Master-Arbeit Univ. St. Gallen, 2007.

Theses (M.A.)--Marshall University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages: contains 52 p. Bibliography: p. 38-43.

Techn. University, Diss., 2003--Kaiserslautern.

abstract: Adolescence is a tumultuous time, and for those with risk factors, it can be even more difficult. This study examined the relationships among intrinsic and extrinsic protective factors such as high self-esteem, high self-efficacy, mattering to others, positive sense of identity, and healthy peer relationships in female adolescents. Additionally, the current study assessed the impact of a positive youth development intervention designed for this particular population. The potential sample consisted of adolescent girls who were students at an alternative high school in the Southwestern region of the United States. Of the 25 girls at the school, 12 participated in the study and completed pre-test instruments measuring self-esteem, self-efficacy, mattering to friends and parents, identity distress, and relational aggression. The instruments were administered before and after a positive youth development intervention of which 10 of the 12 participants attended. The intervention, Girls Circle, consisted of activities designed to foster self-acceptance, identity formation, healthy friendships, and goal setting in adolescent girls. While the study's intervention did not result in significant changes over time, several important findings emerged. Self-esteem was positively related to both mattering to friends and mattering to parents. Likewise, a negative correlation was found between relational aggression and mattering to parents. Girls who felt they were more important to friends and family had higher self esteem and were less likely to engage in covert aggression tactics such as spreading rumors and maliciously excluding peers from their social groups. These results support the literature and highlight the important interconnection of social relationships and subjective well-being. Teachers, counselors, social workers, and other helping professionals who work with adolescents need to understand these relationships and use this understanding to design and implement interventions that will best serve at-risk girls, such as those in this study. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.C. Counselor Education 2010

Onchocerciasis is a blindness-causing disease caused by a nematode called Onchocerca volvulus that is transmitted by Simulium blackflies. The disease is a major epidemiological problem among rural communities living in close proximity to rivers in some population in Sub-Saharan Africa. Recent studies identified Ghana to be a treat of recrudescence of onchocerciasis in neighboring countries. This thesis applies spatial models, predicts, and assesses population at risk of onchocerciasis in Ghana. It also evaluates the disease endemicity in Burundi in order to test the models applied in Ghana. Onchocerciasis prevalence data spanning a period of 2004 (Ghana) and 1985-1992 (Burundi) were integrated together with biophysical variables in a GIS. Next, modeling of the spatial risk of onchocerciasis was based on the principal component analysis (PCA) regression models. The final predictive spatial models represent the risk of the disease. The spatial models showed potential biogeographic zones and epidemiological patterns of onchocerciasis in relation to village settlements that are at risk. Also, the risk of onchocerciasis increased with the proximity to the rivers. The estimated population at risk in Ghana in 2010 was 5,211,808 people (or 21.36% of the total population) and 235,032 people in Burundi (or 2.8% of the total population). Findings from this study can help in the effective design of preventive control measures of the risk of recrudescence of the disease and safeguard the achievements of the OCP and APOC programs.

This study is based on perceptions of risk behaviors for migrant Latino youth who participate in an after school program. Currently, there is no known research on perceptions of risk behaviors for migrant youth. There is plenty of research on after school program and how they are helpful in reducing or even preventing risk behaviors in adolescence. Fourteen migrant Latino youth between age's 10-18 grades 4-12 were studied. Participants attended the Illinois Council Migrant Technology Learning Center during after school hours between three and six p.m. A Q sort survey was given to each participant for collection of quantitative data. At the bottom of the q sort survey, qualitative questions were asked to gather qualitative data. Analysis of the data showed that the majority of the participants (n=12) comprised factor one, positive behaviors while only two participants comprise factor two, risk behaviors. Qualitative data revealed that participants felt the Technology Learning Center (TLC) is a good place to complete homework, socialize with friends, and use the computers.

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Departamento de Estatística, 2015. / Submitted by Fernanda Percia França (fernandafranca@bce.unb.br) on 2016-03-22T19:46:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_YuriSampaioMaluf.pdf: 4291479 bytes, checksum: 4a9954a7905294836d257652f0ce1753 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marília Freitas(marilia@bce.unb.br) on 2016-05-26T16:30:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_YuriSampaioMaluf.pdf: 4291479 bytes, checksum: 4a9954a7905294836d257652f0ce1753 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-26T16:30:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_YuriSampaioMaluf.pdf: 4291479 bytes, checksum: 4a9954a7905294836d257652f0ce1753 (MD5) / Neste trabalho, estudamos a formulação da distribuição de funções de variáveis aleatórias contínuas dependentes. O mecanismo de modelagem da dependência é feita via funções cópulas. Dentre os resultados obtidos formulamos a expressão geral da distribuição da soma de n variáveis aleatórias dependentes. Expandimos a abordagem para a distribuição de outras funções de variáveis aleatórias tais como o quociente, produto e uma combinação convexa. Por meio das R-Vines Cópulas, obtivermos também a expressão da soma de n variáveis aleatórias em que cada componente é governada por um processo GARCH. A partir deste resultado, calculamos o Value-at-Risk (VaR) e Expected Shortfalls (ES) da soma dessas variáveis. Em função desta estrutura, as medidas de risco passam a adquirir um comportamento dinâmico. Ao final do trabalho exibimos algumas ilustrações numéricas via simulação de Monte Carlo. Apresentamos também uma aplicação com dados reais provenientes de bolsas de valores da América Latina. / In this thesis, we studied the distribution of function of dependents continuous random variables. The modeling dependencies structures are made via copula functions. We obtain the general expression of the distribution of the sum of n dependents random variables. This approach is expanded for other functions such as ratio, product and a convex combination. Using R-Vines Copulas, we also derive an expression of the sum of n dependents random variables, being each component governed by AR-GARCH process. From these results, we assess the Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfalls (ES) of the sum of these variables. According to this structure, the VaR takes a dynamic behavior. At the end of this thesis, we show some numerical illustrations via Monte Carlo simulation. An application with real data from Latin American stock markets is also presented.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Information Technology in the Faculty of Informatics and Design, at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / Transitioning from childhood to adulthood is typically coupled with many puberty related challenges, and such challenges are heightened by access deficiency to reproductive health information. The situation is worsened in under-resourced communities in Southern Africa as the youth’s socio-economic status is hampered by a lack of timely informed education. Such youth groups are referred to as youth-at-risk. The youth are the most affected in recent days as they are exposed to various health disturbances. The youth need to be aware of critical life information, particularly reproductive health information, in order to make better choices. With mobile technology being an integral part of everyday life and more appealing to the youth, opportunities are opened up for the use of mobile functionalities or an extension thereof to provide relevant mobile-based services for information access. Recently, health information is shared and is accessible on different mobile platforms. This research project focuses on mobile-based services to promote reproductive health information for youth-at-risk groups, aged 18 to 24 from the Grabouw community in the Western Cape of South Africa. Most of mobile technology’s solutions and proposed mobile-based services come from elsewhere with little or no consideration of the communities and people who will use these services. The youth was engaged in different activities as participants to design a mobile-based service to promote reproductive health information, putting them at the center of the design process as design partners. Service design methods and tools were used as the methodology in a systematic manner. A Double Diamond framework consisting of four phases (Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver) was followed in order to collect the data. The phases guided the design process from ideation to co-designing of the service prototyped herein. Different ways of accessing information especially reproductive health information by youth-at-risk were identified. The available technology and existing practices to access reproductive health information were also identified. Results clearly indicate that the youth are motivated to use mobile phones to share and receive health information. The youth currently have access to reproductive health information and services, however some services require the youth to travel long distances by vehicle or by walking. The youth walk as a result of lack of transport in some locations because there is no infrastructure in place to support vehicles. Furthermore, the information available to the youth currently is not contextualised, therefore making it irrelevant with consideration to resources available in this particular community. The research project recommends that when a solution is being designed for any community, all the relevant stakeholders have to be involved in the design and development process to allow for a co-design interaction that allows for a usable and relevant solution design with and for the intended users. Involving the user in the design process accelerates adoption if an innovation and easy technology appropriation in the user’s environment. The users add the value needed as they are sharing knowledge, experiences and way of doing things which have a positive effect on the solution. The study recommends service to be developed in the future according to the findings herein. The implementation, testing and use of the mobile-based service (RHIAY) prototyped in this thesis are for future work.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree Magister of Education in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / The core problematique of this study is to establish a collaborative intervention strategy as a model that could facilitate the design and dissemination of appropriate formative feedback during essay-writing practices with at risk ECP and first-year students.

Orientador: Jose Mario Martinez Perez / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Matematica, Estatistica e Computação Cientifica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-10T15:09:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bueno_LuisFelipeCesardaRocha_M.pdf: 1111693 bytes, checksum: 531a933822f5dcf9cacad7dea6be5f53 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: Nesta dissertacao fazemos uma exposicao sobre alguns modelos matematicos com aplicacoes em economia. Dentre os modelos estudados destacamos a versao discreta das populares medidas de risco VaR (Value at Risk ) e C-VaR (Conditional Value at Risk ). Discutimos algumas propriedades de tais medidas, e, principalmente, expomos sobre algumas ideias para otimiza-las sob uma formulação do tipo OVO (Order Value Optimization) e propomos uma nova formulação para o problema de minimizar a VaR / Abstract: In this dissertation we make a presentation on some mathematical models with applications in economics. Among the studied models we highlight a discrete version of the popular risk measures VaR (Value at Risk) and C-VaR (Conditional Value at Risk). We discuss about some properties of such measures, and, above all, expose on some ideas for optimizing the VaR and CVaR under a OVO (Order Value Optimization) formulation and propose a new formulation to the problem of minimizing the VaR / Mestrado / Otimização / Mestre em Matemática Aplicada