Digital Commons Network^™

Why Haven't Technologies Fixed Open Source Intelligence?, Timothy Sparks

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Abstract

The Intelligence Community (IC) reached consensus after 9/11/2001 on the importance of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) due to the changing nature of the global threat environment, the information explosion, and the changing intelligence requirements of the IC. Voluminous amounts of information, much of it with potential application for use in intelligence operations, continue to challenge IC intelligence analysts’ capabilities to harness, and effectively use in finished all-source intelligence production. Government reform commissions, senior IC officials, along with OSINT and technology advocates, have all espoused the growing importance of OSINT, and have outlined many ways in which the IC should …

Policy Context Of The Endemic Flora Of The Maltese Islands In A Changing Taxonomic Landscape, Clara Agius

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The degradation of the environment since the Industrial Revolution has been a turning point for legislation, leading to many countries, including EU states, to create legislations that conserve the environment. These legislations are based on scientific facts. This can create a divide between policy and science, as science and scientific methods are constantly changing, while policy has to keep up. Scientific facts of yesterday, may not necessarily be the same as today. This divide between science and policy may have implications on the designation of Protected Areas. One of the criteria of a Protected Area is the protection of an …

The Variety Show: Why Classical String Musicians Are Exploring A Multistyle Approach To Teaching, Kelly C. Wiedemann

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The Variety Show: Why Classical String Musicians are

Exploring a Multistyle Approach to Music

Kelly C. Wiedemann

This case study examines the experiences of five classically trained string teachers who now include alternative styles in their teaching. The research questions are: (1) What factors inspire a classically trained string educator to begin teaching alternative styles to their students? (2) Why is it important to keep classical music in string pedagogy? (3) How have these teachers, their peers, students, and community reacted to multistylism? The interviews revealed four major points of motivation: Opportunities for developing creativity and finding a personal voice …

Ua45/6 Commencement Program, Wku Registrar

WKU Administration Documents

Commencement program listing graduates.

A Study Into The Diagnosis Of Obesity In Infants Less Than Two Years Old In The State Of Virginia, Lindsay Ann Bruno

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In 2007, the CDC reported approximately 12.5 million children and adolescents in the U.S. were obese. Among 24-month old clinically obese children, only 23% were diagnosed as obese. The most concerning is the prevalence of obesity in 6-month olds; 16% of 6-month old infants in the U.S. are obese, of which only 14% are diagnosed as being obese. Previous research concentrates on the factors that influence infant obesity, but does not address the prevalence of diagnosing obesity in children, particularly those under two years of age. The purpose of this project was to pioneer a survey exploring the prevalence of …

Successful Approaches To Encourage Family Involvement In A School Division Located In Southeastern Virginia With Varying Income Levels, Katelyn Elizabeth Montague

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this project was to identify successful approaches that teachers use to encourage involvement of all families. Following a review of professional and research literature, a survey of Pre-kindergarten through fifth grade teachers was distributed in a school division located in southeastern Virginia with varying income levels.

The findings in this survey suggested that participating teachers encouraged family involvement by inviting families into the classroom and explaining to them how they could help their children at home. The teachers utilized weekly communication in various forms such as printed material, electronic formats, and classroom websites. Teachers were also flexible …

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Graduate, December 13, 2014, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters - Gilbert A. King

Fall Prevention Through Proactive Toileting, Kristin Smith

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper will summarize the quality improvement falls prevention project conducted by a University of San Francisco Clinical Nurse Leader student. Falls in the hospital setting are an ongoing problem in our healthcare system as they have great physical and financial impacts (Salamon, Victory, & Bobay, 2012). Hospital A, an urban teaching hospital, uses the Schmid scale for determining if a patient is a fall risk which includes the assessment of need for ambulatory aids, history of falls, and impaired cognition among other criteria (Schmid,1990). Fall rates are climbing in the United States and the trend is similar on Hospital …

Restorative Practices Training Manual, John M. Winslade, Elizabeth Espinoza, Michelle Myers, Henry Yzaguirre

Books

This manual is designed to support the process of training school personnel in the San Bernardino City Unified School District to implement Restorative Practices into the schools in their district. What is outlined below are the following:

• The need that the introduction of restorative practices is designed to respond to
• The key ideas and assumptions that underlie restorative practices
• The training and consultation process that aims to implement these ideas in the school district
• An explanation of the specific practices that training will be offered in
• A summary of what current research data says about the value of these approaches …

Identifying The Vulnerability Of Earthen Levees To Slump Slides Using Geotechnical And Geomorphological Parameters, Sona Sehat

Theses and Dissertations

The main goal of this research is to investigate vulnerability of levees to future slump slides. In the first part, polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) imagery is used as input in an automated classification system for characterizing areas on the levee having anomalies. In addition, a set of in-situ soil data is collected to provide detailed soil properties over the study area. In-situ soil properties of different classes characterized by the classifier are analyzed to determine how similarities between different areas. The second part, a database including of 34 slump slides that occurred in the lower Mississippi River levee system …

Commencement Convocation Exercises - December 2014, Prairie View A&M University

Commencement and Convocation Exercises

No abstract provided.

System Of Systems Based Decision-Making For Power Systems Operation, Amin Kargarian Marvasti

Theses and Dissertations

A modern power system is composed of many individual entities collaborating with each other to operate the entire system in a secure and economic manner. These entities may have different owners and operators with their own operating rules and policies, and it complicates the decision-making process in the system. In this work, a system of systems (SoS) engineering framework is presented for optimally operating the modern power systems. The proposed SoS framework defines each entity as an independent system with its own regulations, and the communication and process of information exchange between the systems are discussed. Since the independent systems …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Polymer (Sulfonated Poly-Ether-Ether-Ketone) Based Nanocomposite (H-Boron Nitride) Membrane For Hydrogen Storage, Naresh Muthu, S. Rajashabala, R. Kannan

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The development of light weight and compact hydrogen storage materials is still prerequisite to fuel-cell technology to be fully competitive. The present experimental study reports the hydrogen storage capability of sulfonated poly-ether-ether-ketone (SPEEK)-hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) (SPEEK-h-BN) nanocomposite membranes. The nanocomposite membranes are prepared by considering various amount of h-BN (0, 1, 3 and 5 wt. %) by phase inversion technique. The degree of sulfonation of the PEEK (SPEEK) is found to be 65% by Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy. Hydrogen adsorption studies have been carried out using a Seiverts-like hydrogenation setup. The membranes are characterized …

An Exploration Of The Experience Of In-Home Counseling Services, Greg Czyszczon

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This qualitative study explores the lived experience of in-home counseling services by using a phenomenological method. In-home counseling services are used in situations where families experience extreme emotional distress, in part owing to the problematic behavior of a child. A semi-structured interview was used to elicit parents’ experience of in-home services in a geographical area that included a large portion of Virginia. The study found that the whole of parents’ experience of in-home services was dynamically influenced by constituent parts including the parent’s experience of the child, their experience of parenting, their experience of systems of care, and their experience …

Weighing In: Therapeutic Benefits Of Online Communities For Individuals With Eating Disorders, Cheri L. Greenfield

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

The treatment of eating disorders involves a complex approach. In recent years, a number of websites have developed in an attempt to meet the needs of individuals struggling with this set of disorders. Some of these websites are nationally recognized organizations dedicated to improve treatment and provide educational resources, while other websites have been authored by individuals with eating disorders in an attempt to create a safe community of support. This project explores various components found in online communities, examines characteristics of eating disorders, and evaluates the worth of such resources, even when in perceived contrast with traditional treatment. Rather …

Comparison: Perception And Knowledge Of Protein Consumption In Female Athletes For Post Weight Lifting Recovery, Samantha Jane Lofton

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

A study was conducted on James Madison University’s campus to assess the knowledge, beliefs, perceptions and habits of protein consumption post resistance training in female student athletes. Sixty-two female athletes who regularly partake in resistance training filled out a recovery-cue questionnaire containing 10 statements/questions on the subject of protein consumption. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS, Version 21.0 and Microsoft Office Excel. Eight percent of respondents stated they are aware of how much protein they should be consuming post workout, and 21% feel what they consume post workout is an adequate amount of protein for muscle recovery. Forty-six percent …

The Effects Of Academic Libraries’ Resource, Expenditure, And Service Decisions On Library Use: An Analysis Of Acrl And Nces Data, Jody C. Fagan

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Academic libraries are key contributors to the instructional and research missions of their parent institutions, but often struggle to demonstrate specifically what they do and how that affects institutional outcomes. High-impact educational practices are one area where libraries make a difference, but where explicit connections between activities and outcomes are not always articulated. Faculty and graduate student research is another area where libraries’ contribution makes logical sense, but specific relationships are not necessarily drawn. Libraries may place different emphasis on these two areas, effectively choosing different business strategies, to support their institutions’ missions. Two national surveys collect data about library …

Colloidal And Biological Properties Of Triscationic Amphiphiles With One Or Two Tails, John N. Marafino

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The decline in the development of novel antimicrobials, combined with the misusage and over prescription of antibiotics, has contributed to the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant infections. Thus development of effective novel disinfectants could reduce the transmission of pathogens and decrease the risk of infection by antibiotic resistant organisms. The antimicrobial activity of amphiphiles, compounds with hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, was first reported in 1935, and has influenced the synthesis of amphiphiles with variations in structure. In this study, three series of amphiphiles were synthesized by two subsequent Menshutkin reactions. Each amphiphile contains one or two hydrocarbon tails ranging from 8 …

Performance Quantification Of Extensive Green Roof Substrate Blend: Expanded Shale And Biochar, James Sheats

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Urban stormwater management practices often involve the redirection of runoff to local waterbodies. As such, the quality of runoff directly affects the condition of these receiving waters. Green roofs offer many benefits to the urban environment including attractive aesthetics, thermal insulation for buildings and stormwater runoff reduction. Unfortunately, in order to promote the spread of vegetation, fertilization is often practiced that can lead to elevated nutrient concentrations in runoff and, ultimately, nearby streams, rivers and bays. Different amounts of biochar, pyrolyzed biomass, were added to model green roof trays to test for the ability of this charcoal-like substance to prevent …

An Analysis Of U.S./Canadian Fisheries Policy In Regards To Pacific Salmon And The Preservation Of Indigeneity In The Pacific Northwest, Michael James Lockwood

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

For more than 160 years, the Pacific salmon has been an important resource for the United States and Canada. However, it has been overexploited. Proper management of the species is essential not only for maintaining healthy populations but also maintaining the interests of diverse stakeholders. One set of stakeholders consists of the indigenous peoples of North America because the Pacific salmon are crucial to their food, social, and ceremonial traditions.

This thesis explores the impacts of Canadian and U.S. public policies on the cultural integrity of native peoples in the Pacific Northwest, specifically as those peoples rely on wild Pacific …

Polyculture Bioremediation: An Analysis Of Potential Nitrogen Assimilation And Removal By Mya Arenaria, Gracilaria Tikvahiae And Ulva Lactuca Harvests In The Corsica River, Md, Kathleen Hemeon

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

An analysis of nitrogen bioremediation in a tidal tributary of the Chesapeake Bay by the use of a hypothetical bivalve and macroalgae polyculture covering 1%, 3% and 5% of the Corsica River bottom area. This study was performed to illustrate the role ecosystem services play in managing diffuse watershed pollution, particularly nitrogen, resulting in water quality and living resource degradation. Excess concentrations of nitrogen in the Corsica River estuary lead to seasonal eutrophication and subsequent hypoxic events. Mya arenaria L. and Gracilaria tikvahiae (McLachlan, 1979) were chosen for this theoretical study due to their high assimilative capacities for nitrogen and …

Offshore Wind Energy In The U.S. Mid-Atlantic Region And The Epa Clean Power Plan Proposed Rule, Kamil E. Armaiz Nolla

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

ABSTRACT

Offshore Wind Energy in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Region and the EPA Clean Power Plan Proposed Rule

Kamil E. Armaiz Nolla

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels in the atmosphere have been experiencing a rapid rise since the start of the Industrial Era. Human activities have been recognized by the scientific community as the main contributors to CO₂ emissions by way of the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Scientific consensus about human-induced climate change has been recognized since 1992 by the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate. Since then, …

Review And Analysis Of The Project Management Process At The Engineer Research And Development Center, Mark L. Ogburn

Theses and Dissertations

Increasing economic pressure forces personnel within the construction industry to be more prudent and thorough with their decision-making processes. To this end, the possibilities of pursuing incorrect courses of actions must be minimized in order to increase the chances of a successful project culmination. The research contained herewith shall investigate the usage of a review process that if utilized properly, can reduce conflicts, oversights, cost over-runs, and other deleterious actions that can inversely affect the successful outcome of a project. Through the use of the Biddability, Constructability, Operability and Environmental (BCOE) process, construction industry personnel can ensure and effectively manage …

Multilevel Design Optimization And The Effect Of Epistemic Uncertainty, Benjamin Edward Nesbit

Theses and Dissertations

This work presents the state of the art in hierarchically decomposed multilevel optimization. This work is expanded with the inclusion of evidence theory with the multilevel framework for the quantification of epistemic uncertainty. The novel method, Evidence-Based Multilevel Design optimization, is then used to solve two analytical optimization problems. This method is also used to explore the effect of the belief structure on the final solution. A methodology is presented to reduce the costs of evidence-based optimization through manipulation of the belief structure. In addition, a transport aircraft wing is also solved with multilevel optimization without uncertainty. This complex, real …

Impacts Of Feedstock Bark Addition And Centrifugal Filtration On Pyrolysis Oil Properties And Storage Stability, Anandavalli Varadarajan

Theses and Dissertations

The physicochemical properties of pyrolysis oil have been shown to be dependent on feedstock composition. Accelerated aging tests were performed to understand the effects of feedstock, condensate fraction collected, and filtration on the stability of pyrolysis oil. In this study, pyrolysis oil properties critical for downstream upgrading were measured and compared for different feedstock weight ratios of pine clearwood and pine bark. Post-condensation filtration of pyrolysis oil was evaluated using both lab-scale and pilot plant-scale centrifugal filtration with several operational parameters evaluated. The pilot-plant centrifuge can be used as a three-phase separator [light liquid-heavy liquid-solids] or a two-phase clarifier [liquid-solid]. …

The Bedding Angle Of Sand, Bryant Andrew Robbins

Theses and Dissertations

Bedding angle is a fundamental property of a particulate system that describes the resistance to rolling motion of a single grain. Mean trends of the bedding angle of sand have been described in the literature. This research expands upon the work to date by investigating the distribution of bedding angle for sands. Experimental measurements of bedding angle distributions are made for eight sands. Additionally, a theoretical description of the variability of bedding angle as a function of random grain size is developed and implemented numerically. The shape of the bedding angle distribution is found to be simulated well from the …

The Multi-Stress Aging Of 15 Kv Epr Power Cables, Linfeng Cao

Theses and Dissertations

This research is focused on the multi-stress aging phenomena and lifetime estimation of 15 kV EPR cable. In order to gain the suitable parameters for the lifetime estimation, the aging study on the EPR cable samples as well as on the cable layers’ dielectrics samples was carried out at the High Voltage Laboratory of Mississippi State University. During the multi-stress aging study of 15 kV EPR cable samples, the EPR cable samples underwent electrical stress, thermal stress, and environmental effects. The aging time for the EPR cables varied from 650 hrs to 1300 hrs. An empirical aging model describing the …

Understanding How Age, Input Method, And Input Content Impact User Error, Angela Brooke Cannon

Theses and Dissertations

The growing number of mobile devices used today and the increasing dependency on them in the workplace makes understanding how users interact with these devices critical. This study looks to find how different generational groups commit errors on different types of devices. Participants completed tasks consisting of word and character input on two different devices, a physical keypad and touchscreen device. The number of errors and types of error, corrected and permanent were collected for each participant. It was found that participants committed more errors when using character input and physical keypad devices but also corrected more of their errors …

Model-Based Autonomic Security Management Of Networked Distributed Systems, Qian Chen

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on the development and validation of an autonomic security management (ASM) framework to proactively protect distributed systems (DSs) from a wide range of cyber assaults with little or no human intervention. Multi-dimensional cyber attack taxonomy was developed to characterize cyber attack methods and tactics against both a Web application (Web-app) and an industrial control system (ICS) by accounting for their impacts on a set of system, network, and security features. Based on this taxonomy, a normal region of system performance is constructed, refined, and used to predict and identify abnormal system behavior with the help of forecasting …

2014-December-13-Dr. Alison Barton, University Marketing And Communications, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

No abstract provided.