Digital Commons Network^™

Closure Of Unlined Landfills, Brenda J. Westhorp

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Extraction Of The Equivalent Circuit Parameters Of Surface Acoustic Wave Resonators, Brent H. Horine

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The application of the Electronic Industries Association suggested standard, EIA-512 [1], has been successfully applied to quartz crystal resonators for extraction of the equivalent circuit model parameters. This technique has been shown to be very successful in the operation range to several hundred megahertz. This same technique is proposed to be applied to many differing types of resonators through the full spectrum of frequencies. This thesis will discuss measurement and testing of Surface Acoustic Wave (Saw) resonators at the higher frequencies. The packaging configuration in conjunction with SAW devices can lead to significant parasitic effects. In order to successfully extract …

The Effect Of A Pet's Presence Upon Anxiety During A Simulated Clinical Interview, Kenneth G. Weigand

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Recognizing the importance of evolutionary parallels between humans and other animals, researchers make use of animals to better the understanding of people in various fields of study, such as history, ecology, medicine, psychology, and sociology (Levinson, 1978). Boris Levinson (1962) was an early advocate for the inclusion of pets in psychotherapeutic intervention. His theories have been frequently cited in research that has attempted to define the possible benefits associated with utilizing pets as an adjunct in the treatment of disturbed populations. The results of studies with varied populations indicate that a pet's presences can lower a person's anxiety level, positively …

The Extent And Impact Of The Incorporation Of Employee Health Promotion Programs In The Central Florida Business Community, Thomas Berlin

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Employee health insurance premiums continue to rise exponentially despite stagnant inflation rates. The national trend in recent years has been to decrease benefit usage by attempting to establish a healthier workforce. The incorporation of employee health promotion programs either within, or outside of the worksite, is the favored means of providing a solution. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent of employee health promotion program usage in Central Florida, and the economic impact, if any, of these programs. The basic research questions for this study are:

1. What percentage of the corporations surveyed have instituted employee health …

Personality Variables Mediating Change In Concern Toward Environmental Issues, John Mark Davis

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have for several decades examined the relationships between personality and demographic variables, pro-environmental behaviors, and level of concern toward environmental problems. In this study, personality and selected demographic variables contributing to an increase in concern toward environmental issues were examined. Subjects included 79 females and 46 males with a mean age of 22.5 years who were enrolled in undergraduate courses at the University of Central Florida. During the first session, information concerning personality and demographic variables was obtained and subjects completed Weigel and Weigel's (1978) Ecological Concern Scale (ECS). During the second session, experimental group subjects viewed a video …

Declines In Student Achievement In Science-- Implications For Public Education, Robert P. Hogan

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

During the 1960s and 1970s, major innovative science curricula were introduced into public schools in the United States, and federal funds were used to improve the quality of science teachers. Nevertheless, student achievement in science has generally declined since 1963. This research focused on changes in four of the key variables related to science achievement--teachers, students, curricula, and school goals. The research examined (a) meta-analyses of the effectiveness of the innovative science curricula on student achievement, (b) research on changes in teacher and student characteristics during the last 30 years, (c) educational literature on changes in the goals of public …

Counterpropagation Neural Network Detection Of Visual Primitives, Cynthia Lynn Johnson

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Psychological testing has shown that there is an early preattentive stage in the human visual system. At this level, simple features and properties of objects known as visual primitives are detected spatially in parallel by groupings of cells in the visual cortex known as feature maps. In order to study this preattentive stage in a machine vision system, the biologically inspired, highly parallel architecture of the artificial neural network shows great promise. This paper describes how the unique architecture of the counterpropagation neural network was used to simulate the feature maps which detect visual primitives in the human visual system. …

The Enhancement Of The Incineration Of Model Volatile Organic Solvents By The Use Of Hydrogen Peroxide As A Novel Oxidative Homogeneous Catalyst, Douglas James Tomlin

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Improving The Analytical Recovery Of Radiostrontium From Environmental Samples, Luz Selenia Acosta

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Application Of Case-Based Reasoning Techniques To The Automation Of Single-Family Residential Property Appraisals, Raymond Laureano-Ortiz

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Case-based reasoning has emerged as an alternative to rule-based reasoning techniques for the design of expert systems. This paper concentrates on the issues involved in the application of the case-based reasoning techniques to a specific domain, property appraisal. Case-based reasoning has been recently favored because it seems to resemble more closely to the psychological process human follows when trying to apply their knowledge to the solution of problems: People adapt solutions of similar problems they handled in past experiences to address present situations.

Property appraisal or valuation is a domain characterized by having a single parameter in its solution, that …