Digital Commons Network^™

Employment Criteria Used By Georgia Public Shcool Superintendents In High School Principal Selection, Jeffrey Lynn Carney

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The high school principal plays an important and highly visible role in the community. High school principals are expected to provide challenging curriculum, comprehensive athletic and fine arts programs, a disciplined learning environment, increased test scores, and community involvement. With such an array of demanding expectations, the selection of the high school principal is an extremely important decision made by Georgia school superintendents. In an effort to gain a better understanding of the employment criteria used to hire Georgia high school principals, the researcher used a previously validated formal survey constructed by Dr. Linda Gresham in 2003. The survey was …

How Georgia Suburban Middle School Principals Work With Teachers To Enhance Student Achievement In This Era Of Standardized Testing, Robert Charles Minter

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how Georgia middle school principals work with teachers to enhance student achievement in this era of standardized testing. This study became the focus of the researcher's attention because of the increased level of accountability for school systems, schools, and administrators in regard to student achievement. Each school is held accountable for the academic success of students, and the No Child Left Behind Act, which is federal law, requires that each state set high academic standards and implement student testing. However, while conducting a review of literature in the area of standardized testing …

Closing The Minority Achievement Gap In Georgia Middle Schools: Principals' Perspectives, Stacy Eugene Johnson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to provide best practices and strategies for middle school principals that have been struggling to close the minority achievement gap in schools. Three Georgia middle school principals considered to be successful in closing the achievement gap were interviewed to determine the strategies and practices that they use to close the minority achievement gap. These practices and strategies were further examined to determine their effectiveness in the areas of reading and mathematics. The researcher used in-depth interviewing procedures through a structured interview format to encourage research participants to speak openly and candidly about the strategies …

Monitoring The True Harmonic Current Of A Variable Speed Drive Under Nonsinusoidal Supply Conditions, J. Mazumdar, R. Harley, F. Lambert, T. Habetler, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The increased use of nonlinear devices in industry has resulted in direct increase of harmonic distortion in the industrial power system. Variable speed drives are an example. with the widespread proliferation of nonlinear loads in a power distribution network, the voltage at the point of common coupling is rarely a pure sinusoid. It has become necessary to identify accurately which load(s) is injecting the excessively high harmonic currents. Simply measuring the harmonic currents at each individual load is not sufficiently accurate since these harmonic currents may be caused by not only the nonlinear load, but also by a non-sinusoidal PCC …

Comparison In Academic Performance Between Distance Learning And Traditional On-Campus Students In Allied Healthcare Education At The Medical College Of Georgia, Barbara Landis Russell

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the differences in academic performance between distance learning students and traditional on-campus students in allied healthcare education. The research was conducted at an academic medical university and three programs were included in the study, clinical laboratory science, health information administration, and nuclear medicine technology. A total of 252 sets of student data were used in the statistical analyses, and of these 252, 174 (69%) were oncampus students and 78 (31%) were distance students. The researcher sought to determine to what extent differences existed between the two groups by the background characteristics …

Emotional Intelligence As A Predictor Of Career Longevity Among Special Education Teachers In The Houston County, Georgia, School System, Jesse Whitaker Davis

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In an effort to provide for a better understanding of the factors that exert influence on the career decisions of special educators, the present study sought to examine the influence of emotional intelligence and various demographic factors on the career longevity of special educators. One hundred twenty nine special education teachers in the Houston Count, Georgia School System completed a two-part survey consisting of the General Emotional Intelligence Scale and a researcher-created demographic questionnaire. The following overarching research question was answered through this study- What is the role of emotional intelligence in the career decisions of special education teachers? In …

Pedagogy Of Social Justice: An Inquiry Into The Experiences Of African American Adolescent Males, Natalie Ann Lambright

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Using Critical Race Theory (Crenshaw, Gotanda, Peller, & Thomas, 1995; Ladson-Billing, 1998; Richard Delgado & Jean Stefanic, 2000; Solorzano & Yasso, 2002) as a theoretical framework, and critical narrative inquiry (Clendanin & Connelly, 1999) as research methodology, I explored stories from five eighth grade African American adolescent males in order to identify how home, community, and school experiences contributed to their academic success and social development. My passion for the inquiry was driven for my desire to foster a sense of agency for social justice and positive changes for the African American community. Selection of participants was based upon reading …

School Renewal In South Georgia, Sean Michael Mulvanity

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the implementation of the Accelerated Schools Project at one school in South Georgia. The Accelerated Schools Project is a comprehensive school renewal effort developed by Henry Levin which attempts to change both the school decision making process and the instructional techniques used in the classroom. The unique governance structure, which attempts to involve all stakeholders in decisions that impact the institution, and the student-centered instructional technique are combined in an effort to instigate school renewal. The phenomenological nature of this study examines the implementation of the Accelerated School Project from a historical and cultural perspective. The author …

On The Use Of Modis Evi To Assess Gross Primary Productivity Of North American Ecosystems, Daniel A. Sims, Abdullah Rahman, Vicente D. Cordova, Bassil Z. El-Masri, Dennis D. Baldocchi, Lawrence B. Flanagan, Allen H. Goldstein, David Y. Hollinger, Laurent Misson, Russell K. Monson, Walter C. Oechel, Hans P. Schmid, Steven C. Wofsy, Liukang Xu

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

[1] Carbon flux models based on light use efficiency (LUE), such as the MOD17 algorithm, have proved difficult to parameterize because of uncertainties in the LUE term, which is usually estimated from meteorological variables available only at large spatial scales. In search of simpler models based entirely on remote‐sensing data, we examined direct relationships between the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and gross primary productivity (GPP) measured at nine eddy covariance flux tower sites across North America. When data from the winter period of inactive photosynthesis were excluded, the overall relationship between EVI and tower GPP was better than that between …

Novel Capacitance Extraction Method Using Direct Boundary Integral Equation Method And Hierarchical Approach, L. (Lijun) J. Jiang, B. J. Rubin, J. D. Morsey, H. T. Hu, A. Elfadel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, a novel hierarchical capacitance extraction method is introduced. It takes advantage of surface integral equations to have far less unknowns than the volumetric method. It uses the "divide and conquer" strategy to hierarchically solve the dense capacitance matrix efficiently. It partitions the problem into small regions (cells) automatically and each region is analyzed separately. An inverse binary-tree browse procedure is employed to combine cell capacitance matrixes from leafy level of the tree to the root. A global capacitance matrix is obtained at the root without computing charge distribution. Benchmarks using the developed code CSurf are provided to …

Maximum Likelihood And Gaussian Estimation Of Continuous Time Models In Finance, Peter C. B. Phillips, Jun Yu

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper overviews maximum likelihood and Gaussian methods of estimating continuous time models used in finance. Since the exact likelihood can be constructed only in special cases, much attention has been devoted to the development of methods designed to approximate the likelihood. These approaches range from crude Euler-type approximations and higher order stochastic Taylor series expansions to more complex polynomial-based expansions and infill approximations to the likelihood based on a continuous time data record. The methods are discussed, their properties are outlined and their relative finite sample performance compared in a simulation experiment with the nonlinear CIR diffusion model, which …

Multivariate Stochastic Volatility, Manabu Asai, Michael Mcaleer, Jun Yu

Research Collection School Of Economics

The literature on multivariate stochastic volatility (MSV) models has developed significantly over the last few years. This paper reviews the substantial literature on specification, estimation and evaluation of MSV models. A wide range of MSV models is presented according to various categories, namely (i) asymmetric models; (ii) factor models; (iii) time-varying correlation models; and (iv) alternative MSV specifications, including models based on the matrix exponential transformation, Cholesky decomposition, Wishart autoregressive process, and the empirical range. Alternative methods of estimation, including quasi-maximum likelihood, simulated maximum likelihood, Monte Carlo likelihood, and Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, are discussed and compared. Various methods …

No One Flunks Museum: An Overview Of Learning Theory And Its Implementation In Formal And Informal History Education, Nichole D. Smith

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The transition of museums from institutions for the knowledgeable to places for those seeking knowledge has brought about a need for those educating in museums to better understand the ways in which people learn. This paper introduces and explains theories, psychological and educational, that are applicable to learning such as Constructivism, Multiple Intelligences, and the Contextual Model of Learning. Observations of informal and formal history and social studies lessons or programs presented to students ages 3-16 provide the framework for understanding how well these theories of learning are being implemented in the museum. Comparison of history museum programs (informal education) …

Formal Analysis And Systematic Construction Of Two-Factor Authentication Scheme, Guomin Yang, Duncan S. Wong, Huaxiong Wang, Xiaotie Deng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

One of the most commonly used two-factor authentication mechanisms is based on smart card and user’s password. Throughout the years, there have been many schemes proposed, but most of them have already been found flawed due to the lack of formal security analysis. On the cryptanalysis of this type of schemes, in this paper, we further review two recently proposed schemes and show that their security claims are invalid. To address the current issue, we propose a new and simplified property set and a formal adversarial model for analyzing the security of this type of schemes. We believe that the …

Continuous Monitoring Of Knn Queries In Wireless Sensor Networks, Yuxia Yao, Xueyan Tang, Ee Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Wireless sensor networks have been widely used for civilian and military applications, such as environmental monitoring and vehicle tracking. In these applications, continuous query processing is often required and their efficient evaluation is a critical requirement to be met. Due to the limited power supply for sensor nodes, energy efficiency is a major performance measure in such query evaluation. In this paper, we focus on continuous kNN query processing. We observe that the centralized data storage and monitoring schemes do not favor energy efficiency. We therefore propose a localized scheme to monitor long running nearest neighbor queries in sensor networks. …

Cosign: A Parallel Algorithm For Coordinated Traffic Signal Control, Shih-Fen Cheng, Marina A. Epelman, Robert L. Smith

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The problem of finding optimal coordinated signal timing plans for a large number of traffic signals is a challenging problem because of the exponential growth in the number of joint timing plans that need to be explored as the network size grows. In this paper, the game-theoretic paradigm of fictitious play to iteratively search for a coordinated signal timing plan is employed, which improves a system-wide performance criterion for a traffic network. The algorithm is robustly scalable to realistic-size networks modeled with high-fidelity simulations. Results of a case study for the city of Troy, MI, where there are 75 signalized …

On The Lower Bound Of Local Optimums In K-Means Algorithms, Zhenjie Zhang, Bing Tian Dai, Anthony K.H. Tung

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

No abstract provided.

Designing Web Sites For Customer Loyalty Across Business Domains: A Multilevel Analysis, S. Mithas, Narayanasamy Ramasubbu, M. S. Krishnan, C. Fornell

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Web Sites are important components of Internet strategy for organizations. This paper develops a theoretical model for understanding the effect of Web site design elements on customer loyalty to a Web site. We show the relevance of the business domain of a Web site to gain a contextual understanding of relative importance of Web site design elements. We use a hierarchical linear modeling approach to model multilevel and cross-level interactions that have not been explicitly considered in previous research. By analyzing, data on more than 12,000 online customer surveys for 43 Web sites in several business domains, we find that …

Visual Intent Recognition In A Multiple Camera Environment, Matthew Erhard

Theses

Activity recognition is an active field of research with many applications for both industrial and home use. Industry might use it as part of a security surveillance system, while home uses could be in applications such as smart rooms and aids for the disabled. This thesis develops one component of a “smart system” that can recognize certain activities related to the subject’s intent, i.e. where subjects concentrate their attention. A visual intent activity recognition system that operates in near real-time is created, based on multiple cameras. To accomplish this, a combination of face detection, facial feature detection, and pose estimation …

Symposium: The Role Of The Judge In The Twenty-First Century: Introduction, Eva Nilsen

Faculty Scholarship

The contents of this special issue of the Boston University Law Review are the product of a symposium on "The Role of the Judge in the Twenty-First Century," held on April 21st and 22nd, 2006 at the Boston University School of Law. The symposium presented a rare opportunity for a distinguished group of federal judges and academics to exchange ideas about some of the most pressing and controversial subjects facing the courts. Over the course of two days, panelists explored a number of ongoing challenges to the judiciary, including threats to judicial independence, national security imperatives, exploding caseloads, increasing reliance …

Statistical Thermodynamics And Kinetics Of Dna Multiplex Hybridization Reactions, Albert S. Benight, M. T. Horne, D. J. Fish

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

A general analytical description of the equilibrium and reaction kinetics of DNA multiplex hybridization has been developed. In this approach, multiplex hybridization is considered to be a competitive multichannel reaction process: a system wherein many species can react both specifically and nonspecifically with one another. General equations are presented that can consider equilibrium and kinetic models of multiplex hybridization systems comprised, in principle, of any number of targets and probes. Numerical solutions to these systems for both equilibrium and kinetic behaviors are provided. Practical examples demonstrate clear differences between results obtained from more common simplex methods, in which individual hybridization …

Three Perspectives On Neutrality And Drift In Molecular Evolution, Michael Dietrich

Dartmouth Scholarship

This article offers three contrasting cases of the use of neutrality and drift in molecular evolution. In the first, neutrality is assumed as a simplest case for modeling. In the second and third, concepts of drift and neutrality are developed within the context of population genetics testing and the development and application of the molecular clock.

Outsiders As Innovators In The Life Sciences, Michael Dietrich

Dartmouth Scholarship

An introduction to the book Outsider Scientists: Routes to Innovation in Biology edited by Oren Harman and Michael Dietrich

The Distribution And Reproductive Success Of The Western Snowy Plover Along The Oregon Coast - 2006, David J. Lauten, Kathleen J. Castelein, Susan Weston, Krista Eucken, Eleanor P. Gaines

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Part of the Oregon Bidiversity Information Center Report

Faint X‐Ray Structure In The Crab Pulsar Wind Nebula, F. D. Seward, W. H. Tucker, R. A. Fesen

Dartmouth Scholarship

We report on a Chandra observation of the Crab Nebula that gives the first clear view of the faint boundary of the Crab's X-ray-emitting pulsar wind nebula. There is structure in all directions. Fingers, loops, bays, and the south pulsar jet all indicate that either filamentary material or the magnetic field is controlling the relativistic electrons. In general, spectra soften as distance from the pulsar increases but do not change rapidly along linear features. This is particularly true for the pulsar jet. The termination of the jet is abrupt; the east side is close to an [O III] optical filament, …

Interview With Yianni Doulis, Yianni Doulis Architecture, 2006 (Audio), Yianni Doulis

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Yianni Doulis by Daniel Woodward in NW Portland, Oregon on December 1st, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Carol Mayer-Reed, Mayer/Reed, 2006 (Audio), Carol Mayer-Reed

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Carol Mayer-Reed by Robyn Russnogle at on December 1st, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview With Greg Sawyer, Providence Builders, 2006 (Audio), Greg Sawyer

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Greg Sawyer by Amy Evangelista in NE Portland, Oregon on December 1st, 2006.

The interview index is available for download.

Robust Estimation Of Mahalanobis Distance In Hyperspectral Images, Eduardo C. Meidunas

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops new estimation methods that fit Johnson distributions and generalized Pareto distributions to hyperspectral Mahalanobis distances. The Johnson distribution fit is optimized using a new method which monitors the second derivative behavior of exceedance probability to mitigate potential outlier effects. This univariate distribution is then used to derive an elliptically contoured multivariate density model for the pixel data. The generalized Pareto distribution models are optimized by a new two-pass method that estimates the tail-index parameter. This method minimizes the mean squared fitting error by correcting parameter values using data distance information from an initial pass. A unique method …

Exactions: Exploring Exactly When Nollan And Dolan Should Be Triggered, Jane C. Needleman

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.