Thesis (Psy. D.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, Wheaton, IL, 2003. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-81).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toledo, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 188-197).

Thesis (M.Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-64). Also available in electronic version.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wyoming, 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Nov. 11, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-42).

Although runways are critical components that make up an airport, few studies have examined their orientations and operations. This is further compounded by the fact that runway layout design and/or configuration are so complex yet they play a vital role in the airport's daily operation, capacity, and safety. In this study, I wish to apply GIS techniques, a wind rose model, and a noise distance decay model to achieve two specific objectives: (1) to determine the effectiveness of runways in terms of its orientation, design, and physical layout; and (2) to analyze any socioeconomic and environmental impacts associated with the use and development of O'Hare Chicago International Airport (ORD). The economic impact of this airport that was reviewed includes job employment, annual development, movement of goods and services and tourism. The study highlights the environmental impacts such as noise, lake effects, compatible land use, and other significant factors in relation to the airport and surrounding communities. The noise distance-decay model shows that aircraft noise levels decompose at about 800 feet (243m) from the O'Hare runways. Areas close to the airport have a 70db noise level and there are non-homogenous patterns between the day and night sound levels and the distance from the runways. The wind rose model shows that the wind blowing at O'Hare airport has a southern directional bias only two of the eight runways meet the criteria of a northeast/southwest direction. The directions of the winds are predominantly southerly headings and wind speeds are greater than 7 m/s. The integration of rule-based runway networks and the wind rose model results allowed for a visual analysis and comparison of runway networks. The integration enabled the analysis of the wind direction in relation to the landing or takeoff of aircrafts. The final interpretation of this result requires caution as it suggests that the use of daily wind events would provide a better outcome. Although this study has suggested a GIS-based strategy and wind rose model with key four elements it still requires further refinement. Future work should plan to include more analytical models/optimization methods that accounts for most factors that determine the effectiveness utilization of runways. Keywords: GIS, O'Hare Modernization Program, runways, wind rose, noise, economy

The present study examined the effects of societal threat on levels of authoritarianism and social dominance orientation and investigated if those self-report measures were consistent or inconsistent with a measure of implicit attitudes regarding Americans and Immigrants. Exposure to societal threat was hypothesized to increase authoritarianism and social dominance orientation, as well as to increase implicit prejudicial attitudes, as measured by the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP), towards out-group members. Based on prior findings, men were expected to have higher levels of social dominance orientation. As predicted, exposure to societal threat significantly increased right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation. Additionally, men endorsed greater levels of social dominance orientation than did women. However, there were no statistically significant differences in implicit attitudes between the participants who were exposed to societal threat and those who were not (all p’s > .05).

This thesis researches how individuals make sense of information and find their way in complex online environments. Global information communication networks are today accessible to almost everyone. One consequence of this network is greater ease of interaction with friends and colleagues from around the world. Another consequence is an increase in the amount of information that individuals face on a daily basis. People experience much of this information in fragments, from different sources, and in different media formats. In order to act meaningfully in a particular context, individuals form coherence around the information that they encounter. Making sense of this information is a challenging and on-going task, especially in advanced economies where knowledge-related work is a growing segment of the economy. Developing a coherent view of new information, and how it relates to existing information, is important in preparing individuals and organizations for decision-making, planning, and capacity for action. This research study considers the cognitive, social, technological, and spatial strategies that individuals use when they navigate the structure of, and content in, a large open online course with over 2,200 participants. The research includes a social network analysis of the participation patterns of learners in an open online course as well as a grounded theory exploration of the techniques and strategies those learners utilize in their learning. The theory that emerges from the research is the Sensemaking Wayfinding Information Model (SWIM) that details how individuals orient themselves through self-directed activities, as part of social networked systems, and through the use of technologies. This model centres on the information habits of individuals and emphasizes the centrality of identify formation, navigation, social interactions, and sensegiving activities. The social networks that form as individuals make sense of topics indicate the importance of participation, active engagement, language-based activities and artefact creation (such as naming concepts, creating word images, or creating images, diagrams, and videos), and sustained involvement over time.