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A Risk- And Fuzzy Set-Based Methodology For Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration Military Utility Assessment Design, Thomas James Meyers

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The U.S. Department of Defense Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) and derivative, rapid acquisition programs offer timely solutions to critical military needs by assessing the utility of technologies mature enough to be fielded without application of traditional, defense system development processes. Military utility assessments (MUA) are ACTDs' most critical features, but the lack of a standard for identifying assessment criteria tailored to specific demonstrations risks poorly informed acquisition decisions and the military operations those decisions are intended to support.

The purpose of this research was to develop and deploy a methodology for identifying measures of effectiveness integral to advanced concept …

Filling The Ontology Space For Coalition Battle Management Language, Charles Turnitsa, Curtis Blais, Andreas Tolk

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

The Coalition Battle Management Language is a language for representing and exchanging plans, orders, and reports across live, constructive and robotic forces in multi-service, multi-national and multi-organizational operations. Standardization efforts in the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization seek to define this language through three parallel activities: (1) specify a sufficient data model to unambiguously define a set of orders using the Joint Command, Control, and Consultation Information Exchange Data Model (JC3IEDM) as a starting point; (2) develop a formal grammar (lexicon and production rules) to formalize the definition of orders, requests, and reports; (3) develop a formal battle management ontology to …

Application Of Maldis-Ms To Identification Of Phytoplankton In Ballast Water, Dana Woodruff, Karen L. Wahl, Nancy B. Valentine, Fred Dobbs

OES Faculty Publications

Non-native invasive species are increasingly evident in marine and estuarine environments, largely because of the intake and release of ballast water from sea vessels. Innovative methods are needed to quickly and accurately detect and speciate non-native and/or harmful phytoplankton in ballast water. Recent advances in ionization techniques such as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) have allowed detection of intact biomolecules within ballast samples. Statistically-based algorithms are used to discern "fingerprints" of phytoplankton species and to discern individual species from mixtures. MALDI-MS is particularly attractive for field applications because of the speed of analysis, minimal liquids/consumables required, and femtomole (10-15) …

Terrorizing Bodies, Chris Gutierrez

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Beginning with one single body painted by Gustave Courbet in 1866 and one temple destroyed on September 11th, this paper moves to consider the far reaching impact that the War on Terror has on the entire social body. By paying attention to the unknowable status of both the events and the perpetrators of terrorism, it will be argued that the overwhelming ambiguity of terrorism and counter-terrorist activity has allowed the War on Terror to return to prior discourses of racism and homophobia to mark the corporeal otherness it hopes to confront. Here, images from Abu Ghraib prison, joke pictures forwarded …

Reactive Oxygen Emission From Microwave Discharge Plasmas, S. Popovic, M. Rašković, S. P. Kuo, L. Vuskovic

Physics Faculty Publications

Metastable oxygen atoms and molecules have received increased interest because of their function in surface modification, bio-decontamination and many other industrial applications, in addition to the role in the upper atmospheric layer chemistry. We review work on production and detection of metastable oxygen and we describe our experiments, including the development of techniques for measurement of metastable molecular oxygen. We show that either metastable oxygen molecules or metastable oxygen atoms can be produced in large quantities in electrical discharges, carefully tailored to promote the required kinetics. Although the two species may coexist, colder discharge regimes favor production of molecules, while …

Fatigue's Influence On Workload, Situation Awareness, And Performance In A Military Simulation Of Combat, Carlotta M. Boone

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Military operations routinely require military personnel to consistently perform their duties over several hours or days. Tasks that require prolonged work can lead to mental fatigue and decreased performance. The transactional model proposes that individuals cope with changes in the environment and maintain performance. This ability to cope is determined by factors of the environment and the individual's personality. One environmental factor that can influence coping is extended task performance. This study examined the effect of extended task performance and its interaction with task difficulty. Participants interacted with the military simulation game Command and Conquer: Generals™ for three hours. They …

Pre-Tipping Point Operations As A Strategy For Maritime Security In The Global War On Terror, John W. Snedeker Jr.

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis proposes US maritime forces adopt a new strategy of pre-tipping point operations that involve proactive measures to enhance maritime security. At its core is the premise that since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the propensity of efforts in GWOT have focused on defeating terrorist organizations and denying sanctuaries on land, leaving the maritime operating environment open to the next wave of terror attacks.1 With the preponderance of commercial goods shipped through the maritime commons, this critical nexus remains valuable and vulnerable. Fragile states and ungoverned regions have become safe havens for a host of criminal elements including …

An Art Therapy Intervention To Help Military Children Cope With Parental Deployment, Eleanor Kai Lampell

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Research regarding military children and their ability to cope with parental deployment is extensive. However, research dealing with art therapy and military children is limited. The purpose of this study was to explore the benefits of participating in group art therapy interventions for military children with a parent currently on deployment. Five group art therapy sessions were conducted with two military children with a parent currently in stage two of parental deployment. It was hypothesized that through participating in group art therapy, military children with a parent who is currently deployed would have a reduction of problematic behaviors in a …

My Life In The Panopticon: Blogging From Iran, Esther Herman

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

The Panopticon is a prison that was developed in the 19th century. All of the cells face inward toward a tower. Guards sit in the tower where they can see everything that is happening within the cells. The prisoners cannot see the guards. They do not even know if a guard is in the tower or not. The prisoners feel watched whether they are being watched or not. As such, they internalize the notion of being watched and become their own guards.

When The Well Runs Dry: An Exploration Of Water Conservation And Blue Theology, Margaret H. Ferris

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Worldwide, freshwater is becoming scarce as the Earth's population increases, the effects of pollution and global warming shrink available resources, and agriculture demands rise. As theological communities offer distinctive contributions to the dialogue, theologians need to address the crisis and provide appropriate analysis and solutions from the perspective of "Blue Theology". This paper formulates such an approach, offering some of the first efforts made towards addressing the global water crisis through a theological lens. Within the Abrahamic tradition, the essay examines: how water is specifically beloved by the Divine; and the implications of God's love of water. The paper next …

Review Of The Environmental Justice Reader: Politics, Poetics & Pedagogy, Edited By Mei Mei Evans Admson And Rachel Stein, Katie Ahearn

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

The editors of The Environmental Justice Reader: Politics, Poetics, & Pedagogy (2002) chose to include at least five scholarly essays, comprising one third of the book's content, that directly address the theme of water, thus illuminating the importance of this topic in the realms of environmental and social justice. Contributors to the anthology, ranging from urban activists to literary and anthropological scholars, address a wide variety of national and international environmental disasters from the complex vantage point of the intersection among race, politics, and class, so that the inevitable blurring of the boundaries between traditionally distinct academic disciplines …

Water, Development, And State Security In South Asia: Scenarios For China And India, Ray Chandrasekara, John M. Polimeni

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Conflict over water resources is rare and has not occurred for thousands of years. However, the dynamics in South Asia are changing so rapidly that a conflict in the not-so-near future may be unavoidable. Water shortages could have the nonlinear effects of food shortages, political instability, migration problems, and diminished economic growth. All of these factors, caused by water shortages, could be a driver of conflict in the region, causing territorial disputes. Global instability would be sure to follow as both the U.S., attempting to protect their national security interests, and China, reacting as the regional power, tries to intervene. …

Information Visualization Methods And Techniques Using Web Services, Kevin Dupigny

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Data, even in small amounts, can be difficult to interpret quickly and efficiently. Data domains are continually expanding and making this data available and usable in collaborative data environment is a challenge that was not addressed by legacy systems. Such a framework would make the existence of a global information sharing system feasible. Visualizing this complex dataset presents a complex task for current static interface solutions. A flexible layered service oriented model is presented in this work to approach this challenge. The visual scope of human perception is largely untapped by today's data visualization applications. Human mental processes are adept …

Abstracts Of Papers, 84th Annual Meeting Of The Virginia Academy Of Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Full abstracts of papers for the 84th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 25-26, 2006, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA

A Comparative Analysis Of Air-To-Ground Engagement Outcomes In The Joint Warfare System (Jwars) And The Jwars-Joint Semi-Automated Forces Federation, Melissa Anne St. Peter

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Multi-resolution modeling is the process by which a single model is created by connecting multiple individual models to describe phenomena at different levels of resolution [1]. "When we change resolutions, replacing a detailed model by a more aggregate one, we must ask whether results are 'consistent'" [2].

There are many methods of determining if the results of two simulations are 'consistent'. However, they are very entailed and require a detailed understanding of the individual models including their functionality, algorithms, and inner workings. A straight forward and rapid way of assessing potential inconsistencies is through a statistical comparison of the model …

You Need Love And Friendship For This Mission!: The Final Fantasy Series As Social Education For Japanese Youth, Ben Hourigan

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

From the mid to late 1990s, popular and academic discourse on video games, particularly in the United States, has focused on their supposed capacity to engender violent and otherwise anti-social behavior in youth. Much like ludologists' recent claims that video games are not a narrative medium, at least one reason for this is that commentators have too narrow an understanding of the diverse range of games that exist. In addition to this, game demonizers have demonstrated an inadequate understanding of the ways games are related to real life. In order to combat these misunderstandings, this chapter analyzes the role of …

Little Gods And Little Heroes: Hyperreal Ethics In God Games And Online Gaming, G. Christopher Williams

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Media critics, notably Jean Baudrillard, have suggested that the environment of simulations are to be defined as something more real than the real, or, in his terms, hyperreal. If hyperrealities are indeed the way that we can define the environment of multimedia technologies like video games, what sorts of ethical considerations should exist in a place that gamers conceive as more real than the real? This essay considers what ethical considerations are worth contemplating as gamers begin to take on the roles of gods and heroes in multiplayer video games. The little gods and heroes whose identities gamers have begun …

Shooters To The Left Of Us, Shooters To The Right: First Person Arcade Shooter Video Games, The Violence Debate, And The Legacy Of Militarism, Karen J. Hall

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Adult concerns about video games erupted in the 1990s when parents and politicians came forward with claims that Doom, Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct and games like them were partially responsible for the rash of school shootings in predominantly white, middle class communities. The author of this chapter argues that arcade games serve the national interest by entertaining consumer-citizens and creating a consumer-based demand for military technology. However, when adolescent shooters disrupt the status quo, it is the games rather than militarist social and economic structures that are criticized by the news media, politicians, and parents. The author of …

Allegorical Reductions And Social Reconstructions: An Introduction To Games, Gamers, And Gaming Cultures, Matthew Wolf-Meyer, Davin Heckman

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

Games have become a central metaphor in representations of society, and most people are familiar enough with Lewis Carroll's Alice to know that when she passes through the looking glass she finds herself embroiled in a game a Chess which is also much more (Carroll 1992 [1897]). This strange game of Chess is simultaneously a simulation and an enactment of social life in Wonderland, and Carroll plots out Alice 's narrative path as a series of tactical Chess moves, which can be understood as both an attempt to win the game and to navigate through Wonderland and her …

Coalition Battle Management Language (C-Bml) Study Group Final Report, Major Kevin Galvin, Mike Hieb, Andreas Tolk, Charles Turnitsa, Curtis Blais, James Montgomery

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

Interoperability across Modeling and Simulation (M&S) and Command and Control (C2) systems continues to be a significant problem for today's warfighters. M&S is well-established in military training, but it can be a valuable asset for planning and mission rehearsal if M&S and C2 systems were able to exchange information, plans, and orders more effectively. To better support the warfighter with M&S based capabilities, an open standards-based framework is needed that establishes operational and technical coherence between C2 and M&S systems.

'Outside Agitators:' The Role Of Foreign Islamists In The Chechen Fight For Independence, Robert Kent Pinkerton Jr.

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this thesis is to identify the role of foreign Islamist charities and terrorist groups in the current conflict in Chechnya. The issue of foreign Islamism in Chechnya is introduced through a general history of the region, including the role of religion in both traditional Chechen culture and in the present war. The evolution of Chechen war from a secular to a religious conflict is first examined by looking into the perspectives of various Muslim groups on the Chechen war and other similar conflicts and, conversely, the perspectives of many Chechens on the outsiders who purport to aid …

Lost In Translation: Decoding Rabelais, E. Ashley Hall

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The purpose of this research project is to demonstrate that the traditional analysis of Rabelais's Pantagruel has been superficial and has failed to answer or resolve the controversy over the real message of the text. Many critics have speculated that the text is anti-Christian but have failed to conclusively prove this claim. As a result, there is an opposing group of critics who have countered this position ultimately challenging that it can not be proven that the text is really anti-Christian. Using the rhetorical mnemonic approach developed by Daniel Martin, I am able to show that the text is based …

On Cadava And Levy's Cities Without Citizens, Matthew Wolf-Meyer

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

What, the editors of this collection ask in their introduction, is the nature of the relationship between cities and the people who inhabit them? And how do the historical situation of cities and their citizens limit the potentiality of new modes of subjectification? These are surely evocative questions, and as the editors remark, increasingly necessary ones, as the city is quickly becoming the organizing principle for global flows (of bodies, capital, law, etc.), but, in the collection that follows, the contributing authors barely scratch the surface of these issues, nor do they properly problematize such latter-day master narratives …

Proceedings: Abstracts Of Papers, 83rd Annual Meeting Of The Virginia Academy Of Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the papers presented at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 17-20, 2005, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia.

An Application And Evaluation Of A Methodology For Testing Operational Level Training Simulations, Karl Dean Neal

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center has developed a methodology for testing operational-level training simulation systems. The methodology is built on analyses of the military tasks that an operational-level simulation is intended to train. These tasks are derived from the U.S. Department of Defense Universal Joint Task List. The methodology analyzes the categories of capabilities the simulation should have to support those tasks based on operational-level-military entities and actions. Cross-referencing the tasks and capabilities leads to functionality items the simulation should have. The methodology focuses on training joint force command tasks and decision making at the operational level of …

On Bill V. Mullen's Afro-Orientalism, Graham Barnfield

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

For two decades Edward Said's Orientalism has occupied a significant place in how we think through the cultural relations between what we now call ‘North’ and ‘South’. Conceived in the 1970s, Said’s model mounted a challenge to readers in the west, suggesting they should unlearn what they know of the east. Despite its influence, one weakness of this approach was the underlying suggestion that orientalism was a one-way street, constituting a fixed set of perceptions or timeless discourses. In and without the Orientalist imagination, what is to be done with those in ‘the Occident’ who find themselves treated …

C2iedm For The Gig: A Tutorial, Andreas Tolk, Charles Turnitsa, Curtis Blais

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Part 6: The Race To The Bottom Of The Bay: Boat Taxes In Hampton Roads, Regional Studies Institute, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Over the past decade, the region’s cities and counties have diminished the taxes they assess on boats so much that in several cities (for example, Virginia Beach), boat taxes in essence no longer exist. We show that all jurisdictions in Hampton Roads have suffered due to the reduced tax revenue and that the low-tax strategy has not attracted more boats from other regions, as intended. While boat taxes are unpopular and difficult to collect, Hampton Roads appears to have shot itself in the foot.

But Who Is Any Longer Interested In The Possible?: Kathy Acker In Hell Failing Fuck You, Jake Kennedy

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

In 'But who is any longer interested in the possible?': Kathy Acker in Hell Failing Fuck You I explore and celebrate Acker's use of a tropics of failure (plagiarism, pain, terror, gender-play, bad jokes, dumbness) as an inimitable strategy for achieving counter-cultural art and community. The prose style and scholarly apparatus of my article reflect not only my position as a poet/academic but also attempt to model an ethical, non-authoritative, Acker-informed critical language.

The Faux Pas Of A Vert Galant: The Historiography Of Henry Iv's Military Leadership, Annette Finley-Croswhite

History Faculty Publications

Even though many modern historians agree that Henry IV was less than a brilliant military commander, a small but growing body of revisionist historians believe that his reputation deserves to be reassessed. While acknowledging his military innovations and battlefield successes, his critics see him primarily as an opportunist with a reckless streak who failed time and again to take full advantage of his victories. The revisionist school, however, believes that these interpretations are based on an inaccurate assessment of early modern warfare and its unique political, religious, and social components. Henry's modern defenders further note that his reputation has suffered …