Data Grid consists of geographically distributed computing and storage resources that are used in large scale scientific applications such as high energy physics, bioinformatics, climate modeling. Scheduling and Replication are two well-known techniques to boost the performance of Data Grid. There has been research on integrating both the techniques in Data Grids to improve performance. However, most of the work is heuristic based. In their work, data replication is used to minimize the file transfer time thus total job execution time of all the sites, while scheduling is used to minimize the maximum job execution time (so called makespan) among all the sites. We propose to utilize both data replication and job scheduling to minimize the total job execution time in Data Grid, and formulate our Data Replication and Job Scheduling Problem. Unlike previous work, our problem seamlessly integrates both techniques into one framework. This problem is NP-hard. We first propose a Job Scheduling and Data Replication algorithm whose performance is provable theoretically, and which also dramatically reduces time complexity compared to that of the optimal algorithm. We then design a series of heuristic algorithms to further reduce the time complexity of our Job Scheduling and Data Replication algorithm. Using simulations, we demonstrate that the heuristic algorithms perform comparably to the Job Scheduling and Data Replication algorithm. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Human Performance Studies. / Despite the growth of telemedicine as an area of research, few studies to date have applied an interactive audio/video technology to exercise. To date, no publications utilizing a formative assessment process to help determine the effectiveness of an exercise intervention conducted via videoconference. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop an applicable formative assessment of resistance exercise conducted via videoconference using the Polycom telenetworking system. Seven college students were randomized into either a videoconferencing (VC) group (n=4) or a home-based (HB) group (n=3). Each group was participated in a three week, three day/week resistance exercise intervention utilizing resistive elastic bands. The VC group conducted all exercise sessions via the Polycom Viewstation with an instructor located at a separate location. The effectiveness of each treatment was assessed with a push-up test, isokinetic testing of the chest press movement, participant adherence and compliance to exercise, and overall acceptance of the technology. No differences in exercise adherence or compliance were noted between the groups. The VC group showed significant improvements in number of push-ups completed (1.75 ± 0.96) and peak torque during the chest press (12.6 ± 7.05 ft∙lbs; 16.65 ± 9.19 ft∙lbs), while pressing and pulling respectively, when compared to baseline. VC participants related high levels of acceptance for the use of videoconferencing with exercise. This study is the first to provide a foundational framework for the formative assessment of video technologies in exercise and provide evidence to support the use of videoconferencing technologies in larger and more complex exercise study designs.

This paper tests the hypothesis that the timing of independence in Latin America and the institutions in place at the time of independence had a joint effect on the developmental paths of the countries. A new variable is presented - the interaction term between the timing of independence and initial institutions, and then tested with Multiple OLS Regressions. The findings support the notion that earlier independence in conjunction with better initial institutions may have had a positive influence on long-term economic growth in Latin American countries using data from 1990-2004. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, The W. Frank Barton School of Business, Dept. of Economics

Although some ecological theory predicts that herbivore density should increase with plant quality or biomass, few studies have directly measured the response of multiple groups of grassland herbivores to changes in plant production. In this study, I experimentally manipulated plant biomass by fertilizer addition and measured density and diversity of small mammals and insects (primarily Rodentia and Orthoptera). A total of 245 small mammals representing 9 species were captured during the study. For the three most common species, 82% of mammals comprised of Peromyscus leucopus and Peromyscus maniculatus while Sigmodon hispidus dominated captures of mammals > 100g. The density of the rodent community was higher in fertilized than in unfertilized plots. However, I detected no effect of increased plant biomass on small mammal diversity. The body mass of S. hispidus and P. leucopus was higher in the fertilized than in unfertilized plots but no effect was observed for the P. leucopus. For insect herbivores, grasshopper biomass, density as well as diversity were higher in fertilized than unfertilized plots. Collectively these results from multiple herbivore groups are consistent suggesting that plant productivity influences the composition of small mammal and grasshopper assemblages in grassland systems. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences , Dept. of Biological Sciences.

In this work, electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was used to deposit carboxylic acidfunctionalized carbon nanofibers (O-CNFs) and amine-functionalized carbon nanofibers (ACNFs) on the surface of single carbon fibers. Using the fiber fragmentation technique, the stress transfer at the single fiber interface was characterized by determining the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) for different fiber surface treatments. For the O-CNF investigation, samples for sized, unsized, O-CNF deposited sized, and O-CNF deposited unsized carbon fibers were tested. The A-CNF investigation was completed for sized carbon fibers acting as the anode during EPD for single and double concentrations of CNFs in water. Additionally, results for fibers acting as both the anode and cathode during a two-stage A-CNF deposition process are provided. Finally, the effects of EPD were investigated by testing fibers acting as the cathode or anode in water without the presence of O-CNFs or A-CNFs. Weibull analyses of single fiber tensile failures were performed to account for scale effects along the fiber length and support IFSS estimation. This research was aimed at obtaining a fundamental understanding of how functionalized CNF addition, EPD electric field setup, and fiber sizing affected IFSS and fiber surface morphology. Additionally, the processing effects on single fiber tensile strength were determined. It was shown that removing the sizing decreased the IFSS by 27%. One-stage addition of O-CNFs to the unsized interface increased the IFSS by 15% over the base sized fiber and 56% compared to the unsized fibers. One-stage cathodic deposition of O-CNFs on the single fiber surface led to the greatest IFSS increase of 215%. This IFSS increase is attributed to enhancement of surface roughness and surface area created by addition of the O-CNFs to the carbon fiber surface. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

This work is the story of the murder of Werner Drechsler, a German Navy prisoner of war, at the POW camp in Papago Park, Arizona in March 1944. Drechsler had aided his American captors in trying to glean military information from other German Navy POWs at the Fort Hunt, Virginia interrogation center. He was recognized almost immediately upon his arrival at Papago Park, and was murdered the very night he arrived. His killers were also German Navy POWs, whose identity was unknown until a special U. S. Army investigatory board uncovered their identities. Questions remain as to the methods employed by investigators, working on the periphery of that board, to eventually acquire confessions from the seven men responsible for Drechsler’s death. Opinions vary as to the fairness of the court martial which condemned these men to death for their part in the murder. Opinions likewise vary as to the level of culpability of the U. S. Army for Drechsler’s death. The National Archives possesses thousands of pages of documents relating to Drechsler’s activities at Fort Hunt, the reaction of both the German POWS at Papago Park and the U.S. Army to the murder, and to the investigation into the killing. The U. S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals holds the trial transcript and related papers. These documents are often confusing and contradictory. An examination into these sources reveals allegations of coercion employed to gain the confessions, which constitute the only evidence presented against the accused seven men. The sources also reveal that U.S. Army personnel could, and probably should, have prevented the killing from ever taking place. Ultimately, they reveal yet another tragedy of war. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of History.

As part of a larger study, two low-risk primigravida (first pregnancy) women who intended to breastfeed and their newborns were audio- and videotaped in the first two hours after birth. For this pilot study, recordings were analyzed to investigate early infant crying patterns. One mother-infant pair remained in close contact immediately following delivery with short periods of separation. The other mother-infant pair experienced longer periods of separation during the first two hours. Although data are preliminary, the separation cries of the infants were noticeably different perceptually than the cries produced in contact with mother. The separation cries were shorter in duration, with a higher first peak frequency, and a less distinct harmonic structure than those of non-separation cries. Results suggest that a separation distress cry is biologically plausible, both in terms of tension and stress in the newborn’s vocal physiology and because of the newborn’s dependence on the mother. Confirmation and expansion of these findings could serve as a motivating factor in preventing the separation of mothers and newborns immediately after birth / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Health Professions, Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

This research examined some of the factors that help explain the variance in income between male and female educators. Data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) was used to examine some of the components that determine income for teachers at the elementary/middle school, secondary, and postsecondary level, as well as educational administrators. Educational attainment and experience were found to be factors that influenced both male and female incomes. Also, both the crowding hypothesis and the glass escalator were found to account for part of the pay gap between men and women. Also, when all factors were equal, men were still found to have higher incomes than women. Although the pay gap between men and women has closed in recent years, the results here showed that there are still some factors contributing to this pay gap that need to be addressed in order for the gap to close. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Sociology.

This thesis presents a detailed analysis of the route discovery process in saturated ad hoc networks. The causes and consequences of this process are described in terms of medium access control (MAC) delays and routing delays. The analysis shows that an increase in MAC layer delays can increase the time spent in the route discovery process (route discovery time), which in-turn increases the packet service-time and the packet end-to-end delay. The simulations performed in the network simulator-2 (ns-2) support the theoretical analysis. . / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

This thesis presents a quantitative analysis of packet queuing delays in saturated DCF networks. It presents the relationship between medium access control (MAC) delays, routing delays, and the packet queuing delays, in terms of MAC service-time and route discovery time. The effects of network size and data transmission rates on the queuing delays were also analyzed. The simulations reveal that the MAC service-time affects the packet queuing delay in stationary networks; whereas the route discovery time along with the MAC service-time affects the queuing delays in mobile networks. Also, the average queuing delay increased with an increase in the network sizes and data transmission rates, especially for network sizes of 20 and more. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.