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This dissertation involves a preliminary study into the structural dynamic behavior of the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), located in the Flight Acceleration Facility, bldg 29, in Houston, Texas. The 50-ft. arm can swing the three-man gondola to create g-forces astronauts will experience during controlled flight and during reentry. The centrifuge was designed primarily for training Apollo astronauts. During operation of the centrifuge, the astronauts can control the motion of the gondola in two gimbal axes, while the gondola is rotating about its principal axis, to simulate flight activity. The result of these coupled motions lead to transient loading functions, which arise due to rigid body kinematics.The study is describe in three Chapters. Chapter 1 deals with the response of a simplified model of the arm, gimbal and gondola structure for the purpose of obtaining dynamic response factors to be associated with the arm. Chapter 2 deals briefly with a simplified model of the same system for the purpose of obtaining dynamic response factors to be associated with the gimbal ring and to justify the simplifications implicit in the model used in Chapter 1. In Chapter 3, the rigid body kinematic equations are studied in order to develop relations between the forcing functions utilized in Chapters 1 and 2 and the motion parameters of the kinematic analysis. Using these relations, the dynamic response factors tabulated in Chapters 1 and 2 in terms of the generalized forcing functions may be interpreted in terms of the motion parameters.

This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored leadership by means of accessing the lived experiences of leaders perceived as being philanthropian in bureaucratic, mechanistic organizations in Canada and the United States. Philanthropian leaders display the following characteristics: (a) love, (b) compassion, (c) caring, (d) altruism and (e) perceptive listening. The selection process relied on the criterion and snowball sampling techniques as means for choosing thirty participants for the in-depth interviews. After the transcription of the interviews, an analysis of the data occurred using Atlas.ti, a software program. Three themes emerged. These themes centered on the leaders' mindsets, leadership tools and the emergence of the philanthropian leadership phenomenon. The implication was that employees responded positively to attitudes and behaviors of leaders who acknowledged and emphasized the value of employees.

Communication is frequently identified in the literature as a major factor impacting Information Technology (IT) project failure. The importance of communication is amplified in buyer - seller relationships through the long-term impact of project failures on the future business of IT vendors with their customers.The formal communication between IT project sponsors from buyer firms and project managers from IT vendor firms within business to business markets is investigated through this study. Typical communication patterns between project sponsor and manager in high and low performing projects are identified. The antecedents of these patterns are assessed and the effectiveness of project sponsor - manager communication investigated. A multi-method approach is used with a quantitative analysis of a worldwide survey with 200 responses, followed by a qualitative analysis of three interviews with pairs of project sponsor and manager, each pair from the same project.Results show that project sponsors expect more analytic and verbal communication from project managers. A model shows the development from frequent informal communication to formal communication between project managers and sponsors. A second model shows how communication in high performing projects is determined by the level of collaboration between project managers and sponsors, as well as the degree of structure in project execution. Effectiveness of project sponsor and manager communication is found to be decreased through written statements about recent achievements, and increased through face-to-face meetings of the parties. A series of recommendations is provided to improve project sponsor - manager communication.

Adventure-based training has become an effective medium for delivering experiential training programs within a variety of disciplines such as; school outdoor education, corporate teamwork development, youth at risk and psychological counseling. In addition, Meyer & Wenger (1998) and Meyer (2000) were instrumental in pioneering research in to the efficacy of adventure-based training with sporting teams. This investigation adds to the growing body of knowledge in this area by demonstrating the positive effects an adventure training intervention has on athletes ability to learn new team and psychological skills. In addition, results indicated that individual and team performance might have been enhanced because of skills learnt during the intervention. This study examined the impact of an adventure-based training intervention on the group cohesion and psychological skills development of elite netball players. Data was gathered using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Many researchers are of the belief that the two methodologies compliment one another and thereby strengthen the total research model (Henderson, 1993). A phenomenological approach to qualitative data collection was followed based on the work by Dale (1996). Knowing how the intervention impacted on the participants from their perspective, is a critical question often overlooked by researchers. Results clearly indicated how athletes changed and developed during and after the intervention. Improved cohesion around task issues was especially evident, along with enhanced mental skills to handle the pressures of major competition. Lewin s change theory was examined to explain the learning process; modifications to this theory were suggested. Recommendations were outlined for improving sport psychology teaching practice, along with improved facilitation of adventure programming.

This dissertation seeks to establish that there is a renaissance of Thomistic Philosophy in the Post-Conciliar Catholic Church, specifically a reawakening of Scholasticism, as evidenced by Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Veritatis Splendor. The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) ushered in a new era for the Roman Catholic religion prompted by the desire of Pope John XXIII to have the 2,000 year old institution catch up with the modern world and address current problems as well as present the ancient faith in contemporary ways. Prior to Vatican II, there was a monolithic way to explain faith and reason. Theology and Philosophy were rigidly taught via textbook manuals according to a norm established under Pope Pius X who vigorously denounced the errors of Modernism in his encyclical Pascendi (1907). His immediate predecessor, Pope Leo XIII had issued Aeterni Patris (1879) which directed a restoration of the pre-eminence of Thomistic philosophy. Unfortunately, the neo-Thomism of the Leonine papacy was not as resilient as the classical Thomism before it. This paper intends to show the development of the Natural Moral Law doctrine from its beginnings to its most famous herald followed by a systematic review of Veritatis Splendor in order to show that Thomism is indeed alive and well in Catholic thought and has once again captured the imprimatur of Papal endorsement. While there are many non-Catholic theologians and moralists who dispute some or all of the major tenets and propositions of the Natural Law as the means to discern ethical behavior, Pope John Paul II makes it clear where he wants to shepherd the Roman Catholic religion in terms of morality, faith and reason.

This thesis dissertation, written in Spanish, presents a new model for the linguistic specification and the computational management of man-machine dialogues following commands issued in spoken natural language. Our aim is to design and implement a conversational system for the automatic telephone task scenario, namely Delfos. Voice dialing represents a current trend in research, the purpose of which is to provide functional systems for products ranging from domestic appliances such as a video or a washing machine to more sophisticated environments such as a complete house, with an interface in spoken natural language.Our system, Delfos, represents a challenge for the fields of Language Engineering and Computational Linguistics as it implies the integration of different technologies such as voice recognition, natural language processing, dialogue management, natural language generation and speech synthesis. The present work belongs to the field of Dialogue Management Systems (DMS), that is, computational systems capable of interpreting natural language. A system with these characteristics manages dialogues between people and machines trying to perform different tasks in a preestablished domain (for instance: travel route planning, bank transactions, phone services, etc.). Research on DMS must be placed in the broader scope of Natural Language Processing (NLP) or Knowledge Engineering. NLP has to do with the formalization and automatization of natural languages. The study of DMS is centered on the analysis of the characteristics of language at the discourse level and which must be taken into account when implementing real and natural systems. Thus, the field of "discourse analysis" and its subfields (pragmatics, dialogue acts, discourse analysis.) represent the starting point in the design and implementation of these kinds of system. Those phenomena characteristic of discourse and conversation such as conversational turns, anaphoras, ellipses silences, repairs, overlappings. are all aspects to be considered by the dialogue management system designer. By doing research in this field we are contributing to the enhancement of our linguistic and computational knowledge of the dialogue for those applications which are a key factor in our present information society. In this sense, and with potential users in mind, we will contribute to improve the use, functionality and success of these information services and products.

Software developer turnover can have disastrous effects on an organization due to the loss of business process knowledge, as well as acquired technical skills. Annual rates of turnover in information technology (IT) departments have been estimated at 20% or more with the cost of replacing technology workers ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 times annual salaries. This study purposely focused only on software developers as opposed to IT employees in general due to the critical nature of their work.The factors leading to turnover intention in this field are poorly understood; therefore, this study was designed to further understand the relationships between job characteristics, job satisfaction, and turnover intention among software developers. 326 web surveys were completed that contained questions relating to job characteristics, job satisfaction, turnover intention, and demographic information. The first four job characteristics are specific to software developers while the last five job characteristics and the job satisfaction scales are from the Hackman and Oldham Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS).Two research questions, sixteen hypotheses, and a theoretical path model were developed to understand which job characteristic variables contribute to the various dimensions of job satisfaction and which job satisfaction dimensions contribute to turnover intention. Additionally, the indirect effects of job characteristics through job satisfaction on turnover intention were also determined. The statistical testing consisted of descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Bivariate correlations are presented, as well as path analysis, an extension of multiple regression analysis.The results of the study uncovered several factors that can influence turnover intention among software developers. Identified in the study as statistically significant job characteristics that can be influenced by management are training, autonomy, feedback, number of developers, task significance, and skill variety. With the results of this study, management can better understand the unique needs of software developers and design development jobs to ensure that these needs are met. The study concludes with implications for practitioners and recommendations for future research.

The primary objective of this study is to determine whether practicing personnelists and research scholars agree on what constitutes an effective performance appraisal system in public safety organization. If Personnel managers at public safety organization possess knowledge of the characteristics of effective performance appraisal system in public safety organizations, they are more likely to design and/or advocate performance appraisal system in public safety organizations that include these important attributes. In addition, the research is an opportunity for the academic community to learn from the experience of practitioners. Concepts and techniques that are valued by academics may not be functional or effective for those involved in the development and administration of performance appraisal system in public safety organizations. Thus, areas of disagreement can serve to identify subjects for further research and improve both theory and practice.

This thesis argues that progressive dispensationalism cannot integrate the pretribulation rapture doctrine into its reconstructed dispensational system on any basis of theological distinctiveness between the church and Israel. This will be accomplished by first setting forth the theological systems of the three major forms of dispensationalism that have existed during its history, namely, classical, revised, and progressive dispensationalism, and second, by showing that each of three kinds of theological distinctiveness, namely, anthropological, soteriological, and eschatological distinctiveness, are present in the classical and revised systems and therefore these systems can support the rapture's integration, but are not present in the progressive system and therefore this system cannot support the rapture's integration. The thesis closes with an explanation as to why progressive dispensationalism is more compatible with amillennialism than with premillennialism.

(Complete work in Spanish) The doctoral thesis contributes to some related Management Control areas such us Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) and the informal components of Control Systems. The objective of the research was to analyse how this process of business concentration may impact on the Management Control System of the acquired firm. For this purpose an alternative theoretical model have been developed from the review of Management Control literature and M&A in Management Accounting. This model builds on contingency theoretical insights and extends it with elements of informal control.To test the prepositions a single ethnographic in-depth case study was carried out. It was conducted in a Spanish subsidiary of an English chemical group during 31 months. The main findings of this research are related to the role of (1) both non-formal and formal mechanisms and, specially, (2) top management within this process of organizational change. Besides, it should be highlighted that one of the more interesting studied issues in our case was the analysis of the Spanish versus Anglo-Saxon Management styles.

The purpose of this study is to examine the questioning behavior of males and females in an undergraduate Speech class. Whether one is analyzing social, mental, emotional, or verbal behavior of students, biological sex is usually a factor. This study describes differences between male and female questioning and discusses the implications of these differences for classroom teaching.The classroom is a small society with its own special language, a language that contributes to classroom events. Student questioning, a behavior that provides information on how students adapt and function within the classroom, is an important part of the student learning repertoire.Although researchers have devoted much attention to teacher questioning, they have devoted little attention to male/female questioning in the college classroom. This qualitative study gathers data in the form of direct observation, field notes, coding of students' questions, journals, and audio-taping over a period of two months [thirteen observations].My findings revealed no differences between males and females on the types of questions they asked. Males, however, asked more questions overall than females.This study offers suggestions for further research.

The at-risk student population is growing larger in number with educators finding increased difficulty in meeting their diverse needs. Traditional teaching methods are not always working successfully. Accommodative services and aternative methods of education must be implemented in a fashion that will ignite students to success. Standard forms of statistical measurement (attendance, dropout, and graduation rates) have consistently shown negative ratings in schools across America. These measurements are indicators that students' educational needs are not being appropriately dealt with. This study shows how increased accommodation has a major impact on the educational success rates of at-risk students. It also reveals the importance of going beyond societal expectations and limits to reach students educationally. Finally, this study proves at-risk students will take responsibility for their educational success without losing accountability or being enabled.

This study uses two short stories by Flannery O'Connor to explore D. W. Winnicott's theory of early childhood development. This thesis proposes that the "inherited potential" of the individual is determined by the quality of the early maternal environment, especially during the period of Winnicott's first two paradoxical stages of development: Absolute Dependence and Relative Dependence. The mother-adult/child relationships in O'Connor's two short stories "Good Country People" and "The Enduring Chill" serve as case studies to examine the ramifications of "not good-enough" mothering on the infant's psychological state during these first two stages of development. The concepts of mirroring, impingement, true and false self development, illusion, transitional phenomenon, and aggression are considered in the context of the mother-child relationship to demonstrate how maternal inadequacy undermines all aspects of the child's "going-on-being." In "The Enduring Chill" it was determined that protagonist Asbury Fox is psychologically fixated at the stage of Absolute Dependence because he exhibits symptoms indicative of repetitive early environmental impingement: He is maternally dependent, has little or no sense of self, exhibits primitive omnipotence and thwarted creativity. Conversely, Joy/Hulga Hopewell in "Good Country People" achieves the developmental stage of Relative Dependence based upon her ability to physically and psychologically separate from her mother, forge her own identity, accomplish educational goals, and make use of transitional objects.In conjunction with the observation of mother-infant dyads, the impact of the absent father is further assessed to determine the level of impairment and quality of the adult-child's achievement of independence. It was concluded that Asbury Fox was unable to complete passage of the Oedipus complex, because his father died when he was five. Divorce, when Joy/Hulga is ten, leaves her without a father to mediate between mother and daughter. Thus, these two angry adult children experience either dependency, like Asbury Fox who searches for fathers in life, or rejection of maternal closeness like Joy/Hulga who attempts to forge a father in the creation of a name.