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University of Central Florida

Theses/Dissertations

2005

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Soil Microbial Community Dynamics In Florida Scrub Ecosystem, Maria Albarracin Jan 2005

Soil Microbial Community Dynamics In Florida Scrub Ecosystem, Maria Albarracin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pyrogenic ecosystems are maintained by fires which vary in frequency, seasonality, and intensity. Florida oak-saw palmetto scrub ecosystem is characterized by fires occurring at intervals of 10-20 years. Diverse factors as private land acquisition and development has created a patchy distribution of scrub ecosystems and also interrupted the natural fire cycle. The effects of fire over plant regeneration and fauna habitat utilization of the scrub have been well characterized in previous research. In the present paper the objective is to characterize the short- and long-term fire effects on the soil microbial community. Fire effects were studied in a chronosequence, comprising …

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Arc-Discharge In Solution: A Novel Synthesis Method For Carbon Nanotubes And In Situ Decoration Of Carbon Nanotubes With Nanoparticles, Debasis Bera Jan 2005

Arc-Discharge In Solution: A Novel Synthesis Method For Carbon Nanotubes And In Situ Decoration Of Carbon Nanotubes With Nanoparticles, Debasis Bera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nanotechnology has reached the status of the 21st century's leading science and technology based on fundamental and applied research during the last two decades. An important feature of nanotechnology is to bridge the crucial dimensional gap between the atomic and molecular fundamental sciences and microstructural scale of engineering. Accordingly, it is very important to have an in-depth understanding of the synthesis of nanomaterials for the use of state-of-the-art high technological devices with enhanced properties. Recently, the 'bottom-up' approach for the fabrication of nanomaterials has received a great deal of attention for its simplicity and cost effectiveness. Tailoring the various parameters …

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Effects Of A Shore Protection Project On Loggerhead And Green Turtle Nesting Activity And Reproduction In Brevard County, Florida, Kelly Brock Jan 2005

Effects Of A Shore Protection Project On Loggerhead And Green Turtle Nesting Activity And Reproduction In Brevard County, Florida, Kelly Brock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marine turtle reproductive success is strongly correlated with the stability and quality of the nesting environment. Because females show fidelity to key nesting beaches, the management and physical characteristics of these beaches directly affect future generations of marine turtles and may be essential for the recovery of these threatened and endangered species. The impacts of beach restoration on loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) and on green turtles (Chelonia mydas) were investigated. Previous studies concerning beach nourishment projects have focused on loggerhead turtles. I compared data between nourished and non-nourished areas and between loggerhead and green turtles. I found, at one season …

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A Study Of Public Employee Labor Law In The United States, Oleh Bula Jan 2005

A Study Of Public Employee Labor Law In The United States, Oleh Bula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the legal issues of public employee labor relations in the United States. Included in this study is a review of relevant case law as it pertains to collective bargaining in the public sector. In addition to reviewing the case law, this study researched the statutory language of each state for public sector collective bargaining. The study includes a review, analysis, and summary of the state and federal laws for public sector collective bargaining. The collective bargaining process in the United States is designed to resolve disputes between two parties, the employer and the employee. The resolution of …

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Designing For A Japanese High-Context Culture: Culture's Influence On The Technical Writer's Visual Rhetoric, Russell Carpenter Jan 2005

Designing For A Japanese High-Context Culture: Culture's Influence On The Technical Writer's Visual Rhetoric, Russell Carpenter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the challenges technical writers face when designing documents for high-context cultures, such as the Japanese. When developing documents intended to cross cultural gulfs, technical writers must take into consideration cultural expectations, preferences, and practices in document design and communication. High-context cultures, such as Japan, design documents using drastically different design strategies than those used in the United States. Japanese communication habits are more ambiguous than communication in the United States. Thus, the Japanese often use visuals for their aesthetic appeal, not for their ability to complement the text that surrounds the visual. The ambiguous nature of high-context …

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A Predictive Model For Benchmarking Academic Programs (Pbap) Using U.S. News Ranking Data For Engineering Colleges Offering Graduate Programs, Lisa Gay Marie Chuck Jan 2005

A Predictive Model For Benchmarking Academic Programs (Pbap) Using U.S. News Ranking Data For Engineering Colleges Offering Graduate Programs, Lisa Gay Marie Chuck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Improving national ranking is an increasingly important issue for university administrators. While research has been conducted on performance measures in higher education, research designs have lacked a predictive quality. Studies on the U.S. News college rankings have provided insight into the methodology; however, none of them have provided a model to predict what change in variable values would likely cause an institution to improve its standing in the rankings. The purpose of this study was to develop a predictive model for benchmarking academic programs (pBAP) for engineering colleges. The 2005 U.S. News ranking data for graduate engineering programs were used …

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Minority Physician Job Satisfaction: An Analysis Of Extrinsically-Controlled Organizational Factors, Shaun Fletcher Jan 2005

Minority Physician Job Satisfaction: An Analysis Of Extrinsically-Controlled Organizational Factors, Shaun Fletcher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Few organizational communication studies examine the organizational aspects influencing career satisfaction specifically among non-white cultures in the medical physician population. This study examines minority physicians' perceptions of extrinsically controlled work environment factors in comparison to their white counterparts. Three research questions were analyzed from a 17-question survey tool to measure: physician satisfaction levels with autonomy over medical decision-making; autonomy over non-medical workplace decisions; and hospital cost containment efforts. These organizational variables have served as major points of discourse within the healthcare arena and they relate to the enigmatic nature of career satisfaction. Determined by the volume of respondents representing each …

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Juvenile Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Foraging Ecology:Feeding Selectivity And Forage Nutrient Analysis, Eliza Gilbert Jan 2005

Juvenile Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Foraging Ecology:Feeding Selectivity And Forage Nutrient Analysis, Eliza Gilbert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For the endangered green turtle, Chelonia mydas, a fundamental component of recovery and conservation is an understanding of its foraging ecology. Foraging optimality models suggest animals will select resources of high quality over those of low quality. For green turtles, this behavior is important, as sufficient quantities of nutritionally adequate forage items are necessary for growth and reproduction. One intrinsic element in the understanding of green turtle foraging ecology is to identify and document the availability and quality of forage resources preferred by green turtles. The objectives of this study were: 1) determine whether juvenile green turtles showed a feeding …

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Negotiating Place: Multiscapes And Negotiation In Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood, Kevin Gladding Jan 2005

Negotiating Place: Multiscapes And Negotiation In Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood, Kevin Gladding

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Murakami's Norwegian Wood, romance and coming-of-age confront the growing trend of postmodernity that leads to a discontinuity of life becoming more and more common in post-war Japan. As the narrator struggles through a monotonous daily existence, the text gives the reader access to the narrator's struggle for self- and societal identity. In the end, he finds his means of self-acceptance through escape, and his escape is a product of his attempts at negotiating the multiple settings or "scapes" in which he finds himself. The thesis follows the narrator through his navigation of these scapes and seeks to examine the …

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Development Of A Motor Speed Control System Using Matlab And Simulink, Implemented With A Digital Signal Processor, Andrew Klee Jan 2005

Development Of A Motor Speed Control System Using Matlab And Simulink, Implemented With A Digital Signal Processor, Andrew Klee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes an improved methodology for embedded software development. MATLAB and Simulink allow engineers to simplify algorithm development and avoid duplication of effort in deploying these algorithms to the end hardware. Special new hardware targeting capabilities of MATLAB and Simulink are described in detail. A motor control system design served to demonstrate the efficacy of this new method. Initial data was collected to help model the motor in Simulink. This allowed for the design of the open and closed loop control systems. The designed system was very effective, with good response and no steady state error. The entire design …

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Alcoholism, A.A., And The Challenge Of Authenticity, Patricia Madden Jan 2005

Alcoholism, A.A., And The Challenge Of Authenticity, Patricia Madden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the possibilities of living an authentic life for an alcoholic, both in and out of Alcoholics Anonymous. Authenticity is explored using the existential models put forth by Jean-Paul Sartre and Soren Kierkegaard. Alcoholics Anonymous figures prominently in this analysis. It is suggested that A.A. acts inauthentically in its claims that it is not a religious organization. A.A. creates special problems for female alcoholics because of the sexist and masculinist nature of its primary literature. While A.A. claims that its message is the only way by which an alcoholic can recover, other treatment methods exist. Suggestions are made …

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Effects Of Reduced Ras And Volume On Anaerobic Zone Performance For A Septic Wastewater Biological Phosphorous Removal System, Daniel Magro Jan 2005

Effects Of Reduced Ras And Volume On Anaerobic Zone Performance For A Septic Wastewater Biological Phosphorous Removal System, Daniel Magro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Enhanced Biological Phosphorous Removal (EBPR) performance was found to be adequate with reduced Return Activated Sludge (RAS) flows (50% of available RAS) to the anaerobic tank and smaller than typical anaerobic zone volume (1.08 hours hydraulic retention time or HRT). Three identical parallel biological nutrient removal (BNR) pilot plants were fed with strong, highly fermented (160 mg/L VFAs), domestic/industrial wastewater from a full scale wastewater treatment facility (WWTF). The pilot plants were operated at 100%, 50%, 40% and 25% RAS (percent of available RAS) flows to the anaerobic tank with the remaining RAS to the anoxic tank. In addition, varying …

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Analysis And Simulation Tools For Solar Array Power Systems, Nattorn Pongratananukul Jan 2005

Analysis And Simulation Tools For Solar Array Power Systems, Nattorn Pongratananukul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents simulation tools developed specifically for the design of solar array power systems. Contributions are made in several aspects of the system design phases, including solar source modeling, system simulation, and controller verification. A tool to automate the study of solar array configurations using general purpose circuit simulators has been developed based on the modeling of individual solar cells. Hierarchical structure of solar cell elements, including semiconductor properties, allows simulation of electrical properties as well as the evaluation of the impact of environmental conditions. A second developed tool provides a co-simulation platform with the capability to verify the …

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Enhancing Message Privacy In Wired Equivalent Privacy., Darshan Purandare Jan 2005

Enhancing Message Privacy In Wired Equivalent Privacy., Darshan Purandare

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The 802.11 standard defines the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and encapsulation of data frames. It is intended to provide data privacy to the level of a wired network. WEP suffered threat of attacks from hackers owing to certain security shortcomings in the WEP protocol. Lately, many new protocols like WiFi Protected Access (WPA), WPA2, Robust Secure Network (RSN) and 802.11i have come into being, yet their implementation is fairly limited. Despite its shortcomings one cannot undermine the importance of WEP as it still remains the most widely used system and we chose to address certain security issues and propose some …

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Preparing Teachers To Partner With Families, Mary Senne Jan 2005

Preparing Teachers To Partner With Families, Mary Senne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Decades of research have demonstrated that family involvement significantly contributes to improved student outcomes relating to learning and overall school success. Teachers must be prepared to promote effective family involvement in the education of all children including those students with disabilities. Many factors can be attributed to successful outcomes for a student with a disability both in the school and the broader community. Families of children with disabilities can be one of these significant factors, yet teachers and those who prepare teachers are often ill prepared and lack essential skills and basic knowledge about the process of partnering with families …

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Famtile: An Algorithm For Learning High-Level Tactical Behavior From Observation, Brian Stensrud Jan 2005

Famtile: An Algorithm For Learning High-Level Tactical Behavior From Observation, Brian Stensrud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on the learning of a class of behaviors defined as high-level behaviors. High-level behaviors are defined here as behaviors that can be executed using a sequence of identifiable behaviors. Represented by low-level contexts, these behaviors are known a priori to learning and can be modeled separately by a knowledge engineer. The learning task, which is achieved by observing an expert within simulation, then becomes the identification and representation of the low-level context sequence executed by the expert. To learn this sequence, this research proposes FAMTILE - the Fuzzy ARTMAP / Template-Based Interpretation Learning Engine. This algorithm attempts …

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Solar-Based Single-Stage High-Efficiency Grid-Connected Inverter, Feng Tian Jan 2005

Solar-Based Single-Stage High-Efficiency Grid-Connected Inverter, Feng Tian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Renewable energy source plays an important role in the energy cogeneration and distribution. Traditional solar-based inverter system is two stages in cascaded, which has a simpler controller but low efficiency. A new solar-based single-stage grid-connected inverter system can achieve higher efficiency by reducing the power semiconductor switching loss and output stable and synchronized sinusoid current into the utility grid. Controlled by the digital signal processor, the inverter can also draw maximum power from the solar array, thereby maximizing the utilization of the solar array. In Chapter 1, a comparison between the traditional two-stage inverter and the single-stage inverter is made. …

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An Introduction To Hellmann-Feynman Theory, David Wallace Jan 2005

An Introduction To Hellmann-Feynman Theory, David Wallace

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Hellmann-Feynman theorem is presented together with certain allied theorems. The origin of the Hellmann-Feynman theorem in quantum physical chemistry is described. The theorem is stated with proof and with discussion of applicability and reliability. Some adaptations of the theorem to the study of the variation of zeros of special functions and orthogonal polynomials are surveyed. Possible extensions are discussed.

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Safety Issues Of Red-Light Running And Unprotected Left-Turn At Signalized Intersections, Xuedong Yan Jan 2005

Safety Issues Of Red-Light Running And Unprotected Left-Turn At Signalized Intersections, Xuedong Yan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Crashes categorized as running red light or left turning are most likely to occur at signalized intersections and resulted in substantial severe injuries and property damages. This dissertation mainly focused on these two types of vehicle crashes and the research methodology involved several perspectives. To examine the overall characteristics of red-light running and left-turning crashes, firstly, this study applied 1999-2001 Florida traffic crash data to investigate the accident propensity of three aspects of risk factors related to traffic environments, driver characteristics, and vehicle types. A quasi-induced exposure concept and statistical techniques including classification tree model and multiple logistic regression were …

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Effects Of Food Deprivation On Blood Lipid Concentration And Composition In Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopias Jubatus), Michelle Lea Berman Jan 2005

Effects Of Food Deprivation On Blood Lipid Concentration And Composition In Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopias Jubatus), Michelle Lea Berman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Steller sea lions, the largest Otariid, fast during their breeding season; during this time they refrain from ingesting food for a period of 12-43 days. Fasting, while undertaking an extremely energetically demanding activity (breeding and pupping), requires specific physiological adaptations. This study examined the physiological response to fasting of two age classes, juveniles and sub-adults, during the breeding and non-breeding seasons to determine how these animals utilize lipids and the pattern of fatty acid mobilization from lipid stores during fasting. Four juveniles and 5 sub-adults were fasted for one and two weeks, respectively, and blood samples were collected approximately every …

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Becoming Transcultural: Filling The Cultural And Communication Gap Within The Black American Community, Quanda Le Boldin Jan 2005

Becoming Transcultural: Filling The Cultural And Communication Gap Within The Black American Community, Quanda Le Boldin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to define transculturalism by exploring the Black experience through collectivism/individualism, Black identity and the ability to be transcultural. The study included 83 male and female Black American, college students, graduate students and college graduates. The participants answered a 4-part survey that measured collectivism/individualism, Black identity, the ability to be transcultural and minority hardships. Results revealed that the Pre-encounter, Immersion, Emersion and Internalization phases of Black identity are predictors of minority hardships. There were also significant results for the Internalization phase of Black identity and the ability to be transcultural. In conclusion, Black Americans that …

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Public Participation In Transportation: An Emperical Test For Authentic Participation, Jorge Cesar Figueredo Jan 2005

Public Participation In Transportation: An Emperical Test For Authentic Participation, Jorge Cesar Figueredo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the public participation activities of State Departments of Transportation (SDOTs) in the United States. A review of existing literature and legal frameworks suggests that an "authentic" public participation results when dimensions of representativeness, use of public inputs, interactiveness, and quality of citizen inputs have been achieved. The study sought to identify conditions that serve as measurements that must presumably be satisfied for authenticity to exist in public participation. The result was a Model of Authentic Public Participation that served as the basis for creation of a new four-tiered methodology to assess the performance of these districts relative …

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Communicating Culture Through Capoeira, Desislava Georgieva Jan 2005

Communicating Culture Through Capoeira, Desislava Georgieva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The popularity of capoeira, a dance based in the martial arts and originating among slaves in Sixteenth-Century Brazil, has increased greatly in recent decades as it has spread worldwide as a performance representative of Brazilian history and culture. In 1974, capoeira was declared the national sport of Brazil. Today capoeira academies and competitions may be found wherever Brazilian culture is celebrated and communicated in many major foreign cities. My thesis, through the participant/observer method and the use of long interviews, examines capoeira as it is practiced in one particular academy far from the art form's place of origin. In the …

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Optimization Of An Unstructured Finite Element Mesh For Tide And Storm Surge Modeling Applications In The Western North Atlantic Ocean, Satoshi Kojima Jan 2005

Optimization Of An Unstructured Finite Element Mesh For Tide And Storm Surge Modeling Applications In The Western North Atlantic Ocean, Satoshi Kojima

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently, a highly resolved, finite element mesh was developed for the purpose of performing hydrodynamic calculations in the Western North Atlantic Tidal (WNAT) model domain. The WNAT model domain consists of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the entire portion of the North Atlantic Ocean found west of the 60° W meridian. This high resolution mesh (333K) employs 332,582 computational nodes and 647,018 triangular elements to provide approximately 1.0 to 25 km node spacing. In the previous work, the 333K mesh was applied in a Localized Truncation Error Analysis (LTEA) to produce nodal density requirements for the WNAT …

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An Inquiry Into Discourse Choices As Indicators Of Gender Attitudes In A Non-Profit Conservative Christian Business, Dawn Marie Kruger Jan 2005

An Inquiry Into Discourse Choices As Indicators Of Gender Attitudes In A Non-Profit Conservative Christian Business, Dawn Marie Kruger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper is an inquiry into the discourse styles of men and women who work together in a conservative Protestant Christian business. Many conservative Protestant Christian churches teach that the Bible forbids women from holding positions of authority over men. Yet in the communications department of this particular business, women fill the top three management positions, supervising a mixed-gender staff of 15. Research has shown that men and women subconsciously use language markers that indicate personal attitudes toward the same and the opposite genders. This research project draws on that information while it analyzes the oral and electronic discourse of …

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Non-Acute Cognitive Sequelae Associated With Recreational Ecstasy Use: A Meta-Analysis, Tiffany Leigh Linkovich Kyle Jan 2005

Non-Acute Cognitive Sequelae Associated With Recreational Ecstasy Use: A Meta-Analysis, Tiffany Leigh Linkovich Kyle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies using animal models have found considerable evidence of neurological damage resulting from exposure to 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy). Yet, studies comparing the cognitive performance of human recreational ecstasy users to ecstasy naïve controls have produced inconsistent results. The present study is a meta-analysis of the published empirical literature on the cognitive sequelae of human recreational ecstasy use. The pooled effect size estimate for combined cognitive domains was statistically significant and moderate in size. Small to large, statistically significant aggregate effect sizes resulted for eight of the nine cognitive ability domains included in the analysis. Moderator analyses suggested that frequent …

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A Comparative Analysis Between Context-Based Reasoning (Cxbr) And Contextual Graphs (Cxgs)., Peterson Marthen Lorins Jan 2005

A Comparative Analysis Between Context-Based Reasoning (Cxbr) And Contextual Graphs (Cxgs)., Peterson Marthen Lorins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Context-based Reasoning (CxBR) and Contextual Graphs (CxGs) involve the modeling of human behavior in autonomous and decision-support situations in which optimal human decision-making is of utmost importance. Both formalisms use the notion of contexts to allow the implementation of intelligent agents equipped with a context sensitive knowledge base. However, CxBR uses a set of discrete contexts, implying that models created using CxBR operate within one context at a given time interval. CxGs use a continuous context-based representation for a given problem-solving scenario for decision-support processes. Both formalisms use contexts dynamically by continuously changing between necessary contexts as needed in appropriate …

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Life Event Perception: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach To The Antecedents Of The Life Stress Response, Christopher Aaron Myers Jan 2005

Life Event Perception: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach To The Antecedents Of The Life Stress Response, Christopher Aaron Myers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It has been often argued that life events have an impact on our physical and psychological well-being. In general, research supports this connection between life events and general health, though some argue that simply experiencing life events has a measurable and predictable impact our health, while others contend that this effect is mediated by the appraisal process. Further, research has identified a number of different factors (hypothetically stratified into pre-existing beliefs, external resources and demands, and behavioral activation and coping strategies) that may influence appraisal and general health. The current study attempts to integrate these findings by testing structural models …

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Relationship Between Supervisor Locus Of Control And Employee Satisfaction In A Residential Care Facility, Patricia Chene Nowotniak Jan 2005

Relationship Between Supervisor Locus Of Control And Employee Satisfaction In A Residential Care Facility, Patricia Chene Nowotniak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to identify factors that may contribute to employee satisfaction. Review of the literature revealed potential factors influencing employee satisfaction, such as locus of control, difficulty of the work itself, and working conditions. These literature findings guided this research, to establish if a relationship existed between employee satisfaction of caregivers employed in a developmental institution and locus of control. Supervisors and their employees were given a locus of control scale; employees were additionally given a job satisfaction survey. The relationship between the supervisors' locus of control and employee satisfaction was evaluated as well as the …

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Graph-Theoretic Approach To Modeling Propagation And Control Of Network Worms, Zoran Nikoloski Jan 2005

Graph-Theoretic Approach To Modeling Propagation And Control Of Network Worms, Zoran Nikoloski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today's network-dependent society, cyber attacks with network worms have become the predominant threat to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of network computing resources. Despite ongoing research efforts, there is still no comprehensive network-security solution aimed at controling large-scale worm propagation. The aim of this work is fivefold: (1) Developing an accurate combinatorial model of worm propagation that can facilitate the analysis of worm control strategies, (2) Building an accurate epidemiological model for the propagation of a worm employing local strategies, (3) Devising distributed architecture and algorithms for detection of worm scanning activities, (4) Designing effective control strategies against the worm, …

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