The purpose of this study was to assess the criterion validity of the Indiana Basic Competency Skills Test (IBCST) by exploring the relationships between scores obtained on the IBCST and (a) student gender, (b) teacher-assigned letter grades, (c) scores obtained on the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT), and (a) scores obtained on the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT). The subjects were 300 third grade students enrolled in a small mid-Indiana school system. Data collected included gender, age, IBCST scores, OLSAT scores, SAT scores, and teacher-assigned letter grades in reading and mathematics. An alpha level of .01 was used in each statistical analysis. Gender differences were investigated by comparisons of the relative IBCST pass/fail (p/f) frequencies of males and females and boys' and girls' correct answers on the IBCST Reading and Math tests. Neither the chi square analysis of p/f frequencies nor the multivariate analysis of variance of the IBCST scores disclosed significant gender differences. Therefore, subsequent correlational analyses were done with pooled data.The relationship of teacher-assigned letter grades to IBCST p/f levels was studied with nonparametric and parametric statistical techniques. The 2x3 chi squares computed between IBCST performance and letter grades in reading and math were significant. The analyses of variance of the data yielded similar results. Teacher grades were related to IBCST performance.Multiple regression analyses were used to study the relationships between the IBCST and OLSAT performances. Significant multiple R-squares of approximately .30 were obtained in each analysis. Scholastic aptitude was related to IBCST performance.Canonical correlation analyses were used to explore the relationships between the reading and mathematics sections of the IBCST and SAT. Both analyses yielded a single significant, meaningful canonical correlation coefficient. The canonical variable loadings suggested that the IBCST Reading and Math composites, as well as the SAT composites, were expressions of general achievement. Thus, levels of achievement on the criterion referenced IBCST and the norm referenced SAT were related. The results of the study support the criterion validity of the IBCST with traditional methods of assessment as criteria. / Department of Educational Psychology

Response adaptive randomization represents a major advance in clinical trial methodology that helps balance the benefits of the collective and the benefits of the individual and improves efficiency without undermining the validity and integrity of the clinical research. Response adaptive designs use information so far accumulated from the trial to modify the randomization procedure and deliberately bias treatment allocation in order to assign more patients to the potentially better treatment. No attention has been paid to incorporating the problem of errors-in-variables in adaptive clinical trials. In this work, some important issues and methods of response adaptive design of clinical trials in the presence of mismeasurement are examined. We formulate response adaptive designs when the dichotomous response may be misclassified. We consider the optimal allocations under various objectives, investigate the asymptotically best response adaptive randomization procedure, and discuss effects of misclassification on the optimal allocation. We derive explicit expressions for the variance-penalized criterion with misclassified binary responses and propose a new target proportion of treatment allocation under the criterion. A real-life clinical trial and some related simulation results are also presented.

The present study was undertaken to indicate the differences and similarities in color determination process and color selection criteria of leading automobile manufacturers of the world. A comperative study was conducted in the light of relevant literature, interviews and questionnaires. A total number of 6 automobile company were selected for case study / Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Volkswagen, Renault and Toyota. Total 19 respondents, the majority of whom were automobile designers and color specialists answered questions related with color design of automobiles and selection criteria. Later, a total of 18 representatives, including at least one Color and Trim designer, Product Engineer and Purchasing Manager from each company, completed the questionnaires. On the basis of findings, it can be said that each auto manufacturer has a particular color determination process. However, there are some similarities in color design process of Renault and Ford, Volkswagen and Toyota, Hyundai and Honda.

In this thesis, one finalist cipher of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) block cipher contest, Twofish proposed by Schneier et al, is studied in order to observe the validity of the statement made by Arikan about the randomness of the cipher, which contradicts National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)&rsquo / s results. The strength of the cipher to cryptanalytic attacks is investigated by measuring its randomness according to the avalanche criterion. The avalanche criterion results are compared with those of the Statistical Test Suite of the NIST and discrepancies in the second and third rounds are explained theoretically.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-82).

I forskningsdiskursen rörande inomstatliga konflikter finns en diskrepans mellan kvantitativa och kvalitativa studier huruvida variabeln ekonomisk ojämlikhet har en signifikant effekt på risken för konflikt eller inte. Genom att förflytta tanken från generell ojämlikhet till exploatering argumenterar uppsatsen för att rätt typ av ekonomisk ojämlikhet inte blivit operationaliserat på rätt sätt tidigare. Därefter följer en jämförelse mellan Gini och ett mått från ekonomisk historia med namnet Ineqaulity Extraction Ratio (IER) som enligt uppsatsen är ett mer dynamiskt mått för att mäta exploatering. Undersökningens dataset har två varianter av den beroende variabel för konflikt och uppsatsen finner då att IER har en signifikant effekt i båda variabelvarianter, samt ett klart övertag i en utav dom.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:52:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ErnestoATN.pdf: 2867586 bytes, checksum: 365968b169b7f677e1d1f4d8af8d3fab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-19 / The Brazilian organic market has growing year by year, and this commercialization is extremely important to the country, because it allows a bigger preoccupation with the environmental preservation, as well as to create employments and income to the rural workers. However, is necessary that these producers define forms of competition in the market, the way how they will compete, focusing aspects that really matters to the clients. So, the work objective is investigate, based in the rural producers perceptions, the facts which affect the competition the production of organics vegetables in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. With the aim of contribute to the made of strategic decisions related to the production and commercialization of these products in the agriculture scenery norte-rio-grandense, besides to contribute with information about the competition, helping as reference to others important researches. In the methodological view, this study can be qualified as an applied research study, with descriptive objective and quantitative approach. The instrument used was the formulary, resuming to producers of organics products in Rio Grande do Norte state, that grows the segment of organic types of vegetables and greens, been thirty two producers. The data was treated through of the descriptive analyze and the Cluster s analyze. The descriptive research results indicate that the main factors which affect the competition of the organics products in our State are the cost, the diversification and reliability. The Cluster s analyze shows that exists am group of organics producers who uses frequently a specialized technique and they give support to the bigger retail market, as supermarkets / O mercado org?nico brasileiro vem crescendo a cada ano, e essa comercializa??o ? extremamente importante para o pa?s, pois possibilita uma maior preocupa??o com a preserva??o ambiental, al?m de gerar emprego e renda para os trabalhadores rurais. Para tanto, ? necess?rio que esses produtores definam formas de competir no mercado, focalizando os aspectos que realmente importam para os clientes. Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho ? investigar, com base na percep??o dos produtores rurais, os fatores que afetam a competitividade na produ??o de hortali?as org?nicas no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, com a finalidade de contribuir para a tomada de decis?es estrat?gicas no que diz respeito ? produ??o e comercializa??o no cen?rio agr?cola norte-rio-grandense, al?m de disponibilizar informa??es sobre a competitividade desses produtos, a fim de servir de refer?ncia para outras pesquisas que sejam pertinentes. Do ponto de vista metodol?gico, o presente trabalho pode ser classificado como um estudo de pesquisa aplicada, com objetivo descritivo e abordagem quantitativa. O instrumento utilizado foi o formul?rio, delimitando-se a pesquisar os produtores de produtos org?nicos do Estado Rio Grande do Norte, que cultivam o segmento do tipo legumes e verduras org?nicas, totalizando trinta e dois produtores. Os dados foram tratados atrav?s da An?lise Descritiva e da An?lise de Cluster. Resultados da pesquisa descritiva indicaram que os principais fatores que afetam a competitividade dos produtos org?nicos no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte s?o os custos, a diferencia??o e a confiabilidade. A an?lise de Cluster apresentou que existe um agrupamento de produtores org?nicos que utilizam com maior freq??ncia ? ajuda de t?cnico especializado e este mesmo grupo ? o que atende ao ramo varejista de maior porte, como supermercados

Confrontée depuis des années à la diversification des techniques d’organisation du patrimoine, la qualité d’associé n’apparaît plus réellement unifiée. Et les critères proposés par la doctrine ne semblent pas permettre d’y remédier, ce qui pose de nombreuses difficultés. L’usufruitier, le fiduciaire, le locataire de parts sociales ou d’actions, ou bien encore l’investisseur et l’empty voter ont-ils la qualité d’associé ? La question est loin d’être théorique puisqu’elle conditionne, en particulier, l’attribution des prérogatives telles que le droit de demander la dissolution de la société, d’exercer l’action sociale, de participer aux décisions collectives ou encore de percevoir le boni de liquidation. Mais elle s’avère également déterminante s’agissant de l’obligation aux dettes et, à cet égard, présente un réel intérêt pour les tiers. Les praticiens tentent aujourd’hui d’éloigner les difficultés qu’ils rencontrent en utilisant le critère de la propriété des parts sociales et des actions. Cependant, la présente étude révèle qu’il ne peut être considéré comme un critère satisfaisant. Au contraire, il apparaît que l’élément caractéristique de la qualité d’associé, qui permet de distinguer l’associé des tiers et qui s’impose à toutes les formes d’associé, est le risque de contribuer aux pertes sociales. Et l’application de ce critère conduit en particulier à refuser à l’usufruitier et au locataire la qualité d’associé. / The notion of corporation’s partner seems to have lost its unity due to the development of innovative skills and techniques in asset management. Criterions for corporations’ partnership that are proposed by legal doctrine appear to be inadequate. Can usufructuary, trustee and lessee of shares be considered as partners ? This question raises numerous difficulties in practice and the answer to be brought will determine the significant rights and duties attached to a partner such as the right to ask for the liquidation and dissolution of the corporation, the right to participate to a general assembly meeting or the liability for corporation’s debts. Given these uncertainties, the stakeholders often use the criterion of ownership of shares to establish who is partner. However this criterion is unsatisfactory. The research tries to demonstrate that risk is the key and distinctive criterion of partnership. The criterion of risk enables to distinguish partners from third parties and applies to partners of all types of corporations. Therefore, it provides for effectiveness, for instance to prevent from granting the quality of partner to usufructuary and lessee of shares.

Cette thèse a pour objet de répondre à la question suivante : un choix de service public est-il compatible avec un choix d’ordre financier, car faisant intervenir des critères financiers, parmi lesquels celui de rentabilité financière ? Elle se situe dans un contexte de profondes mutations du secteur public. Prenant comme cadre théorique le New Public Management, constatant une appropriation par le droit administratif des notions d’intérêt financier et de rentabilité, cette recherche exploratoire se poursuit par des entretiens auprès d’élus et d’administratifs de 26 communes. Elle montre un poids des critères financiers proche de celui des critères de service public et un net intérêt porté à un outil de calcul de rentabilité financière, répondant là positivement à la question. Elle démontre également que les administratifs jouent un véritable rôle d’experts financiers. Enfin elle laisse entrevoir qu’élus et administratifs pourraient exercer un micro-pouvoir sur les spécialistes français du management public et les personnalités politiques, adhérant plutôt à l’idée d’incompatibilité d’un choix de service public et de la notion de rentabilité financière. / This thesis has for object to answer the following question : is a choice of public utility compatible with a choice of financial order, because bringing in financial criteria, among which that of financial profitability ? It takes place in a context of deep changes of the public sector. Taking as theoretical frame the New Public Management, noticing an appropriation by the administrative law of the notions of financial interest and profitability, this exploratory research goes on by interviews with elected representatives and administration staff of 26 municipalities. It shows a weight of the financial criteria close to that of the criteria of public utility and a clear interest for a tool of financial profitability calculation, answering positively the question. It also demonstrates that the administration staff play a real role of financial experts. Finally it lets glimpse that elected representatives and administration staff could exercise a micro-power on the French specialists of public management and the political personalities, subscribing rather to the idea of incompatibility of a choice of public utility and the notion of financial profitability.

The goal of this work was to evaluate the order of student accounts in terms of advantegousness, which are offered by banks on the domestic banking market. Not only theoretically, but also using quantitative methods. Firstly, the current offer of students products on the domestic market was explored, then a survey among some students was made in order to determine which student accounts are the most favourite ones, most commonly used and why. By using methods multiple-criteria evaluation of alternatives clients can make an easier decision when choosing from a large number of specified criteria. Afterwards, an appropriate evaluation criteria were fixed and evaluated in terms of profitability of individual alternatives by using methods of multiple criteria evaluation. For all analysed students, the account called - U konto pro mladé from UniCredit Bank was clearly selected as the best one. On the contrary account FRESH from Česká spořitelna appeared to be the mist disadvantageous one. According to the questionnaire, this account is owned by the majority of young respondents.