Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent R. Amanor-Boadu / The promulgation of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, a declining share of federal research expenditures to the university, and the enforcement of intellectual property rights have contributed to the evolution of university research missions. This thesis sought to understand how the intellectual property policies and commercialization initiatives at research universities affect their commercialization activities and intensity. The ability of universities to engage in commercialization activities is dependent on the willingness of the researchers to disclose their inventions. We used cross-sectional data from AUTM (Association of University Technology Managers) and other sources to evaluate the effect universities intellectual property policies and other factors on faculty willingness to disclose their inventions and discoveries. The research revealed that universities' commercialization efforts have been intensifying over the years and across the institution. Intellectual property policies were found to have insignificant effect on the number of disclosures. This supports earlier research that has shown many faculty members were ignorant about such policies. On the other hand, licensing revenue, which basically goes to fund future research, was a very significant factor in disclosures and hence commercialization initiatives at universities.

In this thesis, I examine the following three temporal influences on the cross-section of stock returns: disclosure and analyst regulations, the subprime credit crisis, and time-varying investor sentiment. The thesis consists of three essays. The first essay deals with the influence of regulation. Between 2000 and 2003 a series of disclosure and analyst regulations curbing abusive financial reporting and analyst behavior were enacted to strengthen the information environment of U.S. capital markets. I investigate whether these regulations benefited investors by increasing stock market efficiency. After the regulations, I find a significant reduction in short-term stock price continuation following analyst forecast revisions and past stock returns. The effect was more pronounced among higher information uncertainty firms, where I expect security valuation to be most sensitive to the regulations. Further analysis shows that analyst forecast accuracy improved in these firms, consistent with reduced mispricing being due to an improved corporate information environment following the regulations. My findings are robust to controlling for time trends, trading activity, the recent financial crisis, and changes in firms’ analyst coverage status and delistings. In the second essay, I examine whether the value premium survived the recent subprime credit crisis. I find that value stocks underperformed growth stocks during the crisis, resulting in a value discount, while the value premium was significantly positive before the crisis. This is consistent with value stocks being riskier than growth stocks because they are more vulnerable during bad times. The value premium reversal during the crisis worked primarily through financially constrained firms, suggesting that the effect was due to the adverse influence of the crisis rather than confounding effects. The results are robust to controlling for common risk factors and alternative financial constraint proxies. The third essay is related to time-varying investor sentiment. Recent literature in financial economics has examined whether investor sentiment affects asset pricing. An open question is whether an investor sentiment effect reflects mispricing or risk compensation. Currently, the literature supports the former view by documenting that investor sentiment predicts realized stock returns beyond the explanatory power of state-of-the-art factor models. But, despite its popularity, estimating expected returns from realized returns has limitations. I re-examine the evidence on investor sentiment using accounting-based implied costs of capital (ICCs). I find that ICCs cannot explain the sentiment effect on stock returns. If ICCs are reliable expected return proxies, this suggests that the investor sentiment effect does not exist ex ante and confirms previous evidence that mispricing is the driving force behind the investor sentiment effect on stock returns.

Physiological performance has been commonly scaled for body size using various methods to scale anthropometrics, but a paucity of data exists on scaling muscle size. The aim of this thesis was to elucidate the optimal method to scale height (HT), body mass (BM), lean body mass (LBM), and muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) when scaling weightlifting performance for body size. 26 weightlifters (13 male, 13 female) participated in this study. The measurements collected were the snatch (SN), clean and jerk (CJ), isometric peak force (IPF), and countermovement jump height (CMJH). HT, LBM, BM, and vastus lateralis CSA were scaled using the ratio standard and allometry. Competition performance scaled for allometrically scaled CSA possessed greater relationships to CMJH (r = 0.60 – 0.78) than the ratio standard (r = 0.56 – 0.58). These findings suggest that allometrically scaling CSA may be superior when scaling weightlifting performance for CSA.

This study set out to determine the extent to which educational psychologists in South Africa are familiar with and use dynamic assessment. The study also covered issues such as the dynamic assessment training that educational psychologists receive as well as their attitudes towards dynamic assessment. A review of the literature revealed that only international studies have been done on the use of dynamic assessment by school psychologists. The findings of international studies can, however, not summarily be generalised to the South African context. The only national study that has been done on the use of dynamic assessment by educational psychologists was a qualitative study. The present study endeavoured to address this research hiatus by conducting a national cross-sectional online survey that was sent to all educational psychologists in South Africa. The study sought to find an answer to the following primary research question: "To what extent are South African educational psychologists familiar with and use dynamic assessment?" The sample was selected initially through purposive sampling and later through snowball sampling. The study found that of the 173 respondents who responded to the survey, 69,90% were familiar with dynamic assessment. However, this picture changed dramatically when they were asked to what extent they were familiar with dynamic assessment. A total of only 25,40% of the respondents indicated that they were quite familiar with dynamic assessment, and only 20,80% reported that they used dynamic assessment. Furthermore, only 8,10% had used dynamic assessment once a week during the past six months. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

In active portfolio management, fund managers seek to follow an investment strategy with the objective of outperforming an investment benchmark index. Opportunities to outperform a benchmark in active fund management is made possible through crosssectional dispersion of returns in the market. It is cross-sectional volatility of returns that allows fund managers to identify changing trends in market relationships and to take advantage of market opportunities.Quarterly active share and active return data of Domestic General Equity funds was used to determine whether the level of active share and active return has a correlation with volatility measures such as cross-sectional variance of returns or the South African Volatility Index (SAVI). The actively-managed funds’ outperformance of the benchmark index during periods of differing cross-sectional variance was also looked at. Lastly, the possibility of whether market volatility can be used to inform fund investment decisions was also examined.The findings in this study are that there is no significant relationship between the crosssectional variance of returns, active share and active returns. In measuring fund performance in times of differing cross-sectional dispersion and breaking the analysis period into such intervals rather than as a continuous time series, active funds outperform the benchmark index during periods of low and moderate cross-sectional variance. The SAVI can be used as a fairly accurate and readily available approximation of cross-sectional variance. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Urbanisation and storm water input in the Kuils River catchment changed the flow of the river from ephemeral to perennial. This led to flooding problems in the Kuilsrivier central business district. The river was channelised in 2000 to increase the carrying capacity of the channel and thus to reduce the flood risk. This study aims to monitor the impacts of channelisation on the geomorphology and ecology of the Kuils River. This was done by selecting representative study sites upstream, within and downstream of the channelised reach. The geomorphological and ecological characteristics of the river were recorded in detail with changes tracked over a year period incorporating channelisation activities and winter floods.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(社会健康医学) / 甲第20626号 / 社医博第84号 / 社新制||医||9(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科社会健康医学系専攻 / (主査)教授 佐藤 俊哉, 教授 木村 剛, 教授 川村 孝 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Public Health / Kyoto University / DFAM

Background: As the diabetes (DM) epidemic in Canada continues to grow, the need to provide diabetes self-management education (DSME) becomes increasingly important. Research has shown that DSME can improve both physiological and behavioural outcomes in individuals with DM. Diabetes educators (DE) play an essential role in providing DSME to individuals with DM. Although considered an important role in the care of individuals with DM, the DE role is not well described in Ontario. Building a province-wide description of DEs’ role would outline the role of DE in Ontario is enacted, and suggest possible areas for improvement. The specific objectives of this study are: a) To describe the demographic characteristics of DEs in Ontario; b) To identify the structures, processes, and outcomes associated with the role of DEs; c) To identify the facilitators and barriers to providing DSME in Ontario; d) To identify the association between key characteristics of DEs (profession, education, certification, practice-setting, and DM-specific training) and the structures, processes and outcomes of this role. Methods: This cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire, the Diabetes Educator Questionnaire (DEQ). The DEQ was developed using the International Standards for Diabetes Education and Donabedian’s framework to examine the structures, processes and outcomes associated with the role of DEs. The study consisted of three sequential phases: (1) pre-testing the questionnaire in a tertiary care diabetes program, (2) pilot testing the questionnaire to a single Diabetes Educator Section (DES) chapter of the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA), and (3) administering the DEQ to the remaining DES chapters across Ontario. The online questionnaire was created using LIME survey, an open source survey program housed at McMaster University. Data were downloaded, cleaned, and analyzed using statistical and geographical mapping software. Results: The DEQ demonstrated both face and content validity. A total of 178 out of an estimated 600 DEs across Ontario responded to the DEQ, for an overall response rate of 30%. The respondents consisted of 61 registered nurses, 94 registered dietitians, 18 pharmacists, and 4 nurse practitioners, and 1 undescribed. The majority (85%) of respondents were CDEs. Insufficient time, and organizational/management support were the two most common barriers to implementation of the role of the DE. Significant differences (p value greater than 0.05) in how DSME was provided and the use of outcomes were observed for profession, level of education, and practice setting. Limitations: With a low response rate, conclusions cannot be drawn from this study. Being an anonymous study, intra-rater reliability could not be performed. Conclusions: This study shows that the DEQ serves as a feasible tool to explore the role of DEs in Ontario, however, improved recruitment strategies are necessary before further research is performed. The study provides a foundational description of DEs across Ontario, generating possible hypotheses for future research. / Thesis / Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間健康科学) / 甲第24810号 / 人健博第116号 / 新制||人健||8(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科人間健康科学系専攻 / (主査)教授 黒木 裕士, 教授 青山 朋樹, 教授 松田 秀一 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human Health Sciences / Kyoto University / DGAM

Yes / In recent years 3D printing has gained popularity amongst industry professionals and hobbyists alike, with many new types of Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) apparatus types becoming available on the market. A massively overlooked component of FFF is the requirement for a simple method to calculate the geometries of polymer depositions extruded during the FFF process. Manufacturers have so far achieved adequate methods to calculate tool-paths through so called slicer software packages which calculate the required velocities of extrusion from prior knowledge and data. Presented here is a method for obtaining a series of equations for predicting height, width and cross-sectional area values for given processing parameters within the FFF process for initial laydown on to a glass surface.