In this dissertation research, we aim to solve problems of two types of survival data, clustered survival data with potentially informative cluster size and sojourn time data. The methods for these two types of data are different. However, both...
Clustered longitudinal data is often collected as repeated measurements on subjects over time arising in the clusters. Examples include longitudinal community intervention studies, or family studies with repeated measures on each member. Meanwhile,...
Ford Motor Company; Business logistics--Management; Production management; Manufacturing processes; Organizational change
For many years the concept of Lean Manufacturing has been applied in automotive development as a tool to refine the manufacturing practices to the greatest efficiency possible through waste reduction. Continuous Improvement is a quality innovation...
Externalizing behavior problems in very young children are associated with an array of negative and costly long-term outcomes. Pediatric primary care is a promising venue for implementing screening practices to improve early identification of this...
A hyper basis function network (HyperBF) is a generalized radial basis function network (RBF) where the activation function is a radial function of a weighted distance. The local weighting of the distance accounts for the variation in local scaling...
Wit and humor--Therapeutic use; Behavior therapy; Wit and humor--Psychological aspects
Objective: To evaluate the influence of positive affect inductions on daily and weekly Positive and Negative Affect Scales (PANAS) in a community setting. Methods: Humor messages were distributed to participants four times per day during a...
Learning and scholarship--Outlines, syllabi, etc.; English language--Rhetoric-- Outlines, syllabi, etc.; Education, Higher--Curricula; Instructional systems--Design
This dissertation is an investigation of composition's disciplinary conceptions of the course syllabus, from its often-relegated position as textual object to a more interactive and complex subject of our discipline. The course syllabus is an...
This dissertation takes Chinese advertisements as the research subjects to see in what way a quantifiable large number of advertisements with its metaphorical nature and instrumental mission can reflect social cultural change, in specifics,...
Twitter; Museum visitors--Services for--Technological innovations; Museums--Technological innovations; Online social networks; Museums--Marketing
With the evolution of social networks and technological innovations, services such as Twitter provide a platform for increased dialogue and participation. Micro-blogging features enable individuals and organizations to communicate directly,...
The website has become a staple in the business environment, to provide information and services, and connect business-to-business and business-to-customers. Many of these sites require re-engineering in order to facilitate the needed complexities...
The Chautauqua movement has been called "culture under canvas" and "the university of the people." What began as a training camp for Sunday School teachers on the shores of Lake Chautauqua in western New York State in the...
Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint--Art; Breastfeeding in art
This dissertation is an analysis of Italian late medieval and Renaissance peoples’ response to the Madonna lactans image. Although the images that comprise this type are similar in that Mary holds Christ at her breast, they vary widely in...
Gender identity in advertising; Gender identity in mass media; Sex role in advertising; Advertising--Social aspects
Images in advertisements often depict social expectations for gendered behavior, reinforcing stereotypical masculine and feminine behaviors. This study examined the effectiveness of using gender role stereotypical images in advertisements by...
Cadman, S. Parkes (Samuel Parkes), 1864-1936; Radio in religion--United States--History; Religious broadcasting--Christianity--History; Religious broadcasting--United States--History; Christianity--United States--20th century
S. Parkes Cadman (1864-1936), a Christian minister at Central Congregational Church in Brooklyn, New York from 1901 to 1936, was a popular religious figure in interwar America. From 1924 to 1928, Cadman served as president of the Federal Council of...
Achievement motivation in children; Personality and motivation; Motivation (Psychology); Poor children--Psychology
The current study was designed to better understand the early behavioral and emotional factors influencing young children's responses to challenge, which have important implications for learning. Understanding why children respond to challenge as...
English language--Study and teaching; Language and languages--Study and teaching
Academic achievement of English language learners (ELLs), the fastest growing population in the U.S. schools, deserves greater attention. This non-experimental study investigated the unique contributions-above and beyond other individual difference...
Medical records--Data processing; Data mining; Medical care--Data processing; Coronary heart disease--Treatment
The goal of this study is to use a data mining framework to assess the three main treatments for acute myocardial infarction: thrombolytic therapy, percutaneous coronary intervention (percutaneous angioplasty), and coronary artery bypass surgery....
Older people--Mental health; Rural health; Urban health
Depression is one of the most prevalent psychiatric conditions experienced by older adults and represents a major public health concern. Rural/urban residence may affect the prevalence of depression as rural older adults differ from their urban...
Periodontitis is a chronic, destructive inflammatory disease of the supporting
tissues of the teeth with a high prevalence among adults. While the complete
pathogenesis of periodontitis remains unclear, it is initiated and sustained by...
Item response theory; Goodness-of-fit tests; Monte Carlo method
Item response theory (IRT) is expanding to diverse research settings, without accompanying access to easily implemented model fit methods. One simple model fit approach involves x2/df ratios. However, its utility is not known across several...
