Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1935. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves i-ii).

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I estimate two models of consumer health insurance choices where individual attributes and e.g., income, age, gender, cost, etc. affect qualification for specific programs e.g., Medicaid and Medicare, but also affect the choices individuals make. From these results, I assess how these attributes affect health insurance choices using the 2008 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. I then use these results to predict how individual health insurance choices change with the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014. My predictions estimate that more 50 percent of those who become eligible for Medicaid under ACA will switch to Medicaid or choose to have both Private and Medicaid insurance.

This thesis describes a theoretical framework for modelling cooperative dialogue. The linguistic theory is a version of speech act theory adopted from Cohen and Levesque, in which dialogue utterances are generated and interpreted pragmatically in the context of a theory of rational interaction. The latter is expressed as explicitly and formally represented principles of rational agenthood and cooperative interaction. The focus is the development of strategic principles of multi-agent interaction as such a basis for cooperative dialogue. In contrast to the majority of existing work, these acknowledge the Positive role of conflict to multi-agent cooperation. and make no assumptions regarding the benevolence and sincerity of agents. The result is a framework wherein agents can resolve conflicts by negotiation. It is a preliminary stage to the future building of computer models of cooperative dialogue for both HCI and DAI, which will therefore be more widely and generally applicable than those currently in existence. The theory of conflict and cooperation is expressed in the different patterns of mental states which characterise multi-agent conflict, cooperation and indifference as three alternative postural relations. Agents can recognise and potentially create these. Dialogue actions are the strategic tools with which mental states can be manipulated, whilst acknowledging that agents are autonomous over their mental states; they have control over what they acquire and reveal in dialogue. Strategic principles of belief and goal adoption are described in terms of the relationships between autonomous agents' beliefs, goals, preferences, and interests, and the relation of these to action. Veracity, mendacity, concealing and revealing are defined as properties of acts. The role of all these elements in reasoning about dialogue action and conflict resolution, is tester in analyses of two example dialogues; a record of a real trade union negotiation and an extract from "Othello" by Shakespeare.

OTHER JUDICIAL PERSONS AND THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COURT IN CIVIL PROCEEDINGS ABSTRACT According to the § 3 Act No. 6/2002 sb. about the courts, judges, lay judges, the state administration of judges and about the changes of other acts in addition of judges, trainee judges, judge assistants, senior officers of justice, court secretaries and judicial executors are also involved in the decision-making and other court activities. The legislation about these other judicial persons is however inconsistent and could be found in several acts. The aim of this diploma thesis is to describe this fragmented legislation and to define the involvement of the other persons in the civil process. This diploma thesis is divided into three parts. The first part deals with the persons the law considered as the possible judge candidates. This includes a senior officer of justice, a judge assistant and a trainee judge. The second part deals with a court secretary and a judicial executor that are not considered as the possible judge candidates. The interpretation of each judicial person has the identical division which sequentially deals with the legislation regarding individual judicial persons, their legal status, responsibility, presumption of performance, activity in a civil process and their individual...

Rapid field-based assessment methods for classifying stream permanence in headwater streams are needed to accurately inform regulatory decisions regarding which streams are protected under the Clean Water Act. In North Carolina, a rapid field-based assessment method for identification of intermittent and perennial streams has been developed. The North Carolina Method (NC method) uses 26 attributes divided into three categories geomorphology, hydrology, and biology to assess a particular study reach's flow permanence. In this method, the attribute scores for a given study reach are totaled and the sum of the score is used to rank the reach as ephemeral, intermittent, or perennial. The study objective were to (1) evaluate the NC method's ability to classify the flow permanence of agricultural, low order, study reaches in Southern Illinois and (2) create empirical models that predict flow permanence at a given stream location. The results of the study show the NC method successfully differentiated ephemeral from intermittent and perennial study reaches 100% of the time. However, there was lower fidelity in differentiating between intermittent and perennial study reaches and correctly determined flow permanence 82% of the time. In two of the cases where the NC method categorized the streams incorrectly, the score was on the threshold between intermittent and ephemeral. If these study reaches were categorized during a drier period they may have scored correctly. These results suggest the NC method would be a strong foundation for the development of a rapid field-based assessment protocol method for Illinois. Regression models were developed to predict NC method scores using a variety of hydrologic, geomorphic, and land-cover metrics. Two statistically significant models (>95% confidence interval) for estimating NC method stream permanence scores were developed using these physical parameters. One of the significant regression models developed used watershed area alone as a predictor of the NC method stream permanence scores. The second significant regression model employed bankfull width, upslope surface-water area, and upslope area of grass lands. These models explained 61% and 69% of the variance in the NC method stream-permanence scores, respectively. While the regression models develop here are not capable of explicitly modeling stream-permanence class with a high degree of accuracy, they are useful for guiding stream-permanence study-site selection.

The present study measures the effect of ACT on 3 children with high functioning autism. In a multiple probe design, the 3 participants received 15-20 minute ACT sessions over 20 days. The children completed a variety of worksheets, games, and activities stretched across the main components of ACT (cognitive defusion, values, commitment to action, acceptance, self as context, and being present). The frequencies of maladaptive target behavior were tracked daily for each participant. The success of ACT sessions was also measured by the AAQ (K), AAQ-II, and ACT self-report. Results are discussed regarding the scores of the assessments, longevity of the ACT sessions, and the frequency of target behaviors. The discussion looks the limitations of the currents study as well as how research can be extended in the future.

Research consistently demonstrates parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience more parental stress than parents with children in any other developmental category (Hayes & Watson, 2013). Previous research has begun investigating the use of ACT protocols as an intervention to increase psychological flexibility and reduce stress among this population (Hahs, Dixon, and Palilunas, 2018). Due to evidence provided in the literature demonstrating ACT as an effective intervention for parents of individuals with ASD, the current study conducted an evaluation of a brief ACT training in comparison with a traditional parent support group for this population. Participants of the study were twenty caregivers of an individual diagnosed with ASD. Each intervention consisted of two, two-hour sessions. Participants were provided with the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II and Parental Stress Scale pre and post intervention. Independent t-tests were ran in order to determine if mean change scores differed on the questionnaires across the ACT and TAU groups. Results of the independent t-test indicated that the difference in mean change scores of the AAQ-II across groups was statistically significant, however the difference in mean change scores of the PSS were not. Clinical implications are offered.

The Clean Water Act's §404 allows states to assume control of wetland dredge-and-fill permitting from the Federal Government. However, since the bill was passed in the 1970's, only two states have successfully assumed control of the permitting program. Each state that has looked into assumption has run into barriers, issues, and problems that have prevented them from successfully assuming the program. I interviewed people involved with assumption at different levels of involvement, and this thesis seeks to provide a conflict management design system that will help states overcome some of the most pernicious issues.

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