Digital Commons Network^™

Process Time Refinement For Reusable Launch Vehicle Regeneration Modeling, Joseph A. Servidio

Theses and Dissertations

To sustain operational effectiveness, the Air Force has invested in the research and development of space-based technologies. Certain ongoing spacelift research efforts are focused on developing operationally responsive Reusable Military Launch Vehicles (RMLV) capable of launching payloads into orbit within hours of a tasking notification. Previous Air Force Research Laboratory-sponsored AFIT studies have resulted in the development of the MILEPOST discrete-event simulation model. This model has enabled the ability to analyze the impacts to responsiveness and manpower requirements given different RMLV design alternatives. The focus of this thesis is to improve the fidelity of the MILEPOST model by developing parametric …

Discrete Event Simulation Of A Suppression Of Enemy Air Defenses (Sead) Mission, Ahmet Aydin Candir

Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary military campaigns increasingly count on the use of air power. Suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) operations have been a crucial element of military air power for 50 years. Several developments and evolution in both air defense and attack systems suggest that SEAD missions will continue to have growing importance to air forces. Since SEAD operations have a significant impact on air campaigns, it is important to examine their efficiency and identify improvement opportunities. This study explores factors that influence SEAD operations through use of a discrete event simulation built in Arena and subsequent statistical analysis of the results.

Combat Identification Modeling Using Robust Optimization Techniques, Taeho Kim

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this research were: (1) the modeling of a CID situation and (2) the search for robust and controllable input variable settings. The inputs were defined as controllable and noise variables and the confusion matrices in ROC theory were adapted to act as controllable factors. In this research a simple virtual battlespace representation is employed. The experimental results of the CID system are summarized by a posterior confusion matrix and throughout the confusion matrix analysis we can obtain all various types of data such as accuracy, error cost, error rates, and so forth. To find the optimal parameters …

Robust Sensitivity Analysis Of Courses Of Action Using An Additive Value Model, Hunter A. Marks

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense (DoD) requires the ability to quantifiably measure progress in arenas that are complex and difficult to measure, such as the stability of a region. Therefore, the DoD works diligently to predict the effect of operations and sponsors research to improve prediction and analysis. They desire a repeatable, systematic methodology to aid in the selection of courses of action (COA) that efficiently meet stated objectives and quantitatively measure the degree of accomplishment of these objectives. The author proposes a value-focused thinking (VFT) decision analysis (DA) approach to this problem. This methodology not only aids in selection of …

Assessing Capabilities Of The High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System Through Combat Simulations, Ryan S. Ponack

Theses and Dissertations

High Energy Laser (HEL) technology continues to improve and its place in the battlefield is ever evolving. By combining the high energy delivery of solid state laser technology with the efficient thermal management of liquid laser technology, HELLADS has two main advantages over any HEL predecessors. One, the configuration is small and light enough to be carried on more tactical aircraft such as fighters. Two, the thermal management greatly increases HEL fire power by increasing dwell time on target. To assess HELLADS operational capabilities the test community has been challenged with how to effectively examine the advantages and limitations through …

Dynamic Protocol Reverse Engineering A Grammatical Inference Approach, Mark E. Deyoung

Theses and Dissertations

Round trip engineering of software from source code and reverse engineering of software from binary files have both been extensively studied and the state-of-practice have documented tools and techniques. Forward engineering of protocols has also been extensively studied and there are firmly established techniques for generating correct protocols. While observation of protocol behavior for performance testing has been studied and techniques established, reverse engineering of protocol control flow from observations of protocol behavior has not received the same level of attention. State-of-practice in reverse engineering the control flow of computer network protocols is comprised of mostly ad hoc approaches. We …

Digital Fingerprinting Of Field Programmable Gate Arrays, James W. Crouch

Theses and Dissertations

Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) component usage is becoming more prevalent in military applications due to current Department of Defense (DoD) policies. The easy accessibility of COTS will give reverse engineers a higher probability of successfully tampering, coping, or reverse engineering circuits that contain critical capabilities. To prevent this and verify the trustworthiness of hardware, circuit identification tags or serials numbers can be used. However, these values can be easily obtained and forged. To protect critical DoD technologies from possible exploitation, there is an urgent need for a reliable method to confirm a circuit’s identity using a set of unique unforgettable metrics. …

Signal Processing Design Of Low Probability Of Intercept Waveforms, Nathaniel C. Liefer

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates a modification to Differential Phase Shift Keyed (DPSK) modulation to create a Low Probability of Interception/Exploitation (LPI/LPE) communications signal. A pseudorandom timing offset is applied to each symbol in the communications stream to intentionally create intersymbol interference (ISI) that hinders accurate symbol estimation and bit sequence recovery by a non-cooperative receiver. Two cooperative receiver strategies are proposed to mitigate the ISI due to symbol timing offset: a modified minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) equalization algorithm and a multiplexed bank of equalizer filters determined by an adaptive Least Mean Square (LMS) algorithm. Both cooperative receivers require some knowledge …

Hyperspectral-Augmented Target Tracking, Neil A. Soliman

Theses and Dissertations

With the global war on terrorism, the nature of military warfare has changed significantly. The United States Air Force is at the forefront of research and development in the field of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance that provides American forces on the ground and in the air with the capability to seek, monitor, and destroy mobile terrorist targets in hostile territory. One such capability recognizes and persistently tracks multiple moving vehicles in complex, highly ambiguous urban environments. The thesis investigates the feasibility of augmenting a multiple-target tracking system with hyperspectral imagery. The research effort evaluates hyperspectral data classification using fuzzy c-means …

Integration Of Information Operations Theory Into The Corporate Air Force, Thomas R. Kettles Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the desired end-state for company grade officers in terms of an information operations education. Specifically, an examination of company grade officer curricula from the pre-commissioning sources to the Squadron Officer College was performed. This assessment was then compared to the Air Force Institute of Technology Cyber Competency Areas Framework. Any areas that were missing from the current company grade officer curricula were identified and a proposed implementation plan was presented to correct these deficiencies. To aid in developing an implementation plan, redundancies between the two Squadron Officer College courses were identified. Furthermore, …

Identification Of Command And Control Information Requirements For The Cyberspace Domain, Brian D. Aschenbrenner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop an information requirements analysis method that would provide the Director of Cyberspace Forces with the information required to support effective command and control of cyberspace. This research investigates the role of information in command and control, information in the traditional war fighting domains, cyberspace as a war fighting domain, and various methods of determining information requirements of organizations. This research produced an information requirements analysis method that is suitable for identifying the command and control information requirements of the Director of Cyberspace Forces.

Cyber Flag: A Realistic Cyberspace Training Construct, Andrew P. Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

As is well understood, the rapidly unfolding challenges of cyberspace is a fundamental warfare paradigm shift revolutionizing the way future wars will be fought and won. A significant test for the Air Force (indeed any organization with a credible presence in cyberspace) will be providing a realistic training environment that fully meets this challenge. Why create another Flag level exercise? Realistic training (that which is effective, comprehensive and coordinated) is crucial to success in time of war. Red Flag provides dominant training within the air domain and now with the evolution of cyberspace, a comprehensive training environment is necessary to …

The Key To Unlocking The Partial Lockout: A Discussion Of The Nlrb's Decisions In Midwest Generation And Bunting Bearings, C. Quincy Ewell

Penn State Law Review (2003 - Present)

No abstract provided.

A Constitution Between Past And Future, Kim Lane Scheppele

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Money Or Nothing: The Adverse Environmental Consequences Of Uncompensated Land Use Controls, Jonathan H. Adler

Faculty Publications

The conventional wisdom holds that requiring compensation for environmental land use controls would severely limit environmental protection efforts. There are increasing reasons to question this assumption. Both economic theory and recent empirical research--focused primarily on the Endangered Species Act but potentially applicable to other environmental regulations that create similar incentives--demonstrate that failing to compensate private landowners for the costs of regulation discourages voluntary conservation efforts and can encourage the destruction of environmental resources. The lack of a compensation requirement also means that land use regulation is "underpriced" as compared to other environmental protection measures for which government agencies must pay. …

From New London To Norwood: A Year In The Life Of Eminent Domain, Andrew S. Han

Duke Law Journal

A little more than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Kelo v. City of New London upheld the use of eminent domain for economic development, the Ohio Supreme Court became the first state supreme court to address a factual situation raising the same issues. In City of Norwood v. Horney, the Ohio court repudiated the Kelo rationale and rejected Norwood's proposed takings. Property rights advocates quickly hailed Norwood as a model for other state courts to follow in defending individual land owners from eminent domain abuse. This Note argues that Norwood's holding is incoherent and does nothing …

Monitor Newsletter February 25, 2008, Bowling Green State University

Monitor

Official Publication of Bowling Green State University for Faculty and Staff

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 83, No. 35, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. Articles:

• Rowell, Larry. Suspect of Pearce-Ford Tower Peeping Had Criminal Background – Jarred Bray
• Siders, Neil. Students Rally at Capitol – Budget Cuts, Protests
• Day, Michelle. Condemnation Case Heard; No Ruling by Judge – 1672 Normal Drive
• Erwin, Jill & Neil Siders. Western in Top 10 of ONE Campaign Campus Challenge – Charities
• Ryan, Eileen. Staring, Reflecting & Remembering – Tornados, Gamaliel, Treg Turner
• Laun, Susie. Memorial Services Planned for Phi Mu Sorority Freshman – Sally Schiller
• Erskine, Anne. Editorial Cartoon re: Gannett as Darth Vader
• Hunton, Ryan. A …

Pathoecology And The Future Of Coprolite Studies In Bioarchaeology, Karl J. Reinhard, Vaughn M. Bryant Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Human coprolites currently provide an expanding array of information about the diet, health, and ecology of prehistoric people in the Southwest, but for many years coprolites were not recognized or preserved, or they were not considered important and thus were not saved (Bryant and Dean 2006). With the expansion of archaeological field work during the last half of the twentieth century archaeologists have increasingly explored the “complete” potentials of sites, including the collection and analysis of geomorphologic, botanical, and faunal data. In some ideal habitats (e.g., very dry or frozen) this includes exploring the scientific potential of human coprolite studies. …

Hotline Press Newspaper- February 2008 Vol 25 No 34, Hotline Press Newspaper

Hotline Press Newspaper 2008

No abstract provided.

Air Force Institute Of Technology Research Report 2007, Office Of Research And Sponsored Programs, Graduate School Of Engineering And Management, Afit

AFIT Documents

This report summarizes the research activities of the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management. It describes research interests and faculty expertise; lists student theses/dissertations; identifies research sponsors and contributions; and outlines the procedures for contacting the school. Included in the report are: faculty publications, conference presentations, consultations, and funded research projects. Research was conducted in the areas of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Electro-Optics, Computer Engineering and Computer Science, Systems and Engineering Management, Operational Sciences, Mathematics, Statistics and Engineering Physics.

Volume Cxxv, Number 14, February 15, 2008, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

Water Management And Decision-Making In The Nile Basin: A Case Study Of The Nile Basin Initiative, John C. Merrill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The management of international waterways presents riparian nations with a challenging set of political, economic, environmental, and geographic difficulties. Historically, the Nile Basin has exemplified many of these problems as witnessed by inter-basin conflict, devastating floods, crippling drought, and unstable political and economic development. Despite their tumultuous past the ten riparian nations of the Nile Basin established a supranational water management institution in 1999, the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), in order to develop collective solutions to their common water related problems. However, serious challenges to the cooperative process threaten to derail the NBI and enflame underlying causes of conflict. This …

The Bg News February 14, 2008, Bowling Green State University

BG News (Student Newspaper)

The BGSU campus student newspaper. February 14, 2008. Volume 98-Issue 104.

The Lumberjack, February 13, 2008

Cal Poly Humboldt's Student Newspaper

The student newspaper of Humboldt State University.

Is Public Reason Counterproductive?, Eduardo M. Peñalver

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

The debate over the proper role of religion in public life has raged on for decades and shows little signs of slowing down. Proponents of restrictive accounts of public reason have proceeded under the assumption that religious and deep moral disagreement constitutes a threat to social stability that must be tamed. In contrast to this "scary story" linking pluralism with the threat of instability, there exists within political theory a competing, "happy story" according to which pluralism affirmatively contributes to stability by creating incentives for groups to moderate their demands. Whether the scary story or happy story is a more …

Five Chinese Historical Events That Don’T Get Much Attention, Kate Merkel-Hess

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

After Jeremiah Jenne recently posed a question about “the most important Chinese historical figure most people have never heard of,” I got to thinking about the vast expanse of Chinese history that is so often neglected in favor of the (admittedly sometimes more-relevant) post-49 events. In chronological order, here are my five nominations for Chinese historical events I wish were more often talked and written about. What events make your list?

1. The An Lushan Rebellion

Led by the rogue general, An Lushan, the civil war that riled the Tang Dynasty from 755 to 763 caused death by violence and …

Venezuela's Chavez Urges Colombia To Recognize Farc As Belligerent Force, Ladb Staff

NotiSur

No abstract provided.

February 4th 2008, Csusb

Coyote Chronicle (1984-)

No abstract provided.

The Murray Ledger And Times, February 2, 2008, The Murray Ledger And Times

The Murray Ledger & Times

No abstract provided.