Digital Commons Network^™

Reflections Of Public Accounting Interns: A Qualitative Analysis Of Experiential Learning., Victoria Knapp Beard

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to capture the meaning and value of the public accounting internship experience from the perspective of the interns themselves and to broaden our understanding of the educational component of the internship experience. The goals were to complement prior research efforts and to contribute to improved implementation of internship programs.Research on the educational benefits of public accounting internships is incomplete. Past studies, primarily empirical, have focused on measuring the educational benefits of internships in terms of subsequent achievement. Insights and opinions of the interns themselves have been under-utilized, and the learning environment--at the accounting firms …

Clustering Techniques In Speaker Recognition, Douglas N. Prescott

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a comparison based on identification rate, of three clustering techniques applied to cepstral features for speaker identification. LBG vector quantization as developed by Linde, Buzo and Gray; is used to provide benchmark performance for comparison with Fuzzy clustering (based on the unsupervised fuzzy partition-optimal number of classes, UFP-ONC algorithm by Gath and Geva) and an Artificial Neural Network, the Multilayer Perceptron. Cepstral features from the TIMIT, King and AFIT93 corpus speaker databases are used to produce speaker-identification classifiers using each of the clustering algorithms. The experiment reported evaluates the speaker identification performance using the 20-dimensional cepstral features …

Cohesion Of Discourse In Dialogue Journaling Of Adolescents With Language-Learning Disabilities, Jocelyn L. D Wiebe

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Reading And Listening Comprehension In Disabled And Non-Disabled Readers, Lora Sloan

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Differential Effects Of Defense And Prosecution Expert Witnesses, Marcia L. Moberg

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Validation Of A Screening Instrument For The Identification Of At-Risk Preschool Children, Michelle Muffenbier

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Case Study Of The Short And Long Term Symptoms Of Closed Head Injury In An Adult Female, Kim Denoon

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Cigarette Smoking On Phonatory Function In Males, Lynda M. Baker

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Narrative Of The Tao Te Ching : A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Narrative Paradigm Applied To The Tao Te Ching, Liza D. Krug

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Great Tone Split And Central Karen, William G. Kauffman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a comparative reconstruction of the tones and initial consonants of Proto-Central Karen based on the languages Eastern Kayah, Western Kayah, Geba, and Padaung. Other Karen languages are referred to but not studied to the same detail.

The study focuses on the great tone split that affected nearly all the languages of Southeast Asia, including Central Karen. I show that an understanding of the great tone split is crucial if one is to discover the phonological characteristics of Proto-Central Karen syllable-initial consonants.

In agreement with Haudricourt's (1946) analysis of Proto-Karen, I conclude that Proto-Central Karen had three proto-tones …

The Nuclei Of Discontent, B. Jane Overmoe

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to disclose a dramatic political event in droughtstricken North Dakota during the so-called "Dirty Thirties." After completing a Communist investigation for the Americanism Committee of the American Legion Auxiliary for the Department of North Dakota, Agnes Kjorlie Geelan began speaking engagements to inform the public about the results of the report and to persuade members of the American Legion Auxiliary to act upon the information. This study specifically analyzed the rhetoric of Geelan’s "Nuclei of Discontent" Address at the American Legion Auxiliary State Convention in June 1932 in Devils Lake, North Dakota.

To provide …

Vulnerability Assessment Using A Fuzzy Logic Based Method, Richard W. Fleming

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis demonstrates the feasibility of using qualitative analysis methods to evaluate computer security vulnerabilities. Although many risk analysis systems exist, few provide for the adequate analysis of identified vulnerabilities. While the main focus of this thesis is to evaluate computer security vulnerabilities, the methods involved have application in other areas requiring evaluation using qualitative methods. It is proposed, and demonstrated by this thesis, that the use of qualitative analysis using linguistic variables to describe the impact of computer security vulnerabilities is not only feasible, but intrinsically easier to understand and use than quantitative methods.

Graphical Tools For Situational Awareness Assistance For Large Battle Spaces, Brian B. Soltz

Theses and Dissertations

As virtual environments grow in complexity and size, users are increasingly challenged in assessing situations in large-scale virtual environment. This occurs because of the difficulty in determining where to focus attention and assimilating and assessing the information as it floods in. One technique for providing this type of assistance is to provide the user with a first-person, immersive, synthetic environment observation post, that permits unobtrusive observation of the environment without interfering with the activity in the environment. However, for large, complex synthetic environments, this type of support is not sufficient because the portrayal of raw, unanalyzed data in the virtual …

Investigation Into Model-Based Fuzzy Logic Control, Michael W. Logan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the feasibility of a proposed hybrid linear/Fuzzy controller for nonlinear plants. The proposed controller concept is based on the use of multiple linearizations of a nonlinear plant, which describe the dynamics of perturbations about equilibrium points throughout the desired envelope of operation. A bank of linear compensators is developed, each corresponding to a linearized plant about a different equilibrium. The multiple control signals generated by the bank of compensators are then weighted and summed using Fuzzy Logic to produce a composite control perturbation signal, which is used to drive the nonlinear plant. Experiments were conducted to test …

Imyan Tehit Phonology, Ronald Gerhard Hesse

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a description of the phonology of Imyan Tehit, a West Papuan language of Irian Jaya, Indonesia, couched in the framework of templatic syllable theory espoused by Junko Itô. It is based on 18 months (1989-1991) of linguistic fieldwork, in which the author and his family lived among the Tehit of Haha village, learning their language and culture.

Imyan Tehit has a maximal syllable template [CCVVC], obligatory onsets except word-initially, and a rare liquid coda. Syllable onset, nucleus, and coda are shown to be equally autonomous sub-syllabic structures. If they are complex or branching, they attract syllable stress. …

Interrogatives In Yanomám, Richard A. Thiele

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a general linguistic description of yes-no and information questions in Yanomám (a member of the Yanomami language family of Brazil and Venezuela) in the descriptive/typological tradition, including morphosyntax and semantics, appropriate responses, certain discourse-pragmatic conditions of their use (such as bias and focus), and intonation patterns.

Some things in the Yanomám language that are typologically unusual are an information question system that utilizes just one interrogative word, interaction of temporal-evidential particles with questions, and the occurrence of hortative constructions in questions.

My sources of information include the limited published works and articles on the language, previously unpublished …

The Effects Of Cognitive Style On The Learning Preferences Of Graduate School Students, Carey F. Tucker, John W. Underwood

Theses and Dissertations

This research establishes significant relationships between an individual's cognitive style, measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) , and the learning preferences of that individual, measured by the Learning Style Survey. The sample consisted of 529 Air Force Institute of Technology graduate students in the School of Systems and Logistics from 1988 to 1992, who completed four tests, pre- and post-tests of both the MBTI and the LSS. This research utilized Chi-Squared Goodness of Fit procedures, determining that some learning methods, techniques, and devices (MTDs) are most or least preferred by all four cognitive types, Sensing-Thinking, Sensing-Feeling, Intuitive-Thinking, and Intuitive-Feeling. …

The Dynamics Of Change From The Perspective Of Participants In A Women Studies Course, Michelle Eckart

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the teaching and learning experience in an introductory Women Studies course. It was of specific interest to explore how people acquire and transmit counter-hegemonic information and to describe their perspective regarding the dynamics of change.

Using a conceptual framework of education, anthropology, and feminism, a qualitative research study was conducted over a four-month period. The context of the study was a course in Women Studies. The participants involved in the study included the course instructor and five older-than-average undergraduate students enrolled in the course. Specific methods used were participant observation and audio-taped …

A Grammar Sketch Of Dəməna, Cindy S. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a description of the morphology and syntax of Dəməna, a Chibchan language of northern Colombia. Dəməna is an SOV language with postpositions and genitive-nominal, noun-adjective word orders.

Unusual features of Dəməna include: case marking suffixes which occur as phrasal affixes, a fusion of person marking and deixis in verbal suffixes, and interaction of temporal and special deixis on question suffixes.

Dəməna exhibits more agreement than would be expected. Causative constructions may contain two different direct object person agreement prefixes side by side on a single verb. In cases of advancement to direct object, the same argument may …

An Investigation Of The Reliability And Validity Of The Enderle-Severson Transition Rating Scale, Susan J. Severson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the technical characteristics of the Enderle-Severson Transition Rating Scale (ESTR; Enderle & Severson, 1991) and to add to the knowledge base about measurement in transition. Validity ;was examined by evaluating the scale's concurrent criterion-related validity, construct validity, and content validity. A measure of reliability was performed by examining the internal consistency of subscales and the entire scale.

The samples studied were special education teachers in North Dakota and Minnesota as well as the students they served. The student subjects had identified disabilities of learning disability, emotional disturbance, or mental retardation. All students …

The Motivations For Meaning: A Study Of Persuasive Appeals In Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, Lawrence Arthur Lannoo

Theses and Dissertations

In 1976, one of the most violent and controversial films of that decade was released in American movie theaters. The film, Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, was heralded by some film scholars as a masterpiece.

However, others criticized the film for its graphic presentation of urban violence. This criticism intensified when John Hinckley, Jr. attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, apparently motivated by his love for a character in the film, played by Jodie Foster.

The director of Taxi Driver, Martin Scorsese, responded to the criticisms of the violence in his film. He suggested that he was not trying …

Divining Place In The Manawaka Fiction Of Margaret Laurence: A Study Of The Five Female Protagonists, Shirley Vaughn Greves

Theses and Dissertations

The problem to be explored is to discover the reason(s) some of her readers find connections to place in the Manawaka fiction of Margaret Laurence. The problem also includes the determination of the meaning of place to Laurence, her female characters, and her readers, both casual and critical.

This exploration includes the examination of her five Manawaka works of fiction, the review of critical analyses of her work, a consideration of reader-response and feminist theories, and a visit to Neepawa, Manitoba, the physical place after which the fictional Manawaka is modeled.

Laurence defines place by geography and people. The physical …

Yoknapatawpha County In China: A Study Of Faulkner's Short Stories In Translation., Xian Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Since the meaningful impact of a word is context-dependent, this study investigates the cultural and semantic contexts of William Faulkner's short stories in both English and Chinese to determine whether the original is successfully "echoed." As controversial as Walter Benjamin's theory on translation is, "echoing" the original refocuses a literary translation on the overall effect rather than isolated wording. Despite its questionable practicality, it serves as the basic criterion in this study, which evaluates the quality of a translation through comparing the effect of the original with that of the translated in paralinguistic aspects such as voice, style, and dialect.Faulkner …

Integrating Psychological Operations Into The Joint Theater Level Simulation (Jtls), C. Matthew Pecot Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a prototype and methodology for integrating psychological operations (PSYOP) into the Joint Theater Level Simulation (JTLS) combat model. The requirement rose out of the need for aggregate-level training models to reflect the role of PSYOP so that commanders and their staffs can learn how to manage plan for, and conduct PSYOP within the context of AirLand battle doctrine. As the JTLS model currently exists, there is no representation of psychological operations whatsoever. This thesis outlines a methodology for incorporating the PSYOP analysis process (including the target audience analysis), the PSYOP product development and production process, the PSYOP …

A Fuzzy Logic Optimal Control Law Solution To The Cmmca Tracking Problem, Randy E. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force uses the C-18 Cruise Missile Mission Control Aircraft (CMMCA) to radar track cruise missiles (CM) during test flights. Because of the complexity of the CM flight profiles, maintaining radar coverage at all times is very difficult. This thesis attempted to apply optimal control theory to construct a simulation providing 100% radar coverage. The simulation was divided into ten second intervals, and fuzzy logic was used at the start of each interval to determine the set point, i.e., that point in space where the CMMCA should be in ten seconds. The set point calculation's fuzzy logic balanced CMMCA …

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

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the complex interplay of biography, beliefs and teachers practice, and reveals the enormous power of the personal and the past to inform and shape the present practices of teachers. For this study, two experienced and reflective high school English teachers were identified. Their teaching styles as well as their responses to the introduction of a new curriculum were very different, and this research was undertaken in order to gain a clearer understanding of how teachers' beliefs influence the way they shape the curriculum to make it uniquely their own, and how the personal figures in teachers' …

The Hakluyt Stage: Travel, Narcissism, And The Narrative., Thomas Palakeel

Theses and Dissertations

In this quincentenary year of the Columbus landfall, as the theorists debate the limitations of Western civilization, my dissertation critiques the narratives collected by Richard Hakluyt (1552-1616) who sought to enter the geographical and ethnographic discourse of the late Renaissance by inscribing the emergent English nation as the custodian of modern civilization. The English rhetoric of civility in the New World has taken the form of a series of monologic narratives, forced inscriptions that seek to normalize the history of colonization, slavery, and imperialism.My study of the narratives in Hakluyt's Principal Navigations (1598) reveals the cultural narcissism of the English …

A Comparative Study Of Selected Women's Studies Programs In The Upper Mid-West., Sandra Jo Parsons

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study is to gain a more complex understanding of women's studies programs in the selected sample in terms of: the activities of the Director; selected departmental and program information; instructor information; program evaluation methods; and the major strengths and concerns as perceived by each of the responding programs.In addition to the review of the related literature, two methods were used in the compilation and analysis of the data used in this study--collecting information from the selected universities and colleges with a questionnaire designed by the researcher; plus statistical analysis of the data to allow the …

Communicative Competence Of Individuals Diagnosed With Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Sandra D. Carr

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Media Maintenance Of The Status Quo : A Comparative Analysis Of Indian Today (Formerly Lakota Times) And Newsweek, La Royce Batchelor

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.