Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 43-50).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-78).

This thesis provides a comprehensive history of the statistical background and uses of survival analysis, and then applies econometric duration analysis to examine the lifecycles of product lines within the microprocessor industry. Using data from Stanford University's CPUDB, covering Intel and AMD processors introduced between 1971 and 2014, the duration analysis uses both parametric and nonparametric estimators to construct survival and hazard functions for estimated product line lifetimes within microprocessor product families. The well-known and widely applied non-parametric Kaplan-Meier estimator is applied on both the entire sample as a whole, and segmented estimate that considers product line lifecycles of Intel and AMD separately, with median survival time of 456 days. The parametric duration analysis uses both the semi-parametric Cox proportional hazard model, and the fully parametric accelerated failure time model across the Weibull, Exponential and Log-Logistic distributions, which find modest association between higher clock speed and transistor count on diminishing expected time in the marketplace for microprocessors, while the number of cores and other attributes have no predictive power over expected survival times. It is expected that the transistor count and clock speed of a given processor's negative effect on expected duration, likely captures the co-trending of growth in transistor count with a larger marketplace and broader product categories. / Graduate

Both open-form and closed-form formulas are developed to compute duration for two types of fixed-rate mortgages: the level or constant payment mortgage and the constant amortization mortgage. Because holding periods are often less than maturity, duration formulas are also developed for mortgages that are paid prior to maturity. The duration formulas are used to compare the risk and price behavior of the two types of mortgages. Under any scenario, the constant amortization mortgage exhibits less interest rate risk than the constant payment mortgage. The durations of both mortgage types are monotonically increasing functions of maturity when the mortgages are held to maturity. When the mortgages are subject to prepayment, however, durations may, under certain circumstances decline with original maturity.

No description available.

Traditionally civil infrastructure designs were rendered using rainfall data from dated historical records. However, recent studies have shown that the magnitude and intensity of historical precipitation events do not exhibit the extreme nature of precipitation events that are projected to occur in the future. Increasing extreme rainfall trends have already been documented in Canada. Therefore there are growing concerns that the aging infrastructure in southern Ontario will be unable to function effectively and as a result the frequency of floods is expected to increase. Updating intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves to account for extreme precipitation events is vital to ensure that the consequences of floods are mitigated. This study first reviewed the most robust techniques for updating IDF curves, and applied a select set of approaches to create IDF curves for stations within southern Ontario. Three robust techniques – the at-site method, the regional frequency analysis method, and a future IDF curve development technique – were compared with one another to determine which technique was most suitable for updating IDF curves in southern Ontario. Results showed that the difference between the at-site method and the regional frequency analysis method was marginal for short return periods, however for larger return periods larger differences were observed. Future IDF statistic results showed that for the 2050s there were minor differences in the increases in rainfall intensities when comparing with the at-site and the regional frequency analysis method. For the 2100s there were larger increases in rainfall intensities compared to the at-site and the regional frequency analysis method, especially for larger return periods. These results suggest that it is worthwhile for regions within southern Ontario to update their IDF curves using the future IDF curve technique, however it is recommended that additional climate models, emission scenarios and downscaling techniques involved in future IDF curve construction are explored. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OFMelanie Tharp, for the Master of Science degree in Food and Nutrition, presented on November 16, 2021, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: A SURVEY OF PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS ON BREASTFEEDING DURATION AND EXCLUSIVITYMAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Dawn NullBreastfeeding an infant is the current best recommendation for infant feeding, but only about a quarter of infants are breastfed until the suggested age of 6 months exclusively and 12 months with complementary foods. In this study, the objective was to find what determinants there are in women choosing to breastfeed and what barriers that exist to cause early cessation of breastfeeding. Current studies suggest that more research be done on the physiological factors such as weight and the presence of hormone problems that affect breastfeeding. The study focused on the physiological factors that may affect breastfeeding outcomes, in this study, duration and exclusivity. It was hypothesized that both duration and exclusivity would be lower in the women with the physiological risk factors. Participants were adult breastfeeding mothers. The data was collected through the use of an online survey exploring breastfeeding practices and physiological factors. A total of 507 participants started the survey with data from participants who did not complete at least 50% of the survey were excluded leaving 437 participants in the final sample. Overall, the sample had higher than average income, education, and age. There were no significant relationships found between the physiological factors studied and the duration of breastfeeding. However, there was a significant relationship found between formula use and exercise which suggests a lower formula use with more exercise. Suggestions for future studies include considering ethnicity and using a stronger study design to be able to find cause and effect relationships between physiological factors and breastfeeding outcomes.

[Abstract]: Only a minority of Australian women continue to breastfeed for what is known to be the optimal duration for the health of the mother and her baby. This mixed method study of the determinants of breastfeeding duration is situated within the post-positivist paradigm, and uses both qualitative and quantitative data in a triangulated study design. The study aimed to identify the psychological factors which influence the duration of breastfeeding, in the hope that modifiable factors would arise which may assist women to meet their longer term breastfeeding goals. This two-phase study was conducted in Toowoomba, Queensland and began with a qualitative enquiry involving three groups of mothers separated according to their various experiences of breastfeeding, and one group of experienced breastfeeding clinicians (n = 21). Using the nominal group technique, these women were asked to generate a list of the psychological factors they believed influenced the duration of breastfeeding. Group results were considered individually and collectively, and comparisons between groups were made. The groups generated a list of 53 psychological factors they believed may have an influence on the duration of breastfeeding. In Phase 2, these data and the extant literature were used to inform the content of a questionnaire constructed to measure the relevant individual psychological characteristics of a sample of postnatal women, and the relationship between these factors and breastfeeding duration to 6 months postpartum. Participants for Phase 2 were recruited from one public and one private hospital in the regional city of Toowoomba, Queensland (n = 372), and completed a self-report questionnaire during the 14 days following the birth. Telephone interviews at 6 months postpartum gathered data regarding the woman’s current feeding method and time of weaning. The duration of breastfeeding was associated with psychological factors including dispositional optimism, breastfeeding self-efficacy, faith in breastmilk, breastfeeding expectations, anxiety, planned duration of breastfeeding and the time of the infant feeding decision. After removing the effect of socio-demographic variables, the woman’s faith in breastmilk and her planned breastfeeding duration were unique predictors of the duration of Fully breastfeeding. Analysis of the data for the duration of Any breastfeeding revealed three unique predictors including faith in breastmilk, planned breastfeeding duration and breastfeeding self-efficacy. The data also showed that 44% of the sample experienced some form of postnatal distress in the 14 days following the birth in the form of anxiety, stress and/or depression. Of these three distinct states, only anxiety was associated with breastfeeding duration. This enhanced knowledge of the psychological variables which influence breastfeeding duration may be used to construct a tool capable of identifying women at risk of early weaning for additional support or interventions. Additionally, this knowledge may form the basis of an intervention designed to modify psychological variables known to place breastfeeding at risk, thereby assisting women to breastfeed for longer.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2004. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-95). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Forest resources are significant in Mississippi's ecology and economy, with 12.5 million acres of Non-Industrial Private Forest (NIPF). Frequent ownership changes with lower durations decrease the average parcel size. The study examined the trends of NIPF parcelization accommodating duration analysis and tax roll data to identify the length of ownerships in an eight-county study. Based on the results, lower duration of ownerships was associated with increased number of smaller parcels less than 11 acres and a substantial loss of large forests. The median duration of ownership was between 10 to 15 years and 59% were absentee NIPF owners. Duration analysis revealed the length of NIPF ownership was highly associated with the size of the forest, sawtimber price, an economic recession, and distance to the closest metropolitan city. Lower ownership durations and smaller parcels will limit economies of scale and alter the functionality and structure of the NIPFs in the future.