The purpose of the study was to investigate the associations between first-time full-time freshmen's attributes and fall-to-fall retention at Northeast State Technical Community College. The 15 attributes included age, first-generation student status, gender, high school classification, race, the student's application date to the institution relative to the start of the semester, the 4 ACT test sub-scores, remedial/developmental course placement, major program of study, financial aid status, first-semester grade point average, and end-of-first-semester credit hour enrollment status. In addition to collecting the variables under study, each first-time full-time freshman's entry term and enrollment status for the subsequent fall semester was ascertained. This information was used to categorize individuals into persister and non-persister classifications for the subsequent fall. The data for this longitudinal study were housed in Northeast State's student records database, Student Information System. A preliminary analysis of the data was conducted to ascertain descriptive statistics. Chi Square and independent samples t tests were used to determine if there was an association between each variable and fall-to-fall retention. A multiple linear regression model was used to estimate the effect of the predictor variables upon the criterion variable, fall-to-fall retention. The results indicated that the variables of age, first-generation student status, gender, and race were not significantly related to fall-to-fall retention, while high school classification, application date, the 4 ACT sub-scores, remedial/developmental course placement, major program of study, financial aid award, first-semester grade point average, and end-of-semester credit hour enrollment status were significantly related to fall-to-fall retention. A multiple linear regression model indicated that the greatest influences upon fall-to-fall retention when researching the collective predictor variables were first-semester grade point average,the number of remedial/developmental courses required,the number of hours in which the student was formally enrolled in at the end of the first semester,an application date greater than or equal to 61 days prior to the start of the fall semester,receipt of financial aid in the form of Pell Grant funds only (negative association),associate of applied science student status (negative association), andGED graduate (negative association).

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics projects total enrollment in post secondary degree-granting institutions to increase 15% from 2010 to 2021 (U.S. Department of Education, 2012). National and state education efforts such as President Obama’s American Graduation Initiative, Tennessee’s Drive to 55, and Tennessee Promise encourage Americans to expand their educational pursuits in order to increase the number of individuals completing a post secondary degree. As states adopt funding formula measures tied directly to student success and retention, higher education institutions increasingly must rely on the effectiveness of academic and student service programs. Although the employment of adjunct faculty as a cost-saving measure has been on the rise for many years (Kezar & Maxey, 2013), research regarding the possible impact on student learning has been slow to develop and studies in this area have produced contradictory results. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to examine whether there is a significant difference in the fall to fall retention rate and proportion of assigned grades for first- time freshmen attending Motlow State Community College (MSCC) in regard to instructor status (full-time or adjunct). Existing data were used to conduct the study gathered from instructor and student information maintained by the colleges Banner information system using stratified random sampling. A non proportional sampling technique was chosen because of the potential small sample size and ease of subgroup comparison. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests of independence at the .05 level of significance. Results indicated no significant difference in the fall-to-fall retention rate and proportion of assigned grades for first-time, full-time students; first-time students; first-time students with a high school grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher; first-time students with a high school grade point average (GPA) of 2.9 or lower; and traditional and non traditional age students. Significant differences were found in the fall-to-fall retention rate for first-time, part-time students. First-time, part-time students taught by adjunct faculty are retained at a significantly lower rate than first-time, part-time students taught by full-time faculty. As states adopt funding formula measures tied directly to student success and retention at the same time colleges and universities brace for enrollment increases, the use of adjunct faculty continues to rise. Acknowledging the need for highly skilled instructors, higher education institutions must consider the potential impact adjunct faculty instruction has on student success given the potential implications on institutional funding at state and national levels.

The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to determine the relationship between retention and academic success of students who participated in a First-Year Experience (FYE) course and students who did not participate in a FYE course within a southeastern community college in the United States. The impact of the relationship was to inform an understanding of how a FYE course influences student success. Archival data were collected from the southeastern community college’s student information system, Banner, Data for first-time full time students were gathered, including whether or not the individuals enrolled in a FYE course. Other data included the student’s gender, at-risk status, and non-traditional student status. Retention data of the first-year full-time students were collected and measured in accordance with enrollment requirements of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR). Data for academic success were collected and measured by first-year student’s cumulative GPA. Chi-square tests of independence and independent sample t tests were used to examine the relationship of the FYE course with outcomes that measured student success. Results from the chi square tests indicated, overall, the participants of the FYE course had significantly higher retention rates than those students who did not participate in the FYE course. The independent sample t test indicated students who participated in the FYE course had significantly higher cumulative GPA scores than those who did not participate.

General pediatricians are typically the first professionals to detect the early developmental concerns of young children during their infant and toddler stages. When concerns are identified by the general pediatrician, best practice encourages the referral of young children for further assessment and/or intervention. Due to these factors, this study focused on the methods general pediatricians use in their efforts to implement the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines for the developmental surveillance and screening of young children. Furthermore, this study focused on the barriers faced by general pediatricians and the solutions they have developed to overcome these barriers in their efforts to assist young children with developmental delays and disabilities. Twenty-eight pediatricians who also were members of the Region V Florida Chapter of the AAP provided responses to survey data inquiring about the implementation of AAP guidelines within their settings. Six of the survey respondents were general pediatricians who each participated in a semi-structured interview to gain further insight into their implementation of the AAP guidelines. Additionally, existing barriers were examined to determine the strategies general pediatricians developed to overcome them. The results showed that each of the six general pediatricians reported their engagement in some, if not all recommended AAP guidelines. The general pediatricians shared specific examples of how this was done, which provided valuable data for other general pediatricians who desire to learn effective strategies for implementing AAP guidelines. The interview responses addressed several themes, including training and continuing education, learning about and using developmental screeners, determining the cause of delays and disabilities, referring children with delays and disabilities, using a culturally-sensitive/family centered approach, and increasing parent awareness. General pediatricians also reported how they have overcome the barriers (e.g., limited time and staff members) to following AAP guidelines, as well as barriers that continue to exist (e.g., insufficient reimbursement for preventive care, difficulties serving children from low-income families, etc.). Although this study focused on how general pediatricians have overcome obstacles, multidisciplinary collaboration was emphasized as an integral factor needed to achieve the earliest identification and intervention implementation for young children with developmental concerns.

Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is a technique which uses images taken before and after deformation to determine displacement and strain data over the surface of the sample. In order to obtain this data for both in-plane as well as out-of-plane direction, multiple views of the sample are required. Typically, this is accomplished using multiple cameras, but it is possible to use diffraction gratings to bend the light coming from the specimen in order to allow a single camera to capture multiple views. This technique is referred to as Diffraction Assisted Image Correlation (DAIC) and has been previously demonstrated at room temperature. This work expands this method for use at high temperatures by incorporating the use of ultraviolet (UV) lights for illumination and filtering out the light in the visible spectrum. This increases the temperature at which useful images can be captured by reducing the glow that specimens produce at elevated temperatures. When not filtered out, this glow saturates the camera sensor making DIC impossible. This new technique is referred to as Ultraviolet Diffraction Assisted Image Correlation (UV-DAIC).

L’atténuation sismique est un paramètre physique très utile pour décrire et imager les propriétés du sous-sol, et tout particulièrement les roches saturées et les nuages de gaz. Les approches classiques analysent l’amplitude du spectre des données ou bien la distorsion de ce spectre, avec des méthodes asymptotiques. L’inversion des formes d’onde (Full Waveform Inversion en anglais, FWI) est une approche alternative qui prend en compte les aspects de fréquences finies. En pratique, à la fois les vitesses et l’atténuation doivent être déterminées. Il est connu que l’inversion multi-paramètre ne conduit pas à un résultat unique.Ce travail se focalise sur la détermination des vitesses et de l’atténuation. La dispersion liée à l’atténuation produit des modèles de vitesse équivalents en termes de cinématique. Je propose une inversion hybride : la « relation cinématique » est un moyen de guider l’inversion des formes d’onde non-linéaire. Elle se décompose en deux étapes. Dans un premier temps, l’information cinématique est remise à jour, et ensuite les vitesses et l’atténuation sont modifiées, pour une cinématique donnée. Différentes approches sont proposées et discutées au travers d’applications sur des données synthétiques 2D, en particulier sur les modèles Midlle-East et Marmousi. / Seismic attenuation is a useful physical parameter to describe and to image the properties of specific geological bodies, e.g., saturated rocks and gas clouds. Classical approaches consist of analyzing seismic spectrum amplitudes or spectrum distortions based on ray methods. Full waveform inversion is an alternative approach that takes into account the finite frequency aspect of seismic waves. In practice, both seismic velocities and attenuation have to be determined. It is known that the multi-parameter inversion suffers from cross-talks.This thesis focuses on retrieving velocity and attenuation. Attenuation dispersion leads to equivalent kinematic velocity models, as different combinations of velocity and attenuation have the same kinematic effects. I propose a hybrid inversion strategy: the kinematic relationship is a way to guide the non-linear full waveform inversion. The hybrid inversion strategy includes two steps. It first updates the kinematic velocity, and then retrieves the velocity and attenuation models for a fixed kinematic velocity. The different approaches are discussed through applications on 2D synthetic data sets, including the Midlle-East and Marmousi models.

Autonomous driving is an area of increasing investment for researchers and auto manufacturers. Integration has already begun for self-driving cars in urban environments. An essential aspect of navigation in these areas is the ability to sense and follow lane markers. This thesis focuses on the development of a vision-based control platform using lane detection to control a full-sized electric vehicle with only a monocular camera. An open-source, integrated solution is presented for automation of a stock vehicle. Aspects of reverse engineering, system identification, and low-level control of the vehicle are discussed. This work also details methods for lane detection and the design of a non-linear vision-based control strategy.

<p>0.18 um CMOS technology is increasingly used in design and implementation of full adder cells. Hence, there is a need for better understanding of the effects of different cell designs on cell performance, including power dissipation and time delays. </p><p>This thesis contributes to better understanding of the behavior of single-bit full adder cells when low power-delay products are essential. Thirty one single-bit full adder cells have been implemented in Cadence tool suit and simulated using 0.18 µm CMOS technology to obtain a comprehensive study of the performance of the cells with respect to time (time-delays) and power consumption (power dissipation). </p><p>Simulation method used for performance measurements has been carefully devised to achieve as accurate measurements as possible with respect to time delay and power dissipation. The method combines the simple measurement technique for obtaining accurate time-delays and power dissipation of a cell, and the transistor resizing technique that allows systematicallyresizing of transistors to achieve minimal power-delay product. The original technique of sizing of the transistors has been extended in this thesis for the purpose of the performance measurements to include both resizing the transistors in the critical path and resizing the transistors on the global level, and therefore efficiently obtain minimal power-delay product for every cell. </p><p>The result of this performance study is an extensive knowledge of full adder cell behaviour with respect to time and power, including the limitations of the 0.18 µm CMOS technology when used in the area of full adder cells. Furthermore, the study identified full adder cell designs that demonstrated the best performance results with respect to power-delay products. </p><p>In general, the complex performance simulation method in this thesis that combines the simulation of time delay and critical path transistor resizing provides the most accurate measurements and as such can be used in the future performance analysis of single-bit full adder cells.</p>

<p>The X-ray Multi-mirror Mission, XMM-Newton was launched by the European Space Agency, ESA, in 1999. XMM-Newton carries six cameras, including a silicon pn-junction Charge Coupled Device, or pn-CCD camera. This camera has six operating modes, spatially as well as time resolved. The main objective of this project is to refine the Burst mode energy correction in order to align the measured energy spectra observed in the Burst mode with the spectra taken in the Full Frame mode. An observation of the line-rich supernova remnant called Cassiopeia A is used to evaluate the line positions in each mode such that the energy correction function used for the alignment can be modified accordingly. The analysis further treats the application of the correction on a source with a continuous spectrum, the Crab nebula. Discussion shows how to reduce eventual residuals in the Crab spectrum by modifying the correction function while keeping the alignment of the Cas-A spectra. The final product is an update of the corresponding published calibration file.</p>

<p>Quantile regression have its advantage properties comparing to the OLS model regression which are full measurement of the effects of a covariate on response, robustness and Equivariance property. In this paper, I use a survey data in Belgium and apply a linear model to see the advantage properites of quantile regression. And I use a quantile regression model with the raw data to analyze the different cost of family on different numbers of children and apply a Wald test. The result shows that for most of the family types and living standard, from the lower quantile to the upper quantile the family cost on children increases along with the increasing number of children and the cost of each child is the same. And we found a common behavior that the cost of the second child is significantly more than the cost of the first child for a nonworking type of family and all living standard families, at the upper quantile (from 0.75 quantile to 0.9 quantile) of the conditional distribution.</p>