This study was designed to determine the relationship between Florida School Recognition Program (FSRP) participation and adequate yearly progress (AYP) criteria met during school years 2004-2008. It also intended to discover whether schools' socioeconomic status, minority rates, and levels moderated this relationship as well as a difference in average AYP criteria met for schools that maintained FSRP participation and those that do not. The study further sought to determine whether these school characteristics and schools' grades predicted maintenance of participation in the FSRP. A quantitative method, including three statistical analyses, was employed to respond to 6 research questions and test 14 corresponding null hypotheses. Three thousand and seventy-seven schools were identified for data collection and analysis. Six independent variables were defined as school level, average socioeconomic status, average minority rate, average percentage of AYP criteria, aggregate number of years 100% of AYP criteria was met, and average school grade. One dependent variable was defined as aggregate years of FSRP participation. The study found that there was a relationship between participation in the FSRP and AYP criteria met, and school level, socioeconomic status, and minority rate moderated this relationship. While school level and minority rate moderated a difference in average percentage of AYP criteria met in schools that maintained participation in the program and those that did not, socioeconomic status did not. Moreover, all independent variables served as predictors for maintenance of participation in the FSRP. The study found that schools' demographic characteristics influence student achievement and participation in incentive pay programs. / Six implications for future research were identified to further explore the FSRP and AYP relationship, the unintended consequences of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the appropriateness of incentive pay education, the distribution of FSRP award dollars in schools, and student achievement by school level. Recommendations were to add an AYP criterion to the FSRP, assess the effectiveness of inducement policies in education, and add a provision for program evaluation to the FSRP statute. / by Valerie Smith Wanza. / Vita. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The purpose of this qualitative narrative research study was to interpret the meaning found throughout the formal educational experience stories of Native American, Asian American, and African American women born after 1944, who had earned an education doctorate degree after 1976, and were working with adults in an educational capacity within the community. Utilizing the snowball technique, 14 participants from across the United States volunteered to collaborate with the researcher. The study's conceptual framework included adult learning principles and practices, Nussbaum's 'narrative imagination,' which were used to examine the women's motivation to participate in an education doctorate program as well as the barriers, the enhancers, and the application of the degree in the community. Data collected included an in-depth, face-to-face interview, two reflective narrative guides, document analysis, and researcher journals and analytic memos. All data was coded and analyzed with Atlas -ti 5.0 software, and thematic analyses completed in order to triangulate the data. Six major themes for motivation to participate were found: self-awareness through placement in the family, family and community expectation in importance of education, personal strengths and weaknesses, perceived differences in the classroom and mainstream society, and knowledge of motivation to pursue doctorate. Five barriers emerged: racism, gender, advisers, institutional changes and problems, and juggling multiple roles in limited time. Five main enhancers arose: family and community foundation, financial, friends, and others which motivated participation. / The women applied their doctorates through leadership activities in community-based organizations such as role modeling, mentoring, and other scholarly activities which advocated "giving back culturally," which was the ultimate meaning or value of the degree; however, achievement and credibility were also valued a doctorate degree was "only step in the process." This study provided a space for rich descriptive storytelling about each woman's successful experience pursing and completing an education doctorate program. Adult learning discussion of the findings, contributions to the literature, and recommendations for graduate education and future research were included. / by Jo Ann Marie Bamdas. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

許慶豫. / 論文(哲學博士)--香港中文大學, 2001. / 參考文獻 (p. 346-364) / 中英文摘要. / Available also through the Internet via Dissertations & theses @ Chinese University of Hong Kong. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Xu Qingyu. / Lun wen (Zhe xue bo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2001. / Can kao wen xian (p. 346-364) / Zhong Ying wen zhai yao.

First, from the distributive justice perspective, strong perceptions of distributive injustice are found among undergraduates from national minority and lower-middle and lower classes. The perceptions of distributive injustice can further be differentiated into injustice in educational accesses, educational processes, educational outputs and educational outcomes. Both undergraduates from national minority and from lower-middle and lower classes have registered strong sense of "accumulative distributive injustice" in their educational-advancement experiences. Attributions of educational distributive injustice to disparities of educational resources among regions have also been revealed in this study. However, educational injustice attributed to gender differences seems to be insignificant among perceptions of the subjects under study. / Second, from the relational justice perspective, the perceptions of educational injustice among undergraduates are investigated and categorized in accordance with Young's framework of relational injustice, namely exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism and violence. It is common among undergraduates from national minority and lower-middle and lower classes to have relatively strong sense of relational injustice relating to cultural imperialism and violence. However, the experiences of violence revealed are mostly in the form of symbolic rather than physical violence. They also have substantive sense of relational injustice pertaining to marginalization and powerlessness. Experiences on exploitation are rarely reported among subjects from national minority and lower-middle and lower classes. This study finds that perceptions on relational injustice attributed to gender differences are insignificant among female subjects. / Social justice has risen to be one of the major social issues in Chinese mainland. As attainment of higher education has become one of primary determinants of attainments in social status among future generations, justice in higher education has therefore constituted as one of the areas of concerns among scholars in the field of Chinese education. / Third, differences in ethnicity and class have been revealed as the primary contributing factors to the perceptions of educational injustice among the subjects under study. Perceptions of educational injustice reported by undergraduates from national minority are mainly concentrated on subjects who are Islamite and Tibetan Buddhist from Xinjiang and Tibet. Among subjects of lower-middle and lower classes, subjects from rural areas have relatively stronger sense of injustice than those of comparable class backgrounds from urban areas. Therefore, it seems that disparities in class position and regional differences seem to have crystallized and asserted reinforcing effects on students' perceptions of educational injustice. / This study focuses on a group of the undergraduates from disadvantaged social backgrounds. It investigates their perceptions on educational injustice that they have experienced during their studies. The perceptions of injustice will be studied from the perspectives in both the distributive and relational justice. This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the perceptions of justice among students of higher education in Chinese mainland. Twenty-two undergraduates from disadvantaged social backgrounds have been selected to be subjects of the study from four universities in Nanjing city of Jiangsu province. From the data collected, the following major findings are revealed. / This study has contributed to the scholarly discourses on distributive and relational justice by injecting first-hand qualitative data generated from the context of higher education in Chinese mainland. Furthermore, this study has provided some deep descriptions of the perceptions and experiences of educational injustice in a group disadvantaged background undergraduates in Chinese mainland. It is hoped that these data may help policy makers in formulating educational policy in the future. These data may also sensitizing teachers and other persons working in higher education sectors to address the perceptions and experiences of injustice among undergraduates from disadvantaged social backgrounds. Lastly, it is hoped that the study may be viewed as one of the tiny efforts that have been accumulated over the years by educators all over the world to constitute a relatively more equal and just educational system in human societies. / 钟景迅. / Adviser: Wing-kwong Tsang. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-03, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 283-307). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Zhong Jingxun.

程曉樵. / 呈交日期: 2000年12月. / 論文(哲學博士)--香港中文大學, 2001. / 參考文獻 (p. 208-218) / 中英文摘要. / Cheng jiao ri qi: 2000 nian 12 yue. / Available also through the Internet via Dissertations & theses @ Chinese University of Hong Kong. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Cheng Xiaoqiao. / Lun wen (Zhe xue bo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2001. / Can kao wen xian (p. 208-218) / Zhong Ying wen zhai yao.

Neste trabalho, são propostos e analisados algoritmos autodidatas eficientes para a equalização de canais de comunicação, considerando a transmissão de sinais QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation). Suas funções de erro são construídas de forma a fazer com que o erro de estimação seja igual a zero nas coordenadas dos símbolos da constelação. Essa característica os possibilita ter um desempenho similar ao de um algoritmo de equalização supervisionada como o NLMS (normalized least mean-square), independentemente da ordem da constelação QAM. Verifica-se analiticamente que, sob certas condições favoráveis para a equalização, os vetores de coeficientes dos algoritmos propostos e a correspondente solução de Wiener são colineares. Além disso, usando a informação da estimativa do símbolo transmitido e de seus símbolos vizinhos, esquemas de baixo custo computacional são propostos para aumentar a velocidade de convergência dos algoritmos. No caso do algoritmo baseado no critério do módulo constante, evita-se sua divergência através de um mecanismo que descarta estimativas inconsistentes dos símbolos transmitidos. Adicionalmente, apresenta-se uma análise de rastreio (tracking), que permite obter expressões analíticas para o erro quadrático médio em excesso dos algoritmos propostos em ambientes estacionários e não-estacionários. Através dessas expressões, verifica-se que com sobreamostragem, ausência de ruído e ambiente estacionário, os algoritmos propostos podem alcançar a equalização perfeita, independentemente da ordem da constelação QAM. Os algoritmos são estendidos para a adaptação conjunta dos filtros direto e de realimentação do equalizador de decisão realimentada, levando-se em conta um mecanismo que evita soluções degeneradas. Resultados de simulação sugerem que a utilização dos esquemas aqui propostos pode ser vantajosa na recuperação de sinais QAM, fazendo com que seja desnecessário o chaveamento para o algoritmo de decisão direta. / In this work, we propose efficient blind algorithms for equalization of communication channels, considering the transmission of QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) signals. Their error functions are constructed in order to make the estimation error equal to zero at the coordinates of the constellation symbols. This characteristic enables the proposed algorithms to have a similar performance to that of a supervised equalization algorithm as the NLMS (normalized least mean-square), independently of the QAM order. Under some favorable conditions, we verify analytically that the coefficient vector of the proposed algorithms are collinear with the Wiener solution. Furthermore, using the information of the symbol estimate in conjunction with its neighborhood, we propose schemes of low computational cost in order to improve their convergence rate. The divergence of the constant-modulus based algorithm is avoided by using a mechanism, which disregards nonconsistent estimates of the transmitted symbols. Additionally, we present a tracking analysis in which we obtain analytical expressions for the excess mean-square error in stationary and nonstationary environments. From these expressions, we verify that using a fractionally-spaced equalizer in a noiseless stationary environment, the proposed algorithms can achieve perfect equalization, independently of the QAM order. The algorithms are extended to jointly adapt the feedforward and feedback filters of the decision feedback equalizer, taking into account a mechanism to avoid degenerative solutions. Simulation results suggest that the proposed schemes may be advantageously used to recover QAM signals and make the switching to the decision direct mode unnecessary.

Neste trabalho, são propostos e analisados algoritmos autodidatas eficientes para a equalização de canais de comunicação, considerando a transmissão de sinais QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation). Suas funções de erro são construídas de forma a fazer com que o erro de estimação seja igual a zero nas coordenadas dos símbolos da constelação. Essa característica os possibilita ter um desempenho similar ao de um algoritmo de equalização supervisionada como o NLMS (normalized least mean-square), independentemente da ordem da constelação QAM. Verifica-se analiticamente que, sob certas condições favoráveis para a equalização, os vetores de coeficientes dos algoritmos propostos e a correspondente solução de Wiener são colineares. Além disso, usando a informação da estimativa do símbolo transmitido e de seus símbolos vizinhos, esquemas de baixo custo computacional são propostos para aumentar a velocidade de convergência dos algoritmos. No caso do algoritmo baseado no critério do módulo constante, evita-se sua divergência através de um mecanismo que descarta estimativas inconsistentes dos símbolos transmitidos. Adicionalmente, apresenta-se uma análise de rastreio (tracking), que permite obter expressões analíticas para o erro quadrático médio em excesso dos algoritmos propostos em ambientes estacionários e não-estacionários. Através dessas expressões, verifica-se que com sobreamostragem, ausência de ruído e ambiente estacionário, os algoritmos propostos podem alcançar a equalização perfeita, independentemente da ordem da constelação QAM. Os algoritmos são estendidos para a adaptação conjunta dos filtros direto e de realimentação do equalizador de decisão realimentada, levando-se em conta um mecanismo que evita soluções degeneradas. Resultados de simulação sugerem que a utilização dos esquemas aqui propostos pode ser vantajosa na recuperação de sinais QAM, fazendo com que seja desnecessário o chaveamento para o algoritmo de decisão direta. / In this work, we propose efficient blind algorithms for equalization of communication channels, considering the transmission of QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) signals. Their error functions are constructed in order to make the estimation error equal to zero at the coordinates of the constellation symbols. This characteristic enables the proposed algorithms to have a similar performance to that of a supervised equalization algorithm as the NLMS (normalized least mean-square), independently of the QAM order. Under some favorable conditions, we verify analytically that the coefficient vector of the proposed algorithms are collinear with the Wiener solution. Furthermore, using the information of the symbol estimate in conjunction with its neighborhood, we propose schemes of low computational cost in order to improve their convergence rate. The divergence of the constant-modulus based algorithm is avoided by using a mechanism, which disregards nonconsistent estimates of the transmitted symbols. Additionally, we present a tracking analysis in which we obtain analytical expressions for the excess mean-square error in stationary and nonstationary environments. From these expressions, we verify that using a fractionally-spaced equalizer in a noiseless stationary environment, the proposed algorithms can achieve perfect equalization, independently of the QAM order. The algorithms are extended to jointly adapt the feedforward and feedback filters of the decision feedback equalizer, taking into account a mechanism to avoid degenerative solutions. Simulation results suggest that the proposed schemes may be advantageously used to recover QAM signals and make the switching to the decision direct mode unnecessary.

The study examines the evolution of academic support programmes (ASPs) at predominantly White universities in South Africa. The participating institutions include: University of the Witwatersrand, University of Natal, Rhodes University, and University of Cape Town. Since they are selected on the basis of pioneering the establishment of ASP in South Africa and the extent of effectiveness achieved by ASP programmes, the relationship between the stated goals of academic support and the approaches, as well as strategies used to achieve them, are assessed. Throughout the focus is on whether or not the programmes are effective in reducing the failure and drop-out rates at these universities. The important variables in the intervention process are scrutinised. They include the conceptual framework guiding the formulation and implementation of the programmes and the environment in which ASP operates. A more wider context of ASP is explored to determine those factors that have a significant influence on the successful implementation of the programmes. Among those identified are institutional policy regarding the perceived requirements of disadvantaged students and what are considered to be appropriate strategies for dealing with their disadvantages. For this purpose the experiences of international ASPs are investigated to establish similarities, or lack thereof, with the South African experience. The measures adopted in the United States to deal with the inadequacies of the schooling system, as it impacts on the tertiary sector of education, have especially appealed to educationists in South Africa, since the educational context of Blacks in the United States of America is believed to have many parallels in South Africa. For different reasons racism in the educational arena has resulted in Blacks being underprepared for tertiary education in both countries. The important task then is to ascertain whether the strategies used to resolve the problems encountered by these students at colleges and universities in the United States have any relevance for the South African situation. The focus then shifts to what appropriate measures are necessary to bring about a dispensation that will allow maximum benefit to flow from ASP for both disadvantaged students and educational practice in tertiary institutions. It is the author's firm belief that, without scientifically derived solutions, the mistakes committed by local ASPs and elsewhere will be repeated in South Africa, thus delaying ASP from realising its full potential so that institutional policy-makers, staff and students may reap the fruits of functional ASPs that are both efficient and effective. South Africa has the advantage of entering the ASP field when accumulated knowledge on the subject will provide the opportunity to build on the strengths of others and learn from their weaknesses, and so enhance the chances of success for the programmes here. In an attempt to contribute towards making this objective a reality, wenty-four criteria have been formulated from ASP experiences at the four universities surveyed which participated in the investigation. From conducting interviews with ASP personnel faculty staff and students and personally visiting campuses and, among other things, perusing their records and scrutinising annual reports, it was possible to decide that the best way to address the problem of ineffective ASP is to draw up criteria that can be used, in future, for purposes of setting up ASP units and evaluating the performance of both newly established ones and those already existing. Regular attendance at ASP conferences and the invaluable exposure, through presentation of papers at these and other fora and subsequent exchanges of information and sharing of perspectives, have convinced the writer of the urgent need to approach the problem systematically, scientifically and rationally. Finally, it is contended that without a procedure for the implementation of the criteria, there is the risk of selecting and using them randomly. Hence the grouping of the criteria according to their common characteristics and functioning will expedite the implementation process and reduce the risk of failure as a result of poor sequence and incorrect utilisation. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban,1994.

This research examines if an indistinguishable, or equal, frequency response of a software plug-in that is emulating an analog equalizer can be reconstructed using a more standard digital equalizer  such as one incorporated with a digital audio workstation (DAW). It is narrowed down to solely involve high frequency bands by analyzing the emulating plug-ins hi-shelving filters. A two-comparison forced choice ABX-test was conducted to verify the hypotheses and the results show that the difference between the original and the reconstructed hi-shelving filter was inaudible to the listening test participants. Further research and application for these findings is discussed

In this study, the impact of multiple image preprocessing methods on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) was studied. Metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall and F1-score (Hossin et al. 2011) were evaluated. Specifically, this study is geared towards malaria classification using the data set made available by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (Malaria Datasets n.d.). This data set contains images of thin blood smears, where uninfected and parasitized blood cells have been segmented. In the study, 3 CNN models were proposed for the parasitization classification task. Each model was trained on the original data set and 4 preprocessed data sets. The preprocessing methods used to create the 4 data sets were grayscale, normalization, histogram equalization and contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE). The impact of CLAHE preprocessing yielded a 1.46% (model 1) and 0.61% (model 2) improvement over the original data set, in terms of F1-score. One model (model 3) provided inconclusive results. The results show that CNN’s can be used for parasitization classification, but the impact of preprocessing is limited. / I denna studie studerades effekten av flera bildförbehandlingsmetoder på Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). Mätvärden såsom accuracy, precision, recall och F1-score (Hossin et al. 2011) utvärderades. Specifikt är denna studie inriktad på malariaklassificering med hjälp av ett dataset som tillhandahålls av U.S. National Library of Medicine (Malaria Datasets n.d.). Detta dataset innehåller bilder av tunna blodutstryk, med segmenterade oinfekterade och parasiterade blodceller. I denna studie föreslogs 3 CNN-modeller för parasiteringsklassificeringen. Varje modell tränades på det ursprungliga datasetet och 4 förbehandlade dataset. De förbehandlingsmetoder som användes för att skapa de 4 dataseten var gråskala, normalisering, histogramutjämning och kontrastbegränsad adaptiv histogramutjämning (CLAHE). Effekten av CLAHE-förbehandlingen gav en förbättring av 1.46% (modell 1) och 0.61% (modell 2) jämfört med det ursprungliga datasetet, vad gäller F1-score. En modell (modell 3) gav inget resultat. Resultaten visar att CNN:er kan användas för parasiteringsklassificering, men effekten av förbehandling är begränsad.