This research project explores the use of virtual support groups by women diagnosed with breast cancer in South Africa. Through a content analysis of the online forums and eight in-depth interviews with women of various backgrounds (age, race and socio-economic status) it becomes evident that women use these virtual spaces for information exchange, sense of belonging, search for meaning and most significantly support. Various factors within the illness experience of breast cancer influence the initial use, continuation, breaks and withdrawal from of these online forums. The analysis of online forums is framed around concepts of lay consultation, gender, adaptation theory and social capital to conceptualise and make sense of these virtual interactions. The virtual groups allow women to read and write on breast cancer according to their perceptions and experiences, thereby lessening the dominant medical power to create space for their personal voices. The interactions on the forums foster a sense of empowerment, social support and social engagement critical to their wellbeing and adaptation to the condition. This study also brings attention to the lack of studies about virtual groups within the South African context which is increasingly becoming significant as more and more individuals use virtual groups as part of health lay interaction and consultation.

Faculty of Science School of Statistics snd Acturial Science 9907894x craig.morgan@goldfields.co.za / This dissertation presents a detailed study of geostatistics. Included in this work are details of the development of geostatistics and its usefulness both in and outside of the mining industry, a comprehensive presentation of the theory of geostatistics, and a discussion of the application of this theory to practical situations. A published debate over the validity of geostatistics is also examined. The ultimate goal of this dissertation is to provide a thorough investigation of geostatistics from both a theoretical and a practical perspective. The theory presented in this dissertation is thus tested on various spatial data sets, and from these tests it is concluded that geostatistics can be effectively used in practice provided that the practitioner fully understands the theory of geostatistics and the spatial data being analyzed. A particularly interesting conclusion to come out of this dissertation is the importance of using additive regionalized variables in all geostatistical analyses.

Thesis advisor: Fr. Joseph O'Keefe / One of six studies examining one district’s implementation of the Massachusetts Model System of Educator Evaluation (MMSEE), this study examines how central office administrators (COAs) implement one of the central components of MMSEE, feedback. Feedback is intended to provide educators information and insight from supervisors with the intent to reflect on, improve and develop educators’ professional practice. Although there has been much research on principal evaluation, there has been little research on how feedback supports principals through the evaluation process making this study relevant and timely. By analyzing data collected through semi-structured interviews, findings revealed that principals and COAs had differing views of the type, frequency and relevance of feedback. To create a coherent and supportive structure for principal feedback recommendations include ensuring structures for effective communication and creation of collaborative professional development – COAs and principals – that include principal voice with explicit discussion and instruction on feedback. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Margaret Lombe / Over the past several decades trauma research has expanded to recognize the heterogeneity in post-exposure reactions. Posttraumatic stress disorder, the most commonly researched mental health outcome associated with trauma, does not develop in all trauma survivors. Rather, more common trajectories of adaptation following a trauma include normative health adaptation, resilience, and posttraumatic growth. The aims of the current study were to: (1) describe and characterize post-combat adaptation profiles in a sample of Israeli male military veterans (N = 448) based on the combination of posttraumatic distress symptoms, types of coping strategies, and level of posttraumatic growth; (2) test the utility of latent class membership on predicting the quality of posttraumatic growth (i.e. constructive growth); and (3) explore the protective factors (i.e. social support and adaptive coping) that promote constructive posttraumatic growth for each profile of post-combat adaptation. The current study used latent profile mixture modeling to identify profiles of post-combat adaptation, Heckman-probit regression models, and logistic regression analysis. Demographic controls, combat related variables, type of coping strategies utilized, and baseline reports of social support were not significant predictors of constructive growth in either the resilient or struggling latent classes. However, for those in the struggling subset of the sample, reported improvement in perceived social support during the intervention increased the odds of reaching constructive growth. This relationship did not hold for the resilient subset of the sample. The study extends existing literature and theory by proposing a more complex and nuanced examination of posttrauma adaption, and specifies conditions under which protective factors may influence positive adaptation outcomes such as constructive growth. These findings highlight the importance of tailored clinical interventions that account for more complex profiles of post-combat adaptation and provide additional support for the unique effects of group intervention modalities. Further, these findings provide evidence that adaptation takes place over time and as such services should continue to be available for veterans long after combat exposure. Finally, these findings call for future research to build on existing longitudinal investigation by examining the complex temporal components of adaptation in trauma survivors. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Thesis advisor: James Lubben / It has been shown that the effect of social networks and social support systems on health may be greater among immigrants who live away from their homeland and their natural social support systems. Despite the significance of social support systems, relevant research on minorities in the U.S. is limited. For this reason, the current cross-cultural study examined the pathways underlying different formations of social networks (kin vs. non-kin) and social support systems (emotional vs. instrumental), which affect depression symptoms and perceived general health among older Korean immigrants and non-Hispanic Caucasians in the United States. This analysis is based on the secondary data from the "Korean-American Elderly: Social Supports and Long-Term Care" study conducted in 1994. The data (n=424) were collected from non-Hispanic White Americans (n=201) and Korean immigrant elders (n=223) aged 65 and older residing in Southern California. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed conceptual model designed to explain the direct and indirect relationships between social networks and social support on health outcomes. Empirical evidence from this study indicated different effect of one's social networks and social support on health by race/ethnicity. The result indicated that both kin and non-kin networks provided social support for Korean immigrants. Moreover, among social network measures, non-kin networks had a greater effect on social support for older Korean immigrants compared to kin networks. For non-Hispanic Caucasians, on the other hand, only kin network had a significant effect on social support systems. In addition, receiving instrumental support lowered the perceived general health among older non-Hispanic Caucasians. The work discussed in this paper pointed to the need to recognize the role of culture in assessing the effect of one's social networks and social support systems on health. This paper highlighted the characteristics of those older Korean-American and older non-Hispanic Caucasians who are most, as well as, least likely to benefit from social networks and social support systems. By utilizing the existing social networks and social support of diverse populations, we can improve overall health outcomes and serve the elderly community better. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Thesis advisor: Natalia Sarkisian / A multiplicity of scholarly publications has found salutary associations between various aspects of religion and mental health, particularly depression. However, Hispanic older adults are seldom the focus of empirical studies analyzing these relationships. I fill that gap. Theories on the effects of church attendance, private prayer, religious coping, and religiosity on depression are developed and investigated. These analyses are based on a sample of older Mexican-origin individuals (N = 1,495). Data were obtained from the Hispanic Established Population for Epidemiological Studies of the Elderly (H-EPESE), a longitudinal survey. Results reveal an inverse association between moderate church attendance and depression that persists despite controls for social support, financial strain, and physical and mental impairment. An inverse association between higher levels of religiosity and depression and a direct association between higher levels of religious coping and depression also persisted beyond all controls. Findings suggest that the effects of religion on depression vary and are not always salutary. Methodological and theoretical implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

After that, strip sum and orthogonal Haar transform are proposed. The sum of pixels in a rectangle can be computed by one addition using the strip sum. Then this thesis proposes to use the orthogonal Haar transform (OHT) for pattern matching. Applied for pattern matching, the fast OHT algorithm using strip sum requires O(log u) additions per pixel to project input data of size N1 x N2 onto u 2-D OHT bases. Experimental results show the efficiency of pattern matching using OHT. / Firstly, this thesis proposes a fast algorithm for Walsh Hadamard Transform (WHT) on sliding windows which can be used to implement pattern matching efficiently. / Support vector machine (SVM) is a widely used classification approach. Direct computation of SVM is not desirable in applications requiring computationally efficient classification. To relieve the burden of high computational time required for computing SVM, this thesis proposes a transform domain SVM (TDSVM) using pruning that computes SVM much faster. Experimental results show the efficiency in applying the proposed method for human detection. / Then this thesis analyzes and compares state-of-the-art algorithms for full search equivalent pattern matching. Inspired by the analysis, this thesis develops a new family of transforms called the Kronecker-Hadamard Transform (KHT) of which the GCK family is a subset and WHT is a member. Thus, KHT provides more choices of transforms for representing images. Then this thesis proposes a new fast algorithm that is more efficient than the GCK algorithm. All KHTs can be computed efficiently using the fast KHT algorithm. Based on the KHT, this thesis then proposes the segmented KHT (SegKHT). By segmenting input data into Ls parts, the SegKHT requires 1/Ls the computation required by the KHT algorithm in computing basis vectors. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can significantly accelerate the pattern matching process and outperforms state-of-the-art methods. / This thesis aims at improving the computational efficiency in pattern matching. / Ouyang, Wanli. / Adviser: Wai Kuen Cham. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-04, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 143-147). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

by Tso Tze Kwong. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Bibliography: leaves [121]-[123]. / Acknowledgments / Abstract --- p.A-1 / Table of Figures --- p.F-1 / Chapter Chapter 1. --- Group Factors and Their Impacts / Chapter 1.1 --- Introduction --- p.1-1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Why Group --- p.1-3 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Effectiveness --- p.1-3 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Efficiency --- p.1-4 / Chapter 1.2.3 --- Knowledge --- p.1-4 / Chapter 1.2.4 --- Social Bias Reduction --- p.1-5 / Chapter 1.2.5 --- Commitment --- p.1-5 / Chapter 1.2.6 --- Communications --- p.1-5 / Chapter 1.3 --- Quality of Decision --- p.1-6 / Chapter 1.4 --- Risk Taking --- p.1-8 / Chapter 1.5 --- Social Factors --- p.1-8 / Chapter 1.6 --- Problems on Groups --- p.1-9 / Chapter Chapter 2. --- Group Decision Support Systems / Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.2-1 / Chapter 2.2 --- Group Decision Making / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Definition of Decision-making Group --- p.2-2 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- An Information-Exchange View --- p.2-2 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Group Interaction --- p.2-3 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- Group Decision Making Process --- p.2-4 / Chapter 2.2.5 --- Group Decision Making Process Model TC-l --- p.2-7 / Chapter 2.3 --- Group Decision Support System --- p.2-9 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Current Research Trend --- p.2-9 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Definition of GDSSs --- p.2-10 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Comparisons of Major Features of GDSSs in Practice --- p.2-13 / Chapter 2.3.4 --- The GDSS Software Models / Chapter 2.3.4.1 --- The Software Components --- p.2-19 / Chapter 2.3.4.2 --- Mapping Group Decision Making Concepts into GDSS Model --- p.2-23 / Chapter Chapter 3. --- The GDSS Design / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.3-1 / Chapter 3.2 --- System Overall Objectives --- p.3-2 / Chapter 3.3 --- The Assumptions --- p.3-2 / Chapter 3.4 --- System Scope / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Design Scope --- p.3-3 / Chapter 3.5 --- Objectives / Chapter 3.5.1 --- User's Perspective --- p.3-4 / Chapter 3.5.2 --- System's Perspective --- p.3-5 / Chapter 3.5.3 --- Decision Support Perspective --- p.3-7 / Chapter 3.6 --- The Conceptual Design of Our GDSS --- p.3-8 / Chapter 3.6.1 --- The Information Exchange Subsystem --- p.3-8 / Chapter 3.6.2 --- The Decision Making Subsystem --- p.3-10 / Chapter 3.6.3 --- The Communications Framework of The System --- p.3-12 / Chapter 3.7 --- The Physical Design of The System / Chapter 3.7.1 --- The Network Structure --- p.3-14 / Chapter 3.7.2 --- The Communications Flow --- p.3-16 / Chapter 3.7.3 --- The Overall System Structure / Chapter 3.7.3.1 --- The Setup Module Its Functions and Components --- p.3-17 / Chapter 3.7.3.2 --- The Monitor Module Its Functions and Logic --- p.3-19 / Chapter 3.7.3.3 --- The Private Module Its Functions and Logic --- p.3-22 / Chapter 3.7.3.4 --- The Common Module Its Functions and Logic --- p.3-24 / Chapter 3.7.4 --- The System Overall Control Logic --- p.3-26 / Chapter 3.8 --- Aids in Group Decision Making / Chapter 3.8.1 --- The Nominal Group Technique --- p.3-29 / Chapter 3.8.2 --- Decision Tree --- p.3-30 / Chapter 3.8.3 --- Multi-Attribute Utility Technique (MAU) --- p.3-32 / Chapter 3.8.4 --- Adjusted Multi-Attribute Utility Model --- p.3-35 / Chapter 3.8.5 --- Compromise Rules / Chapter a. --- Simple Majority --- p.3-38 / Chapter b. --- Borda Rule --- p.3-39 / Chapter c. --- Weighting --- p.3-40 / Chapter 3.9 --- The Information-Exchange Phase --- p.3-41 / Chapter 3.10 --- The Decision Making Phase / Chapter I --- Factors to Consider --- p.3-41 / Chapter II --- The Solution of Finalizing / Chapter Chapter 4. --- The Implementation of GDSS / Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.4-1 / Chapter 4.2 --- The Mechanism of Exchanging Information --- p.4-1 / Chapter 4.3 --- The Implementation of NGT --- p.4-2 / Chapter 4.4 --- The Forming of The Decision Structure --- p.4-3 / Chapter 4.5 --- The Finalizing of Node Details --- p.4-9 / Chapter 4.6 --- Methods in Evaluating A Final Choice --- p.4-12 / Chapter Chapter 5. --- A Practical Application / Chapter 5.1 --- Introduction --- p.5-1 / Chapter 5.2 --- Background --- p.5-1 / Chapter 5.3 --- Objective --- p.5-2 / Chapter 5.4 --- Decision Analysis Rationale --- p.5-3 / Chapter 5.5 --- The Decision Tree --- p.5-4 / Chapter 5.6 --- Decision Making Process --- p.5-8 / Chapter 5.7 --- The Feedback on Use of The System --- p.5-10 / Chapter Chapter 6. --- Conclusion / Chapter 6.1 --- Introduction --- p.6-1 / Chapter 6.2 --- System Feedback --- p.6-2 / Chapter 6.3 --- The Practical Means of The System --- p.6-5 / Chapter 6.4 --- The Limitation of The System --- p.6-6 / Chapter 6.5 --- The Future Perspective of The System --- p.6-6 / References --- p.ref-1

by Cheung Wai-Lam, William. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-96). / Chapter chapter 1: --- introduction / Chapter 1.1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE --- p.2 / Chapter 1.3 --- STRUCTURE OF REPORT --- p.3 / Chapter 1.4 --- CHAPTER SUMMARY --- p.5 / Chapter chapter 2: --- decision support systems (dss) / Chapter 2.1 --- THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS --- p.6 / Chapter 2.2 --- DEFINITION OF DSS --- p.8 / Chapter 2.3 --- STRUCTURE OF DSS --- p.12 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Users --- p.12 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Database --- p.12 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Model Base --- p.14 / Chapter 2.4 --- CHAPTER SUMMARY --- p.15 / Chapter chapter 3: --- dss for stock evaluation / Chapter 3.1 --- STOCK VALUATION: CAPM vs APT --- p.16 / Chapter 3.2 --- DSS FOR STOCK INVESTMENT --- p.21 / Chapter 3.3 --- THE PROPOSED STOCK EVALUATION DSS --- p.23 / Chapter 3.4 --- CHAPTER SUMMARY --- p.26 / Chapter chapter 4: --- analyticheerarchy process (ahp) / Chapter 4.1 --- WHAT IS AHP --- p.27 / Chapter 4.2 --- AN EXAMPLE: PLANT LOCATION SELECTION --- p.27 / Chapter 4.3 --- COMPUTATION PROCESS OF AHP / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Notations --- p.35 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Principal Eigenvector --- p.35 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Eigenvalue --- p.36 / Chapter 4.3.4 --- Consistency Ratio --- p.36 / Chapter 4.4 --- CHAPTER SUMMARY --- p.37 / Chapter chapter 5: --- an ahp model for stock evaluation / Chapter 5.1 --- ALTERNATIVES FOR STOCK EVALUATION --- p.39 / Chapter 5.2 --- THE AHP MODEL FOR STOCK SELECTION --- p.41 / Chapter 5.3 --- EXPLANATIONS AND JUSTIFICATIONS FOR PROPOSED HIERARCHY --- p.43 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Level1 --- p.45 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Level2 --- p.45 / Chapter 5.3.3 --- Level3 --- p.46 / Chapter 5.3.4 --- Level4 --- p.48 / Chapter 5.3.5 --- Level5 --- p.49 / Chapter 5.3.6 --- Level6 --- p.60 / Chapter 5.4 --- CHAPTER SUMMARY --- p.61 / Chapter chapter 6: --- the development of iris: a prototype / Chapter 6.1 --- SYSTEM FLOWCHART --- p.63 / Chapter 6.2 --- PROGRAM SPECIFICATION --- p.65 / Chapter 6.2.1 --- File Maintenance Module --- p.65 / Chapter 6.2.2 --- Hierarchy Setup --- p.65 / Chapter 6.2.3 --- Eigenvector Computation --- p.67 / Chapter 6.2.4 --- Overall Weight Computation --- p.67 / Chapter 6.3 --- PROTOTYPE OPERATION --- p.67 / Chapter 6.4 --- CHAPTER SUMMARY --- p.79 / Chapter chapter 7: --- user evaluationof model and prototype / Chapter 7.1 --- METHODOLOGY OF EVALUATION --- p.82 / Chapter 7.1.1 --- Participants --- p.82 / Chapter 7.1.2 --- Stock Candidates --- p.83 / Chapter 7.1.3 --- Stock Data --- p.83 / Chapter 7.1.4 --- Process of Model and Prototype Evaluation --- p.84 / Chapter 7.2 --- FINDINGS --- p.85 / Chapter 7.2.1 --- Structure the Stock Evaluation Process --- p.86 / Chapter 7.2.2 --- Time-consuming --- p.87 / Chapter 7.2.3 --- The Consistency Ratio --- p.87 / Chapter 7.2.4 --- Reconsideration of Factors --- p.87 / Chapter 7.2.5 --- Precise Amount Available --- p.88 / Chapter 7.2.6 --- Users Forced to Considered All Factors --- p.88 / Chapter 7.3 --- CONCLUSION OF EVALUATION --- p.89 / Chapter 7.4 --- CHAPTER SUMMARY --- p.90 / Chapter chapter 8: --- summary and conclusion / Chapter 8.1 --- REPORT SUMMARY --- p.91 / Chapter 8.2 --- CONCLUSION --- p.91 / references --- p.93 / appendix --- p.97

by Liu Shu Cheung, Jimmy. / Thesis (M.Ph.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1988. / Bibliography: leaves 61-64.