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2010

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Integrating Project Change Management Learning Into An Academic Course On It Project Management, Mikaela A. Nweke Ms. Dec 2010

Integrating Project Change Management Learning Into An Academic Course On It Project Management, Mikaela A. Nweke Ms.

Purdue Polytechnic Directed Projects

Within project management, little attention has been devoted to controlling and facilitating changes when constraints of a project have been changed such as scope, time, cost, or quality, also known as Project Change Management (Arami, 2008). Growing statistics prove it is imperative for students finishing IT programs to acquire an understanding of project change management (PCM) for industry preparation. The U.S. spent 3.28 billion dollars on global change management and accountability projects for technology (roughly one-third of the total budget for global change) in the year 2000; this percentage still continues to rise (Goncalves, 2007). As a result, students must …

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A Field Test Of Mobile Phone Shielding Devices, Eric Katz Dec 2010

A Field Test Of Mobile Phone Shielding Devices, Eric Katz

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Mobile phones are increasingly a source of evidence in criminal investigations. The evidence on a phone is volatile and can easily be overwritten or deleted. There are many tools that claim to radio isolate a phone in order to preserve evidence. Unfortunately the wireless preservation devices do not always successfully prevent network communication as promised. The purpose of this study was to identify situations where the devices used to protect evidence on mobile phones can fail. There has been little published research on how well these devices work in the field despite the escalating importance of mobile phone forensics. These …

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Gene Network Inference And Expression Prediction Using Recurrent Neural Networks And Evolutionary Algorithms, Heather Y. Chan Dec 2010

Gene Network Inference And Expression Prediction Using Recurrent Neural Networks And Evolutionary Algorithms, Heather Y. Chan

Theses and Dissertations

We demonstrate the success of recurrent neural networks in gene network inference and expression prediction using a hybrid of particle swarm optimization and differential evolution to overcome the classic obstacle of local minima in training recurrent neural networks. We also provide an improved validation framework for the evaluation of genetic network modeling systems that will result in better generalization and long-term prediction capability. Success in the modeling of gene regulation and prediction of gene expression will lead to more rapid discovery and development of therapeutic medicine, earlier diagnosis and treatment of adverse conditions, and vast advancements in life science research.

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First Order Analysis Of Nitrate Loading In The Upper Elbe River Basin, Czech Republic, Daniel J. Ritter Dec 2010

First Order Analysis Of Nitrate Loading In The Upper Elbe River Basin, Czech Republic, Daniel J. Ritter

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrate contamination of water is a worldwide issue. Nitrate is especially dangerous for young children, and may result in potentially fatal blue baby syndrome when concentration in drinking water is > 10 mg/L N-NO3. Nitrate in surface water may also lead to eutrophication. Sources of NO3- contamination include nitrate fertilizers, wastewater treatment plants, individual domestic septic systems, runoff from animal feedlots, and natural soil nitrogen. Nitrate contamination in the Elbe River drainage, covering 148,270 km2 in Germany and the Czech Republic, has been a long-term issue. This study examines the upper one-third of the basin, located almost entirely in the Czech …

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Classification Of Generalized Hadamard Matrices H(6,3) And Quaternary Hermitian Self-Dual Codes Of Length 18, Masaaki Harada, Clement Lam, Akihiro Munemasa, Vladimir Tonchev Dec 2010

Classification Of Generalized Hadamard Matrices H(6,3) And Quaternary Hermitian Self-Dual Codes Of Length 18, Masaaki Harada, Clement Lam, Akihiro Munemasa, Vladimir Tonchev

Department of Mathematical Sciences Publications

All generalized Hadamard matrices of order 18 over a group of order 3, H(6,3),are enumerated in two different ways: once, as class regular symmetric (6,3)-nets,or symmetric transversal designs on 54 points and 54 blocks with a group of order 3 acting semi-regularly on points and blocks, and secondly,as collections of fullweight vectors in quaternary Hermitian self-dual codes of length 18. The second enumeration is based on the classification of Hermitian self-dual [18,9] codes over GF(4), completed in this paper. It is shown that up to monomial equivalence, there are 85 generalized Hadamard matrices H(6,3), and 245 inequivalent Hermitian self-dual codes …

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Relations Of Depression, Social Support, And Socio-Demographic Factors On Health Behaviors Of Mothers With Premature Infants Hospitalized In A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Nicu), Surbhi Kanotra Dec 2010

Relations Of Depression, Social Support, And Socio-Demographic Factors On Health Behaviors Of Mothers With Premature Infants Hospitalized In A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Nicu), Surbhi Kanotra

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the relationships of depression, social support, and socio-demographic factors on health behaviors of mothers with preterm infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In addition, the study also assessed the moderation effect of social support on the relationship between depression and health behaviors. Eighty-nine mothers with hospitalized infants in the central Richmond area participated in the study. Analyses found that mother’s education level and her marital status to be significantly associated with her health behaviors. Mothers with a higher level of education and those who were married, were less likely to smoke and more …

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Newsroom: Argento On 'Internet Censorship' Bill, Roger Williams University School Of Law Dec 2010

Newsroom: Argento On 'Internet Censorship' Bill, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

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Factors Influencing Macroinvertebrate Diversity And Community Composition In Riverine Freshwater Rock Pools, Chtaura Jackson Dec 2010

Factors Influencing Macroinvertebrate Diversity And Community Composition In Riverine Freshwater Rock Pools, Chtaura Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

I examined a system of 378-riverine rock pools situated along the James River in Richmond, Virginia, to uncover the factors influencing their macroinvertebrate diversity and community composition. I characterized (total = 60) the physical characteristics, water quality, hydrology, and community assemblages in July 2009 for a subset of pools. I examined whether selected environmental factors (pH, nearest neighbor distance, depth, surface area and inundation height) were related to macroinvertebrate diversity and community composition. Species richness and total abundance of all taxa increased with pool pH and surface area. Ordination indicates that nearest neighbor distance (NND) and pH varied significantly among …

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Performance Characterization Of A Three-Axis Hall Effect Thruster, Spencer E. Temkin Dec 2010

Performance Characterization Of A Three-Axis Hall Effect Thruster, Spencer E. Temkin

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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Effects Of Prior Aging At 274⁰C In Argon On Inelastic Deformation Behavior Of Pmr-15 Polymer At 288⁰C: Experiment And Modeling, Joseph A. Wahlquist Dec 2010

Effects Of Prior Aging At 274⁰C In Argon On Inelastic Deformation Behavior Of Pmr-15 Polymer At 288⁰C: Experiment And Modeling, Joseph A. Wahlquist

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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A Linear Combination Of Heuristics Approach To Spatial Sampling Hyperspectral Data For Target Tracking, Barry R. Secrest Dec 2010

A Linear Combination Of Heuristics Approach To Spatial Sampling Hyperspectral Data For Target Tracking, Barry R. Secrest

Theses and Dissertations

Persistent surveillance of the battlespace results in better battlespace awareness which aids in obtaining air superiority, winning battles, and saving friendly lives. Although hyperspectral imagery (HSI) data has proven useful for discriminating targets, it presents many challenges as a useful tool in persistent surveillance. A new sensor under development has the potential of overcoming these challenges and transforming our persistent surveillance capability by providing HSI data for a limited number of pixels and grayscale video for the remainder. The challenge of exploiting this new sensor is determining where the HSI data in the sensor's field of view will be the …

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Tunable Optical Delay In Doppler-Broadened Cesium Vapor, Monte D. Anderson Dec 2010

Tunable Optical Delay In Doppler-Broadened Cesium Vapor, Monte D. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Variable-delay tunable optical delay line or optical buffers are critical for the development of all-optical networks components as well as interferometry and analytic instruments. Recent research on slow light may hold the key for the development of the first practical tunable optical delay device. In this research the linear dispersion delay effects in an alkali vapor. The hyperfine relaxation observations present insight into the complex bleach wave dynamics during a high-intensity pulsed pump in DPAL systems.

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A Space Acquisition Leading Indicator Based On System Interoperation Maturity, Jason T. Shibata Dec 2010

A Space Acquisition Leading Indicator Based On System Interoperation Maturity, Jason T. Shibata

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense‘s space acquisition enterprise has experienced numerous challenges since the advent of space power. Space borne capabilities are needed more than ever, but space acquisition frequently fails to meet its goals. The decades of space acquisition experience form a rich history that can be used to build a leading indicator of success to enable effective program execution. First, the space acquisition areas of greatest concern were determined to be cost, schedule and requirements. These areas are considered as systems composed of the people, processes and products that execute the program. Second, the vital interoperation characteristics, or attributes …

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Conceptual Design And Analysis Of Service Oriented Architecture (Soa) For Command And Control Of Space Assets, Eric B. Snyder Dec 2010

Conceptual Design And Analysis Of Service Oriented Architecture (Soa) For Command And Control Of Space Assets, Eric B. Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

The mission-unique model that has dominated the DoD satellite Command and Control community is costly and inefficient. It requires repeatedly “reinventing” established common C2 components for each program, unnecessarily inflating budgets and delivery schedules. The effective utilization of standards is scarce, and proprietary, non-open solutions are commonplace. IT professionals have trumpeted Service Oriented Architectures (SOAs) as the solution to large enterprise situations where multiple, functionally redundant but non-compatible information systems create large recurring development, test, maintenance, and tech refresh costs. This thesis describes the current state of Service Oriented Architectures as related to satellite operations and presents a functional analysis …

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Asynchronous Database Drivers, Michael Adam Heath Dec 2010

Asynchronous Database Drivers, Michael Adam Heath

Theses and Dissertations

Existing database drivers use blocking socket I/O to exchange data with relational database management systems (RDBMS). To concurrently send multiple requests to a RDBMS with blocking database drivers, a separate thread must be used for each request. This approach has been used successfully for many years. However, we propose that using non-blocking socket I/O is faster and scales better under load. In this paper we introduce the Asynchronous Database Connectivity in Java (ADBCJ) framework. ADBCJ provides a common API for asynchronous RDBMS interaction. Various implementations of the ADBCJ API are used to show how utilizing non-blocking socket I/O is faster …

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An Evaluation Of Cardiorespiratory Responses And Ventilatory Efficiency During Treadmill And Cycling Exercise In Overweight Adolescents, Amanda Scheps Dec 2010

An Evaluation Of Cardiorespiratory Responses And Ventilatory Efficiency During Treadmill And Cycling Exercise In Overweight Adolescents, Amanda Scheps

Theses and Dissertations

The assessment of ventilatory efficiency (VE/VCO2 slope) is increasingly being utilized to complement traditional cardiorespiratory fitness testing during graded exercise. The purpose of this study was to compare cardiorespiratory responses and ventilatory efficiency in obese children during a progressive exercise test to volitional fatigue performed on a treadmill and a cycle ergometer. Fifteen obese male (N=3) and female (N=12) adolescents aged 10 to 18 years were recruited in the study and completed both the treadmill and cycle ergometer trials. Mean age and BMI of the sample was 13.3 years and 38.0 kg/m2, respectively. Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and ventilatory efficiency …

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The Effect Of Exogenous Fructose On Creeping Bentgrass Heat Tolerance, William Brett Long Dec 2010

The Effect Of Exogenous Fructose On Creeping Bentgrass Heat Tolerance, William Brett Long

Theses and Dissertations

Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) used on golf course putting greens are some of the most intensively managed areas of turf and are subjected to high stress. Heat stress results in lowered photosynthetic efficiency and inadequate sugar production. An exogenous application of fructose could compensate for the lack of sugar being produced. The objectives of this research were to determine the effect of exogenous applications of fructose on heat stressed creeping bentgrass. Field results showed some phytotoxicity with high rates of fructose, while lower rates showed no visible damage compared to an untreated control. Low rates of surfactant resulted in little …

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The Effects Of Four Pre-Emergent Herbicides On The Rooting Architecture Of Hybrid Bermudagrass, Christopher Jerome Nettles Jr. Dec 2010

The Effects Of Four Pre-Emergent Herbicides On The Rooting Architecture Of Hybrid Bermudagrass, Christopher Jerome Nettles Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Weed control is essential in managing high quality turfgrasses. Some preemergent (PRE) herbicides may pose a negative effect on rooting architecture (total length, surface area, diameter, and mass) of desirable species. Several PRE herbicides work by negatively affecting normal cell division and development. Evaluations were performed to determine the effects of four PRE herbicides (dithiopyr, oxadiazon, pendimethalin, and quinclorac) on hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L. X C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy) (BG) root architecture. Herbicide treatments were applied to field grown dormant BG in Mid-March of 2008 and 2009. A decrease in root length, and in surface area, was observed at 8 …

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The Impact Of Accelerated Reader (Ar) Program On Students' Mct Reading Scores, Kenyartic Lewon Brown Dec 2010

The Impact Of Accelerated Reader (Ar) Program On Students' Mct Reading Scores, Kenyartic Lewon Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This study was needed to determine if the Accelerated Reader (AR) program made a positive impact in schools, which were attempting to increase student achievement in reading. The purpose of this study was to determine if students who received reading instruction supplemented with the AR Program achieved higher reading scores as measured by the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT) than students who were instructed using only traditional basal reader textbooks. 6 school districts were selected to participate in this study. There were 1,111 3rd — 5th grade students in the 6 districts between the years 2004 and 2007. Of those 1,111 …

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Occurrence And Transformation Of Pharmaceutical And Antibacterial Compounds In The Environment, Kusum Santosh Verma Dec 2010

Occurrence And Transformation Of Pharmaceutical And Antibacterial Compounds In The Environment, Kusum Santosh Verma

Theses and Dissertations

The presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment has become a matter of concern during the last decade. Increased production of PPCPs along with their increased use has led to release of these compounds in the environment via various routes. PPCPs includes large group of compounds including veterinary and human antibiotics, analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, psychiatric drugs, β-blockers, X-ray contrasts, and steroid hormones, etc. Many of the compounds used in PPCPs have been shown to possess adverse effects to living organisms and act as endocrine disrupting agents (ECDs). This dissertation includes the investigation of the occurrence …

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Enhanced Lipid Production And Biodiesel Yields From Activated Sludge Via Fermentation Of Lignocellulose Hydrolyzate, Andro Hernandez Mondala Dec 2010

Enhanced Lipid Production And Biodiesel Yields From Activated Sludge Via Fermentation Of Lignocellulose Hydrolyzate, Andro Hernandez Mondala

Theses and Dissertations

The potential of enhancing lipid accumulation in municipal sewage activated sludge via fermentation of lignocellulose biomass hydrolyzate was investigated. The overall objective was to increase the levels of feedstock lipids in the activated sludge biomass and increase its biodiesel yield via in situ or ex situ transesterification; and improve its cost competitiveness as an abundant feedstock source for biofuels production. To reduce production costs and maintain environmental sustainability, influent wastewater and waste lignocellulose biomass hydrolyzate were used as cultivation media and substrate, respectively. However, lignocellulose hydrolyzates also contain degradation by-products such as furfural and acetic acid that are known to …

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Utilization Of Extracted Hardwood Flakes For Manufacturing Oriented Strand Lumber, Thomas Eric Mcconnell Dec 2010

Utilization Of Extracted Hardwood Flakes For Manufacturing Oriented Strand Lumber, Thomas Eric Mcconnell

Theses and Dissertations

Lignocellulosic ethanol production currently uses expensive and harsh methods to extract wood sugars from small-diameter hardwood trees that otherwise would have little or no marketability. A byproduct that adds no value to the conversion process results, thus alternative methods are needed to make this fuel source cost-effective. This dissertation proposes only partially hydrolyzing southern hardwoods, extracting some polysaccharides for ethanol fermentation while leaving behind a modified wood material which could be used as furnish for manufacturing strand-based wood composites. Three treating solutions, 1% sulfuric acid, water, and 1% sodium hydroxide, along with untreated controls, were utilized in a partial hydrolysis …

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Vortices In The Near Field Of Optical Dipole Radiation, Xin Li Dec 2010

Vortices In The Near Field Of Optical Dipole Radiation, Xin Li

Theses and Dissertations

An oscillating electric dipole emits radiation, and the flow of energy is represented by the field lines of the Poynting vector. In the most general state of oscillation the dipole moment vector traces out an ellipse. We have evaluated analytically and numerically the field lines of the Poynting vector for the emitted light, and it appears that each field line lies on a cone, which has its axis perpendicular to the plane of the ellipse. The field lines exhibit a vortex structure near the location of the dipole, and they approach a straight line in the far field. The spatial …

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Modeling Moisture Absorption And Thickness Swelling For Oriented Strand Board (Osb), Robert Aaron Slay Dec 2010

Modeling Moisture Absorption And Thickness Swelling For Oriented Strand Board (Osb), Robert Aaron Slay

Theses and Dissertations

The dimensional stability of oriented strand board (OSB) can be affected by processing variables. This study investigated the water absorption and thickness swelling of OSB based on its board layup, type of resin, resin content, and percentage of wax. The experiment data was measured inside an environmental chamber from oven dry (OD) conditions to 80% relative humidity (RH), and from OD to 90% RH. The results suggest that single layer boards and isocyanate resin provide greater dimensional stability to OSB than three layer boards or phenol formaldehyde resin. In addition, the water absorption and thickness swell data were effectively modeled …

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Fiber Loop Ringdown Evanescent Field Sensors, Chamini Saumya Herath Dec 2010

Fiber Loop Ringdown Evanescent Field Sensors, Chamini Saumya Herath

Theses and Dissertations

We combine the evanescent field (EF) sensing mechanism with the fiber loop ringdown (FLRD) sensing scheme to create FLRD-EF sensors. The EF sensor heads are fabricated by etching the cladding of a single-mode fiber (SMF), while monitoring the etching process by the FLRD technique in real-time, on-line with high control precision. The effect of the sensor head dimensions on the sensors' detection sensitivity and response time are investigated. The EF scattering (EFS) sensing mechanism is combined with the FLRD detection scheme to create a new type of fiber optic index sensor. The detection limit for an optical index change is …

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Social Enterprise: An Overlooked Approach To Addressing Economic Marginalisation, Gerard Doyle Dec 2010

Social Enterprise: An Overlooked Approach To Addressing Economic Marginalisation, Gerard Doyle

Articles

No abstract provided.

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A Meta-Analysis Of School-Based Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs, Ling Shen Hung Dec 2010

A Meta-Analysis Of School-Based Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs, Ling Shen Hung

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence rate of childhood obesity has increased rapidly worldwide. The childhood obesity epidemic is associated with many adverse health consequences in children as well as a financial burden for a nation’s economy. A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of school-based childhood obesity prevention programs in preventing childhood obesity. The objectives of this study were to 1) identify the most effective childhood obesity prevention programs through effect size comparison, and 2) identify important program components that affect the effectiveness of the intervention through subgroup analysis. The Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) program was used for all statistical analyses. Results of …

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Alabama Community College Presidents' Perceptions Regarding Distance Education, Janina Lakeshea Nobles Dec 2010

Alabama Community College Presidents' Perceptions Regarding Distance Education, Janina Lakeshea Nobles

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine Alabama community college presidents’ perceptions regarding distance education. Further, this study was intended to determine the adequacy of the training opportunities and support for faculty that teach distance education courses and what services are available for distance education students. This study was designed to investigate distance education in the Alabama Community College System and to provide information in an effort to create a comprehensive plan to maximize access to online learning for students within the system. A survey was given to a total of 26 Alabama 2-year college presidents (22 comprehensive community …

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Assessment Of Body Armor Design On Physical Performance During Simulated Law Enforcement Activities, David Rashad Close Dec 2010

Assessment Of Body Armor Design On Physical Performance During Simulated Law Enforcement Activities, David Rashad Close

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of current body armor design on physical performance during simulated law enforcement activities. Twenty participants completed three trials of 13 individual activities representative of routine law enforcement activities. Three body armor configurations were evaluated: baseline (i.e., no armor), concealable body armor, and external body armor. Dependent variables included task completion time, heart rate, and center of pressure (COP). Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to test the dependant variables, with Tukey’s HSD post hoc tests used where appropriate. Results showed that the vertical and horizontal components of COP were affected by …

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Coupling Sediment Transport And Water Quality Models, Yi Xiong Dec 2010

Coupling Sediment Transport And Water Quality Models, Yi Xiong

Theses and Dissertations

Sediment has profound effects on water quality. Correspondingly, water quality modeling often needs sediment transport modeling. However, simplified descriptive sediment transport was originally employed for water quality modeling, and the linkage between sediment transport models and water quality models is less developed. Therefore, the main purposes of this study were to develop general methods of coupling sediment transport and water quality models and to improve sediment transport modeling for water quality modeling. Linkage of sediment transport and water quality was discussed and a comprehensive sediment transport literature review was conducted. SEDDEER (Sediment Deposition and Erosion), a stand-alone sediment and contaminant …

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