Individuals have been adding hand-weights to walking regimens to increase caloric expenditure and arm strength. This is typically contraindicated due to changes in mechanics caused by weighted swinging arms. To address this safety concern we used a new commercial treadmill with a modified support rail that allowed a resistance to be applied to the upper body without the force of the swinging hand-weights. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess functional strength, balance and walking speed on older adults, while walking on a modified treadmill that applied intermittent upper-body static presses and see the effects. METHODS: Five older adults (age: 75 plus-minus 14 yrs) males(n= 2) and females (n=3) completed four weeks of exercise trials twice per week. (WALK + RES) were tested on the same days. The WALK + RES trial used a specially designed treadmill equipped with an adjustable weighted sled apparatus. Subjects walked at their desired speed throughout the trial starting at a grade of 0% which was not increased during the ten minutes. The WALK + RES trial incorporated an upper body static press against a weighted sled set at 5% of their body weight as resistance. During the WALK + RES trial, subjects completed ten minutes of 30 second static presses separated by 30 seconds of upper-body relaxation. RPE was recorded at the ten minute trial using the Borg scale, respectively. At the start and finish of the four weeks balance, & strength were retested to see if any gains were made. RESULTS: Strength gains were made on everyone tested and balance gains were also made. CONCLUSION: Adding upper-body resistance to walking significantly increases workload. The modified treadmill allows participants to fix their hands to a rail, similar to pushing a cart addressing the safety concerns of lumbar rotation caused by hand-weights Adding functional resistance upper-body exercise during walking may be an effective mode of exercise to increase strength, balance and activities of daily living in special populations. / Thesis (M.Ed)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Human Performance Studies

The accurate development of material allowables is a fundamental aspect of any successful engineering design. Successful testing and development of material properties will lead to accurate analysis of a structure, and predictable behavior of the end design. However, in some cases (especially for laminated composite materials) the overall behavior of a structure cannot be predicted by small scale testing. One of the leading causes of this is that edge effects have a larger influence on small specimens, leading to under-prediction of overall material behavior. An experimental study was conducted to investigate the influence of machining induced surface damage, and the viability of multiple techniques to mitigate that damage in order to produce coupon specimen results that are more representative of the behavior of a bulk laminate. Coupon extraction was conducted utilizing a rotary diamond saw. Two edge treatments were tested (application of a commercially available cyano-acrolate adhesive, and a commercially available epoxy resin). A pair of laminates was tested; each was designed to be susceptible to delamination at a known position. Tensile testing showed that application of a cyano-acrolate edge treatment improves the performance of narrow 30 degree specimens by a margin of 11%. A statistically significant difference was not observed in 45 degree laminates, epoxy coated specimens, or wide specimens. There was a statistically significant performance difference between narrow and wide specimens, including edge treated specimens. A 6% performance gap remained between narrow cyanoacrolate coated specimens, when compared against wide specimens. This indicates that edge stresses are only partially mitigated by the edge treatment applied to the coupon. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

The Neotropical-migratory Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) is one of North America's strongest declining songbirds. Alterations of breeding ground habitat are a potential primary cause of decline, versus wintering and migration habitat alterations being a primary factor driving population decline. Evaluating the influence of these hypotheses on population trends could reallocate the limited resources of conservation efforts. For the Cerulean, two studies show that annual adult migration survival reflects the range expected for non-declining species (40-60% winter/migration survival), whereas annual reproductive output is very low throughout its breeding range. This suggests a strong role for events on the breeding grounds in its population decline. As an independent test of this qualitative model, annual survival and reproduction were measured in a non-declining Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila cerulea). Annual survival of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was predicted to be similar to that of the Cerulean, but reproduction of the Gnatcatcher to be significantly higher. Results from two field seasons (April-August 2011 and 2012) of Blue-gray gnatcatcher data were rigorously compared to six field seasons of data on the Cerulean warbler collected by Christopher M. Rogers (May-June 2003-2008). All statistical measures that were assessed regarding were contrary to original predictions. Cerulean warblers had higher nest success, equal nest output per successful nest, a higher number of female fledglings per female within the study populations and a higher rate of survival over wintering and migration. It is speculated that there was a great influence of drought on the two field seasons of Blue-gray gnatcatcher data collection. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Biological Sciences

Dental anthropology was wide ranging implications for the field of anthropology. Teeth have become important sources of data about the individual as well as possibly being able to identify them. One problem that can arise is the chemical destruction of teeth whether it be diagenesis in an archaeological context or deliberately in a forensic context. In terms of deliberate destruction of the body several household chemicals are cheap and easily assessable. The purpose of this research is to look at how six household chemicals affect both deciduous and permanent tooth classes. The six chemicals include, Vinegar (acetic acid), Bleach (sodium hypochlorite), Biz (Sodium per carbonate), Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) Ammonia and the control (tap water). The teeth were placed in jars containing the chemical for twenty-four hours. Every hour the weight and mesial/distal length were measured. Of the six chemicals, vinegar affected the teeth the most. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Anthropology

This study provides a critical analysis discourses about black gay men, using critical discourse analysis (CDA) as its methodology. First, the white-institutional-phallus is established as the greater discursive structure driving negating discourses about non-heterosexual black men. Second, languages of bereavement, of phallic "presence" and phallic "absence," are shown to constitute this discourse practice. The study then reveals how the repudiation of black gay men depends on the repudiation of the feminine and, particularly, how anal penetration and emasculation are used as heuristic tropes for the "racial failure" of black gay men because they are constructed by and constitutive of repudiations of the feminine. Finally, analyses of black gay characters in film show this discursive practice in the context of US popular culture and illustrate how black bodies are appropriated for ideological aims. Since phallic scripts ultimately standardize white phallic embodiment by rendering black phallic embodiment "deviant" or "pathological," black men should extricate themselves from phallic discourse and take control of their bodily self-determination, self-representation, and self-definition. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Program of Liberal Studies

Over the past few decades both the demand for knowledge as well an increase in the application of composite materials has boomed. This has led to an intensive focus by the research community to gather information and validate the use of such materials. Sandwich composites have been a particular interest and an intense demand for further understanding was sparked by the catastrophic rudder failure of Air Transat 961. This thesis focuses on understanding fracture mechanics and damage tolerance within sandwich composites. Facesheet disbond has severe impacts on the material systems strength and stiffness, and large disbonds can often lead to catastrophic component failure. Understanding how these disbonds grow is paramount to recognizing the limitations of sandwich composites. This thesis has several objectives. First, determine the fracture toughness of various sandwich composite material systems under going quasi-static loading. Second, determine how variations within the material systems such as facesheet thickness, core type, cell size and core density effect the results. Third, determine how the failure modes such as adhesive, pullout and core alter the results. Fourth, determine how fluid ingression effects fracture toughness. Fifth, provide baseline data for further testing and modeling. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Aerospace Engineering

Wild birds rely on plumage for protection, reproductive display, and flight. Alterations to feather structure or color by symbiotic microbes may reduce survival and reproductive fitness. Feathers are waxy oligotrophic environments low in moisture and rich in recalcitrant beta-keratin subject to freezing temperatures and high UV radiation. Ventral feathers were sterilely collected from wild dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) by mist net capture and shaken in a chaotropic solution to dislodge bacterial cells. More than 300 bacterial isolates, mainly Gram-positive cocci and bacilli, were collected by serial dilution of enrichment cultures and purified by repetitive streaking on agar plates to generate an isolate collection. Isolates were tested for their ability to degrade keratin, the principle component of feathers, as well as other biochemical tests. Approximately half of the isolates were able to grow on keratin as a sole carbon and energy source. Surveys of bird feather samples were also tested for their ability to establish colonies under conditions mimicking environmental stressors such as desiccation and temperature extremes. Phylogenetic analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene sequences from the isolate collection showed substantial bacterial diversity including representatives of the genera Bacillus, Rhizobium, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas and Sphingomonas. Supported by NSF GK-12 and NIH KINBRE P20GM103418. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Biological Sciences

This research examines whether or not there is a relationship between social dominance and theory of mind skills in three to five year old children. Twenty-seven three to five year old children were both rated and ranked by their lead teacher on social dominance. Each child was given the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, 4th Edition, to measure their receptive language skills, and then two common theory of mind false belief tasks. The first hypothesis, that there would be a positive correlation between social dominance and theory of mind skills was not supported. The second hypothesis, that there would be a positive relationship between theory of mind and language was only supported after outliers were removed. The third hypothesis, that when controlling for language, the relationship between social dominance and theory of mind would remain intact was not supported. The results of this study were surprising due to many similarities between social dominance and theory of mind as well as extensive research supporting a positive relationship between theory of mind and language. Some possible explanations for these results include a very small sample size of children participating as a whole and within each classroom, the age of the children, and possible effects of teacher experience. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Counseling, Educational Leadership, Educational and School Psychology

This research attempted to determine if there was a benefit to authentic based instruction over traditional lecture based instruction. Two units were taught in the Social Studies curriculum area, the first using lecture based instruction and the second using authentic based instruction. Subject matter retention tests were given three weeks after each unit to determine subject matter retention as well as the student's ability to apply the retained knowledge to new ideas and problems. Student engagement and motivation data were also collected to help determine the effects of authentic instruction on all these areas of student performance. It was determined that authentic instruction did create a positive influence on subject matter retention, student engagement, and student motivation, but did not have an effect on the student's ability to apply the learned knowledge. It was recommended that further study be done on other specific aspects of authentic learning and the effects that can be elicited. Keywords: authentic learning, student engagement, student motivation / Thesis (M.Ed.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction

With disease progression, the speech of talkers with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) becomes increasingly imprecise and unintelligible. Although speaking rate reduction is commonly used as a treatment approach to enhance speech intelligibility in these talkers, its effect on tongue movements and speech acoustics is not well understood. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine how slow speech affects tongue excursions and speech acoustics in persons with ALS. Further, this study investigated how tongue excursions and speech acoustics differed between persons with ALS and healthy controls. Lastly, this study sought to determine how predictable tongue excursions are based on speech acoustics in persons with ALS. 3D electromagnetic articulography was used to capture tongue movements during speech in five talkers with ALS and five healthy controls. Tongue excursions and the vowel space distance during the production of the vowels /a/ and /i/ in the word "kite" embedded in the sentence "See a kite again" were measured during typical and slow speech. Results showed increased tongue excursions and acoustic vowel space in response to slow speech for persons with ALS and controls; however, the effect was larger in the control group than in the ALS group. These outcomes support the current clinical assumption that slow speech increases tongue excursions and expanded vowel space in persons with speech impairments due to ALS. Although tongue excursions tended to be slightly larger in persons with ALS than controls, vowel space tended to be smaller in persons with ALS than controls. These findings challenged the current assumption that a small vowel space indicate small tongue excursion. The predictability of change in tongue excursions based on change in speech acoustics in response to slow speech was much lower in persons with ALS than controls. Thus, acoustic measures should not be used to infer the underlying speech movements in persons with ALS. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Health Professions, Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders