Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / This thesis attempts to lay a foundation for producing a real-time rope model suitable for game engine usage. The model presented here is only one of the many possible approaches in modeling a rope. The basic premise used was derived from Erkin Tunca's source code. The concept is then attempted on the Open Dynamics Engine (ODE) built by Russell Smith. This work shows promise but much still needs to be done. This thesis only scratches the surface on the subject. In addition, ODE is primarily designed for (articulated) rigid bodies. Therefore, the next step is to create a deformable body (the rope) in ODE. / Major, United States Army

Due to declining budgets and decreases in ammunition allowances, the opportunity to conduct live fire artillery training has been greatly reduced. The available simulation trainers are either outdated, require specialize contractor support, or are not deployable. FOPCSim was developed at no cost, is freely available, takes advantages of modern 3D graphics, eliminates costly contractor support, and will run on laptops in support of deploying units. The simulator provides users with real-time performance feedback based on the Marine Corps Training and Readiness standards and was designed according to a cognitive task analysis of the call for fire procedures. To evaluate how well FOPCSim trains the call for fire procedures, an experiment was conducted at The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia. FOPCSim was used in place of the current simulation: Training Set, Fire Observation (TSFO) to evaluate its training effectiveness. By eliminating the overhead associated with most simulators, FOPCSim allows users to perform the call for fire procedures with a high degree of repetitiveness which is needed to train this type of task.

A family of advanced weapon systems that deserves special attention comprises aerial autonomous weapons called Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs), which are characterized by the ability to loiter in the target area, sense the targets, acquire the targets, and then engage them. Modeling this combination of capabilities in a specific operational setting is necessary for addressing design and operational issues of this weapon. This work focuses on the development of an analytic probability model that captures key aspects of the autonomous weapon systems' engagement process. Special attention is given to simultaneous attack occurrences, imperfect battle damage assessment, and attack coordination properties. The model is a continuous-time Markov Chain and for its implementation a state generator and an algorithm that computes the transition and limiting probabilities has been developed and programmed in Java based software. The Markovmodel derives values for several measures of effectiveness (MOEs), and the average engagement time. Different operational scenarios and design configurations are examined in a sample analysis to demonstrate the model's capabilities. Tradeoffs among sensing, data processing capabilities, vulnerability and lethality of UCAVs are explicitly represented with respect to selected MOEs.

Conducting training in a new or unfamiliar environment requires a certain amount of time to acquire the necessary spatial orientation and familiarity to that environment's physical layout. This thesis explores the effects of exposing individuals to a PC-based virtual replication of a small-scale real world training environment to determine if such exposure has any effect on an individual's ability to acquire the necessary spatial orientation and familiarity of the real world environment. In this thesis individual spatial orientation and familiarity to the layout of the real world environment will be measured using a set of retrieval tasks conducted in the real environment and by development of a sketched map of that environment. Establishing a link between an individual's ability to gain an acceptable level of spatial orientation and familiarity with a real world environment by first exposing them to a PC-based virtual replication of that environment is vital to the future of video game development and virtual simulation technologies used for training in the military.

This study on terrorism training follows the logic that terrorism is a "wicked problem" and there are various strategies to cope with it. Systems thinking is one of the coping strategies to address "wicked problems." A system is a whole composed of complex organized elements (subsystems) interacting with each other and with their environment. The stability of a system depends on its components' alignment. Misaligning one of its components, will destabilize, or even disrupt the whole system. In this regard, the study defines terrorism and terrorist organizations in systems terms, explains their components and interrelations, and concludes that the most important component of a terrorist system is the training subsystem. Thus it is important to understand how the subsystem functions in order to disrupt the whole system. The study reviews the types of terrorist training, how the terrorists and their organizations learn (process), what the terrorists learn (content), where the terrorists learn (location) and concludes that the internet is the new safe haven for terrorist training. It also demonstrates the adaptive capability of terrorist system moving from land-based to internet-based training. Almost every terrorist organization on the US Sate Department's designated terrorist organizations list exists on the Net. One example is the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) terrorist network. Its website network is analyzed by content and network structure using social network analysis software UCINET. The goal is to develop strategies to eliminate the web presence of the terrorist training subsystem.

Objetivo: Determinar el valor diagnóstico de la colonoscopia virtual en la detección de pólipos colorrectales en el Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen. Diseño: Estudio observacional, descriptivo, retrospectivo y de corte transversal. Institución: Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen, Lima, Perú. Materiales: Historias Clínicas. Intervenciones:Estudio de historias clínicas de pacientes con una muestra poblacional, no probabilística de los cuales por no cumplir con los criterios de inclusión quedaron un total de 50 historias clínicas, de los cuales 29 son de sexo masculino y 21 de sexo femenino los cuales se encuentran dentro de un rango de edades, entre 50 - 80 años. La muestra se obtuvo revisando cada historia clínica los cuales cumplían los criterios de inclusión, estos presentaban un informe de Colonoscopia Virtual y Colonoscopia Convencional entre el periodo enero 2013-agosto del 2014. Principales medidas de resultados: Sensibilidad, especificidad, valor predictivo positivo y valor predictivo negativo de la colonoscopia virtual. Resultados: con los datos recabados, se calculó el valor diagnóstico de la colonoscopia virtual para la detección de pólipo colorrectal. La sensibilidad de la colonoscopia virtual es de 90,0%(IC95%,59,6%-98,2%) y una especificidad de 97,5%(IC 95%, 92,8%- 99.1%) con un valor predictivo positivo de 75,0%(IC 95%, 46,8% -91,1%) y un valor predictivo negativo de 99,1%(IC 95%, 95,3% - 99,8%) para el diagnóstico de pólipo colorrectal. Conclusiones: La colonoscopia virtual es un buen método para determinar si el paciente presenta o no pólipo colorrectal. Palabras claves: pólipo colorrectal, colonoscopia virtual y colonoscopia convencional. / --- Objective: To determine the diagnostic value of virtual colonoscopy in the detection of colorectal polyps at the National Hospital Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen. Design: Observational, descriptive, retrospective and cross-sectional study. Institution: National Hospital Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen, Lima, Peru. Materials: Medical Records. Interventions: study of medical records of patients with a sample population, which no probabilistic for not meeting the inclusion criteria were a total of 50 medical records, of which 29 were male and 21 female which within a range of ages, from 50– 80 years. The sample was obtained by reviewing medical records each of which met the inclusion criteria, they presented a report of the virtual colonoscopy and conventional colonoscopy between January 2013 - august 2014. Main outcome measures: Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of virtual colonoscopy. Results: With the data collected, the diagnostic value of virtual colonoscopy for evaluation of colorectal polyps was calculated. virtual colonoscopy sensitivity is 90,0% (95% CI 59,6% to 98.2%) and a specificity of 97,5% (95% CI 92,8% to 99,1%) with a positive predictive value of 75,0% (95% CI, 46,8% to 91.1%) and a negative predictive value of 99.1% (95% CI 95,3% to 99,8%) for the diagnosis of colorectal polyps. Conclusions: virtual colonoscopy is a good method to determine whether or not the patient has colorectal polyps. Keywords: colorectal polyps, virtual colonoscopy and conventional colonoscopy.

Introducción: La agresión escolar es un importante problema de salud pública global siendo declarada bajo resolución de la Asamblea Mundial de la Salud en el año 1996, es conocido con el término de Bullying es decir que es un comportamiento agresivo, intencionado del agresor para producir daño a otros. La encuesta Nacional de Juventud, realizada por la Secretaría Nacional de Juventud y el Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática (INEI) en el año 2011 establece que casi el 41.5% de escolares limeños sufre algún tipo de agresión. Objetivo: Determinar la agresión escolar entre pares en los adolescentes de educación secundaria de la Institución Educativa Nacional Mixto N0 1225 Mariano Melgar. Metodología: El estudio fue de enfoque cuantitativo, cuyo diseño fue descriptivo de corte transversal, la muestra estuvo conformada por 102 estudiantes en la Institución Educativa Nacional Mixta N0 1225 “Mariano Melgar”. Se aplicó la escala de agresión entre pares tipo likert validado por Jiménez Andrés, et al (2009), con una confiabilidad en Alfa de Cronbach de 0.855 y una sub escala de agresión virtual con una confiabilidad en Alfa de Cronbach de 0.725. Resultados: Los resultados demuestran que el 61% de los adolescentes presentan conductas violentas, manifiesta 61% influencias externas, 64% actitudes violentas, 63% ausencia de conductas prosociales, 57% conductas agresivas y 63% agresión virtual. Conclusiones: Existe alto porcentaje de agresión escolar en sus diversas manifestaciones y lo relevante es que la agresión virtual se ha convertido en una nueva modalidad de agresión ocasionando mayor efecto que la agresión presencial.

Computational human models have become essential in several different biomedical and electrical engineering research areas. They enable scientists to study, model, and solve complex problems of human body responses to various external stimuli including electromagnetic and radio-frequency signals. This study describes the algorithms and procedures of creating multi-tissue full-body Computer-Aided Design (CAD) human models. An emphasis is made on full-body shells of variable thicknesses, e.g. skin, fat, and average body container shells. Such shells, along with internal organs, are useful for multiple high- and low-frequency simulations in a variety of applications. Along with the creation of full-body models, an automatic algorithm to selectively decimate the meshes based on average surface curvature is developed. The algorithm will significantly reduce model size while keeping the same interpolation accuracy.

One of the largest application domains for Virtual Reality lies in simulating the Real World. Contemporary applications of virtual environments include training devices for surgery, component assembly and maintenance, all of which require a high fidelity reproduction of psychomotor skills. One extremely important research question in this field is: "How closely does our facsimile of a real task in a virtual environment reproduce that Task?" At present the field of Virtual Reality is answering this question in subjective terms by the concept of presence and in objective terms by measures of task performance or training effectiveness ratios.

Na busca por soluções organizacionais, modelos alternativos de redes de cooperação, como forma otimizada de gestão, vêm sendo pesquisados e propostos. O conceito de empresa virtual é uma destas propostas, tendo como característica a integração de competências de diferentes empresas que se unem para satisfazer oportunidades específicas de negócio. Um ambiente adequado para as empresas virtuais se constituírem rapidamente é através da criação de organizações virtuais, formadas por empresas pré-dispostas a cooperarem e que juntas, buscam novas oportunidades de mercado. O pré-requisito para seu adequado funcionamento depende de quatro infra-estruturas: física, legal, de informação e a sócio-cultural. A ausência de estudos e ações aprofundadas sobre a parte sócio-cultural pode inviabilizar o bom desempenho das organizações virtuais devido, principalmente a falta de cultura de cooperação baseada na confiança. No sentido de minimizar o problema, este trabalho define uma infra-estrutura sócio-cultural essencial que suporta a participação de empresas em organizações virtuais contribuindo para um maior conhecimento científico sobre aspectos sócio-culturais em ambientes dinâmicos e viabilizando maiores chances de sucesso das organizações virtuais. Esta infra-estrutura é baseada em estudo de caso numa organização virtual brasileira onde, numa experiência de três anos, benefícios, problemas e sugestões são apresentados servindo assim, como um referencial para futuras organizações virtuais. / The actual fast dynamic in the business impose of the enterprises more flexibility and so an inquiry for organizational solutions to make this enterprises competitivities. New alternative models of cooperation chain between enterprises as a way of optimized management have been research and proposal. The Virtual Enterprise concept is one of this proposes having as characteristic the integration of the abilities, or competences, of this existent enterprises join itself to satisfy specific opportunities of business. One manner to create a proper environment to quickly constitute a virtual enterprise is among the creation of a Virtual Organization, formed by enterprises predisposes and qualified to cooperate seeking together new opportunities to operate in the market. This organizations owing for a good growth four substructures: physical, legal, of information and social-cultural. The absence of profound studies and actions about the social-cultural substructure can make unable the good performance of the virtual organizations due, mainly, to the absence of the cooperation culture based in trust. In sense to minimize this problem this work define a essential social-cultural substructure to support the participation of enterprises in Virtual Organizations contributing to a scientific knowledge about social-cultural aspects in dynamics environments and allowing higher chances of success of the Virtual Organizations. This substructure is based in a study of case in the brazilian virtual organization, where in a experience among three years, benefit, problems and suggestions are presented serving so as a referential to the future virtual organizations.