Digital Commons Network^™

Future Housing In The United States: Senior’S Housing Demand, Sandeep Singh

Masters Theses

In the United States, persons born between 1942 and 1964 are within 10 to 15 years of traditional retirement age and are identified as baby boomers. The data shows that the number of persons aged 65 years and older have grown from 10 percent of the population in 1970 to nearly 13 percent in 1996. Furthermore, the population that is 65 years old or older is projected to be 20 percent of the population in 2030. As a result, the demographic change nurtures a demand for senior’s housing.

On the other hand, the concern is for the elderly living in …

Stream Bank Erosion And Land Use/Land Cover Along The Gun River, Allegan County, Michigan, Kenneth James Sexton

Masters Theses

The Gun River, located in Allegan County, MI, is experiencing profound erosion and sedimentation due to past channel modifications and current land use activity. The Gun River historically has been dredged and straightened to drain water faster and more effectively for agricultural production. Additionally, human land use activities in the watershed influence the current land cover and riparian vegetation. The purpose of this study was to determine if variations in land use (residential, agricultural, and forested) and vegetative cover along the banks of the Gun River influence erosion. Additionally, the study provided a unique opportunity to compare the upper portion …

Evaluation Of The Pediatric Test Of Brain Injury, Heather K. Koole

Masters Theses

This study was designed to evaluate the Pediatric Test of Brain Injury (PTBI), as well as to examine information obtained from informal measures in assessing children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Three students with TBI and three grade- and gender- matched subjects participated in this study. All six students were administered the PTBI, and their performances were given raw scores, rated for level of difficulty in performing the tasks, and compared among and across the two groups. The students with TBI were interviewed by the graduate student researcher regarding self-perceptions of their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, their …

A Study Of Female Characteristics And Images In Home Video Games, Carl P. Apple

Masters Theses

In the past 30 years, video games have progressed from a technical novelty to a $17 billion industry. However, a majority of players are still male; many blame this on the overwhelming amount of male-oriented images and themes in popular video games. Technological literacy is becoming a prerequisite for employment in many jobs and there is a proven link between interest in video games and increased computer literacy. Studies also show that video games help improve cognitive skills like hand-eye coordination and spatial dexterity. This content analysis examined elements of 63 Sony PlayStation video games, quantifying male and female characters …

Self-Reported Factors Influencing The Retention Of Non-Traditional Female Students At Lake Michigan College, Nancy Lynn Johnson

Masters Theses

Many non-traditional female students enter post-secondary education by attending a community college. The vast majority of these adult women must simultaneously balance work, family, and educational priorities. Maintaining this tenuous balance is pivotal to persistence. This descriptive study discusses the reasons for delayed entry into post-secondary education by non-traditional female students at Lake Michigan College. It examines how life transitions later influence the decision to attend. Common barriers to persistence and factors supporting persistence are heard through the self-reported experiences of non-traditional female students attending this community college. Recommendations for programming and service delivery are made. Suggestions for further study …

Reconfigurable Vibration Table (Rvt), Muhammad Ali

Masters Theses

A system was designed and manufactured to determine the modal, harmonic and transient behaviors of vibrating masses. The initial design was optimized by design for manufacture and assembly, and dynamic behaviors of the system were verified with finite element analysis. Small rods were used to reconfigure the table from one degree of freedom to two degrees of freedom and vice versa to provide data comparison for forced and free responses. Aluminum base plates containing oblong boles were used to allow the table to work with the two different types of existing vibration test systems.

Silica Coating Of Gold Nanoparticles, Milind Laxman Surve

Masters Theses

“Gold colloids have been homogenously coated with silica using silane coupling agents as a primer to make the gold surface vitreophilic. After adding active silica, the particles are transferred in ethanol for uniform silica coating by using the Stober method. Gold nanoparticles used for this study ranged from 5 nm up to 40 nm with mixed results. Silica condensation can be controlled to produce different silica thicknesses on gold. The main problem while coating smaller particles (5 nm and 10 nm) was the final coagulation or necking of silica after coating the gold surface. The possible causes for this effect …

Investigation Of Matrilineal Relationships Via Mitochondrial Dna In The Southeastern Yellowjacket (Vespula Squamosa), Anthony Deets

Masters Theses

The question of whether and how apparently "altruistic" behaviors can evolve in social animals has received an enormous amount of attention from evolutionary biologists and has been termed "the central theoretical problem of sociobiology". Thus, recent interest is eusocial species with coexisting multiple queens stems from the realization that the genetic relatedness of individuals in such colonies presents additional theoretical challenges beyond those addressed by the Hamiltonian model of kin selection and lengthens the potential list of reproductive conflicts of interest.

The Southeastern Yellowjacket (Vespula squamosa) exhibits two social forms sympatrically in the southern parts of its range. These two …

Factors Influencing Undergraduate Students' Career Choice In Dietetics, Christy Lyn Bolibol

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Case Study: Examining The Perceptions Of National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association Volunteers On The Current Child Welfare System In Illinois, Anne Maciejewski

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Determining Barriers To Service And Preferred Methods Of Nutrition Education For Working And Student Women, Infant, And Children (Wic) Participants, Stephanie L. Bess

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Reading Beauty And Fashion Magazines And The Use Of Pathogenic Dieting Methods Among College Females, Kathryn A. Hyla

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Perceived Benefits Of Membership In A District Dietetic Association, Kellee A. Sullivan

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Among Gender, Gender Orientation, And Class Participation Of Middle School Students, Rebecca M. Fisher

Masters Theses

Middle school students were observed to examine the relationship among gender, gender orientation, and class participation. Instances of volunteering and verbal participation in class were recorded.

In addition to being observed, participants completed Harter et al.'s (1998) Gender Orientation Questionnaire to identify their gender orientation. A student's gender orientation could be masculine, feminine, androgynous, or unclassified.

Results indicated that male students participated more in class than female students. Also, class participation rates did not differ for girls based on gender orientation. There were no differences between male and female students in solicited participation rates. However, male students participated more than …

Personal And Interpersonal Predictors Of Worry In Male And Female High School Students, Barbara Anne Davis

Masters Theses

This study identified which among several factors would best predict the tendency to worry in male and female adolescents. The potential predictors were divided into two different categories: personal and interpersonal factors. Personal factors included perfectionism, self-consciousness, and locus of control. Interpersonal factors included parental attachment, parenting style, and peer attachment.

Participants in the study completed several scales that measured the predictors. The data were then analyzed to determine the relative contribution of each factor in predicting worry, and to specify the factors that best predict worry. Gender differences in worry levels and in how the factors predicted worry were …

The Effects Of Practice With Decodable Texts On The Reading Fluency Of Low-Achieving First Grade Children, Nicole Forsythe

Masters Theses

This study examined the effect of a reading intervention using practice with decodable text on the reading fluency skills of four struggling first grade students. Participants received guided practice reading short decodable books twice a week for seven weeks. Pre and post-test standardized word reading scores were obtained using the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE). Word reading fluency was assessed after each session by a list of words from the decodable texts. Results showed a marked improvement in each participant's fluency score, with all four participants at least doubling their baseline fluency as measured by words read accurately per …

Chlorobenzenes And Chloronitrobenzenes Interaction With Iron (O), Manuel Alejandro Serratos

Masters Theses

Degradation of chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzenes and chloronitrobenzenes (ClB, x-Cl2B and x-ClNO2B) was tested by trying to make them react with metallic iron, Fe (0), in water solvent.

The experiments consisted of optimizing the parameters of the reactions (like minimum mass of iron needed) and analytical detection conditions. Analytical techniques used were gas and liquid chromatography (GC and HPLC), mass spectrometry (MS) and UV-Vis spectroscopy.

No substances other than the initial ClB and x-Cl2B were detected in their tests with Fe (0) after shaking for periods of up to three days, although 10%weight average decreases in concentration were observed.

The ClNO2B isomers …

Individual Phonological Awareness Training For Speech/Language Impaired First Graders, Sarah Weaver

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study is to determine the effects of individual phonological awareness and phonics training emphasizing auditory, motoric, and alphabetic properties of phonemes with 3 children who did not make substantial gains following classroom phonological awareness intervention. Subjects were enrolled in the first grade and exhibited speech and/or language impairments. The individual phonological awareness program contained 3 parts: (1) phonological awareness, (2) phoneme-grapheme correspondence, and (3) decoding and spelling and employed a single subject multiple probe baseline across behaviors design. Results indicated that individual treatment was successful for teaching phonological awareness, phoneme-grapheme correspondence, and decoding and spelling. …

Lacunae: Narrative "Lacks, Holes Or Gaps" In Faulkner's And Morrison's Novels, Phyllis Ann Karpus

Masters Theses

The moment a reader opens a book, turns to the opening lines and begins to read, a circular relationship immediately develops with the author and the text. An implied alliance is formed wherein the author, most often through a narrator, omniscient or otherwise, proposes to the reader that he/she accept a degree of responsibility for understanding the plot, theme, and the underlying meaning in the work.

Retrospectively the theory sounds simple and, with many authors, it is effective. William Faulkner and Toni Morrison, however, not only command but also demand, the reader's absolute attention in, and responsibility to, many of …

Nest-Site Selection In The Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene Carolina Carolina, In A Population In Central Illinois, Beth Flitz

Masters Theses

Nest site selection in turtles might allow females to increase the survival of their offspring but little is known about the variables that influence that choice. I examined the microhabitat variables at nest sites of the eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina carolina, at a Boy Scout camp in Shelby County, Illinois, to determine if females chose nest sites that differed from random sites within the camp. Nest sites differed from random sites in vegetation height and composition, percentage ground and canopy cover, and light intensity. All females placed their nests in open habitat within the camp or a pasture bordering …

Synthesis And Characterization Of A Polypyridyl Ru(Ii)-Alloxazine Complex For Adsorption On Tio2-Coated Ito Electrodes, Manisha A. Patel

Masters Theses

TiO₂-coated conducting glass electrodes can be modified by attachment of redox-active molecules to the TiO₂ surface. This thesis describes the synthesis and characterization of a polypyridyl Ru(II) complex that can be covalently bound to a TiO₂ surface through the carboxylate groups of 2,2'-bipyridine-4,4' -dicarboxylic acid, H₂dcbpy. In addition, the bound complex contains a redox-active alloxazine derivative, pptd, which is capable of 2e^-/2H⁺ transfers. Thus the TiO₂-coated electrode is modified with a transition metal complex capable of shuttling H-atoms to substrates in solution. Synthesis of the PF₆^- salt …

The Soldier's Strife: An Introspective View Through The Work Of Tim O'Brien, Mandy Solomon

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Cell Biology Of Apoe In Cortical Cultured Neurons: Possible Roles In Alzheimer's Disease, Anna G. Barsukova

Masters Theses

The apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) genotype is a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies have shown that apoE4 is less effective than apoE3 in supporting neurite outgrowth in adult mice cortical cultures. However the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is not known. To understand this mechanism and the broader role of apoE isoforms on neuronal biology I examined the rate of apoE isoforms internalization in neurons, effects of apoE isoforms on lipid uptake by neurons, effects of apoE isoforms on neuronal environment - microglia and on neuroregeneration, or neurogenesis.

I examined the binding and internalization of recombinant human apoE3 …

The Use Of Silence As A Political Rhetorical Strategy, Timothy J. Anderson

Masters Theses

Existing research on the rhetorical strategies of politicians has mainly focused on the speeches, appearances, and debates of political figures. Yet the absence of a clear response when expected, or silence, is a significant and frequently utilized rhetorical strategy. More directly, Erickson and Schmidt (1982) posit that, even though it is important to study, the topic of political silence has only received meager attention. Various politicians including President Clinton and California Congressman Gary Condit have both used political silence as responses to situations, and each instance had a different outcome. The focus of this study is on how the strategy …

Middle School Student Attitudes Towards Robotics, Science And Technology, J. Jill Rogers

Masters Theses

In 2000, the National Science Foundation (NSF) conducted a biennial study on the status of women and minorities in science and engineering. It was revealed that the numbers of women receiving bachelor's degrees in computer science are on the decline. This fact calls for innovative changes in the traditional science curriculum. Science instruction with the implementation of robotics could provide female students the needed motivation. Therefore, the examination of female middle school student attitudes towards robotic enhanced science instruction is needed. Descriptive research was conducted to assess middle school student attitudes towards robots, technology and science. Gender differences were studied. …

Anthropogenic-Induced Changes To Weather And Climate: An Overview, Robert Cataneo

Masters Theses

Human activities, since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, have caused measurable and significant changes to local and regional weather and climate, as well as to global climate.

There is substantial evidence to show that anthropogenic influences have caused statistically significant changes to local and regional weather and climate, and have played a major role in the 0.6°C increase in global, low level temperature observed in the last 100 years. There is also an abundance of data that establishes a causal relationship between the 32% increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration that has occurred since the beginning of the Industrial …

The Accounts That Defendants Give For Crime: Relationship Between Accounts Given And The Perceived Seriousness Of The Crime, Danielle Bree Trammell

Masters Theses

The present study examined whether the accounts that defendants give (i.e., apology, excuse, or justification) would have an effect on the perceived seriousness of the crime and assigned penalty. The study focused specifically on burglary, a non-violent crime. It also examined how participant characteristics, such as age, gender, political ideology, and history of victimization, affected the perceived seriousness and assigned penalty. This is a growing area of interest, given the societal impact of crime. There is significant disparity in sentencing that exists for perpetrators who are convicted of similar crimes. It is important to examine the possible explanations for this …

Phosphido-Bridged Complexes Linked By Unsaturated Phosphines, Yong Liu

Masters Theses

Di(p-tol)phosphido-bridged complexes, (OC)₄M[μ-P(p-tol)₂]₂M(CO)₄ (M = Mo, W), have been synthesized for the first time. These have been obtained from the reaction of (OC)₅MP(p-tol)₂H with BuLi, followed by air oxidation. The choice of solvent is very important as the intermediate anion, [(OC)₅MP(p-tol)₂] is unstable in THF. An ideal solvent for these preparations is CH₃OCH₂CH₂OCH₃ (monoglyme) from which yields of 68% and 76% were realized for the tungsten and molybdenum complexes, respectively. …

Understanding Reflection, David Michael Moutray

Masters Theses

understanding reflection is a collection of poems which examines reflection both as an element of memory and self-image. The thirty-six poems represent devices and conventions employed by Philip Larkin, Donald Justice, Kamala Das, and Adrienne Rich. The style and voice mastered by these four poets served as an inspiring force in my creative efforts. The thesis introduction examines the voices of these poets and their influence on my work -- particularly in respect to my exploration of sexual, cultural and familial tensions.

The introductory essay, in essence, introduces my progression through reflection. Throughout the course of my progression, Larkin and …

Motherlands Of The Mind: A Study Of The Women Characters Of Attia Hosain's Sunlight On A Broken Column And Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, Umme Sadat Nazmun Nahar Al-Wazedi

Masters Theses

In my thesis I examine the portrayal of women characters by two post-colonial Indian writers, Attia Hosain and Salman Rushdie, respectively in Sunlight on a Broken Column (1961) and Midnight's Children (1980). I show how Hosain's and Rushdie's ideas of identity, nation and nationality influence their depiction of these women characters.

In the section analyzing Sunlight on a Broken Column, I argue that there is a spatial veil separating the feudal world of "Ashiana" from the outside world with its political disturbances, the life of a woman as an individual from the life of a woman as a part …