Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of A Framework To Leverage Knowledge Management Systems To Improve Security Awareness., Dennis Lupiana

Dissertations

Security awareness is very essential in securing intellectual property, in particular internal corporate information assets and its “Knowledge”. The dynamic nature of security attacks and the need to comply with government policies in protecting organisation’s data has a major influence on seeing organisations focus on strengthening against threats from the human element. This is a difficult challenge. Organisations must have a degree of trust their employees. They must trust their employees to interact responsibly as end-users with their information systems. They must trust their employees who work as developers to work responsibly and be motivated to develop systems with the …

A Knowledge Management Initiative In A Juvenile Detention School, Noel Sweeney

Dissertations

The preservation of knowledge has been a human endeavour since the dawn of time. Using whatever resources possible, humans have recorded knowledge for the purpose of bequeathing it to the next generations. With each technological advance, it would appear that the resources available for recording knowledge have improved. Not only this, but with each advance, the accessibility and availability to this knowledge has been enhanced; and in our present times, the impact of technology has made it easier than ever before. As with education, the consequence of making knowledge more available and accessible is the creation of more knowledgeable individuals …

Using Xml Topic Maps To Create A Knowledge Model Of Postgraduate Computer Science Degrees In Ireland For The Purpose Of Marketing Analysis, Catherine Mulwa

Dissertations

Marketing intelligence is a future-oriented activity that helps an organization cope in its market. It includes all ways an organization acquires and uses information. It is comprised of all kinds of information on the market and marketing research; the collection and analysis of internal data, competitive analysis; analysis and reverse engineering of competitor’s products; understanding how and where to add value for customers; and the process of synthesizing large amounts of informally gathered information about the industry and business environment. While marketing and marketing intelligence are widely used in business, they are less used in non-business organisations such as academic …

Investigation Of The Visual Aspects Of Business Intelligence, Niall Cunningham

Dissertations

As the need for Irish firms to move into knowledge economy increases knowledge management is being more important. Among its central aims is for knowledge creation and development to enhance knowledge and inspire innovations. One of the ways knowledge management achieves these aims is through the development of knowledge management tools for the firm. Among these tools is the option to use business intelligence to enhance knowledge in the firm by exposing hidden knowledge and building on it. In particular data mining has been highlighted as being effective within business intelligence and knowledge management in discovering hidden knowledge. This dissertation …

Mixed Oxidizer Hybrid Propulsion System Optimization Under Uncertainty Using Applied Response Surface Methodology And Monte Carlo Simulation, James Joshua Whitehead

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Variable Thrust Parameters On Swirl Injector Fluid Mechanics, Robert J. Kenny

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Five Year Comparison Between An Extended Year School And A Conventional Year School: Effects On Academic Achievement, Vanessa Khankeo Vandergraaf

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the academic achievement of third grade students in an extended year school to that of third grade students in a conventional school. The problem statement was that both schools were academically deficient according to the requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. The comparison between the two schools used communication arts and science data from 2002-2006 Missouri Assessment Program (MAP). It also examined the effects of variables such as summer breaks, socioeconomic status, and student attendance that affect student achievement beyond adding more instructional time. Examination of research related to …

Career Concerns, Pathing, And Professional Development Of High-School Technology Educators, Linda A. Tolan

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Principal Leadership Practices And School-Level Variables In Connecticut Schools With Achievement Gains Above And Below The State's Average Performance Gain On State Assessments, David R. Cormier

Dissertations

Problem

Effective-schools research has demonstrated that a building level administrator’s leadership practices contribute to the success or failure of change efforts and impact school culture and student achievement. Research in this area has focused primarily on comparing high and low performing schools and the various antecedent/context variables of such schools. This study examined schools with annual achievement gains above and below the state’s average gain in student performance and sought to determine if there were significant differences in school antecedent/context variables, leadership practices, and mediating variables between these schools.

Method

Research participants represented a sample of Connecticut elementary schools with …

The Research And Implementation Of Maintenance Excellence On Clean Utility Systems In The Pharmaceutical Indusry, Padraig Liggan

Dissertations

Maintenance Excellence is the implementation of best maintenance practices within industry; it is the balance of performance, risk, and cost to achieve an optimal solution. This thesis has been structured around the 5 main areas of maintenance excellence; it has documented all the important functions of the maintenance department that contributes towards maintenance excellence. Demonstrating maintenance excellence is a big achievement however demonstrating it on pharmaceutical clean utility systems with strict regulatory controls is a major challenge. Pharmaceutical production is one of the most heavily regulated industries. With such an emphasis on product quality in the pharmaceutical industry, and with …

Building Organisationally Sensitive Technological Solutions For Knowledge Management In It Support Services, David Tonade

Dissertations

With the advent of the internet, information and communications technology has changed the way organisations operate and do business. There now exist an extremely dynamic and competitive business landscape, where information and knowledge are continuously created, used and distributed across business units. People have become more involved with the use of technology to aid them in their business tasks. In the course of generating and transmitting information comes the realization that knowledge is a vital asset of the company. Thus, most firms embark on various initiatives to enable Knowledge Management (KM). This study revolves around the IT tools involved in …

The Experience Of Technology Integration By Teacher Educators In Higher Education, Patricia Ann Suess

Dissertations

With the advancing use of technology globally, it is becoming essential for K-12 educators to have knowledge of educational technology and its appropriate classroom use. Thus, it is important for higher education faculty involved in the preparation of those K-12 teachers to achieve technology integration in their teacher education programs. It is not sufficient to simply provide computers and peripheral devices to future teachers. The critical issue is the way in which those tools are used to promote student learning. Therefore, it is necessary for faculty in higher education to model the use of technology as a teaching and learning …

Extensions Of Two-Part Tests To Compare K Independent Populations, Marwan Daoud

Dissertations

We consider two-part models that are mixtures of a point-mass variable with all mass at zero and a continuous random variable. The model may assume a particular distributionh(x) for the continuous part such as a log-normal or a gamma. The response variable is defined as y=(x, d), where d=1 if x > 0 and d=0 if x = 0. The probability distribution function has the following form: fx,d=p ^1-d×1-p ×hx ^d.

Lachenbruch (1976, 2001) proposed several tests to compare means of two populations for this type of data. We proposed a two-part Wald test and …

Audio-Assisted Reading With Digital Audiobooks For Upper Elementary Students With Reading Disabilities, Kelli J. Esteves

Dissertations

Audio-assisted reading has been used as an effective instructional intervention for students with learning disabilities (Carbo, 1978; Gilbert, Williams, & McLaughlin, 1996) and with struggling readers (Chomsky, 1976; Hollingsworth, 1978; Hoskisson & Krohm, 1974; Koskinen, Blum, Bisson, Phillips, Creamer, & Baker, 2000; Rasinski, 1990). The strategy involves reading along while listening to an audio recording of a fluent model (Evans, 1997).

The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy of audio-assisted reading with digital audiobooks against the traditional practice of sustained silent reading in terms of reading fluency rates and reading attitude scores with upper elementary students with …

Therapists' Handling Of Secrets Between Partners In Couple Therapy, Michael Alan Jansen

Dissertations

This study examines couple therapists' policies, procedures, and perspectives regarding secrets between partners in couple therapy. Handling secrets appropriately is necessary to avoid legal, ethical and therapeutic problems, especially when the secret involves contentious or potentially dangerous material such as infidelity, divorce, paternity, and HIV/AIDS infection. One hundred sixty randomly selected Clinical Members of the AAMFT participated in a 38-question researcher-generated mail survey. Data provided descriptive statistics and allowed for between-groups comparisons to explore for differences between therapists with regard to experience and several specific practices related to handling secrets. The study also examined whether courses in HIV/AIDS confidentiality law …

Creating A Culture Of Safety: The Influence Of Medical Simulation On The Attitudes Of Surgical Team Members, Diane J. Jones

Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine change in individual and aggregate attitudes of the members of two subspecialty surgery teams (cardiac and vascular) in six domains (teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, stress recognition, perception of management, and working conditions) following medical team simulation and debriefing exercises. The study was a pre-post partially randomized controlled, quasi-experimental study that took place in a 545-bed hospital with a high-volume cardiovascular surgery program. Participants included interdisciplinary team members caring for cardiac and vascular surgery patients.

Main outcome measures included change in responses to safety attitudes questionnaires (SAQs) administered before, 1 week …

Systematic Study Of The Validity Of Clinical Performance Assessments In Entry-Level Athletic Training Education, Gayle A. Thompson

Dissertations

PPerformance assessment (PA) is essential to determining the competency of clinical skills in allied health education, yet little research has been conducted to determine what validity evidence supports the interpretations made from PA currently utilized in athletic training clinical education. This study examined current PA practice and associated effectiveness of PA used by athletic training clinical practicum course instructors. Current research suggests the most predominant method of PA utilized in athletic training follows a behavioral approach that emphasizes observation of specific skills in standardized ways, as exemplified by the 'check-list' method. An alternative to the behavioral approach is the holistic …

Retaining Exploring Students: A Comparison Study Of Decided And Undecided College Students, Betty D. Dennis

Dissertations

U.S. four-year institutions graduate fewer than 50% of its first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students within six years Today, improving college student retention and graduation rates is a primary focus of higher education nationwide. Scholars have found that students who enter college undecided and are still exploring majors need a great deal of support to be retained. Research has also demonstrated that between 20% and 50% of entering freshmen have not selected a major course of study and that colleges and universities are concerned these students are at a higher risk of leaving the institution. What is unclear is whether selecting a …

Structure And Excitations In Metal Ammonia Compounds, Xue Wang

Dissertations

This work has two parts. In the first part, inelastic x-ray scattering was used to measure the plasmon excitations in liquid lithium ammonia systems. The measurements were carried out for different metal concentrations, 8 mole per metal (MPM), 10 MPM, 11 MPM, 16 MPM and 20 MPM of temperature 200K. The data were analyzed to determine the plasmon energy and the linewidth as a function of momentum for each metal concentration. Deviations from the random phase approximation (RPA) in the jellium model increase as the concentration is lowered.

In the second part of this work, elastic x-ray scattering was used …

A Mixed Methods Analysis Of The Concept Of Female Sexual Health, Laura C. Ford

Dissertations

The theoretical concept of health includes the ability to function physiologically, perceive a state of wellness, participate in social relationships, and be disease-free. Currently, the medical field approaches sexuality from a disease prevention and treatment perspective. Female sexual health must be understood holistically (i.e., emotionally, sociologically, and physiologically) for healthcare providers to help their patients optimize their sexual health; however, little research has been conducted from a holistic perspective. This study's purpose was to begin an exploration of the meaning of female sexual health.

This study utilized focus groups and a survey to explore the concept female sexual health as …

Diagnostics For Choosing Between Log-Rank And Wilcoxon Tests, Ruvie Lou Maria Custodio Martinez

Dissertations

Two commonly used tests for comparison of survival curves are the generalized Wilcoxon procedure of Gehan (1965) and Breslow (1970) and the Log-rank test proposed by Mantel (1966) and Cox (1972). In applications, the Log-rank test is used after checking for validity of the proportional hazards (PH) assumption, with Wilcoxon being the fallback method when the PH assumption fails.

However, the relative performance of the two procedures depend not just on the PH assumption but also on the pattern of differences between the two curves. We will show that the crucial factor is whether the differences tend to occur early …

A Study Of Intake And Assessment In Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Christopher J. Richmond

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare clients' assessment of two different counseling intake procedures used by clinicians. This study compared a Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) intake intervention with an intake intervention constructed from the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I). The SCID-I is one of the most widely used diagnostic interviews and reflects a "gold standard" in formulating accurate diagnoses. The SFBTintake intervention developed for this study stands in stark contrast to the SCID-I and its primary objective, evaluation of the problem. SFBT is a strength-based model that maintains a positive and future-oriented focus. …

Mapk Survival Signaling In Melanoma, Matthew W. Vanbrocklin

Dissertations

Extracellular signals activate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades potentiating biological activities such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Constitutive activation of MAPK signaling pathways is implicated in the development and progression of many human cancers, including melanoma. Mutually exclusive activating mutations in NRAS or BRAF are found in ∼85% of all melanomas resulting in constitutive activation of the MAPK pathway (RAS-BRAF-MEK-ERK-RSK). We have previously demonstrated that inhibition of this pathway with small molecule MEK inhibitors selectively induces apoptosis in human melanoma cells both in vitro and in vivo, but not in normal melanocytes. These results support the notion that the …

The Effects Of Acute Nicotine Abstinence On Vigilance And Verbal Memory In Non-Diagnosed Smokers, David W. Ayer

Dissertations

Research has shown a differential prevalence of smoking in the schizophrenic population compared to other psychiatric and non-diagnosed populations. The three most commonly investigated reasons for this differential prevalence in schizophrenics are: the self-medication hypothesis, side effects hypothesis, and sociological hypothesis. The self-medication hypothesis which proposes that schizophrenics smoke at a higher rate to ameliorate cognitive deficits is the most substantiated by the research. Of current interest is the possible role of nicotine in improving performance on vigilance and verbal memory, the two areas shown to be most related to impaired social functioning in schizophrenics. It is difficult to make …

Quantum Properties Of Light Emitted By Dipole Nano-Laser, Talal Ghannam

Dissertations

Recent technological advances allow entire optical systems to be lithographically implanted on small silicon chips. These systems include tiny semiconductor lasers that function as light sources for digital optical signals. Future advances will rely on even smaller components. At the theoretical limit of this process, the smallest lasers will have an active medium consisting of a single atom (natural or artificial). Several suggestions for how this can be accomplished have already been published, such as nano-lasers based on photonic crystals and nano wires. In particular, the "dipole nanolaser" consists of a single quantum dot functioning as the active medium. It …

Exposing Star Teachers Of Children In Poverty, Bobbi Morehead

Dissertations

Public schools have control over whom they choose to hire to serve as teachers. When quality teachers are hired, all students have a better chance at achieving academic success. It is the responsibility of every public school principal to truly understand common patterns, which can assist teachers to become outstanding teachers, defined in this study as Star Teachers. It is also the principals' responsibility to make sure the work conditions of such Star Teachers are conducive to personal and professional renewal.

The passion to educate all children drives the following research questions: (1) How do Star Teachers describe the significant …

Estimating The Impact, Transmission Mechanism And Reaction Function Of Monetary Policy: A Factor-Augmented Vector Autoregressive (Favar) Approach, Dawit Legesse Senbet

Dissertations

This dissertation employs factor-augmented vector autoregressive (FAVAR) models to investigate the impact, transmission mechanism and reaction function of monetary policy. The recent development of augmenting dynamic factor analysis with the vector autoregressive (VAR) models, pioneered by Bernanke et al. (2005), has led to advances in monetary policy analysis. The new approach bases measurements of monetary policy on large data sets that approximate the true information set of policymakers. This is in contrast to low dimensional VAR models. The FAVAR model summarizes information from large data set by a few factors that are incorporated into VAR models.

The first essay investigates …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Stilbenoids And Their Aza-Analogs As Photoluminescent Materials For The Detection Of Nerve Agent Mimics, Chun Wang

Dissertations

A novel series of stilbenoids and their aza analogs were synthesized, characterized and used as photoluminescent components in the detection of nerve agents. Their structure-property relationship was elucidated through UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy. The research in this thesis is driven by the hypothesis that the two-block sensor system consisting of a receptor incorporated ruthenium complex and a fluorescent signal molecule of stilbenoids, is capable of detecting chemical warfare agents. The sensor anchored onto nanoparticles and subsequently the nanoparticles were arranged through mediated self-assembly. While photo-induced electron transfer is a well-known mechanism for sensor design, the described system showed that photo-induced …

Vygotsky’S Theory Of The Creative Imagination: A Study Of The Influences On Preservice Teachers’ Creative Thinking Capacities, Stephen J. Worst

Dissertations

This study investigated the effect of formal instruction in the use of creative thinking skills on preservice teachers' capacities for increased creative activity. It emerged from Vygotsky's theory of the creative imagination. Emphasizing the impact of formal schooling on the growth of creative activity, he implied that individuals who are continually adding to accumulation of knowledge develop an abundant imagination from which creativity flows.

This quantitative study used a quasi-experimental design and attempted to test Vygotsky's assumptions within a sample population of 113 preservice teachers. Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking served as the pre- and post-tests that measured the creative …

Are High School Gpa, Rank In High School Graduating Class Or Act Scores Adequate Predictors Of College Freshmen Success?, Maryann Michel Townsend, Donna Nack

Dissertations

This study was developed to determine if High School Grade Point Average, High School Class Rank or the ACT scores were effective measures of college freshmen success. Procedure 1. Eight hundred twenty one first-time freshmen were admitted to Lindenwood University in 2005-2006. 2. Of those students, the required information was available for 536 students. 3. Fifty-eight students were used for this study. Findings 1. A statistical significance was found in the correlation of High School Grade Point Average and freshmen success. 2. The ACT scores did not result in as significant a correlation as did the High School Grade Point …