Digital Commons Network^™

An Investigation Of The Effect Of A Reverse Engineering Tool On The Software Maintenance Effort, Leonie Menco Fernandes

Theses

In order to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of software engineering aids in software program maintenance, productivity improvements as measured by the time to task completion -- for a representative sample of Software Engineers were assessed, with and without the use of a commercially available CASE tool. These improvements were also measured in relation to the level of experience of the Software Engineer and the complexity level of the program maintained. Results show that the CASE tool appeared to have a significant impact on the productivity of the Software Engineers included in the study. The effect of the tool in …

Bidding A Bridge Hand: A Thesis On Knowledge Acquisition And Application, Gregg Silveira

Theses

Computerizing the game of Bridge has not yet met with much success. The efforts to date have fallen short of any reasonable technical proficiency. The game does appear to be perfectly suited for an expert system, however, since the game can be segmented into three contexts (Bidding, Play of the Hand, and Defense), each context can be described by a set of rules, and a series of inferences can be used to fire those rules. Each of the contexts is reviewed, then Bidding is chosen for further research. This thesis claims that the set of all hands subdivides into 1 …

A Knowledge-Based Approach To Understanding Natural Language, Bernard J. Huber Jr.

Theses

Understanding a natural language requires knowledge about that language as a system of representation. Further, when the task is one of understanding an extended discourse, world knowledge is also required. This thesis explores some of the issues involved in representing both kinds of knowledge, and also makes an effort to arrive at some under standing of the relationship between the two. A part of this exploration involves an examination of some natural language understanding systems which have attempted to deal with extended discourse both in the form of stories and in the form of dialogues. The systems exam ined are …

Ms. Pacrat: A Feeling, Thinking Machine, Lorraine D'Ortona

Theses

Since before the time of the first digital computers, the workings of the mind have been compared to that of a machine. With the onset of the discipline of Artificial Intelligence a truly organized attempt has been made to build intelligent machines that model the mind. Many interesting programs have been built, but the legitimacy of their success is a matter of great controversy. None of the AI programs developed so far have come close to the true power and intelligence of the brain. Expert systems, for example, are the most success ful commercial AI programs, and even they have …

Astronauts And Xingu: An Exhibition Of Cultural Ideograms, Edward Mineck

Theses

The intention of my thesis is to alter some of American culture's prevailing sentiments on the relationship between: masculine and feminine; visceral and cognitive; natural and technological; as well as altering perceptions of the loci of power in our culture. The thesis exhibition was composed of seventeen gum bichromate assemblages composed of elementary images appropriated from popular media. Each composite piece is a recontextualization of extant representations. I have taken things from their typical or original context and re-presented them in a context that I have selected and directed. The new relationships established among the appropriated component images and the …

Algorithm Animation And Its Application To Artificial Neural Network Learning, Walter Bubie C.

Theses

Algorithm animation is a means of exploring the dynamic behavior of algorithms using computer-generated graphics to represent algorithm data and operations. Research in this field has focused on the architecture of flexible environments for exploring small, complex algorithms for data structure manipulation. This thesis describes a project examining two relatively unexplored aspects of algorithm animation: issues of view design effectiveness and its application to a different type of algorithm, namely back-propagation artificial neural network learning. The work entailed developing a framework for profiling views according to attributes such as symmetry, regularity, complexity, etc. This framework was based on current research …

Effective Disciplinary Process In Management, Ying-Lung Teng

Theses

The application of discipline is the punitive behavior by the employer to suppress the employee's undesired behavior in the work place. However, there are many considerations have to be concerned when applied discipline.

An organization has to support the supervisor when applying discipline because it gives the supervisor the great power in dealing with problem workers. Organizational policy has to specify the degree of discipline and timing of discipline in order to make the supervisor and the employee have an idea about discipline.

The employee becomes satisfied with supervision when the supervisor uses good leadership skills to manage. In order …

The Legal Status Of Strikers And Replacement Workers, Chun-Shu Su

Theses

On labor-management dispute, each party to the negotiation seeks to protect its economic interests by extracting concession from the other. Both union and management back up their demands with the threat of pressure tactics which would inflict economic harm upon the other party. If the negotiations reach an impasse, a labor union's most powerful weapon at the bargaining table is the credible threat of a strike, a protected right under the National Labor Relations Act. On the other hand, the management may use lockouts or hire new employees to replace those striking workers to force concessions.

Hiring permanent replacements has …

A Proposed Model For Comparing The Performance Of Neural Networks And Statistical Approaches In Predicting Project Profits Of An Asphalt Paving Company, Josephine Giaimo

Theses

It is currently assumed that the performance of a model for predicting project profits of an asphalt paving company varies with an unknown number of parameters. An earlier study indicates that the parameters are not well understood (Berry, 1990). A search of the literature suggests that the available models usually are described by those who develop and use them as universally reliable and valid tools for solving complex problem (Allman, 1989; Bumke, 1988; Clark, 1988; Cohen & Howe, 1988; Fillon, 1989; Kling, 1990; Lawrence, Petterson, & Hartzberg, 1990; Marose, 1990; Pollak, 1988; Reynolds, 1988; Sullivan & Reeve, 1988; Thurber, 1988). …

Collage And Installations: Between The Sky And The Earth, Misun Hong

Theses

My work comes from my feelings about abortion. It is a difficult situation for all involved. It is a painful decision for a woman to make, one which not only affects her life but also that of a fetus and other people close to her. I wanted to inform others about the chaotic and complicated sadness that abortion brings to one experiencing it. A woman may ask, "Why do I have to make this decision? I have always tried to be a good person. Why me? Why woman? Why not men? Who's fault is this? I feel trapped, but in …

Analysis Of Umberger's Theory For Subtractive Color Reproduction, Paul R. Bartel

Theses

A method, proposed by Umberger, for the identification of additive stimuli representative of the red, green, and blue primaries controlled by dyes obeying Beer's law was examined. The primary stability study suggests that for a set of colors created of various dye concentrations, the pattern of Umberger's primary distribution is a translation of the original colors on a chromaticity diagram. Results of a theoretical color reproduction study where the colormatching functions of Umberger's primaries were assumed as the color reproduction system's spectral sensitivities indicate an increase in metric chroma of reproduced colors. Color reproduction errors for a large number of …

The Use Of Self-Managed Teams In Service Industries, Henry F. De Mena

Theses

Self-managed teams in business and industry are groups of workers assigned to perform a complete function in the operation of their company. ream members, when well-trained and multi-skilled, are flexible enough to rotate between positions as needed and to perform the various tasks which compose the complete function. The teams are autonomous, in that they manage themselves. Team leaders are resource persons, not directors. The organizations in which they are used are flat (managerial-wise) since little middle management is required.

Such teams are not uncommon in manufacturing industries. As yet, however, they are less frequently found in service industries, even …

Characteristic Shape Recognition With Fuzzy Dustering, Kalpesh J. Patel

Theses

The problem of shape detection has been treated as one of clustering. A fuzzy-shell clustering(FSC) has been formulated as non linear least squares with fuzzy memberships as weights. An improved FSC algorithm has been proposed based on this formulation to partition the input feature vectors into hyper-spheres. To illustrate the usefulness of improved FSC we have provided numerous examples in 2-D space. The idea has been extended to fuzzy ellipsoidal-shell clustering (rESC). A FESC algorithm has been proposed to partition the input feature vectors into ellipsoidal patterns. To substantiate our claims regarding usefulness of this algorithm we have provided many …

Emergency Preparedness : Disaster Planning For Health Facilities, Narendra R. Patel

Theses

There seems little that can be done to eradicate or even control natural disasters, considering the current state-of-the-art. If nothing can be done to prevent them, we must be prepared to cope with them whenever they do occur.

One possibility for greater assurance that hospital will properly accomplish its post disaster mission is an up-to-date, well-thought-out " Hospital Emergency Preparedness Plan." A well written and rehearsed disaster plan is essential for the proper and timely care of casualties arising from an internal or external disaster.

This thesis attempts to bring together many widely dispersed studies, disaster experiences and principles that …

Taiwan's Economic Development, Liwen Chang

Theses

Development, by definition, brings new resources into a society that allow for a higher standard of living. Many developing nations which changed from a traditional survival type society to a self-supporting society experienced a high rate of economic growth after the World War II. No matter what route these countries or regions took to success, in the process of development they all faced similar international trade and balance of payments problems.

This paper presents a case study of Taiwan as a developing country's model. Taiwan certainly qualifies as a successful example of development. Although there is really no complete normative …

Imagination Makes Things Perfect, Donna Lee Rollins

Theses

None provided.

Exploring The Future Of Compact Disc-Interactive, Patrick J. Haggerty

Theses

None provided.

Mind States, Susan Grinols

Theses

None provided.

Using Drama To Teach Drug Prevention Objectives In The Tenth Grade Language Arts Classroom, Mary Jo Teets

Theses

The primary objectives of this language arts unit were (a) to show that drug prevention objectives could be integrated into the secondary language arts curriculum without taking away time allotted for regular course objectives, and (b) to show that drama was an effective teaching strategy to combine language arts and drug prevention objectives. A secondary objective was to produce a video that could be used as a drug prevention tool with junior high school students. A six day unit which was taught to sixty-two tenth grade students at Grandview R-II High School in Jefferson County, Missouri, centered around producing five …

Body Ornamentation, Barbara Heinrich

Theses

None provided.

Analysis Of The Effects Of Biofeedback On Cardiovascular And Neuromuscular System, Andreas T. Gikas

Theses

Time series signal processing techniques (Fourier based) were applied to study the effects of biofeedback on the cardiovascular and neuromuscular system.

A medical instrumentattion system was developed to monitor ECG, EEG and EMG biopotential signals and temperature.

Data from two experiments were first analyzed. These data were from two normal male subjects who engaged in relaxation techniques (Transcendental Meditation & Imagery). If we assumed that for both subjects relaxation produced a decrease of the sympathetic activity then that resulted in a decrease of the heart rate (ECG) and an increase in skin temperature. Spectral analysis of the EEG signal showed …

Non-Parametric Dominant Point Detection Algorithms, Kuo-Wei Huang

Theses

Dominant point detection is one of the most important preprocessing steps for landmark-based shape recognition and point-based motion estimation. Two new methods for detecting dominant points are presented. Both methods do not require any input parameter and the dominant points obtained by these methods remain relatively the same even when the object curve is scaled or rotated.

In the first method, for each boundary point, a support region is assigned to the point based on its local properties. Each point is then smoothed by a Gaussian filter with a width proportional to its determined support region. A significance measure for …

The Legal Studies Of Women Employees, Yi-Ling Lin

Theses

Discrimination against women in the workplace has always existed, but because few women in the United stated worked until the Second World War, it was not regarded as a major issue before then. Although Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids employer and union discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, many available studies still showed that most women experienced discrimination in employment, especially in salary and promotion. In addition, there were a growing number of cases of sexual harassment in the workplace. This study was concerned with the implementation and effectiveness of legislation …

Japanese Management Techniques And The Civil Rights Act Of 1964 (Title Vii), Doris S. Mao

Theses

Japanese management techniques have been praised for its high efficiency and quality output. However, when these same techniques are transplanted in the United States, the results have been less than desirable. This thesis will investigate how the nature of the Japanese management system lends itself to employment discriminations which have resulted in court cases against Japanese firms in US.

The thesis will firstly identify the unique characteristics of Japanese management techniques and the reasons behind the efficient operations of Japanese firms. Since the Japanese management system is based on a paternal concept which identifies the corporation as the "second family", …

Towards An Understanding Of Women's Status In The Labor Force, Despina Papageorgiou

Theses

The thesis examines the status of women in the labor force from the economic and sociological point of view. It explores both the occupational segregation and the differences in earnings.

None of the existing theories provides a sufficient explanation either of the causes of the problems, or of the effects of women's position in the labor force. Each study has its limitations.

The previous studies failed to predict the dynamic effects of the changes that rapidly take place in the business environment and the increasing demand for highly qualified and experienced professionals. These changes facilitated women's entrance to top-management positions …

Outplacement Services : A Search For The Tools And Strategies That Improve Organizational Effectiveness, Geri P. Stowers

Theses

If outplacement is considered a necessity in this age of continuous mergers, acquisitions, and downsizing, then why do most companies find it difficult to utilize these services for all employees?

This thesis will assess previous research on outplacement and evaluate the reasons for limited use. A four page questionnaire containing nineteen questions was mailed to forty-two pharmaceutical and related industries. The survey questions focused on why and how these industries utilize outplacement services. A comparison study was done of the research versus what the pharmaceutical industries are actually practicing.

The results of the study revealed that most companies really do …

The Accreditation Of Professional-Technician Occupations, Michael William Allgaier

Theses

This study investigates the relevance of different elements of accreditation as applied to professional and technical occupations. The impact of essential elements of typical accreditation programs on the outcome of the credentialing process is studied. The credentialing process is viewed in the context of how it affects the public safety, health and well being of society. The health, legal, engineering, and educational professions are analyzed to form a conventional professional base of comparison with the emerging professional-technical occupations in the nuclear industry, especially nondestructive examiners.

Nurses, attorneys, engineers, and teachers accreditation programs are analyzed for their strengths and areas for …

Entrapment Series: A Catalyst For Response, Cynthia Jansen Miller

Theses

None provided.

Menu Design: A Typographic History, Janice M. White

Theses

None provided.

Nagual Interpretations, Bernard C. Meyers

Theses

Not Included