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<p> Several test statistics, which are known, can be used for testing for exponentiality. A new test statistic TE is proposed. TE is based on a censored sample and is similar to Tiku's T statistic for testing for normality. The distribution of TE tends to normality with increasing sample size. Besides, TE is easy to compute and is both origin and scale invariant. The power of TE for non-exponential distributions is comparable with Shapiro & Wilk statistic W-exponential. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

BACKGROUND: Transgender women suffer a great deal of self-reported anxiety and concern about their facial appearance as they may readily be identified by observers as "trans" when they would prefer to be interpreted solely as women. Little is known about the psychological distress that transgender individuals experience in their decision to undergo major aesthetic plastic surgery as a result of their appearance concern. As such, it remains unknown whether transgender individuals experience improved appearance anxiety and a greater quality of life following facial feminization surgery. AIMS: The objective of this study is to determine, using the Derriford Appearance Scale 24, whether any improvement can be seen among transgender patients in their level of appearance anxiety following facial feminization surgery. We also aim to look at whether additional improvements can be seen in the quality of life of transgender patients. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted on patients undergoing facial feminization surgery. The outcome measure used was the Derriford Appearance Scale 24. The Derriford Appearance Scale 24 was given to transgender patients to fill out at the end of their pre-operative visit before their schedule facial feminization surgery. The scale was then also administered three weeks following surgery and three months following surgery, via the Internet. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients were enrolled. Of these, fourteen patients completed at least one of the surveys, post-operatively; twelve patients completed all three surveys. Of those patients who completed at least two out of the three surveys, scores revealed that 85% of transgender patients displayed higher levels of psychological distress when completing the first survey, preoperatively, than in subsequent post-operative surveys. CONCLUSIONS: Transgender individuals enrolled in the study showed decreased levels of distress both three weeks after surgery and three months after surgery. These results were promising in displaying amelioration of appearance anxiety following facial feminization surgery. Though results show increased quality of life, the degree of impact that gender confirming facial features may have on quality of life for transgender patients has yet to be assessed.

I used multivariate, hierarchical analyses to examine the relative influence of watershed-, riparian- and channel-scale environmental characteristics on catch per unit effort (CPUE: fish/angler-hour) and species composition of sport fisheries in Mississippi wadeable streams. Partial canonical correspondence analyses indicated that riparian-scale variables (31.1%) explained more variation in sport fish relative abundances compared to watershed-scale (24.4%) and channel-scale variables (18.9%). Largemouth bass M. salmoides and longear sunfish Lepomis megalotis were more abundant in smaller-watershed streams with dense forest cover and greater woody debris, alkalinity and diverse substrates. Spotted bass M. punctulatus and bluegill L. macrochirus were more abundant in larger-watershed streams with moderate to dense forest cover yet more open riparian canopies. Regional-scale characteristics also influenced relative abundances of these fisheries. Total CPUE, total bass CPUE and largemouth bass CPUE were greatest in watersheds draining the Blackland Prairie-Flatwoods compared to other level III ecoregions. This ecoregion contains fertile soils that influence stream productivity, because alkalinity tends to be large in forested streams draining this ecoregion. I developed and validated watershed-scale models and found that percentage forest cover, stream density, total road density and primary highway density predicted mean total CPUE, mean total sunfish CPUE and mean total bass CPUE accurately (Sign tests comparing observed versus predicted mean CPUE, P > 0.05). The models were precise (R2 > 0.71), explaining 83%, 71% and 80%, respectively, of variation in mean total CPUE, mean total sunfish CPUE and mean total bass CPUE from independent data. Species-specific models performed poorly, suggesting biotic relationships may hinder development of meaningful habitat models for species. My study supports forest conservation to sustain sport fisheries in Mississippi’s wadeable streams. Forests mediate sediment and nutrient loading to stream channels, influence hydrology and channel morphology and provide woody habitat for sport fish and their forage base (benthic macroinvertebrates). My small sample size was small; (N = 13 reaches), thus caution is advised before engaging in comprehensive management of wadeable streams based on my results. Nevertheless, my watershed models can be applied at very low cost using a GIS or topographic maps to identify reaches state-wide that support wadeable stream sport fisheries.

Functional behavior assessment refers to the broad range of behavioral assessment methods used to identify or clarify the purpose or maintaining contingencies of problem behavior in order to design and implement function-based interventions designed to reduce the occurrence of the problem behavior and teach appropriate replacement skills. FBAs are required in the educational setting for students whose problem behavior is displayed to such a significant level that their learning or the learning of their peers is impacted. As such, previous researchers have conducted trainings on FBA for school-based personnel using a wide variety of methods. Unfortunately, the findings of these studies have yielded mixed results suggesting the need for further inquiry in this line of research. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether FBA training would produce significant changes in participants’ knowledge and acceptability of FBA measures and procedures. In addition, the current study evaluated if a significant relationship existed between the FBA knowledge and acceptability measures. The study also evaluated if the use of vignettes and the provision of feedback following training impacted participants’ accuracy and acceptability on an FBA informant method. Results revealed a statistically significant change in all variables on the second administration of the measures of knowledge or acceptability. In addition, results from the study revealed a significant relationship between the second administration of knowledge and the second administration of FBA Evaluation Scales. Conversely, no significant relationship was found between the first administration of knowledge and the first administration of acceptability measures. Overall, the study demonstrated that the specific strategies utilized in the FBA training series were effective in increasing FBA knowledge and acceptability. As such, the current study contributes to the FBA literature by providing further evaluation of training methods designed to increase participant knowledge and acceptability of FBA policies and procedures. Limitations and implications for practice and research are discussed.

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