Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Estimation Of Covariance Matrix In Signal Processing When The Noise Covariance Matrix Is Arbitrary, Madhusudan Bhandary

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

An estimator of the covariance matrix in signal processing is derived when the noise covariance matrix is arbitrary based on the method of maximum likelihood estimation. The estimator is a continuous function of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the matrix Σ̂₁^1/2S^∗Σ̂₁^1/2, where S^∗ is the sample covariance matrix of observations consisting of both noise and signals and Σ̂₁ is the estimator of covariance matrix based on observations consisting of noise only. Strong consistency and asymptotic normality of the estimator are briefly discussed.

On The Length Of Nhl Shootouts, W. J. Hurley

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

When NHL teams are tied after 60 minutes of regulation time and 5 minutes of sudden-death overtime, they go to a shootout to determine who gets the overtime point. Teams alternate shots until a winner is determined. The probability of observing shootouts of various lengths is calculated.

Evaluating Long Term Political Consequences Of Economic Restructuring Programs, James Mcgee

Senior Honors Projects

Development assistance loans provided by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are accompanied by structural adjustment programs that must be implemented as a condition of receiving the loan. These economic reforms often include currency devaluation, inflation control, increased taxation, market liberalization, decreased expenditure, and a decrease in the size of government. Populations within countries are drastically effected by these structural economic reforms as social welfare programs are often cut, government workers laid off, and the domestic economy struggles to compete in the global marketplace. The implementation of restructuring programs also constrains the policy options that are available to the …

Sparkle: What Every Teenage Girl Should Know, Alexandria D’Angelo

Senior Honors Projects

As a journalism major with an interest in women’s studies, I took time to educate myself about the tactics that the magazine media use to sell themselves. I focused on magazines, because I am a print-oriented journalism student with the goal of working for a newspaper or a magazine after graduation. During my research, I found that there are few publications in this country offering sound advice to problems that teenage girls face on a daily basis. Most magazines for teenage girls focus on celebrity style, gossip and make-up tips. There is nothing wrong with this form of entertainment, especially …

The Third Incident Of Jp Mercer A Collection Of Short Fiction, Lauren Picard

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The main goal of this Capstone Project is to create a collection of short stories whose amalgamation is more poignant than the sum of its part. One purpose of writing is to leave the reader with an emotional punch, to give them a catharsis for new or even familiar sensations. Each story should be able to stand on its own as a pleasurable, or at least captivating, experience. Each piece should manipulate the reader to feel certain ways, whether hopeful, anxious, uncomfortable, or just moved. I do hope, however, that the experience of reading the entire collection is more powerful …

Goldin Ceramics: Website As Primary Advertising Vehicle For Small Business, Alfiya Mukhutdinova

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

I wanted my Honors Capstone Project to capitalize on the combination of advertising, design, and website-building skills I have gained both inside and outside of the classroom during my time atSyracuseUniversity. I wanted the chance to apply my conceptual knowledge as well as my knowledge of advanced design and website software to an actual client with measurable results. I decided to tackle the challenge of creating a new website for my aunt’s small business, Goldin Ceramics. Since Olga’s only method of advertising is in-person at craft shows that she attends roughly once a month, her website plays a crucial role …

Non-Native Discourse About The Goals Of The Onondaga Nation’S Land Rights Action, Sarah Wraight

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

On March 11, 2005, the Onondaga Nation became the last nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to file suit against New York State for what it claims was the illegal seizure of the vast majority of its aboriginal land between 1788 and 1822. The Nation is asking for a declaratory court judgment condemning New York’s actions and recognizing that the Onondagas still bear legal title to their homelands. (Onondaga Nation v. State of New York et al., [2005]:12-14). It argues that the suit is not possessory, but rather is an attempt to regain certain rights to the land. The …

A Computer-Based Study Of Mnemic Neglect, Maxwell S. Sapolsky

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Mnemic neglect may be a form of attentional control which protects us from threatening criticism about our personalities. According to the model, positive feedback is recalled more easily than negative feedback when it is about the self. However, this is not the case when feedback is about other people. Mnemic neglect occurs even when people are told to simply imagine that the feedback is real. The reason for this is assumed to be that people spend relatively little time attending to or thinking about self-threatening feedback. The current study replicated the mnemic neglect effect but also directly measured how long …

Overfishing And Environmental Justice In Marine Fisheries, Kristin Novak

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This thesis focuses on the depletion of marine fisheries, as a resource, from a geographical perspective. The decline and collapse of abundant fisheries worldwide has serious, though largely unaddressed, social implications, and should be considered as an issue of environmental justice. I analyze the processes that have lead to fisheries collapses all over the world, as well as the governance structures, management strategies, and political and economic forces involved. This is examined through two case studies: one, the collapse of cod stocks in Newfoundland and New England in the 1990s after centuries of intensive fishing, and two, the currently stressed …

The Gap Between The Ideal And The Reality How High Stakes Testing Causes The United States And China To Fall Short Of Creating Well-Rounded Students, Adam L. Jones

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in the United States in 2001, there has been ever increasing attention paid to the role of high-stakes testing in an education system. The system in the United States and its counterpart in the People’s Republic of China have come under scrutiny because of their heavy reliance on high-stakes testing.

It is understandable in the United States that these tests may be necessary to ensure the existence of accountability in the educational system. Similarly, it is understandable that the People’s Republic of China needs an education system to help place …

Bicycle Space And The American Urban Landscape: Re-Thinking Distance And Mobility In The City, Katie (Kathleen) Gill

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Since its arrival in the United States, the bicycle’s place in public space has influenced, and been influenced by not only road improvements and infrastructure investments but also by the social production of what it means to be mobile and to circulate throughout the city. Drawing upon the theory of “Time- Space Compression” posited by the geographer David Harvey, I propose that the bicycle can compress time and space in urban environments where time-space compression is occurring for motorists and their automobiles. But yet, bicycles (and their riders) have been consistently and systematically excluded from the American urban landscape; keeping …

Internal Throes: Reexamining The Effect Of U.S. Immigration Policy And Transitional Realities For Immigrant Families, Faith S. Abubey

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

From the inception of this country, theUnited Statesgovernment has always declared this nation state as a land of immigrants. However, the impetus of immigration during the past three decades has created antipathy among Americans. These antipathy and xenophobic attitudes against immigrants have intensified especially since the events of September 11, 2001. The resentments, inter alia, have significantly influenced the way in which theUnited Statesgovernment facilitates and implements immigration policies.

In this research, I argue that regardless of definitional complexities and functional distinctions between refugees and voluntary immigrants with regard to benefits and legal protection underUnited Statespolicy and United Nations Conventions, …

A Student’S Guide To The Unique Iranian Theocracy, Evan Linhardt

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

When listening to the news one day I heard the president of a nation describe wiping another country off the map. Later I heard from the same president that his country would defy United Nation recommendations and continue their nuclear program. The media took a great interest in this mans’ speeches and their potential implications. They portrayedIranas a country on the brink, challenging the world to stop them. The media unfortunately was focusing on the wrong man’s rhetoric because although he is labeled as president ofIran, he will not have a say in declaring war on another nation nor will …

Community Service Intiatives Of Medical Students, Kerri I. Aronson

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This Honors Capstone Project focuses on community service projects of medical students. Extensive research was done on the types of community service programs that exist in medical schools. The types of programs were divided into four different categories representing the various ways that schools conduct their community service initiatives. Schools may have multiple types of programs, and a combination of any of these programs is offered at many institutions. This project also examines nationally recognized programs and the awards received for excellence in community service initiatives.

The study was completed in collaboration with SUNY Upstate Medical University (UMU). A close …

Effect Of Source On Perception Of Bias In Cable News, Braden Lynk

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Problem: The central study question was whether or not believing that a certain media outlet is biased in a certain direction predisposes someone to perceive more or less bias in news content. The following hypotheses were formed:

Hypothesis One: News consumers would find a news story to be more biased toward the corresponding associated political viewpoint of its source regardless of the actual content of the story.

Hypothesis Two: Liberal respondents would be more likely to perceive the news stories as conservatively biased and conservative respondents would be more likely to perceive the new stories as being liberally biased. …

Deconstructing The Black Coming-Of-Age Film And Its Effect On The Negotiation Of Black Identity, Linita Shannon

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Every film is a social script that places scenes within a framework in which the setting, surrounding characters, and situations are key components of the story being told. In the context of the black coming-of-age film this holds true. The black coming-of-age film represents the power of fictional film to contextualize the existent social situations of youth in black communities. All youth go through a stage where they experience an event or series of events that marks a new phase in their lives or signifies that they are about to embark on a new journey. It is during these formative …

Presidential Signing Statements: Expanding The Assessment Ot Include Policy As Well As Constitutional Implications, Matthew A. Gass

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The greatly expanded use of signing statements by President George W. Bush has been very controversial, as many view this as practice as an inappropriate encroachment by the president on the legislative function of Congress. A majority of the arguments made for or against the application of signing statements have focused on legal principles. The problem is that traditional legal, constitutional analysis does not fully address the concerns raised by signing statements. Not only is it unlikely that presidential signing statements violate the Constitution, but legal analysis fails to recognize or appropriately evaluate the policy implications of signing statements. This …

The Effect Of Disability Insurance On Health Investment: Evidence From The Va Disability Compensation Program, Perry Singleton

Center for Policy Research

I examine whether individuals respond to monetary incentives to detect latent medical conditions. The effect is identified by an amendment to Title 38 that deemed diabetes associated with Agent Orange exposure a compensable disability under the VA’s Disability Compensation program. Since a diagnosis is a requisite for benefit eligibility, and nearly one-third of diabetics remain undiagnosed, the advent of disability insurance may have encouraged the detection of diabetes among the previously undiagnosed population. Evidence from the National Health Interview Survey suggests that the policy increased the prevalence of diabetes by 2.7 percentage points among veterans.

Tools Of Engagement: Attracting And Engaging Library Users-- "Reaching Through Collaboration", Jennifer Kelley

Library Scholarship

Slides from the Libraries Challenges and Opportunities teleconference "Tools of Engagement" (May 9, 2008)

Determinants Of The Distribution Of Congressional Earmarks Across States, Melissa Boyle, Victor Matheson

Economics Department Working Papers

Congressional earmarks have been the subject of significant political debate in recent years. Also known as “pork barrel spending,” earmarks are budgetary requests made by a single legislator that typically circumvent the traditional competitive bidding process designed to ensure the efficient use of public dollars. Utilizing annual state-level estimates of pork barrel spending, we briefly examine the factors influencing states’ receipt of earmarked funds from Congress. Results indicate that on average smaller states receive the largest amount of per capita earmarked funding, most likely as a result of their disproportionate influence in the Senate. In addition, the presence of a …

Bridging The Electronic Journal Gaps: Just How Far Back Can The Collection Go?, Elizabeth A. Appleton, Kathe Obrig

Himmelfarb Library Faculty Posters and Presentations

This poster presentation describes the process of assessing the costs and availability of an electronic backfile collection that would replace the bound print journal collection in the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library.

Incorporating Library Instruction And Resources Into The University's Writing Program For Undergraduates, Anne Linton, Alexandra Gomes

Himmelfarb Library Faculty Posters and Presentations

This poster presentation summarizes how the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library created and implemented an online resource module to accompany the George Washington University writing program.

Gender Difference In Emotional And Behavioral Responses Of Being Rendered Invisible, Juemei Yang

Honors Scholar Theses

This study examined gender differences in emotional and behavioral responses to an experience of being invisible to others. Invisibility was defined as being ignored, slighted and overlooked by others. Participants recalled their own experience and answered questions about it and their responses on an anonymous web-based survey. Although such experiences could be very unpleasant, people may respond to such negative experiences very differently. It was hypothesized that in a patriarchal society like the United States in which men hold more power than women, that men would show emotion that was more aggressive such as anger, and respond more violently to …

Evaluating The Relationship Between Collaborative Therapist Behaviors, Homework Adherence, And Treatment Outcome In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Christina Rose Thomas

Social Work Theses - Archive

The use of homework assignments is considered an integral part of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Although homework adherence has been shown to contribute to treatment outcome for depression, little research has been conducted which successfully identifies therapist characteristics which may facilitate homework adherence. Although therapeutic collaboration is referenced in clinical literature as a method of facilitating homework, no empirical investigation documents the extent to which therapeutic collaboration facilitates homework adherence. The following study proposes to test the extent to which therapeutic collaboration facilitates homework adherence and treatment outcome, and to further validate the positive relationship between homework adherence and treatment …

Designing And Delivering A Cps Workshop To Middle School Students; Designing And Delivering A Workshop To Introduce The Creative Problem Solving Process And Associated Divergent And Convergent Tools And Techniques To Middle School Children, Paul Guthart

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This Master’s project write-up details my rationale, design and delivery of a two-day training seminar aimed at teaching middle school students and teachers a modified version of the formal process of CPS and associated divergent and convergent tools. The research supporting my decision to undertake the project is based on the undeniable need to educate children on creativity, creative thinking and problem solving skills. Being a father of a middle school aged child further emphasized the need to design a project that had personal meaning as well as give students the opportunity to learn these important skills. Contained in this …

Preference Heterogeneity And Insurance Markets: Explaining A Puzzle Of Insurance, David M. Cutler, Amy Finkelstein, Kathleen Mcgarry

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Public Prekindergarten: An Implementation Model For Public Schools In States That Do Not Fund Prekindergarten, Sharon A. Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this comparative case study was to develop a prekindergarten implementation model for public school districts located in states without state-funded prekindergarten. The two public school districts selected for the study were located in a rural Midwestern state and differed on the presence or absence of a prekindergarten program within their school settings. This study utilized qualitative case study methods to identify (a) factors that supported and impeded voluntary initiation, implementation, and continuation of a prekindergarten within two public school settings; (b) the role of key stakeholders; and (c) the effects resulting from the implementation or lack of …

Cultural Advantage For Cities: An Alternative For Developing Countries, Florentin Smarandache, Victor Christianto

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

The Irony Of Proving Discrimination, Rosalyn Wilson-Green

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

Currently America courts require plaintiffs alleging discrimination to not only prove the existence of present day discrimination but to also prove the "discriminatory intent." This dissertation contains two applications of the theory of unconscious discrimination as it reveals the difficulty of prevailing in discrimination cases. The assumption applied is that policy-makers use theories that dismiss or render invisible the presence of subtle discrimination. This perpetuates the problem and hinders its adequate address. Since so many people suffer because of discrimination's invisible-yet present existence, measures must be taken to unveil the remedy this subtler form of discrimination. In this dissertation, I …

Actual And Self-Assessed Performance On A Logical Reasoning Task After A Night Of Total Or Partial Sleep Deprivation, Melissa Vander Wood

All Theses

The effect of sleep deprivation on cognitive task performance is becoming more important in today's society. Because of this, how total and partial sleep deprivation affect performance in the workplace needs to be better understood to increase awareness of how employees are able to perform. In addition, employers need to know if employees are able to accurately judge how sleep deprivation is affecting their own performance. The purpose of the current study was to compare the effects of total and partial sleep deprivation on actual and self-assessed performance on a logical reasoning task. Two studies, one under total sleep deprivation …