Digital Commons Network^™

Modeling Kinetics Of Hydrolysis Of Three Pesticides In Laboratory Waters, Michelle Kim Marincel

Masters Theses

"Pesticides and pesticide degradates found in drinking water sources are of particular concern to human health. When treated and disinfected at a drinking water plant, pesticides etridiazole, metribuzin, and diazinon undergo many treatment processes including lime softening, where the water pH is raised to 10 for calcium removal or 11 for magnesium removal. This thesis focuses on modeling the kinetics of hydrolysis of three pesticides that have the potential to undergo hydrolysis in drinking water plants. Linearly and non-linearly regressed first order and non-linearly regressed second order models were applied to the experimental data and compared to limited literature values. …

Victorian Restriction, Restraint, And Escape In The Children's Tales Of Beatrix Potter, Mandy L. Dewilde

Masters Theses

The fantasy works of Beatrix Potter have entertained children of all ages for decades. Many children are familiar with the stories of Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten, The Flopsy Bunnies, and the dreamy prints of fuzzy little animals in jackets and aprons that accompany them. The characters of Beatrix Potter’s beloved children’s stories have transcended the written page and been marketed on infant layettes, children’s dinnerware, stationary, bedroom linens, and even on cartons of infant formula. However, beneath these cheery stories, which seem to imply that children should perhaps heed their parents’ advice concerning socially accepted conduct. Potter’s …

Examining The Effects Of Nurse Work Hours, Inter-Shift Recovery, Fatigue, And Sleep Debt On Intent To Leave, Amy M. Manderscheid

Masters Theses

The nursing profession contains dedicated professionals who work varying shifts with assorted time frames to recover before returning to work. The purpose of this study was to examine shift work, inter-shift recovery, fatigue, sleep debt and intent to leave among full-time nurses. Data were collected through the use of electronic questionnaires from a sample of 36 registered nurses from the Sigma Theta Tau Kappa Epsilon Chapterat- Large.

Findings revealed significant differences among nurses working 10 hour shifts and their accumulation of sleep debt in comparison to nurses working 8 or 12 hour shifts. Significant differences were not found between acute …

What Comes Next, Mario Podeschi

Masters Theses

A narrator named Mario Podeschi watches a character named Mario Podeschi be sent back in time from graduate school to his freshman year of high school. A twenty-four year old in a fifteen year-old body, the Mario character retains aH of his old memories leading up to Spring of2008 and tries to use them to his own benefit at his small town Illinois high school. Fifteen year-old Mario readdicts himself to cigarettes, chases high school crushes, and distances himself from his old friends. Not that his second chance at high school is a complete failure~he finds his soulmate in Saturday …

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 …

Influence Of Fluvial Geomorphology On Fish Assemblage Structure Within An Agriculturally Impacted Watershed, Jeffrey D. Fore

Masters Theses

Warmwater stream fish assemblages are often considered limited by instream habitat availability. Thus, much current research has focused on determining habitat features that limit the abundance and persistence of stream fishes. These studies provide valuable information to managers who are concerned with increasing species abundance and persistence, but they may not provide information on the processes structuring the stream fish community. To address this issue, we hypothesized that stream geomorphology differed among stream sizes and types (i.e., channelized vs. unchannelized streams) and that the fish assemblages associated with each geomorphic type would be unique. Fish assemblages were sampled and geomorphic …

Long-Term Functional Trait Dynamics In Abandoned Agricultural Fields, Timothy A. Rye

Masters Theses

A fundamental question of plant succession is whether species within different successional stages differ in terms of functional traits as changes in community-level traits reflect changes in plant strategies over time. Although there are many studies that focus on that question, researchers have not studied the long-term dynamics of those traits within plant communities in depth. We used data from a 49-year study of old-field succession (the Buell-Small Succession Study) to assess the dynamics of important functional traits (height, seed mass, specific leaf area) and compared their dynamics among life forms and between native and non-native species. We assessed communitylevel …

Foraging Site Selection In Prairie Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis C. Calligaster): An Experimental Approach, Angela M. Fornell

Masters Theses

A critical component to a predator’s survival is the choice of foraging sites that yield enough predatory success to meet energetic demands. To elucidate cues used to select foraging sites, I examined foraging site selection in Prairie Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis c. calligaster), a generalist species whose foraging mode is flexible. My objectives were to determine: the pattern of foraging site selection; the importance of certain cues that kingsnakes use when selecting foraging sites; and, whether or not kingsnakes adjust their foraging patterns in response to alterations in the microhabitat. I tested subjects in a large experimental arena under several treatment conditions …

Terrestrial Macrofungi Of Old-Growth Prairie Groves, Vincent P. Hustad

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and contrast the communities of terrestrial macrofungi of Brownfield and Trelease Woods, Champaign Co., IL; old-growth prairie groves isolated for> 120 years. This study represents the first known analysis of fungal communities in old-growth prairie grove ecosystems in the Midwestern United States, and provides an excellent opportunity to characterize the fungal biodiversity of established old-growth reference communities for comparisons with other sites, both local and distant. Fungal communities were sampled during the fall fruiting seasons of 2006 and 2007 using a plot frequency study of fungal abundance. Several estimators of species richness …

Correlating Phytoplankton Assemblages With Water Quality In Illinois Lakes And Reservoirs: Validating Models Based On Historical Data, Jason D. Allen

Masters Theses

In the last two decades management and monitoring efforts in freshwater systems has shifted from point source pollutants to non-point source pollutants and environmental modification. Long term, large scale sampling projects necessitated by such a shift often are infeasible due to logistical, cost, and time constraints.

In recent years fish and benthic macroinvertebrate indices of biological integrity (IBI's) have been used to survey the quality of flowing (lotic) water systems, which have drastically reduced sampling time and facilitated large scale monitoring projects. However, it is unlikely that these could be adapted to lentic systems. This study was undertaken in an …

The Impact Of Climate On The Leaf Characteristics Of Genus Fraxinus, Brian W. Craven

Masters Theses

Fraxinus (ash) has six species across eastern North America, five of which are found in Illinois (F. americana, F. pennsylvanica, F. nigra, F. quadrangulata, F. profimda). It is also threatened by the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) (BAB). Are climate differences across a north-south distance of 600 km great enough to create differences in the morphological characteristics of Fraxinus species? Studying latitudinal variation in the species of Fraxinus would reveal the impact of climate on the leaf characteristics of a genus of trees which extend over a considerable portion of the continent. The objectives of this study were to determine …

Federal Renewable-Energy Research And Development Funding And Innovation, Darrin B. Johnson

Masters Theses

Energy is the largest industry on the planet and necessary for the sustainability of life. As the world's stores of nonrenewable-energy begin to deplete at an increasing rate, the research on feasible sources of renewable-energy becomes essential. The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between federal funding for activities of energy research and development for renewable-energy sources and the resulting number of renewable-energy patent applications. Panel and ordinary least squares estimations are applied. Data consists of nineteen countries spanning the years from 1985 through 1997. Results indicate a weak and statistically insignificant relationship between federal renewable-energy R&D …

"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 …

Mating Bias In The Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis Invicta, Kendra Carroll

Masters Theses

The two social forms in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, are believed to be governed by the expression of one specific gene. This gene, known as Gp-9, is responsible for the production of general protein-9, thought to be a pheromone binding protein. Among the social aspects thought to be controlled by this locus is reproduction. Many aspects of breeding within and between the two colonial forms have been investigated over the past years since in introduction of this species to the United States. In this study, several features of the currently accepted model were examined. Newlymated queens were …

Evaluating The Illinois Stream Valley Segment Model As An Effective Management Tool, Stephen S. Warrner

Masters Theses

Stream habitat assessment procedures have been used to monitor logical potential, habitat restoration, and determine anthropogenic impacts on streams. In the past, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) have determined which stream reaches to sample habitat quality based on historical data, accessibility, and whether or not a reach is representative of an area. To develop a consistent and unbiased procedure for choosing sampling locations, the IDNR and INHS have proposed a technique by which watersheds are divided into homogeneous stream segments called valley segments. Valley segments within each watershed are determined by …

Spatial And Ecological Patterns Of Tent Location In The Eastern Tent Caterpillar, Malacosoma Americana (Lepidoptera:Lasiocampidae), Jennifer Pleasant

Masters Theses

The eastern tent caterpillar, Malacosoma americanum (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) is a widely studied social caterpillar. The nests (i.e. tents) of the tent caterpillar are most frequently found on Black Cherry trees (Prunus serotina). However, dispersions of tents are often clumped with one cherry tree having five or more tent caterpillar nests in it and another cherry tree 3 meters away having only one nest, or none at all. I tried to determine why this happens. Because of the short field season, much of the research on the caterpillars has been done in the laboratory. I tried to determine host selection …

A Survey Of Carrion And Burying Beetles (Coleoptera:Silphidae) In Mchenry County, Illinois, David Suhrbur

Masters Theses

This study compared the occurrence of beetles in the family Silphidae using historical collection records with that of field collections from five different sites within McHenry County. The five sites include: Glacial Park, Woodstock, Silver Creek, Rush Creek, and Coral Woods. Historically, 11 known silphid species have been found in McHenry County, compared with seven species found during this study' collection period.

Percentages of silphid species at each site was calculated, as well as total number of individuals sampled, and two indices of diversity (Shannon-Weiner and Simpson's) were applied to both current and historical collection data. The historical collection (when …

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 …

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 …

The Cultural Dimension Of Emotional Intelligence And Its Clinical Implications, Koyeli Sengupta

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the role that culture plays in emotionaJ intelligence, in people's ability to use emotions adaptively in their daily lives. Specifically, it presented existing cross-cultural research literature on emotional intelligence, with particular focus on the emotional competencies of Americans and Indians. The literature on cross-cultural psychology of emotions revealed cross-cultural similarities as well as differences in each phase of the emotion process. It supported the view that considerable universality existed with regards to perception of emotions in facial expressions, while the major sources of differences were detected in the processes ofregulation of emotion …

Career Vs. Marriage: Perceptions Of Professional Black Women Employed In Higher Education, Temetria D. Hargett

Masters Theses

Age of first marriage for American women has been on the rise and Black women possessing higher education seem to top the charts of this growing trend. The review of recent literature articulates an increase in marriage ages for Black women that seem to correspond to educational attainment. Through interviewing, the researcher found that the issue of career/marriage balance for professional Black women employed in higher education was relevant; findings from the present study specified obstacles to balancing career and fostering relationships that may end in marriage. An analysis of barriers to marriage for six professional Black women employed in …

Modulatory Efferent Morphology And Target Allocation With Co-Innervating Leech Motor Neurons, James Melchior

Masters Theses

The leech, Hirudo, has two efferents that converge upon the heart tube (HT) muscle; the segmentally iterated heart excitor motor neurons (HE), and the modulatory heart accessory neurons (HA). Using intracellular dye injections and antibody labeling, we were able to visualize and distinguish the morphologies of these two efferents. We found that HA(5) provides dense coverage of the anterior segments of heart tube muscle and extends along the HT into the posterior segments 6 and 7, while HA(6) projects centrally for several segments before extending into the periphery. HA(5) and HA(6) homologs show little or no overlap on HT …

Design Of Multi-Electron Transfer Catalysts For The Reduction Of Trichloroethylene, Christopher Gerard Eman Ciptadjaya

Masters Theses

For decades, organohalide (RX) compounds have been heavily used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries and in agriculture as pesticides. Improper disposal of organohalides has resulted in their presence in the environment as pollutants, and they have therefore presented serious environmental and toxicological concerns. These organohalides have been associated with various health and environmental problems. Therefore, effective methods for their remediation are required. We have developed a multi-electron transfer (MET) catalyst consisting of flavin mononucleotide anchored to nanocrystalline mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films, and examined its reactivity toward the organohalide pollutant trichloroethylene (TCE). Various environmental factors were …

Nanomaterial Composites For The Detection Of Nerve Gas Analogs, Yogesh Datar

Masters Theses

The basis of the research work described here is the use of nanocomposite materials built by bottom-up approach for the selective detection of nerve gas analogs. Nanocomposites materials constructed by using nanoparticle-monomer-receptor (NMR) concept have been utilized to detect nerve gas analogs DCP and DMMP. Synthetic approach used in the construction of nanosensors involved use of robust platforms such as silica nanoparticles and fluorescent quantum dots. Highly conjugated receptor molecules were synthesized by using stilbeneoid compounds. A complete opto-nanosensor was developed by anchoring highly conjugated receptor molecules onto the silica nanoparticles as well as onto the quantum dots. The opto-nanosensors …

Fundamental Investigation Of Vesicle Bilayer Membrane Dynamics, Wilson Okumu

Masters Theses

We studied the bilayer of vesicles from dimyristolyphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), using nitrobenzoxadiazole (NBD) probes, attached to the head (NBD-PE) and the tail (NBD-PC) of phospholipid derivatives. We characterized the bilayer as it underwent reversible transition from the gel to the fluid through a phase transition range. The main phase transition was characterized by steady state and timeresolved fluorescence anisotropy, fluorescence intensity decrement and kinetics of dithionite reduction. We also studied DMPC with dihydrocholesterol. Differences between the surface and interior regions of the bilayer region were obtained. The activation barrier was enthalpic in the gel, entropic in the fluid phase and anomalous …

Nanosensors For The Detection Of Nerve Agents And Explosives, Deepak Kumar Thimmaraju

Masters Theses

The central hypothesis of this research was development of a novel nanosensor for the detection of nerve agents and explosives. The nanosensor assembly comprises a bottom up approach with nanoparticle (N), monomer (M), nanomolecule (N) and a receptor (R) as moieties of a NMNR assembly. My research was focused on evaluating receptors for their efficiency towards the target analytes such as nerve agents and explosives. Pi electron rich receptor 2-Phenyl-2-Propanol and its fluorinated analog 1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexafluoro-2-Phenyl-2-Propanol were investigated for their ability to detect nerve agents such as DCP, its analogs DMMP and HCl along with the explosives mono, di, and trinitrotoluene. …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Semiotic Content In Commercial Email Subject Lines And The Decision By The Recipient To Open The Message, Stephen J. Johnson

Masters Theses

The writings of Saussure, Peirce, Barthes, Eco and others express theories that symbols, signs, and signals are integral elements in the assignation of meaning within general human communication. Email marketing specialists such as Stephanie Miller, Andy Goldman, and Jeannieay Mullen opine that it is the email recipient’s inferences regarding the words in the address or subject lines that are the primary determinants in the decision whether or not to first open and subsequently respond to a commercial email. It would then seem that email marketers would be well served by understanding what forms these inferences in the minds of the …

An Eco-Philosophical Ecofeminist Critique Of Victimology: Examining The Anthropocentric And Speciesist Borders And Boundaries Of Victimology, Angela K. Simon

Masters Theses

This work is a critique of the anthropocentric and speciesist borders and boundaries of victimology. Essentially I challenge victimology for failing to incorporate the victimizations of non-human animals and the environment, and instead focusing narrowly on only specific forms of human victimization. I do this by examining the history of victimology and exploring how its boundaries became what they are today. Focusing on the role criminology has had in the general development of victimology. I then go on to juxtapose the limited presence of animals and the environment within criminology with their relative absence in victimology. In conjunction with this …