Digital Commons Network^™

Inflation And Growth: An Estimate Of The Threshold Level Of Inflation In The U.S., Hio Loi

Masters Theses

The study examines the threshold level of inflation in the US during the period 1960-2011. The model suggests the threshold level of inflation in the US is 0 to 1.5 percent quarterly. Above that threshold level, inflation has a significant negative effect on real GDP growth. Below the threshold level, the effect of inflation on real GDP growth is ambiguous.

A Study In Micro Discourse Community Learning: The Subject-Driven Micro Discourse Community Session Model, Philip Brandon Gallagher

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the development and testing of a new collaborative learning model that uses new media informed practices to teach modem students who are familiar with today's digital learning environments. Often, modem students have difficulty learning from traditional classroom practices. The Subject-Driven Micro Discourse Community Session model is an answer to this problem for collaborative learning. The Micro Community Model, for short, engages participants in small, collaborative groups as experts that have valuable knowledge to contribute. By using organized role switching and knowledge recording techniques, the model draws on current new media attributes to appeal to student competencies and …

Genre Awareness: Effectively Teaching Composition Through Genre Awareness At A Community College, Ashley D. Klinginsmith

Masters Theses

This thesis outlines the history of rhetorical genre theory and how the evolving definition of genre has influenced current genre awareness pedagogies. The survey of literature examines implicit and explicit pedagogical approaches to teaching genre theory and closely examines genre awareness as an alternative approach. Through exploring genre awareness, the thesis highlights the specific scene of the community college writing classroom in comparison to the scene of the university ,:vriting classroom in order to detennine how to best instruct students. After a thorough examination of the scene, the study progresses into a useful guide for comm1mity college instmctors to gain …

Five People Like This: How Writers Perceive And Interact With Their Facebook Audience, Luke E. Kingery

Masters Theses

This study is a mixed methods approach to exploringa udience-awarenesso n Facebook.B y conductinga survey of l O l students enrolled in Composition II, observing the status updates posted by 21 Facebook users for one month, and conducting 5 individual case studies, it is evident that the level of audience awareness varies among users. This study found that some users are learning audience awareness through the feedback they are getting from, and they frame their messages in ways that imply audience awareness. Finally, more research needs to be conducted on Facebook writing and discusses and scholars should continue to explore …

Nonprofit Visual Identity: Evaluating The Needs And Wants, Whitney R. Noland

Masters Theses

Visual identity originates within the internal structures of both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Establishing this visual identity is necessary for any organization, so it can gain mvareness in a community and even develop a relationship with its potential clients and donors. For many nonprofit organizations, the identity should be the central component of fundraising and marketing procedures; however, nonprofits, at times, disengage with their needs and instead focus on their wants, losing sight of the importance of standardizing their image. Through this client-based project, which focused on audience relationship, social responsibility, and ethical awareness, 1 partnered with a nonprofit organization …

Sketching As An Ally In The First-Year Composition Classroom, Kenneth P. Webb

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the possible use of sketching as a pedagogical tool in the first-year composition classroom. The digital age has brought with it a wealth of new (and culturally significant) multimodal compositions, that is, compositions that use multiple modes of communication. In particular, visual modes of communication are growing increasingly important. Furthermore, new ways of sharing information has lead to an accelerating proliferation of new media that increasingly blends visual and verbal elements in the creation of compositions. College students, in the midst of grappling with these new challenges, and with the promise of unforeseen multimodal genres in the …

Coping Strategies In Parents Raising Children With Disabilities, Danielle Haaksma

Masters Theses

The current study examined how parents of children with disabilities use coping strategies to manage stress and mental health. A convenience sample of twenty-five parents completed a survey developed by the researcher. Findings showed that the coping strategies used the most included talking to family members, followed by purposeful planning, talking to friends outside the family and learning to accept the situation. In addition, the mothers in this sample used adaptive coping, talked to friends and utilized purposeful planning more often than the fathers did. Positive reinterpretation of the situation and escape avoidance were the only strategies that had a …

Evaluation Of Knowledge, Beliefs And Use Of Nutritional Ergogenic Aids Among Collegiate Athletes, Mekenzie Lewis

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the NEA knowledge and practices of collegiate athletes. Participants of the study included 152 Division I collegiate athletes from a small Midwestern university. Athletes were both male and female participants of rugby, basketball, baseball, soccer, swimming, and/or track and field during the 2011-2012 school year. A 14 item questionnaire was developed based on concepts associated with misconceptions or wide spread beliefs about these NEAs identified through review of sports nutrition peer reviewed research articles, published text books, and based on personal experiences with college athletes. Content accuracy was established by review of …

School Readiness: An Exploration Of Early Childhood Professionals' Perceptions And Practices, Lindsey Jenkins

Masters Theses

Early childhood experiences set a foundation for school and for life. Because so many children attend some type of early childhood program, it is important to understand the perceptions of those teach and care for young children before they enter kindergarten. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between perceptions and practices of early childhood professionals regarding school readiness based of five areas of child development. Sixty-one early childhood professionals completed the Kindergarten Readiness Survey, and descriptive statistics, constant comparison, and microanalysis were used to analyze the data.

Results of this study indicate that social-emotional development is …

Evaluation Of Menu-Labeling's Effect On Restaurant Patrons' Meal Choices, Sarah Elizabeth Knoll

Masters Theses

Background: Quick service restaurant food has been association with weight gain, increased waist size, and insulin resistance, that lead to increased risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. A resolution includes a public policy initiative mandating restaurants to list calories at the point <>f purchase. The purpose of this research was to determine if calorie menu labeling has an effect on individuals' decision to build a healthier combo meal, one lower in calories.

Methvds: A convenience sample was gathered. Participants completed an online survey asking them to build combo meals from quick st;rvice restaurants. Participants were randomly sorted into …

"Have You Forgotten Us?": An Analysis Of Resources For Non-Traditional Students, Theresa Lindsay

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine how supported the non-traditional student population at Eastern Illinois University (EIU) felt and to assess what campus resources and services they use and need. An online survey was developed by the researcher and administered to 285 current non-traditional college students. The findings indicated that overall, non-traditional students at EIU felt supported by the university and their instructors. However the participants also reported that they were not using all of the services and resources the university offered. In addition, several respondents noted that there are some services that are not currently offered at …

Physical Activity And Household Food Insecurity As Important Predictors Of Health Status In Eiu Students, Tatjana Magoc

Masters Theses

Household food insecurity (HFI), defined as limited access to nutritionally adequate foods, is associated with poor diet, which can increase the risk of obesity and health related problems (Kaiser, 2005; Brewer et al., 2010). It is one of the conditions that may adversely affect the normal development of children and adults. The highest level of food insecurity is defined as "hunger". The purpose of this study was to (a) assess the general level ofHFI in Eastern Illinois University (EIU) students, (b) examine the association between Physical Activity (PA) and Body Mass Index (BMI) in EIU students, (c) examine the association …

Johannes Brahms' Liebeslieder Walzer Op. 52 And Hector Berlioz' "Hungarian March" From La Damnation De Faust, Sarah Todd

Masters Theses

Johannes Brahms, known for his love of serious music and archaic forms, was indelibly influenced by residence in lively Vienna. During his Vienna years he composed some of his most "popular" works, both in terms of style and reception, among these the Liebeslieder Walzer Op. 52. These masterful "love song waltzes" are settings of folk poems from Georg Daumer' s Polydora. Brahms skill in songwriting lies in his subtlety. Not bound to overt text painting, the composer uses rhythmic and textural clues along with characteristically rich harmonic language to musically reflect the love, longing, and loss found in Daumer' s …

Barack Obama: The Inevitable Nominee, Bradley M. Forsythe

Masters Theses

The 2008 Democratic primary is often regarded as a once-in-a-lifetime political event. Democratic frontrunner and former first lady Hillary Clinton faced off against Illinois junior Senator Barack Obama. Despite a commanding position in national polling that led many pundits to declare the race Clinton's to lose, her campaign faltered during the primary, allowing Obama to find himself in a commanding position to be the Democratic Party's nominee for president. An exploration of the two campaigns, however, reveals stark differences in strategy, messaging, fundraising, and the use of technology.

In terms of strategy, Hillary Clinton's campaign was unprepared to contest the …

Foreign Aid: Addiction, Weaning, Recovery?, Peter Foster

Masters Theses

Africa has long been seen as a foreign world to the West. Early pioneers to the continent called it "the dark continent" and during the Scramble for Africa in the late 1890s, European countries divided largely unexplored regions of the continent between themselves. Many European colonists are today reviled for their colonial practices of racial segregation, exclusion of locals from the political process and the imprisonment of black leaders. Through conquest and regulation, majority black populations were taken advantage of by European powers which divided the continent and drew up their own boundaries, ultimately splitting or forcibly combining ethnic groups. …

Regional Voting Patterns In Contemporary Presidential Elections: The Effect Of Race, Income And Abortion Viewpoint, John W. T. Megson

Masters Theses

This study examines regional differences in the effect a voter's race, viewpoint on abortion and income have upon his or her vote in presidential elections. Using binary logistic regression and log odds, the results show that regional differences do exist. Whilst race still has the largest effect in the South, the effect in what scholars have termed the Non-South varies with the North Central region differing noticeably from the North East and the West. With regard to abortion attitudes the lowest observed effect was in the South, with attitudes playing a greater effect in the North Central and West regions.

Ir Theory And State Cooperation On Blood Diamonds, Holly Thomas

Masters Theses

Blood diamonds, or "conflict diamonds," have funded rebel movements and terrorist organizations worldwide. Bloodshed over these diamonds, the conflicts they prolonged, and the horrific human rights violations associated with the competition for this natural resource, resulted in an international effort to regulate rough diamonds, and has become an issue for states, institutions, non-government organizations (NGOs), media, and the public. Forums were held in 2001, known as the Kimberley Process, to discuss the threat of conflict diamonds. With the United Nations' support, state and nonstate actors devised the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), a non-binding agreement to stop the import and …

Predicting Rumination From The Five Facets Of Mindfulness, Allen Creamean

Masters Theses

Mindfulness is defined as a process of paying attention to the moment-by-moment experience of thoughts and feelings. It is a non-elaborative, non-judgmental, present-centered awareness in which each thought, feeling or sensation that arises in the attentional field is acknowledged and accepted (Kabat-Zinn, 1990; 1998). The concept of mindfulness adopted in Western therapeutic contexts was derived from Eastern spiritual and philosophical Buddhist teachings. Since its introduction nearly 20 years ago, mindfulness-based treatments have evolved towards altering the relationship between the self and internal/external sensations to reduce multiple forms of psychological and physical morbidity (Bishop et al., 2004). Currently, it is used …

The Effects Of Body Positioning On Compliance Among Children, Andrea Merideth Delaney

Masters Theses

Noncompliance has significant implications for children in both home and educational settings. It can thwart learning and lead to increased levels of stress for parents. This study examined the effect of body positioning on the compliance rates of three children in the clinic setting. Results found that higher rates of compliance were experienced when caregivers issued commands in either the kneeling or bending positions rather than a standing position. For two of the three participants, a kneeling position yielded higher rates of compliance. No differences were seen pre- and post-intervention in regards to parenting style using the PAQ-R. Decreases in …

Effects Of Varied Meaningfulness On The Load Theory Of Attention, Hannah Mason

Masters Theses

The point at which selection of which stimuli in our environment to attend to is made has plagued researchers for decades. The load theory was developed as a compromise between the early and late selection theories. However, little research has been done on the effects of varied meaningfulness on the load theory of attention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects that varied meaningfulness has on both high and low attentional loads. Sixteen traditionally-aged college students were given a selection task in either high or low attentional load while being presented with distractors in the periphery. Mean …

Demographics And Seasonal Abundance Of Sportfish In Three Thermal Habitats Of Coffeen Lake, Anthony Paul Porreca

Masters Theses

Power generating facilities across Illinois provide electricity to residents of the state, while at the same time offering desirable open water fishing lakes that can be used by anglers during the winter season when other reservoirs are not accessible. Coffeen Lake represents one of the best power cooling fisheries in the state and boasts both excellent largemouth bass and channel catfish populations. The reservoir supplies water to a power station with a generating capacity of 945 megawatts of electricity, with 73% of the surface water affected by heated discharge and a cooling loop covering 4.1 miles. Sampling sport fish species …

Manufacturing Process And The Integration Process Needed To Create A Streamline Work Cell For Instruction At The University Level Course, Nicholas J. Savitzky

Masters Theses

Current manufacturing standards expect excellence in part utilization and timely delivery on production. The processes in which parts are manufactured play a pivotal roll in the potential success or failure of a business.

The software industry and the manufacturing sector have combined over the years to create a process of joining machining and computers. This alliance of two worlds enables the machinist to create a part with reduced scrap and low costs.

This research examined multiple programs in order to map out the best process in which to use to illustrate the manufacturing processes that are currently used in today's …

United Nations Military Interventions And Democracy: Factors For Success, Nathan M. Polak

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the effects of various military planning and target-state variables to determine what influences democratic change within a target state undergoing a United Nations military intervention. The variables found to be significant are further explored and refined in a case study of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Then, these refined indicators are tested in a comparative case study of the United Nations Interim Mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). Ultimately, it is found that the desire and motivation of contributing states and that the deployments of UN troops in …

The Effect Of An Oral Carbohydrate Rinse On Shorter-Endurance Exercise Program, Morgan Esh

Masters Theses

Research has suggested that orally rinsing with a carbohydrate solution can improve shorter-endurance exercise performance (Carter, Jeukendrup, & Jones, 2004; Chambers, Bridge, & Jones, 2009; Pottier, Bouckaert, Roels, & Derave, 2009; Rollo, Williams, & Nevill, 2011). The purpose of this study was to determine if a carbohydrate mouth rinse improves a 30 minute running distance compared to a non-carbohydrate mouth rinse in females ages 18 to 25 years. Eight female recreational runners performed two experimental rinse-trials the morning after an overnight fast. Participants performed each 30 minute treadmill run at a Borg rating of perceived exertion (RPE) of 14 and …

Nutrition Facts Panel Components: Utilization By Consumers, Caitlin A. Huth

Masters Theses

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) that resulted in the appearance of the Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP) on all packaged foods in 1994. With rising rates of obesity in the country, the Panel was intended to serve as a nutrition tool to help consumers make informed food and nutrition choices. Previous research has discussed the application and use of the NFP related to consumers' demographic features, dietary outcomes, such as diet quality, and consumer behaviors, such as purchasing decisions.

The purpose of this study was to determine the use of NFP components …

Framing Jane: Film Adaptation And Jane Eyre, 1934-2006, Joy Wohlman Boyce

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Knowledge, Application, And The Impact Of Nutrition Education Of Portion Sizes In Female Adolescents, Denise Fearday

Masters Theses

The rising rates of obesity in children and adolescents are a cause for concern and an opportunity to educate youth on prevention strategies regarding obesity. Studies have shown that adolescents carry their knowledge and habits of eating into adulthood, and therefore should be educated when young to prevent obesity at an older age. A nutrition education workshop was presented to a group of adolescent females to determine their knowledge and application of portion sizes. The workshop was designed as a pretest-intervention-posttest study with an objective of determining the impact of a portion size workshop on the knowledge and attitudes of …

Effect Of A Summer Bridge Program On Provisionally Admitted Students' Self-Efficacy, Merry Kathleen Lucas

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Sources Of Media Bias In Coverage Of The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The 2010 Gaza Flotilla Raid In German, British, And U.S. Newspapers, Michael Neureiter

Masters Theses

This study examines (1) whether German, British, and U.S. media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is biased, and (2) if such a bias exists, what its sources are. Applying Dave D' Alessio's and Mike Allen's framework for measuring media bias to a sample of 240 newspaper articles on the 2010 Gaza Flotilla Raid, we find that British and especially German newspapers exhibit a significant anti-Israel bias, whereas the results for the United States are mixed. Testing five explanations of media bias commonly mentioned in the relevant literature, we find that a newspaper's political affiliation as well as a country's public …

Population Demographics Of White Crappie In Three Illinois Reservoirs, Candice Marie Miller

Masters Theses

Crappie provide important sport-fisheries throughout the United States. Because of the propensity of this species to display growth stunting, an assessment of crappie population demographics is needed in Midwestern reservoirs. I assessed the population demographics of white crappie, Pomoxis annularis, in three Illinois reservoirs. Samples were collected by three-phase AC boat electrofishing. All crappie were weighed, measured, and the otolith and scale samples were removed for age estimation. Relative density, as measured by catch per unit of effort (CPUE; fish/hour), was different at Lake Mattoon (0.53±0.15), Lake Charleston Side Channel Reservoir (1.17±0.15), and Paradise Lake (1.04±0.18). Size structure of white …