Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Recommender Systems For Multimedia Libraries: An Evaluation Of Different Models For Datamining Usage Data, Raquel Oliveira Araujo

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Many recommender systems exist today to help users deal with the large growth in the amount of information available in the Internet. Most of these recommender systems use collaborative filtering or content-based techniques to present new material that would be of interest to a user. While these methods have proven to be effective, they have not been designed specifically for multimedia collections. In this study we present a new method to find recommendations that is not dependent on traditional Information Retrieval (IR) methods and compare it to algorithms that do rely on traditional IR methods. We evaluated these algorithms using …

Deaf Catholic Newsletter, Winter 2004

Deaf Catholic Newsletter

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Philadelphia, PA

Doof And Katholiek, December 2004

Doof and Katholiek

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in The Netherlands

St. Dominic Deaf Center, December 2004

Saint Dominic Deaf Center

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Houston, TX

Saint Dominic Deaf Center Finding Aid

The Silent Witness, December 2004

Silent Witness, The

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Washington, D.C.

Tidings, December 2004

Tidings

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Louisville, KY.

Applying Intermediate Microeconomics To Terrorism, Charles Anderton, John Carter

Economics Department Working Papers

The authors show how microeconomic concepts and principles are applicable to the study of terrorism. The utility maximization model provides insights into both terrorist resource allocation choices and government counterterrorism efforts, while basic game theory helps characterize the strategic interdependencies among terrorists and governments.

Vulnerable Trade: The Dark Side Of An Edgeworth Box, Charles Anderton, John Carter

Economics Department Working Papers

We examine incentives to seize and defend goods offered for trade in an Edgeworth box economy. Appropriation possibilities generate an equilibrium of coerced redistribution and voluntary trade in a reduced box. Potential mutual gains remain untaken because the prospect of piracy creates a price wedge, wherein the effective relative price is lowered for the exporter and raised for the importer. As the vulnerability of one or both goods increases, the price wedge widens, causing trade to diminish. If vulnerability becomes sufficiently high, then trade and appropriation are driven to zero, or one or both players are rendered indifferent to trade.

Analytically Calibrated Box-Cox Percentile Limits For Duration And Event-Time Models, Zhenlin Yang, Albert K.C. Tsui

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper proposes a unified approach to constructing confidence limits for a future percentile duration or event-time. The construction is based on an analytical calibration of the Box-Cox-type “plug-in” percentile limits (PL). The performance of the calibrated Box-Cox PL is investigated using Monte Carlo experiments. Comparisons are made with PLs that are specifically designed for a particular distribution such as Weibull and lognormal. Excellent performances of the calibrated Box-Cox PL are observed. Simulation based on other popular duration models such as gamma and inverse Gaussian reveal that the proposed PL is robust against distributional assumptions and that it performs much …

Investing In Real Estate: Mortgage Financing Practices And Optimal Holding Period, Winston T. H. Koh, Edward H. K. Ng

Research Collection School Of Economics

Real estate investments are typically characterized by high degrees of leverage and long-loan tenures. In perfect capital markets, leverage has no impact on the investment decision apart from tax considerations. However, the mortgage financing market is imperfect in many countries. In the presence of market imperfections, an optimal holding period exists for real property investments. We provide a simple rule to calculate the optimal holding period to compare the required rate of return with the leveraged rate of return on equity.

On Measuring Influence In Non-Binary Voting Games, Vincent Chua, C. H. Ueng

Research Collection School Of Economics

In this note, we demonstrate using two simple examples that generalization of the Banzhaf measure of voter influence to non-binary voting games that requires as starting position a voter’s membership in a winning coalition is likely to incompletely reflect the influence a voter has on the outcome of a game. Generalization of the Banzhaf measure that takes into consideration all possible pivot moves of a voter including those moves originating from a losing coalition will, on the other hand, result in a measure that is proportional to the Penrose measure only in the ternary case.

L S Penrose's Limit Theorem: Tests By Simulation, Pao-Li Chang, Vincent Chua, Moshe Machover

Research Collection School Of Economics

LS Penrose’s limit theorem (PLT) – which is implicit in Penrose [5, p. 72] and for which he gave no rigorous proof – says that, in simple weighted voting games, if the number of voters increases indefinitely while existing voters retain their weights and the relative quota is pegged, then – under certain conditions – the ratio between the voting powers of any two voters converges to the ratio between their weights. Lindner and Machover [3] prove some special cases of PLT; and conjecture that the theorem holds, under rather general conditions, for large classes of weighted voting games, various …

Does Relative Deprivation Predict The Need For Mental Health Services?, Christine Eibner, Carole Gresenz, Roland Sturm

Carole Roan Gresenz

No abstract provided.

Journalism Ethics In Wartime, Erik Ugland, Karen Slattery

Erik Ugland

No abstract provided.

Self Efficacy, Alcohol Expectancy And Problem-Solvingappraisal As Predictors Of Alcohol Use In College Students, Nancy Taylor, Michael Biscaro, Karen Broer

Nancy P. Taylor

This study updated that of Broer 1996 and re-examined self-efficacy, alcohol expectancy and problem-solving appraisal as predictors of alcohol use in undergraduate college students. Stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that alcohol expectancy of Global Positive Changes and gender were significant predictors for both number of drinks and binge episodes.

Investing In Peace And Security In Africa: The Case Of Ecowas Emmanuel Kwesi Aning, Emmanuel Aning

Emmanuel Kwesi Aning

This paper argues that, by investing in good governance and democratisation—two factors fundamental to West African security—ECOWAS is also contributing to sub-regional peace and stability. An inclusive approach is needed to forge effective relationships between governance and security in West Africa. ECOWAS has designed a strategic framework that identifies priority areas for conflict management. At issue, though, is its capacity to confront and deal with issues that straddle security, peace, good governance, and democratisation. This paper analyses the dynamics of ECOWAS’s security-sector reforms. The perception that the security sector itself is still a major source of insecurity in West Africa …

Social Norms And Expectancy Violation Theories: Assessing The Effectiveness Of Health Communication Campaigns, Michelle Campo, Kenzie Cameron, Dominique Brossard

Michelle L. Campo

College students' processing of alcohol, smoking, and exercise social norms messages, and related effects on judgments, attitudes toward one's own behaviors, and attitudes toward undergraduates' behaviors were examined using social norms marketing and Expectancy Violation Theory (EVT) (N=393). Receiving statistical social norms messages led to an expectancy violation of the perceived social norm (i.e., a discrepancy between the expected and actual statistic conveyed with a message). Consistent with Boster et al. (2000 ), the effect of the message discrepancy on attitudes was mediated by judgments. In accordance with social norms, when participants were provided with a statistic, the majority moved …

Relational Integration, Inhibition, And Analogical Reasoning In Older Adults, Robert Morrison

Robert Morrison

Does The Medium Matter?: A Comparison Of A Web-Based Tutorial With Face-To-Face Library Instruction On Education Students' Self-Efficacy Levels And Learning Outcomes, Penny Beile, David Boote

Penny Beile

The Role Of Intra-Industry Trade In The Service Sector, Robert Shelburne, Jorge Gonzalez

Jorge Gonzalez

The role of intra-industry trade (IIT) in the service sector is examined. Methodological issues in calculating IIT indexes for the service sectors are discussed. A new generalized index for dealing with the negative numbers that are often present in the data is provided. The different hierarchical structure of the services data provided by the OECD and the US BEA are discussed. The factors that explain the level of services IIT across countries are explored, as well as the factors that affect the level of IIT in U.S. bilateral trade with other nations.

The Many Legal Institutions That Support Contractual Commitment, Gillian K. Hadfield

Gillian K Hadfield

One of the fundamental contributions of transaction cost theory and institutional economics has been to focus attention on opening the "black box" of contract enforcement, drawing attention to the institutions required to achieve effective and low-cost contract enforcement. The idea that the effectiveness of contract law is critical to the growth of economic activity is widespread in the literature on development and transition economies. Recent studies attempting to document toe relative strength of contract enforcement in different settings (La Porta, et al., 19982; Djankov, et al., 2003), however, have focused on relatively abstract notions of "courts" and "legal systems" and …

Stressful Life Events As Predictors Of Functioning: Findings From The Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study, Maria E. Pagano, Andrew E. Skodol, Robert L. Stout, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, Donna S. Bender, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Mary C. Zanarini, John G. Gunderson

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Objective:  Although much attention has been given to the effects of adverse childhood experiences on the development of personality disorders (PDs), we know far less about how recent life events influence the ongoing course of functioning. We examined the extent to which PD subjects differ in rates of life events and the extent to which life events impact psychosocial functioning. Method:  A total of 633 subjects were drawn from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS), a multi-site study of four personality disorders – schizotypal (STPD), borderline (BPD), avoidant (AVPD), obsessive-compulsive (OCPD) – and a comparison group of major depressive …

Defining The Feminine Impact On The Progression Of Japanese Language: An Inquiry Into The Development Of Heian Period Court Diaries, Michele Gibney

Michele Gibney

From the split of the private and public lives of gender divides, men lived on the outside imbibing Chinese language styles, while women on the inside established and preserved a uniquely Japanese form of language. This paper asserts the theory that the Heian period was one of the first times in which the schism was produced through the female’s power to embody a written language which the Japanese could claim as their own independently of the effect from other cultures. In its focus this paper aspires to analyze the public/private, male/female origins by placing them within the Heian period, from …

Homosexuality In Fushigi Yuugi And Gravitation: An Investigation Into The Cultural Background Of Homosexuality In Japanese Animation, Michele Gibney

Michele Gibney

This paper will delve into the following issues: how the Japanese view homosexual males and how the agency of the reader and/or viewer impacts the depictions of visual displays of intimate behavior by homosexual males. The purpose of this paper will be an attempt to define some sort of answer to each question within the context of the Japanese cultural products of manga and anime. I am going to dissect shifting sexualities as they are represented in two different examples of Japanese anime aimed at slightly differing audience groups. The two shows that I will focus on are: Fushigi Yuugi …

Good Governance In Microcredit Strategy For Poverty Reduction: Focus On Western Mindanao, Philippines, Frede G. Moreno

Frede G Moreno

The study argues for the integration of good governance principles in developing financially viable, effective and social equity-laden microcredit strategy for the impoverished agrarian reform beneficiaries in Western Mindanao. It particularly examines the program design and implementation strategies of the Enterprise Development Credit (EDC) sub-component of the Western Mindanao Community Initiatives Project (WMCIP). The study aims to provide lessons and insights for the planning and implementation of comprehensive and integrated Official Development Assistance (ODA)-funded government programs for poverty reduction and rural development. The data and information were generated from combined descriptive and field studies covering a sample survey, group discussions, …

Rio Grande Vs. Cedarville, Cedarville University

Women's Basketball Statistics

No abstract provided.

The Nfl And Its Money, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Now that the NFL has refocused following Towelgate in the midst of what is developing as a most interesting season on the field, it might be worth going back to two stories that flew just beneath the radar over the past few weeks. These, of course, involved money, because we are talking about the NFL Money Machine, which continues to validate Al Davis' wisdom from 1978 when he noted in the wake of a lucrative television contract that "any dummy can make money operating a pro football club."

Teaching Content On Social Work Practice With Religious Congregations: A Curriculum Module, Michael E. Sherr, Terry Wolfer

Social Work Faculty Publications

This pilot study represents an effort to implement and evaluate use of a curriculum module on Charitable Choice and social work practice in a faith-based organization. Using a nonequivalent control group design, repeated measures MANOVA showed significant differences between the treatment (n=54) and comparison groups (n=53) on knowledge and degree of comfort at posttest. Despite the use of a small sample (n=107) of MSW students at a public university in the Southeast, the findings provide initial support for further use and future evaluations of curriculum modules covering specific content on practice in faith-based settings.

Cedarville Vs. Rio Grande, Cedarville University

Women's Basketball Programs

No abstract provided.

Spartan Daily, November 30, 2004, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 123, Issue 61