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Of Agrarian Landscapes And Capitalist Transitions: Historical Archaeology And The Political Economy Of A Nineteenth-Century Farmstead, Daniel O. Sayers

Masters Theses

This exposition utilizes Marxian theory in conjunction with archaeological and historiographic data to understand and interpret the significance of the landscape in the political economy of a mid-nineteenth century farmstead in Battle Creek, Michigan. The Shepard site (20CA104) was a family owned, progressive farm that went through many significant changes between the frontier era (ca. 1834) and the eve of the Civil War. By exploring the political, economic, and ideological aspects of the site architecture, the familial gender divisions of labor, and class relations between the family and non-familial workers, many aspects of the political-economic contradictions between the landscape and …

Four Variations On A Theme Of Nine, Nathan R. Barber

Masters Theses

This composition represents four variations of a projected total of nine. The variations are based on the number nine having a nine-note theme that utilizes a nine-note scale. Nine is also prominently featured in the meters, rhythms, and harmonic construction. The main harmonic consideration is pandiatonicism using the nine-note scale, although bitonal chords, positioned a ninth apart, are used quite prominently also.

The work is for full orchestra, augmented with saxophone, harp, piano, and four percussionists.

A Comparison Of Rhythmical Abilities And Behaviors Between Typical Children And Children With Williams Syndrome, Laura Grafton Pawuk

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the rhythmical abilities and testing behaviors of children with Williams syndrome (Ws) to typical children. Forty-three children took part in the study, including 9 children with W s and 34 children of the typical population.

The MRL Test of Kinesthetic Response to Music and a Behavioral Checklist identified rhythmical ability and testing behaviors respectively. The former indicated that typical children scored significantly better than Ws children in 9 of 11 exercises at the .05 alpha level. Two Ws children were tested in optimum environments. Compared to their typical peers, there were no …

Spectroscopic And Kinetic Investigation Of Carbocation Reactivity In Supercritical Carbon Dioxide, Hongshu Jin

Masters Theses

Recent interest in the use of supercritical CO₂ as an environmentally benign reaction medium has included the development of solvent systems that may support polar and ionic chemistry. Carbocations are key intermediate in a variety of synthetically important reactions and characterization of their reactivity is the focus of this work. UV-visible absorption, and steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy has been used to identify and monitor the reaction kinetics of 9- phenylxanthenium carbocation. The arylcarbocation is conveniently generated from 9- phenylxanthen-9-ol in supercritical CO₂ under mildly acidic conditions. Under these conditions 9-phenylxanthenium ion is extremely stable and persists for …

A Three-Choice Drug Discrimination Procedure Differentiates The Stimulus Effects Of D-Amphetamine And Mdma, Amy K. Goodwin

Masters Theses

(±)-3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) produces effects in humans that are reportedly similar to those of CNS stimulants. However, drug discrimination studies in nonhumans have yielded inconsistent results regarding the similarities between MDMA and d-amphetamine. Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate d-amphetamine, MDMA, and saline in a three-lever drug discrimination procedure. In addition, differential outcomes were employed during drug discrimination training with eight of the rats but this did not appear to facilitate the acquisition of the discrimination. Cocaine (0.25-10.0 mg/kg) produced dose dependent increases in d-amphetamine-appropriate responding with complete substitution at the highest dose administered. LSD (0.02-0.16 mg/kg), produced dose …

School-Based Functional Assessment For Adolescents With Adhd: Procedural Issues In General Education Settings, Pamela M. Radford

Masters Theses

Functional assessment is a structured problem-solving process that has been found to be an effective method for guiding the selection of classroom intervention for students who present a variety of problem behaviors (O'Neill, et al., 1997), including Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). This study evaluated the utility of school-based functional assessments with 2 adolescent boys diagnosed with ADHD in general education settings utilizing resources typically available to school personnel to document information relevant to behavior function. Descriptive information (i.e., interviews, observations, record reviews) led to the development of potential intervention strategies that were implemented and evaluated by …

The Study Of Political And Economic Reforms In Ghana, John L. Adedeji

Masters Theses

The dual transition program of Ghanaian political economy was put in place as a result of Ghana's huge external debts, its balance of payments problems, and the critical shortage of foreign exchange resulting from years of financial management by seven regimes (civilian and military) that ruled the West African nation since its independence in 1957. Taken together, these problems tilted the balance of power in favor of external actors, including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

The study focuses on the dual strategy of macroeconomic measures and structural adjustments. The study then evaluates: (a) the policy components of the …

A Descriptive Analysis Of Factors Related To The Effectiveness Of Educational Technology Implementations In Poorer, Rural School Districts, Daniel John Vomastek

Masters Theses

As the use of educational technology in our classrooms continues to increase, schools must take every reasonable step they can to ensure the time and money invested in educational technology is not wasted. This is especially true in poorer, rural school districts that do not always have the money and personnel that larger, more affluent school districts have access to. These poorer, rural schools must take extra precautions to ensure their investment of limited resources has the greatest gain possible.

The goal of this thesis was to identify those specific factors related to the effectiveness of educational technology implementations to …

Joseph Smith's Concept Of Preexistent Intelligences: Development And Critique, David R. Bowen

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of High Fat And High Carbohydrate Diets On Aerobic Performance, Julie Becker, Kelly Mattila

Masters Theses

The effect of a high carbohydrate (HCHO) or high fat (HF) diet on time to fatigue and mood state was examined in the present study. Six untrained males, (mean age 26.6 ± 0.74) were randomly assigned to a high fat (HF) or a HCHO diet for seven days. Subjects performed an endurance test at 55% of VO₂max following the diet. Time to fatigue and psychometric variables of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) were recorded. Subjects then consumed the alternate diet following one week of a normal diet and a second endurance test was performed. There was no …

The Effects Of Water Or Sports Drink Ingestion Prior To Exercise On The Performance Of Middle Distance, Amateur Runners In A Thermoneutral Environment, Julie A. Barnes, Scott G. Devries

Masters Theses

Sports drinks have been shown to influence running performance, however, the best methods of hydration are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of water versus sports drink (6% carbohydrate/electrolyte) hydration prior to an exercise bout on the performance of middle distance, amateur runners. Ten subjects were randomly assigned to run two trials and began with either ingestion of water or sports drink. They then completed a maximal treadmill test to volitional exhaustion and returned two days later and drank the opposite drink. Maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂ max), time of run, heart rate, respiratory …

Can A Multidisciplinary Team Decrease Hospital Length Of Stay For Elderly Trauma Patients?, Beth A. Ramsey

Masters Theses

Elderly trauma patients often experience prolonged hospital stays. This study was done to determine if a multidisciplinary team approach to patient care would decrease hospital length of stay (LOS) for elderly trauma patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Using a descriptive, correlational design, a convenience sample of 74 elderly patients aged 65 to 99 years was obtained from a trauma registry. The hypothesis that hospital LOS decreases for elderly trauma patients in the ICU who have a team approach to care was not supported using the t-test for independent means (t=1.6, df=72, p=.114). A second hypothesis proposed that the …

Dimethyldioxirane In Tcf Bleaching Sequences, Nayereh Mahdavi

Masters Theses

The use of chlorine containing bleaching process creates various organic compounds such as chlorinated furan, dioxin, and AOX (adsorbable organic halogen). The human and aquatic life has been affected with the formation of these chlorinated organic compounds. EPA is proposing new regulations to impose discharge limits on the conventional pollutant materials of the bleaching effluents.

The objective of this research was to evaluate two TCF (Total Chlorine Free) bleaching sequences that use hydrogen peroxide and DMD on oxygen delignified hardwood kraft pulp. In one of the sequences, the DMD stage (A) was used prior to the hydrogen peroxide stage (P), …

Toys As Language Stimuli For Individuals With Alzheimer’S Disease, Cassandra M. Baer

Masters Theses

The study of the use of toys with institutionalized adults began in the field of gerontological nursing (Bailey, Gilbert, & Herweyer, 1992; Francis & Baly, 1986; Mayers & Griffin, 1990; Milton & MacPhail, 1985). Hopper, Bayles, and Tomoeda (1998) described the comforting qualities of plush animals for people with dementia and began to explore the effects of these toys on the language production of women with Alzheimer's Disease. Women were found to produce more information in fewer words when the toys were present.

This study builds on the work of Hopper et al. (1998), comparing language productions of two men …

Factors Influencing Prison Industry, Erik Dill

Masters Theses

Prison industry has a sporadic history in the United States. Interstate trade of prison made goods was banned from 1940 until 1979; business and labor opposed slavelike competition from early programs. This thesis studies competitive prisoner work, deemed prison industry, as different from state-use labor.

Formal theory on prison industry is inadequate. Rusche would suggest that unemployment directly effects incarceration, and prison industry develops to provide labor in economic upswings. Since 1980 prison industry expanded and unemployment fell, but incarceration did not decline. Therefore, this study focuses on theory genesis. Explanations for incarceration can assume prison is exploitative. Legal history …

Efficiency Of Distributed Priority Queues In Parallel Adaptive Integration, Rodger Zanny

Masters Theses

The adaptive integration algorithm is· effective in numerically solving integration problems. It is able to focus the application of integration rules on the portion of the integration region where the integrand is the least well-behaved. Parallel implementations must use dynamic load balancing or performance suffers.

Dynamic local load-balancing techniques allow each processor to maintain its own pool of work in a local priority queue and balance the workload based on local criteria. However, the use of locally controlled priority queues is known to be inefficient (in terms of the number of integration rule applications needed to reach an answer) as …

Gas Sparging And Humic Acid Sorption/Desorption, Masaki Sakakibara

Masters Theses

Partition coefficients (K_DOC) for sorption of PAHs and chlorinated benzenes to dissolved humic acids (HA) were measured using gas-sparging methodology. The resulting K_DOC values were significantly lower than the K_OW-based K_DOC values, which generally appear to provide reliable estimates for K_DOC values. The K_DOC values measured by gas sparging were also strongly influenced by the concentration of HA in solution, as measured by dissolved organic carbon content (DOC). Increasing DOC concentration consistently resulted in decreased K_DOC values for all compounds investigated. Previous studies have claimed that K_DOC values measured using …

A Comparative Study Of Women's Perceptions Of Vaginal And Cesarean Births, Karen Blamer

Masters Theses

Perception of birth is an important consideration for all health care providers. A positive perception of birth can promote effective adaptation to the maternal role. The Roy Adaptation Model guided this research study comparing the perception of birth among women who delivered vaginally, by planned cesarean birth, and by unplanned cesarean birth.

Perception of birth was measured by the use of a 29 item questionnaire developed by Marut and Mercer and completed by 78 subjects two to four weeks postpartum. The ANOVA and post hoc Scheffe tests were used to measure the differences between groups.

The findings supported the hypothesis …

Political Violence In The United States: Apocalyptic Typologies Of Left And Right Wing Political Groups And Their Violence Through The Period 1990-1997, Gordon Daniel Green

Masters Theses

Historically the study of apocalyptic groups has occupied the "exotic fringe" of political science (Flanagan 1996). With the use of textual analysis, historical description, and participant observation as its main research methods, there has been little progress made in the study of these groups. By using data analysis of incidents of violence to compare the violent actions of apocalyptic groups, a better understanding of reasons for the use of violence by these groups can be found.

Six apocalyptic groups are studied and categorized into a typology of apocalypticism. The Rescue Movement and End-Times Religious occupy the Supernatural type, Militia/Patriot and …

Repeatability Of Kinematic And Kinetic Data In The Analysis Of Normal Human Gait, Jennifer M. Piotter, Peter A. Post, Kristi J. Vanden Berg

Masters Theses

Computerized gait analysis (CGA) is a powerful tool used to study the intricacies of human walking. The CGA tool is being used to make objective observations of human movement patterns. It is essential that acceptable repeatability of kinematic and kinetic data be established so that clinicians can detect actual changes between successive tests. This study assessed the repeatability of kinematic and kinetic waveform data from test and re-test trials on 15 subjects. Intra-tester and inter-tester data were examined to determine how much error existed due to marker placement between trials and testers. Part II of this study assessed the repeatability …

The Machtpolitik Doctrine From Antiquity To Present, Brian Abendshein

Masters Theses

The thesis is an archival study of international relations. This thesis will analyze the Machtpolitik, or power politics, doctrine from its beginnings in Plato's Republic to the present day. In considering this evolution the thesis will seek to address the following three main questions. First, does traditional machtpolitik doctrine still exist today? Second, has the rise of democratic systems of government limited the effectiveness of diplomacy? Third, what are the causes of international instability? The debate over these questions in modern times is framed by three main factions: Idealists, Descriptive Realists, and Normative Realists. Each of these positions will be …

Barriers To Freedom: Exploring The Influence Of Patriarchy On Risk Preference In Battered Women, Cathy Gordon

Masters Theses

Because contemporary families represent an increasingly diverse and complicated range of relationships and values, individuals engaged in traditional gender roles may find it difficult to challenge gender biased institutions or abandon abusive relationships. While family violence continues to be linked with economic and social power, interpersonal relationships based on traditional gender roles, which require conformity to social expectations, can also be a contributing factor. Feminist theory, which links patriarchal ideology with family violence, is used to explore culturally defined gender roles and the influence of social forces or social institutions that produce conflict, strain or violent behaviors. The influences of …

Three Dimensional Mapping Of The East Leroy And Union City 7.5 Minute Quadrangles In Southwest Michigan, Andrew L. Kozlowski

Masters Theses

A U.S.G.S EDMAP project in Calhoun and Branch Counties Michigan has provided stratigraphic information for hydrologic investigations. The Saginaw Lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet impacted the terrain of the study area creating drumlins, tunnel valleys and moraines. Water well records, gamma Ray logs and test wells provided the necessary stratigraphic and hydrogeologic information.

The stratigraphy and hydrogeology of the study area are constrained by the bedrock topography of the Mississippian Coldwater Shale. Drift deposits 13 feet to nearly 200 feet thick comprise the aquifer systems for the study area with thicker and older deposits occupying several bedrock valleys. Drift …

Application Of Differential Outcomes To A Cocaine-Saline Discrimination Procedure: Assessment Of Stimulus Generalization To Dopamine D3 Receptor Agonists, Kelly J. Garner

Masters Theses

This study replicated the effects of differential outcomes on the acquisition of a cocaine-saline discrimination in rats and examined whether learning via differential outcomes (DO) influenced stimulus generalization to other drugs. Previous investigations have suggested that the dopamine (DA) D3 receptor subtype may modulate the reinforcing effects of cocaine. Pharmacological compounds which have been identified as having a greater affinity for DA D3 receptors are 7-OH-DPAT and PD 128907. The present study examined whether the DO conditions applied during training had an impact on the generalization of these test compounds. Two groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate …

Conditional Discrimination And Generalization Of Facial Cues As A Function Of Training Multiple Exemplars With Autistic Preschoolers, Sebastien Bosch

Masters Theses

Individuals with diagnosed autism typically show deficiencies in discrimination of facial cues. The ability to respond to facial expressions was assessed and trained with 3 four-year-old subjects diagnosed with autism. Stimulus presentations involved four different stimulus sets ( cards with stick figure, cards with cartoon figures, and cards with photographs of a man and a woman displaying the emotional expression).

Training consisted of differential reinforcement of correct responses. The experimental design was a multiple baseline across stimulus sets, with generalization probes conducted after mastery level of performance was reached on each stimulus set. Some evidence of generalization was observed on …

Effects Of Temperature Control On Gravure Packaging Inks, Rodrigo Sosa

Masters Theses

It is well known that variations in ink temperature cause a variation in color density and viscosity. The viscosity of almost all liquids decreases with increasing temperature. In this research project, three different ink temperatures were selected to measure the effects of temperature control on solvent and ink consumption and on printability. Two colors were selected (magenta and cyan) and two heat exchangers were constructed to cool and/or heat the ink.

It was found that variations in ink temperature cause variation in solvent and ink consumption. As the temperature of the ink increases, solvent consumption and ink consumption increase, but …

In Her Own Words: A Qualitative Case Study Of Foster Care, Adoption And Independent Living, Elise N. Zuber

Masters Theses

This is a biographical account of a young lady who was involved with the child welfare system for eleven years. “Jill” entered foster care when she was eight years old. She was adopted by her foster parents and re-abused as a young adolescent by her adoptive father. Jill re-entered foster care, experiencing several foster homes, caseworkers and counselors. This year Jill Is one of 20,000 foster children who will assume independence from the child welfare system.

The author utilizes a qualitative method of case reporting. Interviews were conducted with Jill, former caseworkers, foster parents and therapists. In addition, a record …

Factors In Pediatrician Medication Administration, Kathleen Elaine Campbell

Masters Theses

King’s conceptual framework was used to examine the relationship between nurses’ stated beliefs of goals of pain management, their personal experience of pain, and their educational levels when choosing to intervene in the management of pain for pediatric patients. A descriptive correlational design was used with a convenience sample of 51 registered nurses in a West Michigan children’s hospital.

No significance was found between the goal of pain management and the level of stated intentions to intervene, the education level of the nurse and stated intentions to intervene, and nurses who have had a personal pain experience and their stated …

Demonstrating Loss Of Control Over Technology: A Narrative Criticism, David P. Farlow

Masters Theses

This study focuses on how individuals through their talk about computer mediated technology demonstrate a loss of control over that technology. Three separate computer mediated communication classes were involved in this study through the use of autoethnographies. The students in all three classes were asked at the beginning of the semester to keep field notes on their experiences with the technology. At the end of the semester the students were to summarize and report their experiences.

Because of the qualitative nature of the data, a narrative criticism of the stories students told about their experiences seemed to provide the most …

The Economics Of Wage Discrimination Of Non-Whites From 1960 To 1990, Royal E. Washington

Masters Theses

White people earn more money than non-whites. This is true in most cases even if non-white people perform the same job as white people. Are there reasons for these differences? The purpose of this paper is to discover what those reasons are for the differences in wages and to attempt to discover how much of the difference is really discrimination. Any inequalities that are unexplained may be considered by the author to be discriminatory. Therefore, the hypothesis for this paper is: Income differences between whites and non-whites may be attributed in part to race discrimination.

The statistical method used will …