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Title: Performance study of some distributed detection rules.
Creator: Aalo, Valentine A., Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Abstract/Description: In a distributed detection system, several geographically dispersed local sensors observe the same environment and transmit a condensed version of their observations to a fusion center. The fusion center then decides the presence or the absence of a target based on the information received from the sensors. The performances of several distributed detection rules are investigated. We study the asymptotic (as the number of sensors N $\to$ $\infty$) performance of the system when the fusion rule...
Show moreIn a distributed detection system, several geographically dispersed local sensors observe the same environment and transmit a condensed version of their observations to a fusion center. The fusion center then decides the presence or the absence of a target based on the information received from the sensors. The performances of several distributed detection rules are investigated. We study the asymptotic (as the number of sensors N $\to$ $\infty$) performance of the system when the fusion rule is a "k out of N" rule. With i.i.d. observations at the sensors and k out of N rule with fixed and finite k (or fixed and finite (N-k)) a necessary and sufficient condition, for vanishingly small probability of miss at a fixed probability of false alarm at the fusion center, is derived. The asymptotic performance of a k out of N rule is also studied for the case of correlated Gaussian observations., The effect of correlation on the performance of a distributed detection system is studied for a small number of sensors. The local sensor tests are assumed to be identical and the joint distribution of the observations at the sensors symmetric. It is shown in this case that the joint distribution of the sensor decisions, and therefore, the fusion center rule must be a symmetric function of the local decisions. A numerical performance study for the detection of a constant signal in correlated Gaussian or Laplacian noise shows that system performance deteriorates with increasing correlations. Furthermore, the OR combining rule, although relatively insensitive to changes in correlation coefficient, is inferior to the AND and MAJORITY LOGIC rules., We propose and analyze the performance of a multilevel quantization and fusion scheme that is useful in detecting unknown signals in noise. Numerical performance study shows that the scheme is robust with respect to changes in the signal levels at the sensors under the signal present hypothesis.
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Date Issued: 1991, 1991
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40716
Subject Headings: Engineering, General, Engineering, Electronics and Electrical
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Jews and Ukrainians in revolutionary times: Autonomy, statehood, and civil war, 1917-1920.
Creator: Abramson, Henry Maurice., University of Toronto (Canada)
Abstract/Description: With the fall of the tsarist government in the spring of 1917, Jewish and Ukrainian leaders attempted to forge a new political relationship between the traditionally hostile communities. The Jewish political parties, in particular the various socialist groups, strongly supported the Ukrainian movement as it established a Ministry of Jewish Affairs. Ukrainian currency was printed with Yiddish inscriptions, Jewish groups were well-represented in all levels of government, and state funds were...
Show moreWith the fall of the tsarist government in the spring of 1917, Jewish and Ukrainian leaders attempted to forge a new political relationship between the traditionally hostile communities. The Jewish political parties, in particular the various socialist groups, strongly supported the Ukrainian movement as it established a Ministry of Jewish Affairs. Ukrainian currency was printed with Yiddish inscriptions, Jewish groups were well-represented in all levels of government, and state funds were used to support Jewish institutions. Despite these positive developments, the government was unable to contain the anarchy that overcame Ukraine in the years that followed the collapse of the Empire. Various military groups and bands of hooligans terrorized the Jews and other minority populations, with the pogrom violence peaking in 1919. Ironically, some forty per cent of the recorded anti-Jewish pogroms were perpetrated by troops ostensibly loyal to the same Ukrainian government that supported the Ministry of Jewish Affairs. This dissertation examines the development of the Ukrainian-Jewish political experiment and the reasons for its eventual failure.
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Date Issued: 1995, 1995
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40276
Subject Headings: History, European, History, Modern
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The education quality system: A content validation.
Creator: Acker-Hocevar, Michele A., University of South Florida
Abstract/Description: This dissertation reports the content validation of an Education Quality System that was developed by Snyder and Acker-Hocevar in 1994. The system assists schools with the direction of change over different phases of organization development. The review of the literature indicates that the paradigm shift from the Industrial Era to the Knowledge Era has implications for different types of worker competencies required in the next century. This system offers educators a Quality framework for...
Show moreThis dissertation reports the content validation of an Education Quality System that was developed by Snyder and Acker-Hocevar in 1994. The system assists schools with the direction of change over different phases of organization development. The review of the literature indicates that the paradigm shift from the Industrial Era to the Knowledge Era has implications for different types of worker competencies required in the next century. This system offers educators a Quality framework for changing outmoded Bureaucratic practices to Quality practices that focus on new customer requirements for the 21st century., The system contained two books. Book One, the Quality Performance System Model includes the conceptual model for the system. Six performance and three Results Areas, definitions and descriptions; and, Outcomes aligned to Performance and Results Areas. Book Two, the Quality Change Process Model describes the change process over time from a Bureaucratic to a Quality System. Three phases of change illustrate the organizational evolution to a Quality System: Awareness, Transition and Transformation. Indicators exemplify and describe the organizational development process under the three phases of change, but begin with a description of current Bureaucratic practices., The Education Quality System (EQS) was submitted for critical examination to 84 experts in the field of education and Quality management. All levels of the educational system were represented: teacher, building level administrator, district supervisors, and directors, assistant superintendents, superintendents, State department, and university representatives. Additionally, there were Quality experts who had national recognition for their books written on Quality schooling. The experts validated the content of the EQS with regard to its clarity, relevance, importance, and logical progression across phases of organizational development and change. Reactions from the validation experts were evaluated in relation to quantitative criteria and qualitative comments. The quantitative analysis yielded very high support for the system. The Qualitative comments were used to make refinements to the System made in Phase Two of the validation study by a panel of five experts who participated in Phase One of the content validation. The panelists reviewed the quantitative results and used the qualitative comments to reach consensus on recommended changes to the system. The results of both Phase One and Phase Two of the content validation indicate that the EQS is complete, clear and has relevance and importance to guide the direction of organizational change for educators within a framework of Change, Systems, Quality and School Reform and Improvement.
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Date Issued: 1994, 1994
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40783
Subject Headings: Business Administration, Management, Education, Administration
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Making destiny his choice: The quest to choose necessity in James Merrill's "The Changing Light at Sandover".
Creator: Adams, Robert Don., Washington University in St. Louis
Abstract/Description: I argue that Merrill's epic trilogy depicts his private struggle with what is figured at various points as heredity, the unconscious, and necessity. I begin my introductory chapter by asserting that Merrill's epic is first and foremost a private quest--what he refers to in an early poem as the "inner adventure"--and not the prophetic and apocalyptic document that many have claimed it to be. I then briefly trace Merrill's influences in the creation of his epic., In my second chapter I contend...
Show moreI argue that Merrill's epic trilogy depicts his private struggle with what is figured at various points as heredity, the unconscious, and necessity. I begin my introductory chapter by asserting that Merrill's epic is first and foremost a private quest--what he refers to in an early poem as the "inner adventure"--and not the prophetic and apocalyptic document that many have claimed it to be. I then briefly trace Merrill's influences in the creation of his epic., In my second chapter I contend that the poet's unhappiness with the user/used relationship between art and life leads him to "project" his Oedipal struggle into the fictional form of a novel. The poet's unconsciously willed loss or abandonment of this novel proves to him that any artistic effort to choose necessity and placate heredity must take the form of the quest for the sublime (depicted in "The Book of Ephraim") in which the real and the ideal, life and art, become one., In my third chapter I argue that Mirabell's Books of Number, the trilogy's second volume, is written in reaction to the failure of the poet-quester of "The Book of Ephraim" to "break out" of or to transcend the repetitive cycle of the sublime quest. In Mirabell the ouija board spirits warn the poet-quester of the dangers of continual rebellion against the natural order; they urge him to accept the limitations of his time-bound and body-bound nature., My concluding chapter concerns itself with the third book of Merrill's epic, the supposed Paradiso of this trilogy, in which the poet-quester proceeds not to beatitude but back to life. This is the most elaborate of the three poems, but its legions of ouija board figures, startling mythical histories, and endless wordplay simply serve to emphasize how little faith the poet has invested in his own celestial system.
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Date Issued: 1993, 1993
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40742
Subject Headings: Literature, American
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Influences on immigrant students' perceptions of the chances of making it in the United States.
Creator: Albertini, Velmarie Loren., Florida International University
Abstract/Description: This study examined immigrant minority students' perceptions of race relations and of the chances for social mobility in the United States (U.S.) using cohort samples of West Indian (N = 173) and Haitian (N = 191) students. The Students' responses collected during the 6th and 7th, 8th and 9th grades were analyzed to determine whether perceptions of racial mistrust, teacher derogation and social mobility varied depending on the student's length of stay in the U.S. or self-concept. Quantitative...
Show moreThis study examined immigrant minority students' perceptions of race relations and of the chances for social mobility in the United States (U.S.) using cohort samples of West Indian (N = 173) and Haitian (N = 191) students. The Students' responses collected during the 6th and 7th, 8th and 9th grades were analyzed to determine whether perceptions of racial mistrust, teacher derogation and social mobility varied depending on the student's length of stay in the U.S. or self-concept. Quantitative methodology was applied to data extrapolated from a larger epidemiological longitudinal study consisting of 7,386 middle school students in Miami (Vega and Gil, 1998)., Results show that West Indian and Haitian students' perceptions of racial mistrust, teacher derogation and social mobility were associated more with student's self-concept than length of stay. Students with more favorable self-concepts reported greater optimism toward social mobility than those with less favorable self-concepts. Results also indicate that in the context of parental education and SES that racial mistrust is the strongest predictor of these students' level of optimism towards social mobility.
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Date Issued: 2001, 2001
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40329
Subject Headings: Sociology, Individual and Family Studies, Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Sociology, Social Structure and Development
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Capital structure determinants in real estate limited partnerships.
Creator: Allen, Marcus Tillman., University of Georgia
Abstract/Description: While numerous corporate capital structure studies consider variation in financial structure across and within many different industries, little research exists regarding the capital structure of non-corporate business firms engaged in the real estate industry. The purpose of this study is to expand the limited amount of academic research regarding real estate limited partnerships (RELPs) as a specialized form of real estate investment by examining the mix of debt and equity capital in these...
Show moreWhile numerous corporate capital structure studies consider variation in financial structure across and within many different industries, little research exists regarding the capital structure of non-corporate business firms engaged in the real estate industry. The purpose of this study is to expand the limited amount of academic research regarding real estate limited partnerships (RELPs) as a specialized form of real estate investment by examining the mix of debt and equity capital in these firms as they pursue their investment objectives., To provide insight into the financing of RELPs, this study models the capital structure decision of real estate limited partnerships (RELPs) by accounting for personal taxes, tax shields, earnings volatility, and contracting costs. The leverage relevancy model developed in this paper provides refutable hypotheses concerning these factors as potential determinants of partnership capital structures. Using time series, cross-sectional regression analysis, this study tests whether regularities in RELP capital structures are explained by tax shields, earnings volatility, and bankruptcy costs as predicted by the model. The results of this research extend the theory of capital structure to non-taxed business firms and provide insight into the financing of partnerships as real estate investment vehicles.
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Date Issued: 1992, 1992
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40719
Subject Headings: Business Administration, Management
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The development, implementation, and evaluation of a Strategic Prejudice Reduction Framework and its effect on dogmatism levels of college students.
Creator: Allgood, Ilene, Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: Dogmatism is an uncritical, rigid way of thinking that correlates strongly with prejudice. Prejudice is an attitude, usually unfavorable, toward individuals or groups, arrived at through an uncritical thought process and a disregard of the facts. Dogmatism, because of its connection with prejudice, vitiates students' chances for learning. Dogmatism in teachers creates an inequitable distribution of education to the extent that marginalized minority students are shortchanged educational...
Show moreDogmatism is an uncritical, rigid way of thinking that correlates strongly with prejudice. Prejudice is an attitude, usually unfavorable, toward individuals or groups, arrived at through an uncritical thought process and a disregard of the facts. Dogmatism, because of its connection with prejudice, vitiates students' chances for learning. Dogmatism in teachers creates an inequitable distribution of education to the extent that marginalized minority students are shortchanged educational opportunities. The nature of dogmatism and its impact on education is covered in the literature. Moreover, pedagogical and andragogical strategies which utilize the cognitive and affective domains to heighten critical thinking ability and empathy for others are also addressed in the literature., A Strategic Prejudice-Reduction Framework, the Dogmatism Diminution Model (DDM), was developed, implemented, and evaluated in a university setting. The DDM is not designed to be a discrete course; rather it is meant to be infused within a multicultural education class. The key features of the DDM are its domains, the Cognitive, Reflective, Emotive, and Active through which the course content is relayed. The Cognitive and Emotive domains of the DDM correspond to the cognitive and affective literature, the Reflective domain corresponds to the literature on critical thinking, but the Active domain of the DDM is not associated with the behavioral domain of the literature. Instead it is related to the research on service learning., Three hypotheses were tested. Two dealt with the DDM and the third with a demographic correlate of dogmatism. In order to determine the effectiveness of the DDM, Milton Rokeach's (1960) Dogmatism Scale was administered in a pretest/posttest design. The data were submitted to an ANCOVA and subsequently to a post hoc Scheffe test to determine between which pairs of groups differences in means occurred. ANCOVA was used to compensate for the effect that the pretest might have on the results of the posttest. The comparison of means among the four groups identified a significant reduction in the level of dogmatism at the alpha = .05 level between the DDM group and the Control group as well as one of the other two experimental groups. However, in a paired-score comparison of the treatment group itself, no significance was found with the sample of 31 subjects. This could be attributed to a lack of power in the sample size. Finally, a Pearson Product Moment Correlation of .154 was significant at the 95% confidence level between the variables of dogmatism and degree of religiosity.
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Date Issued: 1998, 1998
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40895
Subject Headings: Education, Bilingual and Multicultural, Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Education, Higher
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A SYSTEMATIC EXAMINATION OF THE STEREOTYPIC INFLUENCE OF THE LABEL "EDUCABLE MENTALLY RETARDED" ON THE INITIAL EXPECTATIONS OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS REGARDING MAINSTREAMED CHILDREN.
Creator: ALOIA, GREGORY FRANCIS., University of California, Riverside
Date Issued: 1976, 1976
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40518
Subject Headings: Education, Special
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Factors associated with social work student satisfaction with field placements in child welfare.
Creator: Alperin, Diane Elias., Florida International University
Abstract/Description: This study was conducted during the 1994-1995 academic year. Seven social work education programs in the state of Florida, all accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, participated in this study. Graduate and undergraduate social work students in child welfare field placements, and their field instructors, were surveyed during the Spring 1995 semester to assess their satisfaction with field placements in this area and the relationship of this satisfaction to employment interests...
Show moreThis study was conducted during the 1994-1995 academic year. Seven social work education programs in the state of Florida, all accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, participated in this study. Graduate and undergraduate social work students in child welfare field placements, and their field instructors, were surveyed during the Spring 1995 semester to assess their satisfaction with field placements in this area and the relationship of this satisfaction to employment interests and field placement recommendations., The majority of social work students responding to this survey were generally satisfied with several aspects of their field placements--the learning, field work program, field instructor, child welfare agency, and overall field experience. The field instructors were generally more satisfied than the students, but only statistically different from the students in the areas of satisfaction with the field work program and the child welfare agency. Multiple regression analysis revealed that learning assignment opportunities, field instructor relationship characteristics, placement preference, and pre-placement interview contributed to the prediction of student satisfaction., Student satisfaction in field placement was significantly related to the acceptance of employment, if offered, and the recommendation of the field placement to other students. Logistic regression analysis revealed that satisfaction with the child welfare agency was the greatest contributor to the prediction of acceptance of employment, and satisfaction with the field work program was the greatest contributor to the prediction of field placement recommendation.
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Date Issued: 1995, 1995
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40806
Subject Headings: Social Work, Education, Higher
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: An empirical investigation of nonparametric alternative to Hotelling's T(2) under non-normality.
Creator: Aman, Simon., Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this dissertation was to compare the Type I error and power properties of the Rank Transform Hotelling's T 2 with the parametric Hotelling's T2 in one sample and two sample cases with continuous and ranked data using Monte Carlo techniques. The ranked data violates the normality assumption of the parametric Hotelling's T2., The simulation results demonstrated that the parametric Hotelling's T2 was conservative with respect to Type I error rates for the test of equality of two...
Show moreThe purpose of this dissertation was to compare the Type I error and power properties of the Rank Transform Hotelling's T 2 with the parametric Hotelling's T2 in one sample and two sample cases with continuous and ranked data using Monte Carlo techniques. The ranked data violates the normality assumption of the parametric Hotelling's T2., The simulation results demonstrated that the parametric Hotelling's T2 was conservative with respect to Type I error rates for the test of equality of two population centroids. For example, when n1 = n2 = 50 and a nominal alpha level of 0.05 with correlation coefficient of 0.2, the Type I error rate was 0.0175. However, when the correlation coefficient was large (e.g. 0.7) the Type I error rates for parametric Hotelling's T 2 test results were inflated. Further, Type I error inflations became progressively worse when large correlations were coupled with increased sample sizes. For example, when the correlation coefficient was 0.7 the Type I error were: 0.071 with n1 = n 2 = 10; 0.0854 with n1 = n 2 = 3 0; and 0.1107 with n1 = n 2 = 50 when the distribution was normal. In short, the parametric Hotelling's T2 was robust only for Cauchy and Exponential distributions with correlation coefficient of 0.7 and n1= n2 = 10. For these two cases, the Rank Transform had power advantages over the parametric Hotelling's T2., When the sample sizes for the two-sample case were not equal, the parametric Hotelling's T2 test failed as a test due to severe Type I error inflations. For example, when n 1 = 10, n2 = 30 and correlation coefficient of 0.2 the test was rejecting 100% of the time across all distributions., The Rank Transform Hotelling's T2 demonstrated robust Type I error rates for small sample sizes, but conservative Type I error rates for large sample sizes. For example, for n 1 = n2 = 10, with correlation coefficient of 0.7 and nominal alpha level 0.05 the Type I error rate for Rank Transform T2 was 0.0526, but 0.039 when sample sizes were n1 = n2 = 50. For n1 = n2 = 30 the corresponding Type I error rate was 0.0457., The other purpose of this dissertation was to propose a method for simulating continuous and ranked bivariate data, with a pre-specified correlation. The empirical results of the proposed method demonstrated that the estimates where in close agreement with their associated population parameters. In summary, the absolute errors of r, the sample estimate, were within 10-2.
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Date Issued: 2005, 2005
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40419
Subject Headings: Statistics, 0463
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY AND IMPLICATIONS FOR RECEIVING CREDIT TOWARD THE EXTERNAL DEGREE.
Creator: ANDERSON, ARTHUR W., Michigan State University
Date Issued: 1973, 1973
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40473
Subject Headings: Education, Higher
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: THE EFFECTS OF POST - HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCES ON THE PERSISTENCE OF COLLEGE STUDENTS.
Creator: ANDERSON, KRISTINE LEE., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Date Issued: 1979, 1979
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40545
Subject Headings: Education, Sociology of
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: CORPORATE AND PERSONAL ACTION IN COMMUNITY DECISION-MAKING.
Creator: APPLETON, LYNN MARY., The University of Chicago
Abstract/Description: This dissertation uses data from two American communities to explain the participation of organizations and persons in community decision-making. In particular, it poses the question: are organizations the tools of persons or, as some contend, their masters? Do organizations act at the behest of persons, or do persons act on behalf of the interests of the organizations with which they are affiliated?, Initially, two extant theories of this relationship are examined: one proposes that...
Show moreThis dissertation uses data from two American communities to explain the participation of organizations and persons in community decision-making. In particular, it poses the question: are organizations the tools of persons or, as some contend, their masters? Do organizations act at the behest of persons, or do persons act on behalf of the interests of the organizations with which they are affiliated?, Initially, two extant theories of this relationship are examined: one proposes that organizations' characteristics determine their own actions and may determine the actions of the persons affiliated with them; the other proposes that persons' characteristics determine both their actions and the actions of the organizations with which they are affiliated. Using multiple regression and linear discriminant function analysis, the empirical implications of both theories are examined. Consequently, both theories are found wanting., A synthetic theory is introduced. It suggests that the relationship between organization and person varies: sometimes, persons determine organizations' actions; sometimes, organizations determine persons' actions. Personal and organizational dominance vary in accord with the nature of the community and of organizational membership in it. This membership has two dimensions: normative and structural. The shape of an organization's normative position in a community is examined by focusing on the degree to which participation in community decision-making is considered to be within the organization's domain. An organization's structural position in the community is indicated by its centrality in various networks of interaction. When considered jointly with community complexity, these factors significantly increase our ability to explain organizational and personal participation in community decision-making--as well as shifting organizational and personal dominance in decision-making systems. Multiple regression and linear discriminant function analyses establish the superiority of this amended model over the earlier ones examined., The dissertation concludes by discussing the necessity of jointly considering personal and corporate actors in the analysis of complex social systems.
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Date Issued: 1982, 1982
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40285
Subject Headings: Sociology, General, 0626
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Effects of target neuron loss on olfactory sensory neurons in adult mice.
Creator: Ardiles, Yona., Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: Olfactory sensory neurons (OSN) expressing the same odor receptor (OR) project their axons to topographically fixed glomeruli in the olfactory bulb (OB). This topographic map results from axon guidance mechanisms determined by ORs, glia and molecular guidance cues. The present study examined the organization of mature OSNs expressing the P2 OR in adult mice after ablation of bulb neurons with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). Rapid neuronal degeneration was followed by progressive laminar...
Show moreOlfactory sensory neurons (OSN) expressing the same odor receptor (OR) project their axons to topographically fixed glomeruli in the olfactory bulb (OB). This topographic map results from axon guidance mechanisms determined by ORs, glia and molecular guidance cues. The present study examined the organization of mature OSNs expressing the P2 OR in adult mice after ablation of bulb neurons with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). Rapid neuronal degeneration was followed by progressive laminar disorganization of the OB and glomerular shrinkage. P2 axon targeting and convergence was maintained within degenerating glomeruli for up to 2 weeks. After that time, fewer P2 axons were observed in the lesioned OB with fewer P2 neurons in the olfactory epithelium (OE). By 3 weeks, the mature OSN population was reduced and the immature population was increased. These results suggest that bulbar synaptic contacts do not maintain sensory axon convergence in the adult, but regulate neuronal survival in the OE.
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Date Issued: 2004, 2004
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40274
Subject Headings: Biology, Neuroscience
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A socio-cognitive model of the emergence of entrepreneurial regions and the influence of venture capital availability on regional entrepreneurial outcomes.
Creator: Arikan, Andac Turgut., New York University, Graduate School of Business Administration
Abstract/Description: The first part of this dissertation focuses on the question of how does a region that lacks an entrepreneurial tradition change and become an entrepreneurial center. The demand side perspective---which suggests that regional entrepreneurial outcomes are driven by region specific contextual factors---implies that a major environmental transformation needs to take place for the emergence of large scale entrepreneurial activity. However, formal models that provide an understanding of the process...
Show moreThe first part of this dissertation focuses on the question of how does a region that lacks an entrepreneurial tradition change and become an entrepreneurial center. The demand side perspective---which suggests that regional entrepreneurial outcomes are driven by region specific contextual factors---implies that a major environmental transformation needs to take place for the emergence of large scale entrepreneurial activity. However, formal models that provide an understanding of the process by which such a major environmental transformation takes place are elusive. I develop such a model by integrating ideas from institutional theory, theories of complex systems, learning and cognition as guided by observations from a case study of a region that has recently gone through an entrepreneurial transformation. I present a complex systems view of entrepreneurial regions such that (1) the gathering of a diverse set of heterogeneous actors in an emergent opportunity space, and (2) a continuous disequilibrium state generated by interactions between these actors facilitate the evolution of local entrepreneurial environments. The model describes how early micro actions by pioneering actors drive the macro evolution of entrepreneurial regions through environmental changes they create and amplifying processes of social learning and institutionalization., The second part of the dissertation examines whether the presence of too much venture capital in a region may create negative outcomes for the region. Extant literature suggests that higher availability of venture capital in a region results in better entrepreneurial outcomes. In contrast, my case study highlights a situation in which a large flow of venture capital into a region influences the general quality of entrepreneurship and the effectiveness of financing arrangements in the region negatively. Using simulation methodology, I explore how (1) the amount of venture capital, (2) the quality of entrepreneurship and (3) the effectiveness of financing arrangements influence the entrepreneurial outcomes of a region. Results reveal an inverted U shaped relationship between the availability of venture capital and the quality distribution of businesses in the region.
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Date Issued: 2004, 2004
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40405
Subject Headings: Business Administration, Management, Urban and Regional Planning
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: An exploratory research project of factory workers in the ESL worksite classes: The effects of immigration on high-status/low-status immigrants to the United States.
Creator: Ariza, Eileen Nancy., University of Massachusetts Amherst
Abstract/Description: The problem this research addresses is that, regardless of training, educational background or social status, with or without work experience, most non- or limited-English speaking immigrants are forced to begin their American careers at the bottom of the occupational ladder. This study focuses on the comparison of the lives of English as a Second Language (ESL) students/warehouse workers before and after migration to try to ascertain whether these individuals have experienced upward or...
Show moreThe problem this research addresses is that, regardless of training, educational background or social status, with or without work experience, most non- or limited-English speaking immigrants are forced to begin their American careers at the bottom of the occupational ladder. This study focuses on the comparison of the lives of English as a Second Language (ESL) students/warehouse workers before and after migration to try to ascertain whether these individuals have experienced upward or downward mobility., The approximately 80 participants in this study are workers in a garment distribution warehouse in Worcester, Massachusetts. The participants have been drawn from the worksite ESL classes offered during their lunch or dinner hours and extended one-half hour into work time donated by the company. A questionnaire was distributed to voluntary participants. The information gleaned was used to tabulate statistics and analyze hypotheses regarding the socio-economic transition of immigrants to the United States., As a result of this study, the following questions were addressed: (1) How do immigrants perceive the effects of immigration? (2) When immigrants come to the United States, do they feel their lives improve or worsen socioeconomically? (3) If studies prove that high-status immigrants become downwardly mobile upon entrance to the United States, does that imply that lower-status immigrants become upwardly mobile? (4) How do immigrants compare their lives in their native country to their lives in their new country?, The objective of this study was to evaluate the ramifications of migration to the United States with respect to upward and downward mobility of higher- and lower-status immigrants. The population consisted of ESL students/warehouse workers from 13 different countries. This group of immigrants was chosen because, regardless of background, education, English language facility, experience, degree of literacy, or previous socioeconomic class, they were now all thrust together, doing the same job, earning the same salary, and on an equal footing here in the United States. Based on this premise, the researcher wanted to study their perceptions of life in the United States compared to their previous countries to see if, in their estimation, they had indeed bettered themselves or their lots in life by migrating to the United States, or whether their lives had taken a downward turn by coming here.
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Date Issued: 1992, 1992
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40711
Subject Headings: Education, Language and Literature, Anthropology, Cultural, Education, Adult and Continuing, Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Assessing the invariance, unidimensionality and prediction power of "low self-control".
Creator: Arneklev, Bruce J., The University of Oklahoma
Abstract/Description: Recently, Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) have proposed a rather controversial theory about why individuals engage in illegal behavior. In their publication of A General Theory of Crime, the authors attempt to explain all crime with but one underlying cause. They suggest that due to inadequate child-rearing every individual develops a differential propensity for crime. However, some have a greater propensity to use force and fraud to advance their self interest, when the opportunity to do so...
Show moreRecently, Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) have proposed a rather controversial theory about why individuals engage in illegal behavior. In their publication of A General Theory of Crime, the authors attempt to explain all crime with but one underlying cause. They suggest that due to inadequate child-rearing every individual develops a differential propensity for crime. However, some have a greater propensity to use force and fraud to advance their self interest, when the opportunity to do so arises. They call this predisposition "low self-control". The authors further stipulate that later life-course events are irrelevant to the extent that they act as inhibitors and/or facilitators for crime commission. This dissertation tests four propositions derived from Gottfredson and Hirschi's theory. These tests are conducted with two samples of individuals., The first propostition tested is whether low self-control is an invariant predisposition (i.e. its form should not change with the age of the individual nor context in which they reside). Secondly, the dissertation tests whether the six personality elements that Gottfredson and Hirschi identify in their theory coalesce into a unidimensional psychological construct (i.e. whether each is an essential component of low self-control). Third, the dissertation examines if low self-control predicts four illegal acts. The theory should predict all types of criminal behavior. Finally, the the dissertation tests whether the causal effect of low self-control and opportunity on criminal and analogous acts is the same in each sample. The authors suggest that low self-control and opportunity are the only causes of crime. If so, the causal effects should be the same., The results of the dissertation are mixed. The data suggest that there does appear to be an invariant type of criminal predisposition that individuals possess. Further, this propensity does not deviate in form; all six elements are essential components of low self-control. However, the results suggest that low self-control does not predict each criminal behavior examined. For acts such as grand theft (i.e. an act which usually requires long term planning) the theory seems to lack predictive power. Finally, the causal effect of low self-control and opportunity is found to be more strongly related to crime in one sample relative to the other. This suggests that other individual characteristics and/or factors are needed to explain all crime.
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Date Issued: 1995, 1995
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40792
Subject Headings: Sociology, Criminology and Penology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: LIMIT ANALYSIS OF REINFORCED CONCRETE SLABS BY FINITE ELEMENT METHOD.
Creator: Arockiasamy, Madasamy, The University of Wisconsin - Madison
Date Issued: 1971, 1971
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40438
Subject Headings: Engineering, Civil, 0543
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: AN INTERACTIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR TOOL SELECTION, SPECIFICATION, AND COMPOSITION.
Creator: ARTHUR, JAMES DOUGLAS., Purdue University
Abstract/Description: The application of computers to larger problem sets has led to a demand for integrated sets of tools that support a wide variety of functions while maintaining the appearance of a unified system. Subsequently, we are seeing the evolution of user environments with levels of sophistication that tax current software and hardware technologies. This thesis investigates many important issues pertinent to the design and implementation of such environments. In particular, we discuss the theoretical...
Show moreThe application of computers to larger problem sets has led to a demand for integrated sets of tools that support a wide variety of functions while maintaining the appearance of a unified system. Subsequently, we are seeing the evolution of user environments with levels of sophistication that tax current software and hardware technologies. This thesis investigates many important issues pertinent to the design and implementation of such environments. In particular, we discuss the theoretical as well as practical aspects of developing an interactive user environment that supports an alternative to statement-at-a-time programming., A substantial part of this thesis is devoted to characterizing an interactive user interface based on menu-driven interaction. This characterization begins by describing the fundamental elements inherent to any menu-driven interface. It progresses through a sequence of successively more powerful models and culminates with the development of a hierarchical menu model that characterizes the full spectrum of properties intrinsic to menu-driven interaction. Additional consideration is given to user error recovery. We base user response reversal on the undo operation and provide a response sequence model to distinguish the characteristic behavior of the undo command from the undo response. This model is also used to describe several implementation alternatives. To complete user error recovery, we address several issues relevant to system and software failure. They include the time/space tradeoff between the complete rerun, and checkpointing strategies., To address some of the more practical issues, we discuss the design and implementation of OMNI: An Interactive Environment For Tool Specification, Selection, and Composition. Experimenting with several prototypes has led to the design of a dynamic environment that supports user defined characteristics as well as a method for minimizing menu network complexity while enhancing task specification capabilities. We also discuss several system performance issues that generalize to many user environments.
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Date Issued: 1983, 1983
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40593
Subject Headings: Computer Science, 0984
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: EFFECTS OF TRAINING IN MOSSTON'S SPECTRUM OF TEACHING STYLES ON THE FEEDBACK BEHAVIOR OF TEACHERS (INTERACTION ANALYSIS, IN-SERVICE).
Creator: ASHWORTH, SARA ELIZABETH., Temple University
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to compare the feedback behavior of teachers who were trained in Mosston's Spectrum of Teaching Styles and teachers who did not receive this training. The major hypothesis underlying this study was that Spectrum-trained teachers will demonstrate feedback behavior which will differ from teachers not so trained., Several hypotheses were formulated, focusing on forms of feedback, frequency of feedback, varying degrees of privacy in which feedback was offered, and...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to compare the feedback behavior of teachers who were trained in Mosston's Spectrum of Teaching Styles and teachers who did not receive this training. The major hypothesis underlying this study was that Spectrum-trained teachers will demonstrate feedback behavior which will differ from teachers not so trained., Several hypotheses were formulated, focusing on forms of feedback, frequency of feedback, varying degrees of privacy in which feedback was offered, and the area about which feedback was given., Two matched groups of 20 teachers each volunteered for the study. The experimental group participated in the Spectrum training while the control group continued to teach without any intervention. Both groups were videotaped and the tapes were subjected to an analysis using the Feedback Coding System (FBCS) designed by the investigator. The initial coded data was then subjected to a computer analysis of frequencies for each category of feedback, and chi-square analyses to establish the levels of significance., In general, the data showed significant differences between the groups. The data supported the hypotheses that Spectrum teachers demonstrated a wider variety in their feedback behavior. The differences showed that Spectrum teachers gave more feedback about the roles of the learner, and logistics than non-Spectrum teachers. Variables which indicated outstanding differences showed that Spectrum teachers used a greater variety of feedback forms, gave the feedback individually and privately, stated expectations for the episodes, and created condition for learners to engage in the feedback process either to themselves or to their peers., This study indicates that teachers who were trained in Mosston's Spectrum of Teaching Styles, demonstrated significant differences in several feedback variables in their teaching behavior.
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Date Issued: 1984, 1984
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40595
Subject Headings: Education, Physical, 0523
Format: Document (PDF)

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