Digital Commons Network^™

Missouri S&T 2008 Institutional Self Study Report, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

Self-Study for North Central Association accreditation

The present North Central Association accreditation self study is the most significant organizational self evaluation in the history of Missouri University of Science and Technology This study has made it abundantly evident that the university is a strong academic institution. The critical occurrences of recent university top leadership changes, an institutional name change, and organizational restructuring during the self study process indeed are unusual simultaneous occurrences in the life of Missouri S&T. These events have measurably influenced the university’s external and internal perspectives related to its operation and the self study has permitted a quantitative reflection of the “before-during-and-after” impact …

Gateway Magazine, The Murray State News, January 1, 2008, The Murray State News

Murray State University Collection

No abstract provided.

Groundwater Circulation Well Operation Using Wind Turbine–Generated Energy, Ron Gallagher, Andrew Curtis Elmore

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An investigation was conducted regarding the potential economic benefits associated with using a wind turbine to power a groundwater circulation well (GCW) at the former Nebraska Ordnance Plant Superfund site. the first phase of the investigation used a 10-kilowatt-rated grid inter-tie wind turbine to partially offset the purchase of electricity from the utility company. the second phase consisted of the conversion of the grid inter-tie system to an off-grid system that stored energy using batteries. during the second phase, the GCW system was operated using either wind turbine power or utility power, and the other system components were operated using …

The Relationship Between Rural Middle School Student Mathematics Achievement And Classroom Sense Of Community, John E. Donlan

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This study addressed the need for more information about academic growth and achievement in mathematics, and how it relates to sense of community in middle school settings. This was accomplished by applying the Classroom and School Community Inventory (CSCI) construct (Rovai, Wighting, & Lucking, 2004) to all three middle schools in one rural county. The CSCI was utilized to measure sense of community in mathematics classes to determine if differences existed between grades six, seven, and eight, including gender subgroups, among the three middle schools in the same rural county. This study examined academic growth in the subject of mathematics …

The Impact Of Participation In A Virginia Community College Orientation Program Course On Student Engagement, Satisfaction, Academic Achievement, And Retention, Wendy L. Tighe

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Participation in an orientation program course and several student engagement and satisfaction factors have been identified as positively related to desirable student outcomes. This study explored student engagement, satisfaction, academic achievement, and retention for students based on their enrollment in an orientation course at Tidewater Community College (TCC) in Virginia. This study used a cross-sectional, static group comparison secondary data analysis approach to explore four research questions. The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) data used for this study came from the TCC spring 2005 Community College Student Report (CCSR) this study determined whether or not participation in an …

A Journey Of Advising: Experiences Of Doctoral International Students And Faculty Advisors In The College Of Education At A Midwestern University, Madalina Florentina Tincu

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the last five decades, higher education in the United States has faced a large influx of international students (Institute of International Education, 2004). However, a review of selected literature showed a paucity of research on faculty advising graduate international students. The literature pointed out that not all institutions were prepared to work with the international student population (Adrian-Taylor, Noels, & Tischler, 2007; Khabiri, 1985; Seeger, 1993) and that further investigation was needed in the area of faculty advising related to international students (Adrian-Taylor, et al.; Trice, 2003). Therefore, this study focused on the following research question: How do selected …

Jury Trial Innovations Across America: What We Are Teaching And Learning From Each Other, Gregory E. Mize, Paula Hannaford-Agor

Faculty Publications

Between 2004 and 2006 the National Center for State Courts conducted three related studies of jury practices in state and federal courts throughout the United States. Combined, the studies make up the State-of-the-States Sur­vey of Jury Improvement Efforts, a first-ever effort to survey the entire field of jury issues and practices from state and local jury reform and improvement efforts to in-court use of tools aimed at improving juror comprehension and participation-including note-taking, juror questions and providing jurors with written instructions. The resulting data sets are available in full online, allowing users to review their own states' practices in comparison …

Lifting The Veil: Women And Islamic Law, Christie S. Warren

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Undergraduate Catalog 2008-2009, University Of North Florida

UNF Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Graduate Catalog 2008-2009, University Of North Florida

UNF Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

A Growth-Theoretic Empirical Analysis Of Simultaneity In Cross-National E-Commerce Development, Shu-Chun Ho, Robert J. Kauffman, Ting-Peng Liang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The emergence of information and communication technologies infrastructure has transformed the global economy. The development of information technology infrastructure is limited to some developed countries though. This research explores the role of information technology infrastructure in B2C e-commerce growth at the country-level from the perspective of growth theory in economics. We propose a hybrid exogenous and endogenous growth model to explain e-commerce growth. We estimate a panel data model that incorporates the direct effects of e-commerce infrastructure and other key explanatory variables. We further specify a simultaneous effects model that permits the analysis of reverse causality in the association between …

Face Annotation Using Transductive Kernel Fisher Discriminant, Jianke Zhu, Steven C. H. Hoi, Michael R. Lyu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Face annotation in images and videos enjoys many potential applications in multimedia information retrieval. Face annotation usually requires many training data labeled by hand in order to build effective classifiers. This is particularly challenging when annotating faces on large-scale collections of media data, in which huge labeling efforts would be very expensive. As a result, traditional supervised face annotation methods often suffer from insufficient training data. To attack this challenge, in this paper, we propose a novel Transductive Kernel Fisher Discriminant (TKFD) scheme for face annotation, which outperforms traditional supervised annotation methods with few training data. The main idea of …

Factors Affecting The Information Quality Of Personal Web Portfolios, P. Katerattanakul, Keng Siau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Personal Web portfolios have become a popular information source and an effective method for individuals to present themselves to others in cyberspace. Thus, the quality of personal Web portfolios is critical and affects the perception that others have of the individuals. But how do we measure quality of personal Web portfolios? What are the important factors affecting quality of personal Web portfolios? This study presents the development of an instrument measuring factors affecting information quality of personal Web portfolios. The proposed instrument, based on the Information Quality framework, was refined and validated to assess its construct validity, convergent validity, and …

Design And Optimization Of Abrasive Slurry Feed System, Control Circuit And Jet Drilling Tool For Mining Applications,, Pradeep Nambiath

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation focused on an investigation of small diameter hole drilling using abrasive slurry jet (ASJ) technology. The existing ASJ feed systems were reviewed and found inadequate to satisfy the requirements of an ASJ drill. A novel feed system was designed which improved on existing systems by resolving problems with the inability to perform stop/start operations and ensure precise metering of abrasive feed. This system met standards of consistency and evenness of feed required for machining aircraft component parts for Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Theoretical and experimental analysis of the power of an ASJ stream yielded valuable design information …

Integrated Process Planning For A Hybrid Manufacturing System, Lan Ren

Doctoral Dissertations

"A hybrid manufacturing system integrated CNC machining and laser-aided layered deposition and achieves the benefits of both processes. In this dissertation, an integrated process planning framework which aims to automate the hybrid manufacturing process is investigated. Critical components of the process planning, including 3D spatial decomposition of the CAD model, improvement of the toolpath generation pattern, repairing strategies using a hybrid manufacturing system, etc., are discussed"--Abstract, page iv.

System And Ic Level Analysis Of Electrostatic Discharge (Esd) And Electrical Fast Transient (Eft) Immunity And Associated Coupling Mechanisms, Jayong Koo

Doctoral Dissertations

"The exposure of electronic circuits to lightning, electrostatic discharge (ESD), electrical fast transients (EFT) or sine wave signals can reveal RF immunity problems. Typical problems include temporary malfunctions or permanent damage of integrated circuits (ICs). In an effort to reproduce those disturbances, a series of electromagnetic compatibility standards has been developed. However, a complete understanding of the root cause of the immunity problems has yet to be established. This dissertation discusses immunity problems in three papers, starting at the system level, via the coupling path into the IC"--Abstract, page iv.

Hispanic Citizenship, Registration, And Voting Patterns: A Comparative Analysis Of The 2000 And 2004 Presidential Elections, Debora Upegui

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This study examines citizenship, registration, and voting patterns among Latinos in the 2000 and 2004 Presidential Elections.

Methods: Data on Latinos and other racial/ethnic groups were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa. Cases in the dataset were weighted and analyzed to produce population estimates.

Results: There is no doubt that the Hispanic population in the United States has consistently grown in the last two decades and continues to be the largest growing minority group within the United States. According to the 2004 census, …

Crude Birth Rates Among New York City’S Racial/Ethnic Groups And Latino Nationalities In 2002, Victoria Stone

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This report analyzes crude birth rates among women in the three primary racial/ethnic groups, White, Black, and Latina, and further examines birth rates by age-specific groups in the five boroughs of New York City in 2002. In addition, this report presents the crude birth rates for six Latino nationalities: Mexican, Ecuadorian, Dominican, Colombian, Puerto Rican and Cuban.

Methods: The data examined here was derived from the NYC Vital Statistics 2002 Report and the Census 2000 SF4 table on Sex by Age by race and Latino nationality. The birth rates were calculated by dividing live birth numbers (Vital Statistics report) …

Latino Educational Enrollment And Attainment Levels In New York City, Victoria Stone

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This study examines educational attainment rates among racial/ethnic groups in the US and New York City as of 2000 – particularly Latinos.

Methods: Data on Latinos and other racial/ethnic groups were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa. Cases in the dataset were weighted and analyzed to produce population estimates.

Results: Statistics show that close to 50% of the Asian and White populations between 18 and 24 years of age are enrolled in undergraduate programs. Enrollment for Blacks and Latinos in respective populations of …

Crude Birth Rates And Contraceptive Use By Racial/Ethnic Group In The U.S., 1990-2000, Victoria Stone

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This report analyzes crude birth rates and contraceptive use among women in the three primary racial/ethnic groups, White, Black, and Latina, and further examines birth rates by age-specific groups in the United States between 1990 and 2000.

Methods: The data examined here was derived from the NYC Vital Statistics 2002 Report and the Census 2000 SF4 table on Sex by Age by race and Latino nationality. The birth rates were calculated by dividing live birth numbers (Vital Statistics report) by total population count by age and racial/ethnic group (Census 2000 data) and multiplying this number by 1000.

Results: In …

Web-Based Service Exchange System For Agents And Humans Alike, Evens Jean, Machigar Ongtang, A. R. Hurson

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Semantic Web research aims at bridging the gap between how humans and agents process information readily available on the Internet. One of the great challenges to this goal lies in the fact that humans, contrary to agents, can extract the meaning of words based on its context. This work introduces a service exchange system for the Web that allows agents to intelligently process information, as would humans. This is achieved by the use of thesauri to help agents resolve semantic heterogeneity in the information being processed. The framework for the exchange system has been realized under the aglet platform on …

Technology Strategy And China's Technology Capacity Building, Arnoud De Meyer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

China has the potential to become a major source of innovation for the world. The scientific investment is in place and rapidly growing. But in order to reap the benefits of this investment its organisations will have to become better at managing innovation. One of the key elements of innovation management is the determination and implementation of a sound technology strategy. The purpose of this paper is to offer a framework and a detailed overview of what it entails to develop and implement a technology strategy. The paper emphasizes the alignment of the strategy with the organisational competencies and the …

Social Network Analysis Of Video Bloggers' Community, John Warmbrodt, Hong Sheng, Richard H. Hall

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Video blogs (or vlogs) have become increasingly popular in recent years. As the main motivation for vlogging is to interact with other vloggers, it is important to investigate the structure of the videobloggers' community and the interactions among vloggers. This research conducted a quantitative analysis using social network analysis. A list of personal vloggers was identified from VlogDIR and linking patters of vlogs were analyzed. The results suggest that video bloggers' community is highly decentralized and exhibits a core/periphery structure.

Appreciating Mandatory Rules: A Reply To Critics, Scott Dodson

Faculty Publications

It seems that few are pleased with the Court’s recent decision in Bowles v. Russell, in which the Court held the time limit for filing a notice of appeal to be jurisdictional and therefore not susceptible to the unique circumstances doctrine. As I wrote in this original essay, I believe the Court disrupted prior precedent and missed a golden opportunity to develop, in a principled way, a framework for characterizing rules as jurisdictional or not, and I adhere to those views. Three have responded to my essay. Professor Beth Burch criticizes Bowles for some of the same …

Stable Pde Solution Methods For Large Multiquadric Shape Parameters, Nicolas Ali Libre, Arezoo Emdadi, Edward J. Kansa, Mohammad Rahimian, Mohammad Shekarchi

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present a new method based upon the paper of Volokh and Vilney (2000) that produces highly accurate and stable solutions to very ill-conditioned multiquadric (MQ) radial basis function (RBF) asymmetric collocation methods for partial differential equations (PDEs). We demonstrate that the modified Volokh-Vilney algorithm that we name the improved truncated singular value decomposition (IT-SVD) produces highly accurate and stable numerical solutions for large values of a constant MQ shape parameter, c, that exceeds the critical value of c based upon Gaussian elimination.

Environmental Regulations And The Increasing Seasonality Of Gasoline Prices, Michael C. Davis

Economics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We analyze gasoline prices over the past 27 years and find that there has been an increase in the seasonal variation since 2000. This finding is attributed to an increase in the environmental regulations on gasoline during the summer months.

A Winning Proposition: The Economic Impact Of Successful Nfl Franchises, Christian M. End, Michael C. Davis

Economics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Research has demonstrated that a Super Bowl victory increases the personal income of the individuals in the metropolitan area from which the winning teams come (Coates & Humphreys, 2002). We argue that the economic benefits should extend beyond just the championship team's city to the cities of teams who experience seasonal success and thus the winning percentages of NFL teams were included in our model. when controlling for sources of bias, winning percentage of the local professional football team had a significant positive effect on real per capita personal income. Explanations for these conclusions are offered from a psychological perspective.

Probabilistic Sales Forecasting For Small And Medium-Size Business Operations, Randall E. Duran

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

One of the most important aspects of operating a business is the forecasting of sales and allocation of resources to fulfill sales. Sales assessments are usually based on mental models that are not well defined, may be biased, and are difficult to refine and improve over time. Defining sales forecasting models for small- and medium-size business operations is especially difficult when the number of sales events is small but the revenue per sales event is large. This chapter reviews the challenges of sales forecasting in this environment and describes how incomplete and potentially suspect information can be used to produce …

Friction Stir Channeling: An Innovative Technique For Heat Exchanger Manufacturing, Nagarajan Balasubramanian

Doctoral Dissertations

"Friction stir processing (FSP) is an emerging processing technique based on the principles of friction stir welding (FSW), which is a relatively new solid-state metal joining process developed by The Welding Institute, UK. Some of the unique features of FSW such as the low amount of heat generated, extensive plastic deformation and controlled flow of material is being exploited to develop new material modification and manufacturing processes. Friction stir channeling (FSC) is one such adaptation of FSP that can produce continuous and stable internal channels for application in heat exchanging equipment. Friction stir channeling produces these channels if the defect …

Addressing Nonlinear Combustion Instabilities In Highly Dilute Spark Ignition Engine Operation, Brian C. Kaul

Doctoral Dissertations

"Dilute operation is a promising approach for increasing spark-ignition engine efficiency, in the form of either lean burn (air dilution) or EGR (inert dilution). High levels of charge dilution, however, lead to cyclic variability that is largely deterministic in nature. The determinism and nonlinear nature of the system indicate that it should be possible to reduce the cycle-to-cycle variations by implementing an electronic controller. Several needs arise when considering the development of such a controller. Three topics of interest are covered herein. First, a method of analysis for nonlinear dynamical systems is applied to engine data in order to estimate …