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Evolutionary Relationships In Some Northern Groups Of The Direct-Developing Frog Genus Craugastor (Anura: Craugastoridae), Jeffrey W. Streicher Jan 2012

Evolutionary Relationships In Some Northern Groups Of The Direct-Developing Frog Genus Craugastor (Anura: Craugastoridae), Jeffrey W. Streicher

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Comparing phylogeographic patterns among vertebrates can give insight into the landscape and ecological determinants of phylogenetic diversity. However, in certain taxonomic groups (e.g., birds and mammals) natural history traits can be more influential in structuring phylogeographic patterns than historical interactions with the landscape. In contrast, groups like anurans (6132+ species) with poor dispersal capability and strict ecological requirements often display patterns of genetic diversification consonant with the geological and climatic characteristics of a landscape. The patterns resulting from these interactions can be used to elucidate the temporal dynamics of ecological differentiation, historical biogeography, and morphological evolution. The study of anurans …

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Phylogenetic Systematics Of Dispholidine Colubrids (Serpentes: Colubridae), Thomas Gernot Eimermacher Jan 2012

Phylogenetic Systematics Of Dispholidine Colubrids (Serpentes: Colubridae), Thomas Gernot Eimermacher

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Dispholidine colubrids are a group of arboreal African snakes that are distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Despite their vast distribution and medical significance, the systematic relationships of this group remain poorly understood. I used molecular and morphological data in both a phylogenetic and a multivariate framework to study the evolutionary relationships and external morphology of these snakes. The results of the phylogeographic investigation based on two mitochondrial markers indicated the presence of two distinct evolutionary lineages of Dispholidus sp. in southern Africa that are largely geographically separated by the Great Escarpment and associated habitat. A study of the molecular systematics of …

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Rio Chama Land Cover And River System Maps, J. Jarrett García Jan 2012

Rio Chama Land Cover And River System Maps, J. Jarrett García

The Rio Chama Basin: Land, Water and Community

No abstract provided.

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Development Of Detailed Computational Flow Model Of High End Server And Validation Using Experimental Methods, Vijayalayan Pandiyan Jan 2012

Development Of Detailed Computational Flow Model Of High End Server And Validation Using Experimental Methods, Vijayalayan Pandiyan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

The continued development of the microprocessor has led to significant increase in high frequency interconnects and power dissipation. High power devices are pushing the limits of air cooling in data center environments. Data center power consumption continues to grow at a rapid pace. In light of this increasing trend in power consumption, computer systems researchers, application designers, power and cooling engineers, and governmental bodies have all launched research efforts to improve data center energy efficiency [1]. Rack servers tend to be the main perpetrators of wasting energy and represent the largest portion of the IT energy load in a typical …

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Experimental/Computational Analysis Of Active Cooling Of Stacked Device Using Multidimensional Configured Thermoelectric Modules, Vaidehi Bharat Patel Jan 2012

Experimental/Computational Analysis Of Active Cooling Of Stacked Device Using Multidimensional Configured Thermoelectric Modules, Vaidehi Bharat Patel

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Stacked devices are currently used widely because of their smaller footprint and corresponding ability to accommodate heterogeneous devices such as memory and logic and enable a silicon efficiency greater than 100%. This configuration will results in thermal management challenges due to the torturous heat dissipation path. In addition, the non-uniformity in chip power distribution results in an increased spreading resistance as well as temperature gradient at the device level that can degrade performance and reliability. In this study the Thermoelectric Modules were configured in a multidimensional form surrounding a three dimensional cold core. The corresponding Computational Fluid Dynamics model is …

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Large Scale Finite Element Analysis Using Gpu Parallel Computing, Ashkan Akbariyeh Jan 2012

Large Scale Finite Element Analysis Using Gpu Parallel Computing, Ashkan Akbariyeh

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

In the past years, graphic processing units have become a new abundant parallelcomputing resource on personal computers. In this work parallel computation ofa typical case in nite element analysis for solids has been practiced. The solutionof 3-D linear elastic static problems with 3 degree of freedom is fully implementedutilizing the current GPU technology. Discretization of the problem has been donefor two cases of: Tetrahedral and Hexahedral elements. Acceleration of the solutionhas been realized using SIMT parallel algorithms. Sparse matrix storage formats aswell as matrix-vector operations are investigated for optimum hardware utilization.preconditioned conjugate gradient method has been fully implemented on the …

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Greyfield Site Redevelopment Analysis, Christopher J. Shacklett, Andrew Whittemore Jan 2012

Greyfield Site Redevelopment Analysis, Christopher J. Shacklett, Andrew Whittemore

Planning Masters Professional Reports - Archive

This report provides a framework for the research and analysis that will assist in understanding the issues leading to the decline of once successful shopping centers into greyfields. Inner-ring suburbs in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex deal with this issue which is caused by aging centers and infrastructure coupled with increased competition from newer, faster growing suburbs offering increased financial incentives and newer shopping centers. Through an analysis of varying definitions of greyfields, a definition that represents the most typical greyfield sites affecting inner-ring suburbs will be chosen. Based on the chosen definition, this report focuses on two sites …

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Farmers Markets, Low Income Communities And Government Assistance Programs, Alysha Brady Jan 2012

Farmers Markets, Low Income Communities And Government Assistance Programs, Alysha Brady

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

Since the passage in 1976 of the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act, there has been a sharp rise in number of farmers markets in this country, from approximately 600 in the 1970s to over 7,000 today. With this increase, farmers markets began to attract attention not only from farmers and consumers, but also from public policy experts. Some research has suggested that farmers markets may be a way to alleviate the poor access to healthy foods in low-income communities, in areas known as food deserts. The WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) and the Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) are …

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Health Information Technology And Nurse Staff Efficiency: An Empirical Test In Residential Care Facilities, Jason D. Smith Jan 2012

Health Information Technology And Nurse Staff Efficiency: An Empirical Test In Residential Care Facilities, Jason D. Smith

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

This study examines the effects of health information technology (IT) on nursing staff efficiency. Specifically, the impact of clinical health IT applications on nursing staff efficiency is considered, along with the impact of health information exchange on nursing staff efficiency in those facilities with that utilize clinical IT. In an effort to elucidate these effects, I use data from the 2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities (NSRCF) to estimate six ordered logit models. The results indicate that clinical IT sophistication is positively associated with registered nurse (RN) HPPD. The effect on licensed practical nurses (LPN)/licensed vocational nurses (LVN) and …

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The Nonprofit Sector's Involvement In Prisoner Reentry : A Mixed Methods Analysis, Michael Jay Woods Jan 2012

The Nonprofit Sector's Involvement In Prisoner Reentry : A Mixed Methods Analysis, Michael Jay Woods

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

The 1990's were plagued with crime and high recidivism rates, and the State of Texas responded by embarking upon the largest expansion of a criminal justice system in its history. Having served their sentences, record numbers of offenders who were sent to prison in the 1990's are now flooding the streets. At the time of their release, some of these offenders will have unmet needs, such as a lack of food, housing, and clothing. Others may need help enrolling in school or finding a job. Whatever their needs, a host of nonprofit organizations stand ready to assist ex-offenders in their …

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Complexity Reduction In H.264 Encoder Using Open Multiprocessing, Tejas Pravin Sathe Jan 2012

Complexity Reduction In H.264 Encoder Using Open Multiprocessing, Tejas Pravin Sathe

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

H.264 video standard developed by Joint Video Team has proven dramatic improvements in bit-rate efficiency, compression ratio, video quality and error resilience. But, all this is achieved at the expense of more than four times of the computational complexity due to various new features including quarter-pixel motion estimation with variable block sizes and multiple reference frames, adaptive directional intra-prediction, integer transformation based on discrete cosine transform, alternative entropy coding mode Context-based Adaptive Variable Length Coding (CAVLC) or Context-Based Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coding (CABAC), in loop de-blocking filter etc. This thesis aims at reducing the encoding time for the video sequence …

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Multi-Variable Model Of A Neural Network Based Weather Forecaster Using 2-Stage Feature Selection, Kunal Chandrakant Vora Jan 2012

Multi-Variable Model Of A Neural Network Based Weather Forecaster Using 2-Stage Feature Selection, Kunal Chandrakant Vora

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

This thesis proposes a novel approach for designing a neural network based forecaster that predicts more than one variable at a time. A second order two stage neural network training algorithm is used that employs orthogonal least square for training the output weights. In order to reduce the size of the network and train the forecaster optimally it uses time-domain feature selection and KLT transform based feature selection. The forecaster works well and the feature selection reduces the number of required inputs on the order of 70 %.

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Identifying Associative Memory Deficits And Neurobiological Correlates Of Encoding And Performance In A National Sample Of Veterans With Gulf War Illness Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Crystal Marie Cooper Cortes Jan 2012

Identifying Associative Memory Deficits And Neurobiological Correlates Of Encoding And Performance In A National Sample Of Veterans With Gulf War Illness Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Crystal Marie Cooper Cortes

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

Roughly 26-32% of U.S. veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War of 1991 report suffering from chronic health problems (Golomb, 2008). Memory complaints are regularly reported by ill Gulf War veterans (GWV), but there is scarce data to verify their complaints. Using an associative memory paradigm of faces and names, the present study was conducted to investigate the memory deficits reported by ill GWV in a nationally representative sample comprised of both ill and well GWV. During administration of the memory task, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to acquire the Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) contrast to …

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Exergame Use As A Gateway To The Adoption Of And Adherence To Sport-Specific And General Physical Activity, Colin Jenney Jan 2012

Exergame Use As A Gateway To The Adoption Of And Adherence To Sport-Specific And General Physical Activity, Colin Jenney

Psychology Theses - Archive

Despite increasing the amount of information regarding the need for regular physical activity, rates of inactivity have not seen a corresponding decrease. The aim of the current study was to determine whether exergame use would serve as a gateway to the sport of racquetball, thereby providing a feasible and innovative way to influence behavior change regarding physical activity. The current study randomly assigned participants into one of three conditions for racquetball training: a no–exposure control group, a racquetball videogame (exergame) group, and a traditional training group. College aged adults (N = 103), who reported not being regular exercisers at recruitment …

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Physcial Symptoms In Patients With Acute Tmd: The Influence Of Emotional Distress, Kara Lorduy Jan 2012

Physcial Symptoms In Patients With Acute Tmd: The Influence Of Emotional Distress, Kara Lorduy

Psychology Theses - Archive

The current study investigated symptoms of central sensitization syndrome (CSS), as well as, pain and pain-related interference among those with acute temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Additionally, the current project investigated the influence of emotional distress on the prevalence of physical symptoms and on self-reports of pain as indicated by the Characteristic Pain Inventory (CPI) and pain-related interference on the Graded Chronic Pain Scale (GCPS). Consistent with our expectations, those with an Axis I muscle disorder and those at high-risk for chronicity had more symptoms of central sensitization, and higher CPI and GCPS compared to those without an Axis I muscle disorder …

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Characterizing And Predicting Growth In Reading Skills In Children With Developmental Dyslexia Through Functional Neuroimaging, Emily A. Farris Jan 2012

Characterizing And Predicting Growth In Reading Skills In Children With Developmental Dyslexia Through Functional Neuroimaging, Emily A. Farris

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

Children with developmental dyslexia exhibit deficits in a wide variety of reading skills that are attributable to underlying deficits in phonological processing. Functional neuroimaging studies show that these children exhibit differences in the activation of a distributed network of brain regions during reading tasks when compared to children without reading impairments. It is anticipated that children with dyslexia who are enrolled in a reading intervention will exhibit significant growth in reading skills over the course of their intervention. Furthermore, research has shown that activation of a distributed network of brain regions during reading tasks can be used to predict changes …

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Facilitation Of Surgical Decisions Within A Functional Restoration Program For Chronic Disabling Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders, Emily Brede Jan 2012

Facilitation Of Surgical Decisions Within A Functional Restoration Program For Chronic Disabling Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders, Emily Brede

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

Preventing delayed recovery is an important treatment goal in the treatment of chronic disabling occupational musculoskeletal disorders (CDOMDs). However, when CDOMD patients are potentially eligible for elective surgical procedures, decisions about whether or not to pursue surgery can be complicated by surgical uncertainty, which can decrease the likelihood of complete recovery from injury. Resolution of surgical uncertainty allows treatment to proceed, so that patients can reach Maximum Medical Improvement, and ideally return to productivity. The purpose of the current study was to resolve surgical uncertainty while preventing delayed recovery through a surgical option process. Patients who were undecided about pursuing …

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Spin Coupling By Conduction Electrons Explored By Double Time Green's Functions, William Robert Decker Jan 2012

Spin Coupling By Conduction Electrons Explored By Double Time Green's Functions, William Robert Decker

Physics Theses - Archive

The impurities containing unfilled d or f shells may have localized magnetic moments in nonmagnetic metals, semiconductors, and superconductors under certain conditions. These localized moments interact with each other through the spin polarization field of conduction electrons. The indirect coupling between magnetic impurities is referred to as the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction which is important in describing the magnetic and thermodynamic properties of magnetic nanostructures. The interaction may be expressed as a long range oscillatory function. I explored the properties of the indirect exchange interaction between localized moments in different dimensions using the s-d model and the Green's functions method. An …

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Atomic Adsorptions On Actinide Surfaces: Pathways To Nuclear Energy, Dayla Renee Morrison Jan 2012

Atomic Adsorptions On Actinide Surfaces: Pathways To Nuclear Energy, Dayla Renee Morrison

Physics Theses - Archive

The generalized gradient approximation (GGA) to density functional theory (DFT) and hybrid density functional theory have been used to compute the layer-by-layer properties of γ-uranium (γ-U) in the (100) symmetry. Guided by bulk results which have been analyzed at six different levels of theory, the surface calculations have been performed at the non-magnetic level including spin-orbit coupling. The ground state bulk lattice constant and bulk modulus are found to be 3.46 A and 113.75 GPa, respectively at the non-magnetic with spin-orbit coupling level (NM+SOC) of theory. The monolayer displays a significant shrinking of the “effective” lattice constant of about 23.55% …

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Applications Of A Laser Microbeam In The Study Of Degeneration, Regeneration, And Guidance Of Primary Cns Axons, Bryan James Black Jan 2012

Applications Of A Laser Microbeam In The Study Of Degeneration, Regeneration, And Guidance Of Primary Cns Axons, Bryan James Black

Physics Theses - Archive

This thesis explores the applications of a near infrared (NIR) laser microbeam as a tool for manipulating primary axons by initiating femtosecond pulsed-laser plasma-mediated ablation (laser axotomy) and optical guidance. Chapter 1 briefly introduces axon morphology, growth, and the principles of axon guidance, as well as an introduction to the unique capabilities/potential provided by laser microbeams in biological research (laser-tissue interactions). Non-linear, multiphoton absorption processes are discussed in context of biological tissue ablation. In addition, we discuss specific challenges facing mammalian central nervous system (CNS) axons subsequent to injury, and comment on strategies which can be employed to mitigate, remove, …

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Engineering Characteristics Of Recyled Plastic Pin, Lumber And Bamboo For Soil Slope Stabilization, Faisal Shakib Ahmed Jan 2012

Engineering Characteristics Of Recyled Plastic Pin, Lumber And Bamboo For Soil Slope Stabilization, Faisal Shakib Ahmed

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Shallow slope failures are predominant in North Texas and pose a significant maintenance problem. The traditional slope repair and stabilization techniques become expensive in some instances with direct costs associated in maintenance and repair of landslides. A new approach for slope stabilization has been developed using Recycled Plastic Pins ( RPP) to reinforce slope movements. The engineering properties of RPP in compression and bending strength along with environmental considerations dictate the design and repair of slopes using RPP. Two other materials have also been considered as an alternative: (1) Wood lumber and (2) Bamboo. Wood has many advantages as an …

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Development Of A Flexible Pavement Design Procedure Based On The Mechanistic - Empirical Pavement Design Guide: A Case Study, Ali Qays Abdullah Jan 2012

Development Of A Flexible Pavement Design Procedure Based On The Mechanistic - Empirical Pavement Design Guide: A Case Study, Ali Qays Abdullah

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

This research developed design tables of new flexible pavement structures for New York State Department of Transportation based on the Mechanistic Empirical Design Guide (MEPDG). The design tables were developed using the MEPDG software for Regions 1, 3, and 7 for Upstate part of New York State and for Regions 8, 10, and 11 for the Downstate part of New York State. The MEPDG software was used to run design cases for combinations of: climate conditions, traffic volume, subgrade soil stiffness (Mr) and pavement structures. The conditions that the MEPDG was used to run were: the road structures classified as …

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How Effectively Do Health Care Providers Adhere To Established Clinical Guidelines Concerning Breast And Cervical Screening As Outlined By The American Cancer Society And The American College Of Obstetrics And Gynecology?, Mary Werlinger Jan 2012

How Effectively Do Health Care Providers Adhere To Established Clinical Guidelines Concerning Breast And Cervical Screening As Outlined By The American Cancer Society And The American College Of Obstetrics And Gynecology?, Mary Werlinger

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Purpose: To investigate how effectively health care providers in a rural health clinic setting adhere to established clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) concerning breast and cervical screenings as outlined by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG). 2 Methodology: A retrospective chart review of 226 randomly selected medical records of females aged 21 years to 69 years of age during the six month period from April 1, 2011 through September 30, 2011 was performed. Charts were reviewed using an investigator developed medical records review tool for date of last preventive screening, currency of screening, …

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Mystical Experience And Its Defense On The Mystical's Proper Understanding And Usage, Adrian Contreras Jan 2012

Mystical Experience And Its Defense On The Mystical's Proper Understanding And Usage, Adrian Contreras

Philosophy & Humanities Theses - Archive

This document will closely examine the issue of mystical experience by reviewing its origins in sacred concepts and leading arguments in the field of philosophy of mysticism. Ultimately, this document will attempt to prove the manner by which it might most properly be understood, as well as the practical use of such experience for those who have lived & experienced it within his/her day-to-day life.

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Selected Studies Of Celestial Dynamics And Habitability Of Extra Solar Planetary Systems, Billy Lee Quarles Jan 2012

Selected Studies Of Celestial Dynamics And Habitability Of Extra Solar Planetary Systems, Billy Lee Quarles

Physics Dissertations - Archive

Planetary science in various forms has become interwoven into human culture during all of known human history. The need and desire to expand our horizons has brought humans from basic forms of observation to the development of space satellites that have (in)directly observed other worlds. A major feat of this enterprise during the last half century has been the develop of numerical tools and theories to determine the orbital stability of multiple objects orbiting a central body. Two special cases of the gravitational N body problem (N = 3,4) have been investigated along with the development of a stability criterion …

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Silicon Carbide At Nanoscale: Finite Single-Walled To "Infinite" Multi-Walled Tubes, Kapil Adhikari Jan 2012

Silicon Carbide At Nanoscale: Finite Single-Walled To "Infinite" Multi-Walled Tubes, Kapil Adhikari

Physics Dissertations - Archive

A systematic ab initio study of silicon carbide (SiC) nanostructures, especially finite single-walled, infinite double- and multi-walled nanotubes and nanocones is presented. Electronic and structural properties of all these nanostructures have been calculated using hybrid density functionals (B3LYP and PBE0) as implemented in the GAUSSIAN 03/09 suite of software. The unusual dependence of band gap of silicon carbide nanotubes (SiCNT) has been explained as a direct consequence of curvature effect on the ionicity of the bonds. The study of fullerene hemisphere capped, finite SiC nanotubes indicates that the carbon-capped SiC nanotubes are energetically more preferred than silicon-capped finite or hydrogen …

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High Order Les For Supersonic Ramp Flow Control With Mvg, Yonghua Yan Jan 2012

High Order Les For Supersonic Ramp Flow Control With Mvg, Yonghua Yan

Mathematics Dissertations - Archive

An implicitly implemented large eddy simulation by using the fifth order bandwidth-optimized WENO scheme is applied to make comprehensive studies on ramp flows with and without control at Mach 2.5 and Re=5760. Flow control in the form of microramp vortex generators (MVG) is applied. The results show that MVG can distinctly reduce the separation zone at the ramp corner and lower the boundary layer shape factor under the condition of the computation. A series of new findings are obtained about the MVG-ramp flow including the three-dimensional vortex structure generated by MVG. The mechanism about the formation vortex ring structure and …

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Effects Of Vector Migration On Sylvatic Trypanosoma Cruzi Transmission, Britnee A. Crawford Jan 2012

Effects Of Vector Migration On Sylvatic Trypanosoma Cruzi Transmission, Britnee A. Crawford

Mathematics Dissertations - Archive

Vector-borne diseases have had a major impact on global health concerns since their discovery in the 1800's. A vector-borne disease is one transmitted to human or animal host via an invertebrate vector (usually an insect). Chagas' disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is transmitted via insect vectors from the Triatoma family. Although human infection with Chagas' is of importance, the disease is maintained in sylvatic (in the wild) transmission cycles. This study examines the effects of vector migration on the spread of T. cruzi in certain sylvatic cycles in the southeastern U.S. and Mexico from several angles. First, a …

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Three Essays On Market Anomalies And Efficient Market Hypothesis, Ehab Yamani Jan 2012

Three Essays On Market Anomalies And Efficient Market Hypothesis, Ehab Yamani

Finance and Real Estate Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation consists of three distinct essays. The first essay investigates the risk interpretation of the investment premium by empirically examining the fundamental view versus the sentimental view. I use VAR to break the investment beta into fundamental beta reflecting news about the future marginal productivity of investment, and financial beta reflecting news about discount rates. Overall, the results show that financial factors are the dominant driver of investment returns and they control the negative relation between investment and stock return. In the second essay, I examine the impact of financial contagion resulting from four global financial crises based on …

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Essays On International Corporate Dividend Policy, Bobby Alexander Jan 2012

Essays On International Corporate Dividend Policy, Bobby Alexander

Finance and Real Estate Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation is comprised of two essays on dividend policy. In the first part of the first essay, I ascertain whether the outcome, the substitution, or the predation model explains the relationship between dividend payouts and product market competition in each of the Group of Seven (G7) countries for the period from 1995 through 2010. I find that the substitution model explains dividend policy in Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and the outcome model describes it in Japan, while in Italy, the results are inconclusive. In the second part of the same essay, I pool …

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