Digital Commons Network^™

On Rank-Based Considerations For Generalized Linear Models And Generalized Estimating Equation Models, Diana R. Cucos

Dissertations

This study discusses rank-based robust methods for estimation of parameters and hypotheses testing in the generalized linear models (GLM) and generalized estimating equations (GEE) setting. The robust estimates are obtained by minimizing a Wilcoxon drop in dispersion function for linear or nonlinear regression models. In addition, diagnostic tools for outliers and influential observations are being developed. These models are generalizations of linear and nonlinear models. They allow for both nonlinear mean functions and heteroscedasticity of their random errors. This makes them quite useful in practice. Rank-based inference has been developed for linear models over the last thirty years. This inference …

Teaching My Son To Be A Father: The Plight Of Unmarried Adolescent African American Fathers, Michael George Till

Dissertations

A quantitative research design was utilized to examine and understand the perceptions of fatherhood and manhood held by unmarried African American adolescent fathers. In face-to-face 60-90 minute interviews using a semistructured interview guide developed by the researcher, participants were asked open-ended questions to provide these young men with a voice and an opportunity to express their needs, support, neglect, understanding, and perception of how society views them and its impact on the functioning of the family unit. Using purposeful sampling, 10 unmarried African American adolescent fathers, located in the southwestern area of Michigan, were interviewed for data collection.

Interviews were …

Dec. 2002

NASIG Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Shar-Pei Mediates Cell Proliferation Arrest During Imaginal Disc Growth In Drosophila, Madhuri Kango-Singh, Riitta Nolo, Chunyao Tao, Patrik Verstreken, P. Robin Hiesinger, Hugo J. Bellen, Georg Halder

Biology Faculty Publications

During animal development, organ size is determined primarily by the amount of cell proliferation, which must be tightly regulated to ensure the generation of properly proportioned organs. However, little is known about the molecular pathways that direct cells to stop proliferating when an organ has attained its proper size. We have identified mutations in a novel gene, shar-pei, that is required for proper termination of cell proliferation during Drosophila imaginal disc development. Clones of shar-pei mutant cells in imaginal discs produce enlarged tissues containing more cells of normal size. We show that this phenotype is the result of both …

Perceptions Of Nebraska School Leaders On The Use Of Handheld Computers: Do Handheld Computers Make A Difference?, Veronica A. Huerta

Student Work

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of Nebraska school leaders on technology and particularly about the use of handheld computer technology. The data gathered and analyzed in this study will provide Nebraska school leaders with the current, data driven research to utilize in their decision making process.

The Effects Of Interdisciplinary Team Size On Student Achievement, Behavior, Attendance, And Student Perceptions About Community, James Vernon Sutfin

Student Work

This study explored the impact of interdisciplinary team size on student achievement, behavior, attendance, and perceptions about community in an affluent Midwestern suburban middle school. Interdisciplinary teams were divided up in to three-, four- and five-teacher configurations. Data were gathered through the use of the district's School Information and Management System (SIMS) as well as the School Ethical Climate Index (SECI) (Schulte et al., 2002). The dependent variables were (a) academic achievement, (b) student behavior, (c) student attendance, and (d) student perceptions about community. Independent variables were the interdisciplinary team and grade level. All four research questions were answered using …

Web Presence, Website Marketing Plan And Technology Integration A Project For Lone Tree Creek, Lee Friesen

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

This project illustrates the processes involved in creating a website marketing plan, developing a small-scale website that can be easily maintained by a user with little training in technology. The focus of this project is to create a solid web presence on a very limited budget. The first stages of the project involve research of the company and competitors. Next the move to design of the website and database system. During the entire process the marketing plan is being developed. The result of this project is http://www.lonetreecreek.com and a viable marketing plan to enable Lone Tree Creek to expand the …

An Electronic Commerce Bookstore System For National American University, Jonathan Outland

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

This paper reviews the history and current market and technical status of electronic commerce systems used in college and university bookstores. It further details the business rules, parameters and details of the installation and customization of a third­party e-commerce application for bookstore sales at the Distance Learning campus of National American University.

Cooperative Extension Service Online Registration Service, T. Judy Mclaughlin

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

Prior to the development of this project, the South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service did not have an online registration system. Workshop participants registered manually; by telephone, by mail or at the door. This was an inefficient use of employee time and other resources. It was also inconvenient for participants. To answer this need, an online registration system was developed. ColdFusion was used as a database-to-web gateway. This database driven system allows the workshop manager to setup and manage the registration pages. The manager and the administrator pages are located on the Extension Services private intranet site. These include workshop management …

Forecasting With A Real-Time Data Set For Macroeconomists, Tom Stark, Dean D. Croushore

Economics Faculty Publications

This paper discusses how forecasts are affected by the use of real-time data rather than latest-available data. The key issue is this: in the literature on developing forecasting models, new models are put together based on the results they yield using the data set available to the model’s developer. But those are not the data that were available to a forecaster in real time.

How much difference does the vintage of the data make for such forecasts? We explore this issue with a variety of exercises designed to answer this question. In particular, we find that the use of real-time …

Should Canada Enact A New Sui Generis Database Right? , C.D. Freedman

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Patentability Of Transgenic Animals In The United States Of America And The European Union: A Proposal For Harmonization, Jerzy Koopman

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Cheese: Discerning What Causes Dilution Under 15 U.S.C. 1125(C)–A Recomendation To Whittle Away The Liberal Application Of Trademark Dilution To Internet Domain Names, Matthew D. Caudill

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Prof. Kurt Schubert, Kurt Schubert, Friedrich Wagner, Martin Pröbstle

Shabbat Shalom: A Journal for Jewish-Christian Reconciliation

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis On Condylar Rotation In Rabbits, Shelton Hsu

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is the gradual lengthening of a healing bone. This surgical technique can be applied to the jawbone to correct an asymmetry or deficiency of the mandible. DO has been added to the list of treatment options for patients with craniofacial anomalies or excessive dental crowding.

Although mandibular distraction osteogenesis has been successfully performed in many patients, the comprehensive effects on the TMJ are not fully understood. The purpose of this study is to compare the amount of rotational and positional change that occurs at the condyles when the rabbit mandible is widened at the midline and paramedian …

An Examination Of Death Salience: A Component In The Death Anxiety Model, Rachel A. Mason

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Reviews of the literature have identified few consistent theoretical approaches in the assessment of death anxiety and death attitudes for patients diagnosed with a potentially life threatening illness, such as cancer. This illness experience forces patients to contemplate their mortality. The present study employed a portion of the Death Anxiety Model to examine the relationships between death salience, beliefs about the self, beliefs about the world, death meaning, and death anxiety. Three groups (N = 121) who differed on death salience were examined: cancer survivors (intrapersonal - high salience), spouses of cancer survivors (interpersonal - moderate salience), and healthy patients …

To Be Almost Like White: The Case Of Soon Ja Du, Augustina Jhi-Ho Chae

Student Work

This is a case study of Korean Americans’ prejudiced attitudes toward African Americans. To discuss this attitudes, I chose to examine the case of People of the State of California v. Soon Ja Du. On the morning of March 16, 1991, Latasha Harlins, a fifteen-year-old African American high school girl was shot in the back of the head by Soon Ja Du, a fifty-one-year-old Korean liquor and grocery store owner after a fight. This fight started by Soon Ja falsely accusing Latasha of shoplifting. In many ways, Soon Ja Du’s negative attitudes represent a typical Korean American’s prejudice.

A Response To Lisa Heinzerling's Article “Five-Hundred Life-Saving Interventions And Their Misuse In The Debate Over Regulatory Reform”, Tammy O. Tengs

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] "I am writing in response to Lisa Heinzerling's article “Five-Hundred Life-Saving Interventions and Their Misuse in the Debate Over Regulatory Reform,”1 published in the Spring 2002 issue of Risk: Health, Safety & Environment. Dr. Heinzerling comments on two papers that my colleagues and I, affiliated with the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, produced as part of research funded by the National Science Foundation over a decade ago. The first is the article “Five-Hundred Lifesaving Interventions and Their Cost-Effectiveness,” published in the journal Risk Analysis in 1995. In this article we described the cost per year of lives saved of …

The Need For Control In Interpersonal Relationships And Courtship Violence., Marcella Horn Dunaway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored an individual's need for control and the level of violence within a dating relationship.

This was a self-report study. Subjects consisted of 175 students from a university in the southern Appalachian region of the U.S. Questionnaires were combined with a scenario depicting violent behavior. Subjects were asked to rate their level of control on the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Inventory (FIRO-B), to complete the Conflict Tactics Scale - revised (CTS-2), and to rate the acceptability of the scenario. Data were analyzed using an ANOVA.

Results did not support the main hypothesis. No relationship was found between control and …

Do Temporary Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes? A Pilot Analysis With Welfare Clients, David H. Autor, Susan N. Houseman

Reports

We draw upon administrative data from an unusual policy experiment in the state of Michigan to study the effects of temporary agency employment among welfare-to-work clients on job retention, program recidivism, and earnings. To identify these effects, we exploit the fact that welfare-to-work clients in one Michigan county were randomly assigned to service providers who had substantially different placement rates in temporary agencies but otherwise similar policies. Our findings indicate that moving welfare clients who otherwise would have been unemployed into temporary agency jobs provides some benefits to these workers, primarily by increasing their short-term earnings. Temporary agency jobs also …

Harvested Log Damage And Value Loss Associated With Two Ground-Based Harvesting Systems In Central Appalachia, Michael R. Vanderberg

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Damage is often seen as an important consideration when conducting partial harvests in hardwood stands, as excessive damage to residual trees will significantly reduce the potential value of the residual stand. Damage to harvested logs, especially hardwood saw and veneer logs can be an even more important concern relative to value loss associated with log degrade. The log damage and value loss were examined by harvesting system, felling function, species, and damage type in central Appalachia. Observations were made of all grade logs during the felling, skidding, decking/sorting, and loading functions of the harvesting operations. Saw logs or veneer logs …

Into The Frying Pan: Standing And Privity Under The Telecommunications Act Of 1996 And Beyond, Richard A. Epstein

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Taxation And Risk-Taking With Multiple Tax Rates, David A. Weisbach

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

This paper extends the Domar and Musgrave results concerning the effect of an income tax on risk taking to the case where different tax rates apply to different types of assets. Although the results depend on exactly how the differential tax rates are imposed, as a general matter, an income tax with differential rates can be seen as a tax only on the risk-free rate of return and a fixed ex ante subsidy for purchasing the lower-taxed assets. There are implications for measuring deadweight loss from differential taxation and for spending resources on accurately measuring capital income.

Animals As Objects, Or Subjects, Of Rights, Richard A. Epstein

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

From the earliest times, animals were understood as object of human rights. That result did not depend on some limited understanding of their capabilities for cognition and sensation, but rather rested on the strong sense that without domestication human beings could not secure their own advancement. The modern claims for animal rights cannot therefore be justified by an appeal to some newer and deeper understanding of the subject, but must rest on the claim that what they share with human beings is more important than what separates them. Those common elements do justify some level of animal protection but does …

The Disinhibition Effect: An Experiment Using Chat Technology With Sixty Sixth Graders, Jeremy J. Sims

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

University Reporter - Vol. 07, No. 04 - December 2002, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

Cold Acclimation Strategy Is Highly Variable Among The Sunfishes (Centrarchidae), Peter J. Lavrentyev, Deidra R. Tschantz, Elizabeth L. Crockett

Biology Faculty Research

We tested the hypothesis that the physiological strategy for acclimating to low body temperature is similar among closely related fish. Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus), black crappie (Pomonix nigromaculatus), and white crappie (Pomonix annularis), all members of the family Centrarchidae, were acclimated to 5° and 25°C. Morphometric variables (total mass, total length, organ masses) and enzyme activities (hexokinase; lactate dehydrogenase; and cytochrome oxidase in heart, liver, and muscle) were measured in 5°C- and 25°C-acclimated fish at 5° and 25°C assay temperatures. Each species displayed a distinct physiological response to cold acclimation that differed …

Knowledge Maps As Scaffolds For Cognitive Processing, Angela M. O'Donnell, Donald F. Dansereau, Richard H. Hall

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Knowledge Maps Are Node-Link Representations in Which Ideas Are Located in Nodes and Connected to Other Related Ideas through a Series of Labeled Links. the Research on Knowledge Mapping in the Last 12 Years Has Produced a Number of Consistent Findings. Students Recall More Central Ideas When They Learn from a Knowledge Map Than When They Learn from Text and Those with Low Verbal Ability or Low Prior Knowledge Often Benefit the Most. the Use of Knowledge Maps Also Appears to Amplify the Benefits Associated with Scripted Cooperation. Learning from Maps is Enhanced by Active Processing Strategies Such as Summarization …

Superconvergent Perturbation Theory For An Anharmonic Oscillator, Gregory S. Tschumper, Mark R. Hoffmann

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

A computationally facile super convergent perturbation theory for the energies and wavefunctions of the bound states of one-dimensional anharmonic oscillators is suggested. The proposed approach uses a Kolmogorov repartitioning of the Hamiltonian with perturbative order. The unperturbed and perturbed parts of the Hamiltonian are defined in terms of projections in Hilbert space, which allows for zero-order wavefunctions that are linear combinations of basic functions. The method is demonstrated on quartic anharmonic oscillators using a basis of generalized coherent states and, in contrast to usual perturbation theories, converges absolutely. Moreover, the method is shown to converge for excited states, and it …

An Efficient Burst-Arrival And Batch- Departure Algoriths For Round-Robin Service, Jorge R. Ramos, Janche Sang

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.