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The Influence Of Affective State And Social Loafing On Teams Over Time, Amy N. Cunningham

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Teams are a growing force in the workplace today. An interesting aspect of team research in recent years involves the maturation of teams over time and the processes teams go through as a novice team to a fully accomplished performing team. One impediment to team maturation and performance is social loafing. There were two goals in the present research and are presented in the following questions. First, do team members' effective states influence social loafing? Second, does team training affect affective state of team members, social loafing, and performance? These variables were investigated, using an interrupted time series design, as …

The Effects Of Cultural Values On Acceptance Of Human Resource Management Decisions, Ying Liu

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the effects of six culture values, including Hofstede's (1984, 1991) power distance, individualism/collectivism, long-term and short-term orientation, Trompenaars'1994) achievement/ascription, universalism/particularism, and relationship to nature, on reactions to human resource management decisions. Data were collected from 110 Chinese students in China and 82 American students in the U.S. A questionnaire containing vignettes depicting different human resource management practices was used to measure the impact of cultural values. Omnibus multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences between Chinese and Americans on the cultural values of power distance, collectivism/individualism, long-term and short term orientation, ascription/achievement, and the relationship to …

Transonic And Supersonic High Alpha Flow Prediction And Control For An Sc-X Space Vehicle, Ruobo You

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Universal Space Line (USL) is interested in developing an aerospace vehicle that flies at very high angles of attack (AOAs) through wide range of Mach numbers. The basic model configuration is called SC-X model, which consists of a blunt cone and a cylindrical afterbody. A structured O-type grid was generated for this model by numerically solving elliptic partial differential equations. The three-dimensional, unsteady, compressible, Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations coupled with Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model were used as computational tool to investigate the transonic and supersonic flows around the SC-X model pitched at AOA of 45°. For the code validation, this computational solver …

Determination Of Life Cycle Cost Under Uncertainty, Hamoud R. Al-Otaibi

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The subject of this thesis is a Life Cycle Cost (LCC) model that takes into consideration the uncertainty of equipment failure rate and input data. The outcome of LCC depends on numerous estimates, forecasts, assumptions, and approximations of real-life data. Each of these factors has the potential to introduce error into the results. The study focuses upon the database generated for equipment failure rates data developed from historical database based on Weibull distribution parameters. The model provides a method to simulate real-world project life cycle.

Computational Fluid Dynamic Study Of A Nascar Winston Cup Series Race Car, Terry L. Meek Jr.

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Since the goal of NASCAR racing is to win and since drag is a force the vehicle must overcome, a thorough understanding of the drag generating airflow around and through the automobile is greatly desired. The external airflow contributes to most of the drag that a car experiences and most of the downforce the vehicle produces. Therefore, an estimate of the vehicle's performance may be evaluated using a computational aerodynamics model. This thesis presents a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis of a NASCAR Winston Cup series race car to investigate the salient flow characteristics.

Before a computational analysis could be …

Longitudinal Analysis Of Cohesion In Student Work Teams: The Efficacy Of Teamwork Skills Training, Kari Rachel Strobel

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study was a longitudinal examination of the effects of teamwork skills training on team cohesion and team performance. Participants were 11 teams, made up of three-to-five undergraduate students who enrolled in a team-based Industrial/Organizational psychology course. For 16 weeks, each team completed three graded assignments per week and was tracked with regard to levels of task and social cohesion. During the seventh week, teams received theory-based training on basic teamwork processes. Results indicate that the training intervention had a significant positive impact on team cohesion. However, training did not affect team performance levels as expected. Discussion centered on the …

An Examination Of Individual Differences In Monitoring For Automation Failures, Holly Devries

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Automation-induced complacency has been documented as a cause or contributing factor in many airplane accidents throughout the last two decades. It is surmised that the condition results when a crew is working in highly reliable automated environments in which they serve as supervisory controllers monitoring system states for occasional automation failures. Although many reports have discussed the dangers of complacency, little empirical research has been produced to substantiate its harmful effects on performance as well as what factors produce complacency. There have been some suggestions, however, that individual characteristics could serve as possible predictors of performance in automated systems.

The …

She Stories: Navy Wives In The Twentieth Century, Susan Boland

English Theses & Dissertations

A collection of stories about Navy wives, She Stories: Navy knaves in the Twentieth Century examines the impact that world events have on the lives of women married to men serving in the United States Navy. World War II serves as the backdrop for the story of Alice Wood, a young woman who was raised in China and met her husband while he was serving on a patrol boat off the coast of Asia. Peggy Allen, whose story is set in the early sixties, marries her high school sweetheart. During his first tour, he is killed in an aviation accident, …

An Object-Oriented Resource Pool Model In Support Of Discrete Event Simulations, Srinivas Gullapalli

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The proper distribution of resources is a key factor in simulation. Resources provide the supporting facilities, equipment, and personnel for carrying out activities. The number of resources has a direct impact on the overall effectiveness of the simulation as it does in real life. If the number is insufficient, it generally takes more time for the process to complete. On the other hand, if the number is too high, the cost incurred on the resources will be unnecessarily large. Therefore, the count should be a compromise between the two extremes.

In this thesis, an attempt is made to generalize the …

Spectral Response And Spatial Pattern Of Fraser Fir Mortality And Regeneration, Great Smoky Mountains, Usa, Thomas R. Allen

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

High elevation Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) forests of the Southern Appalachians have undergone widespread mortality since the introduction of the balsam woolly adelgid in the 1950s. Resulting changes in ecosystem pattern and process (e.g., stand dynamic processes) have greatly affected floral and faunal communities. In this project, we integrated field observations, geographic information system topographic models, and 1988–1998 satellite imagery to analyze spatial and temporal conditions of Fraser fir and spruce-fir ecosystems in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Tasseled cap indices (brightness, greenness, and wetness) and associated spectral changes for Landsat TM digital data were statistically modeled by …

The Role Of The Internet In Chinese Foreign And Domestic Affairs, Jean Bowman Leedy

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Problem: Rapid dissemination of Internet technology and the free access to information it affords poses a threat to non-democratic states that rely on control of information to maintain power and stability. This is of substantial concern to the Communist regime in The People's Republic of China due to the fact that its repressed population constitutes the fastest growing body of Internet users in the world.

Methods: This paper examines the potential impact of the Internet on Chinese foreign and domestic policy through interpretation of existing literature as it applies to the Internet, interviews with experts studying the emergence of China's …

Abstracts Of Papers, 79th Annual Meeting Of The Virginia Academy Of Science, May 22-25, 2001, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of papers that were presented at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 22-25, 2001, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Virginia Junior Academy Of Science 2001 Award Winners, Virginia Journal Of Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Virginia Junior Academy of Science 2001 Award Winners, presented at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, on May 23, 2001.

Measurement Of The Gπnn(T) Form Factor, Kelly Gene Vansyoc

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Cross sections were measured for the reaction ¹H(e, e′π+) n at the energy W = 1.95 GeV and momentum transfer Q² = 0.6 (GeV/c)². At this W and Q², the longitudinal cross section is dominated by t-channel production, giving a unique opportunity to examine the strong coupling form factor gπNN(t). The measured cross sections were separated using a method similar to a Rosenbluth separation. For the extraction of gπNN(t), the Actor and Körner model [42] and a parameterization of the MAID2000 …

Co-Located Fiber Bragg Gratings For Simultaneous Measurement Of Temperature And Strain, Ronald W. Bentley

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Fiber Bragg gratings are periodic modulations of the refractive index of the fiber core exhibiting strong reflection at specific wavelengths determined by the periodicity and magnitude of the index modulation. Due to elastic and thermo optic properties of glass, the Bragg wavelength is sensitive to temperature and axial strain. The inability to discriminate between the effects of temperature and strain on fiber Bragg gratings, however, limits their use in sensing applications. Several schemes have been proposed to overcome this problem, and one involving a dual wavelength Bragg grating sensor implemented with co-located 850 nm and 1550 nm gratings is investigated. …

Minimum Mean Square Error Spectral Peak Envelope Estimation For Automatic Vowel Classification, Jaishree Venugopal

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Spectral feature computations continue to be a very difficult problem for accurate machine recognition of speech. In this work, which focuses on vowels, a new spectral peak envelope method for vowel classification is developed, based on a missing frequency components model of speech recognition. According to the missing frequency components model, vowel recognition depends only on the spectral (harmonic) peaks. Smoothing and interpolation of the spectra, performed in the standard cepstral analysis method commonly used in automatic speech recognition, actually loses valuable information and results in reduced recognition accuracy. The new method for feature extraction presented in this thesis is …

The Effect Of Occupant And Vehicular Parameters On The Onset And Severity Of Whiplash Associated Disorder, James Keith Wilkerson

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Whiplash Associated Disorder (WAD) cases millions of injuries and billions of dollars in litigation and medical cost. The purpose of this study was to determine if any relationship existed between certain occupant and vehicular constants and the onset and severity of WAD. One hundred subjects involved in low-speed collisions were selected from an active database. Fifty-nine subjects were females and 70% of the subjects were drivers. A discriminant function analysis was performed, with occupant position and duration as the only variables that had significant discriminating power. However, eighty-four percent of the subjects experienced 100millisecond accelerations and 70% were drivers. Therefore, …

Circulation, Vol. 8, No. 2, Center For Coastal Physical Oceanography, Old Dominion University, Larry P. Atkinson

CCPO Circulation

Summer 2001 issue of CCPO Circulation featuring article "Oceanographic Research in the Antarctic" by Larry Atkinson

Development Of Atlas Based Simulation Capability For Automated Testing, Rami Hanbali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Computer software is emerging as a powerful tool for controlling a large number of instruments and for the testing of these instruments. The main aim of this work is to provide a software program capable of controlling a large number of engineering instruments at the touch of a button. In addition, the software is to have the capability of connecting the instruments with the desired Unit Under Test. There is great need for such software driven testing in industry, especially for large complex systems. Advantages of such an approach include: (a) automated testing in a very quick and efficient manner; …

Optimal Aeroelastic Vehicle Sensor Placement For Root Migration Flight Control Applications, Abdul Ghafoor Al-Shenhabi

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An important step in control design for elastic systems is the determination of the number and location of control system components, namely sensors. The number and placement of sensors can be critical to the robust functioning of active control systems, especially when the system of interest is a large high-speed aeroelastic vehicle. The position of the sensors affects not only system stability, but also the performance of the closed-loop system. In this dissertation, a new approach for sensor placement in the integrated rigid and vibrational control of flexible aircraft structures is developed. Traditional rigid-body augmentation objectives are addressed indirectly through …

Pulsed Electron Heating Of Atmospheric Pressure Air Glow Discharges, Hisham Merhi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

By applying electric field pulses of short duration (compared to the time constant for glow-to-arc transitions) to a weakly ionized gas, the electron energy distribution can be temporarily shifted to higher energies. This effect causes a nonlinear increase in the ionization rate and consequently a larger electron decay time. This effect has been demonstrated using single pulse operation.³ In order to generate plasma with semi-continuous electron density, repetitive operation is required. As a first step towards repetitive pulsed electric field operation, the temporal development of the voltage across the plasma for two subsequent pulses was measured. The dual pulse …

The Effect Of Multiple Pulses On Bacteria, Ramy El-Sayed Aly

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Pulsed electric fields are widely used for bacterial decontamination of water and liquid food [I]. Depending on pulse amplitude and duration, a certain percentage of the bacteria suffer irreversible damage and, consequently, cell death. We have explored the effect of microsecond pulses of 13 kV/cm and 15 kV/cm electric field amplitude on the viability of Escherlchia coli. The pulse duration was varied from 4 μs to 32 μs, and the pulse number of 4 μs pulses from one to eight, Finally, the effect of separation between pulses was studied. The pulses were generated by means of a generator where …

The Effects Of Occupational Ultrasonic Noise Exposure On Hearing In Dental Hygienists: A Pilot Study, Jennifer S. Dunning

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this case-control study was to determine whether long-term ultrasonic noise exposure via the dental office environment is related to dental hygienists' hearing status. Registered dental hygienists (N = 698) who live in the Hampton Roads area were mailed a Dental Hygiene Work History Questionnaireto determine those meeting the inclusion criteria and willing to participate in the study. Consenting subjects were categorized into one of two groups according to ultrasonic scaler usage rate and matched on age. Persons with known hearing loss due to infection, disease, or congenital defect were excluded from the study. The final sample …

Simulation Optimization Studies Of Routing And Process Flow Problems, Satish Ravichandran

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Computer aided simulation is emerging as a powerful tool for numerical analysis and in conducting performance evaluations of complex systems that depend on a multitude of variables. The primary objective in such simulation studies is to gauge the performance of the system under a various constraints and operating conditions. The effects of changing the operating parameter space can thus be analyzed without having to implement costly changes. Simulations are also carried out for the baseline scenarios to verity and validate the basic underlying system model. In this thesis research, two practical problems were studied through numerical modeling, and optimized solutions …

Isolation And Fusion Of Cotton Protoplasts, Michael H. Renfroe, Ronald C. Hartwig, Roberta H. Smith

Virginia Journal of Science

Protoplasts were isolated from five species of Gossypium. Protoplast yield and viability were affected by incubation conditions, osmolarity, purification procedures, and cell source. Using an optimized procedure, highly viable protoplasts were isolated from cell suspensions, callus cultures, and leaf tissue of G. hirsutum, G. arboreum, G. klotzschianum, G. harknessii, and G. herbaceum. Protoplasts of G. harknessii were enucleated and successfully fused with protoplasts of G. hirsutum.

Unsteady Flow Model For An Irrigation Canal Network, Talaat Taher El Gamel

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A mathematical model is developed to route unsteady flow through an irrigation canal network. The model is designed to handle branches, lateral inflow and outflow, sluice gates, and various boundary conditions. The model is developed for use on a personal computer. A specific irrigation canal network in Egypt is used as a case study to verify the model, and the results are presented. Full documentation is included in the appendix.

A History Of Public Radio In An Urban Community: Its Impact Upon Education, Culture, Public Opinion And Policy, Barry K. Graham

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

In a relatively short history, Public Radio in Hampton Roads has emerged as a most important cultural and educational asset to the urban community. The dynamic growth of the Hampton Roads urban infrastructure is the result of several political, economic, and cultural factors. Public Radio has been one of these factors and has served as a catalyst for change and growth in the community. This case study focuses upon Public Radio stations WHRO-FM and WHRV-FM and the elements which brought about their historical development.

The study presents a history of events that marked the beginning of Public Radio in Hampton …

Time-Resolved Electron Diffraction Studies Of Phase Transitions At Low-Index Germanium Surfaces, Xinglin Zeng

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The phase transitions at the low-index surfaces of germanium were investigated using conventional and 100-ps time-resolved reflection high-energy electron diffraction. For the time-resolved studies, the surface is heated by 100-ps laser pulse while a synchronized electron beam probes the structure. When heated by 100-ps laser pulse, Ge(111)-c(2x8) and Ge(100)-(2x1) reconstruction is seen to overheat above the onset temperatures for the disordering under thermodynamic equilibrium. Slow heating shows that the adatoms in the Ge(111)-c(2x8) reconstruction state start to disorder at ∼510 K and are converted to a totally disordered adatom arrangement at 573 K. For heating with 100-ps laser pulses, time-resolved …

A Compact Ozone Differential Absorption Lidar (Dial) Transmitter Using A Solid-State Dye Polymer, Alton L. Jones Jr.

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The measurement of atmospheric ozone is important because in the troposphere it is a pollutant that is toxic to living systems, but in the stratosphere ozone protects life by shielding us from the sun's harmful UV-B radiation.

Laser remote sensing from aircraft using differential absorption lidar (DIAL) has become a very important technique for measuring atmospheric ozone at different altitudes and locations. Current aircraft-based DIAL systems use pulsed Nd:YAG pumped liquid dye lasers, which are then frequency doubled into the UV region, to probe both the stratosphere and troposphere for ozone.

This thesis describes a new potential DIAL laser transmitter …

Elastic Properties, Strength And Damage Tolerance Of Pultruded Composites, Mrinal Chandra Saha

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Pultruded composites are candidate materials for civil engineering infrastructural applications due their higher corrosion resistance and lower life cycle cost. Efficient use of materials like structural members requires thorough understanding of the mechanism that affects their response. The present investigation addresses the modeling and characterization of E-glass fiber/polyester resin matrix pultruded composites in the form of sheets of various thicknesses.

The elastic constants were measured using static, vibration and ultrasonic methods. Two types of piezoelectric crystals were used in ultrasonic measurements. Finally, the feasibility of using a single specimen, in the form of a circular disk, was shown in measuring …