Bootstrapping is a resampling technique which treats the original data set as a population and draws samples from it with replacement. This technique is widely used, especially, in mathematically intractable problems. In this study, it is used to obtain the empirical distributions of the parameters to determine whether they are statistically significant or not in a special case of nonparametric regression, Conic Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (CMARS). Here, the CMARS method, which uses conic quadratic optimization, is a modified version of a well-known nonparametric regression model, Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS). Although performing better with respect to several criteria, the CMARS model is more complex than that of MARS. To overcome this problem, and to improve the CMARS performance further, three different bootstrapping regression methods, namely, Random-X, Fixed-X and Wild Bootstrap are applied on four data sets with different size and scale. Then, the performances of the models are compared using various criteria including accuracy, precision, complexity, stability, robustness and efficiency. Random-X yields more precise, accurate and less complex models particularly for medium size and medium scale data even though it is the least efficient method.

Written as prose began to garner attention in literary cultures that had long privileged poetic composition, prosimetra offer a unique perspective on what authors in eleventh-century al-Andalus and thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Spain and Italy singled out as the special capabilities of poetry. Further, as the only shared theme across mixed-form texts in Arabic, Hebrew, Italian, and Spanish, love acts as a go-between across these varied literary traditions.

This thesis presents an empirical investigation of the problems of including pictorial digital art in the context of Digital Libraries (DLs). The rational for this work is that digital art material is a significant source of learning and research, provided that it is systematically collected and maintained in structured electronic repositories. The thesis addresses a fundamental question: How to provide description and retrieval services, which are based on the needs of digital art user communities? This raises three research issues. One is the need to combine DL collections into meaningful and functional content. The second is the importance of a user-oriented approach to designing and developing Digital Libraries. The third is the requirement for continuing access to digital art as a record of modern culture. These questions are explored through a needs assessment targeted to Arts & Humanities scholars, digital artists and representatives of the DL community. A data collection methodology is developed, based on the principles of Social Informatics and a case study of evaluation efforts in extant projects. The results from this process demonstrate that the scholarly value of digital art can be established by aggregating material from various repositories into a unified dataset. The results also identify specific documentation and retrieval issues deriving from inclusion of digital art in a DL environment that necessitate further investigation. To this end, a review of sixteen digital art online resources is conducted which reveals ad-hoc collection strategies and metadata deficiencies. The work presents a prototype Digital Library for enhancing the educational outcome of digital art. The application is used as an implementation platform for material aggregation and augmented documentation through the Media Art Notation System (MANS). The summative evaluation findings confirm that the suggested solutions are highly rated by the targeted audiences. The thesis makes a contribution to academic knowledge in situating the representation of digital art within modern society. By critically examining the unique requirements of this material using the resources of social theory, the thesis represents a contemporary and pragmatic perspective on digital media art. In a well-structured Digital Library, the scholarly potential of digital art is much greater than the currently employed ad-hoc context. This work offers a sustained reflection and a roadmap for selecting and consistently applying a strategy that aims to continually improve the quality of digital art provision.

A common cause of profound deafness is hair cell dysfunction in the cochlea. Cochlear implants (CI) bypass the hair cells via an electrode and stimulate the cochlear nerve directly. Nowadays, it is possible to preserve residual hair cell function and hearing through flexible electrodes and a-traumatic CI surgery techniques; called hearing preservation CI surgery. This may suit partially deaf patients who can use natural low frequency hearing in combination with electric high frequency hearing; so-called hybrid hearing. The aim of this thesis was to elucidate the effectiveness of hearing preservation CI surgery. The thesis demonstrates human cochlear anatomy in relation to CI and evaluates hearing and patient satisfaction after hearing preservation CI surgery. Analyses of human cochlear moulds belonging to the Uppsala collection showed large variations in dimensions and coiling characteristics of the cochlea. Each cochlea was individually shaped. The size and shape of the cochlea influences the position of the electrode. The diameter of the basal cochlear turn could predict insertion depth of the electrode, which is crucial for hearing preservation. The first 21 patients operated with hearing preservation CI surgery in Uppsala, showed preserved hearing. Nine-teen partially deaf patients receiving implants intended for hybrid hearing, were evaluated concerning pure tone audiometry, monosyllables (MS) and hearing in noise test (HINT). They also responded to a questionnaire, consisting of the IOI-HA, EQ-5D VAS and nine questions about residual hearing. The questionnaire results indicated a high degree of patient satisfaction with improved speech perception in silence and noise. This was also reflected by improved results in MS and HINT. Hearing was preserved in all patients, but there was an on-going deterioration of the residual hearing in the operated ear which surpassed the contralateral ear. There were no correlations between the amount of residual hearing and patient satisfaction or speech perception results. Electric stimulation provides a major contribution to speech comprehension in partially deaf patients. All the patients showed a high degree of satisfaction with their CI, regardless of varying hearing preservation.

In this thesis, estimation in simple linear regression model with one-fold nested error is studied. To estimate the fixed effect parameters, generalized least squares and maximum likelihood estimation procedures are reviewed. Moreover, Minimum Norm Quadratic Estimator (MINQE), Almost Unbiased Estimator (AUE) and Restricted Maximum Likelihood Estimator (REML) of variance of primary units are derived. Also, confidence intervals for the fixed effect parameters and the variance components are studied. Finally, the aforesaid estimation techniques and confidence intervals are applied to a real-life data and the results are presented

This study investigates unconditional convergence of Turkish regions and provinces. A recently introduced time series procedure developed by Nahar and Inder (2002) is used to test the convergence hypothesis for the period 1975-2001. Both the Ordinary Least Square and the Seemingly Unrelated Regression techniques are applied to analyze convergence of sixty five provinces, seven geographical regions as well as 12 NUTS - 1 regions of Turkey. The empirical findings indicate that most of the cases yield no evidence of convergence, which is a general result stated by the other studies in the literature regarding Turkey.

Significant global health attention and promotion has been focused on hand washing with soap due to the clear benefits observed in promoting and ensuring child health. However, the measurement and evaluation of hand washing behaviours remains complex. The Sanitation, Hygiene Education and Water Supply in Bangladesh Programme (SHEWA-B) is a large project being implemented by the Government of Bangladesh and UNICEF. This research assessed methodological issues of measuring hand washing behaviours through comparison of structured observation and responses to cross-sectional survey measures (spot-check observation, selfreported hand washing and a hand washing demonstration) and discusses the suitability of indicators. Focus group discussions with fieldworkers were also conducted. The results of this study indicate that hand washing behaviours were over-reported compared with structured observation findings. This implies that current estimates of hand washing from large scale surveys, for example, Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) are also likely to be overestimates. In about 1000 households, approximately 1% or less of female caregivers were observed to wash their hands with soap or ash before preparing food, before eating, and 3% before feeding a child. Hand washing with soap was higher for defecation related events with approximately 29% of female caregivers using soap two thirds or more of the time after cleaning a child’s anus/disposing of a child’s stools and 38% used soap two-thirds or more of the time after defecation. Soap was observed at the hand washing location in about 50% of the households but actual practice was much lower. Reported knowledge was high; approximately 90% identified the important times for hand washing as being before eating and after defecation and approximately 50% identified before preparing food and after cleaning/changing a baby. The measurement of hand washing is complex and there has been limited research into the validity of different measurement methods. This research used an epidemiological style approach using the concepts of screening/diagnostic testing and calculation of kappa statistics to assess validity. In conclusion, this research demonstrates that self report hand washing measures are subject to over reporting. Structured observation provides useful information on directly observed hand washing behaviours and the frequency of behaviours. Spot check methods of soap and hand washing locations also provide more optimistic data than observations and can be used as an alternative to structured observation. In addition, the use of questions on the 24 hour recall of soap and other self report questions on knowledge and the availability of spare soap demonstrate potential for use as potential indicators as an alternative to structured observation. Further validation of measurement methods is required in different country settings.

This thesis explores the pathways through which individual and household factors are associated with temporal changes in child nutritional status. In this study the concept of nutrition deprivation is used in two ways: firstly as indicated by the child's anthropometric measures, and secondly in terms of food consumption. The thesis also explores how nutritional deprivation is linked with economic deprivation. The main objectives of the study are: to examine the physical growth trajectories of children, to investigate the household's economic and nutritional (food) deprivations, to explore the determinants of child malnutrition, and finally to investigate the relationship between temporal changes in the poverty status of households and temporal changes in child nutritional status. The study uses the Pakistan Panel Data collected by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) from 1986-89, covering four rural districts of Pakistan. The study employs a comprehensive child health framework to establish the mechanism of child nutritional status by linking the various factors at child, household and community levels. This framework specifies poverty as the root cause of malnutrition. The basic need absolute poverty approach is used to work out the incidence and the dynamic nature of poverty. Various statistical modelling techniques for analysing the longitudinal data are used in this study. For example, to study the height and weight growth traectories of children a growth curve modelling technique is employed, and to study the determinants of child malnutrition a three-level hierarchical linear model for longitudinal data is used. The predicted average growth velocities indicate a slower growth during first year of child's life in comparison with the usual growth velocities amongst the normal children. However, in a particular cohort of children some evidence of growth acceleration is found during the third year of a child's life after a growth deceleration during the second year. Child level factors, such as breastfeeding and the incidence of diarrhoea and morbidity, are found to explain most of the variability in child nutritional status. The results reveal dissimilarities in nutritional status between children in a household. The results also indicate associations between poverty and stunting while chronic poverty is found to be associated with wasting. The results indicate that caloric and protein consumption amongst the study households was notably high. However, food consumption patterns mostly revolve around the staple food, and even in the top expenditure quintile this pattern remains persistent.

Möjligheten att utelämna ett finit ha i bisats har varit en integrerad del av det svenska språket under flera århundraden. Det övergripande syftet med denna studie är att förklara varför konstruktionen uppstår och sprids i äldre svenska. Materialet består av 24 texter mellan 1435 och 1756, där bisatser med utsatt eller utelämnat hjälpverb excerperats. Bruket i äldre svenska har analyserats med variationslingvistiska metoder för att kartlägga spridningsprocessen och dess bakomliggande faktorer. Resultatet visar att ha-bortfall ökar kraftigt i frekvens vid slutet av 1600-talet, men att konstruktionen i begränsad mängd återfinns sedan andra hälften av 1400-talet. Uppkomsten under yngre fornsvenska betraktas som en syntaktisk innovation, medan frekvensökningen karaktäriseras som själva förändringen – en normförskjutning (jfr Milroy 1998). Innovationen tycks vara avhängig en ny svensk bisatsledföljd med satsadverbial före finita verb. Under äldre fornsvensk tid förekom obligatorisk flyttning av finit verb till I° i bisatser, vilket under yngre fornsvensk och äldre nysvensk tid övergick till ett system med verbet i V°. När ett finit ha inte flyttar till en högre position i den syntaktiska strukturen upphör det också att vara obligatoriskt. I en modern svensk huvudsats är flyttning till en strukturellt högre position, C°, fortfarande regel, varför ha-bortfall uteslutande förekommer i formella bisatskontexter. Innovationen diskuteras därmed i rent grammatiska termer, medan 1600-talets normförskjutning ses i ljuset av samhälleliga faktorer. Konstruktionens dramatiska frekvensförskjutning kan mycket väl bero på utökat inflytande från talvarieteten bildat umgängesspråk (jfr Widmark 1991). Möjligen har även språkkontakt med högtyskan påverkat konstruktionens stilistiska värde, men att karaktärisera ha-bortfall som ett syntaktiskt lån (jfr Platzack 1983) förefaller helt missvisande.

Kvinnornas underrepresentation på auktoritetspositioner är ett allmänt känt faktum som ökar med högre hierarkiska positioner och den svenska forskningen kring fenomenet har pågått i mer än 20 år. Den kvinnliga underrepresentationen har ofta diskuterats med bakgrund i familjeperspektivet, eftersom kvinnor konstaterats bära huvudansvaret för barnomsorgen som bland annat minskar tiden i förvärvsarbete. Den svenska forskningen har även noterat att män och kvinnor till stor del hade anställningar inom olika organisationer och yrken. Det benämns som horisontell könssegregering och hade samband med olika karriärmöjligheter för arbetstagarna.Denna uppsatsen visar att andelen auktoritetspositioner är större i de blandade yrkena, i förhållande till de mer könssegregerade yrkena. Sambandet hos de blandade yrkena visar dessutom en ökad vertikal könssegregation hos auktoritetspositionerna, i jämförelse med mer könssegregerade yrken. Den ökade sannolikheten för en arbetstagare att vara i auktoritetsposition har framförallt männen jämförelsevis med kvinnorna, i de blandade yrkena.