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Brandy, Our Man in Acapulco: the Life and Times of Colonel Frank M. Brandstetter

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Book providing.a biographical account of Frank M. Brandstetter, documenting his life and work as a hotelier, corporate executive, and U. S. Army intelligence officer. The text is based on Brandstetter's own recollections and corroborated with source documents and other published accounts. Index starts on page 367.
Date: December 1999
Creator: Carlisle, Rodney P. & Monetta, Dominic J.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Brownian Movement and Quantum Computers

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This problem in lieu of thesis is a discussion of two topics: Brownian movement and quantum computers. Brownian movement is a physical phenomenon in which the particle velocity is constantly undergoing random fluctuations. Chapters 2, 3 and 4, describe Brownian motion from three different perspectives. The next four chapters are devoted to the subject of quantum computers, which are the signal of a new era of technology and science combined together. In the first chapter I present to a reader the two topics of my problem in lieu of thesis. In the second chapter I explain the idea of Brownian motion, its interpretation as a stochastic process and I find its distribution function. The next chapter illustrates the probabilistic picture of Brownian motion, where the statistical averages over trajectories are related to the probability distribution function. Chapter 4 shows how to derive the Langevin equation, introduced in chapter 1, using a Hamiltonian picture of a bath with infinite number of harmonic oscillators. The chapter 5 explains how the idea of quantum computers was developed and how step-by-step all the puzzles for the field of quantum computers were created. The next chapter, chapter 6, discus the basic quantum unit of information …
Date: December 2004
Creator: Habel, Agnieszka
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Callus Development and Organogenesis in Cultured Explants of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp

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Cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp is an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals and a major food crop many parts of Africa. Optimal production levels are hampered by insect pests and diseases. Biotechnological techniques such as tissue culture and genetic engineering can aid in the development of varieties with resistance to insect pests and diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate conditions necessary for the development of a reproducible tissue culture system that can be applied to regenerate transformed cells from culture. The in vitro manipulation of cowpea using Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, auxins and cytokinins resulted in the formation of callus and rhizogenesis. Calli that were formed were separated into six classes based on color and texture. Yellowish friable callus, yellowish compact, soft yellowish callus and green and white were composed of largely vacuolated cells and were non-regenerative. Friable green callus was the most prevalent callus type and could form of roots in some hormone combinations. Green spots were formed on hard compact green callus. The green spots became nodular, forming root primordia and ultimately giving rise to roots. None of the six calli types gave rise to the formation of shoots. Embryogenic callus was …
Date: December 2004
Creator: Omwenga, George Isanda
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Characteristics of Successful Texas Schools Which Predict Components of an Adequate Education.

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The purpose of this study was to identify high performing school districts in Texas and to determine if there are different characteristics leading to the provision of an adequate education in high performing districts as compared to low performing districts. It specifically sought to determine which characteristics contributed most to an adequate education and used data from the Texas Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) which chronicled scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). The population for this study consisted of all 2001-2002 Texas public school districts with the exception of charter schools, special-purpose statutory districts, and state-administered districts, which resulted in using data from 1027 Texas school districts. Descriptive discriminant analysis was chosen as the method for statistical analysis. Data were obtained from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Adequate and inadequate districts were analyzed according to eight variables. They were (1) taxable value per pupil, (2) the percentage of special education students, (3) the percentage of students coded as bilingual and ESL, (4) pupil-teacher ratio, (5) the size of the district, (6) the percentage of economically disadvantaged students in the district, (7) the district community type, such as rural or suburban, and (8) the total operating expenditures per …
Date: December 2005
Creator: Ryan, Robin S.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Characterization, Analysis, and Optimization of Rotary Displacer Stirling Engines

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This work focuses on an innovative Rotary Displacer SE (RDSE) configuration for Stirling engines (SEs). RDSE features rotary displacers instead of reciprocating displacers (found in conventional SE configurations), as well as combined compression and expansion spaces. Guided by the research question "can RDSE as a novel configuration achieve a higher efficiency compared to conventional SE configurations at comparable operating conditions?", the goal of this study is to characterize, analyze, and optimize RDSE which is pursued in three technical stages. It is observed the RDSE prototype has an optimum phase angle of > 90° and thermal efficiency of 15.5% corresponding to 75.2% of the ideal (Carnot) efficiency at the source and sink temperatures of 98.6° C and 22.1° C, respectively. Initial results indicate that 125° phase angle provides more power than that of the theoretically optimum 90° phase angle. The results also show comparable B_n and significantly higher W_n values (0.047 and 0.465, respectively) compared to earlier studies, and suggest the RDSE could potentially be a competitive alternative to other SE configurations. Furthermore, due to lack of a regenerator, the non-ideal effects calculated in the analytical approach have insignificant impact (less than 0.03 kPa in 100 kPa). The clearance volume in …
Date: December 2019
Creator: Bagheri, Amirhossein
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Characterization of Moraxella bovis Aspartate Transcarbamoylase

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Aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase) catalyzes the first committed step in the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway. Bacterial ATCases have been divided into three classes, class A, B, and C, based on their molecular weight, holoenzyme architecture, and enzyme kinetics. Moraxella bovis is a fastidious organism, the etiologic agent of infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK). The M. bovis ATCase was purified and characterized for the first time. It is a class A enzyme with a molecular mass of 480 to 520 kDa. It has a pH optimum of 9.5 and is stable at high temperatures. The ATCase holoenzyme is inhibited by CTP > ATP > UTP. The Km for aspartate is 1.8 mM and the Vmax 1.04 µmol per min, where the Km for carbamoylphosphate is 1.05 mM and the Vmax 1.74 µmol per min.
Date: December 2001
Creator: Hooshdaran, Sahar
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Characterization, Properties and Applications of Novel Nanostructured Hydrogels.

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The characterization, properties and applications of the novel nanostructured microgel (nanoparticle network and microgel crystal) composed of poly-N-isopropylacrylanmide-co-allylamine (PNIPAM-co-allylamine) and PNIPAM-co-acrylic acid(AA) have been investigated. For the novel nanostructured hydrogels with the two levels of structure: the primary network inside each individual particle and the secondary network of the crosslinked nanoparticles, the new shear modulus, drug release law from hydrogel with heterogeneous structure have been studied. The successful method for calculating the volume fraction related the phase transition of colloid have been obtained. The kinetics of crystallization in an aqueous dispersion of PNIPAM particles has been explored using UV-visible transmission spectroscopy. This dissertation also includes the initial research on the melting behavior of colloidal crystals composed of PNIPAM microgels. Many new findings in this study area have never been reported before. The theoretical model for the columnar crystal growth from the top to bottom of PNIPAM microgel has been built, which explains the growth mechanism of the novel columnar hydrogel colloidal crystals. Since the unique structure of the novel nanostructured hydrogels, their properties are different with the conventional hydrogels and the hard-sphere-like system. The studies and results in this dissertation have the important significant for theoretical study and valuable application …
Date: December 2006
Creator: Tang, Shijun
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Characterizaton of Triethoxyfluorosilane and Tetraethoxysilane Based Aerogels

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Aerogels are highly porous, low dielectric constant (low k) materials being considered by the semiconductor industry as an interlayer dielectric. Low k materials are needed to overcome capacitance problems that limit device feature sizes. Precursors triethoxyfluorosilane (TEFS) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) were used to prepare bulk aerogels. Samples were prepared by sol-gel methods, and then carbon dioxide supercritically-dried. Effects of varying the water to precursor ratio were studied with respect to aerogel properties and microstructure. Methods of analysis for this study include FTIR-ATR, TEM, RBS, EDS, SEM, dielectric constant determination by impedance and surface area by gas adsorption. Si-F bonds were determined to be present in both acid- and base-catalyzed TEFS as well as HF-catalyzed TEOS. Fluorine promotes a fractal network microstructure as opposed to a particle-like microstructure. Surface area and dielectric constant were determined to increase slightly with increases in the water to precursor ratio.
Date: December 2001
Creator: Roepsch, Jodi Ann
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Chemotactic Response of Lumbricus terrestris Coelomocytes to Larval and Adult Stages of Rhabditis pellio

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Experiments were performed to assess the suitability of Rhabditis pellio, a nematode found in earthworms, as a challenge organism for use in development of a biomarker assay to determine the potential of chemicals to suppress the immunocompetence of the non-specific immune system. To accomplish this goal, information on the life cycle of R. pellio was determined; including effects of incubation time and temperature on growth rates; along with information on the immune response elicited in the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris. Immune parameters measured were coelomocyte migration toward and attachment to R. pellio larvae and adults. Preliminary background information showed that R. pellio has potential as a challenge organism for development of a biomarker assay.
Date: December 1999
Creator: Medrano, Jennifer Centurion
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Chen Yi and Her Choral Music: A Study of the Composer's Ideal of Fusing Chinese Music and Modern Western Choral Traditions

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Chen Yi's music is well accepted and recognized nationally and internationally through an increasing number of commissions and performances. Major symphony orchestras, choruses, institutions and companies request her compositions on many occasions in order to increase understanding and exploration of Chinese influences on western classical idioms. This study provides the first detailed discussion of her compositional mastery and her fusion of Chinese music with the language of western choral traditions. Chen Yi's reputation as a prominent orchestral composer does not restrain her passion to apply instrumental techniques and materials to her quality choral compositions. This study focuses on (1) how hardship and various life experiences during the ten-year Cultural Revolution shaped Chen Yi's musical inspirations; (2) how the influences of major musical genres, such as traditional Chinese folksong, jingju, model play, 19th-20th century nationalism, impressionism, and serialism are consolidated in her kaleidoscopic compositional techniques; and (3) the application of Chinese languages, pedagogical concepts, and extra-musical elements, such as Chinese poems, paintings, and calligraphies, revealed in her original, intelligent and resourceful choral creations.
Date: December 2006
Creator: Yeung, Hin-Kei
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Cognitive and Perceptual-Motor Indicators of Lateralized vs. Diffuse Brain Damage in Adults.

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Among the goals of the neuropsychological assessment are to detect the presence of brain damage, localize which areas of the brain may be dysfunctional and describe subsequent functional impairments. The sensitivity of neuropsychological instruments in carrying out these functions is a question of some debate. The purpose of this study is to determine the utility of lateralizing indicators from the WAIS-III, McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development (MAND) and Haptic Visual Discrimination Test (HVDT), from the McCarron-Dial System Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (MDS), in ascertaining the presence or absence of brain damage as well as location of lesion. The classification accuracies of using performance level indicators from these tests and lateralizing indicators, alone and together, were compared.
Date: December 2002
Creator: Gregory, Erin Kathleen Taylor
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Community College Faculty Knowledge of Legal Issues and Students with Disabilities: A Case Study.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of Prince George's Community College faculty knowledge of the legal issues, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, and recent court decisions, related to the provision of classroom accommodations for students with disabilities at the postsecondary level. The focus of the study was to determine if a difference existed between the knowledge of full-time and part-time faculty. Part-time faculty comprise over 50 % of the instructional staffs at most community colleges and are considered an integral part of their institutions, yet they are offered little opportunity for professional development. The variables of gender, department affiliation, teaching at more than one institution, number of years of teaching experience, number of students taught with a disability, and number of individuals known with a disability also were reviewed. Data were collected through a questionnaire distributed to 158 faculty members at the college. Twenty-nine packets were returned as undeliverable. Of the 129 deliverable packets, 57 were returned for a response rate of 44.2%. Results from the analysis of data indicated that faculty have very limited knowledge of the legal issues concerning students with disabilities. Only 26.9% …
Date: December 2003
Creator: Hopkins, Kathleen C.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Community-oriented policing in a multicultural milieu: The case of loitering and disorderly conduct in East Arlington, Texas

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Article on community-oriented policing in a multicultural milieu and the case of loitering and disorderly conduct in East Arlington, Texas.
Date: December 1, 2003
Creator: Eve, Raymond A., 1946-; Rodeheaver, Daniel Gilbert, 1954-; Eve, Susan Brown; Hockenberger, Maureen; Pérez, Ramona L.; Burton, Ken et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library

Comparative Bioavailability of Dietary and Dissolved Cadmium to Freshwater Aquatic Snails

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Heavy metal bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms may occur through direct or indirect uptake routes. Research indicates that the significance of uptake route varies with contaminant and organism exposed. The relative importance of different metal sources in aquatic systems was investigated by exposing freshwater snails to dietary or dissolved sources of cadmium. Snails were exposed to control, contaminated food only, contaminated water only, and contaminated food and water treatments. During the 15-day exposure, samples were taken to determine Cd concentration in snail soft tissue, snail shell, algal food, and overlying water. Analyses of snail soft tissue and shells indicate that exposure route significantly affects Cd concentrations in the tissues. In both cases, dissolved Cd is the primary contributor to metal body burden.
Date: December 2003
Creator: White, Jessica C.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Comparative Morphology of Sensilla Styloconica on the Proboscis of North American Nymphalidae and Other Selected Taxa: Systematic and Ecological Considerations.

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Sensilla styloconica on the proboscis of 107 species of North American and tropical butterflies were comparatively studied using the scanning electron microscope. Focus was on 76 species of North American Nymphalidae representing 45 genera and 11 subfamilies. Nomenclature for generalized and specific types of nymphalid sensilla is proposed. Written descriptions and micrographs are presented for each species studied. Morphological features were generally consistent for all or most species within genera and sometimes within subfamilies, with specified exceptions. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences for six of eight variables tested between two distinct feeding guilds of North American Nymphalidae. Average number, density, extent of proboscis coverage with sensilla, their total length, and shoulder spine length were all significantly greater in the non-nectar feeding guild than in nectar feeders, and may indicate adaptation for greater efficiency in feeding on flat surfaces. The greater frequency of apical shoulder spines in non-nectar feeders may represent adaptation for protection of sensory pegs from mechanical abrasion during feeding, or for anchoring the flexible proboscis tip to the surface. Correlation analysis revealed 9 out of 28 positive correlations in nectar feeders and 5 out of 28 in non-nectar feeders. Results of preliminary cladistic analysis were not considered to …
Date: December 2001
Creator: Petr, Daniel
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Comparison and Evaluation of Existing Analog Circuit Simulator using Sigma-Delta Modulator

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In the world of VLSI (very large scale integration) technology, there are many different types of circuit simulators that are used to design and predict the circuit behavior before actual fabrication of the circuit. In this thesis, I compared and evaluated existing circuit simulators by considering standard benchmark circuits. The circuit simulators which I evaluated and explored are Ngspice, Tclspice, Winspice (open source) and Spectre® (commercial). I also tested standard benchmarks using these circuit simulators and compared their outputs. The simulators are evaluated using design metrics in order to quantify their performance and identify efficient circuit simulators. In addition, I designed a sigma-delta modulator and its individual components using the analog behavioral language Verilog-A. Initially, I performed simulations of individual components of the sigma-delta modulator and later of the whole system. Finally, CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) transistor-level circuits were designed for the differential amplifier, operational amplifier and comparator of the modulator.
Date: December 2006
Creator: Ale, Anil Kumar
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

A Comparison of Written Composition Assessment Using Standard Format Versus Alternate Format Among College-Bound Students with Learning Disabilities and/or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

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The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of using a computer word processing program in the assessment of written expression with college-bound individuals who had been diagnosed with a learning disability (LD) and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Fifty-six (35 eleventh and 21 twelfth) graders, attending a private college-preparatory school for students with LD and/or ADHD, were administered the Spontaneous Writing composite of the Test of Written Expression - Third Edition (TOWL-3). The TOWL-3 has equivalent forms, Form A and Form B. One form was administered in accordance with the test manual, using paper and pencil (standard format). The other form (i.e., alternate format) was administered with word processing access. Paired samples tests (repeated measure) and bivariate correlation designs were computed to explore the relationships between measures. Results of the study revealed significant increases (p<.01) in the subtest and composite scores when participants were administered the test in the alternate format. Other components of the research study did not reveal strong meaningful relationships when cognitive ability, graphomotor speed, and keyboarding rate were compared with the standard and/or alternative formats of the writing composite. A high rate of comorbity was exhibited with the majority of participants (75%) having two or …
Date: December 2006
Creator: Morris, Mary Ann
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Computational Development of Trimetallic Cyclotrimers for Gas-Filtration Applications through Non-Covalent Interactions

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Photophysical properties of an array of various polyaromatic hydrocarbons were benchmarked with B3LYP, M06 and B97D methods coupled with Pople and CEP-31G(d) basis sets. Results from the benchmark show the importance of diffuse basis sets when modeling the electronic properties of highly conjugated systems and provide qualitative reliable accuracy with certain levels of theory. B97D and M06 are applied to modeling pyrene adducts governed by non-covalent interactions in both gaseous and condensed states to reproduce experimental spectra. DFT calculations with both B97D and M06 functionals show qualitatively and quantitatively that pyrene dimer is a stronger π–base as compared to its monomer. Binding energies coupled with MEP, PCA and Qzz results show that the difference in π-basicity of the monomer and dimer impacts the supramolecular chemistry involved in adducts formed with super π-acidic silver cyclometallic trimer (CTC). Non-covalent interactions between coinage metal CTCs and ammonia/phosphine substrates is reported. Interactions between these substrates and the facial plane of the π-rich gold CTC reveal a novel interaction, where the typical Lewis acid/base roles are reversed for the substrates. Adducts formed through this type of interaction define typical Lewis bases like ammonia and phosphine as Lewis acids, wherein the partially positive hydrogens coordinate to …
Date: December 2019
Creator: Williams, Christopher M.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

The Confederate Pension Systems in Texas, Georgia, and Virginia: The Programs and the People

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The United States government began paying pensions to disabled Union veterans before the Civil War ended in April 1865. By 1890 its pension programs included any Union veteran who had fought in the Civil War, regardless of his financial means, as well as surviving family members, including mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters. Union veterans did not hesitate to "wave the bloody shirt" in their attempts to liberalize pension laws. Pension programs for Confederate veterans were much slower to develop. Lacking any higher organization, each southern state assumed the responsibility of caring for disabled and/or indigent Confederate veterans and widows. Texas began paying Confederate pensions in 1899, Georgia in 1888 and Virginia in 1889. Unlike Texas, Georgia and Virginia provided artificial limbs for their veterans long before they started paying pensions. At the time of his enlistment in the 1860s, the typical future pensioner was twenty-five years of age, and fewer than half were married heads of households. Very few could be considered wealthy and most were employed in agriculture. The pensioners of Georgia, Texas, and Virginia were remarkably similar, although there were some differences in nativity and marital status. They were all elderly and needy by the time they asked …
Date: December 2004
Creator: Wilson, Mary L.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Conover 101: Intro to Willis Conover [Presentation]

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Presentation on the life and career of Willis Conover for the Willis Conover Centennial Symposium held virtually on December 11, 2020.
Date: December 11, 2020
Creator: Feustle, Maristella
Object Type: Presentation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Conover 101: Intro to Willis Conover [Presentation Notes]

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Notes to accompany a presentation on the life and career of Willis Conover for the Willis Conover Centennial Symposium held virtually on December 11, 2020.
Date: December 11, 2020
Creator: Feustle, Maristella
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library

Constraints on Adoption of Innovations: Internet Availability in the Developing World.

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In a world that is increasingly united in time and distance, I examine why the world is increasingly divided socially, economically, and digitally. Using data for 35 variables from 93 countries, I separate the countries into groups of 31 each by gross domestic product per capita. These groups of developed, lesser developed and least developed countries are used in comparative analysis. Through a review of relevant literature and tests of bivariate correlation, I select eight key variables that are significantly related to information communication technology development and to human development. For this research, adoption of the Internet in the developing world is the innovation of particular interest. Thus, for comparative purposes, I chose Internet Users per 1000 persons per country and the Human Development Index as the dependent variables upon which the independent variables are regressed. Although small in numbers among the least developed countries, I find Internet Users as the most powerful influence on human development for the poorest countries. The research focuses on key obstacles as well as variables of opportunity for Internet usage in developing countries. The greatest obstacles are in fact related to Internet availability and the cost/need ratio for infrastructure expansion. However, innovations for expanded …
Date: December 2006
Creator: Stedman, Joseph B.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Construction Applications, Practices, and Techniques of Natural Trumpets: A Comparative Analysis of Baroque and Modern Era Natural Trumpet Construction Methods

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This work discusses in detail the history of, and processes associated with the construction of baroque era trumpets then and now. The work addresses metallurgy, tools, construction methods, and playing characteristics of instruments built with old techniques and modern techniques.
Date: December 2006
Creator: Wells, Lawrence E.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library

Construction Management Methods and Techniques in Army Tactical Shelter

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This thesis presents a research effort aimed at developing using construction methods and techniques in army tactical shelter. The beginning step focuses on developing and identifying different activities and work breakdown structure applicable in shelter prototype. The next step focuses on identifying resource allocation. This include allocate resources based on the delivered project as per alternative one and for the second alternative as optimization, resource allocation modified and tried to level and minimize resource peak. In addition, the cost calculated for the whole project as well as for each WBS and activities which consider as alternative one and in the second alternative, cost mitigation applied according to available resources and adjusting predecessors and successors of each activity. In conclusion, two alternatives compared, available outcome presents, and future work suggested for the project team to continue this effort.
Date: December 2019
Creator: Yeganehtalab, Babak
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library