The fusion of the Internet with instructional design, and curricula delivery methods eliminated transactional distance in online learning. However, distance education (DE) in Nigeria has not aligned its pedagogy to the new reality in technology. The purposes of this non-experimental, predictive, validity study were to determine faculty and administrators' perceived barriers and concerns to online adoption and to validate the behavior engineering model (BEM) instrument. Ninety-six respondents from four public universities in Nigeria completed the questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used respectively, to assess barriers and concerns militating against faculty and administrators' online adoption, as well as validate the survey instruments. For faculty and administrators, incentive, motive, knowledge and skills influenced DE adoption. Except for age, all demographic factors influenced faculty's concerns. Gender was observed to influence administrators' concern. "Level of online use" influenced neither faculty nor administrators' concerns. Technographic characteristics influenced faculty, but not administrators.' Though the BEM instrument was reliable in measuring faculty and administrator's stages of concern, however, the 6-factor BEM, tested at the 95% significant level, did not give a good fit. The study contributes to positive social change by identifying gaps to effective DE implementation, and recommended the appropriate interventions to transform the DE experience for students and their universities. The study also proposed the framework to fast track Nigeria's vision and mission for DE.

In the present PhD work, three sophisticated models based on the "Engineering" modeling approach have been utilized to conveniently describe and thoroughly analyze details of Lightning events at the CN Tower. Both the CN Tower and the Lightning Channel are represented by a number of connected in series Transmission Line sections in order to account for the variations in the shape of the tower and for plasma processes that take place within the Lightning Channel. A sum of two Heidler functions is used to describe the "uncontaminated" Return Stroke current, which is injected at the attachment point between the CN Tower and the Lightning Channel. Reflections and refractions at all points of mismatched impedances are considered until their contribution becomes less than 1% of the originally injected current wave. In the proposed models, the problem with the current discontinuity at the Lightning Channel front, commonly taken care of by introducing a "turn-on" term when computing radiation fields, is uniquely treated by introducing reflected and transmitted components. For the first time, variable speed of propagation of the Return Stroke current front has been considered and its influence upon the predicted current distributions along the whole Lightning Channel path and upon the radiated distant fields analyzed. Furthermore, as another novelty, computation of the electromagnetic field is accomplished in Cartesian Coordinates. This fact permits to relax the requirement on the verticality of the Lightning Channel, normally imposed in Cylindrical Coordinates. Therefore, it becomes possible to study without difficulty the influence of a slanted Lightning Channel upon the surrounding electromagnetic field. Since the proposed sophisticated Five-Section Model has the capability to represent very closely the structure of the CN Tower and to emulate faithfully the shape of, as well as physical processes within the Lightning Channel, it is believed to have the potential of truthfully reproducing observed fields. The developed modeling approach can be easily adapted to study the anticipated radiated fields at tall structures even before construction.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2007. / Additional advisors: Marjan Mernik, Jeffrey G. Gray, Alan P. Sprague, Elliot J. Lefkowitz. Description based on contents viewed May 29, 2008; title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 140-152).

This thesis deals with power quality and load modeling. The issues of power quality, principles of load model creation and various types of loads and their principles are described and explained in this thesis. Various software and its main adventages in power systems modeling are described and various load models and simulations in PSCAD program are created and described at last.

Model-driven Software Development (MDSD) promotes the use of multiple related models to realize a software system systematically. These models usually contain redundant information but are independently edited. This easily leads to inconsistencies among them. To ensure consistency among multiple models, model synchronizations have to be employed, e.g., by means of model transformations, trace links, or triple graph grammars. Model synchronization poses three main problems for MDSD. First, classical model synchronization approaches have to be manually triggered to perform the synchronization. However, to support the consistent evolution of multiple models, it is necessary to immediately and continuously update all of them. Second, synchronization rules are specified at design time and, in classic approaches, cannot be extended at runtime, which is necessary if metamodels evolve at runtime. Finally, most classical synchronization approaches focus on bilateral model synchronization, i.e., the synchronization between two models. Consequently, for more than two models, they require the definition of pairwise model synchronizations leading to a combinatorial explosion of synchronization rules. To remedy these issues, we propose a role-based approach for runtime model synchronization. In particular, we propose role-based synchronization rules that enable the immediate and continuous propagation of changes to multiple interrelated models (and back again). Additionally, our approach permits adding new and customized synchronization rules at runtime. We illustrate the benefits of role-based runtime model synchronization using the Families to Persons case study from the Transformation Tool Contest 2017.

Since information systems become more and more important in today\''s society, business firms, organizations, and individuals rely on these systems to manage their daily business and social activities. The dependency of possibly critical business processes on complex IT systems requires a strategy that supports IT departments in reducing the time needed to implement changed or new domain requirements of functional departments. In this context, software models help to manage system\''s complexity and provide a tool for communication and documentation purposes. Moreover, software engineers tend to use automated software model processing such as code generation to improve development and maintenance processes. Particularly in the context of web-based information systems, a number of model driven approaches were developed. However, we believe that compared to the user interface layer and the persistency layer, there could be a better support of consistent approaches providing a suitable architecture for the consistent model driven development of business logic. To ameliorate this situation, we developed an architectural blueprint consisting of meta models, tools, and a method support for model driven development and maintenance of business logic from analysis until system maintenance. This blueprint, which we call Amabulo infrastructure, consists of five layers and provides concepts and tools to set up and apply concrete infrastructures for model driven development projects. Modeling languages can be applied as needed. In this thesis we focus on business logic layers of J2EE applications. However, concrete code generation rules can be adapted easily for different target platforms. After providing a high-level overview of our Amabulo infrastructure, we describe its layers in detail: The Visual Model Layer is responsible for all visual modeling tasks. For this purpose, we discuss requirements for visual software models for business logic, analyze several visual modeling languages concerning their usefulness, and provide an UML profile for business logic models. The Abstract Model Layer provides an abstract view on the business logic model in the form of a domain specific model, which we call Amabulo model. An Amabulo model is reduced to pure logical information concerning business logic aspects. It focuses on information that is relevant for the code generation. For this purpose, an Amabulo model integrates model elements for process modeling, state modeling, and structural modeling. It is used as a common interface between visual modeling languages and code generators. Visual models of the Visual Model Layer are automatically transformed into an Amabulo model. The Abstract System Layer provides a formal view onto the system in the form of a Coloured Petri Net (CPN). A Coloured Petri Net representation of the modeled business logic is a formal structure and independent of the actual business logic implementation. After an Amabulo model is automatically transformed into a CPN, it can be analyzed and simulated before any line of code is generated. The Code Generation Layer is responsible for code generation. To support the design and implementation of project-specific code generators, we discuss several aspects of code integration issues and provide object-oriented design approaches to tackle the issues. Then, we provide a conceptual mapping of Amabulo model elements into architectural elements of a J2EE infrastructure. This mapping explicitly considers robustness features, which support a later manual integration of generated critical code artifacts and external systems. The Application Layer is the target layer of an Amabulo infrastructure and comprises generated code artifacts. These artifacts are instances of a specific target platform specification, and they can be modified for integration purposes with development tools. Through the contributions in this thesis, we aim to provide an integrated set of solutions to support an efficient model driven development and maintenance process for the business logic of information systems. Therefore, we provide a consistent infrastructure blueprint that considers modeling tasks, model analysis tasks, and code generation tasks. As a result, we see potential for reducing the development and maintenance efforts for changed domain requirements and simultaneously guaranteeing robustness and maintainability even after several changes.

Counterproductive employee behaviors are inevitable, unpredictable, and widespread in the U.S. retail industry. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore U.S. midlevel retail leadership strategies used to prevent and correct employee behaviors that sabotage quality service encounters. Gilbert's behavior engineering model, which links employee behaviors to performance, was the framework used in this study. The data-collection process comprised 7 semistructured interviews with midlevel retail leaders, online company documentation, and researcher observations and assisted in achieving methodological triangulation. Member checking ensured the accuracy of participant responses, while Moustakas' modified van Kaam method was used to guide the data analysis process. Making the customer service experience special, employee rudeness and bad attitudes, and leading by example were the primary emergent themes. The participants revealed key behavior intervention and corrective strategies prior to termination consisted of only 2 steps: coaching or 1-on-1 discussions and formal training. The findings of this study may contribute to retail business practices by expanding existing leadership strategies to engineer employee behaviors that produce consistent quality service encounters, empower employees, improve consumer satisfaction, and increase retail profitability and competitiveness. Resultant retailers' profitability and consumer satisfaction may contribute to social change by directly impacting the U.S. gross domestic product, local communal tax base, and reinforce human civility throughout the retail industry.

The purpose of this study is to design, develop and evaluate an electronic performance support system (EPSS) for the crime scene investigation unit (CSI). For this purpose, a sequential explanatory strategy as a procedure of the mixed method design was used in analysis and evaluation of the EPSS. The research was composed of three main phases: analysis / design, development and implementation, and evaluation of the EPSS. In first phase composed of performance and cause analyses, the CSI Unit&rsquo / s existing information, and contributing causal performance factors based on Gilbert&rsquo / Behavior Engineering Model were explored. In performance analysis phase, official documentation of the CSI Unit was reviewed. As for cause analysis, the survey and focus group interviews were conducted to 1176 and 22 CSI officers, respectively. These data were analyzed using with both quantitative and qualitative methods to facilitate the selection of the most appropriate intervention and its components. Analyses results revealed that 14 basic influences grouped under the workplace and competency on human behavior impacted performance of the officers. Based on these results, an EPSS composed of intrinsic, extrinsic and external levels, and support components was designed and developed in the second phase. Having been implemented, the evaluation of the EPSS based on the Kirkpatrick&rsquo / Four Levels of Evaluation Model was conducted v to determine the overall impact, perceived benefits, and effectiveness of the intervention in third phase. In this phase, a survey, interviews, computer logs and a checklist were used so as to assess the accomplishment of the EPSS. While the survey and the checklist were administered to the 191 officers and 2 experts from the field, the interviews were conducted with 12 officers. Evaluation results admitted that the CSI officers&rsquo / reactions were very positive to the EPSS. While, an intrinsic support made a major contribution to their productivity, establishing standardization would be perceived as the major impact of the EPSS. Lastly, increasing identity and simplifying criminal justice system were the two main impact factors on the society that the system would influence positively.

This report presents the various test procedures carried out to verify and validate the engineering model of the DORN instrument. DORN is an instrument designed to perform alpha spectroscopy on the lunar surface, this instrument will be onboard Chang’e 6 lunar mission which is a lunar sample return mission conducted by China. DORN is a French payload developed by CNES (Centre national d’études spatiales) and CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifque) for the in situ measurement of Radon on the Moon. The scientifc objective of DORN is to have a better understanding of the lunar surface by studying the transport of gases in the lunar regolith and exosphere and to improve the mapping of Uranium. The radionuclides of interest for DORN are the chains of Rn-222 and Rn-220 which emit alpha particle in an energy range of 5.3 to 8.8 MeV.Due to a sudden change in the location of the landing site of the Chang’e 6 lander, DORN’s range of operating temperature has increased, and the temperature will be much higher than expected. In this report, we will discuss about the testing of the Engineering model of DORN in these new thermal enviornment.This will enable us to determine whether the instrument can survive the mission. Tests are done for verifying the engineering model of DORN. Since these conditions were unexpected, DORN also needs some design modifcations in order to pass all of these tests to get validated. The report discusses the test setup proposed for various testing, analysis of test results, and improvement in design to validate the instrument. The validation of the engineering model will play an important role in fnalizing the design of the fight model and in the calibration of the instrument for the analysis of the data that will acquired during the mission.