The study proposed here is addressed to two of the most important problems facing teenagers and the adults who care about them today--alcohol and marijuana use. While previous studies have provided some answers about these problems, much remains to be acquired and learned. The study will gather the usual basic demographic and other data on teenage drinking and drug use; but, it will do more by testing a control theory model of substance use by adolescents. The significance of this study is that it will go beyond the description of amount and related variations to answer questions about differences existing between those who use these substances and those who do not. Major differences in the attachments of the individuals to conventional others, commitments to conventional institutions and goals, involvements in conventional activities, and beliefs in conventional society and goals between users and non-users will be compared and statistically tested. In this way we hope to provide empirically valid findings which should have relevance to existing or future drug and alcohol education or prevention programs. / The study will proceed as a secondary analysis of self-report questionnaires administered to male and female students in junior and senior high schools in a single school district. The questionnaires were administered in the classrooms during school hours by members of the research staff. Therefore, teachers were not asked to perform any duties in the administration of the questionnaire. A total population of seventh through tenth grade students and a random sample of eleventh and twelfth grade students were administered the questionnaire. The questionnaire involved only one class period. Protection of confidentiality and rights of students was provided. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-04, Section: A, page: 1315. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The purpose of this study was to examine four analytical methods and to illustrate by example any which seem to hold the potential for extracting additional knowledge from institutional research studies by means of their synthesis through meta-analysis; the measurement of the importance of their findings, through content analysis; the study of the relationships among their characteristics and findings, through multiple correspondence analysis; or the prioritization of research topics through the analytical hierarchy process. / A demonstration of the analytic hierarchy process was conducted within the context of a single institution in order to answer questions related to the worth of this process, its difficulty, and the time it requires. Results were compared for different questionnaire-types, for different process-judges, and for a "direct" process. The "forward" and the "clustering" approaches to simplify the prioritization were examined. / The demonstration of the analytic hierarchy process showed that the process was not so difficult to apply, and that the required time could be reduced. Other conclusions were that experienced faculty members are preferred for giving opinions on faculty workload issues, and that the prioritization changes according to area of knowledge. Moreover, the superiority of the computer-questionnaire over the paper-questionnaire was not conclusive. / The worth of this application should be assessed on the basis of the intrinsic nature of institutional research studies which generally cannot be generalized, and the two major difficulties reported by this research: the findings are (a) descriptive, and (b) highly diverse. These reasons precluded the integration of research findings by meta-analysis and also made useless the measure of the emphasis of research findings by content analysis. Meanwhile, the analytic hierarchy process overcame both difficulties and led to prioritizing the research topics. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-11, Section: A, page: 3460. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.

Despite the vast range of commentaries and research on the current health care crisis, little research attention has been focused specifically on physicians' attitudes, orientations, and reactions to innovations and/or change in the traditional methods of delivering medical care. In response to this hiatus in research, the present study examines the reactions of physicians' to the hypothetical development of a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) in the community. An exploratory causal model is developed and analysis based upon a cross-sectional survey data set. The results indicate that one of the most important mediating variables in a causal chain leading to factors which account for physicians' reactions is the extent of agreement with basic structural problems (performance gaps) in the existing system. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-07, Section: A, page: 3293. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The study tested empirically the relationship of role expectations, goals, values and communication to organizational socialization at the entry stage. Entry congruencies of superior-subordinate expectations, goals, and values, plus subordinate satisfaction with organizational communication, were hypothesized as significant measures of "goodness of fit" of individuals and organizations. / Subjects, numbering 36, were new faculty of a state-supported, mid-sized university in northeastern United States. During their entry socialization stage (operationalized as the first semester of the new employment), subjects responded to five, time-spaced instruments. Nonparametric statistics were used to analyze the data. / Results of the study supported the hypotheses. Organizational communication proved to be the strongest single predictor of satisfactory socialization, accounting for more than 30% of the variance. Entry congruency of expectations and goals accounted for approximately 20%; so the three variables combined accounted for more than 50% of the variance in the entry socialization model. Value congruency, however, showed no significant relationship to entry socialization. / Theoretical implications of the study relate to development of a theory of organizational socialization. Spatiotemporal studies of both the pre-entry stage and metamorphosis stage of organizational socialization are recommended for use with the entry model developed in this study. Also suggested is extension of the role set of the newcomer to include peers as well as superiors. / Practical implications of the study concern improved hiring and orientation practices. / Mismatching of individuals and organizations is costly in time, money and morale. This study concluded that congruency of expectations and goals and satisfaction with organizational communication are reliable predictors of "goodness of fit" of the person to the job, and the job to the person. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-08, Section: A, page: 3783. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 38-09, Section: A, page: 5754. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1977.

Wave-based models of sound propagation can be used to predict and synthesize sounds as they would be heard naturally in room acoustic environments. The numerical simulation of such models with traditional time-stepping grid-based methods can be an expensive process, due to the sheer size of listening environments (e.g., auditoriums and concert halls) and due to the temporal resolution required by audio rates that resolve frequencies up to the limit of human hearing. Finite difference methods comprise a simple starting point for such simulations, but they are known to suffer from approximation errors that may necessitate expensive grid refinements in order to achieve sufficient levels of accuracy. As such, a significant amount of research has gone into designing finite difference methods that are highly accurate while remaining computationally efficient. The problem of designing and using accurate finite difference schemes is compounded by the fact that room acoustics models require complex boundary conditions to model frequency-dependent wall impedances over non-trivial geometries. The implementation of such boundary conditions in a numerically stable manner has been a challenge for some time. Stable boundary conditions for finite difference room acoustics simulations have been formulated in the past, but generally they have only been useful in modelling trivial geometries (e.g., idealised shoebox halls). Finite volume methods have recently been shown to be a viable solution to the problem of complex boundary conditions over non-trivial geometries, and they also allow for the use of energy methods for numerical stability analyses. Finite volume methods lend themselves naturally to fully unstructured grids and they can simplify to the types of grids typically used in finite difference methods. This allows for room acoustics simulation models that balance the simplicity of finite difference methods for wave propagation in air with the detail of finite volume methods for the modelling of complex boundaries. This thesis is an exploration of these two distinct, yet related, approaches to wave-based room acoustic simulations. The overarching theme in this investigation is the balance between accuracy, computational efficiency, and numerical stability. Higher-order and optimised schemes in two and three spatial dimensions are derived and compared, towards the goal of finding accurate and efficient finite difference schemes. Numerical stability is analysed using frequency-domain analyses, as well as energy techniques whenever possible, allowing for stable and frequency-dependent boundary conditions appropriate for room acoustics modelling. Along the way, the use of non-Cartesian grids is investigated, geometric relationships between certain finite difference and finite volume schemes are explored, and some problems associated to staircasing effects at boundaries are considered. Also, models of sound absorption in air are incorporated into these numerical schemes, using physical parameters that are appropriate for room acoustic scenarios.

by Yuk-ka Chung. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-74). / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Regenerative Simulation --- p.5 / Chapter § 2.1 --- Discrete time discrete state space Markov chain --- p.5 / Chapter § 2.2 --- Discrete time continuous state space Markov chain --- p.8 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Estimation --- p.14 / Chapter § 3.1 --- Ratio estimators --- p.14 / Chapter § 3.2 --- General method for generation of steady states from the estimated stationary distribution --- p.17 / Chapter § 3.3 --- Bootstrap method --- p.22 / Chapter § 3.4 --- A new approach: the scoring method --- p.26 / Chapter § 3.4.1 --- G(0) method --- p.29 / Chapter § 3.4.2 --- G(1) method --- p.31 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Bias of the Scoring Sampling Algorithm --- p.34 / Chapter § 4.1 --- General form --- p.34 / Chapter § 4.2 --- Bias of G(0) estimator --- p.36 / Chapter § 4.3 --- Bias of G(l) estimator --- p.43 / Chapter § 4.4 --- Estimation of bounds for bias: stopping criterion for simulation --- p.51 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Simulation Study --- p.54 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Discussion --- p.70 / References --- p.73

Mike W.L., Cheung. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-58). / Abstract also in Chinese. / ACKNOWLEDGMENTS --- p.2 / ABSTRACT --- p.3 / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.5 / Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION OF RESEARCH TOPIC --- p.8 / Structural equation modeling as an important statistical technique in behavioral sciences --- p.8 / Meta analysis as a statistical technique to combine information --- p.9 / Objectives of the present study --- p.10 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- COMMON METHODS USED IN SUMMARIZING RESEARCH FINDINGS AND THEIR PROBLEMS --- p.11 / Potential problems in individual study --- p.11 / Overviews of meta analysis --- p.12 / Common methods of summarizing research findings in SEM --- p.13 / Stage 1: Estimating the pooled correlation matrix --- p.14 / Test for homogeneity before combining --- p.14 / Correction for artifacts --- p.15 / Method 1: Averaging by the weighted correlation coefficients --- p.16 / Method 2: Averaging by the weighted Fisher z transformed correlation coefficients --- p.17 / Choices of weightings --- p.17 / Potential problems of common methods in stage1 --- p.19 / Stage 2: Fitting the proposed model --- p.20 / Potential problems of common methods in stage2 --- p.20 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- PROCEDURES OF THE NEW PROPOSED TWO-STAGE METHOD --- p.23 / Introduction --- p.23 / Terminology of SEM in single group --- p.23 / Terminology of SEM in multigroup --- p.26 / The proposed two-stage method --- p.27 / Stage 1: Estimating the pooled correlation matrix --- p.27 / An artificial example --- p.29 / Stage 2: Fitting the SEM model --- p.30 / Advantages of the proposed two-stage method --- p.31 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- SIMULATION STUDY OF THE PROPOSED METHOD WITH THE COMMON METHODS --- p.33 / Introduction --- p.33 / Method --- p.33 / Results and discussion --- p.38 / Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- A REAL EXAMPLE FITTING PATH MODEL --- p.44 / Introduction --- p.44 / A real example --- p.44 / Results and discussion --- p.45 / Chapter CHAPTER 6 --- "LIMITATIONS, FUTURE DIRECTIONS AND CONCLUSION" --- p.48 / Summaries of the proposed two-stage method and findings --- p.48 / Limitations and future directions --- p.49 / REFERENCES --- p.52 / APPENDIX A --- p.59 / APPENDIX B --- p.60 / APPENDIX C --- p.62 / FOOTNOTES --- p.82 / TABLE 1 TO TABLE8 --- p.84 / FIGURE CAPTION --- p.97 / FIGURE1 --- p.98 / FIGURE2 --- p.99

Lam Tau Hing. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-64). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2. --- Trading Strategies --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1. --- SETAR Model --- p.6 / Chapter 2.2. --- AR Model --- p.8 / Chapter 2.3. --- Moving Average --- p.9 / Chapter Chapter 3. --- Data and Methodology --- p.11 / Chapter Chapter 4. --- Empirical Results --- p.16 / Chapter Chapter 5. --- Bootstrap Analysis --- p.25 / Chapter 5.1. --- Random-Walk Model --- p.28 / Chapter 5.2. --- GARCH-M Model --- p.30 / Chapter Chapter 6. --- Combined Strategy --- p.33 / Chapter Chapter 7. --- Conclusion --- p.34 / Tables --- p.36 / References --- p.60

We are interested in solving the time-harmonic inverse acoustic scattering problem for planar sound-soft obstacles. In this work, we introduce four methods for solving inverse scattering problems. The first method is a variation of the method introduced by Johansson and Sleeman. This method solves the inverse problem when we have the far field pattern given for only one incident wave. It is an iterative method based on a pair of integral equations used to obtain the far field pattern of a known single object. The method proposed in this thesis has a better computational performance than the method of Johansson and Sleeman. The second method we present is a multi-frequency method called the recursive linearization algorithm. This method solves the inverse problem when the far field pattern is given for multiple frequencies. The idea of this method is that from an initial guess, we solve the single frequency inverse problem for the lowest frequency. We use the result obtained as the initial guess to solve the problem for the next highest frequency. We repeat this process until we use the data from all frequencies. To solve the problem at each frequency, we use the first method proposed. To improve the quality of the reconstruction of the shadowed part of the object, we solve the inverse scattering problem of reconstructing an unknown sound-soft obstacle in the presence of known scatterers. We show that depending on the position of the scatterers, we may be able to obtain very accurate reconstructions of the entire unknown object. Next, we introduce a method for solving the inverse problem of reconstructing a convex sound-soft obstacle, given measures of the far field pattern at two frequencies that are not in the resonance region of the object. This method is based on the use of an approximation formula for the far field pattern using geometric optics. We are able to prove that for the reconstruction of the circle of radius $R$ and center at the origin, the size of the interval of convergence of this method is proportional to the inverse of the wavenumber. This procedure is effective at reconstructing the illuminated part of the object; however, it requires an initial guess close to the object for frequencies out of the resonance region. Finally, we propose a globalization technique to obtain a better initial guess to solve the inverse problem at frequencies out of the resonance region. In this technique, given the far field pattern of a convex object at two frequencies out of the resonance region, we use our extrapolation operator to generate synthetic data for low frequencies. We apply the recursive linearization algorithm, using as a single frequency solver the method that is based on geometric optics. We obtain an approximation of the object that can be used as the initial guess to apply the recursive linearization algorithm using the first method introduced as the single frequency solver.