Digital Commons Network^™

Applying Commercial Style Acquisition Practices To The Procurement Of Commercially Available Aircraft, Douglas W. Humerick, Steven H. Minnich

Theses and Dissertations

This study was performed to recommend which commercial acquisition practices should be adopted in government acquisitions of commercially available aircraft. Previous studies, dating to 1972, illustrate the value of adopting commercial style acquisition practices in government acquisitions. Using commercial style acquisition practices can provide the government with lower costs and faster delivery with no sacrifice of quality. As a customer of the aircraft manufacturing community, the government must adapt to global market changes. Procedure reviews and changes must occur on an ongoing basis to take advantage of standard industry practices. Telephone interviews of nineteen top level personnel representing twelve domestic …

Comparison Of Four-Cursor Buttons Vs Joystick To Access Computerized Technical Information From An Integrated Maintenance Information System, Gerald E. Streff, Robert H. Gundel

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the use of four-cursor buttons versus a joystick device to present technical order information on a portable maintenance aid computer for aircraft technicians in a maintenance environment. Studies to date have verified the superiority of computer-presented technical orders when compared to current paper-based systems; this research investigated the effectiveness of these computer-based systems when technicians used a joystick or four-cursor button to display desired technical information. A comparison was made as to technician performance using a portable maintenance aid at the 4950th Test Wing, WPAFB OH. A total of thirty-two maintenance technicians …

An Assessment Of Afit Sys200, 'Acquisition Planning And Analysis', As A Broadening Course Under Apdp, Daryl J. Hauck, Charles A. Manship

Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed AFIT's SYS200 course, 'Acquisition Planning and Analysis,' to determine whether it serves adequately as a broadening course under the Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP). APDP certification requires persons in eight acquisition functional disciplines (Acquisition Logistics, Systems R and D/ Engineering, Program Management, etc.) to complete SYS200. Three complementary measures (assessing knowledge, self- efficacy, and a supervisor assessment) were used to determine whether SYS200 conveyed its curriculum effectively to members of all functional disciplines. The results showed that SYS200 attendance produced substantial increases in acquisition-related knowledge, self-efficacy, and supervisor assessments for all functional disciplines. In all three measures, …

An Evaluation Of Measurements Used To Drive Competitiveness In A Depot Maintenance Environment, Jack A. Meyer Jr., Timothy A. Widowfield

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis acknowledges that Air Force Materiel Command maintenance depots will face increased competition for workload, especially exchangeable items, both from other Service depots and from civilian contractors. The authors identify quality, delivery, and cost as the three primary competitive edges firms can use to gain advantage in the marketplace. Further, a recent study confirms that Air Force depot managers also consider these three factors of competitiveness to be most important. The authors tested two depot measurement systems: the Defense Depot Performance Measurement System (DDPMS) and measurements based on the Theory of Constraints (TOC). During personal interviews, 10 depot managers …

Comparative Educational Policies Between The United States And Japan, Mieko Kurihara

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Output Frequency Changes In A Commercial Rubidium Clock Resulting From Magnetic Field And Microwave Power Variations, Edward B. Sarosy

Theses and Dissertations

This report shows the relationship between output frequency shifts and the absorption cell magnetic field during microwave power fluctuations on a commercial rubidium frequency clock. Changes in the clock output frequency relative to the 10 MHz reference were monitored as changes in the absorption cell magnetic field (0.01 to 1.0 Gauss) and changes in the cell's interrogation microwave power were varied from the nominal specification (PO) at four discrete values (+1.3. -1.1, -2.2, -4.OdB). The maximum normalized output frequency shift of 1.4x10^-10 occurred at--4dB. The maximum normalized frequency change for the +1.3 and -1.1 dB data is about 3 …

Analysis Of Standard Type Unit Development, Jeffrey M. Hess, Merry D. Wermund

Theses and Dissertations

This research study examined the standard type unit development process for the Air Force. Current standard type unit development procedures were determined by a literature review. The literature review, with the interviews, provided information regarding the history of, purpose for, and possible alternatives for developing standard type units. A Delphi questionnaire was developed to determine how well the current process works, how standard type units worked for Desert Shield/Storm, and possible ways to improve the development process. This questionnaire was distributed to F-15 units, F-16 units, and major command personnel in Tactical Air Command (now Air Combat Command). All three …

An Analysis Of Acquisition Logistics Within The National Aeronautics And Space Administration, Brian J. Babin, Roger W. Jerney

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to review past actions and assess current plans for establishing more integrated logistics management in NASA. The focus of this study was acquisition logistics, the beginning of the ILS process. This study includes a historical review of acquisition logistics in NASA's major space programs as well as a review of numerous acquisition logistics models. Logistics managers from the Space Shuttle and Space Station Freedom programs were interviewed, surveyed, and observed to provide evidence of the degree to which these two programs are meeting or have met the objectives of the acquisition logistics model selected …

Public Space Launch Acquisition: A Comparative Case Study, Kenneth R. Leeson, Lee W. Rosen

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes three commonly practiced approaches to Government acquisition of space launch services. These approaches are employed by The U.S. Air Force, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization. The literature review provides a comprehensive overview of the commercial space launch industry and details critical perspectives on commercial, launch. Launch contracts which were representative of each organization's acquisition procedures were investigated and evaluated along several critical issues and elements of the space launch acquisition process. These issues included payload characteristics, government oversight, contractor incentives, insurance, liability and cost. The critical issues and elements were …

Development Of An Environment For Software Reliability Model Selection, Salah A. Elewa

Theses and Dissertations

An environment was developed for solving the problem of selecting a proper software reliability model for a given set of software failures. The idea behind the environment developed in this dissertation was to liken a collected set of software failure data to a previous one that proved to fit well with a specified software reliability model. Software failures were assumed to have a two-Parameter exponential distribution with unequal type II censoring. A test criterion was derived for testing Ratio Criterion. The exact distribution of the test criterion was derived. An asymptotic approximation was also obtained and was found to be …

A Comparison Of Aircraft Maintenance Organizational Structures, Wesley C. Davis, Sanford Walker

Theses and Dissertations

This study compares the aircraft maintenance structure being implemented by General Merrill A. McPeak with that of the previous structure typified by TACR 66-5. Historical aircraft data is used to compare organizational structures. Data from the USAF and USN is used to build regression models to determine if organizational structure contributes to combat capability. Statistical tests are used to determine if a significant difference exists between the two organizational structures. Regression analysis and comparison of the results lead the researchers to conclude that a significant difference exists in the performance measures of COMO and Objective Wing organizations. While many reasons …

The Effects Of Ddavp On Speed Of Accessing Long-Term Memory And Incidental Learning In Healthy Male And Female Volunteers, Robyn R. Swenson

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of desmopressin acetate (DDAVP), a vasopressin analog, were investigated using a computerized task designed to measure speed of accessing long-term memory at three levels of processing (physically identical decisions, same name decisions and same category decisions), and an unexpected free recall of the words presented. Forty-one healthy females and forty-three healthy males (age 18-34) intranasally received either 60 ug DDAVP in 0.6 ml of solution or 0.6 ml of saline 20 minutes prior to testing. DDAVP did not affect response time on the computerized task; however, when response time control trials were subtracted from the corresponding cells of …

Effects Of Inclusive Education And A Positive Approach To Implementation, Darryl Tunseth

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Historical Geography Of Swiss Settlers At The Red River Colony 1821-1826, Harleen J. Young

Theses and Dissertations

Europeans emigrated to the New World for a variety of reasons. The promise of free land and a better life especially lured many Europeans to North America. When going to a new unsettled area, emigrants have a tendency to go in small, isolated cluster groups which share a primary allegiance to a particular country or province. Such was the case with the Swiss who settled at the Red River Colony on land granted by the Hudson's Bay Company to Thomas Douglas, Fifth Earl of Selkirk, in 1811. The grant was given for the establishment of a farming community at present …

A Descriptive Study To Determine The Educational Needs Of Visually Impaired Students In Grades 1 - 12 In North Dakota, Anne S. Nielsen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to determine the educational needs of the 55 visually impaired general education (academic) students in Grades 1-12 enrolled in local educational agencies in North Dakota; and (b) to establish which programs or services the North Dakota School for the Blind should offer to visually impaired children, their parents, and educators. The target populations surveyed were educators of visually impaired students, parents, and visually impaired children. A two-part survey instrument, developed by Michigan's Department of Education, was modified and used to gather information for this study.

Results of the study indicated that local …

Factors Affecting Educational Change: Perspectives Of Two Elementary Teachers, Carol E. Marxen

Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on factors which affected two elementary teachers' change during the implementation of a curricular innovation. The curricular approach through which the change was explored and described was an integrative curriculum. Although integrative curriculum is not new to education, it was considered an innovation by the participants and their district.

Interviewing and observing were the major data gathering procedures used to inquire into the complex interrelationship required in understanding the factors affecting teachers' change. Final analysis was completed by developing a coding system to categorize the patterns that emerged.

The findings from the study identified external (factors over …

Element Student Teaching: Patterns Of Concerns, Shirley J. Aafeldt

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Merging Heart And Intellect: Guiding Responses To Literature, Rebecca Dawn Fontaine Ronkowski

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Design Of A Laboratory Computer Interface, Douglas L. Durand

Theses and Dissertations

An interface for the LSI-11 computer was designed and implemented so that the computer supports data acquisition, data reduction, and equipment control. The design includes both hardware and software and addresses both parallel and serial input/output (I/0). The serial interface's hardware is simply a Serial Line Unit card. This card plugs into the LSI-11 bus and provides the signals necessary to interface EIA RS-232 compatible devices. A software utility was developed to allow communication with the serial device and to allow exchange of data files. Routines were written to allow serial I/O through a FORTRAN program. The interface's parallel hardware …

A Modal Analysis And Modelling Of A Lightly Damped Large Space Structure, Scott E. George

Theses and Dissertations

This study involves the modification to the PACOSS Dynamic Test Article to create a lightly damped representative large space structure with closely spaced, low frequency modes. An experimental modal analysis is performed to recharacterize the low frequency flexible vibration modes. A finite element model is created using MSC/NASTRAN to predict low frequency behavior using both real eigenvalue analysis and frequency response analysis. Then a reduced order model is created and fine-tuned to represent the dynamics of the structure for the identified low frequency modes.

Principal And Teacher Attitudes And Perceptions Toward Implementation Of Site Based Participatory Decision Making In A Small School District, D. Guy Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the relationship of principals' and teachers' attitudes and perceptions toward a site based participatory decision making model that was implemented in a small school district. The main variables were the teachers' and principals' attitudes regarding the process, their attitudes regarding how the process was functioning in their schools, and their perceptions regarding areas for teacher involvement in the process.

The study incorporated quantitative and qualitative features. The quantitative design included a forty question survey. Thirty questions incorporated a Likert like scale, six questions were demographic in character, and four questions were open-ended by design.

The study was …

Bring The Self Back In: An Empirical Critique Of The Oversocialized Conception Of Women In Sport, Kimberly Ann Tyler-Ayers

Theses and Dissertations

This study takes a grounded theory approach to female socialization into sport. It argue* that social learning theory provides an inadequate theoretical framework for understanding female socialization into sport due to its emphasis on external socializing agents. This focus encourages an oversocialized view of the individual that generally falls to recognize the central role of the self in the socialization process. Semi-structured interviews with college level athletes, semi-athletes and non-athletes illustrates the prominent role of the self throughout the life course in socialization and social behavior.

Relationships Between Previous School And Life Experiences Of Pre-Service Elementary Teachers And Their Attitudes Toward Science And Science Teaching, Carlyn Elizabeth Grutzner Sampson

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between previous school and life experiences of pre-service elementary school teachers at the University of North Dakota and their attitudes toward science and science teaching.

The study incorporated both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The first six pre-service teachers from one of the science methods class who volunteered were selected for taped private interviews. Based on this information a quantitative survey (Sampson Survey I) was designed for discovering the relationship between past experiences of pre-service teachers and their current attitudes toward science and teaching science. Additionally, the Shrigley Science Attitude Scale (Shrigley, 1974b), which assesses attitudes …

The Antiballistic Missile System: North Dakota's "Safeguard", Douglas H. Harler

Theses and Dissertations

The political issues surrounding the deployment and dismantlement of the Safeguard antiballistic missile system and the impact that this Safeguard system had on the communities of northeastern North Dakota are shrouded in controversy. In this paper, the history of the Safeguard complex is reviewed; however, primary attention is devoted to the 1976 Congressional decision to dismantle the Safeguard Complex at Nekoma, North Dakota and the effects it had on the surrounding communities. This thesis analyzes the arguments of the proponents and opponents of the Safeguard deployment and dismantlement. The study concludes that the final decision of the Congress to dismantle …

General Education Requirements For Elementary Preservice Teachers: A Case Study, Judith K. Mccutchan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate curricular patterns for general education requirements in elementary teacher education during the period 1970-1990 and to examine the general education of elementary education seniors at the University of North Dakota in 1987-88 within the framework of changing views of the purposes of general education in teacher education.

Students were selected randomly from a list of seniors majoring in elementary education, elementary/early childhood education and elementary/special education during spring semester of 1988. Sixty students were contacted by telephone and interviewed during the final two weeks of the spring semester. Twenty-one faculty members whose …

An Observational Study Of One Teacher Supporting Risk-Taking In A Second Grade Classroom, Caroline K. Hagen

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Perceptions Of North Dakota Policy Participants Regarding The Adoption Of Selected Education Policy, M. Douglas Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Inconsistency of financial resources, increased demand for program results, and growing demographic problems have significantly impacted school districts in North Dakota and are reason for studying the participants and factors associated with the adoption of education policy. Education policy participants--the registered lobbyists, governance personnel, and legislative leaders--were asked to respond to a pre- and post-session questionnaire to determine their perceptions .of differing education policy participants in regard to the usefulness of information provided and about the degree of influence exerted on a legislative agenda. In addition, respondents identified the relative importance of factors which were considered significant in the adoption …

Attitudes Of Elementary Education Majors Toward Mathematics: A Qualitative Study Of Five Student, Mavis L. Kelley

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study focuses on five prospective female teachers' attitudes toward mathematics. The meanings each informant ascribes to her experiences surrounding mathematics are described in this work. Each informant was interviewed weekly during her senior mathematics methods course and observed and interviewed weekly throughout her student teaching experience. Interviews were open-ended and was the central focus of methodology. A field diary was used to record the reflective portions of field notes.

Experiences were carefully detailed and the informants directly quoted throughout the portraits and themes. The themes that emerged were: (1) meaning in mathematics, (2) narrow view of mathematics, (3) …

The Past Of Prologue: A Qualitative Study Of The Roles Of Biography And Teachers' Beliefs In The Practice Of Teaching, Renate Schulz

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Conflicting Narratives: Abortion Protest In The Media, Norman E. Clark

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.