Ball State University LibrariesLibrary services and resources for knowledge buildingMasters ThesesThere is no abstract available for this thesis.

Stability of a simple elastic structure, namely a Chilver structure, is to be investigated. The study will concentrate on the effect of structural imperfections on the critical load of the structure. A computer program will be developed to search for the critical direction of the imperfection,i.e., the direction in which the load carrying capacity of the structure is a minimum for any given amplitude of the imperfection. This study will help structural engineers understand the behavior of imperfect structures.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

In the transition to a fully integrated database at Marion College in Marion, Indiana, data elements needed more rigorous definitions both in terms of the relationships existing between data elements and attributes assigned to each between files. This data dictionary was thenused to access the attributes of each data element and the links existing and verify data elements within the database to locate illegal and inconsistent data items. From this data verification, weaknesses in procedures and software for loading information into the database were discovered and corrected.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

Yellow perch, Perca flavescens, were collected by trawling and gillnetting at 5m in a study area near Kintzele Ditch in Indiana waters of Lake Michigan. Sampling was conducted during the months of June, July and August in 1976 and 1977.Population characteristics were analyzed and compared to other studies. Growth rate and length-weight tended to be higher than in previous studies dealing with the Great Lakes, however, no specific reasons were identified. Growth differed between sexes, with females showing faster and more prolonged growth in older age fish. Significant overlap in ages I, II and III was apparent in both sexes, with growth differences evident between sexes of the same age. Virtually all (99%) age I male perch were mature, while only 15% age I females were mature. Approximately half of the age II females were mature with most age III females mature. Males were all mature at 150mm while females were all mature at 260mm.Sex ratios varied between samples, but were near unity for the combined sample period. No trends were apparent during the summer season for sex ratios in sex segregated populations.Catch-per-unit effort (CPE) remained relatively high during the entire sampling period. Lower CPE was noted with lower water temperatures. Sample variability was high throughout the sampling period, possibly due to gear selectivity, non-random distribution of individuals and repeated disturbances of the same area. When young-of-the-year were collected, their numbers were less variable than for older perch, a likely consequency of greater vulnerability to sample gear.The trawl tended to select for a wider range of sizes and greater total number of fish. The gill net consistently selected for larger fish. Neither method employed alone appeared capable of sampling the entire size range of fish.Differences in percent age in trawl and gill net samples were apparent with the gill net selecting for older fish. The trawl tended to sample a wide age range of fish.Comparison of data collected in Indiana and Michigan waters suggest fundamental differences in population structures. Indiana populations lacked significant numbers of larger, older fish which were adequately represented in samples from Michigan waters. Commercial harvest of perch in Indiana waters appears to be involved in the population structure differences.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

Ball State University LibrariesLibrary services and resources for knowledge buildingMasters ThesesThere is no abstract available for this thesis.

This thesis has investigated the cascade impactor with its fractionating particulate capabilities for monitoring respirable particulate matter. Additionally, the cascade impactor was compared with the high volume sampler, the present acceptable method of measuring total suspended particulates.This two-year study analyzed the quarterly and annual geometric means, geometric standard deviations and mass median diameters of the cascade impactor concentrations. Correlation coefficients between the cascade impactor and high volume sampler were analyzed to reveal the relationship between the two sampling methods.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

This thesis examined the relationship among sex role attributes of registered nurses and their professional attitudes. The study was centered in a number of 200-bed or larger medical-surgical hospitals located in Northeastern Indiana. Nonadministrative female staff R.N.s employed to work at least 32 hours per week comprised the sample population. The instruments for measurement were (1) a 25item professional attitudinal scale developed by Richard Hall, and (2) Sandra L. Bemis Sex Role Inventory.A multiple regression analysis was computed using the questionnaire results. The independent variables were age, number of years of active practice, masculine score, feminine score, and masculine-feminine interaction. The dependent variable was degree of professionalism. The findings revealed that those nurses scoring higher on the femininity subscale of the Bem Sex Role Inventory scored higher on the total Professionalism Scale than subjects endorsing a high degree of masculine traits. Older nurses and nurses with a greater number of years of practice demonstrated a higher degree of professionalism when compared with younger, less experienced nurses. Other findings revealed that nurses endorsing high levels of feminine traits on the Bem Sex Role Inventory manifested a strong belief in self regulation; nurses endorsing high levels of masculine traits on the Bem Sex Role Inventory employed use of the professional organization as a major referent most consistently.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

This is a quasi experimental study, evaluating the teaching methods of a CPR training program conducted in a rural high school on 161 students. Students were divided into three experimental groups, varying the days and instructor/student ratios in order to determine the most effective teaching methods.Two hypotheses were generated to be tested through use of instruments developed by the American Red Cross. The first hypothesis was supported--lengthening instruction time does improve performance levels in basic life support. The second hypothesis was rejected--increasing instructor ratio per student groups does not improve performance levels in basic life support. In addition, the number of days over which the course was taught was a more influential variable than instructor/student ratios.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the relationship between locus of control and the intensive care nurse's perception of job-related situations. It was hypothesized that intensive care nurses who evidenced an external locus of control would classify job-related situations as more stressful, more threatening, and less challenging than intensive care nurses who evidenced an internal locus of control. The instruments consisted of (1) a demographic questionnaire, (2) an instrument developed by this investigator to measure the degree of perceived stressful, threatening, and challenging aspects of certain job-related situations, and (3) Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale. The questionnaires were distributed to nurses working in intensive and coronary care units in one medium sized city in Indiana. An N of 75 was obtained.The hypotheses that external intensive care nurses would classify job-related situations as more stressful and more threatening were supported (F = 9.26, p<0.01, and F = 6.08, p<0.01 respectively). The hypothesis that internal nurses would classify more job-related situations as challenging was not supported by the data (F = 0.01, p = 0,91).Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the usefulness of white oak tree-ring sensitivity to local climatic information. White oak core samples were taken from Christy Woods in Muncie, Indiana. Tree-ring measurements were standardized and summarized using computer programs from the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, Tucson, Arizona.Low mean sensitivity in each series, and a variance component for the total group chronology of 30.23% indicated that annual growth increments of white oak were less than moderately limited by annual mean growing season precipitation and temperature. It may be inferred that a variety of factors have limited growth diminishing the affects of macroclimatic variations on growth at this site.By use of stepwise multiple regression analysis annual growth increment for the mean chronology was positively correlated to mean growing season precipitation. Annual growth increment was negatively correlated to mean growing season temperature. Only 24% of the total variability in the indices was attributable to the dependence on precipitation and temperature.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306