Digital Commons Network^™

Applications Of Drones In Atmospheric Chemistry, Travis J. Schuyler

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) has changed the composition of the atmosphere during the Anthropocene. A major technical and scientific challenge is quantifying the resulting fugitive trace gas fluxes under variable meteorological conditions. Accurately documenting the sources and magnitude of GHGs emission is an important undertaking for discriminating contributions of different processes to radiative forcing. Therefore, the adverse environmental and health effects of undetected gas leaks motivates new methods of detecting, characterizing, and quantifying plumes of fugitive trace gases. Currently, there is no mobile platform able to quantify trace gases at altitudes(UASs), or drones, can be deployed on-site in …

Mettle Under The Stars, June Forte

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A woman in her 30s enlists in the Army in pursuit of the GI Bill education benefits. Through her assignment as a photojournalist at Fort Carson, she came to know three Fourth Infantry Division Generals whose strengths of character and leadership styles profoundly influenced her life.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. …

Pocahontas And The English Boys: Caught Between Cultures In Early Virginia

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

The Cultural Property Conundrum: The Case For A Nationalistic Approach And Repatriation Of The Moai To The Rapa Nui, Annie Rischard Davis

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

Adaptive Filtration Of The Uav Movement Parameters Based On The Aoa-Measurement Sensor Networks, Igor Tovkach, Serhii Zhuk

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Currently, the urgent task is to assess the small-sized maneuvering UAVs movement parameters. The location of an unknown UAV as a radio source can be determined using AoA measurements of the wireless sensor network. To describe the movement of a maneuvering UAV, a model is used in the form of a dynamic system with switching in discrete time. The values of switching variable determine type of UAV movement. To synthesize trajectory filtering algorithms, the Markov property of the extended process is used, which includes a vector of UAV movement parameters and a switching variable. The optimal trajectory filtering algorithm describes …

Creative Destruction And Cultural Lag In The Digital Age, George Ritzer, Piergiorgio Degli Esposti

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

No abstract provided.

The Surabhi Theatre–An Oasis Of Telugu Theatre, Pradeep Aswini Gurrala

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This document is a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master of Arts degree in Theatre Arts. It is a detailed account of author Pradeep Aswini Gurrala’s study of the Surabhi Theatre in Telangana, India. The thesis follows the journey of a 134-year-old theatre company in four chapters: puppet show to stage show; the evolution of the Surabhi Theatre; the decline of Surabhi Theatre; and Surabhi Theatre as a cultural heritage. Appendices and works cited are included.

Nonprofit Church Leaders’ Perceptions And Lived Experiences Involving Innovation Competency And Change Management: A Phenomenological Study, Charity R. Addai-Duah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Innovation competency among religious leaders has been an area of study as nonprofit researchers continue to discover that conventional ways of managing change are no longer effective when tackling present issues. Discussions regarding using innovation competency to manage change among religious leaders are vague, despite benefits to the nonprofit sector. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of nonprofit church leaders to better understand how innovation competency has shaped organizational change results. Boyatzis’ effective job performance model was the conceptual framework that guided this study. Interview data were gathered from 14 participants who met …

Exploring Strategies For Recruiting And Retaining Diverse Cybersecurity Professionals, Vivian Lyon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The cyber threat landscape has led some cybersecurity leaders to focus on a holistic approach encompassing people, processes, and technology to make their government agencies and organizations more responsive to a more diverse and inclusive cyber workforce to protect critical infrastructure from hackers or cybercriminals intent on causing harm. This qualitative multiple case study used Schein’s organizational culture theory to explore strategies used by cybersecurity leaders to attract, recruit, and retain diverse cybersecurity professionals to effectively and efficiently protect sensitive systems from rising cyber threats. The study's population consisted of cybersecurity leaders from 3 government agencies and 9 organizations in …

Factors That Influence Students’ Decision To Drop Out Of An Online Business Course, Sandra Gail Robertson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although online enrollments at community colleges have increased in recent years, student dropout rates in online classes have also increased and educational researchers wonder why students are dropping out of online courses and if online instruction can contribute to student success. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to investigate the online experiences of students who dropped out of the Introduction to Business online course at a community college in a Mid-Atlantic state and the factors that led to their decision. The research questions concerned how students who took the Introduction to Business online course described their decision to …

Bioterrorism: Exploring Factors For Improving Nurse Preparedness, Policies, And Practices, Leone Okey Tom-James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ebola virus release/attack in New Jersey could go unnoticed but have immediate and long-lasting effects on the broader population and security. The risk underscores the need to prepare and enhance the state’s efforts to deal with a release and treat the confirmed cases. This descriptive single case research explored factors for improving nurses’ preparedness, policies, and practices for a bioterrorism release/attack. The epidemiological triangle conceptual framework was used descriptively in exploring, and developing a knowledge base of Ebola virus pathogenicity, characteristics, routes of transmission, and infection. The unit of analysis was Summit Ridge Genesis Healthcare Center. The theory of robust …

Resiliency In Latino Youth Experiencing Cartel Violence And Other Perceived Traumatic Events, Kasandra Garcia Reyna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Latino youth at the violent forefront of the U.S.-Mexico border face traumatic events daily. The present study examined Latino youths’ resiliency to the violence that they face and what factors help them cope. A quantitative research approach based upon resilience theory explored social support, perceived traumatic events, and resiliency in 134 Latino youth ages 18 to 19 years who lived near the Texas-Mexico border and had witnessed, had been involved in, or had family members involved in cartel-related violence. Measurement of participants’ family and social supports along with their perceived traumatic events enabled a comparison of these scores with the …

Strategies For Implementing Successful It Security Systems In Small Businesses, Martins Donbruce Idahosa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Owners of small businesses who do not adequately protect business data are at high risk for a cyber attack. As data breaches against small businesses have increased, it has become a growing source of concern for consumers who rely on owners of small businesses to protect their data from data breaches. Grounded in general systems theory and routine activity approach, the focus of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies used by owners of small businesses to protect confidential company data from cyber attacks. The process used for collecting data involved semistructured face-to-face interviews with 5 owners of …

Understanding The Increase In Military Couples Seeking Counseling Throughout The Military Lifecycle, Ellen F. Saccoia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since the start of military operations following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the nation has experienced the longest sustained war in its history. Military couples are at an increased risk of experiencing relationship stressors due to supporting long-term global military operations. Most of the research literature identifying the difficulties experienced by active-duty military couples was conducted over the past two decades following September 11, 2001. Missing from the literature are present-day problems facing military couples seeking counseling following the drawdown of overseas military operations (see United States Government Accountability Office [U.S. GAO], 2016). The purpose of this action …

The Influence Of Professional Development As Perceived By In-Service Military Instructors, Blaise Cornell-D'Echert, Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a new military school, leaders worried that professional development (PD) for their novel curriculum did not induce consistent changes in their military instructors. Transformative learning theory suggested reconstructing frames of reference could help inform practices for military instructors. To fulfill the purpose of the study, current research provided a conceptual framework to assess the effectiveness of the PD effort. The research questions examined instructor perceptions of the school’s instructional strategy, their willingness to modify lessons, and to conduct assessments of learning outcomes. School leaders proffered 18 of their most effective instructors as a sample population for a case study. …

The Impact Of Boko Haram Insurgency On The People Of Borno State, Chris Kaiser Granville

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although researchers have examined the causes and impacts of terrorism in Nigeria, there is no known research on the impact of Boko Haram’s insurgency on the people of Borno State based on their lived experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the social, political, and economic consequences of the Boko Haram insurgency on the people of Borno State. The study’s theoretical framework was based on the relative deprivation theory; the theory was used to diagnose the problem of the Boko Haram insurgency and articulate possible alternative solutions. The central research question concerned the adverse effects of the …

Understanding The Connection Between Armed Conflict And Child Abuse By Men, Andre Isbell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Violence in the homes of male survivors of armed conflict is an enduring problem that negatively impacts the physical, emotional, and behavioral development of children in the home. However, gaps in the literature exist about the parenting behaviors of male survivors of armed conflict in a low-income country setting. The purpose of this study was to understand how the lived traumatic experiences from armed conflict affect parenting behaviors and perceptions of child abuse. The research questions examined perceptions of abusive behaviors toward children by male survivors of armed conflict and how traumatic experiences affect their views on child abuse, parenting, …

Drug Control Officers' Perception Of Nigeria's Narcotics Control Policy, Olufemi Ajayi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Nigerian government’s cannabis prohibition policy has failed to achieve the suppression of supply and reduction of demand for drugs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the policy implementation experiences of Nigeria’s drug control officers regarding Nigeria’s drug control policies. The theoretical foundation was social construction theory. Data were collected from reviews of public documents and in-depth interviews with 15 active or retired drug control officers. Data were sorted, organized, and coded through directed content analysis to identify themes. The themes that emerged included defective nature and content of the policy, poor policy implementation, and unfavorable …

Integrated Threat Management: An Alternative Approach To Regional Security System For Ecowas, Farouck Mohammed-Bashar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The onset of new and emerging threats to peace and security in West Africa has added another layer of threat to security in West Africa. There is a need for research on the interconnectedness among existing and new and emerging threats to security in the region. The purpose of this study was to explore the Economic Community of West African States' (ECOWAS') approach to its regional security management strategy. The punctuated equilibrium theory and policy feedback theory were used to conceptualize the problem within the context of ECOWAS' policy inertia and the wide range of security and sociopolitical dynamics in …

A Phenomenological Study Of Factors Influencing Senor Female United States Marine Corps Officer Retention Decisions, Angel Rae Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The study showed factors that influenced senior female U.S. Marine Corps' (USMC) officer retention decisions. The qualitative study was based on the interpretivism research philosophy and Mobley's model of turnover and employed a phenomenological research design to identify themes regarding participants' perceptions of their lived experiences involving their professions and factors that affected their mandates to remain on active duty. The study included 11 women volunteers who had either earned membership in General Officer (GO) ranks or were competitive for within the USMC as a colonel (CV); they were recruited through purposive sampling, and data were collected through interviews. Data …

Family Functioning During Deployment And Reintegration Of Military Members, Heather Graham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Military members and their families face unique stressors related to separation and reintegration. These life-changing events can lead to domestic violence, divorce, depression, suicide, and behavioral problems within the family. It was unknown whether the implementation of a nursing clinical practice guideline (CPG) would help nurses to identify family functioning concerns or psychosocial issues enabling earlier interventions. The purpose of this doctoral project was to create a CPG that can be used at military treatment facilities (MTFs) to screen military members and their families to identify family functioning concerns so that the provider can make referrals as needed. The circumplex …

Symbolic Annihilation, The Politics Of (Mis)Representation, And The Stress And Health Of Millennial Black Women, Chenoia Nicole Bryant

All ETDs from UAB

The (mis)representation of Black populations in media has been extensively explored and critiqued by several scholars. From their introduction into media through radio to their visi-bility in television and news, the tropes of Black womanhood have carried over from colo-nialist perspectives to present day. Considering race and gender as cultural structures con-straining Black women through the assignment of stereotypical scripts, it is important to consider how, when and where Black women’s agency enters. Negative racialized and gendered stereotypes are informed by culture at large, but Black women’s agency impacts the interpretation of these (mis)representations, offering space for both conformity and …

Mendicant Enterprise And Human Rights In New Spain, Elliot Nicholson-Cox

All ETDs from UAB

In 1521, the destruction of Aztec leadership created a disjointed network of native communities in what is now Mexico but would come to be known as New Spain. Until 1572 New Spain was an open and contested space for political, economic, and religious dominance among various Spanish factions. This dominance was predicated upon an evangelical mission in service to the conversion of native people from “pagans” to Christians. Religious education and evangelization by mendicant friars may have, either as a deliberate or consequential outcome, promoted or enforced collaboration and minimized direct and violent conflict during this period. Some religious friars …

Securing Technological Privacy: Modernizing The Texas Disciplinary Rules Of Professional Conduct To Protect Electronic Data, Ashley "Nikki" Vega

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

This comment explains how and why the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (the “Texas Disciplinary Rules”) should be updated to reflect the modernization of technology. Lawyers must keep abreast of changes in the law and its practices; including those which are technological in nature. The American Bar Association (the “ABA”) recently amended the “technology provisions” of its Model Rules of Professional Conduct (the “Model Rules”); namely Rule 1.1 “Competence” and Rule 1.6 “Confidentiality of Information” in order to keep up with the benefits and risks associated with technology in the legal profession. Additionally, over half of all jurisdictions have …

Enhanced Debriefings: A Toothless Mandate?, Steven L. Schooner

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

This short piece discusses the (alleged) manner in which the Department of Defense (DoD) conducted the disappointed offeror's post-award debriefing following the award of the $10 billion, $10-year Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud computing contracting opportunity. While the quality of DoD’s debriefing is unlikely to alter the outcome in the pending protest litigation, it seems inconsistent with policy, the current trend favoring greater transparency, and the recent Congressional mandate for “enhanced debriefings.”

The piece suggests that, consistent with decades of study and experience, debriefings make sense, but only if they are informative or, more to the point, responsive. Conversely, …

Women And Strategies Of Violence: Gender Roles, Foreign Support And Maintaining The Rebellion, Caglayan Baser

Dissertations

How do women affect conflict dynamics in different ways than men? I examine how expectations based on gender identities impact rebel group strategies, as well as attitudes of foreign publics and political elites toward rebel groups. First, women can substantially contribute to rebel groups' ability to resist governments and maintain their rebellion through unique gendered ways. These include enabling greater tactical diversity, increased appeal to international audiences, and spearheading coup-proofing strategies against intra-organizational factions. Women's contributions to rebel groups are most salient during times of crises and in settings where gender stereotypes are stronger. Second, rebel groups with women participants …

Utopian Discourse In Contemporary Speculative Fiction, Casey Alan Jergenson

Dissertations

I argue in this dissertation that utopianism is a vibrant form of cultural production in the post-Cold War period, despite the paucity of recent texts depicting €œgood€ societies. Most literary historical accounts of the genre place the decline of the utopian narrative in the early twentieth century, with a brief resurgence in the 1960s and 1970s. Contemporary culture has since become inundated with dystopian and post-apocalyptic visions of the future. If we take this generic distribution at face-value, it seems symptomatic of the utopian idea's retreat from cultural production since the 1980s. Influential critics have resisted this narrative by demonstrating …

Climate Change And Global Security, Nathan Jones, John P. Sullivan

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Climate Change And Hybrid Warfare Strategies, Chad M. Briggs

Journal of Strategic Security

Concepts of hybrid warfare and climate security are contested on their own, and are rarely considered as connected in planning for future security risks. Yet climate change presents new hazards for national security, and opportunities for those looking to foment instability and uncertainty in traditional institutions. This article examines the connections between climate change risks and hybrid war strategies, and focuses on concepts of resilience targeting, information warfare, and geoengineering, illustrating that ‘full spectrum’ analyses of security are necessary in developing future security strategies.

Climate Change, Environmental Terrorism, Eco-Terrorism And Emerging Threats, Paola Andrea Spadaro

Journal of Strategic Security

The footprint of human advancement has accelerated a climate variability with no precedents, further driving devastating natural and social events. The decrease in basic resources like water, has already been identified as a driver of violent conflicts, which have given way to the strengthening of terrorist organizations that used the environment as a tool of coercion. The damage caused to the earth’s ecosystem has additionally raised a wave of defensive activism that was initially considered as eco-terrorism. While the original eco-movements had not induced fatalities, recent extremist organizations are showing a more violent anti-progress and pro-environment agenda. Added to these, …