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Destination Zero: A Play In One Act, Deborah L. Muller

Masters Theses

While there have been a few creative theses written in the English department, those written up till now have consisted of collections of short stories and poetry. This is the first play to have been conceived and written for a Master's Thesis at Eastern Illinois University. The Thesis is comprised of two major parts: an introduction and the play, itself.

The introduction deals with what the goals of writing the Thesis were, what research went into reaching these goals, what the characters in the play were attempting to communicate to the reader/audience, and whether the resulting play deviated from the …

A Comparison Between Physiological And Perceived Exertion During Maximal And Submaximal Treadmill Exercise At Three Menstrual Cycle Phases, Kathleen M. Mccune

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in physiological and subjective perceived exertion levels at maximal and submaximal treadmill exercise between three phases of the menstrual cycle in eumennorheic women.

Nine females of varying fitness levels were subjects in the study. None of the subjects were using oral contraception or hormone altering medications at the time of the study.

The subjects performed three separate maximal graded exercise tests (GXT) using the Balke protocol. During each GXT, oxygen uptake (VO₂), heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), respiratory quotient (RQ), rate of perceived exertion, and total time …

A Study Of Baudelaire's Symbols Of The Feminine In Les Fleurs Du Mal, M. Allison Harris

Masters Theses

Using French and American feminist theory, I analyze Charles Baudelaire's symbols in Les Fleurs du Mal in an attempt to come to terms with symbolic representations of the female that are at once traditional and transgressive.

By examining the images of solids (statues, jewels, metals), lesbians and woman's hair which appear frequently in Baudelaire's text, I reveal Baudelaire's desire to eliminate a woman's generative power and her association with the procreative cycle of nature. His desire for a preoedipal union with the maternal female becomes evident in his early poems and his poems on the subject of a woman's hair. …

The Effects Of Laboratory Induced State Anxiety And Frustration On M, Y, Fy, And Yf Rorschach Responses, Gregory T. Eells

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between laboratory induced anxiety and frustration on m, Y, FY, and YF Rorschach responses. Forty-eight subjects, 16 male subjects and 32 female subjects, ranging in age from 19 to 43 years of age were selected for this study. All subjects were enrolled in a psychology course for the summer term of 1991 at Eastern Illinois University. Frustration was induced by erroneously telling subjects that most people could solve the Tower of Hanoi puzzle in 5 minutes then giving the subjects a 5 minute time limit. Anxiety was induced by telling …

An Investigation Into Physiological Responses And Ratings Of Perceived Exertion To Submaximal Cycle Ergometry When Using Aerodynamic And Drop Handlebars, Haydn Jarrett

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Reduced Order H∞ Controller Design, Seng Chu Chow

Masters Theses

"The problem formulation and the development of the H_∞ optimal control theory are reviewed. Various H_∞ robust controller design techniques, including both state and output feedback cases, together with a brief comparison and some remarks on these methodologies arc presented. Also included are a review of the controller order reduction alternatives and various balanced truncation model reduction methods.

A new model reduction technique with reduced error bound is proposed. This proposed technique introduces a new parameter which can be used to select the spectral norm of the model reduction error at low and high frequency ranges according to …

The Relationship Of Osteoporosis Health Beliefs And Knowledge To Calcium Intake, Karen L. Boyer

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between health beliefs (susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, health motivation and self-efficacy) and knowledge, to calcium intake. The study used a descriptive correlational design and a convenience sample of 201 women was selected. Data collection took place in a metropolitan area of west Michigan and a structured interview method was used. The subjects ranged in age from 35 to 95. Ninety-six and one half percent of the sample was white. The hypothesis--"knowledge and the health beliefs account for a significant amount of variance in calcium intake" was partially supported. Self-efficacy and …

Patients' Perceptions Of Being Prepared For Self-Care Following Discharge From An Acute Care Setting, Linda L. Lawton

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to evaluate patients' perceptions of being prepared for discharge from an acute care setting. An instrument to look at patient perceptions of discharge preparation in 10 categories was developed. Orem's self-care model provided the conceptual basis for this study.; The study used a convenience sample of 146 adult patients hospitalized for 24 hours or more on a 35 bed surgical unit. Data were collected via telephone interviews on the third day following discharge. Perceived preparation was measured using a 5 point Likert scale.; The findings indicated a positive perception of being prepared for …

Bedtime Routines And Sleep Patterns Of Hospitalized Elderly, Marie E. Vander Kooi

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine whether performance of a familiar bedtime routine was related to the self-reported nocturnal sleep pattern quality of the hospitalized elderly. A descriptive correlational design was used to analyze data collected on a convenience sample of 30 elderly patients. The Bedtime Routine Questionnaire was used to describe the bedtime routine at home and measure to what extent it was maintained in the hospital. The nocturnal sleep pattern quality was measured using the Richards Campbell Sleep Questionnaire. The most common bedtime routine activities of the elderly were found to be: going to the bathroom; …

Relationships Of Osteoporosis Health Beliefs To Practiced Exercise Behaviors Of Women, Sandra J. Esch

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of health beliefs contained in the Health Belief Model to practiced exercise behavior of women. A descriptive correlation design was used with a convenience sample of 201 women. The revised version of the Osteoporosis Health Belief Exercise Scale developed by Kim, Horan, Gendler and Patel (1991b) was used to measure health beliefs related to osteoporosis. The ARIC/Baecke questionnaire of Habitual Physical Activity was used to measure life style physical activity. Health motivation and exercise benefits were found to be positively correlated to exercise behavior. However, susceptibility and exercise barriers were …

Perceived And Actual Level Of Knowledge Of Diabetes Mellitus Among Nurses, Gayla M. Kupris

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe and compare staff nurses perceived and actual levels of knowledge of diabetes mellitus. Little research has been done to study perceived diabetes knowledge.; This study used a descriptive correlational design. A convenience sample of 60 staff nurses from a 248 bed suburban teaching hospital was surveyed. The Diabetes Self-Report Tool (Drass, Muir-Nash, Boykin, Turek, & Baker, 1989), was used to assess staff nurses' perceived level of diabetes knowledge. The Diabetes: Basic Knowledge Test (Drass, et al., 1989), was used to measure actual level of diabetes knowledge. Subjects were found to have an …

Cancer Patients' Response To Chemotherapy Teaching On Side Effect Management, Kelly A. Guswiler

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate patients' responses to chemotherapy teaching on drug side effects and side effect management. Concepts of self-care from Orem's theory of Self-Care Deficits provided the conceptual framework.; Nineteen cancer patients were given specific information on chemotherapy side effects and side effect management prior to initiating treatment. Patients maintained a written log of experienced side effects and self-care behaviors that they initiated to manage these effects. Number of side effects, intensity and distress rating of side effects, reported self-care behaviors, and effectiveness of the behaviors were analyzed using percentages. Nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, stomatitis, and …

Nursing Participation In Hospital Decision-Making, Sylvia J. Simons

Masters Theses

Nurse administrators may participate in predicting organizational trends and planning at various organizational levels, however, the degree of actual participation of the nurse administrator in hospital decision-making is a relatively new area of investigation. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was used to investigate the differences between nurse administrators' actual and preferred participation in hospital decision-making. A stratified random sample of 60 nurse executives and 60 nurse managers was selected from the Michigan Organization of Nurse Executives' membership list. The overall response rate was 67% (N = 81). Data were obtained from individual nurses by questionnaires. The responses from the nurse …

Nursing Care Of The Elderly In The Acute Care Setting: An Investigation Of Powerlessness, Dorothy De Boer Zylstra

Masters Theses

This study's purpose was to identify whether persons 65 years of age or older hospitalized with congestive heart failure perceive personal powerlessness. Cognitive competence of the subjects was determined by the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire. A Powerlessness Interview Schedule (PIVS) was used to identify subjects' perceptions of personal powerlessness.; Perceived powerlessness was not conclusively apparent in the fifty-one subjects of this study. No subjects received a score of 38 or below. Ten of fifty-one subjects received scores ranging from 46 to 56 which may place them at risk for perceived personal powerlessness. Forty-nine subjects had areas of limited feelings …

Maternal Employment Status Following The Birth Of An Infant, Julie A. Hyde

Masters Theses

A descriptive correlational study was conducted in partial replication of the Youngblut (1989) study for the purpose of determining the relationship between variables related to mothers' employment status and the infants' developmental status at three months. Families of the sample (n = 105) were termed working, non-working or leave of absence (LOA) depending on the mothers' employment status at the infant age of three months.; Variables examined included demographic, reproductive histories, mother-child interaction, employment status, family functioning, neonatal morbidity, developmental outcomes and home/work orientation. Findings revealed that despite a higher SES category than nonworking and LOA families, working mothers also …

Patient Perceptions Of Nurse Caring Behaviors, Patricia A. Devries

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine which nurse caring behaviors in the critical care unit are perceived as most important and least important by patients with myocardial infarction. A sample of 44 subjects responded to an open-ended question and an assessment scale, the Caring Behaviors Assessment. Two comparison groups of 22 subjects each were formed from the sample to determine if number of previous admissions to the critical care unit made a difference in perceptions of most important and least important nurse caring behaviors.; Descriptive statistics along with t-test, chi-square, and two-way analysis of variance were used to …

Determinants Of Health Promotion In The Elderly, Victoria Ann Merren

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to look at determinants of health promotion in the elderly. Pender's (1982) Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile, Wallston & Wallston's (1979) Health Locus of Control Scale, and demographic variables were included on a questionnaire given to a convenience sample of 47 adults, ages ranged from 60-89. All subjects were Caucasian and 65% were female.; The theoretical framework that was used in this descriptive study was Pender's (1987) Health Promotion Model. Standardized z-scores for the Health Locus of Control subscales classified subjects as either "internal" or "external" locus of control. Thirty-five percent were internal.; Forward Regression …

Relationships Of Osteoporosis Health Beliefs To Calcium Intake Of Women, Mary C. Peterson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of health beliefs to calcium intake of women. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) There is a positive relationship between the strength of health beliefs related to susceptibility, seriousness, benefits and motivation and the level of calcium intake. (2) There is a negative relationship between the strength of health beliefs related to barriers and calcium intake.; The study was conducted using a descriptive correlational design. The sample included 201 women between the ages of 35 and 95. The study used the Osteoporosis Health Belief Calcium Scale to measure health beliefs about …

Dose Rate Determination Of The Highly-Enriched Uranium Fuel At The University Of Missouri-Rolla Reactor In Preparation For Transportation, Alice Ann Netzer

Masters Theses

"An analytical model was developed in order to accurately estimate the dose rates in air of the highly-enriched uranium (HEU) fuel at the University of Missouri - Rolla Reactor. Based upon these results, a method is proposed to remove the fuel from the reactor.

First thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) were exposed under water to each of the fuel elements in the reactor pool, except for the four control rodded elements. A model was developed to use the in-water TLD readings to calculate the dose rate of the fuel elements in air at 1 foot and 3 feet. The fuel was modeled …

Coordinated Strategic Planning Of Hydroelectric Energy Usage Using Stochastic Dynamic Programming With Decoupled Production Cost Simulation, Duane David Highley

Masters Theses

"The method of Stochastic Dynamic Programming is applied to the problem of Long-term hydrothermal coordination for a five-reservoir system in the Midwest. The model that has been developed will optimize the monthly reservoir elevations to produce the lowest expected energy production cost. The production cost calculations are decoupled from the Dynamic Programming loop, resulting in shorter execution times. Constraints are included for maximum and minimum reservoir elevations, maximum monthly reservoir rise and drop, and maximum and minimum monthly energy production. These constraints help to reduce the state space and shorten execution time. An additional constraint is modeled to control the …

The Danger Of Including Contextualization In Theological Method, Michael W. Nichols

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Adolescent Suicide: Accurate Assessment Of Suicide Lethality Factors By High School Students, Susan L. Karolus

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of One On One Tutoring And Reading Group Intervention In First And Second Grade Within Chapter One Reading Program, Kim L. Howrey

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Determinants And Incidence Of Illinois Lotto Sales, Thomas Edward Milowski

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Children's Cooperative Behaviors And Parent's Knowledge Of Cooperative Learning, Darice A. Delap

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Changes In The Black/White Income Ratio, 1939-87, Melvin Keys

Masters Theses

The Black/white income ratio (BWIR) has increased steadily from 1939-87 for families with two incomes. Early-on, the income disparity was greatest for black females compared to black males. Because of race and sex discrimination, black females were lagging far behind society in wage differences. Today, the opposite is true, black males lag far behind black females in income: compared to their white counterparts. One of the reasons for such a large reversal in income differences maybe the opportunities that were available to black females in such occupations as teaching and nursing from 1940-75.

Migration, which looks at regional composition, was …

Factors Influencing Distribution And Abundance Of The Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus Migrans) In South-Central Illinois, Eric Lantz Smith

Masters Theses

The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) is listed as a threatened species in Illinois as a result of population declines that have occurred since approximately 1900. Although Graber et al. (1973) reported that this species had been largely extirpated from the northern two-thirds of Illinois by 1965, there has been no research on shrike distribution or abundance in the state since that time. Consequently, a roadside survey was completed in 32 south-central Illinois counties to delineate the abundance of loggerhead shrikes in the study area and attempt to relate their abundance to land-use patterns among counties surveyed.

Two hundred and eleven …

Mechanisms Controlling Tolerance Of Lettuce Seed To High Temperatures At Germination And Emergence, Margaret A. Mnichowicz

Masters Theses

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seed germination is inhibited when temperatures are higher than 25-30 C. The extent of this thermodormancy is affected by both genetic and environmental factors. Lettuce seed of four seedlots of "Empire" produced in the summers and winters of two years were sown in the field in late summer and early fall at Yuma, AZ to determine stand establishment with high soil temperatures. The seedlots produced in the summer had higher percent field emergence than those produced in the winter. Also, seed of these four seedlots were germinated in petri dishes in a growth chamber at 20, …

Improving Swimming Economy Of Novice, Adult, Female Swimmers By Training On A Väsa Swim Trainer, Loreen K. Mattson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if the swimming economy of novice, adult, female swimmers can be increased by training on a Väsa Swim Trainer. Economy of swimming was defined as either: 1) decreased submaximal oxygen consumption (VO₂); 2) decreased oxygen consumption per given distance (VO₂/d); 3) decrease ratio of arm stroke cycles per given distance to swimming velocity (ASI); and 4) decrease submaximal heart rate (HR).

Eight females between the age of 35 to 60 years, mean age 50.4, who were considered to be novice swimmers (average 45.7 meter lap time greater than …

Killer Trees And Homicidal Grass: The Anthropomorphic Landscape In The American Prose Narrative Of The Vietnam War, Timothy F. Poremba

Masters Theses

Reading the landscape of Vietnam (the climate, the jungle, the topography) as an anthropomorphic character in the American prose narrative of the war provides a unique insight into the inner landscapes of the men who fought there and now write about it. William V. Spanos writes that the urge to name--to anthropomorphize--is man's method for dealing with the existential nothingness of being. Zohreh T. Sullivan, in discussing the landscape of Joseph Conrad, perceives landscape as a projection of the author's own psychic turmoil. Furthermore, Gaston Bachelard in The Poetics of Space recognizes the imaginative value that man places on space, …