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The Wave Structure Function And Temporal Frequency Spread In Weak To Strong Optical Turbulence, Aaron J. Masino Jan 2004

The Wave Structure Function And Temporal Frequency Spread In Weak To Strong Optical Turbulence, Aaron J. Masino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents analytic expressions for the wave structure function, frequency spread of the temporal frequency spectrum, and the temporal frequency spectrum of optical signals propagating through a random medium, specifically the Earth’s atmosphere. The results are believed to be valid for all optical turbulence conditions. These expressions are developed using the Rytov approximation method. Generally, the validity of statistical quantities obtained via this method is restricted to conditions of weak optical turbulence. However, in this work, by using a modification of the effective atmospheric spectral model presented by Andrews et al. for scintillation index, wave structure function expressions have …

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Female Sexual Offenders-An Underexamined Population, Creaig Anthony Dunton Jan 2004

Female Sexual Offenders-An Underexamined Population, Creaig Anthony Dunton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sex crimes are considered to be among the most damaging and heinous forms of social deviance in existence. Besides the acts perpetrated by the offenders, the social stigma attached to being victimized is often just as injurious to the victim. Society sees males as the sole perpetrators of acts of sexual abuse, but this is not the case. The extant literature shows that women, while fewer in number, also perpetrate acts of sexual abuse and assault against other adults and children. This thesis is a preliminary typology that classifies female sexual offenders based upon the acts perpetrated, using cases presented …

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Method For Determination Of Singlet Oxygen Quantum Yields For New Fluorene-Based Photosensitizers In Aqueous Media For The Advancement Of Photodynamic Therapy, Wade William Grabow Jan 2004

Method For Determination Of Singlet Oxygen Quantum Yields For New Fluorene-Based Photosensitizers In Aqueous Media For The Advancement Of Photodynamic Therapy, Wade William Grabow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been investigated over the past three decades and is currently an approved therapeutic modality for skin cancer, the treatment of superficial bladder, early lung and advanced esophageal cancers, and age-related macular degeneration in a number of countries. In PDT, the absorption of light by a chromophore generates cytotoxic species such as reactive singlet oxygen, leading to irreversible destruction of the treated tissue. The measurement of the singlet oxygen quantum yield is an important determinant used to evaluate the efficiency of new photodynamic therapy agents developed in the laboratory, to screen potential photosensitizers in aqueous media.The singlet …

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Chemical Structure - Nonlinear Optical Property Relationships For A Series Of Two-Photon Absorbing Fluorene Molecules, Joel Mccajah Hales Jan 2004

Chemical Structure - Nonlinear Optical Property Relationships For A Series Of Two-Photon Absorbing Fluorene Molecules, Joel Mccajah Hales

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reports on the investigation of two-photon absorption (2PA) in a series of fluorenyl molecules. Several current and emerging technologies exploit this optical nonlinearity including two-photon fluorescence imaging, three-dimensional microfabrication, site-specific photodynamic cancer therapy and biological caging studies. The two key features of this nonlinearity which make it an ideal candidate for the above applications are its quadratic dependence on the incident irradiance and the improved penetration into absorbing media that it affords. As a consequence of the burgeoning field which exploits 2PA, it is a goal to find materials that exhibit strong two-photon absorbing capabilities. Organic materials are …

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Effects Of Voluntary Control On Performance Response Under Stress., Christina Shawn Morris Jan 2004

Effects Of Voluntary Control On Performance Response Under Stress., Christina Shawn Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent stressful environments within military and non-military domains are producing a new challenge for the lab-based study of stress on task performance, one that requires knowledge of underlying cognitive-motivational and goal orientation factors. Results of recent stress on task performance research traditionally employ metaphorical explanations (i.e., resource theory) in order to rapidly apply stimulus-response outcomes to the real world counterparts. This dissertation provides an alternative perspective about these metaphorical, or black box, interpretations and reveals how they may be confounded with respect to the intended real world counterpart. To examine how voluntary human control can influence traditional stress/no-stress research findings, …

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Effect Of Coriolis And Centrifugal Forces On Turbulence And Transport At High Rotation And Buoyancy Numbers, Ahmad Khalaf Sleiti Jan 2004

Effect Of Coriolis And Centrifugal Forces On Turbulence And Transport At High Rotation And Buoyancy Numbers, Ahmad Khalaf Sleiti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study attempts to understand one of the most fundamental and challenging problems in fluid flow and heat transfer for rotating machines. The study focuses on gas turbines and electric generators for high temperature and high energy density applications, respectively, both which employ rotating cooling channels so that materials do not fail under high temperature and high stress environment. Prediction of fluid flow and heat transfer inside internal cooling channels that rotate at high rotation number and high density ratio similar to those that are existing in turbine blades and generator rotors is the main focus of this study. Both …

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Facade Democracy: Democratic Transition In Kazakhstan And Uzbekistan, Robin Nicole Merritt Jan 2004

Facade Democracy: Democratic Transition In Kazakhstan And Uzbekistan, Robin Nicole Merritt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the reasons behind the stagnation in the transition to democracy in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. According to their constitutions, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are democracies. In actuality, however, there is little evidence to support that these are democratic systems. These states' post-Soviet constitutions outline them as democracies - yet they lack a free press; freedom of association is suppressed; religious freedom is limited; and free speech is constrained as well. While these two countries hold popular elections, much of their electoral processes are under the control of the executive branch of government - calling into question whether or not …

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An Investigation Of Master's Level Counseling Students' Clinical Efficacy: The Relationship Between Graduate Record Examination Scores And Demonstration Of Clinical Skills In Practicum, Shannon Lounge Ray Jan 2004

An Investigation Of Master's Level Counseling Students' Clinical Efficacy: The Relationship Between Graduate Record Examination Scores And Demonstration Of Clinical Skills In Practicum, Shannon Lounge Ray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The admission of students into Counselor Education programs aims to select those applicants with the best potential to successfully complete the graduate program as well as acquire effective clinical skills. The primary method of measuring achievement potential for graduate students in Counselor Education programs represents Graduate Record Examination Scores (GRE); minimal scores on the examination are required for program admission. This study examined the relationship between student achievement of clinical skills and incoming GRE scores. The study participants were 47 master's level Counselor Education students who were enrolled in Practicum in Counselor Education (MHS 6800) in the spring, summer, and …

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Communication Modality And After Action Review Performance In A Distributed Immersive Virtual Environment, Jason P. Kring Jan 2004

Communication Modality And After Action Review Performance In A Distributed Immersive Virtual Environment, Jason P. Kring

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technological innovations in data transfer and communication have given rise to the virtual team where geographically separate individuals interact via one or more technologies to combine efforts on a collective activity. In military, business, and spaceflight settings, virtual teams are increasingly used in training and operational activities; however there are important differences between these virtual collaborations and more traditional face-to-face (FTF) interactions. One concern is the absence of FTF contact may alter team communication and cooperation and subsequently affect overall team performance. The present research examined this issue with a specific focus on how communication modality influences team learning and …

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Professional Development Activities And Job Satisfaction Among Communi, Michael Bosley Jan 2004

Professional Development Activities And Job Satisfaction Among Communi, Michael Bosley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the relationship between participation in specific professional development activities and the adjuncts' level of job satisfaction. Data was gathered from previous and current professional development activities at Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida. Research in the area of professional development activities for adjunct faculty is emerging; however, there is a scarcity of research in the area of professional development activities as a means to increase job satisfaction. The data produced by this study were reviewed to determine, the level of job satisfaction of those adjuncts who attended professional development activities; the degree to which …

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The Effects Of Differential Item Functioning On Predictive Bias, Damon Bryant Jan 2004

The Effects Of Differential Item Functioning On Predictive Bias, Damon Bryant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relation between measurement bias at the item level (differential item functioning, dif) and predictive bias at the test score level. Dif was defined as a difference in the probability of getting a test item correct for examinees with the same ability but from different subgroups. Predictive bias was defined as a difference in subgroup regression intercepts and/or slopes in predicting a criterion. Data were simulated by computer. Two hypothetical subgroups (a reference group and a focal group) were used. The predictor was a composite score on a dimensionally complex test with …

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Beginning Teacher Satisfaction With Employment In Southwest Florida: R, Derrick Donnell Jan 2004

Beginning Teacher Satisfaction With Employment In Southwest Florida: R, Derrick Donnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States Department of Education predicts that the nation will need more than one million new teachers by the year 2010 (U.S.DOE, 1996). At the same time, 43% of teachers leave the profession within their first five years of employment. Southwest Florida is experiencing a tremendous growth rate. This growth rate pattern has been predicted to continue through the year 2010. The school districts of Southwest Florida find themselves scrambling to build new schools in order to keep pace with the growth. These new schools must be staffed with qualified teachers. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 …

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A Case Study Of The Student Academic Support System: State University, Helen Hill Jan 2004

A Case Study Of The Student Academic Support System: State University, Helen Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 1985, the Florida Legislature mandated the development of a computer assisted academic advisement program for the State University System. This study of the Student Academic Support System (SASS) explored the administrator and advisor viewpoints, rather than traditional student perception assessments, in order to add to the understanding of computer assisted advising as it now stands in the State of Florida. The goal of this research was to determine the best practices of computer assisted advising throughout the State University System. Individuals who use or have responsibility for the advising system were identified in each institution in the State University …

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Partitioning A Graph In Alliances And Its Application To Data Clustering, Khurram Hassan-Shafique Jan 2004

Partitioning A Graph In Alliances And Its Application To Data Clustering, Khurram Hassan-Shafique

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Any reasonably large group of individuals, families, states, and parties exhibits the phenomenon of subgroup formations within the group such that the members of each group have a strong connection or bonding between each other. The reasons of the formation of these subgroups that we call alliances differ in different situations, such as, kinship and friendship (in the case of individuals), common economic interests (for both individuals and states), common political interests, and geographical proximity. This structure of alliances is not only prevalent in social networks, but it is also an important characteristic of similarity networks of natural and unnatural …

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Evolutionary Optimization Of Support Vector Machines, Fred Gruber Jan 2004

Evolutionary Optimization Of Support Vector Machines, Fred Gruber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Support vector machines are a relatively new approach for creating classifiers that have become increasingly popular in the machine learning community. They present several advantages over other methods like neural networks in areas like training speed, convergence, complexity control of the classifier, as well as a stronger mathematical background based on optimization and statistical learning theory. This thesis deals with the problem of model selection with support vector machines, that is, the problem of finding the optimal parameters that will improve the performance of the algorithm. It is shown that genetic algorithms provide an effective way to find the optimal …

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Explaining Churn: Mass Society, Social Capital, & Community Churn, Delores Edelen Jan 2004

Explaining Churn: Mass Society, Social Capital, & Community Churn, Delores Edelen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Population churn--the population turnover experienced by a community--can have differential effects on a community. Mass society theory suggests that because the churn rate experienced by communities can contribute to their uprooting, fragmentation, and isolation, churn is a potent threat to the stability of our modern day communities. Social capital theory, to the contrary, suggests otherwise. Social capital theory suggests that churn can have positive effects on communities by bringing new migrants with valuable human capital skills and experiences to communities. These migrants bring to their new communities the potential for creating new jobs, spurring economic development, and for initiating housing …

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Selective Mode Excitation In Specialty Waveguides Using Micro Optical, Waleed Mohammed Jan 2004

Selective Mode Excitation In Specialty Waveguides Using Micro Optical, Waleed Mohammed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although optical fibers and specialty waveguides are the base of majority of today's telecom and light delivery applications, fabrication deformation, nonlinearity and attenuation limit the bandwidth of the data being transmitted or the amount of power carried by these systems. One-way to overcome these limitations without changing the fibers design or fabrication is to engineer the input light in order to excite a certain mode or a group of modes with unique optical properties. Diffractive and micro optics are highly effective for selectively coupling light to specific modes. Using micro optics, mode selective coupling can be achieved through several matching …

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Discrete Nonlinear Wave Propagation In Kerr Nonlinear Media, Joachim Meier Jan 2004

Discrete Nonlinear Wave Propagation In Kerr Nonlinear Media, Joachim Meier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Discrete optical systems are a subgroup of periodic structures in which the evolution of a continuous electromagnetic field can be described by a discrete model. In this model, the total field is the sum of localized, discrete modes. Weakly coupled arrays of single mode channel waveguides have been known to fall into this class of systems since the late 1960's. Nonlinear discrete optics has received a considerable amount of interest in the last few years, triggered by the experimental realization of discrete solitons in a Kerr nonlinear AlGaAs waveguide array by H. Eisenberg and coworkers in 1998. In this work …

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An Analysis And Comparison Of School Culture With Academic Achievement, Joan Quiambao Jan 2004

An Analysis And Comparison Of School Culture With Academic Achievement, Joan Quiambao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was developed to generate data about the overall culture of selected central Florida middle schools in Osceola County. It was designed to enhance the existing body of knowledge on collaboration, collegiality and self-efficacy, as related to the academic achievement of students with specific learning disabilities. This study focused on two research questions: (a) to determine how well the three key areas of school culture (collaboration, collegiality and teacher efficacy) predict the placement of middle school students with specific learning disabilities in general education or special education (resource and separate class)settings and (b) to determine what relationships (if any) …

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A Comparative Static Analysis For Invasive Species Management Under Risk Neutral Preferences, Pamela Safford Jan 2004

A Comparative Static Analysis For Invasive Species Management Under Risk Neutral Preferences, Pamela Safford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the optimal ex-ante mix of self-protection and self-insurance technologies employed to reduce the risk of biological invaders in the presence of exogenous variables within the probability and damage functions. This is accomplished by using a theoretical endogenous risk model that extends previously developed frameworks. This thesis contributes to the previous work in two ways. (1) Employing a general framework with simultaneous decision making over self-protection and self-insurance, this thesis analyzes how each parameter including income, the costs of each activity, an exogenous factor that affects only the probability of an invasion, and a separate exogenous factor that …

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The Effects Of Four Different Strategies Of Information Presentation I, Ming-Hsu Tsai Jan 2004

The Effects Of Four Different Strategies Of Information Presentation I, Ming-Hsu Tsai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether learners' computer self-efficacy and prior computer knowledge influence their performance and satisfaction when presented with various instructional strategies of information presentation in computer-based software training. Seventy-eight undergraduate students were randomly assigned into four groups (a) deductive-inquisitory, which present general information first and then require learner to generates examples, (b) deductive-expository, which present general information first then present examples, (c) inductive-inquisitory, which present examples first and then require learners to discover relationship, (d) inductive-expository, which present examples first then present general information. The instructional materials were computer-based Netscape Composer 7.1 tutorials. For …

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The Place Of Wailing And Grinding Of Teeth, Max Bishop Hipp Jan 2004

The Place Of Wailing And Grinding Of Teeth, Max Bishop Hipp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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A Reconstruction Of Moreau Chambers' : 1937 Excavation Of A Chickasaw Village In Northeastern Mississippi, Ladonna F. Brown Jan 2004

A Reconstruction Of Moreau Chambers' : 1937 Excavation Of A Chickasaw Village In Northeastern Mississippi, Ladonna F. Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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Study Of Complete Freeze-Thaw And Moisture Induced Degradation For Polyester/E-Glass Composites / By Ghanshyam Pal, Ghanshyam Pal Jan 2004

Study Of Complete Freeze-Thaw And Moisture Induced Degradation For Polyester/E-Glass Composites / By Ghanshyam Pal, Ghanshyam Pal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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Application Of Ant Algorithms To The University Course Timetabling Problem And The Deviation Problem / By William G. Vaughan, William G. Vaughan Jan 2004

Application Of Ant Algorithms To The University Course Timetabling Problem And The Deviation Problem / By William G. Vaughan, William G. Vaughan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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Investigation Of Nascar Restrictor Plate Manifold Insert Using Wave Engine Simulation And Response Surface Methodology, John Mason Gross Iii Jan 2004

Investigation Of Nascar Restrictor Plate Manifold Insert Using Wave Engine Simulation And Response Surface Methodology, John Mason Gross Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing growth in computer processing power, computer based computational fluid dynamics simulations are finding increasing acceptance and use in the field of internal combustion engine development. Once fully developed, such simulations provide detailed and expedient tools for testing existing theories, as well as new ideas. While numerous studies on wave propagation and fluid flow in intakes manifolds exist, most restrict the analysis to a single intake runner and port, examining only the dynamics from the runner-to-plenum junction downstream to the valve. While such analyses provide comprehensive models for wave propagation dynamics in the runner, little is published on …

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Slurry Chemistry Effects On Copper Chemical Mechanical Planarization, Ying Luo Jan 2004

Slurry Chemistry Effects On Copper Chemical Mechanical Planarization, Ying Luo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chemical-mechanical Planarization (CMP) has emerged as one of the fastest-growing processes in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, and it is expected to show equally explosive growth in the future (Braun, 2001). The development of CMP has been fueled by the introduction of copper interconnects in microelectronic devices. Other novel applications of CMP include the fabrications of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), advanced displays, three dimensional systems, and so on (Evans, 2002). CMP is expected to play a key role in the next-generation micro- and nanofabrication technologies (Singh, et al., 2002). Despite the rapid increase in CMP applications, the fundamental understanding of the CMP …

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Ocr: A Statistical Model Of Multi-Engine Ocr Systems, Mercedes Terre Mcdonald Jan 2004

Ocr: A Statistical Model Of Multi-Engine Ocr Systems, Mercedes Terre Mcdonald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a benchmark performed on three commercial Optical Character Recognition (OCR) engines. The purpose of this benchmark is to characterize the performance of the OCR engines with emphasis on the correlation of errors between each engine. The benchmarks are performed for the evaluation of the effect of a multi-OCR system employing a voting scheme to increase overall recognition accuracy. This is desirable since currently OCR systems are still unable to recognize characters with 100% accuracy. The existing error rates of OCR engines pose a major problem for applications where a single error can possibly effect significant outcomes, such …

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Sinbad Automation Of Scientific Process: From Hidden Factor Analysis To Theory Synthesis, Olcay Kursun Jan 2004

Sinbad Automation Of Scientific Process: From Hidden Factor Analysis To Theory Synthesis, Olcay Kursun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modern science is turning to progressively more complex and data-rich subjects, which challenges the existing methods of data analysis and interpretation. Consequently, there is a pressing need for development of ever more powerful methods of extracting order from complex data and for automation of all steps of the scientific process. Virtual Scientist is a set of computational procedures that automate the method of inductive inference to derive a theory from observational data dominated by nonlinear regularities. The procedures utilize SINBAD – a novel computational method of nonlinear factor analysis that is based on the principle of maximization of mutual information …

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Conformal Tracking For Virtual Environments, Larry Dennis Davis Jr. Jan 2004

Conformal Tracking For Virtual Environments, Larry Dennis Davis Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A virtual environment is a set of surroundings that appears to exist to a user through sensory stimuli provided by a computer. By virtual environment, we mean to include environments supporting the full range from VR to pure reality. A necessity for virtual environments is knowledge of the location of objects in the environment. This is referred to as the tracking problem, which points to the need for accurate and precise tracking in virtual environments. Marker-based tracking is a technique which employs fiduciary marks to determine the pose of a tracked object. A collection of markers arranged in a rigid …

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