Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Power Factor Correction Converters, Thomas Yeh

Theses

Power Converter with capacitive input filter is a non-linear load to the Utility AC power lines. There are widely used as Switch-Mode Power Supplies in office equipment applications ranging from Personal Computers to Office Printers and Copiers. The distorted input current waveform extracted by the capacitive input filter of the power converters produces unwanted harmonics which propagates to other line powered equipments. The harmonic pollutes the AC lines and interferes with the operations of sensitive line powered equipments. The distorted current waveform also leads to inefficient utilization of the available power from the AC outlet. This is because the AC …

Caregiver Education Program, Lesli Demers

Theses

Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive, irreversible disease of the brain. It is not a normal or inevitable result of the aging process. However, as more people live to advanced age, the susceptible population will increase, as will the number of people afflicted with this disease. Alzheimer's Disease presents a challenge by taking away the patient's ability to remember, as well as the ability to learn.

Alzheimer's Disease has been characterized by many professionals as "the thief of minds" (Gewertz 23). Memories of life experiences and even one's own family members fade away leaving the person a stranger to those who …

Sexual Harrassment: No Longer The Perfect Crime (Informational Guide), Daniel K. Fee

Theses

This "applied learning" study will focus on sexual harassment, its many perspectives, and how to prevent it from occurring. Sexual harassment is a form of sexual discrimination that was initially covered under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964, and is now also covered under the civil Rights Act of 1991.

Title VII of the CRA of 1964 and the CRA of 1991 make it an unlawful employment practice to discriminate against any individual with respect to terms and conditions of employment because of that person's race, color, religion, sex or national origin .

The CRA of …

Me And Mikey (A Series Of Essays), Bryan R. Kasten

Theses

1bis project is a series of short stories based on but, not limited to my personal experiences. Imaginative exaggeration plays an important part. As Mark Twain once said, "I am the wellspring of truth. However, one does not bring up the entire well at once, but a bucket at a time." In each of these stories is a drop of truth.

The stories are a look at middle class life and various situations encountered by everyday people. The characters in these stories are based on real people, but their individual traits are stretched a bit to create satire and humor. …

The Valuation Of Antique Silver Using A Weight Valuation Methodology, Anthony Peter Kelson Iii

Theses

Unavailable.

A Training Model In Customer Service For The West County Ymca: A Not For Profit Organization In St. Louis, Missouri, Carlos Arturo Vanegas

Theses

In today's increasingly competitive business environment, many firms are overlooking a basic function that could potentially be turned into a strategic weapon: customer service. Customer service is a vital function of a company's operations, not only because it is the vehicle to fulfill the company's obligations to its customers.

Customer service is extremely important in service organizations. Services have unique characteristics that are different from products and require unique managing. For one thing, a service is an intangible.

The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) is a service organization. Due to the nature of the YMCA programs, it is extremely important …

Program Maintenance And Code Reuse: Object Oriented Versus Procedure Oriented Programming, Beiramali Moradi

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to address the problem of the increasing cost of program maintenance in the data processing world. On average, programmers today spend 60% of their time in program maintenance and that figure is increasing at an estimated rate of 1 % each year. The cost is staggering and almost every business would like to find ways of reducing maintenance costs. One way to help reduce maintenance and development costs is to improve code reusability. Both maintenance programming and code reusability are the focus of this thesis.

Today's most commonly used programming language style is procedure …

Quality Circles: "Teaming Up" At The Electric Utilities, Steven W. Mistler

Theses

The :focus of this project is the hypothesis that productivity of employees of utilities will improve in terms of increasing quality of their service, while controlling operating costs if they participate in teams involved in the decision-making process.

With the government taking steps to deregulate the sale of electrical energy, electric utilities will be thrown into a competitive market for the first time. Managers will find it necessary to keep quality high, while keeping rates low.

As American industry faced competition from Japan, management began to adapt the programs used by Japan to fit their own organizations. One successful program …

Ageism And Lesbians: An Exploratory Study, Suzanne Murdock-Amant

Theses

Ageism, not aging, oppresses. Women are oppressed by other women as well as by themselves . This is an exploratory study of the root sources of ageism in the lesbian community, speculating about t he conscious and unconscious motivations around ageism. It is assumed to be clear to all lesbians who have shunned patriarchal notions, build- in negation and diminishing of women, that ageism distracts lesbians from the pursuit of t he essential self, the very identity which lesbianism makes possible.

One old lesbian writes that she thinks it ironic that even in a woman-identified society like the lesbian community, …

A Marketing Plan For The Institutionalization Of Telecommunications-Related Expert System Software And Database Libraries, Charles T. Morris

Theses

This thesis will focus on the development o f a marketing plan for a specific Southwestern Bell Telephone Company (SWBT) software product and the impact the plan has upon the course of action that the company takes in the marketplace with regard to the product.

Due to general economic conditions, which are described in the conventional literature as ranging from a slowdown to a stall to a recession, depending on the authority's particular perspective, and an unprecedented event in the telecommunications industry, SWBT found itself with reduced resources, the loss of a previously targeted customer base, and no marketing plan …

Fixtures- "Personality" Or "Reality?" Who Knows?, Larry L. Perdue

Theses

This thesis by Larry L. Perdue examines the legal classification of property, specifically focusing on fixtures and trade fixtures within valuation sciences. It delves into the complexities of distinguishing between real and personal property, especially in cases where items such as machinery or attachments are integrated into real estate but retain some characteristics of personal property. The author highlights the potential financial and legal implications of misclassification, including issues related to taxes, valuation in business appraisals, and lender security. Drawing from historical legal principles in English Common Law and American Common Law, Perdue discusses key tests used in property law …

Guidelines For The Nursing Home Appraiser And The Valuation Of Entrepreneurship In Nursing Home Ownership, William R. Parrish

Theses

The thesis, Guidelines for the Nursing Home Appraiser and the Valuation of Entrepreneurship in Nursing Home Ownership, explores the unique challenges in appraising nursing home properties. It emphasizes the critical role of federal and state regulations, reimbursement programs, and care requirements in influencing property values. The paper outlines appraisal methodologies, including the cost, income, and sales comparison approaches, and addresses the nuances of valuing skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, and residential care facilities. It highlights the impact of legislative acts such as TEFRA, DEFRA, COBRA, and OBRA on valuation standards, emphasizing their effect on Medicaid and Medicare participation. …

Investigation Of A Program That Manages Cultural Diversity To Determine Its Relationship To A Profitable And Efficient Business Operation, Joan M. Hubbard

Theses

This thesis begins with the purpose of investigating a program that recognizes, accepts, values and manages cultural diversity in the workplace to determine its relationship to a profitable and efficient business operation.

Significant demographic changes are expected to occur by the year 2000 resulting in a more culturally diverse labor force. In addition to a labor force wherein "white males" become the minority, this labor force will be more resistant to shedding ethnic and sexual distinctions.

In the past, managers have achieved high-level mastery over physical production . However, as labor constitutes the greatest single cost component of output, the …

The Controversy Of Sex In Advertising, Tammy Bankhead Wright

Theses

Advertising has been highly criticized due to its power to influence people's attitudes and actions. Advertising is the nonpersonal communication of information, usually paid for and persuasive in nature, about products, services or ideas of identified sponsors through various media.

The main idea that will be developed in this culminating project is the fact that although sex in advertising is a part of our culture and society, as a communications device, the use of sex in advertising is not always effective and does not sell most products.

There will be no actual debate to determine what amount of sex in …

Managing New Product Development: A Project Management Manual, Ronald A. Hoormann

Theses

The purpose of this study is to develop a new product development project management manual for a typical firm. It will also investigate many of the problems companies have had managing the development of new products, as well how these companies have addressed the problems. The manual is intended to define a project management system by describing the goals of project management; the project management organization for the firm; job descriptions as they pertain to project management; the product development cycle; the project management process; and the procedures that will be used to plan, monitor, and control a project. It …

An Examination Of Attitudes In Females Identified With An Eating Disorder, Iris Jo-Ann Lee

Theses

The main purpose of this study was to investigate attitude demonstrated by participants in an outpatient multidimensional group treatment program for eating disorders. The problem concerned clarifying the attitudinal differences between eating disordered and non-eating disordered females after involvement in a time-limited treatment group. Procedural guidelines of the study were described for two groups designated as 5 eating disordered experimental subjects and 29 non-eating disordered control comparison subjects. Both groups completed the Eating Disorder Inventory, a 64-item self- report inventory which allowed measurement at pretest and posttest intervals. Data from this measure were collected before the beginning of treatment and …

Acculturation Of The Vietnamese Refugees And Immigrants In St. Louis, Missouri. Exploratory Study, Maria Ratuszynska

Theses

The purpose of this research was to study the acculturation of Vietnamese refugees and immigrants . 44 refugees and 19 immigrants residing in St . Louis, Missouri (city and county) participated in the study. Subjects were administered the Cultural Identity Questionnaire and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 . Demographic information was obtained using a data sheet.

The obtained scores were analyzed using the t-test statistic for equality of means . The independent variables were political status (refugee or immigrant) . The dependent variables were scores on the Cultural Identity Questionnaire for acculturation, and anxiety, depression and total score of the Hopkins …

A Study And Comparison Of The Ericksonian Strategic Style Versus The Medical Model Of Herbert And David Spiegel As An Approach To Hypnotherapy, Walter E. Roberson

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to compare and contrast two models of hypnotherapeutic technique. The first model is the strategic therapy of Milton H. Erickson, and the second is the medical model approach of Herbert and David Spiegel. A description of hypnosis is given by several researchers as well as a history of hypnosis as a psychotherapeutic tool. Each of the two models are discussed then noting structure, and use in clinical settings. Results of the study indicated that both models were effective modes of treatment, but the medical model had more of scientific orientation and so is better …

Application Of Substructuring Methods To The Dynamic Finite Element Analysis Of A Container Refrigeration Unit Frame Structure, Chung-Kang Chen

Theses

Substructuring is a technique in finite element analysis for solving mechanical engineering problems involving large structures which are too enormous for existing computer hardware and software to handle. This technique involves breaking the system into parts, analyzing the parts, and then re-assembling the total system using selected degrees of freedom from the parts. This thesis also provides a review of substructure theory as a background. The state-of-art involving different approaches of the method is presented . The ANSYS finite element analysis program is used for the case studies of analyzing a container refrigeration unit frame structure. The experimental vibration test …

Technical Skills For Packaging Sales, Duane P. Beck

Theses

This study addresses technical skills for packaging sales. Based on the results of the study, a training manual and course of instruction have been developed to introduce an innovative approach to packaging sales. "Technical Skills for Packaging Sales" defines the packaging sales professional, or PSP, a new kind of professional combining the skills of the salesperson with expertise of an engineer. Firmly grounded in the customer-- comes-first philosophy, the PSP is a problem solver, able to evaluate any packaging application to satisfy the customer's needs. "Technical Skills for Packaging Sales" explains an engineer's approach to packaging, including analyzing details, writing …

A Simplified Drive-Reinforcement Model For Unsupervised Learning In Artificial Neural Networks, David B. Suits

Theses

Partly in response to the apparent limitations of explicit symbol processing used by traditional artificial intelligence research, there has been, within the last decade, a growing interest in artificial neural networks. This thesis focuses on the development and testing of a model for describing certain kinds of biological phenomena. The many artificial neural networks available may be classified into three types: (1) self-organizing networks, which have input but no feedback; (2) unsupervised networks, requiring minimal feedback (perhaps a signal indicating success or failure); and (3) supervised models, which employ far more extensive (and, I think, biologically implausible) feedback mechanisms. In …

Computer Improvisation Of Jazz Solos, Daniel Chen

Theses

This thesis discusses the possibilities of using a computer to create Jazz solos. Various implementations using stochastic and rule based approaches were created and applied to analyze the original melody as well as the chord progressions. Based on the melodies generated, a rule-based approach that considered the original melody and the chord progression was found to produce the most "musical"

Senior Japanese Tourists To Taiwan And Their Marketing Potential: A Case Study, Nai-Chieh Jessie Chen

Theses

For decades, Taiwan's tourism industry enjoyed the great number of Japanese visitors until a few years ago, when the growth rate slowed and even declined. This decline was caused by several factors such as rising price, high appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar, inconvenient visa application procedures, limited airline seats, rising public disorder, and strong competition from neighboring countries. With much money to spend the Japanese tourists were the most welcome group to the world tourism industry. The senior (50 years and older) members among them, in increasing quantity and good financial ability, have become even more desirable among the …

Automated Knowledge Acquisition For Knowledge-Based Systems: Ke-Kit, John Parsons Scott

Theses

Despite recent progress, knowledge acquisition remains a central problem for the development of intelligent systems. There are many people throughout the world doing studies in this area. However, very few automated techniques have made it to the market place. In this light, the idea of automating the knowledge acquisition process is very appealing and may lead to a break through. Most (if not all) of the approaches and techniques concerning intelligent, expert systems and specifically knowledge-based systems can still be considered in their infancy and definitely do not subscribe to any kind of standards. Many things have yet to be …

Detection And Estimation Of Outliers In Low-Resolution Saturated Factorial Experiments, George F. Cretekos

Theses

The detection and estimation of outliers in a saturated factorial experimental setting is researched and discussed. Methods for detection and estimation are developed and tested in both simulated and "real" data sets. The techniques developed proved themselves useful in both detection and estimation of outlying values. The simulated data sets also showed how an outlier can affect the interpretation of an experiment depending on the number and sizes of active effects and on the amount the outlying value is actually shifted.

Green Design: A Guide To Environmentally Responsible Graphic Design, Jitinan Paisansathan

Theses

Not Included

An Implementation Of Bionomial-Qmf For Subband Coding Of Speech, Feng Chen

Theses

A real-time subband speech codec is implemented by the author on TMS320C25 digital signal processor based hardware for speech compression down to 0.25 bit per sample.

The Binomial Quadrature Mirror Filters (B-QMFs) are employed as the basic block for the hierarchical, dynamic tree, analysis/synthesis filter bank. After the analysis, available bits are optimally allocated among subbands. Band statistics are updated to overcome the nonstationarities of speech signal.

The energy compaction performance of this codec is compared with different subband and DCT in simulations for speech signals and AR(1) source models.

It is shown that the speech codec implemented provides an …

Design And Development Of An Automated Assembly System In A Discrete Manufacturing Environment, Sandeep K. Desai

Theses

This work is dedicated to extend the technology of automated assembly to include small and thin parts, light in weight. As the parts are thin a problem exists in the feeding process and orientation. The objective of project is to overcome this difficulty. The main theme of this thesis is to reduce labor cost and to improve productivity and quality of assembly operations by introducing low cost automation in the companies having discrete manufacturing environment.

An example of assembly involving a thin part has been selected. Two components from an electrical switch assembly are chosen, namely the spring and rivet. …

Design Of An Advanced Control Algorithm For A Nuclear Power Plant Feedwater Control System, Randall C. Ezzo

Theses

Electric power companies with nuclear power plants have been aggressively looking for ways to increase plant safety and availability by increasing the reliability and performance of the plant's control systems. The performance of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Station's feedwater control system can be significantly improved by replacing the proportional-integral compensator with a compensator based on modern control concepts. In response to a -10 inch reactor water level setpoint change, settling time is improved from 107 seconds with 3% overshoot to 34 seconds with no overshoot.

Editing Digital Audio Using A Perceptual Model, J. Mark Goode

Theses

In this paper we describe an intelligent system used to aid an audio recording producer in the selection of edit points in a musical sequence. It is possible to make meaningful recommendations concerning auditory input data without the ability to fully classify that data or interpret all outside goals. Perceptual modeling of the auditory input can allow sufficient reasoning ability for an intelligent system to be of use editing digital audio. To create a perceptual model, the information which can be extracted by the ear is embodied in several expert sections which communicate with a rule based decision maker via …