This developmental study addresses the problem of Native American language loss through the development of a new instructional model to teach indigenous languages to Native American learners. Whole language methods advocated in second language instruction incorporate observational learning strategies - strategies which are inherent in the Native American home, but often ignored in school. Instructional technology provides a mechanism for the development of curriculum materials which reflect appropriate instructional techniques. A template with embedded whole language methods to address culturally-specific learning strategies was created through the use of hypermedia. The design, development, and implementation of the project template is detailed. The thematic content framework of the template is local legends about the origins of celestial elements. A sample product using the Cherokee language was created from the template and pilot tested on a reservation in North Carolina. Pilot test data is discussed, as well as recommendations for future research in the use of technology for Native American language preservation. A Developer’s Guide to Template Modification is appended to support the adaptation of the template for use with other Native American languages. / Ph. D.

Ph. D.

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) was developed by Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes (1978) to measure the technical efficiency performance of organizational units. Conventional DEA models assume input and output sets are deterministic. When input and output data are not known precisely, the decision maker may choose between three alternatives. The first alternative assumes the sets are generated by a stochastic process. This alternative introduces much subjectivity in the analysis because it requires the decision maker to assume that input and output data are distributed according to specific probability laws. Often these distributions are chosen more for computational convenience than empirical evidence. The second alternative involves traditional post-optimization techniques, such as sensitivity analysis. The major shortcoming associated with this alternative is that it generates solutions that reside near a local optimum, and thus do not always direct the decision maker towards an optimal policy for best decision. The third alternative, developed for this research, is based on fuzzy set theory. The present dissertation proposes a methodology that can be implemented when fuzziness is directly introduced in the input and output sets. The methodology merges data envelopment analysis with the fuzzy parametric programming framework developed by Carlsson and Korhonen (1986). The approach is particularly well suited to problems where the decision maker has the capability of specifying the lower and upper bounds of the input and output sets. It is implemented for two types of DEA models: Banker, Charnes and Cooper (BCC, 1984) and Free Disposal Hull (FDH, 1984). All theoretical concepts presented in this research are illustrated in the context of a real world manufacturing system. The system under study is a packaging line that inserts commercial pamphlets into newspapers. This illustration, at the micro level, contrasts with most DEA applications described in the technical efficiency literature. Traditionally, DEA has been applied by economists and public administrators to assess the behavior of macro systems, including government agencies, financial institutions, health care providers, and educational entities. / Ph. D.

M. Arch.

M. Arch.

The objective of this work is to investigate new signal processing techniques for optical fiber sensors that utilize the phase information of the electromagnetic field. Research concentrated on Fourier transform spectroscopy as a means for capturing wavelength encoded information from the fiber sensor. Classical spectral analysis utilizing the Fourier transform as a mathematical foundation for relating a time or space signal to its frequency-domain representation was shown to be inadequate for mitigating the bias errors caused by harmonic distortions. A modified spectral estimation algorithm is presented to overcome some of the practical issues while maintaining the high spectral resolution characteristic of the classical technique. This research also showed that unlike in free-space propagation, an optical signal propagating through a fiber waveguide, even over short distances, can experience significant phase modulation noise. A number of chromatic distortion mechanisms including modal interference, mode coupling due to periodic perturbations such as microdeformation and macrobends, and mode field diameter variations are addressed. We treated these issues by employing both theoretical simulation and experimental data. Coupled-mode formalism based upon approximated field solutions is used in the theoretical analysis. An extensive error analysis was also performed to determine how waveguide and noise distortion affect the performance of the spectral estimation algorithm. / Ph. D.

This is a case study of the decision in Baltimore City Schools to privatize some of their schools. This study investigated the reasons why this decision was made and how it was made. The Garbage Can Model of decision making (Cohen and March, 1986) was used as a way of organizing the study. The single case study method was used to examine this decision. The issue of privatization is somewhat new and controversial. It is also one in which there ts relatively little written in the literature. While there is much written on decision making models in general, non-rational models, such as the Garbage Can Model, are not often used to examine the decision making process. This study depended largely on information gathered from interviews of participants who were active in the decision making process in Baltimore and also on the examination of relevant documents. Participants were asked a series of prepared questions which were based on the components of the Garbage Can Model. Those questions focused on the problems, solutions, participants, and choice opportunities which were in the system at the time the decision was made. The superintendent, board members, city council members and other key participants were interviewed in the first round of interviews. The second round of interviews was largely from names obtained in the first round. The data gathered was reduced, organized according to the streams of the Garbage Can Model, and displayed in tables and matrices. The conclusion presents the findings in terms of the Garbage Can Model and reveals the factors which influenced the making of this controversial decision. The findings of the study support the theory of Cohen & March (1986) that educational organizations often make decisions in ambiguity and that the Garbage Can Model can help explain the decision making process used in such organizations. The decision in Baltimore was made by the mayor and the superintendent without significant input from other participants or groups. The school district's problems and potential solutions were noted. Recommendations for school districts interested in contract management of schools are included. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to design a method of treating bulimia nervosa using the Group Pentagon and the TFA System to assess how women begin their recovery from bulimia nervosa. An action study was used as a framework for conducting this research. This action study identified descriptive thoughts, feelings, and actions of college-age women with bulimia nervosa and described changes that occurred as a result of six structured sessions in a psychoeducational group. Nine college age women (18-21) participated in the study: three from one group and six from another group. Six-sessions for both groups were held during a three-week period and lasted one-hour and forty-five minutes each. Data from both groups was analyzed collectively because of similarities in participants, content, and methods. Individual interviews and assessments were conducted after the treatment ended. Follow-up sessions were held after one and three weeks. Using Brown and Gilligan’s (1992) qualitative model for analyzing data, it was concluded that the psychoeducational group treatment program for bulimia nervosa contributed to changes in thoughts, feelings, and actions for members from both groups. Moreover, the TFA self-assessment provided a method for identifying and interpreting the thoughts, feelings, and actions of the women participating in the study. The following changes among group members were observed: the binge-purge cycle was interrupted; short-term goals for six of nine members were achieved; and after a three week follow-up four of the six were still maintaining progress; while two of the six had improved beyond their initial progress. Concurrently, the three group members who did not accomplish their goals, had not regressed any further, but their bingeing and purging had not improved significantly. / Ph. D.

The short supply and pathogen safety concerns for plasma-derived therapeutic proteins, such as protein C and Factor IX, have spurred the development of recombinant DNA technology for large-scale, economically feasible production of therapeutic proteins. The mammary gland is unique in its ability to synthesize and secrete large amounts of protein into a harvestable medium, so transgenic livestock secreting recombinant proteins into their milk can be a viable method for the large-scale production of certain proteins. Pigs offer several distinct advantages over other dairy livestock for production of certain recombinant proteins in milk: rapid herd development since pigs have a one year generation time and sows average about two litters per year (about 21 offspring per year), and lactating sows produce an average of about 10 kg of milk/day. The above factors, combined with the excellent safety record of parenteral porcine derivatives, have been the basis for our work on the development of recombinant vitamin K-dependent protein production in porcine milk. This thesis contains the first collection of articles meant to specifically address issues that will affect FDA clinical trials and approval of recombinant VKD proteins from the milk of transgenic pigs. We report on the genotypic and phenotypic stability in lines of transgenic pigs secreting recombinant protein C. In addition, this work details the first reported effects of recombinant protein production on the endogenous milk protein composition of livestock, the first reported production of high levels of biologically active recombinant Factor IX, and the purification of biologically active and inactive subpopulations of recombinant protein C. Our observations suggest that pigs may be used as transgenic bioreactors for large-scale production of protein C and Factor IX. / Ph. D.

This study is the history of Ferrum Training School, founded in 1913 in Ferrum, Virginia, as a mission school and its development into Ferrum College, a four year college in 1976. The Woman's Home Mission Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Virginia Annual Conference of the Methodist Church were the founders and benefactors of the school. Although the study spans the period of transition from mission school to college three major periods of growth are apparent: the founding (1913), the expansion (1954), and the program development (1970). Each period was directed by a particularly able president, B. M. Beckham (1913-1933), C. R. Arthur (1954-1970), and J. T. Hart (1970-1976), who made significant contributions to the expansion of the college. Included in this study are brief examinations of mission schools that were founded by the Presbyterian and Episcopal Churches in Franklin at the turn of the century, the state of public education in the Appalachian Mountains at the time that the mission schools evolved, and religion in Franklin County, Virginia, at the time of the founding of Ferrum Training School. The Methodist Church and its interest in education which led to the development of Ferrum College was also examined. The objective of the study was to record the history of Ferrum College, with insights into the underlying religious, educational, economic, social, and cultural forces that contributed to the development of that institution. It illustrates how education and religion combined to add a vital dimension to human lives. / Ed. D.