Civil Engineering

An Investigation of the Relationship between Personality Traits and Performance for Engineering and Architectural Professionals Providing Design Services to the Building Sector of the Construction IndustrybyPaul Gerard Carr, P.E.Professor Jesus M. de la Garza, Ph.D., Co-ChairProfessor Michael C. Vorster, Ph.D. Co-ChairCivil Engineering(ABSTRACT)One of the prominent trends in business organizations today is the attention placed on individual personality traits to predict job performance. Distinct...

Chemistry

One of the major classes of polymer matrix resins under consideration for structural composite applications in the infrastructure and construction industries is the dimethacrylate matrix resin. An investigation of the relationships between the chemical structures and properties of these dimethacrylate/styrene networks has been conducted. Oligomer number average molecular weights of the polyhydroxyether ranging from 700 to 1200g/mole were studied with systematically varied styrene concentrations ...

Chemistry

Parkinsons disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of unknown cause that afflicts about 1.5 million Americans. The characteristic feature of PD is a deficiency of dopamine in the terminals of nigrostriatal neurons. Two enzyme systems, the neuronal form of nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B), have been linked to neurodegenerative pathways leading to PD. Several MAO-B and nNOS inhibitors have been evaluated for their neuroprotective properties in the mouse...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

For many decades, school leadership has been conceptualized in a variety of ways attempting to identify the critical elements necessary for effective school leadership. The expertise required for todays schools appears to be different from that required in the past, particularly as school leaders are expected to initiate change and restructure in order to obtain new and improved educational results.Traditional managerial skills, once deemed appropriate and effective for school administration, ar...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

In airborne communication systems such as airborne cell-extender repeaters the receiver faces the challenge of demodulating the signal of interest (SOI) in the presence of excessive amounts of Co-Channel Interference (CCI) from a large number of sources. This results in the overloaded environment where the number of near-equal power co-channel interferers exceeds the number of antenna array elements. This thesis first analyzes the interference environment experienced by an airborne cellular repe...

Biology

<p>This study addressed two aspects of ecological theory developed primarily in North America and examined these theories using an Australian passerine as a model species. The first theory concerns the mechanisms by which habitat fragmentation affects avian populations. I investigated the mechanisms causing the decline of the Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus) in fragmented habitat, and specifically considered the effects of isolation and habitat degradation, which are potent...

Political Science

This thesis explores the notion of personality as it impacts presidential behavior. Relying on the arguably fragmented field of personality and policymaking, the paper offers a case study of President Richard Nixon s experience with the Family Assistance Plan, a landmark piece of welfare reform. In contending that character is most evident in situations that are less structured or that permit individual expression, I argue that President Nixon s personality greatly impacted his rhetorical style ...

Architecture

The implications of geology, climate, and season are studied for the purpose of generating ideas for appropriate design of a master plan for a city block and the details of an inn that is part of the master plan. The design is studied in the context of the Clarendon sector of Arlington County, Virginia. Clarendon was the old commercial center of Arlington, which generated numerous layers of urban form.

Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences

Factors Influencing Biotite WeatheringbyRyan ReedLucian W. Zelazny, ChairmanCrop and Soil Environmental Sciences(ABSTRACT)Weathering of biotite supplies nutrients such as K+ and weathers into vermiculite/montmorillonite or kaolinite, which have varying influences on soil properties and characteristics. This study was conducted to determine if the weathering mechanisms of biotite are controlled by temperature, or if other factors, such as vegetation or leaching intensity dominantly influence the ...

Human Development

Solution-Focused Therapy and Communication Skills Training:An integrated approach to couples therapyJames E. MuddABSTRACTThis study uses a quasi-experimental design to determine if a solution-focused therapy (SFT) approach to couples counseling can be effective in improving an individuals marital satisfaction, and if a SFT approach to couples therapy can be improved upon by adding a one-time, psycho-educational intervention (i.e. Video #2 from the Fighting for your Marriage series: The Speaker/L...

Psychology

Previous studies have indicated that concurrent multimodal stimulation can interfere with prenatal perceptual learning. However, the nature and extent of this interference is not well understood. This study further assessed this issue by exposing three groups of bobwhite quail embryos to (a) no unusual prenatal stimulation, (b) a bobwhite maternal call, or (c) a maternal call + light compound in the period prior to hatching. Experiments differed in terms of the types of stimuli presented during ...

Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences

Chapter 2:Germination and Growth of Radish (Raphanus sativus) and Lettuce (Lactuca sativus) Exposed to Arsenite and Arsenate in Hydroponic Growth SolutionLittle information is available on the survival, uptake, and dry mass productionof vegetable seedlings and maturing plants in arsenic enriched environments. Such information is however very important to many vegetable growers in areas of subsistent agricultural like Bangladesh or home-gardeners in closer proximity of As sources such as metal sm...

Counseling Services

ABSTRACTThe number of reported students with psychiatric disabilities who are seeking services and/or accommodations is steadily increasing on college campuses. Much of the research and documentation that surround the study of college students with psychiatric disorders is extremely broad in focus and tends to group all psychiatric diagnoses together when reporting outcome studies.The research literature that is devoted to the study of the college student diagnoses with Panic Disorder with Agora...

Biology

The phenotypes of hatchling reptiles are influenced by the environmental conditions that embryos experience during incubation, by yolk invested into the egg, and by the genetic contributions of the parents. Phenotypic traits are influenced by these factors in ways that potentially affect the fitness of hatchlings. The physical conditions that embryos experience within the nest affects development, hatching success, and hatchling phenotypes. Thus, the nest site that a female selects can influence...

Administration and Supervision of Special Education

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE PERCEPTIONS OF SECONDARYSPECIAL AND GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS WORKING ININCLUSIVE SETTINGS IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIAbyFLORAH KAVULANI LUSENOCommittee Chair: Diane N. Gillespie; Co-Chair: Harold J. McGradyAdministration and Supervision of Special Education(ABSTRACT)One of the major challenges facing special and general classroom teachersstems from the current educational movement towards inclusion, a processthat emphasizes providing special education services to studen...

Industrial and Systems Engineering

TRANSIMS (Transportation Analysis Simulation System) is part of a multi-track Travel Model Improvement Program sponsored by the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The main objective of this thesis is to enhance and implement a principal module in TRANSIMS, called the Route Planner Module. The purpose of the Route Planner Module is to find time-dependent label-constrained shortest paths for transportation activities performed by travelers in t...

Management Systems

There have been thousands of studies on teams and their performance, but there are still many unanswered questions. An important one is how an organization s reward structure supports the growing trend of using teams. Many organizations implement teams without changing the organizational systems to align with and support the use of teams, i.e., training, feedback, information and reward systems. As predicted by many authorities in the field of team effectiveness research, these teams often fail....

Entomology

<p>Outbreaks of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) in vineyards have been increasing with the expansion of the industry in Virginia. Only three effective acaricides are registered on grapes and as resistance begins to occur, control options are limited. Biological control of spider mites by inoculative or inundative releases of predatory mites has been tried on a wide range of crops including grapes. This project examined the feasibility of using <i>Neoseiulus fallac...

Engineering Science and Mechanics

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF A SHAFT-ROTOR SYSTEMbyDonald Andrew Phillips(ABSTRACT)The United States Air Force is in the process of developing a more electric aircraft. The development of an aircraft Integrated Power Unit and an Internal Starter/Generator will be instrumental in producing sufficient electrical power to run all non propulsive systems. Iron-cobalt alloys, such as Hiperco alloy 50HS, are high temperature, high strength magnetic materials ideal for these power applications...

Science and Technology Studies

The contentious topic of female circumcision brings together medical science, womens health activism, and national and international policy-making in pursuit of the common goal of protecting female bodies from harm. To date, most criticisms of female circumcision, practiced mainly in parts of Africa and Southwest Asia, have revolved around the dual issues of control of female bodies by a male-dominated social order and the health impacts surrounding the psychology of female sexuality and the fun...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

COUNSELING AND COMPUTER TECHNOLOGYIN THE NEW MILLENNIUM-AN INTERNET DELPHI STUDYbyKatherine CabanissCommittee Co-Chairs: David Hutchins and Jimmie Fortune(ABSTRACT)Computer technology is developing so rapidly that the extent to which it is being utilized by counselors and counselor educators in their work is virtually unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess how much and in what ways counselor experts believe computer-related technology (CRT) is being utilized by professional counselors ...

Teaching and Learning

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Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science

Seed transmission of <i>Cylindrocladium parasiticum</i> was investigated as a possible explanation for the higher-than-expected incidence of Cylindrocladium black rot (CBR) of peanut in fields fumigated with metam sodium. Sixty-three commercial seed lots from Virginia production fields were examined for the presence of seed with speckled testae, a symptom of seed infection by <i>C. parasiticum</i>. Speckled seed was present in conditioned s...

Entomology

Production of hot peppers, Capsicum spp., in Jamaica is constrained by the aphid-transmitted potyviruses, tobacco etch virus (TEV) and potato virus Y (PVY). The virus epidemiology was not understood and no effective virus management system existed for these viruses. This study sought to identify possible management strategies for aphid-transmitted viruses of hot peppers in Jamaica, using TEV and Capsicum chinense, var. Scotch Bonnet and West Indian Red , as models.Field spread of TEV to pepper w...

Mechanical Engineering

Geometric trimming of a surface involves removal of unwanted portions of the surface and providing a new mathematical description for the trimmed patch. This entails creating a new geometry for the trimmed patch, which closely approximates the corresponding portion on the original patch. The procedure is shown to involve obtaining data points on the B-spline surface that lie within the region specified by the parameter values for the trimming curve and describing a new surface which interpolates...

Biology

Understanding the respiratory physiology and energymetabolism is important for establishing the dissolvedoxygen (DO) requirements of freshwater mussels, determiningthe metabolite(s) indicative of environmental stress, andinterpreting environmental conditions based on physiologicalindicators of mussels. Three studies were undertaken toaddress these questions. The first study was conducted withseven mussel species collected from reservoir and riverinehabitats. The two objectives were to determine ...

Accounting and Information Systems

Chapter 1 Abstract: We examined the impact of sampling interval on fine root production and mortality estimates by comparing data from a weekly minirhizotron sampling regimen to subsets of the same data representing biweekly, monthly, bimonthly, and quarterly sampling regimens. We also investigated possible sources of error involved in the root tracing technique and estimated root herbivory using the full weekly sampling regimen. Data were collected for eleven months from a Pinus palustris Mille...

Accounting and Information Systems

This dissertation examines debt ratios, profitability, and commercial activity of the following hospitals: (i) for-profit hospitals [FP hospitals], (ii) nonprofit hospitals engaging in joint ventures [JV NP hospitals], and (iii) nonprofit hospitals that do not engage in joint ventures [Non-JV NP hospitals]. Financial variables are measured using Form 990 tax return data of nonprofit hospitals and audited financial statements of for-profit hospitals.The purpose of the study is to compare: (1) JV ...

Environmental Sciences and Engineering

Sequencing batch reactor (SBR) systems were used for the development of a system and operating procedures for the high production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) by wastewater treatment (activated sludge) bacterial cultures. It was found that unbalanced growth conditions stimulated massive PHA production in activated sludge biomass. Operating conditions had a significant effect on PHA production and the composition of the accumulated copolymer when either laboratory prepared mixtures of organics...

Teaching and Learning

Wytheville Community College implemented the Dual Credit English program in 1988 following the Virginia Community College Systems adoption of the Virginia Plan for Dual Enrollment. Essentially, the program allows qualified high school seniors to enroll in the colleges freshman-level ENG 111: College Composition I and ENG 112: College Composition II courses while simultaneously completing senior English. The guarantee of college credit for students who earn at least a C average and other cost-sav...

Teaching and Learning

Narratives are used to explore personal beliefs and assumptions about caring in ones personal and professional life. This dissertation recognizes the process of caring is interpretative and evolves from personal experience. I address issues of caring within the practice of nursing and nursing education from a feminist perspective. I begin with my own personal narrative in which I seek to uncover my own caring essence as a basis for inquiring into issues of caring and feminism in nursing educatio...

Sociology

Once upon a time in the remote northern panhandle of Idaho, in the early 1990s, occurred a series of events that would lead to the deaths of three individuals, a beloved pet, and the overt acts of lawlessness and terrorism of three federal law enfocement agencies against United States citizens. Thus, I introduce the story of Ruby Ridge, Idaho, the Weaver family, and the federal law enforcement agencies that have collectivity become known as the infamous "dress rehearsal for Waco..." (K...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Practitioners are obligated to identify cost-effective, worthwhile practices for improving student learning. With the current climate of pressure to quickly improve student performance on the Virginia Standards of Learning assessments, the use of BrainGym® is an idea that has begun to pique the interest of teachers as an innovative instructional strategy. The value in conducting this research was to attempt to objectively analyze whether the use of this specific activity-based intervent...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

<p>This project was a synthesis of studies of the disciplinary actions received by middle and high school African-American students in public schools. This synthesis was conducted for three reasons: (1) to identify and collect studies on the variables associated with the disciplining of African-American students, (2) to examine how the variables contribute to African-American students being disproportionately disciplined when compared to other ethnic groups, and (3) to examine how ...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The rapid development of wireless applications has created a demand for low-cost, compact, low-power hardware solutions. This demand has driven efforts to realize fully integrated, "single-chip" systems. While substantial progress had been made in the integration of many RF and baseband processing elements through the development of new technologies and refinements of existing technologies, progress in the area of fully monolithic filters has been limited due to the losses (low Qs) ass...

English

Revisiting Feminism: Academics versus ActivismShannon K. LewisAbstractToday, feminist theory, instead of accompanying a movement or being generated by a movement, is out there on its own. There is no large-scale social movement to complement it and to act on it. The energy and excitement of collective action is what many feminists miss and what is implied through critiques of contemporary feminist theory. The lament is for unity, for what was conceived of as sisterhood and what emerges as a myth...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (1995) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress results (1996) indicate that the United States has not reached the goal of being first in the world in mathematics and science achievement established by the Goals 2000 Act. Many states have adopted the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards for mathematics instruction, which call for the integration of computer technology, in an effort to improve international and nati...

Psychology

This study tested portions of a social-cognitivemodel that explained the mechanisms involved inthe parent decision-making process that ultimatelydrive and maintain children s health care use.Eighty-seven primary caretakers of children ages4 to 9 years completed measures of child healthand behavior, parental stress and functioning,and social cognitive measures related to parentingand health care use. Primary care use data overthe two-years prior to recruitment were collectedfrom primary care prov...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Establishing a sense of identity is a central task in human development. This research pursued questions about how adult, self-identified feminist women conceptualize their identity, the role of feminism in that conceptualization, and the interaction of feminism with race and sexual orientation.</p>Forty women in five geographic regions across the United States were interviewed. The participants were faculty, administrators, classified staff, and graduate students affiliated with a...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

The Status of Public School/Business Collaborative Activities in Virginia,1998-1999.Dennis D. ParsonsSteve R. Parson, Chair(ABSTRACT)The purpose of this study was to ascertain important information that was lacking about current school/business collaborative activities in the Commonwealth of Virginia and to compare those activities to the findings of a study conducted by Larkin C. Phillips of school/business collaborative activities during the 1990-91 school year. This study used the same survey...

Physics

This experiment attempts to measure the Michel parameter Rho in normal muondecay Mu to e nu_{e} nu_{mu} with a precision of0.001.The Standard Model with pure V-A interaction gives 0.75 for this parameter.The world average value is 0.7518 +/- 0.0026.A deviation of the value of Rho from 0.75 will indicate new physics.The experiment, RHO, was carried out at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility(LAMPF) of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico, USA, in 1993.The existing experimental set...

Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise

It has been observed that the normal process of aging is associated with a decline in muscle strength and mass. It has also been observed that total body potassium and intracellular water (ICW) decrease with age, reflecting a loss of body cell mass (BCM), 60% of which is the skeletal muscle. It is generally accepted that traditional high-intensity strength training (ST) regimens can not only attenuate, but in some cases, reverse some of these aging-related changes. Periodization, a nontraditiona...

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The majority of attacks made upon modern computers have been successful dueto the exploitation of the same errors and weaknesses that have plaguedcomputer systems for the last thirty years. Because the industry has notlearned from these mistakes, new protocols and systems are not designed withthe aspect of security in mind; and security that is present is typicallyadded as an afterthought. What makes these systems so vulnerable is thatthe security design process is based upon assumptions that ha...

Hospitality and Tourism Management

To explore the viability of a new training evaluation criteria, theories from the areas of service, adult education, and training, were combined to form a model of Perceived Quality of Training and Transfer. Operating from the paradigm that training is a service, a rigorous scale development process was initiated to discover the dimensions of perceived quality of training, a new construct within the realm of training evaluation based upon trainees impressions of training. Thirty-six supporting i...

Teaching and Learning

The objectives of this study were to determine what perceived changes to VTE have the potential to improve development of the economy in the next 3 to 5 years and which of these identified changes will have the greatest impact. To achieve this objective, a selected group of experts representing international development, business, economies, labor, manufacturing, service industries, and education were asked to participate in the study. First, the experts were requested to list five to eight stat...

Marketing

This dissertation developed a comprehensive model conceptualizing the factors affecting children s choice of influence strategy and relative influence in family consumption decisions. In particular, the model asserted that antecedent variables (i.e., family variables, individual characteristics of children, individual characteristics of parents, and parent-child interdependence) affect both directly and indirectly children s choice of influence strategy and relative influence. Process variables ...

Near Environments

In the retail environment, the salesperson is a strong factor of influence in consumer ´s decision process because a store image and ability to build loyalty can heavily depend on the ability and characteristics of the salesperson (Engel, Blackwell, & Miniard, 1995). A consumer may fully anticipate buying, but this intention may change if the salesperson´s performance is not satisfactory. Engel et al. (1995) indicated that appearance is an important characteristic of th...

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

(ABSTRACT)David Parks, Committee ChairEducational Leadership and Policy StudiesThe characteristics of career-threatened principals in Virginia as identified by Virginia superintendents were examined. All superintendents of operating school divisions in Virginia were selected as the population for this study. A survey was used to generate data on demographic characteristics of career-threatened principals, their scores on administrative competencies, sources of information about these principals,...

Public Administration/Public Affairs

<p>At the start of the twenty-first century, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials can look back on nearly thirty years of meaningful accomplishments. Toxic releases are down, the air and water are cleaner, and waste disposal methods are greatly improved. Although this is a record of which EPA officials should be proud, is it sufficient to carry them into the next century? Conventional wisdom among scholars, environmental policy advocates, and even EPA officials indi...

Political Science

The concept of sovereignty has been a contestableidea throughout history, and its meaning hasoftentimes transformed to reflect prevailingsystemic conditions and political priorities ofmajor actors in each historical period. In thisstudy, I argue that the social construction ofstate sovereignty is at the beginning stages ofanother major redefinition. In an era ofglobalization and regional integration, discourseon sovereignty has become increasingly prolificas the rhetoric of sovereignty moves awa...