Digital Commons Network^™

Universal Human Rights, The United Nations, And The Telos Of Human Dignity, William J. Wagner

Scholarly Articles

In this short essay, I seek to provide a description of the way the rights framework, by its nature, functions to unify global practice around normative ideals. I then outline obstacles, both theoretical and practical, to the effective functioning of this framework and the advancement of its purpose. Next, I lay out and critique the means that the Church, in its official teaching, proposes for overcoming these obstacles. I conclude by sketching briefly what I understand to be a more adequate program for addressing the impediments that exist to the realization of the aspiration of universal respect for human dignity …

A Suboptimal Receiver With Turbo Block Coding For Ultra-Wideband Communications, Robert H. Morelos-Zaragoza, Timothy Becker, Sim Aquino

Faculty Publications

In this paper, the performance of adaptive equalization and turbo product coding is investigated for pulse-based UWB communications in short-range indoor environments. The sensitivity of adaptive LMS linear and nonlinear (decision-feedback) equalizers with respect to the number of training symbols and number of taps is considered. To reduce the error performance variation with respect to changing channel conditions, a turbo product code (TPC) with two component (31,26,3) Hamming codes is proposed. We report simulation results showing that channel coding not only improves error performance, but also reduces significantly the sensitivity of UWB systems in short-range indoor wireless communications.

Democratization In Iraq, Kate Lotz, Tim Melvin

Human Rights & Human Welfare

With the war in Iraq over, Coalition forces are still present as the cultivation of Iraqi democracy is underway. Coalition-led democratization in Iraq will prove to be a lengthy and complex objective, but one which will be pursued until successfully accomplished.

Neotrusteeship In Iraq, Tim Melvin

Human Rights & Human Welfare

This section deals with literature that examines the role and effectiveness of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in administering Iraq from 2003 till 2004. Foreign rule plays an important role in developing failed state’s infrastructure and institutions. By examining critical elements of the CPA’s administration, this section focuses on the overall success and failures of the CPA administrative capacity, and what this means for the future of Iraq’s new government. Since the cessation of the CPA, the Iraqi government has had its ups and downs and is still heavily reliant on the American presence. But some positive elements have been …

Overexposed: Issues Of Public Gender Imaging, Pamela K. Morris

School of Communication: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Make no mistake—it is popularity that makes pop culture important. And it is the powerful visual imagery of advertisements that helps define the largely artificial construction we call gender. Sex-role stereotyping and gender representations are typically studied in content analyses of television and magazine advertisements. Less common are investigations into outdoor advertising, a medium that is ubiquitous and the most democratic—everyone has equal access to visuals. This essay calls attention to and offers insights on advertisements in our outdoor visual space, focusing on gender representations. Capturing and analyzing these ephemeral images can show how they influence how we feel, think, …

Information Competencies Checklist: A Resource For Intersegmental Collaboration, Susan Klingberg

Faculty and Staff Publications

The paper provides a model checklist of information competencies for two- and four-year colleges and universities.

Towards Conservation Of Submerged Lands: The Law And Policy Of Conservation Leasing And Ownership, The Nature Conservancy, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Marine Affairs Institute Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

The Antares Observation Network, Frank E. Muller-Karger, Chuamin Hu, Brock Murch, Charles Taylor

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The ANTARES network seeks to understand the variability of the coastal environment on a continental scale and the local, regional, and global factors and processes that modulate this variability. The target are coastal zones of South America and the Caribbean Sea. The initial approach includes developing time series of in situ and satellite-based environmental observations in coastal and oceanic regions. The network is constituted by experts that seek to exchange ideas, develop an infrastructure for mutual logistical and knowledge support, and link in situ time series of observations located around the Americas with real-time and historical satellite-derived time series of …

Foundations In Wisconsin: A Directory [24th Ed. 2005], Mary C. Frenn, Rebecca Cesarz, Megan Muthupandiyan, Vance Thomas, Lisa Zongolowicz

Foundations in Wisconsin: A Directory

The 2005 release of Foundations in Wisconsin marks the 24th edition of the print directory and the 5th year of the online version (www.wifoundations.org). The directory is designed as a research tool for grantseekers interested in locating information on private, corporate, and community foundations registered in Wisconsin. Each entry in this new edition has been updated or reviewed to provide the most current information available. Most of the data was extracted from IRS 990-PF tax returns filed by the foundations. However, additional information was obtained from surveys, annual reports, and foundation Web sites.

The 2005 edition documents the significant economic …

Using Interactive Software As A Conceptual Tool: An Examination Of Cognition In Improvised Musical Performance, Timothy Thomas Sayer

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Viewing musical improvisation in the light of psychology and cognitive science, this thesis will explicate the rationale behind the development of a software based audiovisual interface for use in improvised solo instrumental performance. The evolution of the performance environment is presented along with the theories and concepts that have shaped its progress. The opening chapter will review the terms of reference used throughout the work and will set a boundary around the area of examination. Chapter two will place musical improvisation within the context of human behaviour and in so doing will draw upon theoretical discourse from the fields of …

Broken Contract : The Autobiographical Performance Or Producing 'Self' In The Act Of Writing A Life, Joshua Leo Sofaer

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Taking as its starting point the definition of autobiography proposed by Philippe Lejeune in his essay 'The Autobiographical Contract', this study uses performance-based research to instigate a number of theoretical propositions which aim to test the boundaries of what is understood as autobiography. While the area under investigation is tightly focussed on the margins of autobiographical practices, examples and case studies range across literature (including J. M. Barrie, Marcel Proust and W. G. Sebald), performance practice (including Marina Abramovic, Tim Etchells and Zhu Yu), popular culture (including Blind Date, Michael Jackson and Marilyn Monroe) and philosophy (including Giorgio Agamben, Gilles …

Carhampton Magistrate District In Relation To The 1856 County And Borough Police Act : A Case For Non-Statutory Policing, Janet Susan Setterington

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

The 1856 County and Borough Police Act had a pronounced effect on the criminal statistics in Somerset. Assize and Quarter Session committal statistics dropped across the county as a whole and this fall was reflected in six of seven individual magistrate areas studied. The seventh, the Carhampton magistrate district, showed no reduction in recorded crime. The records, in fact, suggest that the area was either subject to little criminal activity, or that people were not reporting offences. The lack of petty session records in Somerset prevented their inclusion in this study. In this thesis a number of criteria are applied …

Graduate Catalog 2005-2006, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Graduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Opportunistic Maintenance Policy Of A Multi-Unit System Under Transient State, Sulabh Jain

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Most modern systems are equipped with very complex, expensive, and high technology components whose maintenance costs have become an increasingly large portion of the total operating cost of these systems. Thus, the efficacy of the maintenance policy for these and related systems has become a major concern to both manufacturing and design engineers. Different kinds of maintenance strategies have been proposed to solve the problem. While some of these have proven effective, there is yet no definitive approach that has been found that support the maintainability requirements of transient systems or systems that exhibit transient behavior. Transient behavior is the …

A Generalized Decision Model For Naval Weapon Procurement: Multi-Attribute Decision Making, Jin O. Chang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For any given reason, every year many countries spend a lot of money purchasing at least one weapon. Due to the secret character of the military, the decision process for specific weapon procurement is shrouded. Moreover, there are several funds loss cases due to mistakes in weapon contractions. Weapon procurement requires very large amounts of money which comes from tax payers. Therefore, an effort to reduce a possible monetary loss is needed.

A decision process based on an analytic model can present a better chance to decision makers for better weapon decisions. In general, weapon procurement decision is a multi …

A Geographic Information System For Dynamic Ridematching, Sasha Dos-Santos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Online Transportation Option System (OTOS) is a Geographic Information System (GIS) that addresses many of the limitations associated with traditional dynamic ridematching applications. The main improvements are in the areas of trip scheduling and match searching. OTOS is unique in its ability to accept trips with schedules that can not be expressed in terms of a regular weekly trip. OTOS also distinguishes itself in its use of spatial analysis techniques to locate matches. Specifically, the use of a shortest path solver enables the ridematching algorithm to perform a search along the path of a user’s trip, in addition to …

Re-Engineering Graduate Medical Education: An Analysis Of The Contribution Of Residents To Teaching Hospitals Utilizing A Model Of An Internal Medicine Residency Program, Ian M. Elius

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the U.S. health care delivery system does not provide consistent, high-quality medical care to all people all the time. As a significant component of the health care delivery system, the state of Graduate Medical Education in the United States has prompted much analysis in recent years due to the general view that desired and actua l outcomes are increasingly at variance with each other. One area of focus has been the implications of change for provider credentialing and funding of graduate medical education.

With this research we test the hypothesis that residents perform …

An Integrated Optimal Design Method For Utility Power Distribution Systems, Ralph E. Fehr

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a comprehensive and integrated design methodology to optimize both the electrical and the economic performance of a utility power distribution system. The proposal is structured to facilitate its adoption and incorporation into the existing utility infrastructure by allowing the various portions of the new design to be implemented gradually into the existing infrastructure without the need to abandon the portions of the existing system that are performing satisfactorily.

The topology of the substation plays a vital role in determining both the reliability and the economy of the distribution system. The ring bus topology is offered as the …

Integrating Technology And Education, Jori L. Showalter

Graduate Research Papers

The following literature review challenges the idea of integrating technology into the educational curriculum. It will reveal the value of integrating technology into the curriculum, along with possible problems that might occur. Some of the problems examined in the review relate to the overwhelming amount of information found on the Internet, problems with the Internet trying to replace the current curriculum, safety issues involved with Internet use, and staff development concerns. The review also identifies what a model school integrating technology might look like and the influence it plays in the core subject areas.

United States Aviation Safety Data: Uses And Issues Related To Sanctions And Confidentiality, James L. Simmons, Jefferty S. Forrest

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Aviation Insurance Coverage Issues Beware The Renter Pilot, Guy H. Riddle

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Cellular Phones On Airplanes - An Idea Not Ready For Take-Off, Heather J. Panko

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Public Space Travel - 2005: A Legal Odyssey Into The Current Regulatory Environment For United States Space Adventurers Pioneering The Final Frontier, Spencer H. Bromberg

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Backdoor Non-Competes In Texas: Trade Secrets., Ted Lee, Leila Ben Debba

St. Mary's Law Journal

The unpredictability of court decisions on covenants not to compete is an attorney’s nightmare in Texas. The Texas Supreme Court's decision in Light v. Centel Cellular (Light II), holding that trade secrets may serve as independent consideration for a valid covenant not to compete, has only exacerbated the situation. Currently, attorneys and clients alike are at the mercy of judicial unpredictability. Texas courts have managed to muddle their own underlying public policy on covenants not to compete with trade secrets. During the years preceding Light II, Texas courts consistently struck a balance between the legitimate rights of employers to protect …

Unlicensed To Drill: Proposed Renovations To The Texas Residential Construction Commission Act., Justin M. Jackson

St. Mary's Law Journal

Construction is the largest industry in the United States, and some regard the industry as the engine of the nation’s economy. Only the unavailability of unskilled labor can slow the growth of the construction industry in Texas. As such, Texas has welcomed the construction boom and has enacted statutes to accommodate further industry growth. Texas’ first legislative response came in the form of the Residential Construction Liability Act (RCLA). The RCLA alleviated liability for builders incurred under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA). In 2003, the Texas Legislature continued to legislate in favor of builders by passing the Texas Residential …

Ay 2004/2005 Sec Meeting Minutes, 2005-01-12, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Ay 2004/2005 Faculty Senate Roster, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

The Evidence For A Nascent Biotechnology Cluster In Cork, John W. Hobbs

Theses

Over the past 30 years, encouraged by Ireland’s low rate of corporation tax (currently 12.5 %), and active promotion of FDI by the IDA, foreign owned pharmaceutical plants have set up and multiplied in the Cork area. To Ireland’s advantages of a low tax rate, an English speaking population, a pro-business environment and membership of EU, Cork offered the added attractions of a deepwater port and large natural harbour, good freight connections, an international airport, an educated workforce and excellent sporting and leisure facilities for sailing, golf, etc. (Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Schering Plough have …

Higher Education In And For The Workplace: Models And Methods, Ray Coughlan

Theses

This dissertation reports on research and development work, undertaken from 2000 to 2005, to develop and apply innovative models and methods to the establishment of a provision, within higher education in Ireland, tuned to the identified needs of diverse groups of learners in the workplace and in society at large.

Initial research identified, from the workplace perspective, the characteristics required of such provision and the topics it should address. The role of higher education in establishing such provision is reviewed in supporting learner development through the continuum; competence, capability, creativity. Relevant models and methods are identified as existing along a …

Generic And Professional Health Care Beliefs, Expressions And Practices Of Syrian Muslims Living In The Midwestern United States, Hiba Wehbe-Alamah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this ethnonursing study was to discover the generic and professional health care beliefs, expressions, and practices of Syrian Muslims living in the Midwestern United States and to describe the influence of worldview, cultural context, and social structure, such as technological, religious, political, educational, and economical factors on their folk care beliefs and practices. Leininger's Culture Care Theory was used as an orientational framework for this study. Ten key and twenty general informants participated in this study. Several qualitative enablers were used to assist with the collection and analysis of data. QSR NUD*IST 4, a qualitative research software …