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The Application Of A System Of Systems Analysis To Assessments Of National Power, George T. Hodermarsky

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation proposes an approach and methodology for the utilization of the fundamentals of systems theory as an aid to national security decision-making. At its core is an examination of the elements of nations' or non-state actor's power resources. The product of the analysis is the compilation of a set of nodes, and the relationships between these, upon which actions may be taken to achieve desired effects. Since the boundaries between the subsystems of power resources are flexible and permeable, and there will be interactions between elements in different subsystems, a system of systems approach is essential so that the …

Abstracts Of Papers, 82nd Annual Meeting Of The Virginia Academy Of Science, 2004

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of papers presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science on May 26-28th, 2004, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.

The New Deal In Art: The Fine Arts Project And The Evolution Of Abstract Expressionism, Sarah Coon Stoops

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The formation of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as part of Roosevelt's New Deal, in conjunction with the Depression and World War II, can be credited with changing the face of international art of the twentieth century. The majority of the artists who were later to be known as Abstract Expressionists participated in the Fine Arts Project (FAP) branch of the WPA in New York throughout the 1930s. This government support of the artists gave them a chance to commit to painting as a career, and their painting styles evolved drastically during this time. Through this support, the connections that …

Review Of The Sheep Look Up, By John Brunner, Davin Heckman

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

No abstract provided.

Space Cooperation Under Anarchy: Commercialization Of Outer Space And Space Security In The Post-Cold War Era, Irina V. Louts

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The 20th century brought the most horrific weapons and most devastating wars in the history of human civilization. It also gave us the most breathtaking discoveries and technological breakthroughs, including the opening up of outer space to human reach. The commercialization of outer space is one of the most significant developments of our time, giving us an opportunity to put the richness of this medium to the betterment of human conditions on Earth on an increasingly widening scale.

Technological advances have also made space more important militarily. A puzzle now is whether the commercialization of outer space facilitates international cooperation …

International Art Therapy Program Development: An Exploratory Cultural Encounter In Ayacucho, Peru, Haley Johnstone

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Humanitarian aid organizations, both domestic and international, provide health care, mental health services, education, and community development for traumatized children worldwide living in regions affected by political violence. Sparse information exists regarding the role of an art therapist within these organizations. The profession of art therapy lacks research specific to the benefits of intervention and program development within the context of an international humanitarian aid team. This thesis reviews the ethnographic research of an art therapy graduate student who explored the opportunities for art therapy within such a team.

Cultural competency was an essential component of the researcher’s success while …

On Power And Equity: Toward A Working-Class Rhetoric, Omar Schwartz

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

The working-class in the United States has been, and continues to be, systematically excluded from normative political representation and is allowed little opportunity to contribute to the terms and conditions of its social existence (Henwood, 1987; Moberg, 1992). While few workers today resist such marginalization, this has not been always the case. During the formative period of U.S. labor consciousness (from the end of the Civil War until the First World War), the political alienation of labor was routinely challenged by workers who relied extensively (and illegally) on collective self-help in their pursuit of economic justice. With this …

Models, Composability, And Validity, Eric Werner Weisel

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Composability is the capability to select and assemble simulation components in various combinations into simulation systems to satisfy specific user requirements. The defining characteristic of composability is the ability to combine and recombine components into different simulation systems for different purposes. The ability to compose simulation systems from repositories of reusable components has been a highly sought after goal among modeling and simulation developers. The expected benefits of robust, general composability include reduced simulation development cost and time, increased validity and reliability of simulation results, and increased involvement of simulation users in the process. Consequently, composability is an active research …

Compellence: An Empirical Perspective, Michael G. Dziubinski

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Compellence, the use of a contingent threat of force to get a target state to modify a behavior, is an understudied area of international relations. An empirical examination of this area reveals patterns of the frequency of attempted compellence and successful compellence that are not explained by current research or broader international relations theories. In the post-World War II period (1946–2001), the pattern is a rapid drop and continued suppression of success, but a continuation of compellence attempts at the historic level. Existing compellence research and international relations theory do not explain this puzzling disparity of low success and continued …

Discourse Of Evil: Speaking Terrorism To Silence, Galip Isen

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

That the impact of terrorism is equal to the reaction it elicits may be a truism, but one that deserves further probing as demonstrated by the way that reaction is put to use politically. Whichever of 150-strong definitions [1] is accepted, the consequential aspect of terrorism is ideational: the assault targets the concept and experience of normal in the lives and minds of ordinary people. Several writers argue that terrorism is generally inefficacious, strategically counterproductive and mostly unsuccessful as a method of attaining socio-political objectives [2]. However, overall public response to 11 September 2001 has been so profound …

Homeland (In)Security : Roots And Displacement, From New York, To Toronto, To Salt Lake City, Marusya Bociurkiw

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

On September 11, 2001, broadcast and print media around the world narrated the destruction of New York City's World Trade Center and the deaths of thousands of its occupants. This paper will examine the ways in which television and its appendages (the telephone, the internet, the newspaper) operated to organize the discursive meanings of this traumatic event. I will propose that between September 11 and February 2002's Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, ideas about home, roots and rootedness (and their Others: foreignness, homelessness, nomadicism) operated as a discursive mapping of that which could otherwise not be …

Imperialism & Globalization: Lessons From Frank Herbert's Dune, Kevin Williams

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

These are the words of The Preacher (a character in Frank Herbert's Children of Dune who is simultaneously the metaphorical reincarnation of the fallen prophet, Muad'Dib, and the self-exiled Emperor, Paul Atreides) as he addresses the masses enslaved by their devotion to his messianic Empire. These words, culled from the pages of science fiction, are more than mere exposition from Herbert's narrative, they point toward several important conditions facing the political world today. These conditions concern certain failures of democracy and effects of globalization spawned, in part, by an intensification of imperialist expansion in the name of democracy.

On David Koplow's Smallpox: The Fight To Eradicate A Global Scourge, Lisa Donovan, David Alan Sapp

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

The world is free from the variola virus, more commonly known to us as the virus responsible for smallpox -- or at least it is almost free from it. Since the World Health Organization's (WHO) successful eradication campaign ended officially on December 9, 1979, smallpox no longer exists in its natural state, yet it does remain in securely isolated freezers in two locations: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention facility in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Russian State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology near Novosibirsk. In Smallpox: The Fight to Eradicate a Global Scourge, David Koplow …

Modeling The Decision Process Of A Joint Task Force Commander, John Anthony Sokolowski

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The U.S. military uses modeling and simulation as a tool to help meet its warfighting needs. A key element within military simulations is the ability to accurately represent human behavior. This is especially true in a simulation's ability to emulate realistic military decisions. However, current decision models fail to provide the variability and flexibility that human decision makers exhibit. Further, most decision models are focused on tactical decisions and ignore the decision process of senior military commanders at the operational level of warfare. In an effort to develop a better decision model that would mimic the decision process of a …

Common Data Administration, Data Management, And Data Alignment As A Necessary Requirement For Coupling C4isr Systems And M&S Systems, Andreas Tolk

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

Within the application domain of military simulation systems, training and exercises as well as support to real operations require the coupling of the simulation system delivering the needed functionality with the Command, Control, Computing, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) system providing the necessary data. The solution to this challenge is to build appropriate interfaces. Although in long term a more integrated approach will be necessary, in short and mid term, gateways and interfaces are likely to remain the standard. However, in order to succeed with the respective efforts, at least on the data level of interoperability, a common solution …

An Examination Of Personality As A Predictor Of Guard Behavior In A Virtual Environment, Jean M. Catanzaro

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Military personnel need access to realistic training tools that can provide a safe environment in which to acquire skills that will generalize to real world tasks. A virtual environment (VE) is one such tool. The focus of the present study was to evaluate a VE as a training tool for military guards. The first goal was to examine the potential of VE technology to provide effective training for standing watch at a military checkpoint. The second goal was to study a set of personality traits that might predict performance. Participants completed the NEO Personality Inventory and were trained to perform …

A Study To Determine The Effectiveness Of The Leadership Learning Website At Bank Of America, Gloria D. Govan

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To solve this problem the following goals were established: 1. Determine the effectiveness of the leadership learning website for Consumer Products leaders at Bank of America; 2. Identify the various learning options that are most frequently used by Bank of America leaders in the Consumer Products lines of business; 3. Recommend web solutions to improve future leadership training of Consumer Products leaders.

The Relationship Between Afloat Training Group Norfolk Levels Of Effectiveness To Formal Assessment/Inspections As A Predictor Of Atlantic Fleet Shipboard Engineering Readiness, Juan D. Marpuri Jr.

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

This research will determine if the changes made as a result of IDTC initiatives have contributed to the levels of training effectiveness and ultimately the afloat commands ability to demonstrate engineering readiness.

Generalized Predictive Control Of Ship Coupling Motions Using Active Flume Tanks, Abdulkarim Mohammed Alotaiwi

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation uses the Generalized Predictive Control (GPC) approach to design a control system for a ship rolling motion coupled with the sway and yaw using an activated flume tank. GPC is a strategy based on system output prediction over finite horizon known as the prediction horizon. GPC controller is designed from the coefficients of the Autoregressive model with exogenous input (ARX) that are computed directly from input and output data. It computes the future control input based on the cost function with weighted input and output. System identification approach is implemented on the system to find the ARX coefficients …

Plasma Interaction With Microbes, M. Laroussi, D. A. Mendis, M. Rosenberg

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The germicidal effects of a non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma generated by a novel resistive barrier discharge on representatives of the two classes of bacteria (Gram-negative and Gram-positive) are discussed. The plasma exposure, while being lethal to both bacterial classes, also produced gross structural damage in the Gram-negative E. coli while none was observed in the more structurally robust Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis. An electrophysical process involving the role of the electrostatic tension on a charged body in a plasma is invoked to explain both observations. Since the efficacy of this electrophysical process depends not only on the tensile strength of …

Conspiracy Rhetoric In Cyberspace: Jim Condit And The 9/11 Attacks On America, An Analysis Of The Voice And Appeals Used In Condit's Rhetoric, Kreg Allan Kinney

English Theses & Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the voices and appeals used in conspiracy rhetoric which is distributed via the internet. The voices, one measure of the argument's authority, are analyzed and described in depth, with eleven voices identified. These voices and their significance to Condit's text as a whole are discussed. Following the voice analysis, an Aristotelian analysis of the text's appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos is performed to examine the persuasive force of Condit's argument. Finally, the correlation between the voices and the appeals is examined to determine the strength of the correlation between the two constructs and to determine whether …

Nato Code Of Best Practice For C2 Assessment, Dave Alberts, Tim Bailey, Paul Choinard, Andreas Tolk, Gary Wheatley, John Wilder

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Books

This major revision to the Code of Best Practice (COBP) for C² Assessment is the product of a NATO Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) sponsored Research Group (SAS-026). It represents over a decade of work by many of the best analysts from the NATO countries. A symposium (SAS-039) was hosted by the NATO Consultation Command Control Agency (NC3A) that provided the venue for a rigorous peer review of the code. This new version of the COBP for C² assessment builds upon the initial version of the COBP produced by SAS-002. The earlier version focused on the analysis of …

Approaching High Fidelity Human Tracking And Representation In Interactive Virtual Environments, Taimur K. Khan

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis revolves around an Office of Naval Research (ONR) grant known as Virtual Environments for Training (VET). The primary goal is to determine the effectiveness of an immersive environment for training; the secondary goal is to compare the results of this study to a similar study conducted in an environment that is less immersive.

Effectiveness will be determined by the performance of trainees manning a virtual military checkpoint. A four-wall immersive environment employing cave technology will be compared to a three dimensional desktop version of the scenarios employed in the more immersive environment. In order to make this comparison, …

Stress-Counter Response Training: Flight Simulation Ans Biofeedback, Debra K. Stewart

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Many attempts to reduce Human Error (HE) in aviation have been applied in the past. However, HE remains the largest reported cause of accidents and incidents in aviation. The present study was designed to implement a novel training method to produce voluntary control over the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Twenty-one participants flew a PC based F-16 flight simulator. There were three conditions: 1. Stress-Counter Response training (SCR), 2, traditional biofeedback training, and 3. A control. It was hypothesized that the SCR training group would show improved physiological control, better flight performance, and lower subjective workload ratings compared to the other …

In The Shadow Of The Fleet: The Development Of American Submarines Between The World Wars, Stephen J. Brady

History Theses & Dissertations

At the close of the First World War, American submarines compared most unfavorably with those of Germany and Great Britain. German submarines sank over 5000 ships, while the British submarine campaign, much less ambitious by design, was still credited with sinking 54 warships and 274 other vessels. Standing in stark contrast, American submarines did not sink a single ship. However, by the end of the Second World War, American submarines would sink over 1300 Japanese merchantmen and warships. This ultimate success was hard won, for attempts to modernize American submarine designs between the wars were continually stifled by advocates of …

Selected Factors That Influenced A State's Collapse: A Historical Analysis Of The Case Of Sierra Leone, I. Betty Williams Conteh

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Throughout the 1990s the United Nations Human Development Index, an annual report that measures human development, depicted Sierra Leone as one of, if not the poorest nation on the planet. In 2001, the same report depicted 162 countries in terms of human development and Sierra Leone ranked 162. This Sub-Saharan nation experienced a total collapse of its state and society beginning in 1990. The United Nations and the rest of the international community are only now beginning to work towards putting Sierra Leone together again.

This study investigate factors that led to the collapse of Sierra Leone--factors such as …

On Alan Moore And Eddie Campbell's From Hell (1996) And The Hughes Brothers' From Hell, Rodney Sharkey

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

Allen and Albert Hughes' film version of From Hell is visually striking and strong on memorable images. For those who enjoy attending films based on graphic novels they have read, the first framed shot of a London skyline beneath a scarlet sky is superbly reminiscent of the menacing and yet enticing comic world of the novel. Moreover, the film develops its theme visually as well as narratively; the impulse behind the ripper murders is chillingly realized in some ensemble scenes at the Royal College of Physicians and police barracks where single female victims are counter-pointed against a metaphorical …

A Task Process Pre-Experimental Model, Holly A. H. Handley, Alexander H. Lewis

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The Adaptive Architectures for Command and Control (A2C2) program is a multidisciplinary program that employs a scientific basis for designing and analyzing adaptive and reconfigurable organizational structures at the Joint Task Force level. As part of its unique model-driven experimentation method, a pre-experimental model is created to support the formulation of hypotheses, the determination of key variables and parameter values, and the prediction of organizational performance. The pre-experimental model is used to explore the parameters of the experimental design in order to determine the appropriate region to conduct officer-in-the-loop experiments at the Naval Postgraduate School. A pre-experimental model based on …

Effects Of Nonequilibrium Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas On The Heterotrophic Pathways Of Bacteria And On Their Cell Morphology, Mounir Laroussi, J. Paul Richardson, Fred C. Dobbs

OES Faculty Publications

To date, most research on the interaction of nonequilibrium, atmospheric pressure plasma discharges with bacteria has concentrated on the germicidal effects. Therefore, published results deal mainly with killing efficacy and little attention is given to physical mechanisms and biochemical pathways and their potential alterations when cells of microorganisms are exposed to the plasma. In this letter, an attempt to investigate the effects of plasma exposure on the biochemical pathways of bacteria is presented. In addition, using electron microscopy, we investigate if any gross morphological changes take place when cells are exposed to a lethal dose of plasma. We are testing …

Industrial Flesh: Paul Virilio's Strategy Of Deception, A Landscape Of Events, And The Information Bomb, Davin Heckman

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Davin Heckman reviews Paul Virilio's A Landscape of Events (2001), Strategy of Deception (2000) and The Information Bomb (2001).