Digital Commons Network^™

Strategic Themes For Balanced Scorecard Construction Based On Fuzzy Logic, Adolfo Alberto Vanti, Rafael Espin, Alonso Perez-Soltero, Denise Ciotta

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

Balanced Scorecard is a methodology for strategic management with emphasis in strategic, tactic, and operational control. If you don’t measure something, you don’t manage it. Last statement is a way to emphasizes one of the most important assumptions of this methodology that is very well implemented by it. However, BSC can’t express strategy in actions, nor translate verbalization of strategic planning, important topics to build an effective Balance Scorecard. This paper defines priorities of topics about strategic planning considering the SWOT analysis - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats – (Andrews, 1971). SWOT analysis is completed considering actions and objectives through Fuzzy …

A Closer Look At Iraqi Property And Tort Law, Dan E. Stigall

Louisiana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Children’S Book Development, Rebecca Zomchek

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

My children’s book development project for the Honors program is the creation of a children’s book ‘dummy’ book. A dummy book is a creative process book that a children’s book illustrator might send to a publishing company as part of an application or as a pitch for a future project. A dummy book includes several stages of production in the creation of a finished children’s book. These steps include: the choice of a story, the initial thumbnail/small sketches, creation of the book’s layout and design sketches, final drawings, and final paintings. These sample books serve as a model to display …

Drive Magazine, Shannon Sweeney

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Abstract Not Included

Expressing A Mammalian Signaling Protein In E. Coli, Soyika A. Richardson

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Much of what is currently known about GPCR structure was based on X-ray crystallographic measurements of rhodopsin. Furthermore, due to its inexpensiveness and the availability of simple methods to purify it in large quantities from cow eyes, bovine rhodopsin has been successfully used in obtaining diffraction-quality three-dimensional crystals. In our experiment, the bovine rhodopsin protein was cloned into the commercially available E. coli expression plasmid, pBAD TOPO^®, using forward and reverse PCR primers designed in our lab. Plasmid DNA from these cells was purified in order to analyze the direction of the inserted gene. The purified plasmid DNA …

The Role Of Fibroblast Growth Factor 20a In The Craniofacial Development Of Zebrafish, Julie Adams

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Fibroblast growth factors are a family of intercellular signaling molecules that participate in the normal growth of the craniofacial skeleton. Advances in molecular genetics have revealed that fibroblast growth factors are involved in the regulation of bone growth by maintaining a balance between the differentiation of osteoblasts and the proliferation of mesenchyme (Morriss-Kay and Wilkie, 2005). The focus of my research is fibroblast growth factor 20a because it seems to play a significant role in the normal development of the skull. At birth, the skull is made up of bony elements, that meet at fibrous membranes called sutures. Throughout development, …

What’S In A Name? How Toponyms Connect Language And Society Through Place, Lisa Radding

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This is a study of place, meaning, society, and language, all of which interact through names. Although names are an essential part of human language, they remain on the periphery of linguistic studies. This study situates names in linguistics through an analysis of the meaning in a toponym, or place name.

According to lexical theory words are arbitrary. Yet we bestow names based on how they sound or what they have already come to represent; names are not arbitrary. Furthermore, a name becomes opaque when we can no longer see through its form to understand its meaning. Then it picks …

The Naturing Spa: Recovering An Ecological Kinship With Newtown Creek, John Jedzinak

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Abstract not Included

Organic Food: Is It Worth It?, Winston J. Craig

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

The Interface Between Academic Knowledge And Working Knowledge: Implications For Curriculum Design And Pedagogic Practice, Anne Murphy

Articles

This paper considers some aspects of the theory and practice of work-based learning (WBL) that may be of interest to academic staff in higher education who have responsibility for negotiating, designing, delivering and assessing programmes for, and with, Irish workplaces, companies, organisations and sectors of the workforce. The paper does not claim to be breaking significant new ground: rather it is trying to connect aspects of the field to inform underpinning of WBL curriculum design and related pedagogic practice as the start of a conversation rather than the last word.

Dopamine Receptor Gene Expression In Human Amygdaloid Nuclei: Elevated D4 Receptor Mrna In Major Depression, Lianbin Xiang, Katalin Szebeni, Attila Szebeni, Violetta Klimek, Craig A. Stockmeier, Beata Karolewicz, John Kalbfleisch, Gregory A. Ordway

ETSU Faculty Works

Previous findings from this laboratory demonstrating changes in dopamine (DA) transporter and D2 receptors in the amygdaloid complex of subjects with major depression indicate that disruption of dopamine neurotransmission to the amygdala may contribute to behavioral symptoms associated with depression. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR was used to investigate the regional distribution of gene expression of DA receptors in the human amygdala. In addition, relative levels of mRNA of DA receptors in the basal amygdaloid nucleus were measured postmortem in subjects with major depression and normal control subjects. All five subtypes of DA receptor mRNA were detected in all amygdaloid subnuclei, although …

Maternal Experience And Alzheimer's Disease : Degenerative Differences In The Female Rat, Lindsay W. Victoria

Honors Theses

Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative disease found in many aging adults. The presence of amyloid precursor protein (APP) is an early indicator of the onset of Alzheimer’s, primarily in memory-related brain regions like the hippocampus. Hormones accompanying pregnancy, such as estrogen, may provide the female brain with protection against neurodegeneration and deposits of APP. The present study will compare concentrations of APP in the brains of parous and nulliparous animals and examine the interaction of APP with estrogen receptor beta (ERβ). Young and aged animals will also be compared to determine any early effects of APP or ERβ. It is …

Root Disease Under Intensive Cereal Production Systems, Bill Macleod, Vivien Vanstone, Ravjit Khangura, Ciara Beard

Bulletins 4000 -

This Bulletin describes symptoms and control methods for the most commonly encountered cereal root diseases in Western Australia:

• rhizoctonia bare patch

• root lesion nematode

• take-all

• fusarium crown rot

• cereal cyst nematode

• common root rot

• pythium root rot

Diseases caused by pathogenic micro-organisms can significantly reduce the yield of cereals. Some of these diseases are uncommon while others occur over a large area of the Western Australian wheatbelt every year. The most prevalent root diseases of cereals in Western Australia are rhizoctonia bare patch, root lesion nematode and take-all. Less widespread are fusarium crown rot, cereal cyst nematode, common root rot …

Two Conceptions Of Irreversible Environmental Harm, Cass R. Sunstein

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

The concept of "irreversibility" plays a large role in the theory and practice of environmental protection. Indeed, the concept is explicit in some statements of the Precautionary Principle. But the idea of irreversibility remains poorly defined. Because time is linear, any loss is, in a sense, irreversible. On one approach, drawn from environmental economics, irreversibility might be understood as a reference to the value associated with taking precautionary steps that maintain flexibility for an uncertain future ("option value"). On another approach, drawn from environmental ethics, irreversibility might be understood to refer to the qualitatively distinctive nature of certain environmental harms—a …

On Rational Functions With Golden Ratio As Fixed Point, Edgar Gilbuena Amaca

Theses

The existence of an equivalence subset of rational functions with Fibonacci numbers as coefficients and the Golden Ratio as fixed point is proven. The proof is based on two theorems establishing basic relationships underlying the Fibonacci Sequence, Pascal's Triangle and the Golden Ratio. Equations from the two theorems are related to each other and seen to generate the equivalence subset of rational functions. Proof by induction on these equations constitutes the proof of the existence of this subset of rational functions. It is found that this subset of rational functions possesses interesting mathematical properties, particularly that of convergence to the …

Timing Considerations In Visual Communication, Ahmad Eissa Aloumi

Theses

Viewers are surrounded by visual stimuli on a daily basis. These visuals, which may have intriguing and/or exciting qualities, enable designers to propose effective design solutions that could have heightened impact on the viewer. With this in mind, some designers attempt to construct crystal-clear messages that are eye-catching and easily understood, while other designers try to deliver messages enveloped by a planned ambiguity, which offers diverse paths of comprehension. In the end, this intentional ambiguity can eventually guide viewers toward a single understanding. Since ambiguity is an outcome of complex principles related to aesthetic and conceptual decision-making, often it is …

American Sign Language: An Influence On Graphic Design Problem-Solving, Allison Ucci

Theses

In American Sign Language (ASL), variables of communication such as volume, tone, emotion, and emphasis are represented through the deliberate use of these variables which include: handshape, location of the sign in proximity to the human body, movement, direction, and repetition. ASL imposes strict rules of how and when to use each of these variables. Together, the rules and variables create a language of communication that is of equal value to spoken language. Similarly, these attributes currently exist in graphic design message making. The alternation of one or all variables in design can also result in an entirely new idea. …

Personality Assessments And Their Uses In Washington State Registered Health And Human Service Organizations, Marianne Ille-Mckeague

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem of this study was to identify the uses of personality assessments and their resulting consequences on employment at organizations registered with the Northwest Region of the U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services. This investigation reported on the application of psychometric testing within the organizational context. Specific to this study was personality or behavioral assessments administered when recruiting, evaluating, or retaining workers, the potential implications ofbehaviorallpersonality assessments on workers within the organization, and the organizational value perceived by testers utilizing these forms of personality assessments. This investigation examined the current personality measuring practices of organizations by analyzing their responses …

Falling Mythologies, Melissa Mance-Coniglio

Theses

This thesis follows the exploration of the subject of falling within the context of mythology. This mythology is both a personal journey through the process of creating figurative paintings and one that explores archetypes from our cultural past. It links this journey through the process of painting to other artists who have explored their own subjective themes in their work and built relationships between representational work and abstraction. As these paintings have developed I have been driven by the desire to capture the transient nature of flesh and beauty. This seeking to preserve the fragments of movement and sentient being …

Protoporphyrin Ix Fluorescence Photobleaching Increases With The Use Of Fractionated Irradiation In The Esophagus, Brian W.Q. Pogue, Chao Sheng, Juan Benevides, David Forcione, Bill Puricelli, Norman S. Nishioka, Tayyaba Hasan

Dartmouth Scholarship

Fluorescence measurements have been used to track the dosimetry of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for many years, and this approach can be especially important for treatments with aminolevulinic-acid-induced protoporphyrin IX (ALA-PpIX). PpIX photobleaches rapidly, and the bleaching is known to be oxygen dependent, and at the same time, fractionation or reduced irradiance treatments have been shown to significantly increase efficacy. Thus, in vivo measurement of either the bleaching rate and/or the total bleaching yield could be used to track the deposited dose in tissue and determine the optimal treatment plans. Fluorescence in rat esophagus and human Barrett's esophagus are measured during …

Corona Ion Deposition: A Novel Non-Contact Method For Drug And Gene Delivery To Living Systems, Niraj Ramachandran

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Application of corona ions produced in air to B16F10 murine melanoma cells in vitro and in animal models resulted in the transport of molecular therapeutics across the cell membrane. This work presents the development of new methods for drug and gene delivery based upon similar principles as the traditional electrode driven membrane destabilization processes known as electroporation. This was achieved with non-contact corona ion deposition that temporarily increased the permeability of cell membranes.

Interaction of corona charge with biological cells was studied and their potential for molecular delivery was established. Molecular delivery was first demonstrated in vitro using tracer molecules …

Adobe Medcus 2008 3 May-June, Health Sciences Library And Informatics Center

adobe medicus

No abstract provided.

Dawn Of Nations Today, May 2008, University Of New Mexico

Dawn of Nations Today

Dawn of Nations Today, May 2008

Preferential Flow And Phosphorus Translocation In Benchmark Soils Of West Virginia, Michael B. Harman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Preferential flow is a mechanistic description of water movement in a soil profile where much of the soil matrix is bypassed during periods of rapid infiltration. The occurrence of preferential flow could lead to the movement of phosphorus (P) down through the soil profile. The objectives of this research were (i) to verify the presence of preferential flow in benchmark West Virginia soil series and (ii) measure soil test phosphorus (STP) levels within the preferential flow pathways and the surrounding soil matrix to determine the effects of preferential flow on phosphorus distribution within the soil profile. A non-reactive dye (Brilliant …

Attitudes And Knowledge Of Forestry By High School Agricultural Education Teachers In West Virginia, Kristin R. Lockerman Friend

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes and knowledge of high school agricultural education teachers in West Virginia towards forestry. A descriptive research design was used for this study. Of the 86 West Virginia high school agricultural teachers selected for this study 40 teachers responded for a response rate of 47%. Of the responding teachers 85% wanted or needed more information on forestry. Also 57% of the responding teachers had not taken any other formal forestry training besides their college course work. When respondents were asked to react to the following statement: "agricultural education teachers need more …

Selenite Removal Using Gac Based Iron-Coated Adsorbents, Ning Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Removal of selenite from aqueous phase using iron-coated granular activated carbons (GAC) was investigated in this study. Five different types of GAC were used for iron coating by oxidizing ferrous chloride with sodium hypochlorite and tested for selenite removal. Nitrogen adsorption-desorption analyses indicated that Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, pore size, and pore volume deceased with the iron coating. The Darco 12x20 GAC was shown to be the most effective adsorbent among the five tested GACs after iron coating. Among the different concentrations used for iron coating, the Darco 12x20 GAC coated with 0.1 M ferrous chloride achieved the highest selenite …

Feeding Behaviors And Performance Measurements In Bucks, Rams, And Bulls, Stephen John Chavez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of the study was to determine if relationships exist with feeding behaviors of bucks, rams, and bulls and efficiency or residual feed intake (RFI). Animals utilized in this investigation were either producer consigned by species or West Virginia University animals. All animals were group-housed in pens (14.6 m x 51.2 m) with 156.2 m2 under roof at the Reymann Memorial Farm in Wardensville, WV over two years. Animals were fed complete nutritionally adequate rations ad libitum to meet daily growth requirements for each species. GrowSafe radio frequency technology (GrowSafe Systems Ltd.) was used to monitor animal identification, visit …

Postpartum Sleep Disturbance And Psychomotor Vigilance Performance, Salvatore Insana

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Postpartum women have high rates of sleep disturbance and commonly suffer from many of the effects of disturbed sleep, though attentional state has not been studied extensively in this population. This study assessed sleep and attentional state psychomotor performance in postpartum women to develop a better understanding of how sleep disturbance --specifically sleep fragmentation and partial sleep deprivation-- is associated with attentional state psychomotor performance. Participants were a sample of 24 postpartum mothers from a larger study. Mothers were 29.96 (SD = 7.94) years old, had a mean income of {dollar}65,808 (SD = {dollar}41,398), and had 17.04 (SD = 2.53) …

Agricultural Awareness And Perceptions Of Freshmen At West Virginia University, Laura L. Pfeifer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Increased dependence on technology and further removal from agricultural practices has given rise to a decrease in agricultural literacy among members of society, which has established a need for advancement in educating individuals about the basic concepts of agriculture. This study was designed to determine the knowledge of agriculture possessed by incoming freshmen at West Virginia University (WVU). The data collected for this study were obtained from 403 freshmen participants who reported their responses to 35 Agricultural Knowledge, 35 Agricultural Perceptions, and 24 demographic statements and questions on an instrument administered during multiple First Year Orientation courses at WVU. It …

Application Of The Biolog Microplate System To Monitor The Physiological Response Of Heat-Stressed Bacteria, Matthew G. Mccarroll

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The BIOLOG microplate system was originally evaluated by Miller and Rhoden (1991) for its ability to correctly identify clinical and environmental isolates. The system determines identity based on the exchange of electrons produced during utilization of a carbon substrate and subsequent respiration, leading to the reduction of a tetrazolium-based color change. Enteric bacteria ( Escherichia coli, Enterobacter sakazakii, and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium) were exposed to heat stress (52°C) and samples were removed as a function of time (0, 15, 30 and 90 min). Stressed cells were monitored with traditional viable cell counts and inoculated into BIOLOG GN plates. The …