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2006

Theses/Dissertations

Georgia State University

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The Effect Of Defined Contribution Plans On The Retirement Decision, Wonku Hong Dec 2006

The Effect Of Defined Contribution Plans On The Retirement Decision, Wonku Hong

Risk Management and Insurance Dissertations

This study examines the effect of pensions on the timing of retirement, focusing on the differences between defined benefit (DB) plans and defined contribution (DC) plans. I find that DC plans have different effects on the accumulation of retirement wealth, the incentives for retirement and the risk of retirement benefits than DB plans. Thereby, DC plans have different effects from DB plans on the decision to retire. This paper is the first empirical study to investigate the effect of longevity risk in pension plans on retirement. It is an important addition to the literature on retirement behavior since longevity risk …

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Understanding Teen Pregnancy Through The Younger Sister's Voice: A Focused Ethnography, Bonnie J. Simmons Dec 2006

Understanding Teen Pregnancy Through The Younger Sister's Voice: A Focused Ethnography, Bonnie J. Simmons

Nursing Dissertations (PhD)

Each year in the United States between 800,000 and 900,000 adolescents, aged 19 or younger, become pregnant. Over one-half of these pregnancies end in a live birth. Several studies have shown that the younger sisters of adolescent mothers have teenage childbearing rates two to six times higher than childbearing rates of women in the general population. The purpose of this focused ethnography was to gain a better understanding of the influences of a pregnant and parenting adolescent on her younger sister. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit younger sisters of parenting teens. Fifteen (15) African American females, ranging in age …

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Illness Representations, Emotional Distress, Coping Strategies, And Coping Efficacy As Predictors Of Patient Outcomes For Type 2 Diabetes, Patricia Lynn Hart Dec 2006

Illness Representations, Emotional Distress, Coping Strategies, And Coping Efficacy As Predictors Of Patient Outcomes For Type 2 Diabetes, Patricia Lynn Hart

Nursing Dissertations (PhD)

Diabetes mellitus affects 20.8 million Americans in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. Acute and chronic disease-related complications can have a devastating effect on the life of individuals with Type 2 diabetes. Reduction in acute and chronic complications can be best achieved by individuals’ adhering to appropriate lifestyle changes and maintaining tight glycemic control through a process of self-regulation. Self-regulation treatment decisions and lifestyle behavioral changes can be influenced by physiological and psychosocial factors. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between illness representations, emotional distress, coping strategies, …

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Factors Influencing Surrogate End-Of-Life Healthcare Decision-Making For A Family Member With Alzheimer's Disease, Sharlene Toney Dec 2006

Factors Influencing Surrogate End-Of-Life Healthcare Decision-Making For A Family Member With Alzheimer's Disease, Sharlene Toney

Nursing Dissertations (PhD)

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a chronic terminal disease, progressively impairs cognitive function resulting in deterioration of intellect, memory, and personality. With disease progression, the surrogate decision-maker becomes more involved in intervention choices and end-of-life (EOL) care, which may or may not be based on patients’ wishes or best practice guidelines. Yet surrogate decision outcomes involve important issues of medical futility, quality of life and death. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that influence surrogate health care decision-making for a family member during the terminal stage of AD. A descriptive, predictive design was used to address the research questions: …

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Glucose Modulation Of The Septo-Hippocampal System: Implications For Memory, Desiree Lynne Krebs-Kraft Dec 2006

Glucose Modulation Of The Septo-Hippocampal System: Implications For Memory, Desiree Lynne Krebs-Kraft

Psychology Dissertations

Extensive evidence suggests that glucose has both positive and negative effects on memory and these effects likely involve an influence on the brain. For instance, direct infusions of glucose into the septum (MS) or hippocampus can enhance or impair memory. The present set of experiments attempted to determine the different conditions that dissociate the memory-enhancing and -impairing effects of glucose in rats. Specifically, these experiments examined the effects of glucose in spontaneous alternation, a measure of spatial working memory and shock avoidance, an index of emontional long-term memory. The results showed that the memory-impairing effects of MS infusions of glucose …

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The Relationship Between R&D Investment And Dividend Payment Tax Incentives And Their Role In The Dividend Tax Puzzle, Mary Catherine Cleaveland Dec 2006

The Relationship Between R&D Investment And Dividend Payment Tax Incentives And Their Role In The Dividend Tax Puzzle, Mary Catherine Cleaveland

Accountancy Dissertations

Although much research on corporate dividend policy exists, the evidence is far from conclusive. Understanding how dividend taxes affect firm-level decisions is crucial to evaluating dividend imputation credits which provide shareholder-level tax credits for dividends received or decreased shareholder-level dividend tax rates, which reduce the double taxation of dividends. Using changes in New Zealand and Australia’s tax regimes, this dissertation provides new evidence on the relationship between tax incentives for R&D investment and dividend payment. The results show that the theory that the tension between R&D investment and dividend payment decreases when a country previously not offering tax incentives for …

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What Drives Firms To Diversity?, Rong Guo Dec 2006

What Drives Firms To Diversity?, Rong Guo

Finance Dissertations

WHAT DRIVES FIRMS TO DIVERSITY? By RONG GUO Committee Chair: Dr. Omesh Kini Major Department: Finance This paper examines whether corporate governance structures, serving as proxies for agency costs, can explain firms’ decision to diversify. Specifically, it has been hypothesized that firms with worse corporate governance structures are more likely to diversify. The extant literature usually compares the governance characteristics of multi-segment firms to those of single segment firms to address this issue. However, different governance characteristics may simply reflect differences in firm characteristics of diversified firms and focused firms. Furthermore, industry factors may affect both the propensity of firms …

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Structure Learning Of A Behavior Network For Context Dependent Adaptability, Ou Li Dec 2006

Structure Learning Of A Behavior Network For Context Dependent Adaptability, Ou Li

Computer Science Theses

One mechanism for an intelligent agent to adapt to substantial environmental changes is to change its decision making structure. Pervious work in this area has developed a context-dependent behavior selection architecture that uses structure change, i.e., changing the mutual inhibition structures of a behavior network, as the main mechanism to generate different behavior patterns according to different behavioral contexts. Given the important of network structure, this work investigates how the structure of a behavior network can be learned. We developed a structure learning method based on generic algorithm and applied it to a model crayfish that needs to survive in …

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Analyzing The Effects Of Adolescent Risky Behaviors On Suicidal Ideation, Marchelle Elizabeth Sanchez Dec 2006

Analyzing The Effects Of Adolescent Risky Behaviors On Suicidal Ideation, Marchelle Elizabeth Sanchez

Mathematics Theses

This study is an analysis of adolescent risk behaviors contributing to an increased rate of suicidal ideation for 12 to 18 year olds. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System Survey (YRBSS) is an epidemiologic survey designed to monitor the prevalence of risky behaviors of adolescents in middle and high school1. The YRBSS is a complex sample survey with a three-stage cluster design. Multiple logistic regression is used to analyze the data, including methods of analysis to address issues in complex survey design. Results of this study indicate several different risk factors that influence the rate of suicidal ideation among adolescents, …

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Managerial Incentives And Takeover Wealth Gains, Ebru Reis Dec 2006

Managerial Incentives And Takeover Wealth Gains, Ebru Reis

Finance Dissertations

ABSTRACT MANAGERIAL INCENTIVES AND TAKEOVER WEALTH GAINS By EBRU REIS DECEMBER 5, 2006 Committee Chair: Dr. Jayant R. Kale Major Department: Finance This study examines the relationship between managerial equity incentives and takeover wealth gains both for target and acquirer firms. Although there is some research about the effect of acquirer managers’ incentives on acquirer wealth gains, this paper is one of the first to investigate the effect of target managers’ incentives on the wealth effects of target firms in corporate takeovers. In addition, prior research has focused on the alignment effect of equity incentives in takeovers. However, takeovers provide …

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Exploratory And Exploitative Knowledge Sharing In Interorganizational Relationships, Ghiyoung Im Dec 2006

Exploratory And Exploitative Knowledge Sharing In Interorganizational Relationships, Ghiyoung Im

Computer Information Systems Dissertations

A growing body of research investigates the role that organizational learning plays in generating superior firm performance. Researchers, however, have given limited attention to this learning effect in the context of long-term interorganizational relationships. This paper focuses on a specific aspect of learning, that is, explorative and exploitative knowledge sharing, and examines its impacts on sustained performance. We examine interorganizational design mechanisms and digitally-enabled knowledge representation as antecedents of knowledge sharing. The empirical context is dyadic relationship between a supply chain solutions vendor and its customers for two major classes of supply chain services. Our theoretical predictions are tested by …

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Qos Multimedia Multicast Routing: A Component Based Primal Dual Approach, Faheem Akhtar Hussain Dec 2006

Qos Multimedia Multicast Routing: A Component Based Primal Dual Approach, Faheem Akhtar Hussain

Computer Science Theses

The QoS Steiner Tree Problem asks for the most cost efficient way to multicast multimedia to a heterogeneous collection of users with different data consumption rates. We assume that the cost of using a link is not constant but rather depends on the maximum bandwidth routed through the link. Formally, given a graph with costs on the edges, a source node and a set of terminal nodes, each one with a bandwidth requirement, the goal is to find a Steiner tree containing the source, and the cheapest assignment of bandwidth to each of its edges so that each source-to-terminal path …

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Rolling Manhood: How Black And White Men Experience Disability, Alexis A. Bender Dec 2006

Rolling Manhood: How Black And White Men Experience Disability, Alexis A. Bender

Sociology Theses

Sociologists have only recently paid attention to how men experience physical disability. However, current research continues to ignore how different racial groups experience it. The goal of this study was to examine how black and white men experience life with a physical disability. Using qualitative research techniques involving in-depth, face-to-face interviews with 10 black and 10 white men, I focus on how meanings of disability and masculinity shift after a traumatic injury. Using symbolic interactionism and social construction as theoretical frameworks, I examine how these men formed and modified meanings for disability and masculinity through social interactions. I also analyze …

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Exploring Identity Through Self-Portraiture, Rose M. Barron Dec 2006

Exploring Identity Through Self-Portraiture, Rose M. Barron

Art and Design Theses

EXPLORING IDENTITY THROUGH SELF-PORTRAITURE by ROSE M BARRON Under the Direction of Dr Melody Milbrandt ABSTRACT 1) Statement of the problem: How can art education help students deconstruct stereotypical imagery and develop meaningful artwork? How can art lessons help students construct positive identity imagery and develop meaningful artwork? 2) Procedures: I field-tested a unit of three lessons based on identity through self-portraiture to help students investigate the topic of identity in relation to personal and cultural sense of self. Student’s artworks, reflections and responses were analyzed. 3) Conclusions: Art lessons can help students construct positive identity and develop positive imagery. …

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Hype And Hypersexuality: Kara Walker, Her Work And Controversy, Erikka Juliette Searles Dec 2006

Hype And Hypersexuality: Kara Walker, Her Work And Controversy, Erikka Juliette Searles

Art and Design Theses

Kara Walker, winner of the MacArthur “Genius” award and the Smithsonian Lucelia award, is one of the most critically acclaimed contemporary African American artists. Her work, especially her cut-paper silhouettes depicting grotesque antebellum scenes, has inspired as much outrage from an older generation of Black artists as acclaim from the mainstream media. This thesis gives an overview of the artist’s life, analysis of some of her works, and an examination of the controversy her work has caused. In the conclusion, I introduce the next generation of Black American artists, self-proclaimed “Art Stars,” including Atlanta artist Fahamu Pecou.

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Toward A Heuristic Model For Evaluating The Complexity Of Computer Security Visualization Interface, Hsiu-Chung Wang Dec 2006

Toward A Heuristic Model For Evaluating The Complexity Of Computer Security Visualization Interface, Hsiu-Chung Wang

Computer Science Theses

Computer security visualization has gained much attention in the research community in the past few years. However, the advancement in security visualization research has been hampered by the lack of standardization in visualization design, centralized datasets, and evaluation methods. We propose a new heuristic model for evaluating the complexity of computer security visualizations. This complexity evaluation method is designed to evaluate the efficiency of performing visual search in security visualizations in terms of measuring critical memory capacity load needed to perform such tasks. Our method is based on research in cognitive psychology along with characteristics found in a majority of …

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Comparison Of Methods Used For Aligning Protein Sequences, Sangeetha Madangopal Dec 2006

Comparison Of Methods Used For Aligning Protein Sequences, Sangeetha Madangopal

Computer Science Theses

Comparing protein sequences is an essential procedure that has many applications in the field of bioinformatics. The recent advances in computational capabilities and algorithm design, simplified the comparison procedure of protein sequences from several databases. Various algorithms have emerged using state of the art approaches to match protein sequences based on structural and functional properties of the amino acids. The matching involves structural alignment, and this alignment may be global; comprising of the whole length of the protein, or local; comprising of the sub-sequences of the proteins. Families of related proteins are found by clustering sequence alignments. The frequency distributions …

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Scalable Proxy Architecture For Mobile And Peer-To-Peer Networks, Praveena Jayanthi Dec 2006

Scalable Proxy Architecture For Mobile And Peer-To-Peer Networks, Praveena Jayanthi

Computer Science Theses

The growth of wireless telecommunications has stipulated the interest for anywhere-anytime computing. The synergy between networking and mobility will engender new collaborative applications with mobile devices on heterogeneous platforms. One such middleware is “SYSTEM ON MOBILE DEVICES”, SYD developed by the Yamacraw Embedded Systems research team. This type of middleware is an opening step towards Peer-to-Peer mobile networks. This project envisioned collaborative applications among mobile devices and PDAs were used as servers. This thesis studies various existing architectures in mobile computing and their scalability issues. We also proposed new scalable flexible thick client proxy system FTCPS, an architecture suitable for …

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An Agent Based Transaction Manager For Multidatabase Systems, Sugandhi Madiraju Dec 2006

An Agent Based Transaction Manager For Multidatabase Systems, Sugandhi Madiraju

Computer Science Theses

A multidatabase system (MDBMS) is a facility that allows users to access data located in multiple autonomous database management systems (DBMSs) at different sites. To ensure global atomicity for multidatabase transactions, a reliable global atomic commitment protocol is a possible solution. In this protocol a centralized transaction manager (TM) receives global transactions, submits subtransactions to the appropriate sites via AGENTS. An AGENT is a component of MDBS that runs on each site; AGENTS after receiving subtransactions from the transaction manager perform the transaction and send the results back to TM. We have presented a unique proof-of-concept, a JAVA application for …

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The Political Use Of "Family Values" Rhetoric, Elizabeth Caroline Powell Dec 2006

The Political Use Of "Family Values" Rhetoric, Elizabeth Caroline Powell

Communication Theses

The bipartisan political slogan “family values,” coupled with discourse surrounding the supposed breakdown of the American family, is a rhetorical move used by political agencies in an effort to excuse the socio-economic failings in America and to reassign responsibility for these failings to the private sphere. This rhetoric tends to promote the idealized nuclear family, while marginalizing the poor and non-traditional family groups.

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Investigation Into The Mechanism(S) Which Permit The High-Rate, Degradation Of Pahs And Related Petroleum Hydrocarbons In Sequencing Batch Reactors By Attached Cells In A Controlled Mixed Bacterial Community., Emad Ibraheim Hussein Dec 2006

Investigation Into The Mechanism(S) Which Permit The High-Rate, Degradation Of Pahs And Related Petroleum Hydrocarbons In Sequencing Batch Reactors By Attached Cells In A Controlled Mixed Bacterial Community., Emad Ibraheim Hussein

Biology Dissertations

A stable mixed culture, deposited as ATCC 55644, previously shown to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons at relatively high concentrations was used as the source of inoculum. This culture was grown in Stanier’s minimal media, either in the presence of different concentrations of naphthalene, nitrobenzene and toluene (NNT) or naphthalene and toluene (NT) as the sole source of C and/or N. Results showed that the majority of the strains isolated from the mixed culture were able to grow in the presence of NNT or NT. A total of 20 different isolates were isolated from the mixed culture. Individual isolates were grown in …

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Kripke, Chalmers And The Immediate Phenomenal Quality Of Pain, Jessica Rae Owensby-Sandifer Dec 2006

Kripke, Chalmers And The Immediate Phenomenal Quality Of Pain, Jessica Rae Owensby-Sandifer

Philosophy Theses

One common element of Kripke’s and Chalmers’ reactions to physicalist theories of mind is their reliance upon the intuition that concepts about conscious experiences are essentially identified by the “immediate phenomenal quality” of the conscious experience, how the experience feels from the subjective point of view. I examine how Kripke’s and Chalmers’ critiques require that concepts about conscious experiences be identified by their subjective feel and then move on to provide some ways in which this intuition about concepts of conscious experience could be wrong. Specifically, the intuition is not consistent with our intuitions about unusual cases reported by pain …

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Correct Ethical Traditions: Towards A Defense Of Christian Ethical Relativism, Jason Paul Head Dec 2006

Correct Ethical Traditions: Towards A Defense Of Christian Ethical Relativism, Jason Paul Head

Philosophy Theses

This thesis provides one component of a greater defense of Christian ethical relativism, or the notion that what is a morally allowable action for one Christian may be wrong for another and both could be correct in their assertions. This essay does not develop such a Christian relativism, but merely defends the idea that a relativistic view could be developed in an academically rigorous manner and may be able to explain the diversity of Christian ethical traditions in a simpler manner than that offered by the ethical absolutist. As such, the thesis argues that a relativistic view ought to be …

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The Relation Between Self-Report Mindfulness And Performance On Tasks Of Attention, Stefan Kennedy Schmertz Dec 2006

The Relation Between Self-Report Mindfulness And Performance On Tasks Of Attention, Stefan Kennedy Schmertz

Psychology Theses

The present study examined the relation between self-report mindfulness and performance on tasks measuring abilities for three aspects of attention: sustained, selective, and attention switching. Because attention regulation has been described as a core component of mindfulness, and past research suggests that experience with mindfulness meditation is associated with improved attentional skills, the present study predicted that higher self-report mindfulness would be positively related to performance on tasks of attention. Fifty undergraduate students completed self-report mindfulness questionnaires and completed a battery of attention tasks. There was mixed support for the relation between mindfulness scores and sustained attention, such that higher …

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Older Adults' Satisfaction With Physical Therapists' Communication And Physical Therapy Treatment, Neela M. Lakatoo Dec 2006

Older Adults' Satisfaction With Physical Therapists' Communication And Physical Therapy Treatment, Neela M. Lakatoo

Gerontology Theses

Little research documents the impact of communication on the relationship between the physical therapist and the older patient. As key health professionals, physical therapists need to know the degree to which a therapeutic relationship is occurring with the older adults they treat, and what aspects of the communication process can be improved to effectively meet the needs of this unique patient population. This exploratory study examines the relationships between older adults’ perceptions of physical therapists’ patient-centered communication (PCC), and their satisfaction with communication and physical therapy treatment (SPT). The sample consisted of 40 participants from 4 different physical therapy sites, …

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Religion And Party Realignment: Are Catholics Realigning Into The Republican Party?, Patrick Lee Burns Dec 2006

Religion And Party Realignment: Are Catholics Realigning Into The Republican Party?, Patrick Lee Burns

Political Science Theses

This thesis examines the influence of religion on party realignment in the United States focusing on Catholic voting behavior. A statistical analysis utilizing bivariate analysis and logistical regressions examines if religion and party realignment is an ecumenical trend expanding beyond Evangelicals to Catholics. It measures scientifically the party trends of the Catholic voter. With data pooled from the National Election Studies from 1960 to 2004, it tests the hypothesis that church attending Catholics are realigning over time into the Republican Party both in vote choice and party identification, because of their pro-life position on abortion. The analysis shows that church …

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Finding Love Among Extreme Opposition In Toni Morrison's Jazz And Eudora Welty's The Optimist's Daughter, John David Clark Dec 2006

Finding Love Among Extreme Opposition In Toni Morrison's Jazz And Eudora Welty's The Optimist's Daughter, John David Clark

English Theses

In Toni Morrison’s Jazz and Eudora Welty’s The Optimist’s Daughter, extreme opposition is prevalent as the authors describe the makeup of each character, as well as the setting and plot in these novels. What are they accomplishing by portraying such opposition? By using Jacque Derrida’s deconstructive theory and Julia Kristeva’s definition of abjection as theoretical guides to navigate these novels, examples of how both authors use extreme opposition in each element of their works are cited and explored. Through this process, the realization that opposing extremes can harmoniously lie side by side and have as many similarities as differences is …

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Christian Missions And Islam: The Reformed Church In America And The Origins Of The Moslem World, Christopher Cleveland Montrose Dec 2006

Christian Missions And Islam: The Reformed Church In America And The Origins Of The Moslem World, Christopher Cleveland Montrose

History Theses

This thesis examines the historical background of missionary attitudes toward Islam within the framework of the mission emphasis of the Reformed Church in America between the 1880s and 1911. It argues that the historical experience of the Dutch Reformed Church in the Netherlands produced a sense of pride and destiny that was transplanted by Dutch emigration to North America and maintained in the relationships of the Reformed Church in America with other nationalities and missions. That sense of pride ad destiny prepared the church to stand on its convictions in the face of opposition, which it drew upon itself when …

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"Bright, Aggressive, And Abrasive:" A History Of The Chief Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer Of The U.S. Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, 1951 ? 2006, Hugh J. Kelsey Dec 2006

"Bright, Aggressive, And Abrasive:" A History Of The Chief Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer Of The U.S. Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, 1951 ? 2006, Hugh J. Kelsey

History Theses

The history of public health has suggested that the progress of societies cannot be understood without understanding community health conditions. The federal government of the United States established the Communicable Disease Center (CDC) in 1946 to assist the states in controlling outbreaks of infectious disease. This coincided with the early days of the Cold War. The concern of some health officials of the time, most notable among them was the CDC’s Chief of Epidemiology, Alexander D. Langmuir, was to address the 1950s threat of “germ warfare,” or bio-terrorism. To do this effectively the CDC established the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) …

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Estimate The True Pass Probability For Near-Real-Time Monitor Challenge Data Using Bayesian Analysis, Yuqing Xiao Dec 2006

Estimate The True Pass Probability For Near-Real-Time Monitor Challenge Data Using Bayesian Analysis, Yuqing Xiao

Mathematics Theses

The U.S. Army¡¯s Chemical Demilitarization are designed to store, treat and destroy the nation¡¯s aging chemical weapons. It operates Near-Real-Time Monitors and Deport Area Monitoring Systems to detect chemical agent at concentrations before they become dangerous to workers, public health and the environment. CDC recommends that the sampling and analytical methods measure within 25% of the true concentration 95% of the time, and if this criterion is not met the alarm set point or reportable level should be adjusted. Two methods were provided by Army¡¯s Programmatic Laboratory and Monitoring Quality Assurance Plan to evaluate the monitoring systems based on CDC …

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