Masters Theses

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    Jean Toomer's life search for identity as realized in 'Cane'
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1975) Shaw, Brenda ; English
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    Status of the physical education graduates of Towson State University /
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1978) McDonald, John C. ; HPERS
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    Printing errors and the prediction of academic performance.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1984) Moore, Robert ; Psychology
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    Misconceptions about crime in 1978 and 1985.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1985) Woodruff, William
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    Dorothy Parker and New Yorker satire.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1985) Bone, Martha ; English
    Satire is central to the New Yorker magazine, an influential arbiter of taste in American life for sixty years. This study analyzes the satiric voice of the New Yorker as exemplified in the works of Dorothy Parker and, secondarily, Ring Lardner and H. L. Mencken. The study is primarily concerned with Parker, an early and influential New Yorker writer who helped to invent the typical New Yorker satiric style. During the first fifteen years of its publication, 1925-1940, her satiric touch is present in nearly all of the 149 pieces she published in the New Yorker. The sophistication and style of the satire of the New Yorker are also evident, to a lesser extent, in the contributions of Lardner and Mencken.
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    Chattanooga's street-names : a reflection of the city's history.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1987) Larson, Georgina Spencer
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    A comparison of electrical utilities to determine root causes of increasing electrical contact accidents.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1989) Thompson, Guy ; Industrial Studies
    This study compared a representative sampling of utilities across the state of Tennessee to identify trends which might account for increasing electrical contact accidents by linemen. The results did not show that the use of a working foreman (a foreman who not only supervises the job but actively participates in the work) increased susceptibility to accidents. The results did indicate a need for structured apprentice training, supervisory training for foremen and a need for a formally adopted safety policy. There was no indication that geography has any part in accident rate. The ratio of experienced linemen per crew did seem to have an effect. There was only one contact accident reported from a crew with no apprentices. It also became obvious that the degree of involvement by management was paramount to safety.
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    Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1989) Franklin, Rachel
    This thesis examines Jefferson's use of Poplar Forest, a secondary plantation located in Bedford County, Virginia. It explores the functional and symbolic roles of the plantation from 1774 to 1824. Jefferson gained Poplar Forest through inheritance from his wife's father, John Wayles. He used its land primarily to raise wheat and tobacco. After Jefferson retired from the presidency, workmen built a new, octagonal house on the property. Designed by Jefferson, this house represented his philosophy of architecture and the proper use of classical orders. Interior arrangement of space denoted Jefferson's purpose for his Bedford house as a comfortable, private dwelling.
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    The racing log canoe: Ancient traditions alive on the Chesapeake Bay.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1989) Forbes, Nelson ;
    The Chesapeake Bay racing log canoe is one of the most unique indigenous craft on the Bay, and is a significant maritime artifact of material culture. This thesis studies the racing log canoe and the traditions which have given rise to its creation and evolution. In addition, a study of comparative experiences, involving the design, construction, evolution, and use of log canoes from around the world is presented.
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    Confusion in decision-making roles, argument level, and self-esteem within marital dyads.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1990) Jernigan, Nathan
    Confusion between spouses in decision-making roles, number of marital arguments, and self-esteem of spouses were examined. The volunteer couples were university students and church members from the Middle Tennessee area. Confusion level and argument information were determined with a take-home survey given to both spouses who were instructed to complete them independent of each other. Confusion level was computed by the differences in spousal responses to questions of marital decision-making. A regression equation was used, and a statistically significant positive correlation was found between confusion level and number of marital arguments. The relationship between confusion level and self-esteem of husbands and wives (separately) yielded no significant effects. A regression equation yielded no significant effect for self-esteem of husbands on argument frequency; however, a statistically significant negative correlation was found for argument frequency and self-esteem of wives. A stepwise regression analysis including all variables for husbands and wives combined revealed that confusion level and self-esteem were useful in predicting the frequency of marital arguments. Gender was not found to be a useful predictor. No significant interaction effects were found.
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    They also flew: Women aviators in Tennessee, 1922-1950.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1990) Leonhirth, Janene
    The decades of the 1920s through the 1940s were a time of tremendous growth for the aviation industry. Women, such as Amelia Earhart, helped to promote that growth; a fact that on the surface challenged the traditional view of women's place in society. But the careers of less famous women who flew in Tennessee, which had the reputation of being a state progressive in aviation, show women's opportunities in the field were limited to specific gender-defined areas.
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    The effects of the NCAA guidelines on the equitable treatment of student-athletes.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1996) Wells, Robert
    The purpose of this study was to compare the attitudes of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-A college presidents, athletic directors, head football coaches, men's head basketball coaches, women's head basketball coaches, and student athletes on the equitable treatment of student athletes in the following areas: (1) the payment of scholarship athletes, (2) the equitable treatment of student athletes, (3) work for scholarship athletes, and (4) NCAA regulations regarding scholarship athletes.
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    Professional preparation of physical education teachers at the undergraduate level: An analysis and comparison between the United States and China.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1996) Xiang, Sixin ;
    The purpose of this study was to investigate the methods of professional preparation of physical education teachers in the United States and China and to provide recommendations for improvement in professional physical education to the countries. The study was designed to examine the different practices for professional preparation in areas of the admission, curriculum content, and curriculum structure. Such a comparative study may be helpful in order to strengthen each nation's programs and to promote international understanding.
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    Encouraging physician involvement in hospital-based continuous quality improvement programs.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1997) Yoest, Geraldine ; ;
    Results of continuous quality improvement (CQI) programs of 22 middle Tennessee hospitals were investigated. Barriers to physician involvement in CQI programs and incentives that hospitals could offer physicians to participate were also investigated. Questions were modified from the National Survey of Hospitals' Efforts to Improve Quality - 1993 (Shortell, S.M.). Two hundred physicians in the same area were surveyed. Results of the first survey indicate that hospitals in middle Tennessee are obtaining limited results from their CQI programs. Results of the second survey identified physician barriers to CQI that hospital managers can address. The majority of physicians reported that many incentives hospital quality managers say are in place to encourage physician involvement at their hospitals are not offered at the hospitals where they practice.
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    The integration of schools in Murfreesboro, Tennessee: A community study.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 1997) Lickiss, Melinda
    Fourteen years after the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education, the citizens of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, integrated their city school system. This thesis argues that integration in Murfreesboro resulted from the simple passage of time, the administrative ability of the school superintendent, Baxter Hobgood, and the community networks of women reformers. Because integration was implemented peacefully in Murfreesboro, this study contributes to a greater appreciation of the complexity of changing race relations in a small southern community and provides a model for studying nonviolent integration. This work is based on minutes and reports of the Murfreesboro City Council, the Murfreesboro City School Board, and several community women's groups as they struggled to implement an integration plan. Numerous interviews with school and community leaders provide personal reflections that elaborate on the actions of persons involved.
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    Maximal isometric strength on the kinetic communicator system for Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients.
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2001) Xie, Xiaoqing
    The purpose of this study was to create a quantitative muscle strength reference for the knee extensors, ankle plantar flexors, elbow extensors and elbow flexors for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) patients from age six to fifteen. The second purpose was to determine the relationship of maximal isometric contractile force between the left and the right sides of the four muscle groups.
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    HEAD OVER HEELS FOR ARTIFICIAL WOMEN, OR SACRIFICE, LOVE, AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE MODERN SCIENCE FICTION FILM: HUMAN CULTURE AND OBSESSION IN BLADE RUNNER AND SOLARIS
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2005) Driver, Christopher J.
    Abstract Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982), though once casually dismissed by general audiences and critics alike, is now regarded as one of the most influential and thought-provoking science fiction films of all time. This film is worthy of study from many angles, particularly because of the highly realistic visual representation of the 1980s American culture it was created in and its provocative and stunningly prescient estimation of a horribly real, definitely possible Los Angeles of the year 2019. What makes the film most memorable, though, is its moving exploration of the relationship between man and his biologically and genetically manufactured (non-human) creation. Poignant questions about the nature of humanity and the definition of human are raised, and the ultimate sacrifice of one man for a fleeting chance at a romantic love relationship with a woman who is not human is compellingly examined. Blade Runner shares much with Steven Soderbergh’s Solaris (2002), a more recent science fiction film in which the central male character is motivated to sacrifice everything for a woman who is not truly human. Though Solaris lacks much of the social and political commentary that is established definitively (intentionally or not) in Blade Runner, the two films share a fascinating existential drama over the nature of humanity and a moving portrayal of a sacrifice for an uncertain love with an artificial woman.
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    AGGREGATE LOSS PREDICTION USING MULTIPLE-CLASS CLASSIFICATION TECHNIQUES
    (Middle Tennessee State University, 2011) Zhang, Chuanlong ; Hong, Don ; Manathunga, Vajira ; Wu, Qiang ; Xiong, Lu
    In this thesis, we consider a model for predicting future losses in car insurance applications by using multiple-class classi cation algorithms. In the car insurance payment data, the records can be divided into four di erent groups based on the di erent types of payments, such as labor-dominant (LD), parts- dominant (PD), other-dominant (OD), and none-dominant (ND) payments. We  rst apply the multi-class classi cation algorithm to predict the probabilities that a ran- domly selected subject belongs to the corresponding group, then, for simplicity, the predicted payment amount can be calculated by using the total expectation formula after determining the conditional expected payment amount using training data. This method is easy to implement and yield satisfactory prediction accuracy. We compared proposed model accuracy against general linear regression and clas- sical individual aggregate loss models accuracy for the test dataset. The comparison results show that the proposed model outperforms other models in accuracy for given test datasets. The matrix used to describe the distribution of the true groups and the distribution of the predicted groups indicates there exists a relationship between the payment amount and the type of group it belongs to.