogeneous population of students that face social, emotional, and academic obstacles as they assimilate into a new culture while learning new subjects in a new language. In this study, I discuss the educational, social, and emotional needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) in PK-12 education and offer strategies to support kindergartener’s social and cultural identity while improving their language and academic skills in the unique environment of the art classroom.

British Piracy Policy In Jamaica, Aaron M. Goins

Masters Theses

The British used piracy as a tool of empire to gain a foothold the Caribbean until they had enough resources to create an empire of their own. Piracy functioned as an insurgency for the British keeping the competition in the new world below the threshold of war in Europe but still detrimental to the Spanish. The British used this chaos and the resources it brought in to build themselves while hurting the Spanish. Then, once the British desired stability over chaos they ceased use of pirates and started hunting pirates.

He Rode Alone: Francis Scott Key As An Advocate For Freedom, Jonathan A. Richie

Masters Theses

Recently Francis Scott Key and the Star Spangled Banner have come under increasing historical scrutiny. Claims and allegations of racism and hidden meanings behind the poem have abounded and even led to statues being torn down across the nation. But what is the truth? In reality Francis Scott Key's record on race and slavery is dramatically more complex than the critics would suggest. Indeed, Key spent nearly 40 years of his life advocating in court for the freedom of slaves in Washington DC.

Methods And Motivations Of Multigenerational Churches In Selecting A Worship Music Identity, Joshua Charles Morton

Masters Theses

Churches in the twenty-first century come in all types, shapes, and sizes. The church plant movement is bringing many new churches into existence. With many of these church plants, the assumption is that a contemporary worship style comes with it. This could be viewed this way, because of the high population of younger people that attend these churches. Churches like Elevation Church, North Point Church, Passion City Church, and Saddleback Community Church are all church plants. These churches are magnets for newly established Christians and those seeking to answer questions about God for the first time. They are magnets for …

Modern Myths: Adding To America's Cultural Heritage, Kathryne E. Wood

Masters Theses

As children, we believe in the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny. We cower in fear when our friends talk about the Boogeyman, or how they'll summon Bloody Mary in the mirror. We check our closets, in hopes of finding an entrance to Narnia at the back of them. The world is a mysterious place in which anything can happen, anything can exist. What makes these types of stories so special? How do they generate true belief? What propels a narrative from entertaining story to the status of myth, legend, or folktale? This thesis explores the enduring qualities …

The Power Of Gratitude (A Worship Service), Joe G. Wehunt

Masters Theses

“So then just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness”. The house of God should be overflowing with thankfulness. This overflow should begin in the parking lot and extend all the way inside the building. With the “Power of Gratitude” service, the plan is to outline a worship event that reminds God’s children of the blessings that He has given through His son, Jesus, and to provide a way for God’s children to worship …

Gamification Strategies For Music Educators: An Online Continuing Education Course, Luis Enrique Espinosa

Masters Theses

This curriculum project is designed to provide music educators in the public and private sector with introductory knowledge about the topic of gamification and game-based learning, framed within the scope of an online continuing education course. It is meant for adult learners who teach young musicians in the K-12 range. The course offers a set of strategies and step-based processes that help transform a traditional music lesson plan into an interactive and meaningful learning experience that leverages games. The games created by the students in the course can serve to motivate music students by incorporating a sense of competition and …

Be Still: A Pedagogical Analysis Of Mindfulness-Based Practices In Vocal Music Education, Hattie Hannah Elder

Masters Theses

Mindfulness and mindfulness-based practices improve productivity in general education and vocal settings and have the potential to revolutionize choral music education. The purpose of this research is to improve vocal music education, vocal pedagogy, and voice practice, through the study of mindfulness-based practices and their relevance in vocal practices. The essential question answered as part of this research is, how do mindfulness and mindfulness-based practices increase productivity in the choral classroom? Sub questions addressed in this research include: 1) What is mindfulness meditation?, 2) How is mindfulness already utilized in vocal settings?, and 3) How can mindfulness best be included …

Global Englishes: Variations Of A Single Language In All English Classrooms, Amanda Leigh Faulkenberry

Masters Theses

This study was conducted in order to develop a procedure for creating a globally recognized curriculum for teaching students and teachers about global variations of English. The study first sought to discover attitudes towards global variations of English of speakers in each of Kachru’s three-circles model of World Englishes. Once there was an understanding of the negative attitudes that exist towards variations that fall within all three circles, the next goal was to determine what was being done to change this negative attitude. This meant analyzing curriculum and studies to determine how students and teachers are being educated on the …

Assessment Of Dopaminergic And Serotonergic Receptor Antagonists In Male Rats Trained To Discriminate 4-Methylmethcathinone (Mephedrone), Rachel L. Burroughs

Masters Theses

Preclinical drug discrimination studies of the synthetic cathinone, 4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone) have demonstrated its effects are comparable to those of other popular psychostimulant drugs. Few studies have directly examined the contribution of specific neurotransmitter receptors to mephedrone’s discriminative stimulus effects. The present study investigated the role of dopamine and serotonin receptors in these effects. Eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate 3.0 mg/kg mephedrone from saline. After dose-response curves were determined with mephedrone (0.375-3.0 mg/kg), a series of stimulus antagonism tests were conducted with dopamine antagonists (Sch 23390, haloperidol) and serotonin antagonists (WAY 100,635, MDL 100,907, pirenperone) administered as …

Albion Through Malleable Eyes: The Great Migration, Urban Renewal And Missed Opportunities, Demetrius R. Goodale

Masters Theses

Albion, Michigan’s African American community built a robust, diverse, and thriving city in the early 20th century. Jobs were plentiful and wages allowed for healthy communities to sprout up across the city’s landscape. During this period Albion’s overall population more than doubled, and its African American community grew exponentially over the course of six decades. However, for many in the African American community, societal and economic gains were overshadowed by a crippling shortage in viable housing options. Albion’s African American community experienced limited options to help remedy the community’s housing challenges. These limitations were due to discriminatory housing norms and …

A Radar And Model Based Synopsis Of Surface Soil Moisture State As It Relates To Back-Building Thunderstorm Behavior: Northern Great Plains, Skye Leake

Masters Theses

Severe thunderstorm behavior across the Great Plains of North America can result in negative economic impact, put infrastructure at risk, and pose a hazard to the lives of those calling the area home. Substantial research has been conducted throughout the Great Plains on a variety of severe weather conditions such as extreme wind, hail, tornadoes, and flash flooding, however such research is limited in the northern portion of the Great Plains. Some research has been conducted on these severe phenomena produced by thunderstorms in the northern Great Plains; however, little has been done in the realm of training/back-building of storms. …

Applied Behavior Analysis In The Secondary Art Classroom, Linda S. Stewart

Masters Theses

Special needs students in the secondary art classroom can be difficult to reach. Students with special needs are required by law to be provided with a fair and appropriate education. The challenge for art educators is to adequately meet the needs of all students in the classroom. This paper examines a brief history of education for students with special needs, behavior management in the classroom, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, the token system, and the value of a structured classroom environment. ABA therapy techniques in the secondary art classroom provide a tool in the classroom management aspect of providing structure …

Chopin's Musical Elements, Kaitlyn Collier

Masters Theses

Frederic Chopin composed many great piano works that musicians have enjoyed and studied since the Romantic Era. These pieces continue to be performed around the world. This research focuses on specific aspects of selections of Chopin’s literature, and how those aspects can be taught to those unfamiliar with his works. The goal is to teach others to appreciate his works. The research problem investigated in this study is to determine the melodic qualities of the pianistic texture in Chopin’s solo piano works that are identifiable by theoretical analysis and public performance. The methodology used in this study will be score …

Music Of The World: From Jazz To Hip-Hop, Michael Young

Masters Theses

In this ever-changing world of popular music, we grasp hold of what we enjoy or have delight in. In this document we discuss the highlights of music from the early Jazz era to Hip-hop music in the 21st century. Within general music education we are shifting from the traditional class setting-from where the teacher is imparting knowledge to students to the students teaching students. The classroom instructor is now a facilitator. A new and exciting way for this to happen is through music and popular musics, or music that was deemed popular. Music education-based curricular materials can illustrate the social, …

Appalachian Folk Music In The High School General Music Class, Caitlin Jayne Hetland

Masters Theses

Murder ballads have been a part of the musical traditions of America since the 1700s, when their source materials were brought from Scandinavia, England, and Scotland. Ballads like “Omie Wise,” “Pretty Polly,” and “The Ballad of Tom Dooley” have been recorded by a variety of artists, and still draw new listeners for commercial success. Despite their historic presence in American music, murder ballads are not often included in the school music curriculum. The content is not always appropriate for elementary or middle school students, but high school students are better equipped to deal with the themes and can often be …

Determining The Impacts Of Exercise Participation On Disaster Response, Tanya Jean Hockett

Masters Theses

There are many opinions surrounding the importance and effectiveness of emergency exercises and their influence on the response phase of emergency management. Understanding how exercises affect emergency response operations can help training and exercise programs enhance the structure and implementation of meaningful, strategic exercises. However, there is limited research available to validate this. This qualitative study analyzed the responses of 106 survey participants and found that exercise participation positively impacted the ability of individuals to respond to incidents and disasters. By analyzing and categorizing a series of open-ended responses, it was determined that the most important benefit of exercise participation …

Defining Montréal: An Exploration On The Evolution Of Montréal’S Brand And Cultural Representations Since 1930, Liliane Lai

Masters Theses

Spaces contain and create meanings through the interplay of their surrounding physical and mental landscape i.e., geography, social activity, and representation. Like many defined spaces, Montréal is not only a social and spatial manifestation of a singular community, but an ideal conceived and constructed through interpretation, objectives, and media portrayal— a mosaic or assemblage. Conceptualising Montréal as a brand being one of the cultural capitals of Canada is deeply tied to an assemblage of its diverse roots and identity beyond its history. This thesis explores the notion of city branding to understand how a city’s image and reputation evolves in …

New Media Art: Curating Social Justice In Contemporary Art Museums And Arts Organizations, Kyung Eun Lee

Masters Theses

My research project includes case studies in which I interviewed nine new media art curators and directors whose curatorial practices offer historical analyses and theoretical perspectives that address the dynamics of social justice by using new media art. I investigate the ways in which social justice is presented in museums and arts organizations. Central to this project is an examination of museum practices where the use of new media art becomes a central platform to showcase issues of social justice.