This thesis aims to utilize data analysis and predictive modeling techniques and apply them in different domains for gaining insights. The topics were chosen keeping the same in mind. Analysis of customer interests is a crucial factor in present marketing trends and hence we worked on twitter data which is a significant part of digital marketing. Neuroscience, especially psychological behavior, is an important research area. We chose eye tracking data based on which we differentiated human concentration while watching controllable (video game) videos and uncontrollable (sports) videos. Currently, cities are using data analysis for becoming smart cities. We worked on the City of Lewisville emergency services data and predicted the vehicle-accident-prone areas for development of precautionary measures in those areas.

Poor student achievement at some community colleges results in low retention and graduation rates. Addressing the problem of unpreparedness for college with good academic advising may help to improve student achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a difference in the academic achievement of 1st year full-time (FYFT) community college students, based on having received 1 semester of any of 4 different academic advising methods (prescriptive, developmental, intrusive, proactive) while controlling for high school grade point average (GPA). Bandura's social learning theory was used as the theoretical framework. A quantitative research method, deploying 1 research question and 5 hypotheses, was used to guide the examination of a sample of 349 archived data records of Fall 2016 FYFT students at a community college in the northeastern United States. The study included a categorical (factor) and a metric (covariate) measures of variables; therefore, a 1-way ANCOVA was used to estimate the effect of the academic advising method on student achievement. The findings showed no significant difference in FYFT student GPA, based on having received academic advising in general or any method of academic advising, during the 1st semester of enrollment. Despite these findings, the literature supports academic advising as critical for improving GPA, implying that further research is needed to adequately determine trends in student achievement related to advising over more than 1 semester at the college studied. By understanding the difference in the academic achievement of FYFT students based on having received academic advising consistently, academic advisors will have information that can potentially enhance student achievement and increase students' chances of graduating, thus promoting positive social change.

Se realizó la siguiente tesis con la finalidad de entender el uso que los Millennials le dan al internet antes, durante y después de un viaje. Es decir, se busca comprender como usan este medio para cumplir su objetivo principal: lograr una buena experiencia turística percibida. Se selecciona a este segmento de jóvenes por la alta importancia que tienen en el sector turismo y por ser el grupo que, a la fecha, es el que representa el mayor crecimiento de esta industria. Además de ello, se han vuelto relevantes al demostrar que son potenciales viajeros que están en constante uso de internet. Por dichos motivos, los Millennials se han convertido en el nuevo público objetivo de muchas empresas del rubro y un caso de interés para organismos como PROMPERÚ. Los resultados de las encuestas analizarán y responderán la incógnita principal: ¿Cómo es el uso del internet en la experiencia turística percibida antes, durante y después del viaje en Millennials de Lima Metropolitana comprendidos entre los 22 y 37 años que viajan dentro del Perú?. Además de ello, se buscará responder los cuatro objetivos secundarios que giran alrededor del problema principal: cómo es que realizan la búsqueda de información ante un viaje, conocer si realizan publicaciones en internet sobre su experiencia y comprender como lo hacen, entender cuáles son las motivaciones que tienen para utilizar este medio y describir si la expectativa de este viajero se cumple cuando realiza una evaluación después de su viaje. / The focus of this thesis is to understand the different ways that Millennials use the internet through out a trip. Explicitly, the use of the internet to achieve an optimal touristic experience. Millennials were selected for this study due to their high influence to the tourist industry and for contributing the most to the growth of this sector. In addition to this, they are considered relevant due to their high internet engagement and constant use throughout their trips. It is due to this that Millennials have become the new target group for many business related to Tourism or other institutions such as PROMPERU. The survey results aim to answer the following question: How does the use of the internet affect the perception of the overall touristic experience throughout the trip for Millennials from Metropolitan Lima of ages 22 to 37 that travel within Peru? In addition, the study aims to answer four objectives that gravitate around the main problem: understand how is the target group searching for information before their trip, if they generate posts portraying their experience during their trip, comprehend their motivations behind their reasons for the internet usage and understand whether their expectations were met by analyzing their survey answers after a trip. / Tesis

The main aim of the thesis was to investigate the effect of the use of a foreign language - in this case, English - on the strength of the framing effect in framing types that have not been studied in this respect before. According to the results, framing through the manipulation of emotionally charged keywords is indeed mitigated by the use of a foreign language. The main factors at play here are whether the respondent started learning the foreign language at an early age before the emotion-regulation systems were developed, and whether the respondent is accustomed to using the language routinely. Visual framing yielded the opposite results - in the absence of the keywords, only the effect of greater cognitive load remained for respondents completing the questionnaire in English, which magnified the framing bias. This effect was stronger for respondents whose English skills were weaker and who used English less. In the case of framing using the status quo, the results were inconclusive as there was a bias most likely caused by an inaccuracy in translation.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / A semi-parametric approach incorporates parametric and nonparametric functions in the model and is very useful in situations when a fully parametric model is inadequate. The objective of this dissertation is to extend statistical methodology employing the semi-parametric modeling approach to analyze data in health science research areas. This dissertation has three parts. The first part discusses the modeling of the dose-response relationship with correlated data by introducing overall drug effects in addition to the deviation of each subject-specific curve from the population average. Here, a penalized spline regression method that allows modeling of the smooth dose-response relationship is applied to data in studies monitoring malaria drug resistance through the ex-vivo assays.The second part of the dissertation extends the SiZer map, which is an exploratory and a powerful visualization tool, to detect underlying significant features (increase, decrease, or no change) of the curve at various smoothing levels. Here, Penalized Spline Significant Zero Crossings of Derivatives (PS-SiZer), using a penalized spline regression, is introduced to investigate significant features in correlated data arising from longitudinal settings. The third part of the dissertation applies the proposed PS-SiZer methodology to analyze HIV data. The durability of significant weight change over a period is explored from the PS-SiZer visualization. PS-SiZer is a graphical tool for exploring structures in curves by mapping areas where rate of change is significantly increasing, decreasing, or does not change. PS-SiZer maps provide information about the significant rate of weigh change that occurs in two ART regimens at various level of smoothing. A penalized spline regression model at an optimum smoothing level is applied to obtain an estimated first-time point where weight no longer increases for different treatment regimens.

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a preventative curriculum entitled Eating Disorders: Physical, Social, and Emotional Consequences, A High School Curriculum about Anorexia, Bulimia, and Compulsive Eating (EDPSEC), a preventative curriculum for eating disorders. Participants included an experimental group of 72 students enrolled in a ninth grade health class and a control group of 39 ninth grade students enrolled in a physical education class. The research examined the administration integrity of the curriculum and participating students' change in eating attitudes and behaviors according to group membership. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and the Eating Survey (ES) were utilized in a pre-post test design to determine the participants' change. There was a high correlation between the students' scores on the ES and the EAT-26 (r = .873). Results indicated low treatment integrity and no significant change on students' EAT-26 or ES scores according to group. However due to low treatment integrity this study was unable to determine the effectiveness of this EDPSEC curriculum. There was a high correlation between the students' scores on the ES and the EAT-26 (r = .873).

No description available.

This study investigated law enforcement officers' personal beliefs and attitudes toward Muslims and Islam in Greece. Primary survey data collected directly from forty-eight active police officers in Greece, from different gender, age group and management level. An online questionnaire with twenty-five questions was developed, in order to assess the knowledge of and attitudes toward Muslims and Islam among the sample of the Greek police officers. The survey examined four broad areas. First, it aims to look at the respondents' general understanding of many of Islam's basic tenets. Following that, it examines some of the respondents' attitudes toward Muslims and Islam. Third, the survey aims to explore respondents' views on how Muslims and Islam are portrayed in the media. Finally, the level of officers’ contact with Muslims is investigated and to what extent police officers were eager to learn more about Muslim culture and Islam.  The results of data analyses demonstrate that the majority of police officers do not consistently base their knowledge of Muslims and Islam on stereotypes. Furthermore, their views on Muslims and Islam were not uniformly negative.

No description available.

This dissertation explores the use of smart devices to measure the environmental landscape performance (LP) of landscape projects. It proposes and evaluates an alternative landscape performance measurement framework (ALPMF) with smart device assistance. By providing new measurement methods and tools, it aims to fill some existing and potential gaps in LP and promote its development. LP has been proposed in landscape architecture to measure landscape projects' sustainable benefits. Due to LP research's short development history, some gaps exist, including one-time measurements, a lack of standard evaluation methods, and insufficient measurement tools. Given the advantages of smart devices in data collection and the successful application of smart devices in other design-related fields, this dissertation explores their feasibility as assessment tools in environmental LP studies. It begins by analyzing each LP research case's report listed on the Landscape Performance Series (LPS) website to explore the limitations of traditional measurement methods and tools. Following a survey of professionals' perspectives on LP metrics. Based on the survey results, the researcher selects certain air quality and water quality LP metrics as variables (air temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, total dissolved solids, and electronic conductivity) for subsequent experiments. Two experiments explore smart devices' strengths and limitations in collecting LP data and measuring landscape projects' LP in terms of accuracy, real-time, spatial resolution, and longitudinal analysis. The researcher proposes the ALPMF and conducts a comparative study with the traditional landscape performance measurement framework (TLPMF) to measure a project's LP. By comparing methods, tools, and results, the study examines the advantages and effectiveness of the ALPMF to a certain extent and explores its limitations. The research results show that smart devices and the ALPMF can provide more accurate, real-time, spatial resolution, and longitudinal LP data. The results also demonstrate the effectiveness of the ALPMP. Furthermore, this dissertation offers several insights and suggestions for further developing smart devices and the ALPMF in LP and landscape architecture. This dissertation fills some research gaps and provides new tools and methods for future LP measurement. It contributes to improving landscape projects' sustainable values and refining the landscape architectural design guidelines. As an interdisciplinary study, it also provides an example of the intersection of landscape architecture with other disciplines, such as mechanical engineering and computer science. It helps to broaden the knowledge boundary of landscape architecture. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation aims to evaluate the contribution of landscape architecture projects to sustainable development using smart devices. It proposes and preliminarily tests an alternative landscape performance measurement framework (ALPMF). This new framework aims to improve the traditional landscape performance measurement framework (TLPMF) and enhance future projects' landscape performance (LP). This research is important, especially in the current context of climate change. It explores how landscape architecture can enhance public quality of life and contribute to environmental improvements such as carbon sequestration and water quality. The researcher conducted a literature review, surveyed professionals to gather opinions, and performed experiments to provide empirical data. The results reveal: 1) gaps in traditional LP research, 2) advantages and disadvantages of using smart devices, 3) effectiveness of the ALPMF, and 4) contributions to sustainable development through improved design guidelines. In summary, this study provides methods and tools to 1) fill some gaps in the LP, 2) help improve the sustainable values of future landscape projects, 3) impact related urban planning or environmental protection policy formulation, 4) raise public awareness of the importance of landscape architecture in promoting sustainability, 5) and help to expand the boundaries of the landscape architecture discipline to better contribute to improving public's life quality. The researcher hopes this dissertation study can stimulate more research and discussion and provide positive changes to the LP and landscape architecture.