Digital Commons Network^™

Health Care Provider Knowledge Of The Immunization Schedule And The Contraindications To Vaccinate, Lisa Huffstutter, Diane Kassuba, Kelly Beschoner

Masters Theses

The purpose to this study was to determine if the current knowledge of Kent county's health care providers contributed to the under immunization of children less than two years of age.

A survey, modified from a previous study done in Los Angeles, was distributed to Family Practice and Pediatrics offices within the greater Grand Rapids area. Several areas of health care provider knowledge were assessed. These included: (1) knowledge of the primary series immunization schedule in both a child on time and delinquent, (2) knowledge of timing between diptheria, tetanus, and pertussis boosters, and (3) knowledge of the contraindications to …

Examination Of The Reliability And Validity Of Rancho Los Amigos Observational Gait Analysis, Heather Groth, Sarah Novak

Masters Theses

The Rancho Los Amigos Observational Gait Analysis system (Rancho OGA) is a standardized approach utilized to assess gait impairment for various diagnoses. Physical therapists, orthotists, and physicians utilize Rancho OGA for clinical decision making and recommending treatment interventions for gait disability. This study examined the reliability and concurrent validity of Rancho OGA from gait files obtained from the GVSU/Mary Free Bed Center for Human Kinetic Studies. Comparisons were made between computerized 3-D gait analysis and Rancho OGA data from videotaped records of cerebral palsy gait to determine the level of agreement utilizing the Kappa statistic and percent agreement. Results indicated …

Validation Of The "Timed Up And Go" Test As A Functional Mobility Assessment Tool In The Pediatric Population, Susan Carman, Christina Rook, Cathy Ruprecht

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the concurrent validity of the Timed Up and Go (TUG) as an assessment of functional mobility in the pediatric population. The TUG scores were correlated with the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). Eighteen subjects with a variety of cognitive and physical disabilities, aged 6 to 7 years, were recruited. A one-tailed Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient was used to analyze the scores. A weak inverse relationship between the TUG and PEDI scores (r_s = -0.386, p = 0.075) was found when the scores from all participants were analyzed. A moderate inverse …

The Relationship Between A Functional Throwing Performance Test And Strength Of Various Scapular Muscles, Karen L. Bos, Kellie S. Gehrs, A. Louise C. Hester

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the strength of the upper trapezius, middle trapezius, lower trapezius, and serratus anterior, and overhead throwing accuracy in 52 female collegiate softball players. The correlation between manual muscle testing (MMT) and hand-held dynamometry (HHD) was also examined. The Functional Throwing Performance Index (FTPI) was used to measure throwing accuracy. Spearman’s correlation analysis demonstrated no correlation between the strength assessments and throwing accuracy, as measured by the FTPI. Moderate correlations were found between MMT and HHD strength assessments of the lower and middle trapezius and serratus anterior muscles. A poor …

A Comparison Between Primary Stage Endorectal Pull-Through Versus Two-Stage Surgical Resection In Hirschsprung's Disease, Tamara M. Bengtson

Masters Theses

Hirschsprung’s Disease (HD), congenital megacolon, in infants has been historically treated by a multiple stage surgical process. Initial diagnosis is made by a rectal biopsy followed by a diverting colostomy, subsequent pull-through procedure and finally a colostomy take-down. In recent years, a single-stage primary endorectal pull-through (PERPT) has been advocated. Advantages include a single operation with potentially equal or fewer complications. Whether a PERPT is superior to a staged procedure is yet to be proven.

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively compare the incidence of enterocolitis (EC), the most significant complication of HD in those who underwent the …

Platelet Plasma Membrane Comparison Between Pregnant And Non-Pregnant Females, Eriks A. Lusis

Masters Theses

Hemostasis is dependent on the functioning of three systems: blood vessels, platelets, and plasma proteins. During vessel injury, platelets adhere, secrete the contents of granules and aggregate. Each event in platelet activation is dependent upon plasma membrane proteins and a deficiency in any one of the plasma membrane proteins leads to excessive bleeding. Pregnancy is described as a hypercoagulable state during which frequent bleeding abnormalities are observed. The mechanism of hypercoagulability is not yet known. In an attempt to shed light on the hypercoagulable state, this study compares the plasma membrane proteins between pregnant and non-pregnant females.

I Was A Teenage Necrophiliac: A Screenplay, Walter Howard

Masters Theses

The critical essay that introduces this thesis pays homage to three people in the movie business who have most influenced my original screenplay, I Was a Teenage Necrophiliac. Also included is a section that briefly explains the impetus for this project, and a closing argument that examines the intentional use of cliche as a creative tool.

The zany style of writer/director John Waters is the first major creative influence described. Although my story is not as graphically extreme as some of Waters' earlier work (it would be easy to make a comedy about necrophilia a vile exploitation film), it does …

The Impact Of Fast Forword On Phonological Awareness And Literacy Skills, Melissa Nulty

Masters Theses

This study investigated the impact of Fast ForWord on individual children's phonological awareness and reading skills as well as general language and auditory processing skills. Five children, ages six through eight years, served as experimental subjects. The duration of participation in the Fast ForWord (FFW) training program was approximately 2 hours per day, 5 days a week, for 6 to 8 weeks. Fast ForWord training was completed when the subject reached at least 90 percent completion on five of the seven training exercises or when it was determined by the Fast ForWord professional that the child had received maximum benefit …

Investigating The Allosteric Behavior Of Malate Dehydrogenase From Escherichia Coli, Eman M. Ghanem

Masters Theses

Regulatory mechanisms of malate dehydrogenase from E.coli (eMDH) involving NADH as an allosteric effector were investigated. The reaction was studied in both directions: malate oxidation and oxaloacetate reduction. When malate was the variable substrate, a plot of rate against substrate concentration was sigmoidal in the presence of 0.065 mM NADH, which indicates the presence of an allosteric site for NADH on the enzyme. Binding of NADH at the allosteric site causes conformational changes in the active site and, thereby, changes the catalytic activity of the enzyme. An increase in K_m value, from 1.3 to 3.9 mM malate was observed, …

A Study Investigating The Process For Designing And Implementing A Technical Academy For Decatur Public Schools, Darbe D. Brinkoetter

Masters Theses

As a result of a study conducted to consider the problems of declining enrollment and buildings in need of repair, Decatur Public Schools identified technical training and strong academics as priorities for its high school students. Following several meetings with parents, staff, and community members, plans were initiated to restructure one of the three high schools into a four-year technical academy. The objective of this paper was to design a process for establishing a technical academy. New design models for high schools were researched and resulted in the identification of design elements, key questions, characteristics, and partners critical to designing …

Reasons For Home Schooling As Cited By Selected Parents In Central Illinois, Douglas A. Taylor

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the specific reasons the home-schooling option was chosen by some parents in central Illinois. The number of parents who home school their children has increased significantly in recent years. Understanding the motives behind parents' decisions can provide important information on the home-schooling movement and these parents' perceptions about public education. By knowing the reasons the home-schooling option was selected, legislators, public school educators, and parents can initiate any changes that may be warranted.

The study took place in the fall of 1998 utilizing a survey instrument that was developed using information gleaned …

Optimization Of The Reaction Of Hexamethyldisilazane On A Fumed Silica Surface, Frederick R. Jones

Masters Theses

Hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) is commonly used to transfer trimethylsilyl (TMS) groups to silica surfaces. While studies have been done examining individual factors that influence the reaction, no investigations have reported how these factors affect each other. The factors examined in this study include temperature, presence of catalyst (butylamine), pretreatment, time, concentration, solvent, and presence of water in the solvent. The purpose of this study is to examine potential factors and two-way interactions to determine which significantly affect the yield and produce an optimum set of conditions.

The HMDS reactions occurred in an organic solvent slurry under nitrogen. Using statistical experimental design, …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Personality Type And Emotional Response To Athletic Injury, Jasmin C. R. Hutchinson

Masters Theses

This investigation was designed to examine emotional response to athletic injury using personality constructs within reversal theory. Twenty-five (male = 19, female = 6) collegiate athletes, ranging in age from 18 to 22 years (mean = 19.95, SD = 1.11) who sustained a minimal criteria injury during a six-week data collection period participated in this study. Each athlete's total mood disturbance (TMD) was measured pre-injury and post-injury using the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Athlete's personality orientation was measured using the Paratelic Dominance Scale (PDS). A dependent t-test indicated a significant increase in TMD scores following injury (p < 0.05), thus indicating overall mood disturbance in injured athletes. An independent t-test comparing paratelic and telic dominant athletes on TMD difference scores revealed non-significant results (p = 0.40). Methodological and theoretical reasons for this are examined and implications for further study of reversal theory and athletic injury are discussed.

The Status Of Workplace Violence In The United States: A Model For Prevention And Intervention, Linda Meliza Moore

Masters Theses

This paper examines the scope and causes of workplace violence, the second leading cause of death in the U.S. workplace today. A comprehensive review of existing literature is presented and a new model for prevention and intervention of workplace violence is proposed for use by practitioners. Suggestions for further data collection and research are presented so that further refinement can be made to workplace violence prevention and intervention models.

Integrating Web-Based Training Into Communication Scholarship Of Computer-Mediated Communication, Brian P. Johanpeter

Masters Theses

As interest and use of the Internet through the World Wide Web increases, it becomes necessary for the Communication Discipline to reexamine its approach to studying computer-mediated communication. A meta-analysis of the discipline's research in this area provides insight into the scholarly history of this subject. Included in this analysis is an examination of the discipline's research in computer-based instruction, placed as a subcategory under computer-mediated communication. This study reveals a gaping hole in the communication scholarship of computer-mediated communication and offers suggestions as to how research of Web-based training might fill this gap. Additional discussion also reveals how research …

The Reliability And Validity Of The Children's Conscientiousness And Procrastination Scale, Nicole M. Osterman

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to further examine the reliability and validity of a self-report measure of procrastination and conscientiousness for elementary-aged children. The research participants were 120 male and female students in grades 3-5, drawn from two different schools. The Children's Conscientiousness and Procrastination Scales (CCAPS; Lay, Kovacs, & Danto, 1998) exhibited high internal consistencies. Procrastination and Conscientiousness were highly, negatively related, consistent with previous research with related measures and with adult samples. Teacher and parent ratings of students were moderately correlated with the student's self-reports, thereby providing support for the convergent validity of the self-report measure. …

Garbage Picking With Salman Rushdie, Tara Hubschmitt

Masters Theses

Salman Rushdie's voice is one of the most powerful in postmodern and post-colonial literature. He stands as a primary spokesman for the displaced personality of those caught between the conflicting influences of traditional cultures and the contemporary west. In Midnight's Children (1980), The Satanic Verses (1989), and The Ground Beneath Her Feet (1999), Rushdie appears to reveal himself as a proponent of a garbage aesthetic. The garbage metaphor, as explained by Ella Shohat and Robert Stam in Unthinking Eurocentricism (1994), develops from Brazilian filmmakers of the 1960s and is generally used to highlight the omnipresent influence of western culture upon …

South African Distance Runners: Issues Involving Their International Careers During And After Apartheid, Carrie A. Lane

Masters Theses

While some sports in South Africa have a distinct racial identity, distance running is one of the most popular sports in the country for people of all ethnic backgrounds. This study examined the issues that South African distance runners faced from the time the country was banned from Olympic competition, in 1968, to the present day. It profiled 21 male and female elite and collegiate runners who have competed in the United States from 1980 to 1999.

Because of South Africa's apartheid government, which legalized racial segregation and inequality, South African sport was excluded from international competition for 32 years. …

Birth Order, Academic Specialization, And Creativity, Anita Lynn Reifel

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Functional Outcome Measures Following Isometric Quadriceps Strengthening In Individuals With Knee Osteoarthritis, Rochelle Cibor, Damon Collier, Kris Cooper

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if the strength gained from the performance of a six week isometric training program for the quadriceps femoris would result in improvements in the disability level, strength, pain, stiffness, and functional abilities of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Twelve subjects with symptomatic knee OA were randomly assigned to either control or experimental groups, with the experimental group completing a six week isometric program. Pre- and post-test measures included strength assessment on the Biodex and completion of the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index. Results indicate that experimental subjects had significant improvements in strength and disability …

Campus Climate For Gay, Lesbian, And Bisexual Students: A Survey Of Faculty, Staff And Students, Amanda D. Barton

Masters Theses

This study examined the campus climate for gay, lesbian, and bisexual students at Eastern Illinois University. The population (N=210) was studied to investigate three hypotheses: 1) there are no differences between the variables of gender, campus involvement, race and university status in relation to attitudes towards homosexuals; 2) there are no differences among students, and faculty/staff/administration in the type of involvement each would extend to homosexual students under duress; and 3) there are no differences among students, faculty, and staff in their willingness to be educated and their levels of education about homosexual issues. The population of students and faculty, …

Eliminating In-School Disciplinary Study Halls: A Study Of The Effects Vs Teacher Perceptions Of The Disciplinary Environment, Lyle A. Rigdon

Masters Theses

This study reviewed and evaluated the effect that elimination of all-day, in-school disciplinary study halls had on one rural East Central Illinois high school of fewer than 400 students. Historical data of student discipline over a 3-year period were gathered and a staff perception survey of current conditions was administered. This study compared staff perceptions to historical data collected.

Until 1995, Westville High School had experienced a sharp decline in overall student behavior. Students often left classes without permission, wore clothing that exhibited drug and alcohol slogans, and were belligerent toward the teaching staff. Additionally, IGAP test scores had declined …

The Relationship Between Family Environment And Proneness To Shame And Guilt, Ericka N. Hamilton

Masters Theses

This study examines shame- and guilt-proneness and family environment factors that predict these two affective experiences. One-hundred and ninety undergraduates completed the Test of Self-Conscious Affect and the Family Environment Scale. The results indicated that a family emphasis on moral and religious issues and values was most predictive of shame. An emphasis on moral and religious issues and values as well as an interest in social and political activities was most predictive of guilt. The findings in this study differ from the theoretical literature which has suggested that the relationship between family environment and an individual's proneness to guilt and …

Door To Door, Bryan Levek

Masters Theses

My creative thesis consists of four short stories and my author's introduction to them.

In my introduction, I discuss my primary literary influences; not only the author's whose approaches to short fiction that I share, but also those I feel indifferent towards. Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio is admirable for its sketches of common people and ordinary life events. James Joyce is highlighted as the originator of literary epiphany, a moment of revelation or profound insight, and both A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners provide examples of the device. Hemingway's stripped down language is appreciated for …

Interpersonal Solidarity In Relationships: A Cultural Analysis Of Lawyers Vs. Sports Agents, Andrea L. Cairns

Masters Theses

The cultural affects on relationship solidarity and satisfaction in relationships between lawyers and their clients, and sports agents and their professional athlete clients was examined. The results were gathered through a process of correlation tests and frequency report tables. All four groups of subjects were asked to complete a twenty questions survey which contained variables such as interpersonal solidarity, relational satisfaction, and communicative patterns of interaction. The results indicated that the two types of relationships are adversely co-dependent with respect to self-disclosure and it's relationship to interpersonal solidarity within a client-agent relationship.

Collaboration Versus Pull-Out Intervention: Effects On Vocabulary Acquisition And Classroom Communication, Jennifer J. Sturm

Masters Theses

This study investigated improvement in curricular vocabulary in school-aged children grades kindergarten through third at two different elementary schools. One school received collaborative classroom-based language lessons from the teacher and speech-language pathologist (Collaborative School). The other school received regular instruction from the classroom teacher without the input of the speech-language pathologist (Traditional School). The speech-language pathologist provided services to the children with speech or language IEP goals at the Collaborative School primarily in the classroom through these language lessons. The students who received speech or language therapy at the Traditional School received services solely through the pull-out model of intervention. …

Analysis Of Technology Plans Of Selected Suburban Elementary Schools Within Regional Office Of Education/North Cook Intermediate Service Center #1, Diane V. Ettelbrick

Masters Theses

Technology continues to be a topic of great interest and concern in the educational community. The educational system is responsible for preparing students so that they can function successfully in life and work in the world of today and tomorrow. The interest and concern regarding technology in the educational setting has spread in recent years to include the sectors of business and politics. East Maine School District No. 63, where the author of this study is employed as a Library/Media Specialist, has not developed a formal technology plan as recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education. The purpose of …

Alarm Calls Affect Foraging Behavior In Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias Striatus), Jessica K. Baack

Masters Theses

I used playback experiments to test whether alarm calls affected the foraging behavior of Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus). I subjected chipmunks, foraging at artificial feeding stations, to three playback treatments (silent, control noise, and alarm call) and examined changes in vigilant and foraging behavior. Chipmunks responded to alarm calls with a greater degree and duration of vigilant behavior, such as look-ups and alert postures. Chipmunks also ran a shorter distance to cover, ran more directly to cover, and took longer to re-emerge from the burrow after hearing an alarm call. Alarm calls caused individuals to spend more time …

A Comparison Of The Health Belief Model And Stages Of Change In Exercise Behavior Construct In Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients, Tracey Phillips

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the STAGES theoretical constructs in the uncovering of influencing factors associated with exercise compliance behaviors in cardiac rehabilitation subjects.

Sixty subjects who had experienced a cardiac event and who were attending a phase II outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program participated in this study. A questionnaire regarding health beliefs and exercise behavior classification was administered. Questions pertained to general health motivations, effectiveness of the intervention, perception of disease severity, perception of susceptibility and the stage of exercise behavior.

An analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc comparison statistical …

The Triple Crown Program: Addressing Respect And Responsibility Among Elementary Students, Mary Letitia Durnil

Masters Theses

The purpose of this qualitative study was to design a respectful and responsible student program for the students and staff of Muffley Elementary School in Decatur, Illinois. It was designed to answer the question: What type of program may be instituted to lay the foundation of respect and responsibility education? This study has laid the foundation for addressing the issue at Muffley Elementary School.

Several objectives were developed in order to meet the purpose of this study. The meeting of each objective lead to a component of the overall program. The first objective was the development of a booklet to …