Digital Commons Network^™

The Art And Science Of Discontinuous Innovation: A Case Study In Product Reinvention, Daniel C. Smoot

Theses and Dissertations

Divergence of new and old technologies is a source of tremendous innovation potential. As the dizzying pace of technological innovation accelerates indefinitely into tomorrow, not only do new paths diverge exponentially; doors already opened are increasingly abandoned for the allure of things undiscovered. Mature, late-stage life-cycle products left behind in today's fast-paced world open the floodgates to reinvention. This paper tests the hypothesis that innovativeness can be encouraged through the learning and application of universal innovation principles and processes. The implications of this research area are far-reaching. If innovation can be encouraged, then it can likely be taught. If it …

Terrain And Spatial Effects On Hazard Prediction And Assessment Capability (Hpac) Software Dose-Rate Contour Plot Predictions As Compared To A Sample Of Local Fallout Data From Test Detonations In The Continental United States, 1945-1962, Kevin D. Pace

Theses and Dissertations

Hazard Prediction and Capability (HPAC) Software is validated by comparing modeled predictions to historical test data. Reanalysis weather data is acquired and reformatted for use in HPAC. Simulations are made using various amounts of weather data by use of a spatial domain. Simulations are also varied by levels of terrain resolution. The predicted output of the software is numerically compared to historical test data. The result of this research culminated in the knowledge that HPAC prediction accuracy is improved by using terrain resolutions beyond the flat earth assumption. Furthermore, this research establishes that domain size variation produces no significant advantage …

Medium Access Control And Networking Protocols For The Intra-Body Network, Eric Thomas Stucki

Theses and Dissertations

Biomedical applications offer an exciting growth opportunity for wireless sensor networks. However, radio frequency communication is problematic in hospital environments that are susceptible to interference in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) bands. Also, RF is inherently insecure as eavesdroppers can easily pick up signals. The Intra-Body Network (IBNet) proposes a novel communication model for biomedical sensor networks. It seeks the convenience of wireless communication while avoiding interference and privacy concerns associated with RF. IBNet's solution is to utilize a subject's own body tissue as a transmission medium. Assuming that transmissions are contained within the body, IBNet solves otherwise complex …

An Estimation Theory Approach To Detection And Ranging Of Obscured Targets In 3-D Ladar Data, Charles R. Burris

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to develop an algorithm to detect obscured images in 3-D LADAR data. The real data used for this research was gathered using a FLASH LADAR system under development at AFRL/SNJM. The system transmits light with a wavelength of 1.55 micrometers and produces 20 128 X 128 temporally resolved images from the return pulse separated by less than 2 nanoseconds in time. New algorithms for estimating the range to a target in 3-D FLASH LADAR data were developed. Results from processing real data are presented and compared to the traditional correlation receiver for extracting ranges …

Evaluation And Analysis Of Node Localization Power Cost In Ad-Hoc Wireless Sensor Networks With Mobility, Brian A. Sessler

Theses and Dissertations

One of the key concerns with location-aware Ad-hoc Wireless Sensor Networks (AWSNs) is how sensor nodes determine their position. The inherent power limitations of an AWSN along with the requirement for long network lifetimes makes achieving fast and power-efficient localization vital. This research examines the cost (in terms of power) of network irregularities on communications and localization in an AWSN. The number of data bits transmitted and received are significantly affected by varying levels of mobility, node degree, and network shape. The concurrent localization approach, used by the APS-Euclidean algorithm, has significantly more accurate position estimates with a higher percentage …

A Comparative Usability And End-User Satisfaction Analysis Of Two Geographic Information System (Gis) Applications, Mark E. Barner

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force has recognized that organizations across Air Force installations often require geospatial information resources or maps to accomplish mission essential tasks. To provide an AF-wide approach to addressing this need, in 2001, the Headquarters Air Force Geo Integration Office formed the USAF GeoBase program. GeoBase is the name given to the Air Force's GIS program. As GeoBase has been implemented across the Air Force, there have been no mandated product standards for GIS applications. This thesis focuses on two different GIS applications being used across the CE community for the management of airfield obstructions. These two applications are …

Bda Enhancement Methodology Using Situational Parameter Adjustments, Michael V. Carras Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

In the context of close ground combat, the perception of Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) is closely linked with a soldier’s engagement decisions and has significant effects on the battlefield. Perceived BDA is also one of the most complex and uncertain processes facing the soldier in live combat. As a result, the modeling and simulation community has yet to adequately model the perceived BDA process in combat models. This research effort examines the BDA process from a perception standpoint and proposes a methodology to collect the pertinent data and model this perception in the Army’s current force-on-force model, CASTFOREM. A subject …

Strategic Airlift En Route Analysis To Support The Global War On Terrorism Using A Value Focused Thinking Approach, Marykathryn W. Tharaldson

Theses and Dissertations

The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) has yielded new challenges to the United States' strategic airlift infrastructure. The network of en-route airfields that serve as refueling and maintenance stops were designed primarily to service relatively static Cold War requirements. However, the GWOT has resulted in the need for an infrastructure that is responsive to a highly dynamic environment. This research uses a "value focused" methodology to identify en-route airfield locations that simultaneously maximize cargo throughput capability while possessing a high degree of adaptability to volatile cargo delivery requirements.

Future Of Fcs Financial Services, Lindsay Wiff

Theses and Dissertations

In 1935, Farm Credit Associations (FCAs) were comprised of 5,000 offices serving 10,000 communities. Today 97 associations serve 1,100 communities. FCS Financial Services (FCS) provides services to roughly 3,200 members whose lives and businesses will be affected if FCS is also forced to close its branch offices.

Executives at FCS have grown increasingly concerned the past few years; if action isn't taken the likelihood of branch closures are inevitable. In order to secure the future of its branches and employees, as well as serve the needs of rural communities, changes need to be taken. The president and CEO, Mike Krutza, …

Student As Audience, Actor, And Author : Engaging Digital Natives In The Design Of School Web Sites, Lora Lee H Cowell

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Geographic Variables Affecting Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) Nest Locations In The Red River Valley Of North Dakota And Minnesota, Josh Johnston

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Access To Healthcare In North Dakota Through Telemedicine, Peggy Vaagen

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Section 404 Wetland Mitigation Compliance And No-Net-Loss In The United States Army Corps Of Engineers, Norfolk District, Kimberley Anne Baggett

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Corps of Engineers is a federal agency responsible for regulating impacts to wetlands. Permit applications requesting authorization to impact wetlands are reviewed using a three step sequence: avoidance, minimization and compensatory mitigation. A national goal of no net loss of wetland acreage and function in compensatory mitigation has been recommended since 1987.Thirty Norfolk District projects requiring compensatory wetland mitigation in the permit years 1996-1998 were randomly selected for field review. The results showed that 10% of the project were never initiated or completed. Another 19% of the projects showed a net loss of acreage. However, many projects …

Terra Incognita, Miriam Ellen Ewers

Theses and Dissertations

Process Art: A Dialectic Between Intention Versus AccidentThe Art Studio as an Experimental LaboratoryThe Artist's UnknownImagined ArchitectureSubterranean Architecture: Natural and Man-MadePirenesi's Carceri PrintsGaudi's Architectural ModelsSelf-Reflexion and the Subconscious in Art-MakingArt and Ecstasy

Making The Forest Together: Young Children Represent A Shared Experience In Clay, Anna Mary Golden

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the strategies young children use to develop a common set of goals when collaborating on a group art work. Teachers at Sabot School spend a great deal of time in discussion of children's group work. By concentrating on one project in my preschool classroom, I reached a greater understanding of the way children work together on a group project. This understanding enriched my practice of teaching so that I could become a better facilitator of similar projects in the future. The information is valuable to me and the other Sabot School teachers when planning future group projects, …

Cultural Stereotypes: From Dracula's Myth To Contemporary Diasporic Productions, Ileana F. Popa

Theses and Dissertations

This study is focused on a highly topical theme, which belongs to the pluralist practice of cultural studies, and aims at investigating a remarkable phenomenon of identity-shaping and cross-cultural exchange. Starting from an analysis of Dracula as the epitomized image of the Balkans (and of Romania, more specifically) abroad, this paper provides a comprehensive historical and (con)textual analysis of the myth, enlarged to incorporate it into the fictions of exile and to draw the reader's attention to the "demonic" dimension of the Balkan area in general, and the Romanian area in particular. The first chapter provides a theoretical overview meant …

The Theatre That Will Be: 'Devised Theatre' Methodologies And Aesthetics In Training And Practice, Lisa Kathleen Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis details my process of teaching Devising Theatre, a course of my own design, in Spring of 2005 and Fall of 2005. I address my curricular development from semester to semester (readings, assignments, assessments) as well as the students' responses to the material. Additionally, I discuss my reasons for teaching the course and the place that alternative theatre can and should have in theatre training programs and in the realization of feminist pedagogy.

Impact Of Terrorism On Migration Patterns In Turkey, Yilmaz Simsek

Theses and Dissertations

This study is among the first studies that evaluate the social impacts of terrorism in a specific country for a 10 year period. It tests the effects of terrorism on domestic net-migration in Turkey, especially in the terror infected provinces of the Eastern and South Eastern regions of the country between the years 1992 and 2001. Terrorism has impacted people not only physically, but also psychologically. When faced with "future uncertainty" or the "fear of terrorism," it is natural for people to leave their home towns, and to migrate to somewhere else where they feel safe. In order to explore …

Ancient West Mexican Sculpture: A Formal And Stylistic Analysis Of Eleven Figures In The Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts, Crista Anne Pack

Theses and Dissertations

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) has in its collection eleven ancient West Mexican ceramic sculptures. Given that the VMFA's West Mexican Ceramic figure collection has not been included in any extensive study, this thesis serves to provide a critical analysis of these figures through a formal and stylistic approach. These analyses are preceded by a brief history of the West Mexican cultures and highlight the artistic similarities and differences between each region. The primary regions under discussion are Colima, Nayarit, and Jalisco which correspond to modern geopolitical boundaries. Primary sources for these discussions are the figures themselves, while …

A Postcard, Or Something Like It, Derek Cote

Theses and Dissertations

Postcards highlight the most invigorating, awesome and memorable aspects of events and places. They serve as mementos to be shared or as a testament to experience, proof that "I was here." While postcards were most widely used at the turn of the 20th century, they are quickly being outmoded by the immediacy of technology. Thanks to digital photography and the world wide web, sharing memories is something that happens almost as quickly as the original event is experienced. The history and function of postcards are not the topics that I will address in this essay. Rather, I will look at …

Measuring Student Satisfaction In An Online Course, Darrin L. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Liberian Refugees In The Red River Valley : A Geogrpahy[Sic] Of Hope, Lane D. Cowger

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Geography Of Methamphetamine In North Dakota, Alex J. Feidler

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Decline Of Provincial Culture In Dorset And Somerset Counties As Reflected In Thomas Hardy's Wessex Novels, Jay C. Durgin

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Bias In Severe Thunderstorm And Tornado Warnings Issued By The National Weather Service In Doppler Radar Era : A Spatial-Temporal Evaluation, Gary S. Votaw

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Why Use Geospatial Technologies In K-12 Education? : An Analysis Of Implementation From Spatial, Social, And Pedagogical Perspectives, Penny D. Pettit

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Feasibility Of Reestablishing Professional Baseball In Grand Forks, North Dakota, William Zachary Vandevander

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Remote Sensing Assessment Of Widespread Saltcedar (Tamarix Spp.) Infestation And Biological Control In Northwest Nevada, Charles Conrad Geraci

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Direct-To-Consumer Advertising Of Prescription Medicines In North Dakota, Tara Lacher

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Theatre Arts Assessment In New Jersey High Schools, Julie Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

Core Curriculum Content Standards and State Frameworks have outlined what needs to be taught in public high school arts programs, but how will teachers and administrators evaluate student achievement in the creative fields? Investigation of recent brain-based research and information on metacognition as they relate to the arts will be discussed in this project. Viable assessment tools for high school theatre arts programs that reflect recent research in metacognition will be included in this thesis.