Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of User Interface Metaphors On The Learnability Of Computer Systems By Field Dependent And Field Independent Computer Users, Robert N. Urwiler Jr.

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to assess the differences in the learning performance (speed and accuracy) with which field dependent and field independent subjects could complete a set of checkbook management tasks using software employing a user interface making strong use of common checkbook management metaphors versus software employing an interface adhering to a defacto industry standard-based graphical user interface design guideline. It was hypothesized that both field dependent and field independent users would complete tasks more quickly and accurately using both user interface types.

From a population of traditional and non-traditional college students, 64 individuals volunteered to participate in the …

A Proposed Solution For Word-Recognition Deficit In The Computer Environment, Hyacinth Williams

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Most college students with reading disabilities have difficulty with word recognition. The purpose of this study was to use an investigator-made cue word list to increase low word recognition skills among college students while creating slides for a university curriculum using a simple presentation tool. The investigator randomly divided fourteen subjects into two groups. One group received the treatment and the other did not. Subjects received fifty minutes to complete a five-slide presentation. The investigator used four different data collection processes for data collection. Beyond this, the investigator presented the results using rank correlation. Results from this study indicated that …

Winchell Posters

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Abstracts from the Winchell Posters given at the Annual Meeting for the Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science.

Tango - A Collaborative Environment For The World-Wide Web, Lukasz Michal Beca, Gang Cheng, Geoffrey C. Fox, Tomasz Jurga, Konrad Olszewski, Marek Podgorny, Piotr Sokolowski, Tomasz Stachowiak, Krzysztof Walczak

Northeast Parallel Architecture Center

Geographical and logical growth of the World-Wide Web is accompanied by a fast technological development. Web can be successfully used as a platform for implementation of diverse applications. Distributed and collaborative systems are among the most challenging Web applications. TANGO is an integration platform which enables implementation of Web-based collaborative environments. The system provides means for fast integration of Web- and non-Web-applications into one multi-user collaborative systems. In this paper we describe the functional model, requirements, system design and certain implementation issues of the TANGO system.

Collected Papers, Vol. 2, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Restoration Of An Urban Salt Marsh: An Interdisciplinary Approach, David G. Casagrande

Yale School of the Environment Bulletin Series

No abstract provided.

Review Of Personal Identification Systems, J. M. Cross

Research outputs pre 2011

The growth of the use of biometric personal identification systems has been relatively steady over the last 20 years. The expected biometric revolution which was forecast since the mid 1970's has not yet occurred. The main factor for lower than expected growth has been the cost and user acceptance of the systems. During the last few years, however, a new generation of more reliable, less expensive and better designed biometric devices have come onto the market. This combined with the anticipated expansion of new reliable, user friendly inexpensive systems provides a signal that the revolution is about to begin. This …

Evaluation Of Siting Strategies: The Case Of Two Uk Waste Tire Incinerators, Ragnar E. Lofstedt

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Examines the circumstances that may have contributed to differing outcomes with respect to siting similar facilities in the UK.

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Neurons Are Glucose Sensitive, Adam C. Hall, Roselle M. Hoffmaster, Edra L. Stern, Mary E. Harrington, David Bickar

Chemistry: Faculty Publications

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus serves as the pacemaker for mammalian circadian rhythms. In a hamster brain slice preparation, the authors were able to record spontaneous activity from SCN cells for up to 4 days in vitro and verify a self-sustained rhythm in firing. The phase of this rhythm was altered by the concentration of glucose in the bathing medium, with time of peak firing advanced for a 20 mM glucose condition and slightly delayed for a 5 mM glucose condition, relative to 10 mM. The advancing effect of 20 mM glucose and the delaying effect of 5 …

The Effects Of Human-Computer Communication Mode, Task Complexity, And Desire For Control On Performance And Discourse Organization In An Adaptive Task, Cristina Bubb-Lewis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined how different communication patterns affected task performance with an adaptive interface. A Wizard-of-Oz simulation (Gould, Conti, & Hovanyecz, 1983) was used to create the impression of a talking and listening computer that acted as a teammate to help participants interact with a computer application.

Four levels of communication mode were used which differed in the level of restriction placed on human-computer communication. In addition, participants completed two sets of tasks (simple and complex). Further, a personality trait, Desire for Control (DC), was measured and participants were split into high and low groups for analysis. Dependent measures …

Reflections On The Gao Report On The Nuclear Triad, David W. Hafemeister

Physics

Senate Hearings on the GAO report on the nuclear triad and on the START treaty showed that vulnerabilities of the U.S. triad were vastly over‐stated, that the performance of new projected strategic systems was over‐estimated, and that the performance of existing U.S. strategic systems was under‐estimated. These exaggerations enhanced the psychological (Freud) aspects of the Cold War and compromised logic (Newton).

With the end of the Cold War it is imperative that we re‐examine the basic premises that guided the choices of the strategic nuclear systems. The initial bottom line is that these systems were successful in that they did …

Summing Up: Questions And Answers On The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, David W. Hafemeister

Physics

My experiences with the ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the Threshold Test Ban Treaty, and the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty have led me to conclude that presenting technical issues early in the process greatly reduces their politicization during the ratification end game. This chapter summarizes the important issues that will be raised during the debate on ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. It uses a compact question and answer format to cover the following topics: I. Nuclear Proliferation, II. Nuclear Arms Control, III. Warhead Reliability and Yield for National Security, IV. Warhead Safety, V. Verification, …

An Assessment Of The Prevalence Of Trichomonas Sp. In The Domestic Pigeon (Columba Livia) Population, In The Emirates Of Abu Dhabi And Dubai, Theresa Caroline Bailey

Theses

A survey of 250 captive (animal market) and free-flying (trapped at a sheep farm) pigeons was conducted to assess the prevalence of Trichomonas sp. in the domestic pigeon (Columba livia) population, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Oropharyngeal swabs demonstrated that 52% of all pigeons were found with Trichomonas sp. in their oropharynx, of which 60%, 68% and 35% of pigeons were Trichomonas sp. positive in the AI Ain and Abu Dhabi animal markets and AI Ain sheep farm respectively. Captive birds had a significantly higher infection rate than the free-flying pigeons. Inspection of the oropharynx of live pigeons positive …

Determination Of Asphaltenes In Petroleum Crude Oils By Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Brian K. Wilt

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

An analytical method was developed to quantitatively determine the asphaltene content in petroleum crude oils by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Asphaltenes are a solubility class of compounds found in crude oils. They are black to dark brown solids defined by their insolubility in n-alkane solvents. The structure of asphaltene molecules is polynuclear aromatic rings with alkyl side chains and heteroatoms, such as nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur attached. Asphaltenes are known to cause oil well plugging and irreversible catalyst deactivation in refineries. The asphaltene content of 50 crude oils from a wide array of geochemical conditions was determined by the …

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Does Good Project Management Ensure Successful Software Development?, Julie Lisa Eldridge

Theses : Honours

For many years the development of computer software has been plagued by poor customer satisfaction caused by missed schedules, underestimated budgets and the development of products which do not meet requirements. The ever increasing reliance on computers, as reported by Sommerville ''the result of the proliferation of computer systems into all aspects of life and business is that personal, corporate, national and international economies are [becoming] increasingly dependant on computers and software systems" ( 1992, p.2), calls for more stable software which can be developed within time and budget constraints. To achieve this, software development activities must be analysed and …

Scope Of Justice, Delegitimisation, Sentience And Ecosystemic Integrity As Predictors Of Protection, Rob Gulley

Theses : Honours

It is argued that the continuing environmental destruction results from an instrumental valuation of the non-human world. Fox's (1995) alternative intrinsic value approach to environmental protection is introduced. Two aspects of Fox's descriptive model may represent fundamental motives, or ethical bases, for behaviour. They are sentience -the quality of being capable of experiencing pain, and ecosystemic-integrity -the quality of contributing to the self-regenerating capacity of an ecosystem. The inconsistency between the presumed ethical bases for behaviour, and actual behaviour is noted. It is suggested that delegitimisation- the discounting of some desirable quality in a competitor during conflict, and the scope …

Lyceum: A Multi-Protocol Digital Library Gateway, Ming-Hokng Maa, Michael L. Nelson, Sandra L. Esler

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Lyceum is a prototype scalable query gateway that provides a logically central interface to multi-protocol and physically distributed, digital libraries of scientific and technical information. Lyceum processes queries to multiple syntactically distinct search engines used by various distributed information servers from a single logically central interface without modification of the remote search engines. A working prototype (http://www.larc.nasa.gov/lyceum/) demonstrates the capabilities, potentials, and advantages of this type of meta-search engine by providing access to over 50 servers covering over 20 disciplines.

An Examination Of Environmental Sensitivity Among Supporters Of An Outdoor Recreation Area, Rodney James Blackman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The environment as an issue has been prominently before the public for over three decades. Yet the question of how much people know about the natural environment and how committed they are to the environment has seldom been considered in research literature. Research of this nature is needed because without it individuals interested in the preservation and conservation of the environment cannot be sure how their efforts to increase people's environmental sensitivity should be applied. The purpose of this study was to examine the level and extent of environmental sensitivity among supporters of an outdoor recreation area/facility in northeast Iowa. …

Improved Heterogeneous Distance Functions, Tony R. Martinez, D. Randall Wilson

Faculty Publications

Instance-based learning techniques typically handle continuous and linear input values well, but often do not handle nominal input attributes appropriately. The Value Difference Metric (VDM) was designed to find reasonable distance values between nominal attribute values, but it largely ignores continuous attributes, requiring discretization to map continuous values into nominal values. This paper proposes three new heterogeneous distance functions, called the Heterogeneous Value Difference Metric (HVDM), the Interpolated Value Difference Metric (IVDM), and the Windowed Value Difference Metric (WVDM). These new distance functions are designed to handle applications with nominal attributes, continuous attributes, or both. In experiments on 48 applications …

Student Modeling In An Intelligent Tutoring System, Jeremy E. Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores a new approach to modeling the student in an intelligent tutoring system (ITS), by providing a student model which learns new solutions from the student. A prototype of the new approach to ITS is demonstrated in the Euclidean geometry domain. Complete C++, CLIPS, and Tcl/Tk code listings are included in the appendices for reference. Adaptable multiple software agents were targeted for implementation, based on current literature. However, the student model is found to be maintainable without multiple software agents, while still allowing for tracking several possible solution paths when monitoring student solutions. This capability contradicts previous research …

The John Muir Newsletter, Winter 1996/97, The John Muir Center For Regional Studies

Muir Center Newsletters (1981-2015)

Volume 7, Number 1 NEW °3> f\ND VARWIN God and Evolution in Nature by Shayne Zurilgen (Editor's note: The author, a senior in geology at the University of the Pacific, prepared this paper in the fall of 1996for an undergraduate history class, "JohnMuir and the Environment.") Ifred Lord Tennyson was looking into his microscope one day when he was moved to comment, "Strange that these wonders should draw some men to God and repel others."1 Tennyson was addressing the fervor surrounding Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. While he didn't really identify anyone in particular, Tennyson conceivably could …

Acknowledgements, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Label Free Appraisal And Team Compensation, Y Sriram

IIMB Management Review

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Gender Discourse In Small Learning Groups Of College-Level Developmental Mathematics Students, Allen W. Emerson

Dissertations

This study was motivated by the question as to whether women’s and men’s membership in different gender communicative cultures gives rise to gender differentiated ways of talking that are implicated in the failure of a mixed-sex group to achieve good mathematical discourse when women and men sit face to face engaged in various mathematical tasks. If so, in what ways and to what effect is gender discourse implicated in the failure of a mixed-sex group to achieve good mathematical discourse?

Models of feminine and masculine discourse styles based on the theory of communicative cultural difference, as well as a model …

A Note On Distributions Of True Versus Fabricated Data, Theodore P. Hill

Research Scholars in Residence

New empirical evidence and statistical derivations of Benford’s Law have led to successful goodness-of fit tests to detect fraud in accounting data. Several recent case studies support the hypothesis that fabricated data does not conform to expected true digital frequencies.

Utilizing Bayesian Techniques For User Interface Intelligence, Robert A. Harrington

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to study the injection of an intelligent agent into modern user interface technology. This agent is intended to manage the complex interactions between the software system and the user, thus making the complexities transparent to the user. The background study will show that while interesting and promising research exists in the domain of intelligent interface agents, very little research has been published that indicates true success in representing the uncertainty involved in predicting user intent. The interface agent architecture presented in this thesis will offer one solution for solving the problem using a newly …

Master Of Science In Computing Technology In Education 1996, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.