The creation of a new travel website in the early 21st century can naively be mistaken as an easy open window to the world. LuminariaTravel.com is an online travel website recently created to inform visitors about San Antonio, Texas tourism. This paper seeks to analyze the challenges and offer solutions in entering an online market already entered. This paper presents insight into understanding the tourism industry online, and current marketing methods being used. In order for the small, privately-owned travel website to gain online visitors, LuminariaTravel.com must consider utilizing marketing tools for an integrated marketing plan. Luminariatravel.com must also be correctly positioned in the online travel market to have a unique stance and be able to communicate information that will set it apart from other San Antonio travel websites. This paper will include literature reviews and an industry case study. A final recommended marketing plan and strategy will be offered to LuminariaTravel.com / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin. / "Lapham bibliography": leaves 290-297. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: leaves 298-305.

No description available.

This research study explores the gamification of SandBoxModel's Project Team Builder, a project management simulation software. Scope, time and cost are the three constraints of project management with quality being the fourth dimension. The software provides a simulated environment where the students are responsible for handling the aforementioned constraints with the objective of executing a complete project. The software is used to teach project management concepts to students who take the CNIT 480 - Managing Information Technology Projects course at Purdue University. The perception survey was used to analyze whether gamification had a significant effect on student understanding of project execution concepts. The triple constraint survey was used to analyze students' level of comprehension regarding the triple constraints after using the simulation software. Gamification was not a success in enhancing project execution concepts since no significant differences were found in student perceptions on comparing the data of the three semesters. However, simulation independent of gamification was successful in improving students' understanding of triple constraint. <br>

La chromatine est le support de l’information génétique et sa structure, ainsi que son activitétranscriptionnelle, peuvent être modulées par des modifications épigénétiques. Le maintien des marquesrépressives telles que la méthylation de l’ADN et des histones, hors du corps des gènes, est nécessairepour le bon développement de la plante. Chez Arabidopsis thaliana, le mutant sg1 présente des défautsdéveloppementaux sévères caractéristiques de mutants affectés dans des mécanismes épigénétiques. Nousavons montré que le phénotype de sg1 est causé par une hyperméthylation CHG et H3K9me2 dans denombreux gènes. En effet, SG1 contrôle la transcription de l’histone déméthylase IBM1 et lesmodifications de l’épigénome observées chez sg1 sont dues à une dérégulation de IBM1. Nous avonsidentifié sept protéines partenaires de SG1, dont certaines se lient aux marques chromatiniennes. Nousavons réalisé un crible suppresseur qui a permis d’identifier FPA, une protéine régulant lapolyadénylation de certains transcrits, comme acteur impliqué dans le contrôle des cibles de SG1, dontIBM1. Nos résultats montrent que le complexe SG1 régule la transcription de ses cibles en influençant,par un mécanisme encore inconnu, le choix du site de polyadénylation, en lien avec les marqueschromatiniennes présentes aux locus cibles. D’autre part, certaines épimutations induites par la mutationsg1 peuvent être maintenues pendant plusieurs générations. Pour rechercher un lien entre méthylation desgènes et conséquences phénotypiques, nous avons caractérisé des épimutations liées à un défaut dedéveloppement de la fleur et identifié un certain nombre de gènes candidats potentiellement responsablesdu phénotype. Les résultats obtenus au cours de ma thèse ont contribué à préciser le rôle joué par lecomplexe SG1 et à comprendre le lien entre celui-ci et les marques épigénétiques. / Chromatin is known to contain the genetic information and its structure and transcriptionalstate can be regulated by epigenetic modifications. Repressive marks such as DNA and histonesmethylation needs to be kept away from gene bodies to enable the proper development of the plant. InArabidopsis thaliana, sg1 mutants show a range of severe developmental defects similar to thoseobserved in mutants affected in epigenetic pathways. We have shown that sg1 mutant phenotype iscaused by an increase of CHG and H3K9me2 methylation in many gene bodies. Indeed, SG1 regulatesthe histone demethylase IBM1 transcription and the impairment observed in sg1 mutant epigenomes iscaused by IBM1 misregulation. We found seven proteins interacting with SG1, among which somepartners are able to bind chromatin marks. Through a suppressor screen we identified FPA, alreadyknown to regulate the polyadenylation of some transcripts, as a player involved in SG1 targetsregulation, including IBM1. Our results show that the SG1 complex regulates target genes transcriptionby affecting polyadenylation site choice, in a way that remains to be determined, in a chromatin marksdependent manner. We also found that some of the sg1-induced epimutations can be maintained throughseveral generations. To investigate the link between gene body methylation and phenotypicconsequences, we have characterized epimutations related to a defect in floral development andidentified some candidate genes potentially responsible for the floral phenotype. Thus, our resultscontributed to clarify the role of SG1 and to understand its connection with epigenetic marks.

Master of Science / Department of Animal Sciences and Industry / Teresa L. Douthit / Abruptly increasing concentrate in the ration of horses results in altered cecal dynamics which can culminate in digestive distress. Nine Quarter horses previously fitted with cecal cannulae were utilized for 3 consecutive 22-d experiments, each separated by 2 d of rest. During Exp. 1 and 2 horses were acclimated to the same ration for the initial 21 d of each period, followed by a concentrate challenge on d 22. The acclimation ration consisted of a morning meal of 0.5% BW concentrate (Omolene 200, Purina Animal Nutrition, LLC, Gray Summit, MO) fed with 1.5% BW prairie grass hay divided evenly between a morning and evening meal. On d 22 of Exp. 1, horses were fed a morning meal consisting solely of 1.0% BW concentrate while 1.25% BW concentrate was fed on d 22 of Exp. 2. Cecal samples were obtained through cecal cannulae from d 19 to 22 of each experiment every 4 h for h 24 following the morning meal each day. Cecal pH during Exp. 1 was recorded and decreased at h 12 following the concentrate meal on d 22 in comparison to cecal pH at h 12 on d 19 to 21 (P = 0.009). During Exp. 2 cecal pH increased at h 4 (P = 0.02) and decreased at h 12 and 20 (P < 0.0001) following this oncentrate challenge compared to cecal pH recorded at the same time points during the acclimation period. Experiment 3 differed from that of Exp. 2 only in the respect that during the acclimation period horses were fed, in addition to the acclimation ration, either a proprietary supplement (n = 5) or a placebo (n = 5). Cecal samples from d 19 to 22 were analyzed for pH, concentration of lactate, and concentration of VFA. Horses consuming the supplement had increased cecal pH at h 4 (P = 0.009), concurrently decreased cecal lactate (P = 0.02), increased ratio of (acetate+butyrate)/propionate at h 8 and 16 (P ≤ 0.006), and decreased VFA concentration at h 24 (P ≤ 0.05) compared to horses in the control group following the concentrate challenge.

The purpose of this study is a descriptive one concerning some facets of the family setting with emphasis directed to several general questions. What is the basic family structure, i.e., what family characteristics (type of family or subfamily and the relationship to the head of the family or subfamily) characterize the aged? What is the level of family income of the aged? Finally, how do answers to these questions vary with respect to the three basic social traits of race, age, and sex?

A la faveur d'un accroissement de la répression et de l'introduction des techniques de managérialisation (telles que la comparution sur reconnaissance préalable de culpabilité) au sein de l'institution judiciaire, les magistrats des juridictions lyonnaise, roannaise et stéphanoise adoptent des pratiques standardisées en matière de répression de la délinquance routière. Cette apparition d'un modèle managérial et standardisé du traitement de la délinquance routière, privilégiant une réponse pénale systématique, rapide, normée et sévère, redéfinit le cadre de travail de tous les acteurs de la chaîne pénale, en l'occurrence des forces de l'ordre, des parquetiers, des juges et des avocats. Plus précisément, remettant en cause les principes d'individualisation de la peine et d'autonomie propre à la profession de magistrat, les parquetiers et, par effet domino, les juges alignent leurs pratiques sur les prescriptions ministérielles qui sont de plus en plus répressives. Ce travail montre que la déclinaison de la politique pénale en matière de délinquance routière au niveau local est le produit d'une action top-down, traduisant un «Etat en action » et non pas en « interaction ». La politique pénale de sécurité routière et le traitement de la délinquance routière restent plus que jamais des secteurs régaliens dans lesquels l'Etat veut réaffirmer son leadership. / As a consequence of the increase in repression and of the implementation of management standards(such as the plea bargaining) in Justice, the substitutes of the prosecutor and the judges adopt standardized practices as regards repression of the road delinquency in Lyon, Roanne and Saint-Etienne. The implementation of management standards as regards the road delinquency, privileging systematic and fast penal answer, redefines the framework of ali the actors of the criminal justice system (police, substitutes of the prosecutor, judges and lawyers). More precise! y, the substitutes of the prosecutor and the judges put into question fundamental principles such as individualized judgments and autonomy. They align their practices on the ministerial directives, which are increasingly repressive. This work shows that the variation in criminal policy as regards road delinquency at the local leve! is the product of a top-down action, translating a "State into action" and not in "interaction". The cri minai policy of road safety and the treatment of road delinquency remain sectors in which the State wants to reaffirm its leadership.

When working with software development in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 applications as an independent solution vendor (ISV) with more than a few products in the portfolio, the number of applications/installations to support the processes tends to be vast. Annata and To-Increase are both ISVs and face this situation; To-Increase for example has about 50 environments for one single version of Dynamics AX. Change is inevitable in the software industry, regardless if the need originates from new features, bug fixes or change requests from customers; it requires modifications to existing products. Uncontrolled changes to the products must be avoided and any modifications should be introduced without affecting existing functionality. This thesis investigates how two ISVs work with Dynamics AX and the existing tool Development Center and suggests improvements to the Software Configuration Management. The most beneficial change suggested is to create a single repository within the existing tool across the applications.

Cement-based composite materials are widely used in engineering applications. The strength and damage patterns of such materials depend upon the properties of the constituent components as well as the microstructure. Three scale levels are generally recognized in the analysis of the mechanical behaviour of composites, namely, macro-scale, meso-scale, and nano- or atomistic scale. Modelling of the mechanical properties at the meso-level provides a powerful means for the understanding of the physical processes underlying the macroscopic strength and failure behaviour of the composite materials under various loading conditions. This thesis endeavours to develop effective and efficient mesoscale models for cement-based composites, especially concrete, with a focus on dynamic analysis applications and in a three-dimensional stress-strain environment. These models are subsequently applied to investigate the intrinsic microscopic mechanisms governing the behaviour of such material under complex and high rate loadings, such as those due to shock, impact and blast. To cater to the needs of dynamic analysis under complex stress conditions, a general 2-dimensinal (2D) mesoscale modelling framework is further developed with the incorporation of the 3-D effect. This framework integrates the capabilities of MATLAB programming for the generation of the mesoscale geometric structure, ANSYS-CAE for finite element mesh generation, and the hydrocode LS-DYNA for solving the dynamic response of the model. The 3D effect is incorporated via a novel pseudo-3D modelling scheme such that the crucial lateral confinement effect during the transient dynamic response can be realistically represented. With the above mesoscale model a comprehensive investigation is conducted on the dynamic increase factor (DIF) in the concrete strength under compression, with particular focus on the variation trend at different strain rate regimes, and the key influencing factors. The wave propagation effect under high strain rate is scrutinised from a strip-by-strip perspective, and the correlation between the externally measured stress-strain quantities and the actual processes within the specimen is examined. The contribution of the material heterogeneity, as well as the structural effect (inertia), in the dynamic strength enhancement is evaluated. The classical Brazilian (splitting) test for the dynamic tensile behaviour of concrete is also investigated with the aid of the mesoscale model. Of particular interest here is the validity of such an indirect setup in reproducing the tensile behaviour of the specimen under high strain rates, as well as the effect of the heterogeneity in the dynamic tensile strength. Complications are found to arise as the loading rate increases. The change of the damage patterns with increase of the loading rate and the implications on the interpretation of the results are discussed. As an ideal solution to modelling of the 3-D effects, a methodology for the creation of a complex real 3-dimensional mesoscale model is put forward in the last part of the thesis. A geometric concept, called convex hull, is adopted for the representation of aggregates, and this makes it possible to utilize the relevant algorithms in computational geometry for the present purpose of generation of random 3-D aggregates. A take-and-place procedure is employed to facilitate the generation of the complete 3-D meso-structure. Associated techniques are developed for fast detection of particle inclusion-intersection. An example 3D mesoscale model is presented and representative numerical simulations are carried out to demonstrate the performance of the 3-D mesoscale modelling scheme.