Animal communication transmits information using different sensory signals that have particular purposes (e.g. courtship, territorial defense, maintaining groups together and minimizing predation) and are susceptible to habitat pressures (Sensory Drive Hypothesis - SDH). In birds, some studies on acoustic and visual signals showed that song structure is associated with sound transmission capacity in different habitats and some plumage features (e.g. color, brightness and pattern) seem to vary according to light conditions of the environment. In addition to habitat effects, other factors such as energetic limits, predation, and parasitism risk can limit the investment in more than one type of sensory signal. Due to this high cost, it was proposed the existence of an evolutionary trade-off between the different types of sensory signals termed Transfer (TH) or Trade-off hypothesis. Few studies that have tested the TH in birds showed contrasting results, being corroborated only in two studies. Also, there is a low in the number of studies that have considered habitat conditions as covariates (SDH). Here, we assess the TH between acoustic and visual signals, while simultaneously considering potential effects of habitat conditions (SDH) in a diverse group of Neotropical suboscine birds, commonly known as antbirds (Thamnophilidae). Specifically, we integrated a genome-scale phylogeny of the tribe Formicivorini (36 species) with vocal, plumage, ecological, and behavioral data within a phylogenetic comparative framework to simultaneously test the TH and SDH while assessing the influence of mixed-species flocking foraging behavior on the structural diversity of acoustic and visual signals. Whereas in both sexes we found significant trade-offs between some plumage and vocal traits (e.g. dorsal luminance versus frequency slope), providing support for the TH, we found a non-significant opposite trend between plumage and vocal sexual dimorphism. All these relationships are influenced by habitat conditions and behavioral traits as covariates, corroborating the SDH and mixed-species flocking behavior influence in the evolution of visual and acoustic signals / A comunicação animal transmite informações usando diferentes tipos de sinais sensoriais que possuem propósitos específicos (e.g. cortejo, defesa territorial, manutenção de grupos unidos e minimização da predação) e estão suscetíveis a pressões do habitat (Hipótese de Condução Sensorial - HCS). Em aves, alguns estudos de sinais acústicos e visuais demonstraram que a estrutura do canto está associada com a capacidade de transmissão do som em diferentes habitats e alguns aspectos de plumagem (e.g. coloração, brilho e padrão) parecem variar de acordo com as condições de iluminação do ambiente. Além dos efeitos de habitat, outros fatores como limitação energética, risco de predação e de parasitismo podem limitar o investimento em mais de um tipo de sinal sensorial. Devido a esse alto custo, foi proposta a existência de uma demanda conflitante (trade-off) evolutiva entre os diferentes tipos de sinais sensoriais denominada Hipótese de Transferência (HT) ou de \"Trade-off\". Os poucos estudos que testaram a HT em aves apresentaram resultados contrastantes, sendo corroborada apenas em dois trabalhos. Além disso, há uma baixa quantidade de trabalhos que consideraram as condições de habitat como covariáveis. Assim, nós avaliamos a HT entre os sinais acústicos e visuais, considerando simultaneamente os efeitos potenciais das condições de habitat (HCS) em um diverso grupo de aves subóscines neotropicais, comumente conhecidas como papa-formigas (Thamnophilidae). Especificamente, nós integramos a filogenia em escala genômica da tribo Formicivorini (36 espécies) com dados vocais, de plumagem, ecológicos e comportamentais utilizando uma abordagem comparativa filogenética para testar simultaneamente a HT, a HCS e também considerando a influência do comportamento de formação de bandos mistos na diversidade da estrutura dos sinais acústicos e visuais. Enquanto que demandas conflitantes significativas entre algumas medidas de plumagem e de canto foram encontradas em ambos os sexos (e.g. luminância dorsal contra declive de frequência) corroborando a HT, uma tendência oposta não significativa foi encontrada entre o dimorfismo sexual de plumagem e canto. Todas essas relações são influenciadas por condições de habitat e comportamento como covariáveis, corroborando a HCS e a influência do comportamento de bandos mistos na evolução da estrutura dos sinais acústicos e visuais

"Patient motion is a significant cause of artifacts in SPECT imaging. It is important to be able to detect when a patient undergoing SPECT imaging is stationary, and when significant motion has occurred, in order to selectively apply motion compensation. In our system, optical cameras observe reflective markers on the patient. Subsequent image processing determines the marker positions relative to the SPECT system, calculating patient motion. We use this information to decide how to aggregate detected gamma rays (events) into projection images (frames) for tomographic reconstruction. For the most part, patients are stationary, and all events acquired at a single detector angle are treated as a single frame. When a patient moves, it becomes necessary to split a frame into subframes during each of which the patient is stationary. This thesis presents a method for splitting frames based on hypothesis testing. Two competing hypotheses and probability model are designed. Whether to split frames is based on a Bayesian recursive estimation of the likelihood function. The estimation procedure lends itself to an efficient iterative implementation. We show that the frame splitting algorithm performance is good for a sample SNR. Different motion simulation cases are presented to verify the algorithm performance. This work is expected to improve the accuracy of motion compensation in clinical diagnoses."

The implementation of learning styles models in the classroom remains a heavily debated topic in education. Notable problems with utilization of learning styles in the classroom include a lack of empirical research support and potential maladaptive effects on student learning and motivation. The primary research questions focused on the presence and quantity of learning styles discussion in the text, which definitions, models, and recommendations were presented, and which of the cited references were based on empirical data. The answers to these questions were compared between educational psychology and introduction to education textbooks. A content analysis of introduction to education (n = 10) and educational psychology (n = 10) textbooks was conducted. Eighty percent of the textbooks included a discussion of learning styles. Half of the textbooks defined learning style as a preference or approach and the other half as an individual process or style. One-fourth of the textbooks recommended matching instructional methods to learning styles. One comparison of text types, the number of empirical references cited in the text, was statistically significant. Given that most textbooks do not recommend matching instructional methods to learning styles, future research should examine the source of teachers’ beliefs that student learning is improved with the matching of learning styles to teaching approach.

Seductive details (SDs) are interesting, but not necessarily relevant, information that may be included in text to capture students’ attention. Unfortunately, including such details often hinders learning. Schraw (1998) differentiated between context-independent (i.e., interesting without surrounding context) and context-dependent (i.e., interesting only in light of surrounding context) SDs. In the first study, 388 undergraduate students read six paragraphs describing Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual stages (i.e., target material). Participants in four groups also read one of two biographical paragraphs. The biographical paragraphs contained SDs about Freud that were either context-dependent or -independent to the target material and presented before (primacy) or after (recency) the target-material paragraphs or not at all (Control). After reading, students took a quiz. Quiz performance was not influenced by the type of SDs but rather its placement relative to the target text. Students in the primacy conditions performed worse than students in the recency and control conditions. Thus, both types of SDs reduced learning when they were presented at the beginning of the text. Study 2 examined a potential interaction between SDs and a graphic organizer (GO). GOs are designed to help learners make connections among ideas in the text by visually representing the concepts to be learned (Ausubel, 1960; Robinson & Kiewra, 1995). In Study 2, 207 undergraduate students read the same target material from Study 1. Depending on condition, the participants also read the context-dependent biographical paragraph (SD only), read a GO that linked the SDs to the target material (GO only), read both (GO + SD), or only read the target material (Control). After reading, students took a quiz. Participants in the GO only group and the Control group performed significantly better on the quiz items than participants in the SD only group. There was no significant difference between the Control group and the GO + SD group. Results from both studies suggest that the GO mitigated the seductive details effect but did not reverse it. There is evidence for both the diversion hypothesis (priming inappropriate schema) and the distraction hypothesis (focusing the reader’s attention on the SDs as opposed to the target material).

This work concerns the linguistic relativity hypothesis, also known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which, in its most general form claims that ‘lan-guage’ influences ‘thought’. Past studies into linguistic relativity have treated various aspects of both thought and language, but a growing body of literature has recently emerged, in this thesis referred to as neo-Whorfian, that empirically investigates thought and language from a cross-linguistic perspective and claims that the grammar or lexicon of a particular language influences the speakers’ non-linguistic thought. The present thesis examines the assumptions about language that underlie this claim and criticizes the neo-Whorfian arguments from the point of view that they are based on misleading notions of language. The critique focuses on the operationalization of thought, language, and culture as separate vari-ables in the neo-Whorfian empirical investigations. The neo-Whorfian stud-ies explore language primarily as ‘particular languages’ and investigate its role as a variable standing in a causal relation to the ‘thought’ variable. Tho-ught is separately examined in non-linguistic tests and found to ‘correlate’ with language. As a contrast to the neo-Whorfian view of language, a few examples of other approaches to language, referred to in the thesis as sociocultural appro-aches, are reviewed. This perspective on language places emphasis on prac-tice and communication rather than on particular languages, which are vie-wed as secondary representations. It is argued that from a sociocultural per-spective, language as an integrated practice cannot be separated from tho-ught and culture. The empirical findings in the neo-Whorfian studies need not be rejected, but they should be interpreted differently. The findings of linguistic and cognitive diversity reflect different communicational practices in which language cannot be separated from non-language.

Abstract Problem: The problem of this thesis involves the controversy that the implementation of poison pills generates. The conflict amongst various stakeholders that are affected directly or indirectly by the implementation of the poison pill also contributes significantly to the problem of this thesis. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and compare the benefits of the poison pill adoption on shareholder and management interests. We also seek to evaluate arguments for and against pill adoption, and determine if these arguments are valid in view of facts established from our study. Conclusions: Our study in this thesis has brought us to five conclusions about the poison pill policy in fulfillment of the purpose. We state in our conclusion that arguments for and against the poison pill can both be validated depending on the case, we also state that a general conclusion cannot be drawn as to the negative or positive effect of the poison pill on stakeholders. We proceed to argue that the pill is a very effective fighting toll in the current business world and state that more should be done to regulate pill implementation. We finish up our conclusion by identifying what appears to be an inverse relationship between management and shareholders benefits from the implementation of the pill. Originality: The uniqueness of our study resides in the theoretical framework that is developed from two prevailing hypotheses in the academic research of the poison pill. The previous studies either take on the management entrenchment hypothesis (MEH) or the shareholder interest hypothesis (SIH). However, we have combined the elements of both hypotheses and jointly revealed the advantages and disadvantages of the pill adoption for both management and shareholders via our original management shareholder benefits comparison matrix.

The Empirical Likelihood method (ELM) was introduced by A. B. Owen to test hypotheses in the early 1990s. It's a nonparametric method and uses the data directly to do statistical tests and to compute confidence intervals/regions. Because of its distribution free property and generality, it has been studied extensively and employed widely in statistical topics. There are many classical test statistics such as the Cramer-von Mises (CM) test statistic, the Anderson-Darling test statistic, and the Watson test statistic, to name a few. However, none is universally most powerful. This thesis is dedicated to extending the ELM to several interesting statistical topics in hypothesis tests. First of all, we focus on testing the fit of distributions. Based on the CM test, we propose a novel Jackknife Empirical Likelihood test via estimating equations in testing the goodness-of-fit. The proposed new test allows one to add more relevant constraints so as to improve the power. Also, this idea can be generalized to other classical test statistics. Second, when aiming at testing the error distributions generated from a statistical model (e.g., the regression model), we introduce the Jackknife Empirical Likelihood idea to the regression model, and further compute the confidence regions with the merits of distribution free limiting chi-square property. Third, the ELM based on some weighted score equations are proposed for constructing confidence intervals for the coefficient in the simple bilinear model. The effectiveness of all presented methods are demonstrated by some extensive simulation studies.

This research has studied the relationship between insider trading activity and its effect on the level of informational efficiency. The authors have used insider data from Finansinspektionen and data regarding stock prices, market capitalization and GDP from Thomson Reuters Datastream. The sample includes 193 companies on the Swedish stock exchange for a period of 10 years. A Variance Ratio test employed on moving sub-sample windows was used to establish the level of time-varying informational efficiency, which subsequently was used in an OLS-regression as a dependent variable. The result of the regression implies a negative effect on firm price information efficiency by insider purchasing, while selling has a positive effect. This can be concluded using a confidence level of 99%. The results are interesting since they imply an asymmetrical effect of insider trading on informational efficiency, while current insider legislation treats buying and selling by insiders equal. Thus, the results are of interest in future adjustments of laws regulating insider trading.

This paper adopts an modle with endogenous variable to investigates policy inertia hypothesis or unobserved variable hypothesis in Taiwan¡¦s interest-rate rule 1981- 2010. Empirical result suggests that both policy inertia and omitted variable hypothesis are important in monetary policy in Taiwan,which is consistent with that of Gerlach- Kristen (2004).

This research discussed the influence between directors and supervisors and the separation of ownership and control toward enterprise value according to the convergence of interest hypothesis and the entrenchment of interest hypothesis. The result indicated that, from 2003 to 2008, directors and supervisors¡¦ shareholding ratio and chair ratio of Taiwanese listed information service corporations had a negative relation with enterprise value. The shareholding ratio of substantial shareholders had a positive relation with enterprise value ¡V the shareholding ratio of directors and supervisors had the convergence and the entrenchment of interest effect on enterprise value. The more cash-flow rights the control shareholders owned, the higher the enterprise value was. When we used specific percentage to discuss the nonlinear relation between equity transparency and enterprise value, we discovered that the nonlinear relation between Proxy Q and the separation of ownership and control did not exist. However, there existed a ¡§W-shaped¡¨ nonlinear relation when the dependent variable was ROA or ROE. It can explain that the implementation of corporate governance on enterprise value has a certain degree of influence. Nonetheless, whether the effect is good or bad depends on what role one plays in the enterprise.