Digital Commons Network^™

How To Be An Effective Lobbyist: A Handbook, Yolette Cabrini Ross

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this research project was to develop a handbook for novice lobbyists that will acquaint them with the art of lobbying as it applies to the state of New Jersey. The handbook examines the professional relationship that exists between legislators and lobbyists. An analysis of the behavior and practices of lobbyists as they interact with legislators was conducted along with the interacting roles the two professions play in the legislative process. A review of several sources of information such as political science literature, political journals, practitioner essays and several newspaper sources were conducted to supplement the research. …

School Bullying And Group Processes Survey, Margaret Linn

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this thesis is to determine the extent of bullying behavior in a southern New Jersey school as measured by an adapted version of the Olweus Bully Questionnaire. Four hundred seventy-two fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade middle school students were surveyed regarding bullying behavior in their school. The obtained percentages indicate an increase in the trends found by previous research.

Recently, there has been a shift in bullying research from a dyadic focus on the characteristics of the Bully and the Victim to the recognition of bullying as a whole group process, with the majority of children …

Network Security Versus Network Connectivity: A Framework For Addressing The Issues Facing The Air Force Medical Community, Franklin E. Cunningham Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force has instituted Barrier Reef to protect its networks. The Air Force medical community operates network connections that are incompatible with Barrier Reef. To overcome this problem, OASD(HA) directed the Tri-Service Management Program Office (TIMPO) to develop an architecture that protects all military health systems and allows them to link with all three services and outside partners. This research studied the underlying networking issues and formed a framework based on data from network experts from the Air Force's medical centers and their base network organizations. The findings were compared TIMPO and a composite framework was developed that more …

Affective And Motivational Components Of The Flow State: Rock Climbing Revisited, Helen Hooper

Theses and Dissertations

The affective and experiential components of the flow state, as outlined by Csikszentmihalyi (1975), have served as a basis for research into optimal experience over the past twenty years, and although adjustments have been made by various researchers, the description of the characteristics remain essentially the same. This study used qualitative methods to further explore this area . With the initial aim of enhancing our understanding of the optimal experiences of rock climbing participants, the present study purposefully sampled fifteen informants representative of the range of characteristics found in the setting. Questioning techniques and analysis methods used in this study …

Racial Encounters In The American Theatre: Whiteness And Eugene O'Neill, Blackness And August Wilson, C̦Iğdem Üsekes

Theses and Dissertations

Relatively few scholars have investigated racial representations in modern American drama. Even fewer scholars have undertaken to analyze depictions of whiteness in American letters, although “white studies” is slowly assuming legitimacy in the academy in the 1990s. “Racial Encounters in the American Theatre” therefore attempts to bridge this gap in literary and critical studies by examining the black portraiture of Eugene O'Neill and the white portraiture of August Wilson. The work of both playwrights attests to their deep and consistent involvement with their Racial Other, who resurfaces in play after play. Maintaining that the United States resembles a postcolonial society, …

From Self To Other In Oliver Stone's Vietnam Trilogy: Platoon, Born On The Fourth Of July, And Heaven And Earth, Hyeong-Min Kang

Theses and Dissertations

As a Vietnam veteran film director, Oliver Stone has made several controversial films on the Vietnam War and the 1950s. Among his filmography, we can categorize Platoon (1986), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), and Heaven and Earth (1993)-Stone's so called Vietnam Trilogy-as the most direct depictions of the war and its aftermath, whereas The Doors (1991), JFK (1991), and Nixon (1995) examine the broader political and cultural dimension of the war and the era. Throughout his Vietnam films, Stone struggles to find the new America's identity by studying the historical meaning of its past events and characters, because …

The Effect Of Divalent Cations On The Prophenoloxidase Enzyme Cascade Activity In The Freshwater Crayfish Cambarus Latimanus, Hans Skailand Eikaas

Theses and Dissertations

The effect of divalent cations such as cadmium, calcium, copper, lead and magnesium upon the prophenoloxidase system (proPO) was studied in hemocytes of the crayfish Cambarus latimanus. It was demonstrated that cadmium, calcium, copper and lead increased proPO activity significantly, whereas magnesium had no statistically significant effect on the system. Also, the molecular weight of the proPO enzyme was estimated using SDS-PAGE and found to be approximately 76 kDa.

Power, Performance, And Perception (P3): Integrating Usability Metrics And Technology Acceptance Determinants To Validate A New Model For Predicting System Usage, Alan P. Fiorello

Theses and Dissertations

Currently, there are two distinct approaches to assist information technology managers in the successful implementation of office automation software. The first approach resides within the field of usability engineering, while the second approach is derived from the discipline of management information systems (MIS). However, neither approach has successfully produced conclusive evidence that explains what characteristics facilitate system use as well as influence user acceptance of the system. This study reports on the validity of a new model, entitled the Power, Performance, Perception (P3) model, that links the constructs of usability engineering to user acceptance. Additionally, speech recognition software (SRS) was …

Evaporation Of Jet Fuels, Charles Eric Hack

Theses and Dissertations

Determining the fate and transport of JP-8 jet fuel is a complex and important problem. As part of the startup procedures for jet engines, fuel is passed through aircraft engines before combustion is initiated. Because of the extremely low temperatures at northern tier Air Force bases, the unburned fuel does not evaporate readily and may come into contact with ground crew. To determine the amount and duration of contaminant contact, the evaporation of the emitted fuel must be modeled. The amount and composition of the fuel upon reaching the ground crew may be determined by droplet evaporation models that have …

Effects Of Foreign Object Damage From Small Hard Particles On The High-Cycle Fatigue Life Of Ti-6a1-4v, Joseph L. Hamrick Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Thin rectangular samples of Ti-6Al-4V were damaged by four methods to represent foreign object damage found in turbine engine blades: 1) impact with 2 mm and 5 mm diameter glass spheres at 305 m/s, 2) impact with 2 mm and 4 mm diameter steel spheres at 305 m/s, 3) quasi-static displacement controlled indentation using steel chisels with 1 mm, 2 mm and 5 mm diameter tips and 4) shearing notches with a 2 mm diameter chisel point under a quasi-static loading condition. Finite element analysis was used to study the relationship between the stress state created by the plastic damage …

Impact Of Actual Facilitator Alignment, Co-Location, And Video Intervention On The Efficacy Of Distributed Group Support Systems, Brian J. Heberlie, Mary O. Tolbert

Theses and Dissertations

The growth of distributed group support systems (GSS) suggests that organizations will continue to bring dispersed groups of people together to make decisions over computer networks. In many instances those groups are temporarily assembled to address a task and then summarily disbanded never to work together again. In order for users to effectively use the GSS issues of trust and control need to be addressed within the GSS design. Users have perceptions about the fairness of structural and social determinants of the GSS design. These perceptions influence both the decision making process and process outcomes. This article shows the negative …

Reverse Engineering Of Foreign Missiles Via Genetic Algorithm, Jon D. Wollam

Theses and Dissertations

One mission of the National Air Intelligence Center (NAIC) is the reverse engineering of foreign missile weapon systems from incomplete observational data. In the past, intuition and repeated runs of a missile performance model were required to converge to a solution compatible with observed flight characteristics. This approach can be cumbersome and time consuming, as well as being subject to undesirable influences from the analyst's preconceptions and biases. An alternative approach has been created to apply genetic algorithm (GA) techniques to allow automation of the process, wider exploration of the design space, and more optimal solutions matching the observational data. …

A Numerical Simulation Of A Carbon Black Suspension Cell Via A Time-Reversed, Double Layer Compute Algorithm, Gregg T. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

A numerical simulation of a carbon black suspension cell is explored which models a laser-induced plasma within a liquid ethanol medium of approximately 1 mm thickness. The simulation model assumes a laser pulse with a pulse width of approximately 9 nsecs propagating in the left-to-right direction striking the front surface of the medium and focusing to a spot within the liquid volume. When the energy density within a given irradiated volume is sufficiently high, it ignites the carbon particles and generates a large number of free electrons, i.e., a plasma. The plasma couples with the in-coming laser energy on a …

Information System Incidents: The Development Of A Damage Assessment Model, Mark D. Horony

Theses and Dissertations

Information system (IS) incidents are on the rise. With low manning and undertrained information security specialists it is difficult for organizations to stop IS incidents from occurring. Once an incident has occurred it is the IS manager's responsibility to ensure that a full and accurate damage assessment has been accomplished. However, most IS managers lack the necessary tools to assess the damage from an incident. This exploratory thesis developed an IS incident damage assessment model (DAM) that can be part of the IS manager's tool kit. During the development of the model, it became apparent that the model was supported …

Why Didn’T You Tell Me?: Toward Building A Model Of Why Information Is Not Shared Well In Organizations, Robert C. Kitchen

Theses and Dissertations

The effective use of information in an organization is vital to its success. One of the biggest investments being made today by companies is in their information infrastructures. However, with all of the resources being dedicated to improving information flows, evidence shows that organizations still do not share information as widely as they could or should be. Many studies have been conducted to learn the reasons why people in organizations do not share information as well as would be good. However, no study was found that reported the relative frequency of reported reasons for not sharing information. This paper gathers …

Electrical And Optical Characterization Of Intrinsic And Ion-Implantation Induced Defects In 6h- And 4h-Sic, Michael B. Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), Hall effect, and cathodolummescence (CL) measurements are used to characterize the intrinsic and ion-implantation induced defects in high-temperature (475 and 500 °C) ion-implanted epitaxial n-type 6H- and 4H-SiC, ion-implanted with Cr, Mg, Ar, N, and P atoms. Comparison of room-temperature and high-temperature ion-implanted 6H-SiC:Mg and :Cr indicate the significance of high-temperature ion implantation on the activation of the ion-implanted atoms and damage-recovery of the crystalline lattice. The effects of high-temperature annealing on both damage-recovery and implanted ion activation are detected and analyzed, from 1200 to 1800 °C. Trap parameters of both damage-related and species-related defects …

Towards A Game Theory Model Of Information Warfare, David A. Burke

Theses and Dissertations

The repeated game of incomplete information model, a subclass of game theory models, was modified to include aspects of information warfare. The repeated game of incomplete information model was first developed to analyze nuclear weapons disarmament negotiations. The central role of information in this model suggested its applicability to IW, which focuses on the defense and acquisition of information. A randomized experimental design was utilized to determine how people behave in a laboratory IW setting and to test the IW game model's basic predictions. The impact of experience and learning on IW performance was also assessed during the experiment. IW …

An Analysis Of Training Adequacy And Additional Training Requirements As Perceived By Communications And Information Officers, Rex W. Little

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores requirements for additional training Communications and Information officers. This research also looks at the best time to provide training/education in the identified training deficient areas. Training areas and categories were established by two previous theses and were modified by a group of field experts for this research. The following questions were posed in an effort to obtain the perception of officers in the field: (1) What training areas do Communications and information officers feel are deficient? (2) At what point during a Communications and Information officer's career would it be most appropriate to receive training in necessary …

Application Of The Interaction Picture To Reactive Scattering In One Dimension, Michael J. Maclachlan

Theses and Dissertations

The interaction picture is used together with the channel-packet method in a new time-dependent approach to compute reactive scattering matrix elements. The channelpacket method enables the use of the interaction picture for computing reactive S-matrix elements by splitting the computational effort into two parts. First, asymptotic reactant and product wavepackets are individually propagated into the interaction region of the potential to form Moller states. The interaction picture, in contrast to the usual Schrödinger picture of quantum mechanics, is so constructed that a wavefunction that experiences no change in potential (that is, a free-particle wavefunction) remains always fixed, with no translation …

Defining Virtual Interactions: A Taxonomy For Researchers And Practitioners, Glade G. Oxborrow

Theses and Dissertations

Many uses for virtual technology are being identified by diverse organizational entities around the world. Before these technologies can be fully utilized, it is important to have a common definition and understanding of what is meant by the term virtual. It is also important to understand the structural configurations possible using virtual technology and the types of virtual interactions that may occur using these technologies. This thesis will define the basic premises, structures, and definitions applicable to vial interactions. It also defines various types of virtual interactions that may occur using virtual technology. These designations will help both practitioners and …

Approximation And Optimization Of An Auditory Model For Realization In Vlsi Hardware, Samuel L. Sangregory

Theses and Dissertations

The Auditory Image Model (AIM) is a software tool set developed to functionally model the role of the ear in the human hearing process. AIM includes detailed filter equations for the major functional portions of the ear. Currently, AIM is run on a workstation and requires 10 to 100 times real-time to process audio information and produce an auditory image. An all-digital approximation of the AIM which is suitable for implementation in very large scale integrated circuits is presented. This document details the mathematical models of AIM and the approximations and optimizations used to simplify the filtering and signal processing …

An Assessment Of Mentoring Functions And Barriers To Mentoring, Kristopher A. Singer

Theses and Dissertations

A study of 91 Coast Guard junior officers and their mentors established the construct validity for mentoring functions and barriers to mentoring. The Air Force relies on supervisors to provide mentoring to their subordinates. The key predictors of whether junior officers report their supervisors as mentors were similarity between mentor and mentee and the quality of the supervisory relationship in terms of LMX and psychosocial and career development mentoring functions. The results demonstrated evidence for a compensatory theory of mentoring. Multiple mentors do not have a synergistic effect on mentoring relationships. The key predictors of reporting an additional mentor (other …

Development Of A Construction Safety Program, Christopher Haux

Theses and Dissertations

In the mid to late 1990's the United States has been experiencing a thriving economy which has spurred increased amounts of construction. During this time of prosperity, the quality of work and the safety of workers can often be forgotten. Each of these areas becomes important to those involved, and to the ability to continue a strong and prosperous economy. Safety to those who produce and those who buy is a sign of a strong economy and a strong community; because construction of communities is what we are really doing.

Student Participation In The Academic Discourse Community: An Esl Student Working Independently And Esl Students Working With Writing Tutors, Heather J. Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Penetration of the academic discourse community is a challenging obstacle for students who speak English as a Second Language. Not only are ESL students expected to understand academic concepts presented to them in a second language, but they are expected to demonstrate and refine these concepts through conceptual activities in another culture's written discourse. To handle this cognitive load, they rely on various strategies often effective but sometimes ineffective. Many ESL students have chosen the strategy of working with the tutors in a writing center. Other students have a more independent approach. What is the role of the tutors as …

An Analysis Of The Production Flow At Tmi Systems Design Corporation, Loren J. Zavalney

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to perform a detailed analysis of the production process flow at TMI Systems Design Corporation that will help improve the overall efficiency of the manufacturing process. The study was sectioned into three phases. Phase one of this study was to collect data on the manufacturing process. Phase two of this study was to incorporate the manufacturing process data into flow process charts and flow diagrams. Phase three of this study was to create an operations process flow chart for the model W2052 wall cabinet.

Phase one was accomplished by collecting data while observing the …

An Environmental History Of The 19th Century Marquette Iron Range, Doug Ottke

Theses and Dissertations

The history of the Marquette Iron Range in the upper peninsula of Michigan is integrally linked to the environment. The natural features of the Marquette Range defined the mode of production on the Range, and conversely, as human systems became more adept in these modes of production they became the most important modifiers of the natural systems.

Settlement on the Marquette Iron Range was closely related to two factors of natural environment: the iron ore formations and the hardwood forest. The distribution of three iron ore formations—principally the Negaunee, but also the Bijiki and other Iron- formations within the Michigamme …

The Spiritual Dimension Of Social Work Practice In And Through Research, Education, And Life Experience, Pauline Kay Burthwick

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years there has been an effort to reintroduce religion and spirituality as tangible constructs into social work education and practice in an effort to incorporate all aspects of the client's system (biological, psychological, social, spiritual) and to understand and appreciate the client's diversity and potential strengths and resources. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of religion and spirituality in the lives of social work practitioners as it relates to their social work practice and to the education of future social workers.

This study was composed of two parts. The first was a secondary data …

Predicting Post-Disaster Adjustment After The Red River Flood: An Analysis Of Resource Loss And Pre-Flood Preventative Behaviors, Holly J. Hegstad

Theses and Dissertations

The Conservation of Resources theory postulates that individuals will act to obtain, retain, or protect those resources that are of value to them (Hobfall, 1989). Natural disasters often result in depletion of resources, the extent of which has been found to be a robust predictor of post-disaster adjustment (Freedy, Hobfall, & Ribbe, 1994; Freedy, Shaw, Jarrel, & Masters, 1992; Norris & Uhl, 1993; Smith & Freedy, 1994). Three-hundred-four victims (131 males, 171 females) of the 1997 flood of the Red River returned surveys assessing their levels of preparation, resource losses, and psychopathology 12 to 16 months after the flood. It …

Social Judgement Tendencies As A Function Of Mcmi-Ii And Cati Personality Variables, Allison Noel Pate

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated relationships between personality styles and judgments of others' personality traits using the Free Response Interaction Procedure (FRIP). FRIP participants were 184 female and 68 male college students, mean age 23.9 years. The FRIP consists of two 25-minute interactive sessions, separated by a week or more, in which a participant interacts with three randomly assigned participant partners. After each session, participants use a seven point likert scale to rate themselves and their partners, and predict how their partners will rate them on 14 personality traits. Participants also independently completed the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory - II (MCMI-II) and …

Implementation Of Speech Recognition Software For Text Processing: An Exploratory Analysis, Sean P. Abell

Theses and Dissertations

The rationale behind implementing new information technologies is often to gain productivity improvements associated with the substitution of machinery for labor. However, the literature shows little direct evidence of a positive relationship between information technology investment and subsequent productivity benefits. This thesis reports on the examination into the productivity implications of implementing speech recognition software in a text processing environment. More specifically, research was conducted to compare text processing speeds and error rates using speech recognition software versus the keyboard and mouse. Of interest was the time required to input and proofread text processing tasks as well as the number …