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U.S. Intelligence Reform A Bureaucratic Politics Approach, Bonnie M. Schickler Jan 2010

U.S. Intelligence Reform A Bureaucratic Politics Approach, Bonnie M. Schickler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the current bureaucratic struggles that exist within the U.S. intelligence community as a result of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004. The first part of this research examines the history of intelligence reform in the United States beginning with the National Security Act of 1947. The second part provides an indepth discussion of the 2004 legislation as well as an examination of the main bureaucratic conflicts that have arisen between the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the rest of the U.S. intelligence community. This study used the bureaucratic politics model to explain …


The Fabrication Of Polymer-Derived Sicn/Sibcn Ceramic Nanostructures And Investigation Of Their Structure-Property Relationship, Sourangsu Sarkar Jan 2010

The Fabrication Of Polymer-Derived Sicn/Sibcn Ceramic Nanostructures And Investigation Of Their Structure-Property Relationship, Sourangsu Sarkar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polymer-derived Ceramics (PDCs) represent a unique class of high-temperature stable materials synthesized directly by the thermal decomposition of polymers. This research first focuses on the fabrication of high temperature stable siliconcarbonitride (SiCN) fibers by electrospinning for ceramic matrix composite (CMC) applications. Ceraset™ VL20, a commercially available liquid cyclosilazane, was functionalized with aluminum sec-butoxide in order to be electrospinnable. The surface morphology of the electrospun fibers was investigated using the fibers produced from solvents. The electrospun fibers produced from the chloroform/N,N-dimethylformamide solutions had hierarchical structures that led to superhydrophobic surfaces. A “dry skin” model was proposed to explain the formation of …


Changes To Operational, Financial, And Organizational Structures Of School Districts During Mayoral Takeovers, Mark E. Shanoff Jan 2010

Changes To Operational, Financial, And Organizational Structures Of School Districts During Mayoral Takeovers, Mark E. Shanoff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research was to examine the effects of mayoral control on operational and financial structures within school systems. Furthermore, this study focused on the public perception and political implications of the mayor’s position on local education. The four systems chosen for this study were: Boston, Chicago, District of Columbia, and New York City. All four systems were total control districts, which allowed for each mayor to appoint a majority to the school board and appoint a superintendent or chancellor to oversee the day to day operations of the school district. This study focused on operational and financial …


For Home And Country Confederate Nationalism In Western North Carolina, Hunter D. Shaw Jan 2010

For Home And Country Confederate Nationalism In Western North Carolina, Hunter D. Shaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines Confederate nationalism in Western North Carolina during the Civil War. Using secondary sources, newspapers, civilian, and soldiers‟ letters, this study will show that most Appalachians demonstrated a strong loyalty to their new Confederate nation. However, while a majority Appalachian Confederates maintained a strong Confederate nationalism throughout the war; many Western North Carolinians were not loyal to the Confederacy. Critically analyzing Confederate nationalism in Western North Carolina will show that conceptions of loyalty and disloyalty are not absolute, in other words, Appalachia was not purely loyal or disloyal.


Ethnographic Reflection On Group Formation In Blizzard's "World Of Warcraft", John Christopher Spottke Jan 2010

Ethnographic Reflection On Group Formation In Blizzard's "World Of Warcraft", John Christopher Spottke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cyberanthropology or the anthropology of cyber space/culture is an emerging subfield of cultural anthropology that deals with the varied integration of human beings and technology. This specialized area of study focuses on topics ranging from new technologies used in ethnographic research to information and communication technologies utilized by specific societal groups. Communication technology encompasses the World Wide Web, email, and online multiperson interactive spaces such as chatrooms and video games. In this work, I ethnographically investigate human social interactions in the online gaming realm of World of Warcraft. On the whole, the expanding numbers of virtual communities in existence today …


Power Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor With Strained Silicon And Silicon Germanium Channel, Shan Sun Jan 2010

Power Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor With Strained Silicon And Silicon Germanium Channel, Shan Sun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the development of modern electronics, the demand for high quality power supplies has become more urgent than ever. For power MOSFETs, maintaining the trend of reducing on-state resistance (conduction loss) without sacrificing switching performance is a severe challenge. In this work, our research is focused on implementing strained silicon and silicon germanium in power MOFETs to enhance carrier mobility, thus achieving the goal of reducing specific on-state resistance. We propose an N-channel super-lattice trench MOSFET, a P-channel sidewall channel trench MOSFET and P-Channel LDMOS with strained Si/SiGe channels. A set of fabrication processes highly compatible with conventional Si technology …


Linear Enamel Hypoplasia At Santa Rita Corozal, Belize, Andrew Peter Tetlow Jan 2010

Linear Enamel Hypoplasia At Santa Rita Corozal, Belize, Andrew Peter Tetlow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this thesis is an analysis of a sample of dentition collected from the Postclassic Maya site of Santa Rita Corozal in Northern Belize. The goal of this study is to determine what the presence (or absence) of Linear Enamel Hypoplasia (LEH) can demonstrate about the general health (i.e. stress, disease, nutrition, and weaning age) and social status of a single subset of the Late Postclassic (900-1500 CE) Maya living at Santa Rita Corozal. Specifically, this thesis focuses on dentition of thirteen individuals from a large Postclassic platform group. The sample consists of sub-adult and adult female dentition …


Computational Hurricane Hazard Analysis A Performance Based Engineering View, Christopher Michael Vanek Jan 2010

Computational Hurricane Hazard Analysis A Performance Based Engineering View, Christopher Michael Vanek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Widespread structural damage to critical facilities such as levees, buildings, dams and bridges during hurricanes has exemplified the need to consider multiple hazards associated with hurricanes as well as the potential for unacceptable levels of performance even if failure is not observed. These inadequate standards warrant the use of more accurate methods to describe the anticipated structural response, and damage for extreme events often termed performance based engineering (PBE). Therefore PBE was extended into the field of hurricane engineering in this study. Application of performance-based principles involves collection of the numerous hazards data from sources such as historical records, laboratory …


Adventures Of Kody A Children's Visual Storybook And Interactive Web Site, Matthew L. Walsh Jan 2010

Adventures Of Kody A Children's Visual Storybook And Interactive Web Site, Matthew L. Walsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to experience unconditional love, prejudices must be exposed and overcome. People often meet others with a disability or handicap and unknowingly treat these individuals negatively. As a middle school teacher, I have often witnessed students behaving cruelly towards those that are different. When my dog became a paraplegic I was inspired to develop a project to assist young readers in the development of conscientious actions towards individuals with disabilities. This document chronicles the development, procedures, and outcomes of the process behind that artistic endeavor. The artistic elements of this thesis project are a written children's storybook and an …


An Exploration Of The Potentials And Limitations Of Adapting Traditional Text-Based Narrative To Interactive Technology, Said Jardaneh Jan 2010

An Exploration Of The Potentials And Limitations Of Adapting Traditional Text-Based Narrative To Interactive Technology, Said Jardaneh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Narrative is expressed in many forms, yet the reading of narrative through books may be unique in its transformative qualities. The medium of books has existed for thousands of years as a primary means of passing down and internalizing narrative from generation to generation. Are books now a dying medium in the face of ever-advancing technology in an increasingly fast-paced and technologically-dependent society? Technology now incorporates narrative into interactive environments in various ways often immersing the user in ever more realistic experiential scenarios. Yet, is something potentially lost with these advancements that can only be afforded through the time-tested method …


Implementing Usability Testing Of Technical Documents At Any Company And On Any Budget, Meghan Collins Jan 2010

Implementing Usability Testing Of Technical Documents At Any Company And On Any Budget, Meghan Collins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In my thesis I discuss the cost effectiveness of usability testing of technical documents and how any size company with any size budget can implement usability testing. Usability is achieved when the people who use products or technical documents can do so quickly and easily to accomplish their own tasks. Usability testing is best defined as the process of studying users to determine a documentation project's effectiveness for its intended audience. Users are tired of dealing with confusing and unintuitive technical documentation that forces them to either call customer service for help on simple issues or throw out the product …


The Highland Soldier In Georgia And Florida: A Case Study Of Scottish Highlanders In British Military Service, 1739-1748, Scott Hilderbrandt Jan 2010

The Highland Soldier In Georgia And Florida: A Case Study Of Scottish Highlanders In British Military Service, 1739-1748, Scott Hilderbrandt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined Scottish Highlanders who defended the southern border of British territory in the North American theater of the War of the Austrian Succession (1739-1748). A framework was established to show how Highlanders were deployed by the English between 1745 and 1815 as a way of eradicating radical Jacobite elements from the Scottish Highlands and utilizing their supposed natural superiority in combat. The case study of these Highlanders who fought in Georgia and Florida demonstrated that the English were already employing Highlanders in a similar fashion in North America during the 1730s and 1740s. British government sources and correspondence …


Feminist, Linguistic, And Rhetorical Perspectives On Language Reform, William Dorner Jan 2010

Feminist, Linguistic, And Rhetorical Perspectives On Language Reform, William Dorner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As people become aware that society treats women unfairly, they also perceive related shortcomings in the way that Modern English references women. For example, many have objected to the so-called generic he, the third-person masculine pronoun employed to refer to a person of unknown gender, and provided several alternatives, few of which have been widely adopted. Nonetheless, change is evident in the case of they becoming an increasingly common solution to refer to a person of unidentified gender. The intentional reform of the Modern English language, both in the past and present, has been a result of people's reactions to …


Engineering A New Form Of Enclosure: International Convergence In Gmo Regulation, Jessica Altif Jan 2010

Engineering A New Form Of Enclosure: International Convergence In Gmo Regulation, Jessica Altif

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As society begins to recognize its impact on ecological systems, the belief that modern political institutions can offer a sense of control and certainty, as well as protect the health of its citizens, is increasingly questioned. In an era of uncertainty, faith in science and technology to alleviate industrial impacts on the environment is often embraced by policymakers yet questioned by the public who see the authoritative role of the sciences in the political sphere as contributing to global risk. The development of biotechnology, specifically genetically modified food, places an anthropocentric focus on resolving and/or adapting to environmental degradation, further …


What's In A Name? Genocide Early Warning Model For Humanitarian Intervention, Alexandria Lewis Jan 2010

What's In A Name? Genocide Early Warning Model For Humanitarian Intervention, Alexandria Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is much debate among genocide scholars as to the causes and even accurate definitions of genocide. Early warning developed to address the increasing need for humanitarian intervention in violent conflicts around the world. As a subset of genocide studies, early warning seeks to go beyond explaining the causes of genocide. The early warning model created here uses six indicator variables - government, leaders/elites, followers, non-followers/bystanders, outsider group, and environment - to detect the likelihood of genocide within a given case study. Four cases were chosen - Kenya, Nigeria, Yemen, and Ethiopia - and analyzed using the indicator variables to …


Understanding The Split-Ticket Voter, Janelle Middents Jan 2010

Understanding The Split-Ticket Voter, Janelle Middents

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will focus on split ticket voting. Split ticket voting refers to an aspect of voting behavior where the individual will cast votes for different political parties for different offices. Through the development of countless theories and utilizing data, political scientists have managed to shed some light as to why an individual may engage in split-ticket voting. However, many of these studies have been too narrow in their focus, for instance, relying on a specific election without taking into account some major variables that provide the foundation for voting behavior. The purpose of this study is to provide scholars …


The Effects Of Ethnic Diversity, Perceived Similarity, And Trust On Collaborative Behavior And Performance, Jessica Wildman Jan 2010

The Effects Of Ethnic Diversity, Perceived Similarity, And Trust On Collaborative Behavior And Performance, Jessica Wildman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent issues such as global economic crises, terrorism, and conservation efforts are making international collaboration a critical topic. While cultural diversity often brings with it new perspectives and innovative solutions, diversity in collaborative settings can also lead to misunderstandings and interaction problems. Therefore, there is a pressing need to understand the processes and influences of intercultural collaboration and how to manage the collaborative process to result in the most effective outcomes possible. In order to address this need, the current study examines the effect of ethnic diversity, perceived deep-level similarity, trust, and distrust on collaborative behavior and performance in decision-making …


Designing For Multicultural And International Audiences: Creating Culturally-Intelligent Visual Rhetoric And Overcoming Ethnocen, Bridget Moore Jan 2010

Designing For Multicultural And International Audiences: Creating Culturally-Intelligent Visual Rhetoric And Overcoming Ethnocen, Bridget Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Various cultures interpret visual rhetoric differently; therefore, technical communicators must adjust their rhetoric accordingly by creating effective visual rhetoric for their international and multicultural audiences. Although there is a great deal of research in the field regarding how to create effective visual rhetorical rhetoric, this research often fails to take into international and multicultural audiences into consideration. Many visual rhetoric solutions proposed in technical communication involve 'catch all' approaches that do little to communicate to people of non-Western cultures and can even serve to offend or confuse international and multicultural audiences. These solutions are generated by a globalization mindset, but …


Women, Work And Welfare: A Case Study Of Germany, The Uk, And Sweden, Meredith Legg Jan 2010

Women, Work And Welfare: A Case Study Of Germany, The Uk, And Sweden, Meredith Legg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how different welfare state regimes affect gender relations by examining variations in welfare regimes and outcomes for women between Western European countries. The research seeks to understand how the diverse systems of social provision affect women: particularly with regard to their position in the labor market and in their ability to balance occupational and domestic work. Using a comparative, qualitative approach, I compare three Western European welfare states (Germany, the United Kingdom, and Sweden) to evaluate gender-relevant welfare policy with female employment rates, unemployment rates, and wage differentials. Welfare states and labor market policies affect outcomes for …


Victimization, Risky Behaviors, And The Virtual World, Rachel Morgan Jan 2010

Victimization, Risky Behaviors, And The Virtual World, Rachel Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, have become increasingly popular among teens and young adults because of the availability of the internet. Because these websites promote interpersonal connections and information sharing among individuals around the world, personal information to online "friends" may be shared carelessly. However, little is known about the correlation between engaging in online activities, sharing personal information online, and susceptibility to online victimization and cyberbullying. This study analyzes data from the Parents & Teens 2006 Survey to examine the applicability of Routine Activities Theory as a theoretical framework for understanding cybervictimization and cyberbullying. Online teens …


Treefrog (Hyla Squirella) Responses To Rangeland And Management In Semi-Tropical Florida, Usa, Kathryn Windes Jan 2010

Treefrog (Hyla Squirella) Responses To Rangeland And Management In Semi-Tropical Florida, Usa, Kathryn Windes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As urban areas expand, agricultural lands become increasingly important habitat for many species. Compared to some types of agricultural land-use, ranchlands provide vast expanses of minimally modified habitat that support many threatened and endangered species. Conservation biologists can promote ecologically sound management approaches by quantifying the effects of agricultural practices on resident species. I examined the effects of pasture management, cattle grazing, and landscape characteristics on both adult and larval treefrogs in a ranchland in south-central Florida. I experimentally determined optimal deployment of artificial treefrog shelters constructed of polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipe to efficiently sample adult treefrogs (Chapter 1). Seventy-two shelters …


Assessment Of Aquifer Storage And Recovery Impact On Phosphorus Stability In Lake Sediment, Sha Liu Jan 2010

Assessment Of Aquifer Storage And Recovery Impact On Phosphorus Stability In Lake Sediment, Sha Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lake Okeechobee, the second largest natural freshwater lake in the United States, had experienced a historical drought in 2007-2008 and the inflow to Lake Okeechobee has been reduced by 40% of the average daily mean between warm phase and cold phase due to the impact of Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation in the past six decades. To cope with this water resources management problem, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) proposed the largest national implementation plan of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) project in the Kissimmee River Basin. Routine operation of ASR will deliver recovered water from ASR wells into the …


Analysis Of The Florida's Showcase Green Envirohome Water/Wastewater Systems And Development Of A Cost-Benefit Green Roof Optimization Model, Brian Rivera Jan 2010

Analysis Of The Florida's Showcase Green Envirohome Water/Wastewater Systems And Development Of A Cost-Benefit Green Roof Optimization Model, Brian Rivera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Florida Showcase Green Envirohome (FSGE) incorporates many green technologies. FSGE is built to meet or exceed 12 green building guidelines and obtain 8 green building certificates. The two-story 3292 ft2 home is a "Near Zero-Loss Home", "Near Zero-Energy Home", "Near Zero-Runoff Home", and "Near Zero-Maintenance Home". It is spawned from the consumer-driven necessity to build a home resistant to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fire, mold, termites, impacts, and even earthquakes given up to 500% increase in insurance premiums in natural disaster zones, the dwindling flexibility and coverage of insurance policies, and rising energy, water and maintenance costs (FSGE 2008). The …


Designing Of Energy Efficient Indoor Environments Using A Localized Radial Basis Function Meshless Method, Victor Huayamave Jan 2010

Designing Of Energy Efficient Indoor Environments Using A Localized Radial Basis Function Meshless Method, Victor Huayamave

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Around the world, the energy over consumption issue has been one of the key socio-economic and political challenges, which has drastically worsened over the last few years. Over the years engineers and environmentalists have proposed several approaches to improve energy efficiency. One is to reduce energy demand by improving consumption habits and a second approach is to introduce the use of a "greener" concept by using biomaterials in a diverse and more efficient manner in engineering construction to create energy efficient environments. This work will investigate the effects of using "green" stabilized earth materials to provide and enhance thermal regulation …


Death And Disengagement: A Critical Analysis Of The International Community's Intervention Effort In Darfur, Victor Hodges Jan 2010

Death And Disengagement: A Critical Analysis Of The International Community's Intervention Effort In Darfur, Victor Hodges

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to analyze the international community's conflict management capabilities through its response to the Darfur crisis. Primarily, it aims to show through the lens of the Darfur crisis, which is widely accepted as the first genocide of the twenty-first century, that the international community has yet to develop a framework to collectively intervene in and resolve crimes against humanity. Additionally, this thesis will show the international community's recognition of their shortcomings through the gradual transformation of policies undertaken by several of its leading entities in response to the crisis. The research will pinpoint several major factors behind the …


Vaporization Characteristics Of Pure And Blended Biofuel Droplet Injected Into Hot Stream Of Air, Abhishek Saha Jan 2010

Vaporization Characteristics Of Pure And Blended Biofuel Droplet Injected Into Hot Stream Of Air, Abhishek Saha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The combustion dynamics and stability are dependent on the quality of mixing and vaporization of the liquid fuel in the pre-mixer. The vaporization characteristics of different blends of biofuel droplets injected into the air stream in the pre-mixer are modeled in this current study. The focus of this work is on the blended alternate fuels which are lately being considered for commercial use. Two major alternate fuels analyzed are ethanol and Rapeseed Methyl Esters (RME). Ethanol is being used as a substitute for gasoline, while RME is an alternative for diesel. In the current work, the vaporization characteristics of a …


Understanding Terrorism: Religious & Political Dimensions, Christopher Cusano Jan 2010

Understanding Terrorism: Religious & Political Dimensions, Christopher Cusano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Terrorism in the twenty-first century has had one of greatest effects on the status quo of international relations, peace and war. It has become the 'specter' of our era and in many instances, it has been referred to as the predominant threat of modern civilization. Furthermore, it has the potential to drastically change the world we live in. For these reasons it has rightfully earned our attention and focus. Many efforts to understand terrorism have fallen short of recognizing the underlying causes. In many cases, acts of terror have either been of purely political motivation or have had socioeconomic conditions …


A Plurinational State: The Impact Of The Mas On The Status Of Indigenous People In Bolivia, Pamela Medina Jan 2010

A Plurinational State: The Impact Of The Mas On The Status Of Indigenous People In Bolivia, Pamela Medina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2005 the largely indigenous country of Bolivia elected its first indigenous president, Evo Morales of the Movement toward Socialism (MAS) Party. Morales ran on a promise of re-distributing wealth, to aid in the development of one of Latin America's poorest countries. Morales' first term in office marked a historical achievement for the indigenous movement in Bolivia, and sparked social change in the country. The government also experienced a momentous achievement through the re-writing of the Bolivian constitution, acknowledging the country's multi-ethnic and pluri-national character. Although his social, domestic and foreign policies have been controversial, particularly in the United States, …


Evaluation Of An Expectancy Challenge Presentation In Reducing High-Risk Alcohol Use Among Greek Affiliated College Students, Abigail Fried Jan 2010

Evaluation Of An Expectancy Challenge Presentation In Reducing High-Risk Alcohol Use Among Greek Affiliated College Students, Abigail Fried

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol consumption and on college campuses has long been a significant problem. The severity of the situation and lack of effective alcohol programming on college campuses warranted the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to commission a Task Force on College Drinking in 2002, which has been vital in revealing drinking patterns and negative consequences which are specific to the college environment. The Task Force proposed three strategies that were empirically validated for prevention and intervention in the college setting. Of the three recommendations, implementing cognitive behavioral skills training and offering motivational enhancement interventions, while proven effective are costly …


Coworker Informal Accommodations As A Solution To Work Interfering With Family And Family Interfering With Work In Team-Based Jo, Miliani Jimenez Jan 2010

Coworker Informal Accommodations As A Solution To Work Interfering With Family And Family Interfering With Work In Team-Based Jo, Miliani Jimenez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study builds on prior research that has identified informal work accommodations to family as a valuable means for balancing competing work and family responsibilities. As organizations increasingly capitalize on team-based work designs, it is important to consider the informal ways in which interdependent coworkers constructively assist one another in the management of work interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW). The intent of this thesis is to develop a better understanding of the effects of the coping mechanisms employees in team-based jobs utilize to reduce work interfering with family. Thus, this thesis examined (a) the …