Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Knowledge Base Of Concrete Bridge Maintenance System, Bahre Karam

Masters Theses

Bridges are the key elements of any transportation system of a country. Bridges are expensive structures and therefore, it's essential to maintain and repair them on regular basis. Almost one third of the bridges in United States are reported to be in some what deteriorated conditions. This Research presents the development of knowledge base for decision support system for concrete bridges.

During this research various concrete bridge problems are investigated including COlTosion, delamination, cracks, spalling and scour etc. The inspection tools and techniques are addressed in order to identify these problems both for above and below water surface. The various …

Perceptions Of Adolescents: Preferences Of Adolescents For Parental Presence And The Effect On Information Disclosure, Bethany Barrus

Masters Theses

Adolescents born with a cleft lip or palate are in a unique position because they have received a lifetime of interdisciplinary team care where decisions are frequently made by parents, yet they are transitioning into a stage of life in which they will make their own health related decisions. Because of the complexity of their health needs, the preferred method of care is interdisciplinary team care (Nackashi, Dedlow, Dixon-Wood, 1997; Kummer, 2001). Little research has been conducted regarding the perceptions of adolescents with oral cleft about their care and issues of confidentiality in the context of team care. This study …

The Use Of Verbal And Written Emotional Expression For Empowerment And Healing In Clinical Social Work Practice, Laurie Lynn Dix Schmit

Masters Theses

Social work practice often demonstrates ambivalence about emotions and emotional expression. Forced by managed care to keep clinical work short-term, and having removed the depth of psychoanalytic and other psychodynamic approaches, social workers have retreated from attending to the emotional life of clients, and now focus mainly in the realm of thoughts and behaviors. By integrating literature from other disciplines with social work, and incorporating contemporary thought on the topic, this paper addresses the importance, challenges and rewards of utilizing emotional expression in clinical social work practice. We find that, by addressing the emotions of our clients, we begin to …

The Effects Of African American Children’S Skin Complexions In Television Commercials On The Self-Perception Of African American Children, Daveta Jacquistia Saunders

Masters Theses

This study examines the effects of the complexion of African American children in television commercials on the self-perception of African American children. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted. A total of 347 commercials were examined from Saturday morning television programming on broadcast stations in the Lynchburg, Virginia area during March 2007. The results of the quantitative analysis found a lack of darker complexion African American females in the pre-recorded commercials. A qualitative analysis was conducted with focus groups of African American children ages 6-10 who were asked questions after viewing 8 to 10 of the pre-recorded commercials from the …

Elite Athletes’ Motivations To Volunteer And Interpersonal Communication Motives: Identifying Volunteers' Interaction Position, Jeff K. Boettger

Masters Theses

Volunteerism is a critical component of today’s society, and Sport’s philanthropy is an emerging and influential sector within the nonprofit industry. The current study dives into interpersonal interactions in a volunteer context, as framed by Interaction Adaptation Theory. The components – individuals’ requirements, expectations, and desires – serve as underlying influences, or motivations, that direct all interaction. The objective of the study was to identify elite athletes’ most prevalent motivations to volunteer (MTVs) and interpersonal communication motives (ICMs) as well as to determine any significant correlations between these motivations. The research focused on generating greater insight and understanding into the …

Millennial Media: A Fantasy Theme Analysis Of The Short Film "Narrow Roads", Auri - Christopher Colin Jones

Masters Theses

As we move into the future of , society has become more involved with the media they consume. Younger generations in the past generations have been effected and have affected media development in various ways. The Millennial generation of today is no exception. This thesis discusses the effects of media on the millennial generation through fantasy theme chains of an original video narrative. Millennial students will watch the narrative and discuss with other Millennials the themes presented and perceived from the video. The results from this study will give a look into how millennial interaction about visual media makes a …

Relational Maintenance Behaviors Between College Freshmen And Their Parents Via Instant Messaging, Jason Earl Leverett

Masters Theses

The present project provides insight concerning possible relational maintenance behaviors (RMB) college freshmen may initiate when communicating with a parent via Instant Messaging (IM). In addressing this topic, the researcher divided the present project into three studies. Study 1 addressed possible RMB within the college freshmen-parent relationship. Study 2 investigated if college freshmen correspond with at least one parent via IM. And Study 3 investigated which RMB from Study 1 were most common in college freshmen-parent interactions via IM. The researcher observed seven RMB in Study 1: openness, assurance, social networks, positivity, shared tasks, advice seeking and worry avoidance. In …

The Pioneering Journey Of Christian Radio Through Satellite Distribution: A Historical Overview Of The Moody Broadcasting Network 1982 – 2002, Kornel Gerstner

Masters Theses

Moody Broadcasting was the first Christian radio network that developed and used satellite distribution effectively. The project looks at the uniqueness of Moody Broadcasting Network, as part of a greater organization, Moody Bible Institute. During the twenty years, MBN was able to not only to maintain its previously owned-and-operated radio stations, but also acquire more listener-supported radio networks, without ever selling airtime. Even though the original “dream” was never fully implemented, the growth of MBN is indisputable. Chapters examine at different challenges and victories that MBN faced during these crucial years of serving the needs of listeners. This project also …

The Rise Of Controversial Content In Film, Ashley Haygood

Masters Theses

This study looks at the change in controversial content in films during the 20th century. Original films made prior to 1968 and their remakes produced after were compared in the content areas of profanity, nudity, sexual content, alcohol and drug use, and violence. The advent of television, post-war effects and a proposed “Hollywood elite” are discussed as possible causes for the increase in controversial content. Commentary from industry professionals on the change in content is presented, along with an overview of American culture and the history of the film industry.

Homeless At Home: The Communication Effects Of The 'One Homeless Night' Program On Participants’ Attitudes And Perceptions Of Homelessness In Canada, Sarah Grace Neff

Masters Theses

Experiential learning provides an opportunity for participants to engage with their respective subject matter in an interactive, effective way. One Homeless Night, an experiential learning event, communicates the nature, causes, and complexity of homelessness through a street walk, facilitated orientation, interactions with the homeless, a service learning component, and finally, an overnight experience at an organization that works with the homeless. This study endeavored to ascertain the extent to which One Homeless Night is effective in the communication of the true nature of homelessness to participants. Key findings of One Homeless Night included increased understanding of the complexity of homelessness, …

Audience Parasocial Involvement With The Thai Radio Drama: Never Too Late, Christine Lynn Henrich

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to explore audience involvement with the entertainment-education radio soap opera Never Too Late in Thailand. The main sources of data were a mail survey administered to the listeners who sent letters and text messages to the program, providing 128 completed questionnaires, and the letters and text messages from the listeners. The thesis addressed responses to the program at three levels of parasocial interaction: cognitive, affective and behavioral, as well as self-efficacy, which is the belief that a change can be made.

Key findings included: the more listeners talked about the program the more they …

Constraining Protein Structure Simulation With Aggregate Data Using Robotic Techniques, Eric Bracey

Masters Theses

This approach to protein simulation uses Protein Data Bank information to construct useful, simple, geometric constraints that can be applied to a protein simulation. We compiled experimental data for proteins with between 30-90 residues and analyzed the relationship between their sizes, defined as the radius of a sphere that encloses the 3D structure; the maximum distance between any two residues and the number of residues in the protein. A significant relationship was found and the analysis was used to predict the ranges that the size and maximum distance between residues would have for a protein with a given number of …

Contradiction And The Carnival: A Study Of Mcgregor’S Theory X And Theory Y Framework Applied To Communication Within A Carnival Setting, Ashley Dawn Johnston

Masters Theses

The following study addresses Douglas McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y management paradigm as applied toward carnival executives' (CEs) communication to employees. Fifteen CEs were interviewed and elicited narratives that held either Theory X or Theory Y paradigm. From the narratives it was discovered that most CEs held a Theory Y paradigm toward employees. However, it was also discovered that the Theory Y paradigm may be a result of increased use of foreign labor or a swing in the carnival industry itself.

The 21st Century Mandaean Diaspora: New Opportunities To Reach Iraqi Mandaean Refugees With The Gospel, Karen Baker

Masters Theses

Introduction This thesis argues that the status of Iraqi Mandaeans, who are fleeing their native country and becoming refugees by the thousands, presents an unprecedented opportunity for the gospel message. The Great Commission requires taking the gospel message to every people group in the world. However, the Mandaeans have been an inaccessible sect until the present time.

The Thesis This thesis evaluates the current situation of Mandaeans through academic journals and books, consultation with missionaries to Mandaeans, and interviews with Mandaean refugees. As a result of their physical isolation, deep within the Muslim world of Iraq and Iran, and their …

Wimax Software Defined Radio, Assad Saleem

Masters Theses

As processors and configurable devices are getting faster and smaller, they are giving rise to better solutions for various communications systems and standards. In this paper, the implementation of a software defined radio for WiMAX is presented. This paper highlights the system model for simulation to achieve better understanding of the system, which was developed in MATLAB. Also, included in the paper is the discussion of the physical implementation of this communication system. The system is build around National Instruments’ PCI 5640 hardware which features a Xilinx Virtex-II FPGA. Naturally, LabVIEW was the tool used to implement the hardware/software co-design.

Experimental Measurements And Mathematical Modeling Of The Rigid Capillary Dewatering, Vrajesh N. Chokshi

Masters Theses

Rigid Capillary Dewatering (RCD) technology is a process in which water is removed from a wet paper web by capillary dewatering action without excessive mechanical compaction of the fiber furnish. Operating conditions on the Rigid Capillary Pressing (RCP) roll, and properties of paper and pulp determines the dewatering behavior of the RCD technology.

The dewatering behavior of the RCD technology is studied in four sets of experiments performed using different operating conditions, on a paper pilot machine at a Western Michigan University (WMU) facility. The solids content of the paper web before and after the RCP roll in the press …

Development Of Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy For Studying Electron Transport In Lipid Monolayers And Gold Nanoparticle Films, Violeta Stoycheva

Masters Theses

The focus of this thesis is the scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) investigation of the electron transport in lipid monolayers and in films of gold nanoparticles. The quality and stability of lipid monolayers were characterized by various analytical techniques such as fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy, contact angle, and electrochemistry using a monolayer modified electrode. In the SECM measurement, the monolayer electron transport was not detected. The microscopic monolayer quality turned out to be not suitable for studying the electron transport.

The conductivity of mono layer protected gold clusters (MPCs) with different core sizes (1-3 nm diameter) were investigated using SECM. These …

Banish Belly Bulge And Chisel Your Bis: A Semiotic Analysis Of Gender Representations In Fitness Magazine Advertising, Lauren A. Teal

Masters Theses

This study examined gender ideologies in the advertising of two popular fitness magazines, Shape and Men's Fitness, using Kress and van Leeuwen's visual semiotic theory (1996). The aim of this study was to determine how fitness magazine advertising participates in the construction of gender identities, and to identify what rhetorical and visual strategies are commonly employed.

Through an examination of the way gender identities are constructed by fitness magazines my research has concluded that advertising within both magazines promotes idealized body types and stereotypical gender identities for men and women. In Shape's advertisements, women are wives and homemakers; they …

Stratigraphy And Organic Carbon Contents Of Glacial Deposits In The City Of Portage, Michigan, U.S.A., Nathaniel A. Barnes

Masters Theses

The objectives of this study are to characterize the stratigraphy of the glacial drift in an area located in Portage, Michigan using four complete rotasonic cores, and to determine the variation of organic carbon content in the drift that may explain the high iron concentrations in the groundwater typically obtained in moderate to deep wells in southwestern Michigan. The four cores were characterized in detail in terms of lithology, textural and statistical analyses, gamma ray logging, S¹³C variation and organic carbon analyses. Clay minerals were characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis.

Results of this study identified two main diamicton …

An Upper Extremity Biomechanical Model: Application To The Bicep Curl, Adam Miller

Masters Theses

An upper extremity biomechanical model was developed based on recommendations provided by the International Society of Biomechanics. The model was used to investigate biomechanical differences between two variations of the bicep curl exercise: the standing and incline dumbbell curls. An 8-camera Vicon motion capture system was used to collect data on five subjects that executed 10 repetitions of each type of curl.

Four key biomechanical indicator variables were investigated: range of motion, maximum elbow flexion moment, mean elbow flexion moment, and the flexion angle at which the maximum flexion moment occurs. On average, the range of motion at the elbow …

Mitochondrial Dna Sequence Variation And Phylogenetic Relationships Among Michigan Brown Trout (Salmo Trutta) Strains, Shleby S. Johnson

Masters Theses

Despite the extensive use of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in studies of European brown trout (Salmo trutta) populations, little information is available regarding the genetic composition or phylogenetic relationships among strains of Michigan brown trout. The objective of this study was to quantify the amount of polymorphism among three strains of Michigan brown trout at the mtDNA level and to infer genetic relatedness among representative individuals of these strains. This was accomplished by sequencing the ND1 region of mtDNA and constructing phylogenetic trees based on detected sequence variation. A total of 23 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found in …

Building A Predictive Model For Paleo Indian Archaeological Site Location Using Geographic Information Systems, Zachary Jaime

Masters Theses

This research is a multi step method to predict unknown Paleoindian archaeological site locations within Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, situated in the southeastern corner of the state, using a Geographic Information System (GIS). The GIS technology is being used to predict Paleoindian archaeological site locations and will help demonstrate the geographic similarities and differences between already known Paleoindian archaeological sites and random non-site locations in the Pine Bluffs region. Using GIS, one can note the similarities and differences between the Paleoindian sites and the surrounding landscape and, with help of logistic regression analysis, one can predict the location of unknown Paleoindian …

The Gyftakis Site: A Reevalutation Of A Middle Woodland Site After 30 Years, Michael R. Fournier

Masters Theses

This research is the catalogue and study of the Gyftakis Site (20MK51) excavated in 1973 by Dr. James Fitting. The first part of this study involves the cataloguing and description of the artifacts excavated by Dr. James Fitting at the Gyftakis site located on the Marquette Mission block in St. Ignace, MI.

The second part of the research involves using SPSS to analyze the decorative techniques used on the Gyftakis pottery. A chi-square test was performed first to see if the ceramic decorations were not just defined by a random distribution. After that the ceramic decorations were analyzed in both …

Educating Fourth Grade Students In Michigan About Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) Using A Teaching Trunk, Jessica Marie Wesel

Masters Theses

The Michigan Gray Wolf Recovery and Management Plan was signed on December 1997, and made residents aware that the population of gray wolves in Michigan would be on the rise. Because the number of wolf-human interactions eventually will increase, it is essential that people are educated about wolves to avoid the stereotyping and misconceptions that often are associated with wolves. A good place to start with this type of education is with children in elementary school.

A teaching trunk was used in two schools, one in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, and one in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Three classrooms from each school …

Borate Autocasting: Kinetics Model And Effect Of Carbon Dioxide On Reaction Rate, Ali Zuhair Fadhel

Masters Theses

Borate autocausticizing is a promising approach to the operational and environmental improvement of Kraft pulping and its chemical recovery. Its advantages include partial or total elimination of the lime cycle, pulp strength improvement, and energy savings. Borate autocausticizing involves the use of an amphoteric salt, sodium metaborate, to de-carbonize sodium carbonate and produces trisodium borate, the reaction occurs at high temperatures. Tran and Cameron (1999) suggest that the reaction follows the path below.

NaBO₂ + Na₂CO₃ → Na₃BO₃ + CO₂

This thesis systematically analyzes the reaction kinetics of borate autocausticizing. The uniqueness …

Cheating Death: The Demedicalization Of Cpr, Michelle Nicole Erwin

Masters Theses

My research explores cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as a case study of demedicalization. I will use an instrumental case study method to examine the history and setting of CPR. In order to gain a stronger understanding of CPR in particular, I will look in depth at the actors and organizations involved in the development, medicalization, and demedicalization of CPR. The purpose of this study is to better grasp how demedicalization occurs in a more general context by looking through the lens of CPR. I will adapt a framework that is used for examining medicalization authored by Peter Conrad (1980), to allow …

An Investigation Of Paul’S Use Of The Word “Type” In Romans 5:12-21: Comparison, Contrast, Or Both?, Laurie Schweinsberg

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate Paul’s use of the word “type” in Romans 5:14. Adam as a “type” of Christ appears incongruent with the rest of the passage, which seems to put Adam and Christ in total opposition.

There is no denying the contrasts between Adam and Christ in their personage, nor in their actions. Even with respect to the actual consequences on those they affected, the differences are obvious, but there are very important comparisons which may be Paul’s true focus in this passage. Paul is comparing the principles of sin and death and the principle …

The Independent Press In The Emerging Democracies: The Case Studies Of Poland, Ukraine And Russia, Lyudmyla Pustelnyk

Masters Theses

My research will entail the election coverage in the mainstream papers of Poland, Ukraine and Russia, these are the Gazeta Wyborcha, the Den, and the Izvestiya respectively. The diverse levels of media-freedom in the observed countries explain the difference between all three outlets in featuring political issues. The purpose of this Master's Thesis is to contrast and compare the state of the free press in Poland, Ukraine and Russia as well as the factors that determine the media-independence. In particular, these are the media-legislation, civil society and the economic performance.

This study revises the empirical claims made by …

Heterogeneous Formation Of Hono On Hno3 Pre-Conditioned Hydrophobic, Hydrophilic And Ionic Surfaces At Various Relative Humidities, Dustin S. Wier

Masters Theses

Nitric acid (HNO₃) is a major sink for NO_x (NO+NO₂ ) and is known to be removed from the atmosphere as a result of wet and dry deposition where it is then deposited on various surfaces in the environment. As these surfaces are photolyzed HONO is produced which affects the overlying troposphere. This study examines the amount of HONO (Nitrous Acid) produced by the photolysis of adsorbed HNO₃ as a function of changing relative humidity on hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and inorganic ionic salt surfaces. The amount of HONO produced was measured in long path cell using …

Beowulf, Anthony Alvarado

Masters Theses

My composition is a tone poem based on the Old English epic poem Beowulf Specifically, this piece depicts Beowulf s three battles with three diverse monsters. The first Grendel, second Grendel's mother, and last a dragon. In this composition, the music does not follow any specific or traditional forms. Instead, each episode is presented as a picture of each event.

The choice to depict the story of Beowulf was an interesting choice. While historically the story is significant, it is not a very popular one. The poem is the oldest surviving manuscript written in Old English. However, more recent (relatively) …