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2010

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An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Service Quality, Transaction-Specific Satisfaction, And Overall Satisfaction In Predicting Golfers' Revisit Intentions, Joon Choel Lee Dec 2010

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Service Quality, Transaction-Specific Satisfaction, And Overall Satisfaction In Predicting Golfers' Revisit Intentions, Joon Choel Lee

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ABSTRACT
Every year, approximately 37 million people play golf and use golf course facilities with friends or family, and each group's perception of satisfaction differs. It is important and worthwhile to examine the variables that influence golfers' perceptions of service quality and satisfaction. Understanding which variables best predict behavioral intentions to revisit certain facilities is an important issue in the tourism industry, but few studies have investigated the relationships between service quality, transaction-specific satisfaction, and overall satisfaction in predicting revisit intention.
The purpose of this study is to compare and investigate conceptual frameworks that represent the relationship between golfers' perceived …

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Circuit Modules For Broadband Cmos Six-Port Systems, Chaojiang Li Dec 2010

Circuit Modules For Broadband Cmos Six-Port Systems, Chaojiang Li

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This dissertation investigates four circuit modules used in a CMOS integrated six-port measurement system. The first circuit module is a wideband power source generator, which can be implemented with a voltage controlled ring oscillator. The second circuit module is a low-power 0.5 GHz - 20.5 GHz power detector with an embedded amplifier and a wideband quasi T-coil matching network. The third circuit module is a six-port circuit, which can be implemented with distributed or lumped- lement techniques. The fourth circuit module is the phase sifter used as calibration loads. The theoretical analysis, circuit design, simulated or experimental verifications of each …

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A Framework For Virtual Device Driver Development And Virtual Device-Based Performance Modeling, Zachary Jones Dec 2010

A Framework For Virtual Device Driver Development And Virtual Device-Based Performance Modeling, Zachary Jones

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Operating system virtualization tools such as VMWare, XEN, and Linux KVM export only minimally capable SVGA graphics adapters. This paper describes the design and implementation of system
that virtualizes high-performance graphics cards of arbitrary design to support the construction of authentic device drivers. Drivers written for the virtual cards can be used verbatim, without special function calls or kernel modifications, as drivers for real cards, should real cards of the same design exist. While this allows for arbitrary design, it is not able to model performance characteristics. We describe a new kernel system that allows for arbitrarily changing the performance …

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Comprehensive Thermal Modeling Of Power Split Hybrid Power-Train And Electronics, Abdel Mayyas Dec 2010

Comprehensive Thermal Modeling Of Power Split Hybrid Power-Train And Electronics, Abdel Mayyas

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Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) uses both internal combustion engine (ICE) with an electric system. The combination of the electric power train with the ICE is intended to achieve both better fuel economies than the conventional vehicles and better performance. Several types of HEV exist with different layouts. Recent HEVs' make use of regenerative braking, which converts the vehicles' kinetic energy into electric energy instead of wasting it as heat as conventional brakes do. A hybrid-electric is more fuel efficient than ICE and has less environmental impact.
The new HEV with its new Key Characteristics and Configurations (i.e. Mechanical complexity, Multiple …

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High Frequency Ferromagnetic Inductive Elements For On-Chip Integration And Their Magnetization Dynamics, Hanqiao Zhang Dec 2010

High Frequency Ferromagnetic Inductive Elements For On-Chip Integration And Their Magnetization Dynamics, Hanqiao Zhang

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The dissertation focuses on the broadband characterization of magnetization dynamics of submicron (200-550 nm wide, 10 µm long, 100 nm thick) and micron (2-10 µm wide, 100 µm long, 100 nm thick) size patterned ferromagnetic material (Permalloy, Py) with low frequency and microwave measurement methods. Particularly the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), damping process, magnetization reversal, mag-noise, and 1/f noise in different pattern geometry, DC current and external magnetic field bias situations are investigated. In addition to simple microwave transmission line measurements, a sensitive on-chip microwave interferometer is proposed and fabricated by means of nano-fabrication techniques. The FMR properties of an individual …

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Sensitivity Analysis Of Uranium Speciation Modeling In Groundwater Systems With A Focus On Mobility, Andrew Scott Dec 2010

Sensitivity Analysis Of Uranium Speciation Modeling In Groundwater Systems With A Focus On Mobility, Andrew Scott

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Uranium is an important natural resource used in production of nuclear reactor fuel and nuclear weapons. The mining and processing of uranium has left a legacy of environmental contamination that remains to be addressed. There has been considerable interest in manipulating the oxidation state of uranium in order to put it into an environmentally immobile form. Uranium forms two stable oxidation states in nature, uranium (IV) being much less soluble than uranium (VI), and therefore the preferred state with regard to limiting the potential exposure of man. One of the tools used in evaluating potential effects of manipulating the natural …

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Pulsed-Laser Direct Writing Of Biological Materials, Yafu Lin Dec 2010

Pulsed-Laser Direct Writing Of Biological Materials, Yafu Lin

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Laser direct writing, developed based on modified laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT), has been emerging as one of the most promising biofabrication techniques. While some studies have been conducted to investigate laser direct writing of biological materials, there are some key challenges such as mechanisms of bubble formation, droplet formation and process-induced cell injury that have not been well elucidated. The objective of this dissertation is to study laser-induced droplet formation dynamics and process-induced cell injury in pulsed-laser direct writing of biological materials, and improve the existing laser direct-write techniques.
Phase explosion is identified as the dominant bubble formation mechanism in …

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Modulated Properties Of Fully Absorbable Bicomponent Meshes, Shawn Peniston Dec 2010

Modulated Properties Of Fully Absorbable Bicomponent Meshes, Shawn Peniston

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Current meshes used for soft-tissue repair are mostly composed of single component, nonabsorbable yarn constructions, limiting the ability to modulate their properties. This situation has left the majority of soft tissue repair load-bearing applications to suffer distinctly from undesirable features associated, in part, with mesh inability to (1) possess short-term stiffness to facilitate tissue stability during the development of wound strength; (2) gradually transfer the perceived mechanical load as the wound builds mechanical integrity; and (3) provide compliance with load transfer to the remodeling and maturing mesh/tissue complex. The likelihood of long-term complications is reduced for fully absorbable systems with …

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Successional Vegetation In The Jocassee Gorges, South Carolina, Maxwell Boyle Dec 2010

Successional Vegetation In The Jocassee Gorges, South Carolina, Maxwell Boyle

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Multifactor ecosystem classification systems provide a three-pronged approach to identifying site units across the landscape based on repeating patterns of vegetation, soil, and geomorphology. Ecosystem classification models have been developed for a diversity of forest landscapes throughout North America, and are beneficial as an ecosystem management tool because the outcome yields data models that can be utilized by scientists and natural resource managers alike. In contrast to the enormous amount of classification studies undertaken in relatively stable, older-aged forests in eastern North America, there have been few studies that have employed multifactor classification techniques across a successional gradient, or heavily …

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Synthesis And Optical Properties Of Silver Nanostructures, John Heckel Dec 2010

Synthesis And Optical Properties Of Silver Nanostructures, John Heckel

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Silver nanoparticles interact with light via the excitation of plasmon resonances that are the collective oscillations of the free electron density. This excitation represents the most efficient mechanism for the interaction of light with matter and therefore the nanoparticles are of great interest for both fundamental and practical points of view. In the following dissertation, silver nanoparticles, core-shell nanoparticles, and silver nanoparticle clusters were synthesized and there optical properties were investigated.
Chapter 1 contains general background information about the optical properties of bulk and silver nanoparticles. It also contains a concise description of two of my collaborative projects that did …

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Spidroin N-Terminal Domain: A Ph Sensor In The Spider Silk Assembly Process, William Gaines Dec 2010

Spidroin N-Terminal Domain: A Ph Sensor In The Spider Silk Assembly Process, William Gaines

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Spider silks are protein-based fibers with remarkable mechanical qualities. Perhaps even more impressive is the spinning process in which the spider silk proteins (spidroins) are assembled from a highly soluble storage state into a well-ordered and insoluble fiber. Indeed, the ordered arrangement of spidroins, which is endowed by the spinning process, is the basis of fiber strength. However, the forces driving fiber assembly and the mechanisms by which spidroins respond those forces are only poorly understood. Spidroins have a tripartite domain architecture consisting of a large and repetitive central domain flanked by small, non-repetitive N- and C-terminal domains. Both terminal …

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Nitrosative Stress And Dna Repair In Microorganisms, Sung-Hyun Park Dec 2010

Nitrosative Stress And Dna Repair In Microorganisms, Sung-Hyun Park

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DNA can be damaged by reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNI) and reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) from both endogenous and exogenous sources. Under nitrosative stress conditions, DNA may be modified through base deamination or crosslinking. Uracil (U), xanthine (X) and oxanine (O), hypoxanthine (I), and thymine (T) are the corresponding deamination products derived from cytosine (C), guanine (G), adenine (A), and 5-methylcytosine, respectively. To remove DNA damage, cells are equipped with a variety of DNA repair enzymes which participate in different repair pathways.
My dissertation work involves studies of genes and enzymes in nucleotide excision repair (NER) and base excision repair (BER) …

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Gamma Ray Bursts As Probes Of Dust In The Evolving Universe, Adria Updike Dec 2010

Gamma Ray Bursts As Probes Of Dust In The Evolving Universe, Adria Updike

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Dust is ubiquitous in the universe. Understanding where it comes from and where we observe it can have major implications to all astronomical observations. In this study, we investigate how gamma ray bursts (GRBs) can be used as probes of dust in the evolving universe. Making the simplification that silicate dust comes from core collapse supernovae and that graphite dust is produced in the winds of low- to intermediate-mass stars, we present numerical simulations of the resulting dust evolution in GRB hosts and show how the SEDs evolve. Dust extinction laws are re-derived from scattering theory of small particles and …

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Development Of Guidance For States Transitioning To New Safety Analysis Tools, Priyanka Alluri Dec 2010

Development Of Guidance For States Transitioning To New Safety Analysis Tools, Priyanka Alluri

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With about 125 people dying on US roads each day, the US Department of Transportation heightened the awareness of critical safety issues with the passage of SAFETEA - LU (Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act - a Legacy for Users) legislation in 2005. The legislation required each of the states to develop a Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) and incorporate data-driven approaches to prioritize and evaluate program outcomes: Failure to do so resulted in funding sanctioning. In conjunction with the legislation, research efforts have also been progressing toward the development of new safety analysis tools such as IHSDM (Interactive …

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Predictors And Outcomes Of Occupational Commitment Profiles Among Nurses, Lindsay Sears Dec 2010

Predictors And Outcomes Of Occupational Commitment Profiles Among Nurses, Lindsay Sears

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Occupational turnover is a costly problem afflicting much of the nursing industry, and occupational commitment is a strong predictor of withdrawal from one's profession. Traditional organizational research examines most commitment-behavior relationships from a variable-centered perspective, focusing on the relationships between constructs. The present study adopts a configural, or person-centered approach aimed at identifying and describing clusters of individuals who share a similar set of occupational commitment mindsets. The present study extends current literature by a) investigating the existence of several occupational commitment profiles and describing their characteristics; b) examining situational and demographic predictors of profile membership; and c) testing differences …

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Modeling Microbial And Nutrient Dynamics In Zero-Discharge Aquaculture Systems, Kendall Kirk Dec 2010

Modeling Microbial And Nutrient Dynamics In Zero-Discharge Aquaculture Systems, Kendall Kirk

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A finite element, finite difference model was developed to predict nutrient and microbial dynamics in recirculating aquaculture systems. Total ammonia nitrogen, nitrite, nitrate, chemical oxygen demand, and dissolved oxygen concentrations are predicted in addition to growth and decay of algae, Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacter, denitrifying heterotrophs, and aerobic heterotrophs. Inputs to the model include temperature, photosynthetically available radiation, feed application rate, pH, aeration/mixing energy, water exchange configuration, water exchange rate, tilapia biomass, and dissolved oxygen concentration. Up to 10 exchanged units may be included, user-definable as continuous stirred tank reactors or sequencing batch reactors. Demonstration of the model's utility was demonstrated through …

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Preparation And Studies Of Fluorescent Carbon Nanomaterials, Xin Wang Dec 2010

Preparation And Studies Of Fluorescent Carbon Nanomaterials, Xin Wang

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There have been rapid advances in the development and applications of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) represented by CdSe/ZnS. However, a serious limitation of these QDs is the necessary use of toxic heavy metals. Fluorescent 'carbon dots' (surface passivated carbon nanoparticles) are developed as alternative to classical semiconductor QDs.
The carbon dots could be made to be highly fluorescence, with emission quantum yields close to 60%. Their optical properties resemble bandgap transitions found in nanoscale semiconductors, suggesting that carbon particles at the nanoscale acquire essentially semiconductor-like characteristics.
The fluorescence in carbon dots could be quenched efficiently by electron acceptor or donor …

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Synthesis Of Trimetallic Nitride Endohedral Metallofullerene Derivatives For Enhanced Solar Energy Conversion, Julio Pinzon Joya Dec 2010

Synthesis Of Trimetallic Nitride Endohedral Metallofullerene Derivatives For Enhanced Solar Energy Conversion, Julio Pinzon Joya

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The preparation and electrochemical properties of donor - acceptor systems based on trimetallic nitride endohedral metallofullerenes (TNT-EMFs) for enhanced solar energy conversion is described. It was found that TNT-EMFs have an enhanced ability to stabilize charge separated states formed upon light irradiation when compared to empty cage fullerene analogues. The influence of the linker connecting the donor and acceptor moieties was studied in two different systems. Optimal conditions for preparing cyclopropanated Bingel-Hirsch derivaties of the most common TNT-EMFs were found; this functionalization approach is a very useful alternative to the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions that yield pyrrolidine derivatives, because the latter …

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Evolutionary Strategies For Data Mining, Rose Lowe Dec 2010

Evolutionary Strategies For Data Mining, Rose Lowe

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Learning classifier systems (LCS) have been successful in generating rules for solving classification problems in data mining. The rules are of the form IF condition THEN action. The condition encodes the features of the input space and the action encodes the class label. What is lacking in those systems is the ability to express each feature using a function that is appropriate for that feature. The genetic algorithm is capable of doing this but cannot because only one type of membership function
is provided. Thus, the genetic algorithm learns only the shape and placement of the membership function, and in …

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Studies Relevant To The Design Of Reliable Automotive Electronics, Hua Zeng Dec 2010

Studies Relevant To The Design Of Reliable Automotive Electronics, Hua Zeng

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This dissertation describes three independent studies related to the design of reliable automotive electronics. The topics covered are: the estimation of the radiated emissions from power bus structures, EM propagation of tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), and examinations of corrosion-induced faults in a connector.
The first chapter describes a method for estimating the maximum possible radiated emissions from a printed circuit board power bus. An analysis based on a lossy cavity model is performed to determine the maximum possible radiated field corresponding to a given power bus noise voltage. A closed-form expression relating the maximum power bus noise voltage to …

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The Perceived Role Competencies And Qualifications Of Newly Hired Novice And Experienced Nurse Educators In Prelicensure Registered Nurse Programs: A Regional Study, Denice H. Kirchoff Dec 2010

The Perceived Role Competencies And Qualifications Of Newly Hired Novice And Experienced Nurse Educators In Prelicensure Registered Nurse Programs: A Regional Study, Denice H. Kirchoff

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The health care profession is faced with a well publicized shortage of registered nurses. This shortage is accompanied by a declining number of nurse educators who are needed to prepare individuals entering the field. Factors recognized to be related to the educator shortage are the heavy workload and academic demands that immediately confront the new educator. Faculty members have reported feeling overwhelmed and uncertain of their decision to enter academia. Moreover, nurse educators enter into the profession with varying educational backgrounds which pose challenges to their respective nursing program to develop their entry level needs.;The purpose of the study was …

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A Novel Global Pattern Recognition Algorithm, Joseph M. Stoffa Dec 2010

A Novel Global Pattern Recognition Algorithm, Joseph M. Stoffa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The background, development, performance assessment, and analysis of a novel pattern recognition algorithm that is applicable to any set of binary images are discussed. The efficacy of the algorithm when applied to the problem of fingerprint recognition is quantified. The conclusion was that the algorithm is relatively poor as a fingerprint identification algorithm, averaging an equal error rate of approximately 19% as calculated by the rules specified in the Year 2000 Fingerprint Verification Competition. The positive attributes of the algorithm were its ultra-fast matching times, orientation independence, lack of rejection events, relative insensitivity to resolution difference, and one-way transformations. The …

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The Effect Of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Derived From Various Sources On Bone Metabolism In Growing Female Rats, Robin E. Lukas Dec 2010

The Effect Of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Derived From Various Sources On Bone Metabolism In Growing Female Rats, Robin E. Lukas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Bone loss may be lessened if bone mass and strength are increased by optimizing nutrition intervention. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (o-3 PUFAs) have been suggested to improve bone mineralization and microarchitecture by affecting mineral balance and lipid peroxidation. However, the sources of the o-3 PUFA differ in the types of o-3 PUFA, ratios, and structural form. Therefore, the study objective was to determine the effect of o-3 PUFAs from different sources on bone mineral and microarchitecture and explore potential associations. Growing (28 day) female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned (n=10/group) to a high fat 12% (weight) diet consisting of either …

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Nanofabrication Of Optofluidic Photonic Crystal Resonators For Biosensing, Henry Bolivar Andagana Junta Dec 2010

Nanofabrication Of Optofluidic Photonic Crystal Resonators For Biosensing, Henry Bolivar Andagana Junta

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Advances in nanofabrication have made possible the development of novel nanophotonics based on Photonic Crystal (PhC) structures. Different types of biosensors have been proposed to take advantage of the unique optical properties of PhCs, which, when combined with microfluidics, provide an enabling approach for biomolecule analysis. In this thesis, nanofabrication of a new biosensor structure integrating a 2D PhC nanocavity resonator with an optofluidic channel is described. The recipes for e-beam lithography of PhC and PhC nanocavity patterns were optimized by carefully tuning the e-beam dose as well as control of the resist baking and development conditions. Two PhC fabrication …

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Perceptions Of West Virginia Beef Cattle Producers On Preparedness For An Agroterrorism Attack, Rebecca Laura Ours Dec 2010

Perceptions Of West Virginia Beef Cattle Producers On Preparedness For An Agroterrorism Attack, Rebecca Laura Ours

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Biosecurity is a measure that can help protect beef producers from financial loss associated with an agroterrorism attack. This study sought to determine West Virginia beef producers' perceptions of the potential for agroterrorism and what biosecurity measures they practice. A mailed questionnaire was sent to a sample population of 355 beef producers, with a response rate of 47.7%. Beef producers in West Virginia agreed that agroterrorism could happen in the United States and in West Virginia; however, the majority did not feel it would happen on their farms. A majority of the respondents indicated they would attend a program on …

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Evaluation Of Reforestation Efforts On Two Reclaimed Surface Mines In West Virginia, Curtis A. Delong Dec 2010

Evaluation Of Reforestation Efforts On Two Reclaimed Surface Mines In West Virginia, Curtis A. Delong

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Coal mining has disturbed approximately 2.4 million hectares (6 million acres) since 1930 in the United States. West Virginia is located in the Eastern Coal Region where surface mining has disturbed large areas of eastern deciduous forest. As coal operators and land owners are moving toward restoring forests on mined lands, techniques are being developed and tested to increase tree survival and growth to ensure disturbed land is converted back to forest in a timely fashion. This study was implemented to provide additional scientific data on the implementation of these techniques especially related to substrate selection. The objectives of this …

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Emotional Intelligence And Facial Affect Recognition Among College Psychopaths Versus Controls, Rebecca L. Schwartz Dec 2010

Emotional Intelligence And Facial Affect Recognition Among College Psychopaths Versus Controls, Rebecca L. Schwartz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study had two purposes: to replicate research on facial affect recognition and to test for differences in emotional intelligence abilities between a college psychopathic and controls population. Two groups were formed based on Psychopathy Personality Inventory-Revised scores with the college psychopathic group scoring above the 75% cut off, and the controls below the 50% cut off. Forty-two college students completed questionnaires including a demographic questionnaire, the Psychopathy Personality Inventory-Revised, the Bar-On EQ-i, and the Illegal Behavior Checklist. They also completed a facial affect recognition task. There were no significant differences between the psychopathic group and the control group on …

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Dissociating The Reinforcing And Discriminative Roles Of A Warning Signal In A Free-Operant Avoidance Situation, Bobby E. Phillips Dec 2010

Dissociating The Reinforcing And Discriminative Roles Of A Warning Signal In A Free-Operant Avoidance Situation, Bobby E. Phillips

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The two-factor theory of avoidance behavior predicts that a warning signal that precedes shock will have an aversive function, and if this is true then presenting a warning signal contingent upon a response should punish that response. In the present study, rats responded in a two-component multiple schedule of free-operant shock avoidance. Both components used a response-shock (RS) interval of 30 s, and a shock-shock (SS) interval of 5 s. A distinct warning signal was presented in each component, and signals differed primarily in terms of their respective durations. In one component, the signal appeared 29 s before RS shocks, …

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Prediction For Resolution Time Of Software Defect, Da Wang Dec 2010

Prediction For Resolution Time Of Software Defect, Da Wang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In practical software development projects, solving test issues efficiently during Software Development Life Cycle is critical to release software products on time. Different test environments, test resources and test requirements could result in different outcomes. Therefore, getting accurate prediction of the software defects' resolution time could be beneficial to the practical projects.;In our study, data mining techniques offer great promise in prediction of software defects' resolution time. Our research is conducted based on the NASA Metrics Data Program (MDP). We first calculate the resolution time for available projects. Using unsupervised discretization methods, we split resolution time into certain interval as …

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An Exploration Of The Spatial Distribution Of National Park Units, Daniel Servian Dec 2010

An Exploration Of The Spatial Distribution Of National Park Units, Daniel Servian

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

National Parks can reveal a glimpse into significant aspects of a culture. Visiting and experiencing a National Park can open a window into a culture's heritage, intellectual philosophy, triumphs, and sorrows. As of 2009, the National Park Service administered 393 National Park units, located across America and its territories. The purpose of this paper is to spatially investigate the National Park designation process. Examination of the trends and patterns within the National Park designation process required computation of the data via exploratory data analysis (EDA) and exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA). This analysis will illustrate significant clusters and correlation between …

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