Digital Commons Network^™

Rogue Signal Threat On Trust-Based Cooperative Spectrum Sensing In Cognitive Radio Networks, David S. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive Radio Networks (CRNs) are a next generation network that is expected to solve the wireless spectrum shortage problem, which is the shrinking of available wireless spectrum resources needed to facilitate future wireless applications. The first CRN standard, the IEEE 802.22, addresses this particular problem by allowing CRNs to share geographically unused TV spectrum to mitigate the spectrum shortage. Equipped with reasoning and learning engines, cognitive radios operate autonomously to locate unused channels to maximize its own bandwidth and Quality-of-Service (QoS). However, their increased capabilities over traditional radios introduce a new dimension of security threats.

In an NSF 2009 workshop, …

Examining The Intra-Organizational Differences Among Municipal Employees: An Empirical Investigation Of Public Safety Workers In The Municipal Workforce, Joseph J. Breen

Theses and Dissertations

Attracting, motivating, and retaining public service employees continues to challenge both state- and municipal-level managers. Beginning with Perry’s (1996) public service motivation (PSM) construct, academics and practitioners focused considerable efforts in the identification of measures and factors influencing levels of motivation with the overall intent of identifying the key components of increasing employee motivations, thereby increasing the possibility of retaining the capable employees. While this effort has focused on managerial distinctions, groupings between genders, racial backgrounds, and tenure lengths, one significant comparison has yet to be explored—the public safety worker. Identifying and examining the motivating factors of police and fire, …

A Climatology Of Prescribed Burn Day Criteria For The Southeastern Us, Brandon Harold Sylvester

Theses and Dissertations

The United States has arbitrary weather criteria for a prescribed burn day to happen. This arbitrary criteria gives prescribed-burn managers a limited amount of days they can burn. To solve this, I established a 30-year climatology based on daily mixing height (m). I then calculated burn-day thresholds based on different mixing heights. I found seasonal and spatial patterns of the amount of days that are prescribed burns. Southeastern United States was my study area. A small decrease in threshold values will lead to large increases in prescribed burn days. Digital maps were created to show the spatial variability of prescribed …

Bedside Reporting, Melanie Krentz

Theses and Dissertations

Some might say that the complexity of health care as we know it exceeds the capacity of \ .). the human mind. As a result, the process of communication within health care organizations is equally as complex and to a large degree, challenging. Specifically, the patent handoff is particularly problematic and may be defined as " the process of transferring care and accountability for a patient from one health care professional to another'' (Jukkala, James, Autrey, Azuero, & Miltner, 2012, p.240). The aim of this paper is to introduce the notion of bedside reporting after identifying the importance and ongoing …

Evaluation Of Current Empirical Methods For Predicting Lateral Spread-Induced Ground Deformations For Large Magnitude Earthquakes Using Maule Chile 2010 Case Histories, Ginger Emily Tryon

Theses and Dissertations

Improving seismic hazard analysis is an important part of building safer structures and protecting lives. Since large magnitude earthquakes are rarer than other earthquakes, it is harder to model seismic hazards such as lateral spread displacements for these events. Engineers are often required to extrapolate current lateral spreading models when designing utilities, bridges, and piers to withstand the ground displacements caused by earthquakes with magnitudes larger than 8.0. This study uses three case histories from the Maule Chile 2010 earthquake (Mw =8.8) to develop recommendations on which models are most accurate for large earthquake events and how to improve the …

Classifying And Cataloging Cyber-Security Incidents Within Cyber-Physical Systems, William B. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

In the past, there were perceived delineations between the cyber world and the physical world. We are becoming increasingly aware of the overlap between these two worlds, and the overlap itself is increasing. The overlap between these two worlds is known as cyber-physical systems. There have been several incidents involving cyber-physical systems and the number of these incidents is increasing dramatically. In the past there has been no effort to identify methods for describing these incidents in the unique context of cyber-physical systems. This research provides a taxonomy for classifying these incidents that focuses on cross domain, impact oriented analysis. …

Detecting Heat Waves: Comparison Of Various Heat Wave Definitions With Excess Mortality, Lance Elliott Watkins

Theses and Dissertations

Four different heat wave definitions (as outlined by Hajat et al, 2006; D’lppoliti et al, 2010; Anderson and Bell, 2011; Nairn and Fawcett, 2013) were used to characterize heat wave mortality across the United States. The goal was to identify if certain definitions perform better or worse than others. Overall every definition performed poorly, resulting in high False-Alarm Ratios and low Heidke Skill Scores. However, the Nairn and Fawcett (2013) and Anderson and Bell (2011) definitions performed consistently better than the other definitions. Despite several limitations, the results of this study indicate that the heat wave definitions need refinement. Additionally, …

Am I In Danger? : Predictors And Behavioral Outcomes Of Public Perception Of Risk Associated With Food Hazards, Sang-Hwa Oh

Theses and Dissertations

Using secondary data collected in South Korea, this study explores possible factors that may affect the way the public perceives risks of food hazards. The present study incorporates scientific knowledge, socio-demographic factors, trust in information sources, news media use, and engaging in interpersonal communication as the possible factors. This study also examines how two levels of risk perception–personal and societal – are related with preventive behaviors concerning food safety. More specifically, the current study examines whether personal-level risk perception correlates more closely than societal-level risk perception with one’s intention to engage in preventive behaviors.

Findings show that personal-level risk perception …

Adultification In Juvenile Corrections: A Comparison Of Juvenile And Adult Officers, Riane Miller Bolin

Theses and Dissertations

The growing recognition throughout the nineteenth century that juveniles were different than adults culminated in the establishment of the first juvenile court in Cook County, Illinois in 1899. By 1945, every state had developed its own juvenile justice system separate and distinct from the criminal justice system. Since its inception, the juvenile justice system has experienced two waves of adultification in which the lines between the juvenile and criminal justice systems were blurred. While a number of studies have focused on the adultification of juvenile courts, no study has examined the adultification of juvenile corrections. Thus, the present study aims …

Police Officer Job Satisfaction And Officer-Sergeant Educational Levels: A Relational Demography Perspective, Sung Uook Lee

Theses and Dissertations

One immediate component of officers' work environment that has the potential to have a significant influence on officers' job satisfaction is front-line supervision. Frontline supervisors have been found to impact officers' attitudes in general (Engel, 2000). Additionally, Van Maanen (1983) found that supervisors may impact officers by rewards or punishment. Although it has been researched that supervisors impact officers' attitudes or behavior (Terrill, 2001; Davis & Mateu-Gelabert, 1999), Walker (2007) concluded that there is still little research on the impact of supervisors on officer job satisfaction. As aforementioned in this thesis, police officers' job satisfaction has largely been studied in …

The Role Of Institutional Antecedents In Public Service Motivation And The Impact Of Altruism, Empathy, And Public Service Motivation On Prosocial Behavior Among Local Government Employees, Melissa C. Emerson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is twofold: first, this research aims to contribute to the understanding of the roots of public service motivation and explore whether it is appropriate to ground the public service motivation concept in institutional theory; second, this research will analyze the relationship between altruism, public service motivation, empathy levels, and prosocial behavior. The field of public administration has witnessed a proliferation of research in public service motivation, both internationally and across the United States. A substantial amount of research has been conducted at the federal and state levels on public service motivation, leaving the local level …

Anti-Bullying Bill Of Rights Act (Abbra) In New Jersey: A Case Study Of The Implementation Of Regulatory Policy, Kara Douma

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate year two of the implementation of the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act (ABBRA). The environment of accountability has become increasingly prominent through the ongoing development of regulatory policy in the field of education (Anderson, 2011; Fowler, 2009; Limber & Small, 2003; Peterson & West, 2003; Rudalevige, 2003; United States Department of Education, 2011; White House, 2011). This investigation focused on the gap between crafted policy and implementation of policy due to prior anti-bullying legislation throughout the country having been unsuccessful in the implementation phase (Glover, Cartwright, Gough, & Johnson, …

Technologies And Artworks: An Interdisciplinary Exploration Through Ihde And Latour, Kathryn Lynch Thibault

Theses and Dissertations

Technologies and Artworks: An Interdisciplinary Exploration through Ihde and Latour discusses and applies the phenomenological framework described by the philosopher of science and technology Don Ihde, in his text Technology and the Lifeworld, in relation to recent artworks of sculpture and performance that incorporate technologies. The study considers closely Ihde’s embodiment, hermeneutic, and alterity variants for the purpose of developing conceptual tools to investigate the complicated human-technology relationships present in the works considered. A subsequent discussion of psychasthenia and its relationship to Ihde’s embodiment variant demonstrates the limitations of Ihde’s approach and the need for additional sources in order to …

Public Safety At Low-Head Dams: Fatality Database And Physical Model Of Staggered Deflector Retrofit Alternative, Edward William Kern

Theses and Dissertations

Low-head dams can cause dangerous currents near the downstream face of the structure. Fatalities at low-head dams are poorly documented. This thesis introduces a website with an interactive map and database of fatalities at low-head dams in the United States. The purpose of the web site is to generate interest among the general public to increase support to remediate dangerous structures and to serve as a tool for public education. The user interface allows the general public to browse fatal incidents by geographic location and to read incident circumstances. The site allows submission of public contributions including all metadata needed …

Multi-Rotor--Aided Three-Dimensional 802.11 Wireless Heat Mapping, Scott James Pack

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional wireless site surveys produce a heat-map of link strength or quality over a target area, usually on the ground plane. In recent years research has gone into using aerial drones in network attack and surveillance, making three dimensional awareness of wireless coverage areas of interest. A multi-rotor drone and data collection module were built and tested as part of this research. Site assessments were conducted both in open space and near structures. Collected data was interpolated across the target area, and visualized as points and contours. These visualizations were exported to a Keyhole Markup Language (KML) for visualization in …

Soil Fertility Status And Degradation Of 2, 4, 6-Trinitrotoluene Contaminated Soils, Chelsea Kae Katseanes

Theses and Dissertations

Current models for predicting the environmental fate of munitions constituents (MC) in soils are based mostly on chemical distribution parameters and neglect the larger considerations of other soil parameters. We are working towards a new approach based on the whole soil activity for predicting the long-term residence time and fate of MC in soils with connection to agronomic soil fertility concepts. These relationships are demonstrated by correlating experiments involving full physical and chemical characterization of eight taxonomically distinct soils, with batch reactor studies determining MC degradation potential. Soils were incubated in a slurry for 10 days in a closed reactor …

The Use Of Geographic Information Systems By Law Enforcement Agencies And Its Impact On Police Performance, Kun Ulvi

Theses and Dissertations

Do we know whether the use of geographic information systems (GIS) in law enforcement agencies increases police performance? This study examines the impact of GIS use to police performance outcomes in cities and counties of the U.S. between 2000 and 2007. Current research uses computerized mapping conceptualization to operationalize its measurement. Second, the police performance methodological context is used to measure the organizational impact of GIS. Finally, a new theoretical framework, information technology capacity that combines organizational, environmental and managerial factors to explain IT applications, is used to encompass most relevant dimensions of the subject matter. Findings indicate that the …

The Labor Movement At The American University In Cairo: Strikes, Associations, And Institutional Change, Derek Ludovici

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an ethnography of the labor movement at the American University in Cairo (AUC). I examine the major changes in the relationship between the workers and the university beginning in 2010. I first narrate the series of strikes that were carried out by the workers in October 2010, September 2011, and April 2012. Throughout this narration I analyze how contention and political opportunities define each strike's tactics and level of success. Additionally I look at how the strikes changed the way in which the workers can pursue grievances at the university. Second, I look at how the Independent …

Incorporating Construction And Demolition Waste Into Non-Load Brearing Bricks., Neveen Samy Talaat Soliman

Theses and Dissertations

Egypt faces serious solid waste management challenges. Currently, waste is either burned or dumped along roads and canals. Not only do these wastes cause health problems, but they also contribute significantly to soil, air, and water pollution. Solid waste can be categorized as residential, industrial, institutional, municipal, manufacturing, and construction and demolition waste (C&DW). The construction industry threatens the environment in three main ways: during the production of raw materials in the process of cement and aggregate production; during the construction process itself due to high consumption of energy; and, in the final stages of the construction process due to …

Film Censorship In Egypt: Power And Subject-Making, Sara El Adl

Theses and Dissertations

This study’s focus is censorship on film in Egypt from 1971 onwards; when the first sign of incorporating religion as a source of law appeared with the addition of article 2, which states that “Islamic Shari’a is a main source of legislation.” Film is the most culturally powerful artistic medium in the Egyptian society due its mass consumption and has, from its point of introduction, served as a mirror into Egyptian politics and morality. Foucault’s mission of understanding how “subjectivity” forms and the power relations/modes that bring it about is a lens through which this project intends to examine the …

Collaboration For The Common Good: Examining Americorps Programs Sponsored By Institutions Of Higher Education, Erin B. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The report, A Crucible Moment, published in 2012 by the National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement described a crisis in higher education surrounding the lack of civic learning and engagement opportunities for students. This crisis has led to decreased political participation and a general lack of knowledge in civics education (National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement, 2012). Educating students for citizenship in America’s colleges and universities will assist with sustaining the country’s democracy by engendering a sense of civic responsibility in young adults that will last throughout their lifetime. This qualitative case study …

Antenna Selection And Mimo Capacity Estimation For Vehicular Communication Systems, Nischal Adhikari

Theses and Dissertations

Vehicular communication is one of the promising prospects of wireless communication capable of addressing the issues related to road safety, providing the framework for "smart" or "intelligent" cars. To provide a reliable wireless link for vehicular communication extensive channel modeling and measurements are required. In this thesis a novel cost-effective implementation of vehicular channel capacity measuring system using off-the-shelf devices is proposed. Then using the proposed system, various channel measurements are performed. The measurement results are utilized to examine multi-antenna systems for vehicular communication.

The challenge in developing an efficient network between cars is to understand the nature of random …

Expanding Understanding Of Public Policy As A Complex And Pluri-Disciplinary System: Illustrating Possibilities Of Epistemic Pluralism, Cynthia Cors

Theses and Dissertations

Science, and especially the social sciences, has developed as distinct territories, each with its own vocabulary and language-game (Wittgenstein, 1945/1958). Yet understanding and explaining science as a complex and pluri-disciplinary system has important practitioner-oriented as well as research-oriented and other benefits, benefits that can be enhanced through the use of cloud-based technologies. Understanding and explaining public policy in particular as complex can inform and transform the way problems are approached. This is particularly important for an action subject like public policy and administration that can be considered as having been influenced by many disciplines. Public administration (PA) through multiple perspectives, …

Critical Editions And Comparative Analysis Of Three Representative Wind Band Works From The French Revolution, Adam Gary Kehl

Theses and Dissertations

The French Revolution witnessed the greatest output of music for wind band before the twentieth century. The importance of wind bands and wind repertoire grew for several reasons including, most notably, their participation in government sponsored outdoor national festivals. Festival celebrations were large gatherings in which wind band music was a central component. The French National Guard Band was the dominant musical ensemble in revolutionary France; its leaders, François Gossec, Bernard Sarrette, and Charles-Simon Catel, were among France's most important musical figures between 1789-1799. These men, in combination with music schools established in Paris during the Revolution, helped shaped the …

Public Support For Stricter Gun Control Laws In America Following The Tragedy At Sandy Hook Elementary, Ryan Jeffrey Hausmann

Theses and Dissertations

The past decade witnessed a considerable increase in public outrage and debates regarding gun control laws, due in large part to several mass shootings across the nation. The purpose of this study is to explore how mass shootings influence attitudes toward gun control. More specifically, this study will examine the respondents' familiarity with the 2012 mass shooting in New Town, Connecticut, and then explore their opinions about whether that shooting reflects isolated acts of troubled individuals, or whether it is a reflection of greater issues, and in turn, how those opinions influence attitudes toward gun control.

Data for this research …

The Journey Of Female Cancer Patients Or Survivors While Striving For Personal Work-Life Balance, Stacy Rothberg

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study explored how cancer impacted female patients or survivors while striving for personal work-life balance. Since female cancer patients and survivors encounter unique stressors, challenges, and experiences related to their cancer journey, this study examined the narratives of 10 women identified as having cancer and a comparison group matched on age via random sample for the birth year. The 20 narratives were a subset of the larger Weber (2011) sample collected by Digital Women's Project research team. The foundational theoretical framework is provided by Giele's (2008) life story method, which analyzed narratives through the lenses of identity, relationship …

Can Using The Internal Audit Function As A Training Ground For Management Deter Internal Auditor Fraud Reporting?, Christopher K. Eller

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the effects of using the internal audit function as a training ground for management and fraud magnitude on internal auditor fraud reporting decisions. Using a 2x2 between-participants experiment, the current study manipulates the use of the internal audit function as a management training ground (used as a training ground vs. not used as a training ground) and fraud magnitude (large fraud, defined as 30 percent of net income vs. small fraud, defined as one percent of net income). The results indicate that internal auditors may be less likely to report a fraud to their superior when the …

Trauma Experiences And Symptoms Reported By American Indian And Caucasian Sex Offenders, Regina Sioux Ertz

Theses and Dissertations

American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) people are known to have a history of man-made trauma that corresponds to the colonization of the Americans. Trauma experienced by AI/AN sex offenders has not been evaluated in the research as it relates to their treatment planning. The lack of data reflecting intervention needs for AI/AN sex offenders is problematic. The current study hypothesized that American Indian sex offenders would report a greater number of trauma experiences, endorse increased symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), display more traumatic cognitions, and endorse higher dissociative experiences than Caucasian sex offenders. Statistical results yielded did not support the …

Evaluation Of An Early Intervention System At A Law Enforcement Agency, Robert Scott Russell

Theses and Dissertations

Evaluation of an Early Intervention System at a Law Enforcement Agency. Robert Scott Russell, 2014: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler School of Education. ERIC Descriptors: Computer Software Evaluation, Crime Prevention, Law Enforcement, Police Community Relationship, Program Evaluation. The problem addressed through this program evaluation was that no formal study had been conducted regarding the implementation and effectiveness of the BlueTeam Program (BTP) within the law enforcement agency (LEA) serving as the study site. The BTP is a program that utilizes a computer application to track officer behaviors and alert administrators to potential trends in officer misconduct and …

Luxury Or Necessity: Constructing Little Rock City Hall, Joshua Blair Hart

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the construction of Little Rock, Arkansas City Hall. It provides a background of local architecture and history set against broader trends in United States Public Architecture. In particular, the paper explores the Pulaski County [Arkansas] Chancery Court case filed by attorney's for J.N. Hieskell against Mayor W.E. Lenon. Little Rock City Hall was designed by Charles Thompson, an exploration of Thompson's life and projects are also included in this paper. The appendices provide the full text ruling of the Chancery Court as well as Mayor Lenon's response to plaintiffs against him.