Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Jogging On Anterior Knee Laxity After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Fawzi F. Bouzubar

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Jogging is commonly performed in the latter stages of the rehabilitation program (2½-3 months) following ACL reconstruction. However, its cyclic loading effect on the ACL graft, 4-6 months after surgery has not been examined. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine changes in anterior knee laxity before and after 15 minutes of jogging on the treadmill. Subjects (N=l 1) were 8 males and 3 females (X age= 30.27 ± 4.76 years; heights= 175.7 ± 10.7 cm; weights= 81.1 ± 15.9 kg) with unilateral ACL reconstruction (central 1/3 patellar tendon graft, postoperation range = 4-6 months). Measurements were made …

Lives Of The Little-Known: Women Children And Servants In Augusta County, 1745-1779, Nancy B. Osborne

History Theses & Dissertations

The court and its justices exerted a great deal of control and power over all the people of eighteenth-century Augusta County, Virginia. The justices oversaw the economic life of the county. They also arbitrated in civil matters and punished those convicted of crimes. The court exerted its authority most heavily over the less powerful of Augusta County society, its women, children, and servants. The justices' control of these people was based upon considerations of economic values and the justices' own prestige and power in the community. The women, children, and servants, in turn, used the court system to regain some …

The Effects Of Dehydration And Rehydration On The One-Repetition Maximum Bench Press Of Weight Trained Males, James E. Schoffstall

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of dehydration and rehydration on the one repetition maximum (1-RM) bench press of weight trained males. The ten subjects displayed the following characteristics: 25.3 ± 3.2 years old, 85.5 ± 16.4 kilograms body mass and a 117.9 ± 24.0 kilogram base-line 1-RM. Ten subjects were tested on two separate days, with one week between each test day. The subjects were randomly assigned to begin their testing in either the A protocol or the B protocol. During the A protocol testing day, the subjects completed two one repetition maximum bench press …

Validation Of The Risk And Needs Assessment Used In The Classification For Parole And Probation Of Virginia's Adult Criminal Offenders, George Michael Yacus

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This study analyzes the effectiveness of risk-needs assessment used in the classification of probation and parole for adult criminal offenders in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The use of risk-needs classification instruments dramatically increased in the 1980's and 1990's, but some research has indicated that these instruments do not have universal applicability and must be validated to the population to which they are applied. The research selected a useable cohort (n = 13,011) of probationers/parolees in the Commonwealth of Virginia from the 20, 647 cases opened in 1994 and tracked them for three years, using Virginia Department of Corrections records, to …

The Effects Of Corporate Diversification And Control On Division Risk-Taking Strategy And Performance, Hae Ryong Kim

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

This research explored two major functions of corporate strategic management, corporate diversification (core-business relatedness) and corporate control, and their implications for divisional strategic management. Four research questions were raised to address these issues: (1) does core-business relatedness matter to division performance? (2) how does core-business relatedness influence corporate control? (3) how does core-business relatedness influence division risk-taking strategies and performance? and (4) how does corporate control influence division risk-taking strategies and performance?

Adopting the resource-based view and organizational learning theory, this study proposed that core-business related divisions would outperform unrelated divisions and that core-business related divisions would have higher commitment …

William Mahone And The Confederate Command Style During The Siege Of Petersburg, 1864-1865, David Kenneth Reed

History Theses & Dissertations

William Mahone exemplified the audacity and adaptability acquired by southern commanders during the last year of the American Civil War. Mahone's contribution to Confederate military operations during the siege of Petersburg, Virginia, from 1864-1865 played an important role in the Confederacy's survival. During the siege, he was one of Lee's most trusted and capable lieutenants. The findings of this study show that Mahone's emergence as a superior divisional commander came about mainly because of his knowledge of the terrain surrounding Petersburg.

This thesis discusses the way Mahone extended the life of the Confederacy. Four of Mahone's engagements during the siege …

Fact Or Fiction? The Use Of Eighteenth-Century Criminal Biographies In Historical Studies, Steven M. Wakefield

History Theses & Dissertations

Marxist studies concerning crime and criminality in eighteenth-century England, and especially London, have explained the problem strictly in terms of a class based struggle between the elites and the working poor. Marxists further contend that the majority of criminals hanged for capital offenses during the eighteenth-century also came Rom the working poor. Using an analysis of criminal biographies written between 1723 and 1783, this study questions the Marxist paradigm by suggesting that eighteenth-century crime and criminality were not inter-class conflicts but more intra-class struggles, and hangings reflected this.

Russian Supply Efforts In America During The First World War, Dale C. Rielage

History Theses & Dissertations

The Russian government entered the First World War unprepared for the strains that modern warfare would impose on its industrial resources. As a result, Russia turned to foreign suppliers, most significantly the United States, and made extensive purchases largely financed by British loans. These foreign supply efforts involved both the Tsarist government and representatives of the newly emerging civil elements in Russian society.

Central to the experience of Russian purchasing in the United States was the Russian Supply Commission in America. Established in October 1915 as a coordinating body, the Supply Commission was noteworthy in that it included representatives of …

Modeling And Simulation Of High-Field, High-Temperature Sic Devices, Sanjay Pathak

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

With superior properties such as a large band gap, high thermal conductivity, and large electron drift velocity, SiC is expected to give a new dimension to high power, high temperature electronic devices used in power applications, microwave circuits, and for the space and automobile industries. SiC possesses an inherent advantage over its other large bandgap competitors in terms of inherited processing and device technology from Si. However, there is inadequate understanding of SiC device and its parameters. Simple extrapolations from Si are known to be inadequate. The aim of this dissertation, therefore. is to produce better understanding of SiC devices …

Skin-Stiffener Separation In Buckled Composite Plates And Shallow Shells, Mark Edward Robeson

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The development of an approximate analysis for predicting stresses in the skin-stiffener interface region of composite plates and shallow shells is presented. The analysis determines interlaminar normal stress and transverse shear stresses in the direction of the stiffener axial coordinate and the direction of the inplane coordinate perpendicular to the stiffener axis. The analysis accounts for skin-stiffener interfaces with nonzero thickness and for curvature in the skin and stiffener. The interlaminar normal stress and transverse shear stresses at the interface are applied to the lower face of the skin and the upper face of the stiffener flange as unknown functions, …

Chemical Modification Of Cvd Diamond Electrodes, Robert Matthew Johnson

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The micro-array behavior of boron doped CVD diamond thin film electrodes has been studied in acetonitrile containing two redox couples. The analytical technique employed in these studies was cyclic voltammetry. One system is 0.4 mM ferrocene containing 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAH). This reversible redox system is not only well-known, but also involves only one electron transfer with no breakage/formation of chemical bonds, thus making it a simple system for analysis. The second test is 0.8 mM cobaltocenium hexafluorophosphate, with 0.4 mM ferrocene as an internal standard. Unlike ferrocene, which is neutral initially, cobaltocenium is positively charged, and is reduced …

Market Reaction To Seasoned Equity Offerings: The Relevance Of Leverage, Growth Opportunities, And Corporate Structure, Mojib U. Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Empirical work on the market's reaction to seasoned equity offerings has rarely considered the impact of the issuing firm's leverage level or its corporate structure. This work is an attempt to include these parameters in order to better understand the market's reaction to such issue announcements.

The current finance literature recognizes the fact that leverage plays an important role in assessing the value of the firm. Leverage has both negative and positive impacts on the value of a firm (McConnell and Servaes, 1995), and thus, has both negative and positive impacts on the market's reaction to seasoned equity offerings. This …

Computer Simulations Of Electromigration Based On A Molecular Dynamics Approach, John Stephen Peake

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Most research on electromigration has centered around macroscopic simulations of electromigration where a value for the diffusion coefficient was assumed to be spatially uniform throughout the material. The research in this thesis goes a step further and, through microscopic molecular dynamics computer simulations, calculates and updates the atomic drift velocity and atomic position as a function of time to analyze how various defects within the conductor affect these quantities. The simulations are carried out with defects in the form of dislocation half-planes placed in different locations within the simulation space. The atomic drift velocity and position changes derived from these …

Changes In Small Mammal Community Attributes Associated With Increasing Pine Stand Age In Managed Pine Plantations In Southeastern Virginia, James Douglas Dolan

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Loblolly pine plantations were examined at different ages to identify small mammal community attributes in relation to the succession of the plant community. Forest floor and understory plant communities were characterized. Small mammals were collected by Fitch (live) traps and pitfall traps in four age classes during five seasons of study. Fitch live traps and pitfall traps were used in conjunction with one another to obtain the most accurate depiction of the small mammal community. Fitch traps accounted for 65 % of small mammal captures and 7 of 9 species captured. Small mammal abundance and biomass declined with increasing stand …

Two Dimensional, Time Dependent Modeling And Simulation Of Semi-Insulating Gaas High-Power Photoconductive Switches, Prakasit Kayasit

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and photoconductive behavior of semi-insulating GaAs (SI GaAs) high-power switches have been investigated by using a two-dimensional, time dependent, drift diffusion transport model. The dc current-voltage behavior as predicted by the results of this model was compared with available experimental data to evaluate the accuracy and validity of the model. The results show very good agreement, Next, research was carried out to investigate the behavior of the switches under high-field operation.

Simulations at high voltages emphasize on the two following processes: (a) The mechanism of impact ionization and the effect of this mechanism on device stability …

Variability Analysis Of Discrete Cosine Transform Coefficient (Dctc) Features For Speech Processing, Bingjun Dai

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In this research, the variability of Discrete Cosine Transform Coefficient (DCTC) features was investigated. Additionally, a new pitch-synchronous processing method was explored to increase the stability of features and to reduce window effects when compared to the regular method. The noise sources that lead to feature variability were analyzed, and different smoothing methods were tested. It was found that longer frames, frequency warping, time smoothing of the log spectrum, and DCS level time smoothing, all help reduce DCTC variability and increase classification performance. The pitch­ synchronous method was implemented with Matlab. Important processing methods, including pitch period estimation, time­ domain …

The Causes And Consequences Of Migration: The Case Of Chinese Women, Janet L. Warren

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to determine the causes and consequences of migration. Specifically, it focuses on Chinese women. Using 1988 survey data collected from Chinese respondents in Hubei, a province located in central China, questions about migration status, reasons for migration and contraceptive use were utilized. Analyses reveal that Chinese females migrate for non-economic reasons. This study also revealed that migrants want fewer children than non-migrants, migrants use contraceptives more than non-migrants, and migrants use different methods of contraception than non-migrants. This research also suggests that age, education, and parity makes a difference in the respondents' want for …

Assessing Levels Of Cooperation Between Pace And Patrol Officers In The City Of Norfolk Virginia Police Department, Michael G. Goldsmith

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to evaluate two facets of the Norfolk Police Department's Police Assisted Community Enforcement, or PACE, program. While there has been much research on how community policing affects officer and citizen attitudes, there has been very little that focuses on organizational aspects of implementing this philosophy. This research uses a survey instrument to examine how Norfolk's structuring of their community policing program may have an impact on the way the officers involved cooperate with one another. Levels of cooperation and training are measured, as well as the effects that years on the department and education …

The Effect Of Floor Sitting Posture On Low-Back Pain, Knee Pain And Hip Pain Among Kuwaiti Men, Sameera H. Al-Jedi

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Background and Purpose. Ground resting posture is common in Kuwait and other Arab communities. Kuwaiti men gather daily, especially on weekend nights socializing in the Diwaniya. Diwaniya is a special room in every Kuwaiti house. The Diwaniya is traditionally furnished with seating cushions and pillows. Men are seated on the floor in a tailor-sitting posture for long periods of time. The tailor-sitting posture flexes the trunk. hips, and knees. The flexion position has been shown to decrease the lumbar lordosis and increase joint compression in hips and knees. However there are no studies about the effect of floor sitting …

Patellofemoral Joint Compressive Forces During Backward And Forward Running At The Same Speed, Hesham N. Alrowayeh

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A previous study found that the patellofemoral joint compressive force (PFJRF) during backward running was less than during forward running at free speed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the patellofemoral joint compressive forces during backward and forward running at the same speed. Ten runners (4 females, 6 males) between the age of 20-25 (X=22, SD=2) ran in backward and forward directions at the slow speed of 2.3 mph (1.0 m.sec^-1). Using the inverse dynamic technique the knee extensor moment and PFJRF during the slow backward and forward running were calculated. Results showed that the …

Architectural Optimization Of Digital Libraries, Aileen O. Biser

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

This work investigates performance and scaling issues relevant to large scale distributed digital libraries. Presently, performance and scaling studies focus on specific implementations of production or prototype digital libraries. Although useful information is gained to aid these designers and other researchers with insights to performance and scaling issues, the broader issues relevant to very large scale distributed libraries are not addressed. Specifically, no current studies look at the extreme or worst case possibilities in digital library implementations. A survey of digital library research issues is presented. Scaling and performance issues are mentioned frequently in the digital library literature but are …

Comparison Of The Emg Activity Of The Supraspinatus And Infraspinatus Muscles During Various Closed Chain Exercises, I-Chen Lin

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Advantages of closed chain exercises used in the lower extremity have been well documented. However, the effects of closed chain exercises on the upper extremities have not been studied very much. Thus, the purpose of this research is to analyze the EMG activity of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles and compare the relative amounts of activities by performing different isotonic closed chain exercises and an open chain exercise in normal subjects. The supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles in 1 o healthy subjects were studied with fine wire, intramuscular, electromyographic electrodes while performing 5 closed chain exercises and a D2. open chain …

Measuring And Evaluating Sales Force Training Effectiveness: A Proposed And An Empirically Tested Model, Ashraf Magdy Attia

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Recent reports show that 95% of organizations conduct some form of sales training and organizations spend more than $30 billion dollars annually on sales training programs. According to {\it Sales \& Marketing Management\/} (1993), the average estimated field training costs for a sales trainee is \$37,000. Due to the accelerating investments in sales training, Honeycutt, Ford, and Rao (1995) found that 57% of sales training executives said that the major area in greatest need of additional research is determining sales training effectiveness.

The research contained herein addresses a gap in the marketing literature by: (1) proposing and testing a model …

The Development Of United States Navy Convoy Escort Doctrine And The Implementation Of Coastal Convoys In 1942, Ronald J. Sheppard

History Theses & Dissertations

The convoy system, no matter how limited, has proven to be the most effective way of defending merchant shipping against attacks by submarines. Yet after the United States entered the Second World War, the United States Navy (USN) did not implement a comprehensive system of convoys for moving shipping along the East Coast of the United States until August 1942. Due to this lack of convoys during the first eight months of 1942, the losses of allied merchant ships to German submarines were among the highest experienced during the Second World War.

This thesis examines why the USN believed that …

Measurement Of Hospital Performance: Environmental And Organizational Factors Associated With Cost, Debra Kay Dierksmeier Anderson

Health Services Research Dissertations

As U.S. health care expenditures top the $1 trillion mark, there is increased interest in measuring the performance of health care providers. For bottom line oriented payors such as government and business, the focus is on measuring cost. As hospitals account for over one-third of health care expenses, hospital cost per admission is a common measure of performance.

Many environmental and organizational factors come into play in determining hospital cost per admission. This research examines several of these factors, using Raymond Zammuto's model of organizational effectiveness assessment. Using Zammuto's framework, this research looks at the relationship of social, physical, and …

Meta-Ethnographic Development Of A Dialogue Methodology Applied To Organization Discourse, Shelley P. Gallup

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A gap exists between theoretical stances that acknowledge the importance of dialogue as a dynamic within socially constructed structures, and "steersmanship" of those constructs--e.g., directing, intervening or transforming organizations. A "mechanism" which links theory with practice is missing, leaving practitioners with an acknowledgment of dialogue's central position, but without tools to enact this centrality in practice or research. This research constructs a conceptual model of dialogue, derived from the literature. Using this model as a base, the research seeks to generate a dialogue methodology bridging theory and practice with respect to organizational dialogue. The model, methodology, and research results are …

Analyzing The Effects Of Display Characteristics And Cognitive Variables On Performance Using Keystroke And Eye Movement Data, Orhan E. Beckman

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Information about how operators use their eyes while interacting with visual displays is often an overlooked aspect of human-computer interaction. Such information is fundamental to assessing the quality of software interfaces and understanding the cognitive processes that underlie operator behavior. Other research evaluating information displays evolved from using reaction time and subjective data as dependent variables to using oculometric measures. In the current research conventional performance measures are coupled with oculometric measures to evaluate the influence display characteristics and cognitive variables have on performance.

Twelve subjects used a software program to complete a series of specified tasks. Subjects were asked …

The Influence Of Model Features On Goodness-Of-Fit Indices: Choosing Indices To Evaluate Your Model, Andrea E. Berndt

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Two studies were conducted to examine the performance of eight goodness-of-fit indices (i.e., the chi-square statistic, Comparative fit index, Critical N; Goodness-of-fit index, Normed fit index, Nonnormed fit index, Root mean square error of approximation, and Relative noncentrality index) used in structural equation applications. Study 1 consisted of (a) an empirical review in four journals (1986-1996) to determine the "typical" application, (b) a "recreation" of the goodness-of-fit indices from the published research, (c) a multiple regression analysis of the "recreated" indices to determine if values were predicted based on model and sample features, and (d) the development of a representative …

Characterization Of The Biological Functions Of Human Recombinant Zona Pellucida Protein 3, Yu Wen Juan

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Recombinant human zona pellucida protein 3 (rhZP3), expressed. isolated and purified from PA-1 cells, is characterized for its biological activity and the role in the signal transduction pathway. Characterization of the biological activity of rhZP3 was detected by hemizona assay and immunofluorescence staining of acrosome reaction The results indicated that rhZP3 exhibited an inhibition in the binding assay (HZI 43.6 +/-3.3; n = 9; 30 ng/mL rhZP3) and induction of acrosome reaction (198.6% +/- 77.2% increase from baseline; n = 29; 30 ng/mL rhZP3). It was further confirmed by the transmission electron microscopy that there was no difference in morphology …

Approximate Analytical Relationships For Linear Optimal Aeroelastic Flight Control Laws, Ayman Hamdy Kassem

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation introduces new methods to uncover functional relationships between design parameters of a contemporary control design technique and the resulting closed-loop properties. Three new methods are developed for generating such relationships through analytical expressions: the Direct Eigen-Based Technique, the Order of Magnitude Technique, and the Cost Function Imbedding Technique. Efforts concentrated on the linear-quadratic state-feedback control-design technique applied to an aeroelastic flight control task. For this specific application, simple and accurate analytical expressions for the closed-loop eigenvalues and zeros in terms of basic parameters such as stability and control derivatives, structural vibration damping and natural frequency, and cost function …