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Articles 1 - 30 of 34
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Analysis Of Layered Social Networks, Jonathan T. Hamill
Analysis Of Layered Social Networks, Jonathan T. Hamill
Theses and Dissertations
Prevention of near-term terrorist attacks requires an understanding of current terrorist organizations to include their composition, the actors involved, and how they operate to achieve their objectives. To aid this understanding, operations research, sociological, and behavioral theory relevant to the study of social networks are applied, thereby providing theoretical foundations for new methodologies to analyze non-cooperative organizations, defined as those trying to hide their structure or are unwilling to provide information regarding their operations. Techniques applying information regarding multiple dimensions of interpersonal relationships, inferring from them the strengths of interpersonal ties, are explored. A layered network construct is offered that …
Theory Of Effectiveness Measurement, Richard K. Bullock
Theory Of Effectiveness Measurement, Richard K. Bullock
Theses and Dissertations
Effectiveness measures provide decision makers feedback on the impact of deliberate actions and affect critical issues such as allocation of scarce resources, as well as whether to maintain or change existing strategy. Currently, however, there is no formal foundation for formulating effectiveness measures. This research presents a new framework for effectiveness measurement from both a theoretical and practical view. First, accepted effects-based principles, as well as fundamental measurement concepts are combined into a general, domain independent, effectiveness measurement methodology. This is accomplished by defining effectiveness measurement as the difference, or conceptual distance from a given system state to some reference …
Dynamics And Control Of Tethered Satellite Formations For The Purpose Of Space-Based Remote Sensing, Kurt A. Vogel
Dynamics And Control Of Tethered Satellite Formations For The Purpose Of Space-Based Remote Sensing, Kurt A. Vogel
Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation assesses the utility of tethered satellite formations for the space-based remote sensing mission. Energy dissipation is found to have an adverse effect on foundational rigid body (Likins-Pringle) equilibria. It is shown that a continuously earth-facing equilibrium condition for a fixed-length tethered system does not exist since the spin rate required for the proper precession would not be high enough to maintain tether tension. The range of required spin rates for steady-spin motion is numerically defined here, but none of these conditions can meet the continuously earth-facing criteria. Of particular note is the discovery that applying certain rigid body …
Multilingual Phoneme Models For Rapid Speech Processing System Development, Eric G. Hansen
Multilingual Phoneme Models For Rapid Speech Processing System Development, Eric G. Hansen
Theses and Dissertations
Current speech recognition systems tend to be developed only for commercially viable languages. The resources needed for a typical speech recognition system include hundreds of hours of transcribed speech for acoustic models and 10 to 100 million words of text for language models; both of these requirements can be costly in time and money. The goal of this research is to facilitate rapid development of speech systems to new languages by using multilingual phoneme models to alleviate requirements for large amounts of transcribed speech. The Global Phone database, winch contains transcribed speech from 15 languages, is used as source data …
Forecasting Mental Health Care Cost For Oif And Oef Veterans, Phil Andrew L. Bernal
Forecasting Mental Health Care Cost For Oif And Oef Veterans, Phil Andrew L. Bernal
Theses and Dissertations
The war in Iraq has been the longest sustained ground combat that the US military has engaged since the Vietnam War. With the ongoing battle against the global war on terrorism, many military personnel will be deployed to hostile areas in support of these operations. The effects of multiple deployment and combat engagement on the mental health of military personnel have been extensively studied. The impacts of mental illnesses, such as PTSD, are tied to longer period in the combat zone. Meeting the psychiatric needs of these veterans will be costly: rehabilitation, retraining, post combat counseling, long-term medical treatment, and …
Evaluating Alternatives For Drinking Water At Deployed Locations, Brian S. Hughes
Evaluating Alternatives For Drinking Water At Deployed Locations, Brian S. Hughes
Theses and Dissertations
Because of potential improvements to water security and cost savings, military decision makers may want to consider new means of providing potable water to Airmen in deployed locations. Drilling for water and field bottling show great potential because of the increased security and lower per unit cost when compared to bottled water from approved sources. However, the selection of the best means to supply water is a hard decision which must balance multiple objectives (e.g., security, palatability, and convenience) against limited resources (e.g., cost, airlift, trucks, and personnel). A multi-objective decision analysis model quantifies a decision-maker's values regarding the many …
The Impact Of Economic Factors And Acquisition Reforms On The Cost Of Defense Weapon Systems, James P. Smirnoff
The Impact Of Economic Factors And Acquisition Reforms On The Cost Of Defense Weapon Systems, James P. Smirnoff
Theses and Dissertations
Cost overruns in weapon system purchases have plagued the Department of Defense (DoD) throughout its history and have resulted in schedule delays and potentially reduced combat capability. This thesis created an empirical model that begins to explain those cost overruns. The model describes how changes in defense budgets, consolidation of the defense industry, acquisition reform, war, and cost estimating error are related to cost overruns. The cost performance of 186 major weapon system programs managed by the Air Force, Army, and Navy from 1970 to 2002 was described using a panel regression model. This research found that funding instability resulting …
Coalition Modeling In Humanitarian Assistance Operations, Sung Wan Bang
Coalition Modeling In Humanitarian Assistance Operations, Sung Wan Bang
Theses and Dissertations
Multinational operations are carried out to achieve military and diplomatic objectives in various regions. Such operations derive a great deal of benefits from sharing budgets, political legitimacy, sharing each national experience and technological resources, and so forth. However, a coalition, one structure of multinational operations, often involves serious challenges in such areas as command and control, logistic support, communication and language, training, and intelligence and information due to its ad hoc characteristics. This research reviews general problems in a coalition operation, and develops the Coalition Operation Planning Model to assist coalition commanders or staff in producing an efficient operational plan. …
The Impact Of The Defense Industry Consolidation On The Aerospace Industry, Judy B. Davis
The Impact Of The Defense Industry Consolidation On The Aerospace Industry, Judy B. Davis
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of the defense industry consolidation on the aerospace industry. The defense industry is comprised of twelve sectors that impact different industries. This research focused on the formal aspects of the aerospace industry which supports six of the twelve defense sectors. The aerospace industry is identified by six North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) or Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes. Using the structure-conduct- performance paradigm, a method in industrial organization, this thesis focused on how the defense consolidation affected the structure and behavior of the aerospace industry. For structure, this study …
Buying A Better Air Force, Jenny O. Herald
Buying A Better Air Force, Jenny O. Herald
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to capture the United States Government's revealed preference for air superiority using the hedonic pricing approach (HPA), and (2) to compare the characteristics of U.S. Air Force (USAF) fighter aircraft with those of the former Soviet Union to evaluate the effectiveness of the USAF fleet. The resulting analysis showed that the U.S. Government is paying for physical and performance characteristics such as engine thrust, service ceiling, range, and large-scale integrated circuit technology. However, evidence suggests that the government is not paying to have a relative advantage over the enemy based on the …
The Effect Of Major Organizational Policy On Employee Attitudes Toward Graduate Degrees, Frank R. Hughes
The Effect Of Major Organizational Policy On Employee Attitudes Toward Graduate Degrees, Frank R. Hughes
Theses and Dissertations
Leaders initiate policies not only to improve the success of their organizations, but to influence employee performance, whereby employee attitudes toward a policy objective can influence their resulting behaviors. One group of employees, Air Force officers, experienced a policy change in 2005 that discontinued the use of academic degrees as criteria for officer promotions. With this change, there is a concern that the number of Air Force officers with graduate degrees might decrease. In particular, senior leaders in the Civil Engineer (CE) officer career field are concerned that this policy change might reduce the number of officers available to fill …
The Effects Of Ability Homophily On Individual Performance, Michael J. Gray
The Effects Of Ability Homophily On Individual Performance, Michael J. Gray
Theses and Dissertations
Homophily is the sociological term for a principle that is easily observed and understood: similar people tend to associate with one another (or the well-known saying "Birds of a feather flock together"). Homophily creates divides among people with numerous demographic characteristics and causes people to surround themselves with others who are similar to themselves (McPherson et al., 2001). Race and ethnicity have the greatest influence on relationship choices followed by age, religion, education, occupation, and gender (McPherson et al., 2001). While studies of homophily of race and gender are quite common, few studies have examined homophily based on instrumental attributes …
An Evaluation Of How Organizational Culture Can Perpetuate A Formal Mentoring Relationship, Daniel J. Rieker
An Evaluation Of How Organizational Culture Can Perpetuate A Formal Mentoring Relationship, Daniel J. Rieker
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this research was to investigate how an organization's culture can have an effect on formal mentoring. Specifically, this thesis sought to determine if perceptions among gender, ethnicity, and organizational position differ for mentoring and organizational culture. Additionally, this thesis sought to determine if any correlations may exist between organizational culture and formal mentoring overall.
Comparative Analysis Of Biosurveillance Methodologies, David M. Kempisty
Comparative Analysis Of Biosurveillance Methodologies, David M. Kempisty
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this research is to compare two different biosurveillance methodologies: BioWatch and "A Hot Idea". BioWatch is fielded and operating in major US cities today. Air samples are collected on filter paper and analyzed for the presence of harmful biological agents. "A Hot Idea" is an evolving methodology using the human body's immune response to identify the onset of infection from a harmful pathogen. Detecting a temperature increase, using infrared thermographers, in a statistically significant portion of population would allow earlier identification of a biological release, accelerating initiation of response actions. A selected population including policemen, firemen, and …
High Performance Individuals And How They Manage Their Personal Knowledge For Decision-Making: An Exploratory Study Of Us Air Force Leaders, Kenneth M. Ivey
High Performance Individuals And How They Manage Their Personal Knowledge For Decision-Making: An Exploratory Study Of Us Air Force Leaders, Kenneth M. Ivey
Theses and Dissertations
The ability of Colonels, Generals, and Chiefs to effectively manage their personal knowledge may lead to better decisions; however, the Air Force does not have an understanding of how these high performance leaders manage their personal knowledge. This research used a multiple-case study methodology to explore how USAF leaders manage their personal knowledge when making routine and novel decisions. Viewing personal knowledge management as it related to sociotechnical theory provided the basis to determine how the need to accomplish the tasks associated with personal knowledge management impacted the people, technology, organizational structure, and the tasks associated with managing personal knowledge. …
A Graph Theoretic Analysis Of The Effects Of Organizational Structure On Employee Social Networks, John R. Hutzel
A Graph Theoretic Analysis Of The Effects Of Organizational Structure On Employee Social Networks, John R. Hutzel
Theses and Dissertations
A simulation technique was used to investigate the impacts of organizational structure on an organization's social network. By simulating personnel in an organization as vertices in a graph and the aging of the corporation as the aging of the same graph, the maturation of an organization was realized. The characteristic path length of the graph was measured after each year returning an optimistic average organizational distance. Results include the finding that, per this model, an organization's characteristic path length can drop over 50% in a 20 year period with consideration of edges of all strengths. Next a series of random …
Leadership In Groups: Social Networks And Perceptions Of Formal And Informal Leaders, Mitchell D. Stratton
Leadership In Groups: Social Networks And Perceptions Of Formal And Informal Leaders, Mitchell D. Stratton
Theses and Dissertations
The labors of organizational and behavioral science researchers have resulted in a literature robust in the study of leadership and social networks. Empirical examination of both topics has shown significant organizational outcomes, but breadth is lacking both within and between the disciplines. Studies of leadership have seen the preponderance of the effort focused on formal leaders, while most social network studies examine only one informal structure. Moreover, there exists a paucity of studies, which have sought to examine the interrelationships between leadership and social networks. In an effort to address these voids, this thesis investigated: 1) The concurrent existence of …
The Longitudinal Effect Of Self-Monitoring And Locus Of Control On Social Network Position In Friendship Networks, Gary J. Moore
The Longitudinal Effect Of Self-Monitoring And Locus Of Control On Social Network Position In Friendship Networks, Gary J. Moore
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this research was to identify how enduring personality characteristics predict a person's location in a network, locations which in turn affect outcomes such as performance. Specifically, this thesis examines how self-monitoring and locus of control influence an individual's location in a friendship social network over time. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was used to analyze 28 groups of students and instructors at a military training course over six and one half weeks. Self-monitoring predicted betweenness centrality in five of six time periods while locus of control predicted betweenness centrality in three of six time periods. The moderation of …
Modeling Network Centric Warfare (Ncw) With The System Effectiveness Analysis Simulation (Seas), Jason B. Honabarger
Modeling Network Centric Warfare (Ncw) With The System Effectiveness Analysis Simulation (Seas), Jason B. Honabarger
Theses and Dissertations
Significant technological advances over the past few decades have fueled the continual and rapid development of an information-based world. Network Centric Warfare (NCW) has become the buzzword of the young millennium within the Department of Defense (DoD) and is quickly becoming a popularly shared vision and rallying cry for force transformation among United States military leaders. An essential element in fully implementing this network-centric way of thinking is to develop useful measures to help gauge the effectiveness and efficiency of both our military networks and our strategic NCW doctrine. The goal of this research is first to provide a comprehensive …
Formal And Informal Work Group Relationships With Performance: A Moderation Model Using Social Network Analysis, Benjamin R. Knost
Formal And Informal Work Group Relationships With Performance: A Moderation Model Using Social Network Analysis, Benjamin R. Knost
Theses and Dissertations
Social networks have recently emerged in the management discipline as a unique way of studying individuals groups in organizations. While traditionally used in the analysis of un-bounded networks, applying social network analysis techniques to bounded work groups and organizational teams has become increasingly popular. Past research has established relationships between in-degree social network centrality and individual performance as well as social network density and overall group performance. This field study, conducted at a military training course, attempted to further refine this social network-performance relationship by modeling characteristics of both the formal and informal work group networks in relation to performance …
Terrain And Spatial Effects On Hazard Prediction And Assessment Capability (Hpac) Software Dose-Rate Contour Plot Predictions As Compared To A Sample Of Local Fallout Data From Test Detonations In The Continental United States, 1945-1962, Kevin D. Pace
Theses and Dissertations
Hazard Prediction and Capability (HPAC) Software is validated by comparing modeled predictions to historical test data. Reanalysis weather data is acquired and reformatted for use in HPAC. Simulations are made using various amounts of weather data by use of a spatial domain. Simulations are also varied by levels of terrain resolution. The predicted output of the software is numerically compared to historical test data. The result of this research culminated in the knowledge that HPAC prediction accuracy is improved by using terrain resolutions beyond the flat earth assumption. Furthermore, this research establishes that domain size variation produces no significant advantage …
Hazardous Materials Transportation: A Meta-Analysis Of State Level Policy And Regulations, David J. Pastika
Hazardous Materials Transportation: A Meta-Analysis Of State Level Policy And Regulations, David J. Pastika
Theses and Dissertations
Every day, over 800,000 hazmat transactions take place across the United States. This segment of transportation is expected to grow at a modest two percent a year for the foreseeable future but differences of regulations between the state and Federal level have been a growing concern for both the government and members of the hazmat industry. A patchwork of often inconsistent permits, registration requirements, and hazmat organizational structures at the state level often create barriers to the efficient means of commerce for hazmat carriers and shippers. This thesis explores the history of hazardous regulations since de-regulation of the trucking industry …
An Epidemiological Approach To Terrorism, Kjirstin A. Bentson
An Epidemiological Approach To Terrorism, Kjirstin A. Bentson
Theses and Dissertations
There are many types of models for counterterrorism, explaining different problems that the military faces in the fight against terrorism. This thesis proposes that one of the fundamental assumptions underlying existing models of counterterrorism is that the struggle with terrorists can be understood as a war in the traditional sense of the term. We propose to rethink the struggle against terrorism as a fight against an infection. The epidemic of terrorist ideology within part of the world is a result, from this perspective, of the infectiousness of that ideology. Using the insights of the field of the epidemiology of ideas, …
An Estimation Theory Approach To Detection And Ranging Of Obscured Targets In 3-D Ladar Data, Charles R. Burris
An Estimation Theory Approach To Detection And Ranging Of Obscured Targets In 3-D Ladar Data, Charles R. Burris
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this research is to develop an algorithm to detect obscured images in 3-D LADAR data. The real data used for this research was gathered using a FLASH LADAR system under development at AFRL/SNJM. The system transmits light with a wavelength of 1.55 micrometers and produces 20 128 X 128 temporally resolved images from the return pulse separated by less than 2 nanoseconds in time. New algorithms for estimating the range to a target in 3-D FLASH LADAR data were developed. Results from processing real data are presented and compared to the traditional correlation receiver for extracting ranges …
Influence Of Organizational Culture On The Relationship Between Psychological Contracts And Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Jennifer M. Carbajal
Influence Of Organizational Culture On The Relationship Between Psychological Contracts And Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Jennifer M. Carbajal
Theses and Dissertations
The issue of what antecedents of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and psychological contracts (PC) employees form with their organization has also been of interest as they have many implications on an employee's extra-role behavior, specifically OCBs. This research investigates the relationship between types of PCs (a) relational and (b) transactional and the propensity to perform (a) altruism and (b) compliance OCB. Furthermore, the influence of organizational culture (OC) dimensions (a) internal orientation and (b) external orientation on this relationship was explored. The results show that transactional PCs were negatively related to both dimensions of OCB. Relational PCs were positively related …
Bda Enhancement Methodology Using Situational Parameter Adjustments, Michael V. Carras Jr.
Bda Enhancement Methodology Using Situational Parameter Adjustments, Michael V. Carras Jr.
Theses and Dissertations
In the context of close ground combat, the perception of Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) is closely linked with a soldier’s engagement decisions and has significant effects on the battlefield. Perceived BDA is also one of the most complex and uncertain processes facing the soldier in live combat. As a result, the modeling and simulation community has yet to adequately model the perceived BDA process in combat models. This research effort examines the BDA process from a perception standpoint and proposes a methodology to collect the pertinent data and model this perception in the Army’s current force-on-force model, CASTFOREM. A subject …
A Methodology For Performing Effects-Based Assessments, Benjamin A. Thoele
A Methodology For Performing Effects-Based Assessments, Benjamin A. Thoele
Theses and Dissertations
In order to bring the doctrine of Effects-Based Operations (EBO) into a fully operational capability, Effects-Based Assessment (EBA) must provide relevant insight to the commander and his planning staff. Assessments of an effects-based plan and execution must include an assessment of the effects of a campaign on the enemy in addition to an assessment of the accomplishment of friendly actions taken to achieve the desired effects. Determining the effects of a campaign requires an analysis of the dynamics of the enemy systems. EBA must be able to recognize the states of the enemy's systems as the system states change over …
Gauging The Commitment Of Clandestine Group Members, Doneda D. Downs
Gauging The Commitment Of Clandestine Group Members, Doneda D. Downs
Theses and Dissertations
Since the attacks of September 11th, 2001, there has been a great deal of attention given to understanding the inner workings of terrorist organizations in order for the United States to be successful in the Global War on Terrorism. Group dynamics has been one area of interest pursued to gain more insight into a terrorist's cognitive battlespace. Until a few years ago, most research on individual commitment and organizational cohesion has been based primarily on questionnaires and open observations on groups that desire to be understood. However, terrorist organizations are clandestine; they constantly employ operations security (OPSEC) to ensure protection …
Quantitative Analysis Of A Turbulent Wind Tunnel With Obstructions For Use In Liquid Flame Spread Experiments, Beau M. Brantley
Quantitative Analysis Of A Turbulent Wind Tunnel With Obstructions For Use In Liquid Flame Spread Experiments, Beau M. Brantley
Theses and Dissertations
The research was done as part of an effort to develop alternative fire suppressant technologies for aircraft engine nacelles. The turbulent shear flow behind a surface mounted fence inside an open circuit wind tunnel was investigated experimentally. The tunnel test section was designed to be 2-D and exhibit flow qualities similar to those found in a typical engine nacelle. A 279 mm wide fuel pan was inserted approximately four fence heights downstream of the fence location. The fuel pan was filled using water to simulate fuel with a depth of 32 mm. Cold flow tests were done on different fence …
Building A Consensus Forecast For Crude Oil Prices, Kenneth W. Burke
Building A Consensus Forecast For Crude Oil Prices, Kenneth W. Burke
Theses and Dissertations
Skyrocketing fuel prices have stressed the Department of Defense's budget in recent years. In 2001 the DoD spent $4.7 Billion on fuel with the Air Force consuming $2.7 Billion. These figures have grown over due to these increases as well as the increased flying ours to support the Global War On Terror. In fact, the Fiscal Year 2007 budget has already been increased by $1.1 billion, or 1% of the total budget, to accommodate the increased price of fuel. Current forecasts of this resource have yielded poor results, impairing the DoD's ability to budget this critical expense. Further because the …