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Articles 5101 - 5130 of 6849

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

User Fees In Local Finance: Performance And Potential In Czech And Slovak Republics, Phillip J. Bryson Jan 2008

User Fees In Local Finance: Performance And Potential In Czech And Slovak Republics, Phillip J. Bryson

Faculty Publications

The Czech Republic and Slovakia, like other transition countries in Central and Eastern Europe, have given significant lip service to fiscal decentralization and engaged in public administration reforms. But the subnational governments of their public finance systems still lack relative autonomy, which could be addressed partly through developing independent revenue sources for their municipalities and regions. Currently, such independent revenue sources include the proceeds of a strictly nominal property tax as well as those of a small set of local user fees and taxes designed and approved by the central governments. Together they represent only about 5 percent of total …

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Clinical Application Of Standardized Cognitive Assessment Using Fmri. Ii. Verbal Fluency, Mark D. Allen, Alina K. Fong Jan 2008

Clinical Application Of Standardized Cognitive Assessment Using Fmri. Ii. Verbal Fluency, Mark D. Allen, Alina K. Fong

Faculty Publications

In this study, we describe an fMRI version of the verbal fluency test. This is the second in a series of fMRI adaptations of classical neuropsychological tests, for which normative samples of functional activation have been collected from unimpaired control subjects and structured in a manner that makes individual patient evaluation possible in terms of familiar z-score distributions. This fMRI protocol is shown to have strong convergent validity with the FAS phonemic fluency test and to elicit activation patterns highly consistent with a large body of previous neuroimaging studies of verbal fluency. We also present a case study, in which …

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A Leontief Model Of Municipal Budgeting, Phillip J. Bryson Jan 2008

A Leontief Model Of Municipal Budgeting, Phillip J. Bryson

Faculty Publications

Local budgeting in transition countries is an important process because it can reveal the extent to which fiscal decentralization has occurred. Because central planning regimes were highly centralized, adopting a market/democratic approach requires a devolution of power from the central government to regions and municipalities. A Leontief model is presented as a simple theoretical approach to local budgeting. Local revenues are considered as financial inputs and local expenditures as financial outputs. A method of measuring the degree of local autonomy as a part of the budgeting process is a part of this model.

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Enhancing Special Educators' Knowledge And Understanding Of Hiv/Aids, Mary Anne Prater, Nancy M. Sileo, Thomas W. Sileo Jan 2008

Enhancing Special Educators' Knowledge And Understanding Of Hiv/Aids, Mary Anne Prater, Nancy M. Sileo, Thomas W. Sileo

Faculty Publications

HIV/AIDS continues to spread among children, youth, and young adults across all racial, ethnic, and cultural populations, including those with disabilities. This article considers information on HIV/AIDS such as individuals' health-risk behaviors, environmental circumstances, and perceptions that may contribute to HIV-infection; how disability characteristics, and cultural traits and values impact school-based HIV/AIDS prevention programs; and, culturally competent instructional considerations that acknowledge these variables.

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Shinarump Red Ware And Other Red Ware Pottery North And West Of The Colorado River, James R. Allison Jan 2008

Shinarump Red Ware And Other Red Ware Pottery North And West Of The Colorado River, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

In November 2007, the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) hosted a conference to discuss, clarify, and where necessary revise the standard typology used for prehistoric Puebloan pottery found in northwestern Arizona, southwestern Utah, and southeastern Nevada. The multi-state nature of the area covered makes precise geographical description awkward, but the conference was titled Prehistoric Puebloan Pottery North and West of the Colorado River. Margaret Lyneis and Kelley Hays-Gilpin organized the conference, and they have provided a general discussion of the conference and its conclusions in an earlier edition of Pottery Southwest (Lyneis and Hays-Gilpin 2008). Participants continue to work on …

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Ceramic Variability And Cultural Diversity In The Northern San Juan Region, Janet Hagopian, James R. Allison Jan 2008

Ceramic Variability And Cultural Diversity In The Northern San Juan Region, Janet Hagopian, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

The Northern San Juan region during the Pueblo I period has been subdivided into eastern and western groups based on differences in site structure and organization. Ceramic assemblages from across the Northern San Juan region also vary significantly. This poster uses both stylistic and technological traits to examine ceramic variability between Animas- La Plata sites and contemporary sites from the surrounding Northern San Juan region. The ceramics suggest at least three regionalized traditions, implying a greater degree of cultural diversity than previously suspected.

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Laptops In The Sand: Using Rugged Computers In The Field, Michael T. Searcy, Scott Ure Jan 2008

Laptops In The Sand: Using Rugged Computers In The Field, Michael T. Searcy, Scott Ure

Faculty Publications

Computers have been used in the archaeology for decades to perform various tasks including statistical modeling, database management, geospatial analysis and other processes ranging from the relatively simple to the incredibly complex. Traditionally, computers are used in relatively “clean” environments such as indoor offices or laboratories. However, when subjected to harsh outdoor conditions with extreme temperatures, precipitation, dust, and debris, failure in some degree, ranging from the irritating to the catastrophic, is highly likely and often quite predictable. Sandy and dusty regions, as well as wet and humid areas, are particularly hostile to the delicate and environmentally sensitive processors, circuit …

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Deictic Selves And Others In Pastaza Quichua Evidential Usage, Janis B. Nuckolls Jan 2008

Deictic Selves And Others In Pastaza Quichua Evidential Usage, Janis B. Nuckolls

Faculty Publications

This article clarifies the perspectival, deictic nature of evidentiality in Pastaza Quichua, a dialect of Quechua spoken in Amazonian Ecuador. I examine the discourse patterning of what have been called the direct and in direct experience morphemes and argue that a source-based characterization of these morphemes cannot be supported by the data. Using insights from liana Mushin's notion of epistemological stance, I outline the Quechua evidential system, identifying perspectives that may be divided into three main categories: the speaking self of a speech event, the speaking self of a narrated event, and a variety of stances that may categorized by …

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Encyclopedia Of Business Ethics And Society, Leticia Camacho Jan 2008

Encyclopedia Of Business Ethics And Society, Leticia Camacho

Faculty Publications

Ethics has always been an important issue in business. However, due to the corporate scandals at Enron and WorldCom and the subsequent passing of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, there has been a resurgence of research interest in business ethics. This encyclopedia reflects this current research interest and emphasizes ethics in strategic management, corporate governance, and organizational culture.

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Business.Gov, Leticia Camacho Jan 2008

Business.Gov, Leticia Camacho

Faculty Publications

Small businesses are very important to the US economy, and in an effort to assist them, the Small Business Administration has partnered with 21 other federal agencies to create a "one-stop shop" for compliance documents and other business resources. Well designed and organized, this site contains more than 20,000 documents from 94 government agencies.

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Participatory Strategic Plan For The Marketing Of Chicken Broilers Produced By Beneficiary Families In The Area Of Influence Of The Benson Institute, In The City Otavalo, A. Lourdes Paola García Jan 2008

Participatory Strategic Plan For The Marketing Of Chicken Broilers Produced By Beneficiary Families In The Area Of Influence Of The Benson Institute, In The City Otavalo, A. Lourdes Paola García

Theses and Dissertations

This study was done with the objective of helping families that produce poultry to market their product. Therefore, we determined that it is important to develop a strategic marketing plan to help producers reach their sales targets.
As such, this research is focused on the development of chapters that sustain and support the importance and benefits that will be achieved through the development and execution of the plan. This will help with the satisfaction of demand expectations.
The first chapter shows the theoretical framework, which explains basic concepts about diagnosis, marketing plan, marketing, projects, chicken broilers, and other related topics. …

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The Phonetic Context Of American English Flapping: Quantitative Evidence, Dirk Elzinga, David Eddington Jan 2008

The Phonetic Context Of American English Flapping: Quantitative Evidence, Dirk Elzinga, David Eddington

Faculty Publications

The phonetic context in which word-medial flaps occur (in contrast to [th]) in American English is explored. The analysis focuses on stress placement, following phone, and syllabification. In Experiment 1, subjects provided their preference for [th] or [ɾ] in bisyllabic nonce words. Consistent with previous studies, flaps were preferred before stressless syllables and [th] before stressed syllables, but the following phone also exerted a small degree of influence. Experiments 2 and 3 tested whether [th] or [ɾ] are associated with a particular syllable position in bisyllabic words. They demonstrate that [th] is favored in onsets, while [ɾ] is not consistently …

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Abajo Red-On-Orange And Early Pueblo I Cultural Diversity In The Northern San Juan Region, James R. Allison Jan 2008

Abajo Red-On-Orange And Early Pueblo I Cultural Diversity In The Northern San Juan Region, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

During the early Pueblo I period, between A.D. 750 and 800, the first aggregated villages formed in what are now southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado. At the same time, a new ceramic type, Abajo Red-on-orange, appeared and became the predominant decorated ceramic type at some early villages. Both the technology and the highly variable designs of Abajo Red-on-orange were unprecedented in local ceramics, suggesting the involvement of immigrant potters, a period of unusual innovation, or both. This paper documents the technology, distribution, and designs of Abajo Red-on-orange and what they suggest about early Pueblo I cultural diversity.

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State Administration Vs. Self-Government In The Slovak And Czech Republics, Phillip J. Bryson Jan 2008

State Administration Vs. Self-Government In The Slovak And Czech Republics, Phillip J. Bryson

Faculty Publications

In the transition experience, the Czech and Slovak Republics have made some effort to achieve fiscal decentralization. From independence to EU accession, the devolution of power designed to strengthen the autonomy of local governments according to the principles of subsidiarity have also included a reform of public administration. The nature of reform efforts and their implications for the fiscal decentralization are analyzed. The failure to achieve a robust autonomy for subnational governments is due to the ongoing adherence to the notion of the "state administration" as opposed to self-government in both republics.

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Book Review – Situated Fathering: A Focus On Physical And Social Spaces, Erin K. Holmes Jan 2008

Book Review – Situated Fathering: A Focus On Physical And Social Spaces, Erin K. Holmes

Faculty Publications

When it comes to scholarship on fatherhood (especially my own), I have too often found myself asking the question, "Could this argument really hold up in a variety of fathering circumstances?" However, by the time I finished Situated Fathering: A Focus on Physical and Social Spaces, I no longer needed to ask that question. Instead, I felt confident that the volume's editors and authors offered a more sound theoretical and empirical foundation for the exploration of fathering settings and circumstances than most other work I have read.

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Does Marriage And Relationship Education Work? A Meta-Analytic Study, Alan J. Hawkins, Victoria L. Blanchard, Scott A. Baldwin, Elizabeth B. Fawcett Jan 2008

Does Marriage And Relationship Education Work? A Meta-Analytic Study, Alan J. Hawkins, Victoria L. Blanchard, Scott A. Baldwin, Elizabeth B. Fawcett

Faculty Publications

In this meta-analytic study, the authors examined the efficacy of marriage and relationship education (MRE) on 2 common outcomes: relationship quality and communication skills. A thorough search produced 86 codable reports that yielded 117 studies and more than 500 effect sizes. The effect sizes for relationship quality for experimental studies ranged from d = .30 to .36, while the communication skills effect sizes ranged from d = .43 to .45. Quasi-experimental studies generated smaller effect sizes, but these appeared to be due to pretest group differences. Moderate-dosage programs produced larger effect sizes than did lows-dosage programs. For communication skills, published …

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Clinical Application Of Standardized Cognitive Assessment Using Fmri. I. Matrix Reasoning, Mark D. Allen, Alina K. Fong Jan 2008

Clinical Application Of Standardized Cognitive Assessment Using Fmri. I. Matrix Reasoning, Mark D. Allen, Alina K. Fong

Faculty Publications

Functional MRI is increasingly recognized for its potential as a powerful new tool in clinical neuropsychology. This is likely due to the fact that, with some degree of innovation, it is possible to convert practically any familiar cognitive test into one that can be performed in the MRI scanning environment. However, like any assessment approach, meaningful interpretation of fMRI data for the purpose of patient evaluation crucially requires normative data derived from a sample of unimpaired persons, against which individual patients may be compared. Currently, no such normative data are available for any fMRI-based cognitive testing protocol. In this paper, …

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Evaluating Group Use Of The Information Commons, Michael J. Whitchurch Jan 2008

Evaluating Group Use Of The Information Commons, Michael J. Whitchurch

Faculty Publications

Evaluating the effectiveness of an information commons has been discussed in many venues since the concept was first implemented. The Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University confronted this same struggle. After two years of activity, the information commons had not been assessed to see whether the purposes for which it was planned were being fulfilled. This paper describes its first assessment. Measuring the number of groups who used the information commons over the period of two years, the assessment showed that indeed the commons is being used to a great extent for group work, one of the goals …

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Adolescent Girls' Perception Of Residential Treatment Centers: A Qualitative Study Of How Treatment Works, Tyler Adam Money Dec 2007

Adolescent Girls' Perception Of Residential Treatment Centers: A Qualitative Study Of How Treatment Works, Tyler Adam Money

Theses and Dissertations

RTCs play an increasingly significant role in the continuum of treatment of emotionally disturbed adolescents. However, outcome research in this area has lagged behind the growth of treatment centers. More specifically, there has been very little investigation of the relative efficacy of the many different aspects of residential treatment, which are referred to as mechanisms of change in other research. The present study attempts to develop a phenomenological understanding of RTC patients' experience of all of the interventions that make up residential treatment. Results suggest that patients view social support, non-therapist staff members, family involvement and family therapy, as most …

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The Role Of Inspiration In Scientific Scholarship And Discovery: Views Of Theistic Scientists, Kari Ann O'Grady Dec 2007

The Role Of Inspiration In Scientific Scholarship And Discovery: Views Of Theistic Scientists, Kari Ann O'Grady

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study examined the ways those who identify themselves as theistic scientists and scholars experience inspiration, as defined as divine guidance or influence, in their scientific scholarship and discovery. It also explored participants' beliefs about how scientists and scholars can seek and prepare to receive inspiration in their work. Open-ended surveys of 450 participants from the behavioral and natural sciences and from a variety of religious backgrounds were analyzed for content themes in the areas of experiences with inspiration, preparing to receive inspiration, and further thoughts on inspiration in science. The themes extracted indicated that these scientists and …

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Women's Perceptions Of Parents, Peers, Romantic Partner And God As Predictive Of Symptoms Severity Among Women In Treatment For Eating Disorders At An Inpatient Facility, Samuel B. Tobler Dec 2007

Women's Perceptions Of Parents, Peers, Romantic Partner And God As Predictive Of Symptoms Severity Among Women In Treatment For Eating Disorders At An Inpatient Facility, Samuel B. Tobler

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined whether perceptions of parents, peers, romantic partners and God were predictive of eating disorder symptom severity among women in treatment for eating disorders. The sample included 417 women (ages 12 to 56 years) at an inpatient treatment facility for eating disorders. Participants completed a battery of assessment measures at intake and discharge. Change scores were also computed on all measures. Measures included indices of eating disorder symptomology, parental relationships, peer relationships, romantic partner relationships, and religious well-being. Multiple regression analysis showed perceptions of peers and romantic partner to be significant predictors in all analyses; however perceptions …

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Description Of The Trio/Upward Bound Students' Construction Of Vocations Using George Kelly's Rep Test Method, Maraia Sokia Weingarten Dec 2007

Description Of The Trio/Upward Bound Students' Construction Of Vocations Using George Kelly's Rep Test Method, Maraia Sokia Weingarten

Theses and Dissertations

The Information Age is revolutionizing the way we communicate, acquire knowledge, and perform work. Society is shifting from occupations rooted in industrial production to those associated with knowledge and information, requiring the development of new skills for changing occupations and updating old educational methods. Educators need to be aware of economic and social changes and have a vision for how to design career education to respond to those changes. Individuals must also be prepared to learn on their own as careers evolve and change. The training necessary to adapt to the changing career culture needs to be made available to …

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Existing Practice And Proposed Changes In Cognitive Assessment Of Utah Students Identified As Deaf And Hard Hearing, Leah Voorhies Dec 2007

Existing Practice And Proposed Changes In Cognitive Assessment Of Utah Students Identified As Deaf And Hard Hearing, Leah Voorhies

Theses and Dissertations

This study presented the past, current, and proposed practice of intelligence testing with a unique population, students identified as deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH). As a basis for describing the cognitive ability of Utah's D/HH students and to improve practice guidelines, 61 D/HH students served by Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) were administered the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT) standard battery and the Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). Based on these data, composite score distributions were described and compared with national standardization samples. Participants' WISC-IV PRI …

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Mayanwiki: An Online, Consensus-Based Linguistic Corpus Of The Mayan Hieroglyphs, Robbie A. Haertel Dec 2007

Mayanwiki: An Online, Consensus-Based Linguistic Corpus Of The Mayan Hieroglyphs, Robbie A. Haertel

Theses and Dissertations

The writing system used by the ancient Maya civilization has intrigued researchers and aficionados for centuries. Now that it has mostly been deciphered, the emphasis in the field of Mayan epigraphy has shifted to a study of the system of phonological, morphological, and grammatical rules that once governed the language that the hieroglyphs encode. One of the most important resources for linguistic study of this type is a comprehensive, electronic corpus of texts to investigate phraseology, frequency information, and collocations. Because Mayan linguistic epigraphy is in the early stages, a publicly available, editable corpus would be an invaluable resource in …

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Pioneers In Twentieth Century Mormon Media: Oral Histories Of Latter-Day Saint Electronic And Public Relations Professionals, Jonice L. Hubbard Dec 2007

Pioneers In Twentieth Century Mormon Media: Oral Histories Of Latter-Day Saint Electronic And Public Relations Professionals, Jonice L. Hubbard

Theses and Dissertations

The project consists of three parts: a summary of the research, a collection of sixteen oral histories of Latter-day Saint Electronic Media and Public Relations professionals who contributed to the development and growth of media in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and a one-hour documentary film, Pioneers in Mormon Media, which gives a brief history of the development of modern mass communications and its use by the Church. This qualitative study investigates who has been involved in Church media, what projects have been accomplished and provides some explanation as to why the Church uses media. The oral …

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A Corpus Of Second Language Attrition Data, Derrell R. Smith Dec 2007

A Corpus Of Second Language Attrition Data, Derrell R. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This report addresses the lack of progress in the field of Second Language Attrition (L2A). Review of L2A history and literature show this to be cause by lack of appropriate data. Five criteria for appropriate data are suggested and a corpus of L2A data (57,000 words, spoken Spanish) which meets the criteria is presented. The history of the corpus is explained in detail, including subject selection, instruments and methods of collection, and markup -- XML was used to annotate the corpus with nineteen categories of speech errors, adapted from Nation's (2001) "Learning Vocabulary in Another Language." An example analysis of …

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A Model Of The Relationship Of Perceived Mental And Emotional Problems In The Family-Of-Origin On Marital Satisfaction Of Adult Offspring, Benjamin Oviatt Weinheimer Dec 2007

A Model Of The Relationship Of Perceived Mental And Emotional Problems In The Family-Of-Origin On Marital Satisfaction Of Adult Offspring, Benjamin Oviatt Weinheimer

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of perceived mental/emotional problems (psychopathology) in the family-of-origin on adult offspring marital satisfaction was tested in a model considering the mediating variables of parental marital satisfaction, mother-child relationship quality, father-child relationship quality, and resolution of issues from the family-of-origin. The nationally representative sample (n = 802) drawn from the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE) database included mostly college educated, lower-middle-class individuals in their first marriage. This sample was used to test a structural equation model that results showed fit the data well. Results showed that historical (distal) factors (such as psychopathology in the family-of-origin) explain only a small portion of …

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The Gratification Niches Of Internet Social Networking, E-Mail, And Face-To-Face Communication, Robert Scott Nyland Nov 2007

The Gratification Niches Of Internet Social Networking, E-Mail, And Face-To-Face Communication, Robert Scott Nyland

Theses and Dissertations

Internet social networking sites have been the source of much speculation and controversy in the few years that they have been in existence. These sites (the most popular being MySpace and Facebook) allow their users to create online profiles, with which they can post pictures of themselves and interact with other users via text-based messaging. These sites are especially popular among teens and young adults, many of whom find their lives controlled by these sites. Utilizing the Uses and Gratificatioons approach in combination with the theory of the niche, the aim of this study is to understand the gratifications that …

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Pornography Viewing As Attachment Trauma In Pair-Bond Relationships-A Theoretical Model Of Mechanisms., Spencer T. Zitzman Nov 2007

Pornography Viewing As Attachment Trauma In Pair-Bond Relationships-A Theoretical Model Of Mechanisms., Spencer T. Zitzman

Theses and Dissertations

Online sexual activities, including pornography use, have drastically increased in recent years. Many studies have examined the impact that pornography use can have on marriages and families. One of the key findings has been that pornography use can negatively impact trust in relationships. This study focused on understanding the mechanisms involved when a husband's pornography use negatively impacts his marital relationship and his wife's emotional well-being. Through qualitative analysis of interviews of 14 wives who received therapy because of their husband's pornography use, the analytic team found (1) a breakdown of expectations and assumptions central to the marriage, (2) a …

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An Evaluation Of A Low-Cost Uav Approach To Noxious Weed Mapping, Brandon Tyler Jones Nov 2007

An Evaluation Of A Low-Cost Uav Approach To Noxious Weed Mapping, Brandon Tyler Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Mapping their location and extent is a critical step in noxious weed management. One of the most common methods of mapping noxious weeds is to walk the perimeter of each patch with a handheld GPS receiver. This is the method used at Camp Williams, a National Guard Bureau training facility in Utah where this study was conducted. It was proposed that a low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that made use of a hobbyist remote control airplane equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and digital camera could be used along with automated post-processing techniques to reduce the cost of …

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