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Families Of Premature Infants: An Analysis Of Physical Abuse Risk Factors., Kimberly J. Ujcich Jan 1996

Families Of Premature Infants: An Analysis Of Physical Abuse Risk Factors., Kimberly J. Ujcich

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Physical abuse of children is a major social issue affecting families. Children under the age of three, children with disabilities, and those born prematurely have each been shown to be high risk populations for experiencing physical abuse. This study investigated several child, family, and environmental factors associated with physical abuse within a population of children born prematurely. Forty-five mother-child dyads from each of three chronological age groups (6 months, 12 months, and 18 months) participated. Home sessions were conducted in which mothers completed questionnaires, children were assessed for developmental abilities, and mother-child dyads were observed during feeding interactions. Demographic and …

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A Comparison Of The Performance Of Developmental Students With Regular Students In A College-Level Mathematics Course., Anthony Joseph Vavra Jan 1996

A Comparison Of The Performance Of Developmental Students With Regular Students In A College-Level Mathematics Course., Anthony Joseph Vavra

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of developmental students and regular students in a college-level mathematics course at a comprehensive community college. In this study, students were identified as developmental students if they were required to complete a developmental algebra course. Regular students were those students who were not required to complete this developmental algebra course based on their mathematics section ACT score or their ASSET elementary algebra score. The hypotheses were concerned with identifying any significant differences in the performance of the developmental students as compared to the performance of the regular students in a …

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Vibration And Air-Resonance Stability Characteristics Of Helicopters Using Rotor-Body Dynamic Interaction., Senthilvel Vellaichamy Jan 1996

Vibration And Air-Resonance Stability Characteristics Of Helicopters Using Rotor-Body Dynamic Interaction., Senthilvel Vellaichamy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Vibration and Air-Resonance stability characteristics of helicopters in forward flight are studied using rotor-body dynamic interaction. The rotor blade and fuselage are considered as flexible structures. The blade undergoes flap, lag, and axial motions and twist about the elastic axis. The air loads are based on quasi-steady aerodynamics and linear inflow model. The governing equations are generated by expanding the generalized forces in the Hamiltonian as a first-order Taylor series. The zeroeth and n/rev. vibratory loads are predicted directly in the fixed frame. This is expected to be more accurate than the force or modal summation methods. The blade controls …

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Selenium Requirement For Oligodendrocyte Differentiation., Jin Gu Jan 1996

Selenium Requirement For Oligodendrocyte Differentiation., Jin Gu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Selenium is a nutritionally essential trace element for mammals, and several studies have suggested that selenium may have an important function in the central nervous system. We hypothesized that selenium may play an important role in the differentiation of myelin producing cells, i.e., oligodendrocytes in developing brain. We employed an in vitro model system of glial cell cultures prepared from newborn rat brains to test this hypothesis. In mixed glial cell cultures, selenium deficiency inhibited developmental upregulation of myelin-specific genes, i.e., proteolipid protein (PLP), basic protein (BP) and myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) as assessed by Northern blot analysis. The effect of …

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Development Of Cost-Based Multi-Defect-Type Control Chart Using Fuzzy Set Theory., Mustafa Saadeddin Shraim Jan 1996

Development Of Cost-Based Multi-Defect-Type Control Chart Using Fuzzy Set Theory., Mustafa Saadeddin Shraim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Traditional attribute control charts for nonconformities or defects, such as c or u charts, assume that all defect types are binary in nature. However, some defect types have varying degree of seriousness within them. As a result, the plotted value on the control chart may not capture the true quality status of the product in question. Moreover, in many situations, large products may have multiple types of defects. These defects may be different from one another in terms of their severity. The classification process in attribute inspection tasks for the traditional control charts does not consider the variability within some …

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Ergonomic Evaluation Of Assistive Devices And Manual Methods For Resident-Handling Tasks In Nursing Homes., Ziqing Zhuang Jan 1995

Ergonomic Evaluation Of Assistive Devices And Manual Methods For Resident-Handling Tasks In Nursing Homes., Ziqing Zhuang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Resident-handling tasks have been identified as the primary cause of back injury among nursing professionals. The objective of this study was to evaluate resident-handling procedures to determine which procedures resulted in less biomechanical and/or psychophysical stresses to those personnel performing resident-handling tasks. The objective was accomplished through an ergonomic evaluation of different assistive devices and manual methods for performing two resident-handling tasks that place nursing personnel in nursing homes at a high risk of back injury--transferring residents from bed to a chair and lifting residents up in bed. Twelve assistive devices and two manual methods were evaluated in this laboratory …

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Reform Of Higher Education In West Virginia: A Bicameral System Of Governance, 1989-1994., Richard Domenick Cupelli Jan 1995

Reform Of Higher Education In West Virginia: A Bicameral System Of Governance, 1989-1994., Richard Domenick Cupelli

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In 1989 the West Virginia Legislature established a bicameral governance system for the state's higher education institutions. The Board of Trustees governs the University System of West Virginia while the Board of Directors governs the State College System. They have general management and control over the financial and educational policies of all public institutions. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the perceived effectiveness of the bicameral system of governance in West Virginia public higher education during the first five years of its existence. Assessment involves a survey and analysis of perceptions of those individuals instrumental in …

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Integrated Reliability, Availability, Maintainability Cost Modeling For The Manufacturing System Design/Operation Problem., Yavuz Goktas Jan 1995

Integrated Reliability, Availability, Maintainability Cost Modeling For The Manufacturing System Design/Operation Problem., Yavuz Goktas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The level of production at a manufacturing system is limited by this system availability. Stage or component failures will decrease the available production time which in turn decrease the system throughput rate and increase the production cost. A problem that faces system designers is the need to adopt design and operating policies to enhance system availability economically to achieve their goals. This problem raises two major questions to study: (1) How to go about comparing different design and operating policy alternatives? (2) What kind of criteria should be used to pick a cost-efficient design and operating policy to satisfy the …

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Fire Fighters: A Test Of Holland's Theory Of Careers., Brian M. Hershey Jan 1995

Fire Fighters: A Test Of Holland's Theory Of Careers., Brian M. Hershey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to investigate career and volunteer fire fighters using the vocational concepts of John Holland. The sample consisted of 100 career fire fighters and 100 volunteer fire fighters from a four state region. The instruments that were used in this study were the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI), the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), and a Demographic Information Form (DIF). The VPI was used to assess the three-letter Holland codes for the subjects; the MSQ was used to assess job satisfaction; the DIF was used to obtain demographic information, self-perceived competence, occupational daydream, career satisfaction, and for …

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Visionary Leadership And Total Quality Management In Higher Education Administration., Larry Dusten Kyle Jan 1995

Visionary Leadership And Total Quality Management In Higher Education Administration., Larry Dusten Kyle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Higher education is facing an enrollment crisis as well as reduced funding. Higher education is being asked to do more with less. Add to this increased demands for accountability plus increased competition for students and higher education is faced with the same situation American industry faced in the 1980's. This study seeks to determine if the tools and techniques of Total Quality Management (TQM) can help higher education as it helped American industry regain its competitiveness in the world market. To examine TQM in higher education, the effect of the visionary leader on the TQM culture was studied. The visionary …

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The Use Of An Instrumented Breast Model Of The Examination Of Patterns Of Search In Breast Self-Examination., Susan Bragg Leight Jan 1995

The Use Of An Instrumented Breast Model Of The Examination Of Patterns Of Search In Breast Self-Examination., Susan Bragg Leight

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this descriptive pilot study was to evaluate two patterns of search in breast self-examination for the thoroughness of search they engender. An instrumented breast model was developed and piloted for this study. Eight LVDT's were embedded in a silicone breast model. Downward pressure on the breast model resulted in displacement measures which were converted to digital signals through the use of an M102 module. A command software program recorded these displacement measures in a series of files. The research questions for the study addressed the following issues: what was the effect of the vertical strip pattern as …

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Applicability Of Bispectral Analysis To Unstable Plasma Waves, Renaud Stauber Jan 1995

Applicability Of Bispectral Analysis To Unstable Plasma Waves, Renaud Stauber

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A program to implement a spectral analysis technique called the bispectrum was written and tested with computer generated time series data. The application of the algorithm to the study of nonlinear interactions was demonstrated by a comparison of computed quantities with results from model equations found in the literature. Specifically determined were: the amplitude and phase of coupling coefficients, the power transfer function, the fraction of power associated with nonlinear coupling, and the identification of waves involved in a quadratic coupling interaction. A method of distinguishing the two parent waves from the daughter wave in this three-wave interaction is proposed …

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Constructing The Chaucer Corpus: A Study Of Cambridge, University Library, Ms. Gg.4.27., Matthew Clark Wolfe Jan 1995

Constructing The Chaucer Corpus: A Study Of Cambridge, University Library, Ms. Gg.4.27., Matthew Clark Wolfe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cambridge, University Library, MS. Gg.4.27, brings together more of Geoffrey Chaucer's work than any other extant manuscript. It contains Troilus and Criseyde, The Canterbury Tales, Legend of Good Women, Parliament of Fowls, and other poems. MS. Gg.4.27 is also important for its unique spellings, its organization, and its value as a corpus. Based on my examination of the manuscript, I argue that MS. Gg.4.27 is the earliest surviving effort to create a corpus of Chaucer's poetry and that the manuscript and its production provide important information about the reception of Chaucer in the fifteenth century. As there are no manuscripts …

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A Measurement Of Critical Thinking Dispositions And Skills Of Baccalaureate Nursing Students., Marjorie Mahoney Bower Jan 1995

A Measurement Of Critical Thinking Dispositions And Skills Of Baccalaureate Nursing Students., Marjorie Mahoney Bower

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences among freshman, sophomore, junior and senior baccalaureate nursing students in levels of critical thinking dispositions and critical thinking skills as they progress through a nursing curriculum. The effect of the educational experience was evaluated by examining the differences by grade level for the critical thinking dispositions and skills adjusted by significant demographic variables. This study examined the relationships between demographic variables and critical thinking dispositions and skills. Differences in the critical thinking dispositions and skills between selected groups that vary by gender and age were analyzed. The California …

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A Historically Oriented Physical Science Curriculum Model For High Schools In Taiwan, Roc., Li-Yu Fu Jan 1995

A Historically Oriented Physical Science Curriculum Model For High Schools In Taiwan, Roc., Li-Yu Fu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The study is to develop a historically oriented physical science curriculum model for the high schools in Taiwan. Taiwan is changing into a pluralistic society, in which the learners must be confronted with certain conflicts of the beliefs, values, and ideology raised by science and technology. Historical approach in science teaching has been identified as effective in helping the learners understand the nature of science in the social and cultural context. Also, science teachers in Taiwan have recognized that a historically oriented science curriculum model is in the needs of their teaching but the history of science hardly can be …

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Leadership Of Behavior Disorders Programs In West Virginia., Carol J. Graham Jan 1995

Leadership Of Behavior Disorders Programs In West Virginia., Carol J. Graham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was designed to examine the relationship of principal leadership and teacher behavior on the movement of students to a lesser restrictive environment. The specific lesser restrictive environment studied in this paper was the regular education program. The relationship between principal leadership through teacher behavior and the movement of the behavior disorders student from the behavior disorders classroom to the regular education classroom were examined in this study. The two hypotheses that guided this study were as follows: (1) the movement of behavior disorders (B.D.) students does not significantly regress on factors of the principal leadership; (2) there is …

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Political Culture And The Coal Economy In The Upper Monongahela Region: 1776-1933., Michael Edward Workman Jan 1995

Political Culture And The Coal Economy In The Upper Monongahela Region: 1776-1933., Michael Edward Workman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The industrialization of Appalachia traditionally has been understood in terms of the penetration and exploitation of the region by outside capitalists. The role of indigenous capitalists in the development of the coal and other industries has been neglected. Most development studies have focused on the Central portions of Appalachia, virtually ignoring the northern parts of the region, including the Upper Monongahela region of Northern West Virginia. Moreover, most studies of industrialization have focused on the rural, rather than the urban, parts of the region. Furthermore, the study of the role of coal miners and the miners' union (United Mine Workers …

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Ain't Misbehavin' : A Study Of Teacher Misbehaviors, Related Communication Behaviors, And Student Resistance, Danielle J. Dolin Jan 1995

Ain't Misbehavin' : A Study Of Teacher Misbehaviors, Related Communication Behaviors, And Student Resistance, Danielle J. Dolin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This examined teacher misbehaviors' relationships to student cognitive and affective learning, student liking of the instructor, and student resistance. Socio-communicative style, nonverbal immediacy, and behaviors characteristic of communication anxiety were examined as possible predictors of learning, liking, and misbehaviors. Factor structures of the resistance behaviors and of the teacher misbehaviors were explored. Data were collected both at the beginning of a semester and at the end of a semester survey. Results suggest consistency with previous models. Responsiveness, nonverbal immediacy. and teacher misbehaviors all contribute a significant amount of variance to learning. New dimensions for the teacher misbehavior and student resistance …

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Alcohol Treatment Issues: Professional Differences., Stella Y. Hshieh Jan 1995

Alcohol Treatment Issues: Professional Differences., Stella Y. Hshieh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The current practice of alcohol treatment in many agencies implies the distinction between addiction treatment and mental health treatment. This study attempted to investigate how the psychologists and addiction counselors might possess different philosophies and treatment approaches. It also attempted to examine how the differences might affect linkages across service system boundaries. Subjects were professionals who were actively involved in the treatment of problem drinking. Samples were selected from psychologists affiliated with the American Psychological Association (APA) and alcoholism counselors affiliated with the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC). A survey questionnaire was sent to each subject, …

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First Year Experiences Of Female College Students: A Qualitative Investigation., James M. Sottile Jan 1995

First Year Experiences Of Female College Students: A Qualitative Investigation., James M. Sottile

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this research was to describe and better understand the transition experiences of first-year women (18 years old) attending a land grant university in a Mid-Atlantic state. Transition was defined as the period of time from the participant's first-semester arrival on campus to the end of that first-semester. The main research question was: What do women experience during their first year (transition period) of college? From this main research question stemmed three sub-questions: (1) What is the nature of the social transition? (2) What is the nature of the educational transition as related to student development? and (3) …

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Staging Whoredom: Prostitution On The Renaissance Stage., Gregory George Winland Jan 1995

Staging Whoredom: Prostitution On The Renaissance Stage., Gregory George Winland

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent critics of Shakespeare's plays have acknowledged that the playwright's treatment of the lower classes is not as negative as once believed. Yet more critics claim the Shakespeare presented prostitutes and bawds, certainly among the lowest members of society, with callous indifference if not contempt. The plays that take up the issue of illicit sex reveal that Shakespeare's prostitutes and bawds are given the opportunity to speak about their problems from the stage. His plays consistently imply that the prostitutes are not a fountainhead of evil, that they carry out their profession simply as a means of survival. The dissertation …

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The Effects Of Collaborative Learning On Writing Quality, Writing Apprehension, And Writing Attitude Of College Students In A Developmental English Program., Martha Boger Shrewsbury Jan 1995

The Effects Of Collaborative Learning On Writing Quality, Writing Apprehension, And Writing Attitude Of College Students In A Developmental English Program., Martha Boger Shrewsbury

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined sixteen basic writers in a college developmental English program to ascertain what effect collaborative learning strategies would have on the writing apprehension, writing anxiety, and writing quality. Students operated in a collaborative environment: They followed a writing process and arrived at consensus within their group at each stage of writing. All writers still worried about their writing, but they collectively agreed that they spent more time on writing and rewriting. In short, writers had a vision of what they were expected to accomplish and demonstrated that writing was a powerful tool. This study encourages students and faculty …

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An Examination Of Mandatory Student Activity Fees At Selected Colleges Within Three State Systems., Timothy Gerard Mccrudden Jan 1995

An Examination Of Mandatory Student Activity Fees At Selected Colleges Within Three State Systems., Timothy Gerard Mccrudden

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the status of mandatory student activity fees within the state systems of higher education in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. The case study research method was the technique used in this study. The research consisted of (1) determining the policies and expectations that the state system's central administration had for its institutions with regard to student activity fees and (2) studying the details involved in the financing, allocating, and spending of student activity funds at three selected institutions within each state system. Data were gathered through interviews and printed materials from both …

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Strength Of Elderly Farmers And Manually Adjustable Rops., John Richard Etherton Jan 1995

Strength Of Elderly Farmers And Manually Adjustable Rops., John Richard Etherton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

If older working people (age 55 and over) do not have the strength needed to adjust the safety equipment they use, the consequences can be fatal. Also, there may be deadly results if safety equipment is not used correctly because the tasks involved in adjusting it are perceived as inconvenient and unacceptable. This study was part of a safety assessment designed to determine how to proceed in encouraging the design of manually adjustable rollover protective structure (ROPS) retrofits for older farm tractors. In particular, how acceptable are different locations and torquing requirements for threaded fasteners that must be loosened to …

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Performance Of Frp Components And Connections For Bridge Deck Systems., Sotiris N. Sotiropoulos Jan 1995

Performance Of Frp Components And Connections For Bridge Deck Systems., Sotiris N. Sotiropoulos

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Advances in manufacturing and design of fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) have led to the production of profiles that can be used as temporary or permanent replacements for bridge decks as modules. The main objective of this research is to study the performance of mass-produced, fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) shapes and their joints under static loads at a coupon, component, and system level and propose methodologies to analyze and design modular FRP bridge decks. An extensive experimental and analytical program was carried out to obtain and compare coupon and component properties (strength, stiffness, failure modes) of pultruded structural shapes and their …

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Design Criteria For Tensioned Point-Anchored Resin-Assisted Roof Bolt Systems., John Charles Stankus Jan 1995

Design Criteria For Tensioned Point-Anchored Resin-Assisted Roof Bolt Systems., John Charles Stankus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Roof bolting is now the primary means of roof support in mines. Further, the beam building mechanism is now believed to be the primary mechanism by which roof bolts work. This statement particularly holds true for laminated roof strata. With beam building, the roof strata is reinforced by the installed tension of the roof bolt to a point where it will resist the effects of both vertical and horizontal stresses. Despite all the advances that have been made in the area of roof control, no precise criteria has been formulated to determine what combination of bolt length and tension is …

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A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experience Of Nursing Students Enrolled In An Associate Degree Nursing Program., M Regina Jennette Jan 1995

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experience Of Nursing Students Enrolled In An Associate Degree Nursing Program., M Regina Jennette

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to identify the lived experience of nursing students who made the decision to pursue a nursing career. This study was significant because nursing education is advocating change in the educational process and the student body in nursing today is so diverse. One hundred and sixty (160) first and second year students enrolled in an Associate Degree Nursing Program responded in writing to the research question, "How has the decision to pursue a nursing degree affected you and your life?" The Phenomenological methodology of qualitative research was used to identify and present information collected in …

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Characterization Of Mesophase Pitch Materials From Petroleum And Coal-Derived Precursors: Kinetics And Rheology At Elevated Temperatures., Pravin Maruti Khandare Jan 1995

Characterization Of Mesophase Pitch Materials From Petroleum And Coal-Derived Precursors: Kinetics And Rheology At Elevated Temperatures., Pravin Maruti Khandare

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The mesophase pitches produced from petroleum (A240) and coal (HEXT450) have been characterized by several analytical techniques. The kinetics of mesophase formation from these two distinctly different precursor materials have been studied and an empirical kinetic equation proposed. Using the model parameters the petroleum pitch is found to have similar reactivity with respect to mesophase formation when compared with the coal-derived pitch. A new technique of determining mesophase content using computer-assisted image analysis has been demonstrated successfully and reproducibly. The technique is a useful replacement for tedious manual graphing and tracing necessary for area determination. A thermomechanical (TMA) technique for …

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Social Welfare Policy In The American States: The Case Of Afdc., Sung Chul Kim Jan 1995

Social Welfare Policy In The American States: The Case Of Afdc., Sung Chul Kim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is divided into two main parts. The first part presents an intergovernmental model of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, focusing on program benefits and eligibility criteria. The second part explores the impact of state political institutions--the governor, the state legislature, and the state bureaucracy--on AFDC policy outcomes. There has been a great deal of research on the structure and operations of intergovernmental programs in the United States (Beam et. al. 1983; Dilger 1989). There have been relatively few research efforts, however, that attempt to differentiate the relative impact that federal, state, and local government officials …

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A Layer-Wise Theory For Linear And Failure Analysis Of Laminated Composite Beams., Youngchan Kim Jan 1995

A Layer-Wise Theory For Linear And Failure Analysis Of Laminated Composite Beams., Youngchan Kim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Based on a generalized laminate plate theory, the formulation of a one-dimensional Beam finite element with Layer-wise Constant Shear (BLCS) is presented. The linear layer-wise representation of in-plane displacements permit accurate computation of normal stresses and transverse shear stresses on each layer for laminated beams with dissimilar ply stiffnesses. For the accurate computation of interlaminar shear stresses, the layer-wise constant shear stresses obtained from constitutive relations are transformed into parabolic shear stress distributions in a post-processing operation. The accuracy of the BLCS is demonstrated by solving various experimental and numerical examples reported in the literature. The BLCS formulation is extended …

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