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Occlusion effects result from amplification of low frequency components of body- transmitted sound when the ear canal is occluded with hearing protection devices, hearing aids, or other canal-sealing inserts. Since the occlusion effect will enhance the hearing of bodily- generated sounds and result in distorted perception of one's own voice, many people report annoyance with hearing aids and hearing protectors that produce occlusion effects. Previous research has studied the effects of ear device insertion depth and influence of the location of the bone vibrator, which has typically been used as the excitation stimulus. However, the effects of monaural vs. binaural, ear device material, and different excitation stimuli were not investigated. In this research study, the effect of left/right ear canal on the occlusion effect, which was measured objectively as the sound pressure level difference in dB, was investigated. Also, an experiment to determine the effect of earplug types (differing in material and design), insertion depth, and excitation sources was conducted. Lastly, the noise attenuation capability of medical balloon-based earplugs was tested. Ten subjects, six male and four female, volunteered for the three separate experiments. They were subjected to the three earplug types (foam earplugs, premolded flanged earplugs, and medical balloon-based earplugs), two earplug insertion depth levels of shallow and deep (only feasible with the foam earplug and the balloon-based earplug), and two levels of excitation sources, one of which was a forehead-mounted bone vibrator and the other a self vocal utterance of "EE" to 65 decibels A-weighted (dBA). The attenuation capability of the medical balloon- based earplugs were tested via monaural Real-Ear-Attenuation-at-Threshold (REAT) test per ANSI S3.19-1974 and compared to that of a Peltor H10A earmuff. Experimental results of the first experiment demonstrated that left right ear canal SPL measurements were not statistically different, and therefore subsequent measurements of occlusion effects for the second experiment were conducted via a monaural left ear measurement protocol. The results of the second experiment confirmed significant effects of insertion depth on the occlusion effect. At the shallow insertion, the occlusion effects, on average, were greater by 11.2 dB(linear) (dBZ) then the deep insertion measured at 500 Hz. The effects of earplug type were mixed. At the shallow insertion, earplug type did not influence the occlusion effect. However, the mean occlusion effect, measured at the 1/3-octave band centered at 500 Hz, of deeply inserted balloon-based earplugs was larger than that of foam earplugs by 3.7 dBZ. Excitation sources that were used as the sound energy stimuli to elicit occlusion effects did not show statistically significant differences. The Noise Reduction Rating (NRR), as calculated per ANSI S3.19-1974, of the medical balloon-based earplug was 10 dB while that of a Peltor H10A earmuff was 24 dB. Although the medical balloon-based earplug did not prove to be a high attenuation-hearing protector, it produced a unique flat attenuation across the frequency spectrum, as compared to the typical increasing-with-frequency attenuation, pointing to its potential utility for applications wherein the pitch perception of sound is important. / Ph. D.

The literature available on financial aid addresses how aid promotes access and equal educational opportunity by enabling students to matriculate into college. The literature also discusses how financial aid impacts students' ability to persist to degree completion. However, there seems to be little research on how financial aid affects students' lives while they are in college. The present study attempted to address this gap in the existing literature by examining the differences in quality of life between college students receiving financial aid and those not receiving such aid. For purposes of this study, quality of life was defined by four dimensions culled from the literature: (a) material possessions; (b) housing; (c) use of time; and (d) support mechanisms. Financial aid was defined as any need-based grant, loan, or work-study money awarded to a student. Data were collected using the Quality of Life survey developed specifically for this study. The survey consisted of 59 items that were designed to measure the four dimensions of students' quality of life. The target sample for this study consisted of 600 first year undergraduate students: 300 financial aid recipients and 300 non-aid recipients. The findings revealed significant differences in three of the four areas: material possessions, use of time, and support mechanisms. These findings suggest that those who administer financial aid programs and those responsible for creating financial aid policies may wish to consider the role financial aid plays in the quality of life of students. / Master of Arts

International development has been a central aspect of foreign policy from the "developed" to the "less-developed" world for more than fifty years. Despite several trillions of dollars being spent for the ambiguous purpose that is "development," poverty and suffering have yet to be eliminated. With this being the case, existing institutions and processes that are part of "development" need to be analyzed, and the voices of those who are supposedly being helped, heretofore marginalized, need to be accessed in order to find where the fault lies so that it may be addressed. The present study assessed the opinions of a rural community in Nicaragua being served by a small US-based NGO on issues of development, participation, and healthcare. This was done through interviewing members of the organization and, mainly, through both surveying and interviewing members of the recipient community. Findings show that most of the people in this community very much want to be "developed," and that they are appreciative of any help that they receive. / Master of Science

This paper reviews the long-term economic performance of Tanzania since independence using long-term series of key economic and social indicators constructed from a variety of sources. The disastrous export performance for most of the period under consideration can be attributed partly to domestic policy failures and partly to a hostile external environment. However inconsistent donor support to a highly aid dependent economy at times exacerbated the constraints imposed by persistent foreign exchange shortages. Greater stability in funding and a more flexible policy dialogue are needed. The extent to which a small and poor economy with a weak indigenous private sector can rely on foreign private investment to finance investment in the early stages of adjustment is questioned. Investment in human capital beyond primary school level is also needed if growth is to be sustained.