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Risk assessment for natural hazards and financial extreme events requires the statistical analysis of extreme events, often beyond observed levels. The characterization and extrapolation of the probability of rare events rely on assumptions about the extremal dependence type and about the specific structure of statistical models. In this thesis, we develop models with flexible tail dependence structures, in order to provide a reliable estimation of tail characteristics and risk measures. From a methodological perspective, this thesis makes the following novel developments. 1) We propose new copula-based models for multivariate and spatial extremes with flexible tail dependence structures, which are parsimonious and able to bridge smoothly asymptotic dependence and asymptotic independence classes, in both the upper and the lower tails; 2) Moreover, aiming at describing more general dependence structures using graphs, we propose a novel extremal dependence measure called the partial tail-correlation coefficient (PTCC) under the framework of regular variation to learn complex extremal network structures; 3) Finally, we develop a semi-parametric neural-network-based regression model to identify spatial causal effects at all quantile levels (including low and high quantiles). Overall, we make novel contributions to creating new flexible extremal dependence models, developing and implementing novel Bayesian computation algorithms, and taking advantage of machine learning and causal inference principles for modeling extremes. Our novel methodologies are illustrated by a range of applications to financial, climatic, and health data. Specifically, we apply our bivariate copula model to the historical closing prices of five leading cryptocurrencies and estimate the extremal dependence evolution over time, and we use the PTCC to learn the extreme risk network of historical global currency exchange data. Moreover, our multivariate spatial factor copula model is applied to study the upper and lower extremal dependence structures of the daily maximum and minimum air temperature from the state of Alabama in the southeastern United States; and we also apply the PTCC in extreme river discharge network learning for the Upper Danube basin. Finally, we apply the causal spatial quantile regression model in quantifying spatial quantile treatment effects of maternal smoking on extreme low birth weight of newborns in North Carolina, United States.

Bakgrund: Kronisk obstruktiv lungsjukdom (KOL) är en folksjukdom, sompåverkar kroppen både fysiskt och emotionellt. Enligt världshälsoorganisationenberäknas sjukdomen öka och bli den tredje största dödsorsaken år 2030. Syfte:Syftet med litteraturstudien var att belysa patienters upplevelser av att leva medKOL genom frågeställningen; hur upplevs det emotionellt av att leva med KOL.Metod: En litteraturstudie bestående av tio kvalitativa artiklar genomdatabassökning i CINAHL, Medline och PubMed. Resultat: Det framkom en radolika känslor i relation till olika upplevelser. Fyra huvudkategorier identifieradestill: upplevelser av fysiska begränsningar, upplevelser av att leva med syrgas,upplevelser av minskad självständighet och betydelsen av sociala relationer. Denförsta kategorin delades in i en underkategori som var upplevelser av att leva meddyspné. Slutsats: Att leva med KOL kan upplevas med varierande emotioner. Detär viktigt vid omvårdnad av dessa patienter att ha en förståelse för derasupplevelser. / Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common disease that affects the body both physically and emotionally. According to the World Health Organization it is estimated that the disease will increase in number and become the third largest cause of death in 2030. Aim: The aim of this literature review was to elucidate patients' experiences of living with COPD through the question of issue; how it is perceived emotionally by living with COPD. Method: A literature review consisting of ten qualitative articles through database search in CINAHL, Medline and PubMed. Results: There emerged a range of emotions in relation to different experiences. Four main categories were identified: experiences of physical limitations, experiences of living with oxygen therapy, experiences of reduced independence and significance of social relationships. The first category was divided into a subcategory that was experiences of living with dyspnoea. Conclusion: Living with COPD can be experienced with varying emotions. It is important when caring for these patients to have an understanding of their experiences.

The purpose of this study was to examine the means of scores on three forms of a standardized reading comprehension test taken by community college students in developmental reading classes. The three forms of the test were administered as a timed multiple-choice test, a constructed response test, and an un-timed multiple-choice test. Scores on the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) were used to classify the students who participated in the study as having field dependent (LOW GEFT), mid-field dependent/independent (MID GEFT), or fieldindependent (HIGH GEFT) tendencies. The paired samples test was used to analyze the scores among the students classified as LOW GEFT, MID GEFT, and HIGH GEFT for mean differences in scores on the three test formats. The data revealed that for LOW GEFT students, the format of the test impacted their scores, with the mean of the scores of the un-timed multiple-choice test being significantly higher than the timed multiple-choice test and the constructed response format. The data also showed that for the MID GEFT students the mean of the scores for the un-timed multiple-choice test was significantly higher than the means for the timed multiple-choice test scores and the constructed response test scores. However, no significant mean difference was found between the timed multiple-choice test scores and the constructed response test scores. For the HIGH GEFT students, significant mean difference existed only between the un-timed multiple-choice and the timed multiple choice scores. The means of reading comprehension test scores on the three formats between the LOW GEFT, MID GEFT, and HIGH GEFT students indicated significant mean difference between the timed multiple choice test scores but not between the means of the scores for the constructed response and the un-timed multiple-choice test scores. Demographically, when the means of the reading test scores were analyzed with ethnicity as the controlling variable, the Hispanic students had a significantly higher mean on the scores for the constructed response test format. No other significant mean differences were found between the scores of the African American, Caucasian, Hispanic, or Native American students. When the means of the reading test scores were analyzed with gender as the controlling variable, no significant mean difference was found between the reading comprehension scores of the men and women. This study indicated that cognitive style had more impact on students’ performance on a standardized test of reading comprehension than did ethnicity or gender. The un-timed multiple-choice format also had an equalizing effect on the means of the scores for these students.

This study was designed to examine whether a person's prepositioned cognitive style influenced learning achievement in a visually-oriented task for an online learning environment in higher education. Field dependence-independence was used to identify individuals' cognitive styles. A true experimental study was conducted in the fall 2005 term at the University of Central Florida. This researcher followed Dwyer and Moore's research (1991, 2002) and divided learners into three groups (field dependent [FD], field neutral [FN], and the field independent [FI] students). Eighty-three preservice teachers participated in this study; the data from 52 of the FD and the FI participants were analyzed to answer research questions. The findings in this study supported those in the literature review; students from both FD and FI cognitive styles performed equally well in online learning environments. In addition, for providing introductory-level instruction on visually-oriented tasks in an online learning environment, instructions which emphasized an FD approach benefited both FI and FD students in their knowledge-based learning achievement. In this approach, extra cues and sequence of content might have been the reasons that students had higher scores on their knowledge-based learning achievement and satisfaction levels. The findings of this study also indicated that students could demonstrate higher performance-based learning achievement if they had more experiences on the subject matter and higher knowledge-based learning achievement if they felt the instructions were easy to follow and the workload of the module was manageable. Based on the findings and conclusions, the recommendations are: (1) A larger sample size is needed to generalize the findings of the study; (2) In this study, student-to-student and teacher-to-student interactions might affect students' learning achievement. Future studies should consider those interactions as factors and examine their effect on students' learning achievement.

This dissertation consists of three separate but interrelated studies examining the formation and management of tax policies. The first study uses stakeholder theory (ST) to investigate the strategic management practices of the Transport for London (TfL) during discrete stages in the adoption, implementation, and amendments of the tax policy reform known as the London Congestion Charge (LCC). Results indicate that TfL has utilized power, legitimacy, and urgency as its main policy management tactics with a significant emphasis on legitimatizing the LCC and its subsequent policy amendments. The second study draws on social exchange theory (SET) to reexamine the relationship between corporations and legislators during tax policy processes. Data for the study come from publicly available political action committee (PAC) contribution activities surrounding the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA07). By examining the endogeneity between legislators’ voting patterns and PAC contributions by corporations, this study aims to refine empirical work on corporate political strategy, especially as it relates to crucial tax provisions embedded within an intensely debated policy proposal. Using simultaneous equations modeling (SEM), results are consistent with SET showing that an implicit and reciprocal relationship exists between corporations and legislators. This relationship affects the interdependence of how legislators vote for public policies and the amount of corporations’ financial contributions to legislators. The third study investigates and aims to validate the empirical applicability of Dahan’s (2005) typology of political resources in explicating the political interactions between stakeholder groups and legislators in the development of EISA07. I discuss how and why the mode of operations and various political resources employed by stakeholder groups affected the iii final EISA07 language concerning domestic production deduction tax credits for the oil and gas industry. Publicly available data show that both supporting and opposing stakeholder groups employ tactics consistent with Dahan’s (2005) typology. However, both stakeholder groups tend to use an interactive or positive political approach to gain access and favor of legislators instead of an adversarial approach. Ultimately, the tax credits were preserved. Taken as a whole, the three studies advance the tax and public policy research literature in accounting by studying how and why relevant stakeholders affect the formation and ongoing management of public and tax policies

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<p> The concept of ideological frontier and boundary, fami liar in the context of ' Cold War ' politics, is appl ied to Botswana , as a case study in political geogr aphy . The study works from two basi c assumptions . Firstly, that there is an inverse relationship between economic dependence and political independence (which in this study is further related to the hostility in the ideological conflict). Secondly, that in a confli ct bet ween riational interest and ideology a stat e gives pri ority to the former . These assumptions are used in the context of Botswana's national development and that state ' s contemporary geopoliticai situation in southern Africa . This situation is characterised by the ideological conflict of racial confrontation. The development of Botswana as a strategically i mportant state is trace d by reference to past political and economic dependencies on other states . An evaluation of the present day dependencies and their effect on Botswana's national goals depends in part on understanding that state's geopolitical situation along an ideological frontier. </p> / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

The obstacles that hinder democracy in Latin America are the topics of interest of this research. Loopholes within Latin American democratic systems of governance are a cause for concern, but also intrigue. In this research the specific loopholes and strengths of democracies in Latin America will be spotted and explained. More specifically, this research features a series quantitative method to help explain and evaluate the characteristics of strong democracies in Latin America as well as the characteristics of weak democracies in Latin America. A series of regression models show a causal relationship between rule of law and the overall democratic success of Latin American countries within the region. Therefore, it can be said that countries that hold robust judiciary systems are not more likely to reach and continue democratic success.

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