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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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The Importance Of School Culture In The Advancement Of 21st Century Learning Environments: A Qualitative Study., Lydotta M. Taylor Jan 2011

The Importance Of School Culture In The Advancement Of 21st Century Learning Environments: A Qualitative Study., Lydotta M. Taylor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This qualitative study aims to make explicit the importance of school culture and teacher involvement in shaping and implementing reform efforts. Over the past 60 years, a variety of political leaders have led numerous education reform efforts. The importance of school culture has often been missing from the reform efforts. This study reviews the effectiveness of the Who Took My Chalk?â„¢ intervention and the six defining characteristics of the intervention: student engagement, collaboration, goal setting, action planning, assessing attitudes, and engaging openness. The data collected for this study include pre- and post- interview responses from school faculty on the six …

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The Trauma Of Race, The Race Of Trauma: American Culture Between Racial Segregation And "Political Correctness"., Luminita M. Dragulescu Jan 2011

The Trauma Of Race, The Race Of Trauma: American Culture Between Racial Segregation And "Political Correctness"., Luminita M. Dragulescu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

My dissertation aligns history, trauma, and race studies to shape a conceptual basis for the race trauma inquiry in order to explore the effects of U.S. racial history on both individuals and communities. I argue that the social, political, and psychological mechanisms by which racism, racial exploitation and exclusion function have a traumatic effect on individuals as well as cultures. This project seeks to map the extent to which race identification, racialized life experience, and racism can be traumatic. By the trauma of race I refer to the psychological, somatic, and cultural effects that individuals and groups suffer as a …

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Parental Influence On Physical Activity Of 7 To 9 Year Olds., Janie Marie Leary Jan 2011

Parental Influence On Physical Activity Of 7 To 9 Year Olds., Janie Marie Leary

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity every day for children. These recommendations are based on the evidence that physical activity has health benefits beyond weight control. Despite these benefits, most children are not taking part in the recommended levels of physical activity. Understanding factors influencing children's physical activity is important to developing successful intervention programs. Intrapersonal and interpersonal influences were found to have the greatest impact on child physical activity. The extent to which each factor predicts physical activity as children age is less understood. Furthermore, not every developmental age …

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Rna In Forensic Science: Novel Techniques For Biological Evidence, Stephanie T. Young Jan 2011

Rna In Forensic Science: Novel Techniques For Biological Evidence, Stephanie T. Young

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The techniques currently utilized for collecting biological evidence at the scenes of violent crimes such as murder, rape, and kidnapping are employed simply to preserve evidence for future DNA analysis. Although DNA is extremely useful in forensic casework, biological samples possess yet another valuable molecule, RNA. The use of RNA in forensic analysis of samples is currently on the rise. In the past, RNA was thought to degrade much too quickly to be of any benefit to the forensic community. The work presented in this dissertation seeks to demonstrate otherwise. While true that RNA is not as stable as DNA, …

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Traffic Optimization For Multimodal Cooperative Networks, Krishna Jyothi Boppana Jan 2011

Traffic Optimization For Multimodal Cooperative Networks, Krishna Jyothi Boppana

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Resource allocation and traffic optimization are crucial problems in multi-traffic wireless networks as resources are scarce and the traffic is shared by multiple users. When application performance is the key concern in a network, utility is considered as a reliable metric. A lot of research has been done on capacity limits of wireless networks under some assumptions on the physics of propagation and some restrictions on the communication strategy employed by the nodes. It has been proved that due to the physical limitation that holds for any communication system, the decrease in throughput problem as wireless nodes increase in a …

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School Transformation: Reproducing Effective High School Leadership, Christina D. Chambers Jan 2011

School Transformation: Reproducing Effective High School Leadership, Christina D. Chambers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation explores the distinctive and complex challenges that high school principals face. The demand to prepare students for college or the workplace requires a strong foundation built on relational trust, an adaptation of high school instructional practices, and an evolution of the professional development process. This study will use the characteristics of transformational leadership presented in the literature to determine if they exist in two high schools and how they manifest themselves. The high schools studied represent the very different socio economic aspects of their district. With focus on student achievement, high school principals and teachers can transform school …

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Metabolic Syndrome And Its Associations With Psychological Distress And Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease Among Police Officers, Tara Autumn Hartley Jan 2011

Metabolic Syndrome And Its Associations With Psychological Distress And Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease Among Police Officers, Tara Autumn Hartley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Police officers are a vital part of every community in the U.S. Officers are routinely exposed to numerous types of stressors, including traumatic events, shift work and organizational issues. The impact of this exposure can lead to chronic physical and psychological health problems. Police officers have been reported to have higher rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previous studies have found associations between work stress and CVD, and this association may be mediated by the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn). MetSyn is a clustering of metabolic abnormalities, including abdominal obesity, hypertension, glucose intolerance and dyslipidemia, that has been associated with CVD and Type …

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Musical Persona: The Use Of Human Speech In The Music Of Steve Reich, Rachel E. Weiss Jan 2011

Musical Persona: The Use Of Human Speech In The Music Of Steve Reich, Rachel E. Weiss

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

From his earliest works to his most recent ones, Steve Reich has found ways to incorporate human speech into his music. The natural melodic qualities of the human voice, which he called "speech-melody," interested him from the beginning of his musical career. In his early tape pieces, Reich manipulated recordings of human voices in order to create varied melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic patterns. Later, he used such recordings for both their melodic content and subject matter in Different Trains (1988), The Cave (1993), City Life (1995), Three Tales (2002), and WTC 9/11 (2011).;Using human speech as a foundation, Reich composed …

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The Dynamics Of Collaboration In Universal Pre-K Counties Of West Virginia, Kimberly S. Miller Jan 2011

The Dynamics Of Collaboration In Universal Pre-K Counties Of West Virginia, Kimberly S. Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

West Virginia Senate Bill 247 mandated that local school systems develop and implement universal preschool programs for all four-year-old children and three-year-old children as mandated by federal law. This mandate was the impetus for West Virginia Policy 2525: West Virginia's Access to a Quality Early Education System. Within policy, local school systems are mandated to collaborate with licensed childcare providers and Head Start to make up at least 50% of the preschool classrooms. This descriptive qualitative case study investigated how the experience of compulsory collaboration required by WV policy 2525 is described by early education providers. The description of the …

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The Web 2.0 Revolution: Using Technology To Shape Standard-Based Instruction, Joern-Timo Riepel Jan 2011

The Web 2.0 Revolution: Using Technology To Shape Standard-Based Instruction, Joern-Timo Riepel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Different Web 2.0 applications, such as weblogs, podcasts, wikis, and twitter have revolutionized the way people interact online and opened a path to a new way of global mass-communication for every internet user. Web 2.0 applications have also proved to enhance foreign language instruction in terms of learner motivation, collaborative learning processes, time-and space independence for students across classroom boundaries, and chances for authentic language use and perception. This thesis demonstrates the uses of Web 2.0 to enhance standards-based foreign language education and address each of the five C's using 21st-century technologies. By implementing Web 2.0 as an instructional tool, …

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The Effect Of Social Presence On Students' Perceived Learning And Satisfaction In Online Courses, Joseph Nyandusi Nyachae Jan 2011

The Effect Of Social Presence On Students' Perceived Learning And Satisfaction In Online Courses, Joseph Nyandusi Nyachae

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated the effects of social presence on students' perceived learning and satisfaction in online courses. The participants for this study were 81 graduate students enrolled in four special education online courses offered at a major higher education institution located in a Mid-Atlantic state. Two research questions were used to conduct the research: 1. Can we predict in a statistically significant fashion using linear regression students' perceived learning in a course based on their perceived level of social presence and number of interactive elements in the course? 2. Can we predict in a statistically significant fashion using linear regression …

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Work Adjustment Of Survivors Of Tbi: Subjective Reporting And Indicators Of Work Status., Laura Kay Artman Jan 2011

Work Adjustment Of Survivors Of Tbi: Subjective Reporting And Indicators Of Work Status., Laura Kay Artman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated the use of self-reported functional limitations to indicate employment status of traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors after returning to work. This study used data from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) to examine the utility of self-reported functional limitations in indicating the work status of survivors of TBI. The first research question concerned the most common functional limitation reported by survivors of TBI. The second question asked which functional limitations, if any, could correctly classify the work status of TBI survivors. Results of binary logistic regression suggested that the presence of medical symptoms and emotional dysregulation were reliably …

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An Exploratory Study On International Students' Adjustment To American Universities., Grace M. Atebe Jan 2011

An Exploratory Study On International Students' Adjustment To American Universities., Grace M. Atebe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

College students in the twenty-first century face a different political, economic, cultural, and social world than students faced in the previous century. Technology and business have broken down virtually every barrier between countries. As a result, many colleges believe that they must educate and involve their students in cultures beyond their country's borders in the hope of producing inter-culturally competent students. Despite government policies and available financial assistance that encourage study abroad, the vast majority of students in Western countries do not study outside their own borders. Thus, successful integration of international students and scholars with the campus and its …

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Analytical Aspects Of Howard Hanson: The First Movement Of Symphony No. 2, "Romantic"., Hyuk Cha Jan 2011

Analytical Aspects Of Howard Hanson: The First Movement Of Symphony No. 2, "Romantic"., Hyuk Cha

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Howard Hanson (1896-1981) is one of the most renowned neo-romantic American composers. With various musical activities including forty years as a director of the Eastman School of Music, he wrote many pieces in the neo-romantic style and made significant contributions to American music education as a prominent music teacher. He was awarded a variety of prizes and honors including the Pulitzer Prize and the first Prix de Rome ever awarded by the American Academy in Rome. His Second Symphony, “Romantic” is one of his most famous orchestral pieces and known as a representative work. The piece was composed on commission …

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Conceptualizing Doctoral Advising From Professors' And Doctoral Students' Perspectives Using Concept Mapping, Philip Kontor Adu Jan 2011

Conceptualizing Doctoral Advising From Professors' And Doctoral Students' Perspectives Using Concept Mapping, Philip Kontor Adu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Due to the high cost of doctoral education, high attrition of about 50%, and the constraints of higher education budgets, it is important to examine what causes doctoral students to leave their doctoral program without completion. Studies have shown that advising is one of the main contributing factors (e.g., Ferrer de Valero, 2001; Golde, 2000; Lenz, 1997). Document analysis of literature showed five distinct aspects of doctoral advising (i.e. advising approach, selection process, roles, responsibilities, and expectations, advisor-advisee relationship, and power relations) and their relation to the successful completion of students' dissertations. The purpose of this study was to use …

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The Effects Of Expertise And Demographic Characteristics On Public Administrators' Attitudes To E-Government, Raji Msail Alsharari Jan 2011

The Effects Of Expertise And Demographic Characteristics On Public Administrators' Attitudes To E-Government, Raji Msail Alsharari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Due to recent advancements in electronic technology (e-technology), research on the developing field has become important for understanding how this technology affects the population and how the population affects this technology. Research on e-technology reveals that demographic characteristics (age, gender, location, and education) and expertise are factors affecting e-technology attitudes and performance. One of the emerging e-technology fields is electronic government (e-government). After reviewing historical research in e-technology, this study reviewed existing e-government literature to determine key obstacles for public administrators to implement e-government. This study used a survey questionnaire, based on e-government attitude surveys conducted by Moon (2002) and …

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Parameterized Strings: Algorithms And Data Structures, Richard A. Beal Jan 2011

Parameterized Strings: Algorithms And Data Structures, Richard A. Beal

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A parameterized string (p-string) T = T[1] T[2]...T[n] is a sophisticated string of length n composed of symbols from a constant alphabet Sigma and a parameter alphabet pi. Given a pair of p-strings S and T, the parameterized pattern matching (p-match) problem is to verify whether the individual constant symbols match and whether there exists a bijection between the parameter symbols of S and T. If the two conditions are met, S is said to be a p-match of T. A significant breakthrough in the p-match area is the prev encoding, which is proven to identify a p-match between S …

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The Impacts Of An Outdoor Orientation Program On Participants' Self Evaluated Trait Emotional Intelligence, Coy James Belknap Iii Jan 2011

The Impacts Of An Outdoor Orientation Program On Participants' Self Evaluated Trait Emotional Intelligence, Coy James Belknap Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In taking the applications of both emotional intelligence and outdoor orientation programs, this present study employed a quasi-experimental approach to study the change associated with first year students transitioning into a collegiate setting. In conveying multiple levels of University 101 curriculum in a dynamic outdoor setting, Adventure West Virginia (AWV) was utilized in order to gauge the elicited impacts associated with outdoor orientation upon students' emotional intelligence, most specifically trait emotional intelligence (TEI). Four individual programs (Explore, Habitat, Wilderness and Odyssey) were studied, with elements of each trip and student characteristics taken into account during analysis. Overall, this study sought …

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Engaging The Virtual Landscape: Toward An Experiential Approach To Exploring Place Through A Spatial Experience Engine, Susan J. Bergeron Jan 2011

Engaging The Virtual Landscape: Toward An Experiential Approach To Exploring Place Through A Spatial Experience Engine, Susan J. Bergeron

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The utilization of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other geospatial technologies in historical inquiry and the humanities has led to a number of projects that are exploring digital representations of past landscapes and places as platforms for synthesizing and representing historical and geographic information. Recent advancements in geovisualization, immersive environments, and virtual reality offer the opportunity to generate digital representations of cultural and physical landscapes, and embed those virtual landscapes with information and knowledge from multiple GIS sources. The development of these technologies and their application to historical research has opened up new opportunities to synthesize historical records from disparate …

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Immune System Based Control And Intelligent Agent Design For Power System Applications, Rabie Belkacemi Jan 2011

Immune System Based Control And Intelligent Agent Design For Power System Applications, Rabie Belkacemi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The National Academy of Engineering has selected the US Electric Power Grid as the supreme engineering achievement of the 20th century. Yet, this same grid is struggling to keep up with the increasing demand for electricity, its quality and cost. A growing recognition of the need to modernize the grid to meet future challenges has found articulation in the vision of a Smart Grid in using new control strategies that are intelligent, distributed, and adaptive. The objective of this work is to develop smart control systems inspired from the biological Human Immune System to better manage the power grid at …

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Development Of Advanced Coal Devolatilization And Secondary Pyrolysis Kinetics Models For Cfd (And Process Simulation) Codes, Kiran Pandurang Chaudhari Jan 2011

Development Of Advanced Coal Devolatilization And Secondary Pyrolysis Kinetics Models For Cfd (And Process Simulation) Codes, Kiran Pandurang Chaudhari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Detailed kinetic expressions for the gasification of a wide variety of coals in existing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes such as Multiphase Flow with Interphase Exchanges (MFIX) developed by NETL. These expressions describe the fundamental steps taking place in the gasification of coal, namely, coal devolatilization, tar-gas chemistry, soot formation and the heterogeneous and homogeneous gasification reaction along with combustion reactions. For this purpose, the data generated by PC Coal Lab (PCCL) is used to simulate the gasification of various coals in CFD codes. The CFD code of most interest is MFIX, which is used to describe the hydrodynamics, heat …

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Toward A New Understanding Of Esl Students In The Composition Classroom, Vladimira Duka Jan 2011

Toward A New Understanding Of Esl Students In The Composition Classroom, Vladimira Duka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this Master's thesis was to investigate the ways in which Composition teachers in U.S. English departments should revisit their teaching practices for native English speakers and the speakers of English as a second language likewise. The recent need for this shift in teaching practices was stressed in the thesis. Particularly, I examined how Composition teachers should reconfigure their teaching practices to redefine the standards of written English. The study aimed to demonstrate that a changing definition of the standards of written English impacted all the classroom participants, particularly diverse learners in various ways. Specifically, how a modified …

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Bioscience Laboratory: Online And Face-To-Face Laboratory Experiences In Requisite Biosciences For Nursing At A Community College, Deborah K. Folger Jan 2011

Bioscience Laboratory: Online And Face-To-Face Laboratory Experiences In Requisite Biosciences For Nursing At A Community College, Deborah K. Folger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to analyze student perceptions of the online and face-to-face bioscience laboratory experiences in Anatomy and Physiology and Microbiology. The study took place at a community college in a rural geographic area and data were collected from associate degree seeking first and second year nursing students via a survey questionnaire and student focus groups in addition to archival enrollment and graduate data. The research study was guided by the following questions: What are nursing student perceptions concerning the impact of Anatomy and Physiology and Microbiology bioscience laboratory experiences on the transfer of knowledge to nursing …

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Mechano-Enzymatic Pretreatment Of Lignocellulosic Biomass, Bibu Philip George Jan 2011

Mechano-Enzymatic Pretreatment Of Lignocellulosic Biomass, Bibu Philip George

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recalcitrance of lignocellulosic cell wall is a major hurdle that needs to be disrupted for biochemical refinery to be successful. Pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials play a key role for the conversion of lignocellulosic feed stocks to fermentable sugars. At present, various pretreatment technologies mainly achieved by empirical methods are available for the production of sugars from lignocellulosic polysaccharides. These methods depend largely upon the "demolition" of the cell wall by strong chemicals or using high energy input. As a result, these processes release "smaller compounds" as by-products or end products which inhibits downstream fermentation of monomeric sugars.;This project is a …

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Security-Based Risk Assessment For Software Architecture, Fadi Haj Said Jan 2011

Security-Based Risk Assessment For Software Architecture, Fadi Haj Said

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Enterprise, medium and small companies develop and maintain different types of large-scale software systems for public and financial institutes. A security failure in such systems could lead to a significant impact. It is therefore essential to analyze security risk in the system components early on during the development process in order to prevent the occurrence of security failures.;The objective of this research is to develop a methodology for security risk assessment during the early software development phases to identify high security risk elements, thus enabling us to enhance security features in the early phases of software lifecycle. This methodology can …

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Design And Development Of An Energy Efficiency Knowledge Center (Eekc), Seyed Mohammad Jalali Jan 2011

Design And Development Of An Energy Efficiency Knowledge Center (Eekc), Seyed Mohammad Jalali

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) at West Virginia University has worked with more than 430 manufacturing companies over 17 years to identify energy and productivity saving opportunities for small and medium sized companies. The savings, which keep adding up year after year, are appreciable but do not fully capture the potential impacts of the IAC Program. The implementation rate of the recommendations has been only about 40% on average. This rate was expected to be improved with a knowledge center.;Energy Efficiency Knowledge Center (EEKC) is a regional system which includes the development and deployment of technical resources to assist industrial …

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The International Context Of The Central European Countries Participation In The Afghan Stabilization Mission, Bartosz Kaluga Jan 2011

The International Context Of The Central European Countries Participation In The Afghan Stabilization Mission, Bartosz Kaluga

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Afghan stabilization mission is a new challenge for Central European countries in the XXI century, and probably the most important and the most difficult mission for Central European armed forces. The fundamental role of NATO in Central European countries' security results from basic strategic documents related to common defense. Strengthening NATO, in short, strengthens Central European countries' security. In addition, the Afghanistan mission provides an invaluable experience for Central European armed forces.;The findings of this study shows that although the Visegrad countries' troop contribution lagged in the early phase of the ISAF mission, with the passing of time they …

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Attitudes Toward Help Seeking Among Depressed And Non-Depressed Postpartum Women, Terri L. Liberto Jan 2011

Attitudes Toward Help Seeking Among Depressed And Non-Depressed Postpartum Women, Terri L. Liberto

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Postpartum depression is a serious mood disorder that can have negative effects on the new mother and her infant. Postpartum depression affects 10-15% of all women after childbirth. A majority of women with postpartum depression do not seek help from any source. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between attitudes toward help seeking and actual help seeking in postpartum women with and without depressive symptoms. Method: A convenience sample of 130 postpartum women from northwestern Pennsylvania completed the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) and the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Short Form (ATSPPH-SF).The …

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A Dutch Woman In An English World: The Legacy Of Alida Livingston Of New York, Melinda M. Mohler Jan 2011

A Dutch Woman In An English World: The Legacy Of Alida Livingston Of New York, Melinda M. Mohler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In 1674, at the conclusion of the Third Dutch War, the Treaty of Westminster placed the Dutch New Netherlands permanently under English control. For the many businesswomen of Dutch heritage who resided in the New Netherlands during the late seventeenth century, this shift in colonial power resulted in a drastic loss of economic freedom and, in many cases, brought an end to their public business ventures. As Dutch businesswomen increasingly retreated from the public sphere, their need to document daily activities dwindled and records of their personal lives all but disappeared. A study of the correspondence of Alida Schuyler Livingston …

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The Performance Of Asynchronous Cooperative Diversity With Sic Receivers, Harish Palakurthi Jan 2011

The Performance Of Asynchronous Cooperative Diversity With Sic Receivers, Harish Palakurthi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna systems are well known for achieving the higher spectral efficiencies and improving the link reliability in wireless communications. But the use of multiple antennas in a cellular uplink is impractical due to the size constraints of the mobile device. The potential solution which was used is to exploit the user cooperation to create a virtual antenna array. In this paper we investigate the cooperative diversity in an asynchronous code-division multiple-access (CDMA) uplink by taking inter-user non-orthogonality (allocation of non-orthogonal channels to multiple users) into consideration.;Most the previous research work assumes the use of the inter-user …

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