Digital Commons Network^™

The Development Of Laser Cost Estimating Relationships (Cers) From Commercial Data, Michael J. Nolette, Steven L. Seeley

Theses and Dissertations

The Post Cold War acquisition environment has been marked by significant budget reductions and the greater use of commercial practices. In this austere and rapidly changing acquisition environment, accurate cost estimates are paramount to maximize the use of the DoD's critical resources. The advancement of laser technology has spawned a large variety of military laser applications such as the Airborne Laser (ABL), Space Based Laser (SBL) and a host of other smaller programs. Furthermore, the Air Force Laboratory's Directed Energy Applications for Tactical Airborne Combat (DEATAC) Study (the sponsoring activity of this thesis research) is considering a host of airborne …

The Adequacy Of The Fourteen General Systems Characteristics As Function Point Adjustment Factors, Michael D. Prater, Joseph C. Willoughby

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to assess the perceived adequacy of the 14 general systems characteristics (GSCs) in deriving a value adjustment factor (VAF) for calculating final function point counts. Two self-administered surveys were used to collect data. Based on the survey results, it is clear that the 14 GSCs currently do not adequately represent the applications complexity required to adjust function point counts. The current GSCs remain controversial and while this research can not conclusively state that one factor is more accurate than any other, it is evident that certain GSCs are perceived to he more useful for …

Professional Contracting Certification: An Examination And Model Development, Robert D. Lorton, Daniel I. Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared the elements of existing contracting certification programs to an ideal contracting certification model developed by experts. The expert panel responded to an open-ended electronic interview to convey their ideas regarding the individual elements for the model. Input received from the initial interviews was used to develop a survey for the panel members. The surveys were completed and results were recorded and conveyed back to the panel members. This process was repeated until a majority was reached on each individual element of the model, resulting in the ideal certification model. The final model contained elements of both the …

Before And After: Is Outsourcing A Better Value Than Organic Support: A Case Study Comparing Organic Vs. Contractor Controlled Depot-Level Maintenance Of The F-117, Harry T. Loughran, John Webb

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine whether or not outsourcing of the depot-level maintenance of the F-117 was a better value than maintaining the capability in house. Specifically, this thesis sought to answer three questions: (1) Are the contract performance metrics good indicators of "better value"; (2) Has the decision to outsource F-117 depot-level maintenance provided a better value to the Air Force? (3) if outsourcing F-117 depot maintenance is an equal or better value, do we still want to give up the potential core capability? The research questions were answered through an extensive literature review, triangulation of …

A Comparison Of Department Of Defense And Private Sector Fraternization Policies, Jeffrey L. Frye

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how the new Department of Defense fraternization policy compares with fraternization policies in use in the private sector. To examine this issue, a detailed discussion of the military and non-military position on fraternization is provided, specifically the non-military position towards workplace romances or dating between co-workers. This thesis then looks at the findings of several studies, surveys, and inquiries to determine how fraternization is currently regulated in the private sector. The results of this study show a majority of commercial organizations do not have written policies prohibiting employee relationships, whether they are peer-peer or supervisor-subordinate relationships. Results …

Reparable Inventory Reduction: Impacts On Air Force Fighter Aicraft Mission Capability, Gregory E. Hutson

Theses and Dissertations

During the 1990's the Air Force experienced severe declines in serviceable inventory levels and a rise in their TNMCS rates. Air Force predictions of TNMCS hours during this time period did not account for the upward trend in TNMCS rates. The Air Force uses a regression equation, consisting of possessed hours, flying hours, and sorties, to predict TNMCS hours. This research, through simple linear regression, found a significant relationship between serviceable inventory levels and TNMCS rates for 8 of the 10 aircraft studied. Using this relationship, serviceable inventory levels were then added to the Air Force equations and new multiple …

Relationships Between The Degree Of Restructuring In Western Washington Elementary Schools And The Results On Criterion Referenced 4th Grade Assessments For Reading, Mathematics, Writing, And Listening, Gary C. Newbill

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to explore relationships between the degree of school restructuring in Western Washington elementary schools and results on criterion referenced tests for reading, writing, mathematics, and listening, administered to 4th grade students in 1997. The sample of convenience included 47 elementary schools from 4 Puget Sound counties.

The current study extended a larger project on educational reform conducted by 7 researchers under the direction of Professor J. T. Fouts. This research explored relationships between the degree of school restructuring, a construct developed through factor analysis of classroom teacher responses on the School Practices and …

Using Technology To Create Partnerships Among School Libraries And Public Libraries, Karen M. Puckett

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to show the benefits of collaboration between school libraries and public libraries with a focus upon how technology was a catalyst in creating those partnerships. Through case study methodology, two elementary schools which are recipients of a wide area network though the public library were examined. The development of the network, the public library's role, and the school staff's perceptions of the service which provides Internet and database access were examined. Advantages such as positive outreach from the public library to an underserved public and provision of otherwise cost-prohibitive databases and electronic reference sources …

School-Housed Community Libraries: A Case Study, Catherine E. Dugan

Theses and Dissertations

What factors lead to the formation of a school-housed public library? The purpose of this case study was to investigate the issues involved in combining a school library and a public library into one facility designed to serve all members of the community. Such arrangements generate questions concerning planning, governance, staffing, finances, collection development, and evaluation. A combined school-housed library in Delanco, NJ was studied. Data was collected through literature, interviews, documents, observations, and site visitations. Dr. Shirley L. Aaron's A Study of Combined School-Public Libraries was used to design interview protocols. A site visitation checklist was also developed. Historical …

The Role Of The Library Media Specialist In The Education Of Learning Disabled Students In Southern New Jersey, Janet W. Lani

Theses and Dissertations

Inclusion has become a major force in education. Special needs students are being placed into regular education because of legislation such as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act '97 (IDEA'97). Unlike previous legislation the federal funding for this act may be used in part for teacher training. This inquiry questioned media specialists in elementary schools in the eight southern New Jersey counties about training they had received in educating learning disabled students and any accommodations they have made in their program to better serve these students. It also compared how library is viewed in each school. Library may be a graded …

Continuing Education And New Jersey School Library Media Specialists, Carole A. Mckiernan

Theses and Dissertations

As of January 2000, all New Jersey educators will be required to complete 100 hours of continuing education and professional development every five years of active service. The purpose of this study was to examine the kinds of continuing education activities considered to be the most valuable to school library media specialists. A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to seventy-five randomly selected school library media specialists working in public high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools in the 8 southern counties in New Jersey. Data was compared with previous studies examined in the review of the literature. Librarians described professional development …

Reasons For Conducting Creative Writing Programs For Children And Young Adults In Selected Public Libraries, Helen A. Cowan

Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed and analyzed the reasons a selected sample of librarians chose to conduct or not to conduct creative writing programs for children and/or young adults (ages 8-18) in public libraries. Surveys were sent to 100 youth service coordinators in 22 states, with a 67% response rate. Half of the survey recipients were chosen on the likelihood they conducted creative writing programs and the second half were chosen on the basis of geographical location and population served in relation to the first set of libraries. Sixty-one percent of respondents conducted creative writing programs in their libraries, citing literacy promotion …

Library Curriculum Integration: Weighing The Advantages And Disadvantages, Shari L. Hayes

Theses and Dissertations

In an attempt to discover whether or not integrating the library curriculum into the classroom curriculum should be implemented, this study was designed to identify any advantages and/or disadvantages that this procedure may have. Two schools, chosen randomly, from each county in New Jersey were asked to participate. One librarian and four teachers from each school were sent questionnaires that consisted of one double-sided page of multiple choice and open-ended questions. Nine of 42 school library media specialists and 18 of 168 teachers of fifth and sixth grade students responded to this survey. Comparisons were made between responses from librarians …

Implementation Of An Activity-Based Costing System In An Air Force Laboratory Environment, Jayson M. Wrona, Martin Memminger

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the initial implementation of an Activity Based Costing (ABC) system within the United States Air Force's Research Laboratories (AFRL). We were attempting to ascertain what the initial purposes for implementing ABC within AFRL were, then determine whether or not those goals were being attained. We also attempted to evaluate the current system's appropriateness for achieving those initial purposes. Finally, we provide suggested changes to the model and areas for future research. We noted problems with AFRL's current ABC system. We were able to condense the problem into two main categories. First, when …

Listening Comprehension In Alcoholics., Sandra Owens

Theses and Dissertations

The literature on alcoholism has firmly established that impairments in cognition can remain for several weeks or longer in the detoxified alcoholic. Whether this impairment can impact relapse rates has been studied. In general, poor recovery on abstract reasoning, visual spatial tasks, and problem solving have been linked to higher relapse rates. Older age and less education can interact with cognitive impairments and increase relapse rates. Because the treatment modalities are dependent on listening and processing of information, there was a question as to what extent listening comprehension was impacted following detoxification, and to what degree deficits in this area …

The Beta Subunit Determines The Nucleotide Specificity Of Atp-Specific And Gtp-Specific Succinyl-Coa Synthetases In Vertebrates., James Darwin Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Two isoforms of succinyl-CoA synthetase (SCS) have been purified from breast muscle and liver in pigeon, one highly specific for adenine nucleotides (A-SCS), the other for guanine nucleotides (G-SCS), respectively. Nucleotide specificity studies demonstrated that A-SCS could not utilize guanine nucleotides and that G-SCS could not use adenine nucleotides. Enzymatic assays of tissue extracts detected both isoforms in kidney, heart, and brain, while only A-SCS was in breast muscle, and G-SCS in liver. Highly purified A-SCS and G-SCS each possessed the α and β subunits that are common to all previously purified SCSs. Characterization studies of the two isoforms by …

Non-Metal Detection For Supercritical Fluid Extraction Using An Infrared And An Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer., Shijiang Liang

Theses and Dissertations

Soil contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons is a very serious environmental problem. In conventional methods such as Soxhlet and Sonication, toxic halogenated solvents such as Freon-113 or CH3Cl are used for the extraction of these pollutants and GC-FID or GC-MS for detection. This dissertation will focus on both the development of non-toxic alternatives to conventional solvents for the extraction and new detection methods. Method 1. On-line dynamic CO2 SFE-IR spectrometry using a fiber optic filter photometer. The research will involve the construction of an IR cell, CO2 SFE coupling with an IR photometer, determination of detection limit and the determinations of …

Middle School Advisory Program's Influence On The Perceptions And Needs Of Early Adolescent Females., Gail Catherine Ingwalson

Theses and Dissertations

Advisory programs were designed to address the emotional and social aspect of education in an effort to enhance the cognitive development of our early adolescent students. This affective component acknowledges the importance of a developmentally responsive middle school education. Yet, this critical middle school component has been difficult to implement and even more challenging to maintain since the inception of the middle school movement. This qualitative study focuses on the experiences of six early adolescent females during their advisory time. The purpose of the study was to explore the advisory program's influence on the perceptions and psychological needs of these …

Temporal Relationships Between Stress And Menstrual Cycle Among Female Headache Sufferers., Kim Suda

Theses and Dissertations

Stress and changes associated with the menstrual cycle are commonly reported precipitants of female chronic headache. The relationship between stress, headache, and menstrual cycle, however, remain complex and poorly understood. The present longitudinal investigation sought to further explore the relationship between stress and headache in each of five menstrual cycle phases. Time series regression analyses were used to further describe and explain the temporal relationships between stress and menstrual cycle among a small sample of female headache sufferers over a 12-month period. Nine females who met International Headache Society diagnostic criteria for either migraine, with or without aura (n = …

Cytotoxin Targeting Of Oxytocin (Ot) Receptive Cells: Ot Receptors And Salt Appetite., Trini Troy Vargas

Theses and Dissertations

The targeting of oxytocin (OT) receptive cells with a novel cytoxin (ricin A-chain oxytocin conjugated to oxytocin; rAOT) has revealed a potential role for OT in the osmolality-related inhibition of salt appetite seen in two model systems. The experiments in this study were designed to test the hypothesis that intraventricular (icv) treatment with rAOT results in the loss of [I 125]-OVTA binding sites in the central amygdala in these two model systems (Experiment 1: Mannitol Challenge; Experiment 2 PEG/Mannitol Challenge). Experiment 1 (Mannitol Challenge; produces hyperosmotic/hyponatremic conditions in the rat) and Experiment 2 (PEG/Mannitol Challenge; produces hypovolemic/hyperosmotic/hyponatremic conditions in the …

The Good Morrow., Jane Varley

Theses and Dissertations

“The Good Morrow” is a collection of original poetry that explores the idea of place. The poetry cites various landscapes across a large map of geography and imagination, beginning with poems, in section one, that make reference to conventional homes we grow up in and often move away from. The second and third sections involve a psychological exploration of home, investigating movement among domestic space, cities, and natural landscapes. The speakers in the poems might be thought of as “sea-discoverers,” as John Donne wrote, who explore the world and in the process make discoveries about the worlds inside themselves. I …

A Sound Study Of Conceptual Understanding During Constructivist Teaching, Terrijann MüLlerdahlberg

Theses and Dissertations

This study presents the results of an examination of changes in six fourth grade students thinking about the nature of sound during a nine lesson unit on sound. At the core of the curriculum was a teaching strategy called constructivist teaching (Bybee, 1993). Classroom observation, students' written work, and interviewing were the major data gathering procedures used to develop a coding system to categorize the patterns that emerged: (a) students' conceptual learning, and (b) the students' perceptions of factors leading to this understanding. Three patterns emerged that indicated students' conceptual learning: (a) students added new concepts to their existing cognitive …

The Impact Of Early Screening On Preschool Children Attending Camden City Head Start, Beverly M. Clement

Theses and Dissertations

Extensive published research supports comprehensive preschool programs for children and their families, especially for "At Risk" populations often found within inner cities. Programs such as Head Start prepare children for school entrance, provide them with a caring and nurturing environment and empower families with the skills and resources necessary for successful living. The Camden County Council On Economic Opportunity (CCCOEO, Inc.), grantee for the Camden County, New Jersey Head Start Program, provides comprehensive services for "At Risk" preschool children, ages three to five.

Starting in September 1998 to March 1999, sixty-seven preschoolers attending various CCCOEO Head Start Centers were given …

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of Peer Tutoring On Mathematics Achievement Of Fifth Grade Students, Kareem J. Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of a peer tutoring program in mathematics on the academic achievement level of fifth grade students. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant difference in the mathematics achievement level of fifth grade students who participated in a peer tutoring program than in the mathematics achievement level of fifth grade students who do not participate in a peer tutoring program in mathematics.

The study was a quasi-experimental design consisting of students in two fifth grade classrooms. Twenty-three students from each classroom participated in the study. One …

A Correlation Study Of Learning Preferences And Attitudes Towards Computers In Fourth Grade Students, Laura C. Garofalo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if specific learning style preferences were related to fourth grade elementary students' attitudes towards computers in the classroom. Subjects were twenty-six students in a fourth grade class in an affluent suburban district. Subjects were given two self-report instruments to measure their learning style preferences and attitudes towards computers. The Learning Combination Inventory (LCI), developed by Dr. Christine Johnston of Rowan University, was used to determine learning style preferences. The Technology Attitude Assessment Survey (TAAS), developed for the University of the State of New York, measured attitudes towards computer usage in the classroom. …

Nurse Anesthetists' Attitudes And Knwoledge Levels About Acupuncture Anesthesia, Solomon A. Wesseh Jr

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Public-Public Partnerships: Development Of An Alternative Outsourcing Method Decision Model, Michael R. Hackman, Jack L. Nemceff Ii

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the phenomenon of public-public outsourcing partnerships as it may be employed by the DoD from a Federal Government perspective. Current outsourcing methods, guidance, and models are discussed as well as outsourcing related theories. Based upon the literature reviewed, a conceptual public-public outsourcing decision model is presented. A case study of the Brooks AFB initiative is then used to analyze the conceptual model. As a result of our analysis, an analytical public-public outsourcing decision model is developed. The analytical model also depicts the overall process path along which a decision-maker will travel. The …

Creating A Literary Café: A Mouthwatering Guide To Adolescents Who Read And Respond, Heather Olson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Descriptive Study Of Body Dysmorphia And Body Image In Mid-Life Women, Marsha B. Mcfarland

Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about how women perceive and feel about their bodies at midlife. The popular media prescribe a standard of ideal female appearance that equates beauty with youth and thinness, features that are altered by the passing years. Much of the research about body image that includes midlife women has been conducted in a framework of pathology. Because there is little research that documents women's feelings and perceptions about their bodies in adulthood, this phenomenological study describes the body image concerns of women at midlife. Instruments administered during the course of the study included the Beck Depression Inventory, the …

Activity Levels Of Children And Youth: Monitoring Heart Rate Versus Objective Observation, Rebecca J. Swift

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate children’s physical activity levels when assessed by two methods—heart rates and direct observation. Forty-one participants wore Polar Vantage XL HR Monitors and were videotaped in various situations. Videotape analysis was done using the Children’s Activity Record System (CARS). Heart rates and CARS data were recorded concurrently every 10 seconds.

Primary research questions included: (a) is there a correlation between heart rates (HR) and observed activity level, (b) do gender differences exist, and if so, what are the differences in observed activity levels, (c) are there gender differences in Lean rates at various …