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Decisions such as saving, investing, policymaking, have consequences in multiple time periods and are called intertemporal. These choices require decision-makers to trade-off costs and benefits at different points in time. Time preference is the preference for immediate gratification or utility over delayed gratification. The discount rate is a tool used to measure this psychological phenomenon. This thesis considers the problem of an individual maximizing his utility from consumption and final wealth when his discount rate is not constant. The question we answer is the following: if we allow the individual to update his decisions, will he stick to his original strategy or will he switch? We show that there are cases in which the individual's strategy keeps changing thus his behaviour becomes time inconsistent. In Chapter 1, we introduce two notions to solve this inconsistency problem: The agent can pre commit i.e. he does not change his original optimal strategy. The agent can also plan for his future changes of strategy and adopt time consistent strategies also known as subgame perfect strategies. We also review the existing literature on time discounting and time consistency. Chapter 2 considers the time consistency in the expected utility maximization problem. The risk preference is of the Constant Relative Risk Aversion (CRRA) type, the time preference is specified by a non constant discount rate and we allow the volatility of the stock price to be stochastic. We show that the determination of one quantity: the utility weighted discount rate completely characterizes the individual's subgame perfect strategies. Chapter 3 is about equilibrium pricing in a model populated by several economic agents in a complete financial market. These agents are investing, saving and consuming and want to maximize their expected utility of consumption and final wealth. We allow the economic agents to differ in their risk preferences, beliefs about the future of the economy and in their time preferences (non constant discount rates). Since the optimal strategies are time inconsistent, the equilibrium is computed by using the time 0 optimal ( precommitment) strategies for the market clearing conditions. Chapter 4 considers the same model as chapter 2. We solve the equilibrium problem when time consistent strategies are used for the market clearing conditions. We limit the study to two economic agents. The subgame perfect equilibrium is compared to the optimal equilibrium of Chapter 3. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on reading achievement for middle school students after participation in a computer-based reading intervention program, READ 180, as well as the relationship of program participation to later dropout rates, compared to students enrolled in a traditional reading remediation program. A nonequivalent control group research design was used to examine data collected from 384 students in Grades 6 through 8 participating in reading interventions spanning a 3-year period from 2003 through 2006. Independent samples t test and chi-square statistics were used to analyze data to determine the yearly reading achievement mean gains, differences between the effects of the two reading interventions, and later dropout frequencies. There were no significant differences between the treatment and comparison groups in reading scores during the first year of READ 180 implementation. Computer software problems affected the implementation of READ 180 during the first semester of implementation. The findings reveal a statistically significant difference between the effects on reading achievement scores for students who participated in READ 180 when implemented with moderate fidelity compared to students in a traditional reading remediation program during the 2nd and 3rd years of implementation. The findings in this study revealed that an intensive reading intervention, READ 180, can significantly improve reading achievement for struggling adolescent readers when implemented with moderate fidelity. Analyses of the data revealed differences between the number of 2003-2004 reading intervention participants and the school division cohort dropout rates. A significant difference was not observed between the 2004-2006 cohort dropout rates when compared to the school division rates. The findings in this study will be beneficial to secondary principals who are held accountable for literacy development, implementation, and evaluation as the school instructional leader. / Ph. D.

The Great Plains piping plover (Charadrius melodus) population was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1986. The challenge for managers of this population is to increase the fledging rate and to ensure that there is sufficient habitat to support an increasing population. According to the revised recovery plan, there are insufficient quantitative data that relate habitat characteristics to reproductive success in riverine habitat. In particular, additional data are needed to determine if piping plover reproduction is limited by food abundance at breeding sites. The goal of this research was to determine whether piping plover chick survival was limited by foraging site quality on the Missouri River. Productivity has historically varied among river reaches. The alkali wetlands, reported to be very productive, serve as an index to the upper limit of reproductive potential. We compared indices of foraging site quality, chick growth and survival among a reservoir, two river reaches and alkali wetland sites from 2001-2003. We compared piping plover use of protected shoreline and exposed shoreline to availability along two reaches of the Missouri River (Gavins and Garrison). We also examined piping plover chick diet. Chick weight gains were higher at alkali wetlands than Gavins and Garrison. Invertebrate numbers were higher at the alkali wetlands than the three river sites and lowest downstream of the cold water release dam. Invertebrate biomass was highest at the alkali wetlands and downstream of the warm water release dam and lowest downstream of the cold water release dam. Invertebrate biomass downstream of the cold water release dam was the lowest of all 4 sites. There was no relationship between chick daily survival rates and invertebrate biomass or predator presence. Although Diptera occurred more frequently (23% - 64%) at all sites (sticky traps), Coleoptera occurred most frequently in the fecal samples (fecal analysis; 69% to 89%). On the Missouri River, protected shorelines were important foraging sites for piping plovers during the breeding season. We also found that sandbars with low-lying moist habitat are important to foraging chicks. Results are consistent with the prediction that foraging conditions downriver from cold water release dams are inferior to conditions in other habitats in the region. Differences in prey availability are reflected in chick growth rates, but not in survival rates. These results underscore the variability in different indices of habitat quality (invertebrate indices, predation, growth rates, survival rates) among the four sites, and the need for monitoring and management strategies that address each site individually. When managing or creating sandbars, ensuring the availability of protected shoreline will benefit piping plovers on the Missouri River. / Ph. D.

Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), signed into law by President Obama on December 10, 2015, amended several K-12 accountability requirements. ESSA defined high school graduation rate for the first time in federal education law. In ESSA, the Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) was defined as the ratio of the number of students who graduated with a regular high school diploma over the course of four years divided by the number of students who made up an adjusted cohort. Under ESSA, high schools that graduate less than 67 percent of their students were labeled as low performing. The graduation rate differed significantly between high schools and was influenced by multiple factors. Among other factors, the difference in graduation rates might be attributed to increased dropout rates among groups, such as males, racial minorities, low socioeconomic (SES) families, and schools that were located in urban areas (Bower et al., 2013). This study was modeled after the work of Blowe (2011) and White (2015). A quasi-experimental analysis of ex post facto data was conducted to determine if CTE completion affected students' standardized assessment scores and graduation rates. The purpose of this study was to determine if the completion of Career and Technical Education (CTE) sequences was associated with the graduation rates among Virginia students for the 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19 cohort years. In addition, the study examined whether there were statistically significant differences in graduation rates among CTE finishers, non-CTE finishers, and total students when regional classifications were considered. School graduation data from the 132 school divisions were grouped according to The National Center for Education Statistics' designated locale classifications type to determine if CTE sequence completion and locale type were associated with graduation rates of each geographic region. The researcher used quasi-experimental, comparative analysis, t-test, and ANOVA to analyze the graduation data of each locale type. The study determined that CTE finishers' graduation rates were significantly higher than students who have not completed CTE programs. In addition, regional classifications had a statistically significant influence on the overall graduation rates for all students. / Doctor of Education / Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), signed into law by President Barak Obama on December 10, 2015, amended several K-12 accountability requirements for K-12 education. Under ESSA, graduation rates were an essential measure of student outcomes, and high schools that graduated less than 67 percent of their students were labeled as low performing. Across the country, the graduation rate differed significantly between high schools and was influenced by a wide range of factors. Among other factors, the difference in graduation rates might be attributed to factors including increased dropout rates among groups, such as males, racial minorities, Hispanics, low socioeconomic (SES) families, and schools that were located in urban areas (Bower et al., 2013). The achievement of a diploma allowed students to choose their path - whether they wish to attend a two- or four-year college, a technical school, workforce training, or enter the military. This study was modeled after the work of Blowe (2011) and White (2015) in using existing data to determine if CTE completion had an association with earning a diploma. The purpose of this study was to determine if the completion of Career and Technical Education (CTE) sequences was associated with the graduation rates of Virginia students for the 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19 cohort years. In addition, the study examined whether there were statistically significant differences in graduation rates among CTE finishers, non-CTE finishers, and total students when regional classifications were considered. That is, the study analyzed the graduation rates of Virginia's 132 school divisions in determining if completing a CTE course sequence affected state graduation as well as regional graduation rates. Schools were grouped according to The National Center for Education Statistics' designated locale classifications type. The researcher used statistical analysis to compare the graduation data of each locale grouping, rural, town, suburban, and city, to the corresponding annual state average. The results of the study indicated that graduation rates for students who finished CTE sequences were significantly higher than their peers who did not finish a CTE sequence and that regional classifications influenced overall graduation rates.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of various wage rates on the minimum amounts of resources needed to obtain specified income levels on farms in Southwest Virginia. In addition, the aggregate effects of these wage rates on the structure and organization of farms in this area was determined. A linear programming model with added average outlay as a minimization criterion was constructed to determine the optimum resource use and enterprise combinations for' three representative farms to achieve operator labor incomes of $3,500, $5,000, $7,000, respectively. An aggregation model was used to determine the aggregate effects of these changes on farm organization and structure in the area. The study indicated that there are presently a large number of farms in the area with open land acreage below the minimum required to provide full-time productive employment for the operator. When available cropland is not sufficient to enable an individual to obtain a specified income, it is more profitable, in terms of minimizing average outlay, to purchase additional open land in order to obtain additional tobacco acreage and other cropland, than to utilize large amounts of existing unused pasture. An increase in hired labor wage rates, when an individual farm is achieving a specified income, may result in the hiring of additional labor, however, added amounts of non-labor inputs would increase at a faster rate than increases in amounts of labor used. Should all farms in the area adjust to attain the income levels specified in the study, farm numbers would decrease. An increase in the production of crops and livestock enterprises would result. This increased production would result in gross returns from the sales of crops of more than three times the amount presently received from crop sales in the area, and returns from livestock sales would be more than twice the amount presently received. This production would be produced by a total labor force of one-half, or less, the present labor force available on the farms in the study area. The results of this analysis substantiate the results of earlier studies which indicate that capital will be substituted for labor as farm wages are increased, and, an increase in aggregate farm production can be obtained with a decrease in total farm labor utilized. A need for some type of labor-saving innovation, as increased price supports for burley tobacco, will become necessary as the price of labor and other farm inputs increase. A study devoted to the development and analysis of some type of policy to encourage the combination of the smaller farms into larger, more efficient units is in order if all farm operators are to earn income levels comparable to that of off-farm employment. The resulting production from such a change would alter the type of farming presently conducted in the area. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the behavior of the term structure of interest rates on a daily basis between January 2, 1980, and March 31, 1994, especially with respect to the synchronization and the relative amplitude of change of different maturities in the term structure. Results reveal a high degree of synchronization of the elements of the yield curve during this period. Volatility was found to vary inversely with maturity during this time. The characteristics seen in the daily term structure of this period are consistent with observations in prior studies, including a study of 1901-1954 annual data by Dr. David I. Meiselman and a study of 1955-1989 monthly data by Maj-Lis A. Voss. / Master of Arts

What impact do family policies have on women's ability to have a family and participate in the labor market? Drawing on two cases, Japan and Sweden, I will identify different patterns of family policies' impact on fertility rates and women's participation in the labor market. Comparing the countries of Japan and Sweden, I ask how family policies influence choices about family and work life. Within this context, I will highlight the similarities we can find in both countries. Japan and Sweden are both industrialized nations with highly- developed economic structures and people enjoy high living standards. In both countries, we can also find similar elements of family policy. The three types of policies I study, (child allowances, parental leave legislation, as well as the establishment and expansion of childcare institutions) exist in both countries. At the same time, Japan and Sweden differ in the historical patterns of family roles reflected in each country's family policy framework. Due to these particular differences, the two countries show different outcomes concerning fertility rates and women's labor market participation. In my paper, I will closely examine the relationship between the existing circumstances and women's decisions in this context. / Master of Arts

Most of the previous research on multistage interference cancellation receivers for Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems has relied on the use of simulation techniques for performance evaluation. This thesis formulates a model for an adaptive multistage interference cancellation receiver within a CDMA system to be employed at the cellular radio base station. A closed form expression for the probability of bit error for this adaptive multistage interference cancellation receiver is derived, using a Gaussian approximation for Multiple Access Interference (MAI). The Bit Error Rate (BER) after any stage of interference cancellation can be computed from the signal to noise ratio, number of users and processing gain of the CDMA system. The BER expressions are extended to derive asymptotic limits on the performance of interference cancellation as the number of cancellation stages approaches infinity, demonstrating a fundamental limit on the performance improvement that can be expected from any multistage interference cancellation scheme. Furthermore, the analysis quantifies conditions under which interference cancellation may degrade performance. This thesis also extends a software implementation of the Multistage Rake receiver for a wide range of channel models including Gaussian noise, MAI, multipath propagation and near-far effects. Simulation results demonstrate the robustness of the Multistage Rake receiver to near-far effects and manifold capacity improvement compared to conventional demodulation techniques. / Master of Science