The recent popularity of Bayesian inference is due to the practical advantages of the Bayesian approach. The Bayesian analysis makes it possible to reflect ones prior beliefs into the analysis. In this thesis, we explore some asymptotic results in Bayesian nonparametric inference for restricted and unrestricted space of distributions. This thesis is divided into two parts. In the first part, we employ the Dirichlet process in a hypothesis testing framework to propose a Bayesian nonparametric chi-squared goodness-of-fit test. Our suggested method corresponds to Lo's Bayesian bootstrap procedure for chi-squared goodness-of-fit test. Indeed, our bootstrap rectifies some shortcomings of regular bootstrap which only counts number of observations falling in each bin in contingency tables. We consider the Dirichlet process as the prior for the distribution of data and carry out the test based on the Kullback-Leibler distance between the Dirichlet process posterior and the hypothesized distribution. We prove that this distance asymptotically converges to the same chi-squared distribution as the classical frequentist's chi-squared test. Moreover, the results are generalized to the chi-squared test of independence for contingency tables. In the second part, our main focus is on Bayesian nonparametric inference for a restricted group of distributions called spherically symmetric distributions. We describe a Bayesian nonparametric approach to perform an inference for a bivariate spherically symmetric distribution. We place a Dirichlet invariant process prior on the set of all bivariate spherically symmetric distributions and derive the Dirichlet invariant process posterior. Indeed, our approach is an extension of the Dirichlet invariant process for the symmetric distributions on the real line to bivariate spherically symmetric distribution where the underlying distribution is invariant under a finite group of rotations. Further, we obtain the Dirichlet invariant process posterior for the infinite transformation group and we prove that it approaches a certain Dirichlet process. Finally, we develop our approach to obtain the Bayesian nonparametric posterior distribution for functionals of the distribution's support when the support satisfies certain symmetry conditions. When symmetry holds with respect to the parallel lines of axes (for example, in two dimensional space x = a and y = b) we employ our approach to approximate the distribution of certain functionals such as area and perimeter for the support of the distribution. This suggests a Bayesian nonparametric bootstrapping scheme. The estimates can be derived based on posterior averaging. Then, our simulation results demonstrate that our suggested bootstrapping technique improves the accuracy of the estimates.

The criteria used to grade college essays have been the subject of research for over three decades. Using quantatative data, this study investigated the differences in essay-grading criteria and essay-grading policy among full-time faculty members who teach English composition in Tennessee's community colleges. This study revealed beliefs about the importance of essay-grading criteria and beliefs about written and unwritten essay-grading policies among those who teach developmental English, college-level English, and those who teach both levels of English. This study hypothesized that there were no differences among the English composition teacher's beliefs about the importance of the twenty essay-grading criteria nor in their beliefs regarding written and unwritten grading policies. Chi-square analysis of the non-parametric data collected during this study indicated statistically significant differences among the English teachers regarding only one of the essay-grading criteria and no statistically significant differences regarding the essay-grading policies.

The Vietnamese people have always harboured an extraordinarily strong patriotic drive. But the government formed by Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969) after the Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) on the 2nd September 1945, the group that was to represent majority Vietnamese opinion until and after 1975, was spearheaded by the Vietminh (League for Vietnam's Independence) - a movement that did not define itself as Nationalist, but rather as an expressly Communist group. When the people of Vietnam looked for leadership, this was the obvious group to choose - the only movement prepared and willing to step in (other, more nationalist resistance groups had prematurely flourished and failed, as shall be discussed). In the Vietnam that found itself suddenly free at the close of the Second World War, no other lobby was ready, no group presented itself nationally as the Communists were and did. The Liberation Army that seized control of town after town was the military arm of the Viet Minh, formed in 1944 under Vo Nguyen Giap (b. 1912), an element of a movement that published its manifesto in February 1930, that had begun preparation and ideological training in the late 1920's in Guangzhou under Ho Chi Minh. Given the long preparation carried out by the Vietminh, the progression to the declaration of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam as a Communist nation with Ho at its head was a natural one. Whilst that development seems logical given the conditions of the day, the manner in which those conditions were reached (or manipulated) has been the subject of intense debate. Was that natural progression one in which the ideologists of Communist revolution 'captured' the Nationalist movement, exploited a nationalistic fervour to produce the desired revolt, using the front of the Viet Minh to blend their esoteric dogmas with the more easily understood nationalist cause of resistance? This is a perception held by many modern historians - that, in effect, Communists are the parasites of the modernization process. This attitude was and is encouraged by examination of advice given to Asian revolutionaries by their Soviet counterparts; Grigori Zinoviev (1833-1936) - later to die by Stalin's order - argued in 1922 that Communists should co-operate with the rising nationalists in Asia, gain the leadership of their movement, and then cast aside the genuine national leaders. For by itself, the tiny Indochina Communist Party could never have hoped to attract the support of politically engaged Vietnamese, let alone the hearts and minds of the nation at large. This is the essence of the currently accepted analysis of the revolutionary Vietnamese setting - that the Communist lobby exploited a majority furious with the abuses of French rule, sliding Communism into a dominant role in Vietnamese life. The majority of people had not fought for a communist government, but to be rid of the colonial occupying power. Such a perception, as shall be discussed, is representative of the Western reading of the whole Southeast Asian region of the day. The Vietnamese people were accustomed to the use of violence to protect their independence; perennial opposition to expansionist China meant that few peoples in Asia had been compelled to fight longer and harder to retain their identity as a separate and independent state than the Vietnamese. Whilst the ability and commitment of the Vietcong in resistance to outside power has been recognised, the strong sense of Vietnamese identity in and of itself has never really been acknowledged beyond the most simplistic of terms by external observers, perhaps because of the difficulty of comprehending how such an emotion can form when looking at the odd shape of the nation on a map. Such a lack of awareness allows supposed Vietnam specialists to assert that the dominant Vietnamese self-assessment is the extent to which the country is not Chinese (and, to a lesser extent, not French) rather than entering into a more significant analysis of how a national identity formed: how, whilst certainly influenced by feelings of encirclement and domination, Vietnam also developed a separate, distinct sense of self. This, whilst a sense that has only relatively recently manifested itself in territorial demands, is a longstanding emotion and sense, in and of itself. Given an understanding of that sense or merely an awareness of its existence, the willingness of the Vietnamese to combat the most powerful nation on Earth, though certainly impressive, needs little explanation; this work has attempted to explore a more difficult question - why they chose the dogma that served them. The idea that the majority of the Vietnamese people had not fought for a communist government, but to be rid of the colonial occupying power is in truth the presentation of a false dichotomy. The fact that a group within a broad movement participates for different reasons from another group does not necessarily imply exploitation or pretense. Neither does the fact that one has a strong political ideology such as socialism forbid the possession of any other political inclination, such as patriotism. The concept of a socialist exploitation of Vietnamese nationalism will be opposed here: a discussion of the disputed importance of nationalism to the Vietnamese Communist movement in resistance, and of Communism to the nationalist movement, will form the subject of this essay. The unity of Vietnam under Communist government in 1975 seems a fitting end to the period to be considered. Much of interest - the politics behind partition, or the Communist-led conduct of war with America, for example - can be considered only briefly; fortunately, these are issues considered in great depth elsewhere. The central issue to this work shall be the development of the Communist movement in French Indochina, and the thesis herein shall be that nationalism and Marxist-Leninism occupied a symbiotic relationship in the motivation of the Communist movement and its chief practitioners in the nation once again known as Vietnam.

The relative power of goodness-of-fit test statistics has long been debated in the literature. Chi-Square type test statistics to determine 'fit' for categorical data are still dominant in the goodness-of-fit arena. Empirical Distribution Function type goodness-of-fit test statistics are known to be relatively more powerful than Chi-Square type test statistics for restricted types of null and alternative distributions. In many practical applications researchers who use a standard Chi-Square type goodness-of-fit test statistic ignore the rank of ordinal classes. This thesis reviews literature in the goodness-of-fit field, with major emphasis on categorical goodness-of-fit tests. The continued use of an asymptotic distribution to approximate the exact distribution of categorical goodness-of-fit test statistics is discouraged. It is unlikely that an asymptotic distribution will produce a more accurate estimation of the exact distribution of a goodness-of-fit test statistic than a Monte Carlo approximation with a large number of simulations. Due to their relatively higher powers for restricted types of null and alternative distributions, several authors recommend the use of Empirical Distribution Function test statistics over nominal goodness-of-fit test statistics such as Pearson's Chi-Square. In-depth power studies confirm the views of other authors that categorical Empirical Distribution Function type test statistics do not have higher power for some common null and alternative distributions. Because of this, it is not sensible to make a conclusive recommendation to always use an Empirical Distribution Function type test statistic instead of a nominal goodness-of-fit test statistic. Traditionally the recommendation to determine 'fit' for multivariate categorical data is to treat categories as nominal, an approach which precludes any gain in power which may accrue from a ranking, should one or more variables be ordinal. The presence of multiple criteria through multivariate data may result in partially ordered categories, some of which have equal ranking. This thesis proposes a modification to the currently available Kolmogorov-Smirnov test statistics for ordinal and nominal categorical data to account for situations of partially ordered categories. The new test statistic, called the Combined Kolmogorov-Smirnov, is relatively more powerful than Pearson's Chi-Square and the nominal Kolmogorov-Smirnov test statistic for some null and alternative distributions. A recommendation is made to use the new test statistic with higher power in situations where some benefit can be achieved by incorporating an Empirical Distribution Function approach, but the data lack a complete natural ordering of categories. The new and established categorical goodness-of-fit test statistics are demonstrated in the analysis of categorical data with brief applications as diverse as familiarity of defence programs, the number of recruits produced by the Merlin bird, a demographic problem, and DNA profiling of genotypes. The results from these applications confirm the recommendations associated with specific goodness-of-fit test statistics throughout this thesis.

This thesis reports on a study undertaken at the Dixson Library, University of New England. The purpose of the study was to develop an understanding of users of online public access catalogues (OPACs). The understanding gained from the study will assist in the development of improvements to the Library's OPAC, and increase user ability to access information from the OPAC. The study replicated the user questionnaire of the Online Patron Access Project, sponsored by the Council on Library Resources (CLR) in 1981/83. The questionnaire was modified slightly to suit conditions at the Dixson Library. The study addressed nine research questions relating to the users, their reactions, attitudes, experiences and problems. The user task and their suggestions for improvement were also addressed. The study formally tested three propositions between the variables user task, success and attitudes in relation to OPAC users. The findings show the analysis of the responses for the population as a whole, and, where relevant, for eight groups of student respondents based on their academic affiliation. The student population was of particular importance because of the preponderance of external students at the University of New England. The differences in the findings between the groups of students were discussed, and where possible, explained. The three formal propositions were tested by carrying out Chi square tests for the values of each variable. Nine significant relationships were found. Comparisons were made between the Dixson Library findings and those of the CLR study. Recommendations and conclusions were drawn from the study, including areas for further research.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research study is to determine if the rate of unintentional injury death in selected medical districts differs significantly among citizen and non-citizen males ages 20-65 living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A profile of unintentional injury deaths was generated by specific cause for the six medical districts of Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ra’s al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwain managed for the UAE Ministry of Health for the years 2006-2008. During this time period the six medical districts reported a total of 14,101 deaths. Males were found to represent 73.9 per cent of the deaths reported by the six medical districts managed by the UAE Ministry of health for the years 2006-2008. Non –citizen males represented 74.8 per cent of the male fatalities reported by the six medical districts managed by the UAE Ministry of health for the years 2006-2008. Fatality rates for males ages 20-65 were generated and analyzed by citizen status and season of the year. This age group represented 6,141 deaths. In the two medical districts with the highest population (Dubai & Sharjah) unintentional injury deaths represented 77.1% of the total unintentional deaths reported by all the six medical districts managed by the UAE Ministry of Health for the years 2006-2008. A Chi-Square found the rate of fatalities among 20-65 years old male citizens and non-citizens in the six medical districts managed by the UAE Ministry of Health for the years 2006-2008 differed significantly by cause of unintentional injury death. The observed rate of death from accidental falls for non-citizen 20-65 males was found to be higher than expected for male citizens in the same age group. The observed unintentional injury death rate for males ages 20-65 caused by motor vehicle & traffic accidents and for accidental poisoning found the death rate for UAE citizens to be higher than the rate for non-citizens living in the UAE. The results of this study demonstrate the need for the reporting and analysis of unintentional deaths at the medical district level in the UAE by subgroups such as citizen status and age group.

Objective. The objective of this study was to evaluate a 10-week Taiji intervention to a 10-week strength training intervention in terms of their ability to relieve osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms, alter gait, and improve mobility in seniors with knee OA. Methods. Men and women between the ages of 60 and 85 years who met the American College of Rheumatology criteria for knee OA were recruited to participate in either a simplified Taiji program (n=12), an open-chain strength training program (n=13), or a control group (n=6). All participants completed the Western Ontario and MacMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), three physical performance tests, and a 3-D gait analysis at baseline and again after the 10-week intervention. Results. The strength training group significantly improved on the time up-and-go test (p = 0.001), the WOMAC pain sub-score (p=0.006), WOMAC stiffness sub-score (p<0.001), and WOMAC physical function sub-score (p=0.011). The Taiji group significantly improved on the timed up-and-go (p<0.001), but there was no change in their WOMAC scores. Neither group showed any significant changes in either kinematic or kinetic gait variables. Conclusion. Strength training was effective for improving mobility and improving the symptoms of knee OA. Taiji was also effective for improving mobility, but did not improve the participants‟ knee OA symptoms. Neither intervention had an effect the participants walking gait.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Minnesota, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-146). Also available on the World Wide Web as a PDF file.

<p>Syfte</p><p>Tidigare forskning har visat att Tai Chi träning förbättrar balansen hos äldre. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om barns balans påverkades av träning som utfördes i ett långsamt tempo liknande Tai Chi träning.</p><p>Studien syftade också till att utreda om det förelåg någon skillnad i balans mellan pojkar och flickor och om något av könen tog till sig träningen bättre. Studien syftade även till att undersöka hur balansen påverkades då barnen utförde olika kognitiva uppgifter.</p><p>Metod</p><p>Studien fullföljdes av 41 barn i åldern 9-10 år. En interventionsgrupp, 19 barn tränade Tai Chi liknande rörelser dagligen under åtta veckor och denna jämfördes med en kontrollgrupp, 22 barn som inte fick denna träning.</p><p>Balansövningar utfördes på en kraftplatta samt på en metallprofil. Från övningarna på kraftplattan mättes standardavvikelse och amplitud av tryckcentrums mediolaterala och anterioposteriora förflyttning. Från övningarna på metallprofilen mättes antalet nedtramp.</p><p>Resultat</p><p>Många parametrar mättes men endast en uppvisade en signifikant träningseffekt. Pojkarna minskade standardavvikelsen på tryckcentrums mediolaterala förflyttning vid stående med öppna ögon.</p><p>Studien uppmätte vissa skillnader i balans mellan pojkar och flickor.</p><p>Mätningar av tryckcentrums förflyttning då barnen utförde olika uppgifter uppmätte en signifikant skillnad vid stående med öppna ögon jämfört med stående då ögonen var stängda (med eller utan utförande av en samtida kognitiv uppgift).</p><p>Övningarna på metallskenan förbättrades lika mycket i tränings- som kontrollgrupp.</p><p>Slutsats</p><p>Studien ger indikationer att träningsformen i viss utsträckning var effektiv då daglig träning under åtta veckor gav signifikant förbättring i en av de testade parametrarna.</p><p>Dessa fynd är i linje med de fåtal studier som finns på träning av balans hos barn.</p><p> </p> / <p>Aim.</p><p>Previous studies have shown that Tai Chi exercises improve postural control in elderly people. The primary aim of this study was to investigate if similar Thai Chi like training affects postural control in children. Secondary aims of the study was 1) to investigate if any such effects from training differs between boys and girls and 2) to investigate whether performing a cognitive task during balance testing had any effect on postural control in these children.</p><p>Method.</p><p>In the balance tests, different tasks were performed on a force plate and on a metal profile. From the tasks performed on the force plate, the standard deviations and amplitudes of the mediolateral and anterioposterior displacements of center of pressure were measured. From the tasks performed on the metal profile, the number of clampdowns were counted.</p><p>The study was conducted over an eight week period with 41 children in the ages 9-10 years old. The children were divided into two groups; children in the training group (n=19) who participated in Tai Chi like training every day, and children in the control group (n=22) who did not participate in this training.</p><p>Results.</p><p>The study also showed some differences in postural control between boys and girls.</p><p>When comparing the displacement in center of pressure between different two-legged tasks performed on the force plate, significantly less displacement was found in the task involving standing with open eyes compared to all tasks involving standing with closed eyes (with or without a concurrent cognitive task).</p><p>The number of clampdowns from the metal profile were reduced after the training period, to a similar extent in the control and the training groups.</p><p>Several different aspects of the postural control were measured in the study. Only one of these improved significantly with training. Boys in the intervention group showed a decrease in the standard deviation of the mediolateral displacement of the center of pressure when standing with open eyes.</p><p>Conclusion.</p><p>These results are also consistent with similar studies on postural control among children.</p><p>This study indicates that slow motion training, similar to Tai Chi, has a small but positive effect on postural control, for boys 9-10 year old, when conducted every day over an eight week period, as one of the tested parameters shows an improvement.</p><p> </p>

Abstract The Hai-Wai-Chi Society, an overseas organization derived from the ¡§Chi Society¡¨ based in Shanghai, was initiated and founded by Hsu Fu-Yuan, one of the six poets of the Chi Society. Towards the end of the Hung Kung reign of the late Ming dynasty, in the wake of the defeat of the Sungchiang uprising staged by the society, Hsu continued to work for the recovery of the Ming legacy against the ruling Qing regime. At first, he left Shanghai to follow Emperor Lungwu in Fujian. After Emperor Lungwu was defeated, he proceeded to Choushan to follow King Lu and cooperated with Chang Huang-Yen. Later on, after Choushan was seized by the Qing army, Hsu accompanied King Lu under the shelter of Koxinga in Xiamen. It was at this point that the society came to its apex. When Koxinga took hold of Taiwan following his defeat at Nanjing battle, the society members began to enter the island along with the soldiers. Therefore, the literature of Hai-Wai-Chi Society is viewed as the beginning of Han Taiwanese literature. Taiwan Shih Cheng by Lien Heng refers to Hsu Fu-Yuan, Chang Huang-Yen, Lu Jo-Teng, Sheng Chuan-Chi, Chao Tsung-Lung, Chen Shih-Ching as ¡§The Six Poets of Hai-Wai-Chi Society.¡¨ This paper, entitled A Study of Three Poets in the Hai-Wai-Chi Society, is intended to follow the same way of thinking in its exploration of Hsu Fu-Yuan, Chang Huang-Yen, and Lu Jo-Teng through the existing anthology of the society. Meanwhile, the relevant literature concerning the other three poets will be reviewed for necessary references. The Hai-Wai-Chi Society is characterized by its composition of core members, mainly loyalists to King Lu, who followed Koxinga to Taiwan as a consequence of the fall of Choushan. Mourning over the end of the Ming empire, intellectuals of high morality and talent assembled to form a society of poetry to express their emotions toward the fatherland. The members of the Hai-Wai-Chi Society were actively involved in the fight against the Qing court. In spite of successive defeats, they would live and die in exile overseas rather than surrender as subjects of the Qing regime. The Introduction aims to explain the motivation of this study, the meaning and formation of The Hai-Wai-Chi Society, with a literature review of the three poets. The first chapter explores the public opinions of The Dong-Lin Party¡]ªFªLÄÒ¡^ and the Restoration Society¡]´_ªÀ¡^ in the Late Ming period, and the poetry of patriotism by Chen Tzu-Lung and Hsia Wang-Chun of The Hai-Wai-Chi Society, to be defined in this study as two typical kinds of heritage of The Hai-Wai-Chi Society. The second chapter gives an analysis of the historical background of South Ming royalists fighting against the Qing regime and the formation and development of The Hai-Wai-Chi Society. The third chapter is focused on the Tiao-Huang-Tang Manuscript by Hsu Fu-Yuan to study his overseas poems that express his uncompromising anti-Qing mentality and noble patriotic integrity. The fourth chapter represents the social reality of war-ridden Kinmen during the Koxinga period based on Niao-Yi Poetry and Liu-An Anthology by Lu Jo-Teng. The fifth chapter deals with Chi-Ling Grass, Ping-Tsa Collection, and Tsai-Wei Recitation by Chang Huang-Yen to distinguish him as a great noble Ming loyalist who had fought against the Qing power for 19 years overseas. The Conclusion sums up the poetry by the three poets as: (1) a reflection of history with a national concern, (2) an expression of opposition against invasion with a firm anti-Qing determination, and (3) a kind of oceanic literature with a universal sympathy.