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Love Your Enemy Evangelical Opposition To Mormonism And Its Effect Upon Mormon Identity, Derek J. Bowen Jul 2012

Love Your Enemy Evangelical Opposition To Mormonism And Its Effect Upon Mormon Identity, Derek J. Bowen

Theses and Dissertations

Evangelical Protestant Christians have been one of the primary groups opposing Mormons since the beginnings of Mormonism in the 1820s. This thesis is an examination of the historical basis for Evangelical opposition to Mormonism and the impact of that opposition on Mormon identity. This study is divided into three chronological chapters representing the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries in America. Evangelical animosity towards Mormonism was grounded in the Christian heretical tradition begun in the second century AD. Because of this tradition, Evangelicals were inherently afraid of heresy for two main reasons: temporal treason and eternal damnation. Due to the heterodox …


A Real-Time Strategy Agent Framework And Strategy Classifier For Computer Generated Forces, Lyall J. Di Trapani Jun 2012

A Real-Time Strategy Agent Framework And Strategy Classifier For Computer Generated Forces, Lyall J. Di Trapani

Theses and Dissertations

This research effort is concerned with the advancement of computer generated forces AI for Department of Defense (DoD) military training and education. The vision of this work is agents capable of perceiving and intelligently responding to opponent strategies in real-time. Our research goal is to lay the foundations for such an agent. Six research objectives are defined: 1) Formulate a strategy definition schema effective in defining a range of RTS strategies. 2) Create eight strategy definitions via the schema. 3) Design a real-time agent framework that plays the game according to the given strategy definition. 4) Generate an RTS data …


Decentralized Riemannian Particle Filtering With Applications To Multi-Agent Localization, Martin J. Eilders Jun 2012

Decentralized Riemannian Particle Filtering With Applications To Multi-Agent Localization, Martin J. Eilders

Theses and Dissertations

The primary focus of this research is to develop consistent nonlinear decentralized particle filtering approaches to the problem of multiple agent localization. A key aspect in our development is the use of Riemannian geometry to exploit the inherently non-Euclidean characteristics that are typical when considering multiple agent localization scenarios. A decentralized formulation is considered due to the practical advantages it provides over centralized fusion architectures. Inspiration is taken from the relatively new field of information geometry and the more established research field of computer vision. Differential geometric tools such as manifolds, geodesics, tangent spaces, exponential, and logarithmic mappings are used …


We Need To Talk: Persuasive Communication In Fireproof Ministries' Xxxchurch Anti-Pornography Campaign, Vauna L. Davis Jun 2012

We Need To Talk: Persuasive Communication In Fireproof Ministries' Xxxchurch Anti-Pornography Campaign, Vauna L. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The growing evidence of harm caused by pornography calls for interventions to counteract the influence of explicit sexual media. Fireproof Ministries conducts a major Christian anti-pornography campaign called XXXchurch. This case analysis of the campaign evaluated if the messages were appropriately designed in light of what persuasion research has discovered about motivating attitudinal and behavioral change. Theories about agenda setting, attitude accessibility, exemplars, evidence, cognitive dissonance, guilt, reactance, fear appeals, and self-efficacy were the basis of identifying the themes of the campaign, evaluating the credibility of XXXchurch, and assessing the theoretical foundation of the campaign. The study found three dominant …


The Ibāḍī Traders Of Bilād Al-Sūdān, Jason Van Riel Jun 2012

The Ibāḍī Traders Of Bilād Al-Sūdān, Jason Van Riel

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis deals with the trans-Saharan commercial links between the Maghreb and Bilād al-Sūdān from the 1st till 5th century AH, and the role the Ibāḍī Traders « community played in establishing these links. Ibāḍī Traders of Bilād al-Sūdān« merchants monopolized the trans-Saharan trade due to their alliances with local Berber tribes and their predisposition to trade, dating from their inception history in Basra. Missionary efforts by Ibāḍī Traders « traders to Bilād al-Sūdān led to the introduction of Islam in Bilād al-Sūdān, as well as the introduction of other Islamic traditions and customs. Both religion and trade where of …


The Voice Of The Other: Representations Of The United States In Egyptian Popular Discourse, Sara Pulliam Jun 2012

The Voice Of The Other: Representations Of The United States In Egyptian Popular Discourse, Sara Pulliam

Theses and Dissertations

The Egyptian-American relationship is complex and problematic on many levels and, similar to Arab-American relations as a whole, often draws the attention of policy makers and academics within political science and its subfield of international relations. Previous analyses of this topic have focused on the dimensions surrounding US policies in the Middle East and the consequences of these policies on both the US and the Arab region. These studies range from being scathingly critical, such as Gregory's The Colonial Present, to advocating for a US foreign policy that is based in rational pursuit of interests that overlooks the discontent of …


The Church In The Square: Negotiations Of Religion And Revolution At An Evangelical Church In Cairo, Egypt, Anna Dowell Jun 2012

The Church In The Square: Negotiations Of Religion And Revolution At An Evangelical Church In Cairo, Egypt, Anna Dowell

Theses and Dissertations

In the wake of the Egyptian January 25, 2011 popular uprisings that deposed Hosni Mubarak from the presidency, youth and leaders from Kanisset Kasr el Dobara (KDEC) in Tahrir Square embarked on new and unpredictable political projects and activisms. This ethnographic study is an engagement with these new revolutionary negotiations on the part of the largest Protestant congregation in the Middle East. Using participant observation, focus groups, and interviews this research seeks to elucidate the ways that youth and leaders utilized institutionalized discourse, religious imagery, and relational networks in order to carve out a place in the Egyptian public sphere …


Private Military Companies: Assisting The Transnational Capitalist Class In Accumulation By Dispossession, Tori Aarseth Jun 2012

Private Military Companies: Assisting The Transnational Capitalist Class In Accumulation By Dispossession, Tori Aarseth

Theses and Dissertations

The topic of this thesis is the privatization of security and military services, and how the emergence of a private military industry should be understood. The argument I put forward has two integrated components. The first has to do with the ways in which privately provided security differs from publicly provided security, and the second with how privatization of security affects the distribution of power between social classes. I argue that privately provided security differs from publicly provided security in three main ways. First, the provision of security is depoliticized and turned into a technical issue that should be dealt …


The Image Of Woman In Pre-Islamic Qasida: The Mu’Allaqat Poetry As A Case Study., Yakubu Zahrrah Kamaldeen Jun 2012

The Image Of Woman In Pre-Islamic Qasida: The Mu’Allaqat Poetry As A Case Study., Yakubu Zahrrah Kamaldeen

Theses and Dissertations

This study is intended to examine the depiction of woman in the pre-Islamic poetic collection known as the Mu'allaqat; which are considered the best piece of poetic collection in literary Arabic. The significance of this study is to identify the true rationale behind the poets' over emphasis on woman in their odes. A combination of both empirical and library-based method is adopted in this study and Discourse and Qualitative contents Analysis are the techniques applied in interpreting the data. The study identifies two different types of women in the odes, the ideal woman who is not a specific woman per …


Oil Related Environmental Degradation And Human Displacement: Case Study Of Niger Delta Nigeria, Joshua Onyemachi May 2012

Oil Related Environmental Degradation And Human Displacement: Case Study Of Niger Delta Nigeria, Joshua Onyemachi

Theses and Dissertations

Oil wealth enriches Nigeria, but it has not improved the lives of the majority of the masses living in the oil-bearing areas of the Niger Delta. Niger Delta region has been exposed to environmental risks that have caused many to lose their means of livelihood, triggering high level of poverty in the region. This study examines the impact of oil-related environmental problems and how it has induced human displacement in the Niger Delta. Furthermore, it examined the efficacy of the Nigerian environmental policies as it related to the oil-bearing areas. The research found that oil activities have caused more harm …


The Influence Of The Physical Environment And Culture On Family Member Involvement And Succession Intentions In The Family Business: An Application Of Historical, Cultural And Political Ecology, Gregory Paul Tapis May 2012

The Influence Of The Physical Environment And Culture On Family Member Involvement And Succession Intentions In The Family Business: An Application Of Historical, Cultural And Political Ecology, Gregory Paul Tapis

Theses and Dissertations

Family businesses comprise 80 to 90 percent of all businesses in North America (Shanker & Astrachan, 1996) and account for 60 percent of total U.S. employment (Hutcheson, 1999). Furthermore, 34 percent of the businesses listed on the S&P’s 500 Index are family businesses (Anderson & Reeb, 2003). There are three primary purposes of this dissertation. First, based on a review of the kinship, anthropology, and family business literatures, a definition of family for use in family business research is proposed. Second, specific patterns of family member involvement in a sample of 1,000 family businesses associated with the Small Business Development …


A Method For Exploring Optimization Formulation Space In Conceptual Design, Shane Keawe Curtis May 2012

A Method For Exploring Optimization Formulation Space In Conceptual Design, Shane Keawe Curtis

Theses and Dissertations

Formulation space exploration is a new strategy for multiobjective optimization that facilitates both divergent searching and convergent optimization during the early stages of design. The formulation space is the union of all variable and design objective spaces identified by the designer as being valid and pragmatic problem formulations. By extending a computational search into the formulation space, the solution to an optimization problem is no longer predefined by any single problem formulation, as it is with traditional optimization methods. Instead, a designer is free to change, modify, and update design objectives, variables, and constraints and explore design alternatives without requiring …


Law Enforcement Intelligence Recruiting Confidential Informants Within “Religion-Abusing Terrorist Networks”, Hursit Ucak Apr 2012

Law Enforcement Intelligence Recruiting Confidential Informants Within “Religion-Abusing Terrorist Networks”, Hursit Ucak

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the motivation factors that make some individuals (terrorists) confidential informants. The study is based on the assumptions of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theories. Accordingly, main assumption of the present study is that some individuals with unsatisfied needs in religion-abusing terrorist (RAT) networks choose to become confidential informants to satisfy their predominant needs. The main hypothesis for the purpose of this study is “The individuals’ decision-making processes to cooperate with law enforcement intelligence (LEI) as a confidential informant is affected by some motivation factors during recruitment process.” The present study tests 27 hypotheses in order …


Socio Demographic And Motivational Differences Between Active Participants And Supporters In Pkk Terrorist Organization, Gokhan Koca Apr 2012

Socio Demographic And Motivational Differences Between Active Participants And Supporters In Pkk Terrorist Organization, Gokhan Koca

Theses and Dissertations

Especially for last three decades many of the scholars have tried to provide general terrorist profile, which is commonly usable for all terrorists. They were seeking to identify the process of becoming terrorist (Sageman, 2004; Russel&Miller, 1977; Strentz, 1988; Hassan, 2001). The main problem on those studies is that, without looking at degree of involvement of terrorist they just focus on “who becomes a terrorist and why” and they prefer to ignore different type of characteristics about terrorist. Yilmaz (2009) tried to underline and answer this subject by studying on arrest results about DHKP/C and Hizbullah terrorist organizations in Turkey. …


Blues Trope As A Cultural Intersection In Alice Walker's The Temple Of My Familiar And Sherman Alexie's Reservation Blues, Julia Leuthardt Apr 2012

Blues Trope As A Cultural Intersection In Alice Walker's The Temple Of My Familiar And Sherman Alexie's Reservation Blues, Julia Leuthardt

Theses and Dissertations

Though bound historically through hundreds of years, the African-Native American relation has not received much attention by scholars of literature; hence, the emphasis of this thesis is to investigate the literary portrayal of the interethnic relation between African Americans and Native Americans through the blues trope. The blues trope provides an intriguing literary platform for the psychological and physical struggles in finding an identity within such a diverse multiethnic society like the United States. For African American writer Alice Walker and Native American author Sherman Alexie the blues trope is a successful literary device in expressing long lost and rediscovered …


A Logistic Regression And Discriminant Function Analysis Of Enrollment Characteristics Of Student Veterans With And Without Disabilities, Yovhane Metcalfe Apr 2012

A Logistic Regression And Discriminant Function Analysis Of Enrollment Characteristics Of Student Veterans With And Without Disabilities, Yovhane Metcalfe

Theses and Dissertations

The postsecondary enrollment of student veterans has increased with the troop draw down in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the generous amendments made to the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Acquired disabilities remain a reality for this population as they transition into the civilian world; consequently, previous literature cites the role of disabilities amongst student veterans. Also, prior research often aggregates these two groups without a thorough understanding of the ways in which they differ. This study compared student veterans with disabilities to student veterans without disabilities in order to understand the enrollment and demographic factors on which they differed, …


Cavitation Of A Water Jet In Water, Michael Marshall Wright Apr 2012

Cavitation Of A Water Jet In Water, Michael Marshall Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Cavitation is a phenomenon that occurs in liquids when the pressure drops below the vapor pressure of the liquid. Previous research has verified that cavitation bubble collapse is a dynamic and destructive process. An understanding of the behavior of cavitation is necessary to implement this destructive mechanism from an axisymmetric jet for underwater material removal. This work investigates the influence of jet pressure and nozzle diameter on the behavior of a cloud of cavitation bubbles generated by a submerged high-pressure water jet. First, this investigation is put into context with a condensed historical background of cavitation research. Second, a description …


Choosing Surgical Birth: Personal Choice And Medical Jurisdiction, Alexandria Vasquez Apr 2012

Choosing Surgical Birth: Personal Choice And Medical Jurisdiction, Alexandria Vasquez

Theses and Dissertations

This is an exploratory study of women’s childbearing decisions and outcomes in non-medically indicated cesarean section childbirths (CS). Focusing on the structure-agency dichotomy, the research is guided by Anthony Giddens’ theory of structuration used in the context of the medicalization framework in order to analyze elements of personal choice and medical jurisdiction in childbearing methods. Quantitative analysis of secondary data and a thematic content analysis of Internet forums are conducted in order to analyze women’s perceptions of autonomy and constraint in their childbearing decisions and outcomes. The findings suggest that the polarization between second- and third wave feminist critiques on …


Solvation Of Organic Cations In The Gas Phase And Within Molecular Clusters, Ahmed Hamid Apr 2012

Solvation Of Organic Cations In The Gas Phase And Within Molecular Clusters, Ahmed Hamid

Theses and Dissertations

The role of the solvent in ionic and ion-molecule interactions is of fundamental importance in kinetics and thermodynamics of solution chemistry. However, the study of the ionic interactions in the presence of a large number of solvent molecules is very challenging. Therefore, the gas-phase is the appropriate medium to study such reactions on a molecular level where the ion-solvent interaction can be examined by studying ions surrounded with a cluster of solvent molecules in the complete absence of the any interference caused by the bulk of the solvent. In nature, organic ions can form hydrogen bonds with solvents. An insight …


The Portrait Prints Of Mehmed Ii, Saskia Turpijn Apr 2012

The Portrait Prints Of Mehmed Ii, Saskia Turpijn

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines four European portrait prints of Ottoman sultan Mehmed II, dated 1470 to 1493. At the center of this study is a formal and iconographical analysis that indicated all are rooted in traditional artistic conventions of both Western princely portraiture and stereotypical imagery of evil doers. Part of a feverish textual and visual discourse that was the result of great fear for the Ottoman aggression, they all adhere to a conventionalized type for the Eastern despot. The portraits employ to varying degrees a general pictorial language of evil, based on medieval folk imagery, that employed sartorial and physical …


Best Practices For Public Health And Behavioral Health Collaboration Following Disasters To Enhance Community Resiliency, Maureen A. Alms Apr 2012

Best Practices For Public Health And Behavioral Health Collaboration Following Disasters To Enhance Community Resiliency, Maureen A. Alms

Theses and Dissertations

Disasters have the potential to create massive public health devastation and overwhelming psychosocial impact within communities in which they occur. Since the events of September 11, 2001, behavioral health has become more integrated with public health preparations and response to disasters. Yet there can be challenges between public health's population-wide focus of protecting and restoring community wellness and behavioral health's focus on treating mental health symptoms of individuals. Evidence suggests that integrated, multidisciplinary approaches including the community itself are best to address the needs of those most at risk and restore a community's resiliency, yet best practices for doing so …


Assessing Deployment Risk And Resiliency Factors And The Adjustment Outcomes Of Police Officers Serving In Operation Iraqi Freedom And Operation Enduring Freedom, Paula Barrows Mar 2012

Assessing Deployment Risk And Resiliency Factors And The Adjustment Outcomes Of Police Officers Serving In Operation Iraqi Freedom And Operation Enduring Freedom, Paula Barrows

Theses and Dissertations

ASSESSING DEPLOYMENT RISK AND RESILIENCY FACTORS AND THE ADJUSTMENT OUTCOMES OF POLICE OFFICERS SERVING IN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM AND OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM By Paula Barrows Davenport, MS A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Director: Dr. Janet R. Hutchinson Professor and Chair of the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies The goal of this exploratory study was to evaluate risk and resiliency factors from the Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory (DRRI) in predicting post-deployment adjustment outcomes among police officers who served in …


Understanding The Instruments Of National Power Through A System Of Differential Equations In A Counterinsurgency, Cade M. Saie Mar 2012

Understanding The Instruments Of National Power Through A System Of Differential Equations In A Counterinsurgency, Cade M. Saie

Theses and Dissertations

Models that account for the progression of nation-building and the impacts of the instruments of national power -- Diplomacy, Informational, Military, and Economic effects -- are rare. This research proposes the development of such a model. Through the derivation of state indices for the operational variables of Political, Military, Economic, Social, Infrastructure, and Information, a functional form of a system of differential equations is developed to account for the interactions between the state indices and instruments of national power. This methodology is a mean-field inverse problem which solves for the coefficients of the differential equations in a data-driven manner. Publicly …


Combat Identification Of Synthetic Aperture Radar Images Using Contextual Features And Bayesian Belief Networks, John X. Situ Mar 2012

Combat Identification Of Synthetic Aperture Radar Images Using Contextual Features And Bayesian Belief Networks, John X. Situ

Theses and Dissertations

Given the nearly infinite combination of modifications and configurations for weapon systems, no two targets are ever exactly the same. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery and associated High Range Resolution (HRR) profiles of the same target will have different signatures when viewed from different angles. To overcome this challenge, data from a wide range of aspect and depression angles must be used to train pattern recognition algorithms. Alternatively, features invariant to aspect and depression angle must be found. This research uses simple segmentation algorithms and multivariate analysis methods to extract contextual features from SAR imagery. These features used in conjunction …


The Strategic Level Optimization Of Air To Ground Missiles For Turkish Air Force Decision Support System, Nurdinc Senay Mar 2012

The Strategic Level Optimization Of Air To Ground Missiles For Turkish Air Force Decision Support System, Nurdinc Senay

Theses and Dissertations

Inventory Management is one of the most important elements in military systems, especially if it is an ammunition inventory. To determine the optimum types and levels of ammunition a military needs, the probable needs of each type have to be calculated in peace time. Although the Turkish Air Force has Strategic Plans that show detailed potential war scenarios, there are many different ways to accomplish a war mission depending on the type of ammunition that is used. In this research, the need for air-to-ground missiles is calculated using a Weapon-Target Assignment algorithm with cost minimization, bomb usage minimization, and effect …


Forecasting Effects Of Influence Operations: A Generative Social Science Methodology, Christopher W. Weimer Mar 2012

Forecasting Effects Of Influence Operations: A Generative Social Science Methodology, Christopher W. Weimer

Theses and Dissertations

Simulation enables analysis of social systems that would be difficult or unethical to experiment upon directly. Agent-based models have been used successfully in the field of generative social science to discover parsimonious sets of factors that generate social behavior. This methodology provides an avenue to explore the spread of anti-government sentiment in populations and to compare the effects of potential Military Information Support Operations (MISO) actions. This research develops an agent-based model to investigate factors that affect the growth of rebel uprisings in a notional population. It adds to the civil violence model developed by Epstein (2006) by enabling communication …


Comparative Analysis Of Two Biological Warfare Air Samplers Using Live Surrogate Agents, James C. Enderby Mar 2012

Comparative Analysis Of Two Biological Warfare Air Samplers Using Live Surrogate Agents, James C. Enderby

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force has several high-volume biological air samplers, including the XMX/2L-MIL and the Biocapture 650. Limited information is available on either in terms of its collection of viruses and bacteria. However, previous research on the XMX/2L-MIL has determined that modifications to the secondary flow rate and the use of a virus preserving collection media may provide improved virus collection rates. In this thesis, these modifications were investigated to determine their impact on the collection of viral and bacterial aerosols. Additionally, relative collection rates were compared against those for the Biocapture 650. MS2 bacteriophage was the viral surrogate …


Streamlining The Change-Over Protocol For The Rpa Mission Intelligence Coordinator By Way Of Situation Awareness Oriented Design And Discrete Event Simulation, John P. Machuca Mar 2012

Streamlining The Change-Over Protocol For The Rpa Mission Intelligence Coordinator By Way Of Situation Awareness Oriented Design And Discrete Event Simulation, John P. Machuca

Theses and Dissertations

Incredible loiter times coupled with the ability to make extremely detailed collections at significant stand-off distances with a relatively expendable platform has made demand for, and diversity of, Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) operations grow at voracious rates. Conversely, financial resources are becoming increasingly constrained. As such, innovators are looking to maximize the effectiveness of existing personnel and assets by considering concepts such as simultaneous Multiple Aircraft Control (MAC) by a single aircrew. Research has identified procedural inefficiencies in current operations as well as substantial impediments to MAC implementation, including dynamic task saturation and communication challenges. An identified inefficiency afflicting both …


Analysis Of The Impact Of Data Normalization On Cyber Event Correlation Query Performance, Smile T. Ludovice Mar 2012

Analysis Of The Impact Of Data Normalization On Cyber Event Correlation Query Performance, Smile T. Ludovice

Theses and Dissertations

A critical capability required in the operation of cyberspace is the ability to maintain situational awareness of the status of the infrastructure elements that constitute cyberspace. Event logs from cyber devices can yield significant information, and when properly utilized they can provide timely situational awareness about the state of the cyber infrastructure. In addition, proper Information Assurance requires the validation and verification of the integrity of results generated by a commercial log analysis tool. Event log analysis can be performed using relational databases. To enhance database query performance, previous literatures affirm denormalization of databases. Yet database normalization can also increase …


Biodegradation Of Organophosphate Chemical Warfare Agents By Activated Sludge, Steven J. Schuldt Mar 2012

Biodegradation Of Organophosphate Chemical Warfare Agents By Activated Sludge, Steven J. Schuldt

Theses and Dissertations

Organophosphates (OPs) have been widely used as Chemical Warfare Agents (CWAs) as well as pesticides since World War II and still remain a threat to national security. While efforts have been taken at military installations and civilian communities to secure these chemicals and prevent their misuse, a determined adversary could still obtain and deploy them to injure, kill, or instill terror. The lethal properties of this group of compounds are primarily owed to their irreversible inhibition of the enzyme acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) and thus may alter the human nervous system or affect the hormonal balance of children in particular. In …