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1
Schröder, Carsten. "Variable income equivalence scales : an empirical approach /." Heidelberg : Physica-Verl, 2004. http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0813/2004102143-d.html.
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Moon, Gyo Sik. "An Algorithm for the PLA Equivalence Problem." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1995. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc278922/.
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The Programmable Logic Array (PLA) has been widely used in the design of VLSI circuits and systems because of its regularity, flexibility, and simplicity. The equivalence problem is typically to verify that the final description of a circuit is functionally equivalent to its initial description. Verifying the functional equivalence of two descriptions is equivalent to proving their logical equivalence. This problem of pure logic is essential to circuit design. The most widely used technique to solve the problem is based on Binary Decision Diagram or BDD, proposed by Bryant in 1986. Unfortunately, BDD requires too much time and space to represent moderately large circuits for equivalence testing. We design and implement a new algorithm called the Cover-Merge Algorithm for the equivalence problem based on a divide-and-conquer strategy using the concept of cover and a derivational method. We prove that the algorithm is sound and complete. Because of the NP-completeness of the problem, we emphasize simplifications to reduce the search space or to avoid redundant computations. Simplification techniques are incorporated into the algorithm as an essential part to speed up the the derivation process. Two different sets of heuristics are developed for two opposite goals: one for the proof of equivalence and the other for its disproof. Experiments on a large scale of data have shown that big speed-ups can be achieved by prioritizing the heuristics and by choosing the most favorable one at each iteration of the Algorithm. Results are compared with those for BDD on standard benchmark problems as well as on random PLAs to perform an unbiased way of testing algorithms. It has been shown that the Cover-Merge Algorithm outperforms BDD in nearly all problem instances in terms of time and space. The algorithm has demonstrated fairly stabilized and practical performances especially for big PLAs under a wide range of conditions, while BDD shows poor performance because of its memory greedy representation scheme without adequate simplification.
3
Datta, Anasuya. "Measurement Equivalence of English and Spanish Versions of the Perceived Leader Integrity Scale." NCSU, 2005. http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-07062005-020822/.
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Research over the last three decades has addressed the importance of integrity in leadership (e.g., Burns, 1978; Fairholm, 1991; Posner & Schmidt, 1984; Vitell & Davis, 1990). Research and application are stunted without adequate measures that assess the extent to which leaders demonstrate ethical or unethical behaviors. As business activities between countries increase (Stephens & Greer, 1995), having tests available in multiple languages can have various benefits (Zumbo, 2003). The availability of a measure in different languages can allow researchers and practitioners to facilitate assessment without having to build a new test, develop understandings of new cultural differences, and conduct comparative research. This study used the differential functioning of items and tests (DFIT; Raju, van der Linden, & Fleer, 1995) framework, based on item response theory (IRT), to assess the measurement equivalence between two language versions of the Perceived Leader Integrity Scale (PLIS; Craig & Gustafson, 1998) using samples collected from the United States, New Zealand, and Mexico. The U.S. and New Zealand samples formed the English speaking or US-NZ group and the Mexico sample formed the Spanish speaking group. Two indices of DFIT were used to determine item level (NCDIF) and test level (DTF) inequivalence between the comparison groups. Results showed 17.9% (5 out of 28) of the items to be differentially functioning. No significant DTF was identified at the test level. Post hoc explanations of the items with significant NCDIF in terms of possible cultural and linguistic influences provide information about the possible reasons why the items are functioning differentially (e.g. translation errors, cultural differences, or both). Practical implications of the current study are discussed.
4
Rosenberg, Daniel. "Assessing Measurement Equivalence of the KEYS® Climate for Creativity Scale Across Managerial Levels." NCSU, 2007. http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-02062007-222948/unrestricted/etd.pdf.
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5
Strydom, Madelyn. "A psychometric evaluation of the Job Demands-Resources Scale in South Africa / Madelyn Strydom." Thesis, North-West University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/1109.
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Although different occupations/organisations have unique work characteristics, it seems
possible to divide them into two categories, namely job demands and job resources. A valid,
equivalent and reliable instrument is needed to measure job demands and resources and to
compare them among different occupations/organisations. The aim of this study was to
investigate the construct equivalence, validity and reliability of a measuring instrument of job
demands and resources and to assess the differences between the job demands and job
resources in various occupations/organisations in South Africa.
A cross-sectional survey design was used. A stratified random sample (N = 2717) was taken
from a population consisting of employees in various occupations and organisations. The
occupations/organisations included academics (higher education institutions), staff at a
university of technology, correctional officers. insurance staff and engineers. The Job
Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS) was used to assess job demands and job resources in the
different occupations/organisations. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis,
reliability analysis and multivariate analysis of variance were used to analyse the data.
Five reliable factors were extracted using principal component analysis, namely: overload,
growth opportunities, organisational support, advancement and job insecurity. The results
showed that the structure of job demands and job resources in the different
occupations/organisations were equivalent. with the exception of one factor, namely
organisational support.
Engineers showed higher scores on overload and growth opportunities than
Occupations/organisations. Academics in higher education institutions also experienced more
growth opportunities than other groups. Engineers, academics in higher education institutions
and employees in the insurance industry reported higher levels of organisational support than
correctional officers and employees at a university of technology. Engineers obtained the
highest score on advancement, while academics in higher education institutions obtained the
lowest scores. Job insecurity was the highest for correctional officers and employees of a
university of technology, and the lowest for engineers.
Recommendations for future research were made.Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.
6
Ramachandran, Sulabha. "Equivalence of Paper and Touch Screen Versions of the EQ-5D Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS)." Diss., Tucson, Arizona : University of Arizona, 2005. http://etd.library.arizona.edu/etd/GetFileServlet?file=file:///data1/pdf/etd/azu%5Fetd%5F1381%5F1%5Fm.pdf&type=application/pdf.
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Kim, Giyeon. "Measurement equivalence of the center for epidemiological studies depression scale in racially/ethnically diverse older adults." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2007. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002205.
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8
Domaleski, Christopher Stephen. "Exploring the Efficacy of Pre-Equating a Large Scale Criterion-Referenced Assessment with Respect to Measurement Equivalence." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2006. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/eps_diss/3.
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This investigation examined the practice of relying on field test item calibrations in advance of the operational administration of a large scale assessment for purposes of equating and scaling. Often termed “pre-equating,” the effectiveness of this method is explored for a statewide, high-stakes assessment in grades three, five, and seven for the content areas of language arts, mathematics, and social studies. Pre-equated scaling was based on item calibrations using the Rasch model from an off-grade field test event in which students tested were one grade higher than the target population. These calibrations were compared to those obtained from post-equating, which used the full statewide population of examinees. Item difficulty estimates and Test Characteristic Curves (TCC) were compared for each approach and found to be similar. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of the theta estimates for each approach ranged from .02 to .12. Moreover, classification accuracy for the pre-equated approach was generally high compared to results from post-equating. Only 3 of the 9 tests examined showed differences in the percent of students classified as passing; errors ranged from 1.7 percent to 3 percent. Measurement equivalence between the field test and operational assessment was also explored using the Differential Functioning of Items and Tests (DFIT) framework. Overall, about 20 to 40 percent of the items on each assessment exhibited statistically significant Differential Item Functioning (DIF). Differential Test Functioning (DTF) was significant for fully 7 tests. There was a positive relationship between the magnitude of DTF and degree of incongruence between pre-equating and post-equating. Item calibrations, score consistency, and measurement equivalence were also explored for a test calibrated with the one, two, and three parameter logistic model, using the TCC equating method. Measurement equivalence and score table incongruence was found to be slightly more pronounced with this approach. It was hypothesized that differences between the field test and operational tests resulted from 1) recency of instruction 2) cognitive growth and 3) motivation factors. Additional research related to these factors is suggested.
9
Leepile, Tebogo Martha. "The psychometric properties of an emotional intelligence scale for employees in the mining industry / Tebogo Martha Leepile." Thesis, North-West University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/1392.
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Mert, Raziye. "Qualitative Behavior Of Solutions Of Dynamic Equations On Time Scales." Phd thesis, METU, 2010. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12611528/index.pdf.
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In this thesis, the asymptotic behavior and oscillation of solutions of dynamic equations on time scales are studied.
In the first part of the thesis, asymptotic equivalence and asymptotic equilibrium of dynamic systems are investigated. Sufficient conditions are established for the asymptotic equivalence of linear systems and linear and quasilinear systems, respectively, and for the asymptotic equilibrium of quasilinear systems by unifying and extending some known results for differential systems and difference systems to dynamic systems on arbitrary time scales. In particular, for the asymptotic equivalence of differential systems, the well-known theorems of Levinson and Yakubovich are improved and the well-known theorem of Wintner for the asymptotic equilibrium of linear differential systems is generalized to arbitrary time scales. Some of our results for asymptotic equilibrium are new even for difference systems. In the second part, the oscillation of solutions of a particular class of second order nonlinear delay dynamic equations and, more generally, two-dimensional nonlinear dynamic systems, including delay-dynamic systems, are discussed. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived for the oscillation of solutions of nonlinear delay dynamic equations by extending some continuous results. Specifically, the classical theorems of Atkinson and Belohorec are generalized. Sufficient conditions are established for the oscillation of solutions of nonlinear dynamic systems by unifying and extending the corresponding continuous and discrete results. Particularly, the oscillation criteria of Atkinson, Belohorec, Waltman, and Hooker and Patula are generalized.
11
De, Wet Francois. "Structural equivalence and item bias of a self-report emotional intelligence measure in the mining industry / Francois de Wet." Thesis, North-West University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/8676.
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Emotional intelligence (EI) in organisations has grown immensely over the past two decades.
Considerable research regarding this concept and the advantages it poses for the individual as
well as the organisation has been conducted; however, one aspect that has not been explored
sufficiently is the extent to which EI can be viewed as a culturally relevant concept. The
presumption that emotions can be explained in the same way across different culture cannot be
made; therefore measuring EI across cultures becomes important and challenging. Language can
be viewed as a vehicle of culture, and emotions are shaped by the language spoken in the specific
culture.
A quantitative research design was used in this study. The sample consisted of mid-level miners
from the Gauteng and North West Province (N = 357). Stratified sampling was used to include
the West-Germanic (English and Afrikaans; n = 158) and Sotho group (North Sotho, South
Sotho, and Setswana; n = 199). Questionnaires were distributed amongst the participants from
the different mines, were completed within a set time, and collected immediately afterwards.
The first objective of the study was to determine whether the Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale
(GEIS) is a reliable test when measuring West-Germanic (English and Afrikaans) and Sotho
(Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, and Setswana) languages. A four-factor model on the
combined sample as well as the two language groups was tested. The four factor model of the
West-Germanic group showed poor alphas. (Expression and Recognition of Emotions = 0.66;
Caring and Empathy = 0.63; Control of Emotions = 0.80 and Use of Emotions to Facilitate
Thinking = 0.62.) Several items from the expression and recognition scale cross-loaded on the
other three factors, and it was decided to test a three-factor model. The three factor model
indicated the best goodness-of-fit indices and showed acceptable alpha coefficients (Use of
Emotion to Facilitate Thinking = 0.83; Caring and Empathy = 0.83 and Control of Emotions =
0.77).
The second objective was to determine if the Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale is an equivalent
measuring instrument when measuring the West-Germanic (English and Afrikaans) and Sotho
(Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, and Setswana) languages. Goodness-of-fit was tested on the
total population as well as the two language family groups. The four factors are Expression and
Recognition of Emotions, Caring and Empathy, Control of Emotions and Use of Emotions. The
model indices (GFI, CFI and RMSEA) were satisfactory on the total population as well as the
Sotho groups, but there were problems noted when testing the goodness-of-fit for the West-
Germanic language group. It was therefore decided to test a three factor model (Use of
Emotions, Caring and Empathy and Control of Emotions). These problems could possibly be
explained by the cultural differences between the two language groups.
The final research objective was to investigate whether the items of the Greek Emotional
Intelligence Scale are unbiased when measuring West-Germanic (English and Afrikaans) and
Sotho (Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, and Setswana) languages. Firstly, ANOVAS were
produced to determine the mean differences between the groups. There weren’t many
differences, indicating none or little biasness between the groups. Then, the uniform and non-uniform
biasness was tested by means of Ordinal Logistic Regression to asses Differential Item
Functioning. The majority of the items did not have both uniform and non-uniform biasness. The
few that did however, (41, 37, 36, 14 and 18) can be explained by the different ways in which
cultures interpret emotions as proven in the literature.
Recommendations were made for future research.Thesis (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013
12
Galarraga, Sanchez Remigio Hernan. "Scale effects in determining snowmelt from mountainous basins using a distributed approach for snow water equivalence and radiation, and a point snowmelt model." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/191186.
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Rates of snowmelt distributed across Emerald Lake watershed, an alpine basin located in the Sierra Nevada, California, were estimated for water year 1987 using a point snowmelt model applied to regions that were classified based on distributed snow water equivalence and net solar radiation (NSR). A 5-m resolution digital elevation model (DEM) and a 5-m classified digital terrain model of snow water equivalence (SWE) were resampled to coarser resolutions (25-m, 30-m, 50-m, and 100-m) using the nearest neighbor approach. These images were used to define other snowmelt physical parameters and the initial state of the snowpack before melting. Topographic parameters calculated at 50-m and 100-m resolution exhibited significant differences in their histogram distribution as compared to the 5-m DEM. The most important were variations in slope, aspect, sky view factor, and terrain configuration factor, which influenced radiation calculations and the definition of distributed parameters for snowmelt calculations. Elevations, however, did not change significantly from one resolution to the other. The distribution of topographic parameters modeled at 25-m and 30-m, remained almost unchanged. Four, seven and ten classes of snow water equivalence and net solar radiation were combined using a band interleave process to determine the maximum number of combined classes. The point snowmelt model was then applied to these areas, which shared similar SWE and NSR characteristics, to obtain hourly melt rates. Modeled snowmelt rates were compared to the total daily discharge observed at the outlet of Emerald Lake watershed. There was good agreement for resolutions S-, 25-, 30-, and 50-m but not for the 100-m OEM, as modeled net solar radiation was too high and water was released from the basin too early. Model performance using three tests (Nash-Sutcliffe criteria, sum of squares of the deviations and the sum of the absolute differences between observed discharge and computed melting) showed that the 30-m resolution OEM with combined classes of 7 SWE and 7 NSR provided the best snowmelt performance for this distributed approach. Finally, fractional snow cover area at one month intervals were estimated, showing that this approach offers the potential to model spatially distributed snow covered area in alpine regions.
13
Ismail, Ghouwa. "Towards establishing the equivalence of the English version of the verbal analogies scale of the woodcock Munoz language survey across English and Xhosa first language speakers." University of Western Cape, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/7456.
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Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych)In the majority of the schools in South Africa (SA), learners commence education in English. This English milieu poses a considerable challenge for English second-language speakers. In an attempt to bridge the gap between English as the main medium of instruction and the nine indigenous languages of the country and assist with the implementation of mother-tongue based bilingual education, this study focuses on the cross-validation of a monolingual English test used in the assessment of multilingual or bilingual learners in the South African context.
14
Ismail, Ghouwa. "Towards establishing the equivalence of the English version of the verbal analogies scale of the Woodcock Munuz Language Survey across English and Xhosa first language speakers." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2010. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_9609_1305113932.
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In the majority of the schools in South Africa (SA), learners commence education in English. This English milieu poses a considerable challenge for English second-language speakers. In an attempt to bridge the gap between English as the main medium of instruction and the nine indigenous languages of the country and assist with the implementation of mother-tongue based bilingual education, this study focuses on the cross-validation of a monolingual English test used in the assessment of multilingual or bilingual learners in the South African context. This test, namely the Woodcock Muñ
oz Language Survey (WMLS), is extensively used in the United States in Additive Bilingual Education in the country. The present study is a substudy of a broader study, in which the original WMLS (American-English version) was adapted into SA English and Xhosa. For this specific sub-study, the researcher was interested in investigating the scalar equivalence of the adapted English version of the Verbal Analogies (VA) subscale of the WMLS across English first-language speakers and Xhosa first-language speakers. This was achieved by utilising differential item functioning (DIF) and construct bias statistical techniques. The Mantel-Haenszel DIF detection method was employed to detect DIF, while construct equivalence was examined by means of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) utilising an a priori two-factor structure. The Tucker&rsquo
s phi coefficient was used to assess the congruence of the construct across the two language groups
15
Roomaney, Rizwana. "Towards establishing the equivalence of the IsiXhosa and English versions of the Woodcok Munoz language survey : an item and construct bias analysis of the verbal analogies scale." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2010. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_7549_1306830207.
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This study formed part of a larger project that is concerned with the adaptation of a test of cognitive academic language proficiency, the Woodcock Muñ
oz Language Survey (WMLS). The WMLS has been adapted from English into isiXhosa and the present study is located within the broader study that is concerned with establishing overall equivalence between the two language versions of the WMLS. It was primarily concerned with the Verbal Analogies (VA) scale. Previous research on this scale has demonstrated promising results, but continues to find evidence of some inequivalence. This study aimed to cross-validate previous research on the two language versions of the WMLS and improve on methodological issues by employing matched groups. It drew upon an existing dataset from the larger research project. The study employed a monolingual matched two-group design consisting of 150 mainly English speaking and 149 mainly isiXhosa learners in grades 6 and 7. This study had two sub aims. The first was to investigate item bias by identifying DIF items in the VA scale across the isiXhosa and English by conducting a logistic regression and Mantel-Haenszel procedure. Five items were identified by both techniques as DIF. The second sub aim was to evaluate construct equivalence between the isiXhosa and English versions of the WMLS on the VA scale by conducting a factor analysis on the tests after removal of DIF items. Two factors were requested during the factor analysis. The first factor displayed significant loadings across both language versions and was identified as a stable factor. This was confirmed by the Tucker&rsquo
s Phi and scatter plot. The second factor was stable for the English version but not for the isiXhosa version. The Tucker&rsquo
s phi and scatter plot indicated that this factor is not structurally equivalent across the two language versions
16
熊谷, 龍一, and Ryuichi KUMAGAI. "語彙理解尺度におけるCBT版と紙筆版の同等性の検証 : 項目反応理論によるテスト作成・分析を通した検討." 名古屋大学大学院教育発達科学研究科, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/2237/3122.
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Nicola, Rui Miguel de Morais Zamith. "Social policy design and assessment : the choice of an equivalence scale for the assessment of efficacy and efficiency on poverty reduction based on the portuguese social insertion income." Master's thesis, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/2230.
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Masters on Economics and Social PolicyIncome redistributive social policies aiming to reduce inequality and poverty have been submitted to more regular and in-depth analysis and assessment within the EU and OECD. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the consequences of assessing income support social policy measures using internationally defined equivalence scales instead of using the nationally defined equivalence scale embedded in each measure. The dissertation addresses two main questions: 1) what are the effects of assessing redistributive social policies with equivalence scales different from the ones incorporated in the respective policy measures? 2) would the assessment of redistributive social policies improve, in terms of poverty eradication and efficiency indicators, if the equivalence scales used for policy design and implementation and for evaluation are the same? On a first section of this text the conceptual and methodological framework regarding the assessment of redistributive policies is presented, focusing on the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke indicators and the efficiency model of Beckerman. Afterwards, the main characteristics of EU-SILC data and the rules for accessing the Portuguese Social Insertion Income (SII) are briefly considered. This redistributive program will be used on simulations with different equivalence scales. Thereafter, a theoretical policy measure incorporating the main operating logic of SII and a poverty eradicating goal is envisaged, simulated and discussed. Finally, bearing in mind the initial questions, the results are discussed and indications for future research are considered.
As políticas sociais de redistribuição de rendimento que contribuem para a redução da desigualdade e/ou da pobreza têm vindo a ser objecto de análises e avaliações mais regulares e aprofundadas no quadro das actividades da UE e na OCDE. O objectivo desta dissertação é o de investigar as consequências de avaliar as medidas de política social de apoio ao rendimento com recurso a escalas de equivalência definidas internacionalmente e que diferem das escalas de equivalência incorporadas nas respectivas medidas desenhadas no plano nacional. A dissertação procura responder a duas questões: (1) quais os efeitos de avaliar políticas redistributivas com a utilização de escalas de equivalência diferentes das que estão presentes nas próprias medidas de política? (2) a utilização de escalas de equivalência idênticas para o desenho e a avaliação das políticas redistributivas melhora a sua avaliação, em termos de indicadores de pobreza, eficiência e eficácia? Na primeira parte da dissertação expõem-se os aspectos conceptuais e as opções metodológicas associadas à avaliação de políticas redistributivas, recorrendo aos indicadores Foster-Greer-Thorbecke e ao modelo de eficiência de Beckerman. De seguida, apresentam-se as principais características dos dados do EU-SILC e as regras de atribuição do RSI, que será objecto das simulações com base em diferentes escalas de equivalências. Posteriormente, ensaia-se uma medida teórica que conjugue as regras de funcionamento do RSI com um objectivo de eliminação da pobreza. Finalmente discutem-se os resultados à luz das questões iniciais e as pistas para investigação futura.
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Vil, Anderson. "Trois essais sur la mesure du coût des enfants." Electronic Thesis or Diss., CY Cergy Paris Université, 2024. http://www.theses.fr/2024CYUN1335.
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Cette thèse contient trois chapitres, chacun consacré à un aspect spécifique de l'étude du coût des enfants. Le premier chapitre, principalement empirique, examine l'allocation des ressources au sein des familles monoparentales en utilisant des données britanniques. Les deux chapitres suivants adoptent une approche théorique tout en intégrant des éléments empiriques. Le deuxième chapitre modélise l'impact des enfants sur l'offre de travail des femmes, en s'appuyant sur la méthodologie des échelles d'équivalence. Le troisième chapitre se concentre sur le coût total des enfants (tant monétaire et temporel) et sur la valeur du temps parental, en appliquant le modèle théorique à des données américaines.Le premier chapitre analyse le coût des enfants dans les familles monoparentales. Plus précisément, il étend le modèle collectif de Bargain, Donni, and Hentati (2022) aux ménages monoparentaux et aborde les questions d'identification spécifiques à ce contexte. Il estime ensuite les parts de consommation allouées aux parents célibataires et à leurs enfants. En utilisant trois ensembles d'enquêtes sur les dépenses au Royaume-Uni, deux conclusions majeures émergent : premièrement, les modèles basés sur les couples ont tendance à sous-estimer le coût des enfants dans les ménages monoparentaux en raison de différences structurelles ; deuxièmement, la taille de la famille affecte significativement les ressources allouées aux enfants dans les familles à faibles revenus, un effet moins marqué dans les familles à hauts revenus.Le deuxième chapitre présente un cadre théorique basé sur des échelles d'équivalence adaptées à l'offre de travail. Il propose une fonction générale qui intègre les coûts financiers et temporels des enfants, sans utiliser de données spécifiques sur la consommation. Les résultats empiriques d'un échantillon de femmes célibataires aux États-Unis indiquent que, pour les mères célibataires, les effets monétaires dominent les effets temporels. De plus, le coût total médian par enfant est d'environ 17 060 dollars.Le troisième chapitre propose un cadre structurel pour mesurer le coût total des enfants, prenant en compte à la fois le temps parental et les dépenses monétaires. Ce modèle différencie les activités de garde d'enfants perçues comme du travail de celles considérées comme du loisir. Un aspect clé de notre approche est que le prix du temps parental n'est pas simplement égal au salaire, mais est déterminé par la substituabilité entre le temps parental et les services de garde d'enfants achetés. L'analyse empirique basée sur les données de couples américains qui travaillent montre que les mères perçoivent 68% de ce temps comme du travail, contre 53% pour les pères. En outre, une part importante du coût des enfants supporté par les parents est non monétaire, soulignant l'importance d'intégrer les dimensions temporelles dans l'évaluation des coûts parentauxThis thesis consists of three chapters, each dedicated to a specific aspect of the study of the cost of children. The first chapter, primarily empirical, examines the allocation of resources within single-parent households using British data. The following two chapters adopt a theoretical approach while integrating empirical elements. The second chapter models the impact of children on women's labor supply, relying on the equivalence scale methodology. The third chapter focuses on the full cost of children (both monetary and time-related) and the value of parental time, applying the theoretical model to American data.The first chapter analyzes the cost of children in single-parent households. Specifically, it extends the collective model of Bargain, Donni, and Hentati (2022) to single-adult households and addresses identification issues specific to this context. It then estimates the consumption shares allocated to single parents and their children. Using three sets of UK Expenditure Surveys, two major findings emerge: first, models based on couples tend to underestimate the cost of children in single-parent households due to structural differences; second, family size significantly affects the resources allocated to children in low-income families, a less pronounced effect in high-income families.The second chapter develops a theoretical framework using equivalence scales adapted to labor supply, proposing a general technological function that integrates both the financial and time costs of children without specific consumption data. Empirical results from a sample of single women in the U.S. indicate that, for single mothers, monetary effects dominate time effects. Additionally, the median total cost per child is approximately 17,060.The third chapter proposes a structural framework to measure children's full cost, accounting for both parental time and monetary expenditures. This model differentiates between childcare activities perceived as work and those considered as leisure. A key aspect of our approach is that the price of parental time is not simply equal to the wage but is determined by the substitutability between parental time and purchased childcare services. Empirical analysis based on U.S. working couples' data shows that mothers perceive 68% of this time as work, compared to 53% for fathers. Furthermore, a significant portion of the cost of children borne by parents is non-monetary, underscoring the importance of incorporating time dimensions into the evaluation of parental costs
19
Murthi, Mamta. "Food Engel curves and equivalence scales in Sri Lanka." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.336116.
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20
Duku, Eric K. "Assessing Early Child Development: Issues of Measurement Invariance and Psychometric Validity." Thèse, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/24097.
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The measurement of reliable and valid indicators of early child development is necessary for assessing phenomena and is useful in the monitoring of ongoing efforts to eradicate inequalities in the social determinants of health. There is an increasing awareness of the contextual, cultural, and developmental influences on constructs used in early child development (ECD) research. Using a measurement perspective, this dissertation examined the issue of measurement invariance and psychometric validity in early child development research. A construct violates the principle of invariance when two persons from different populations who are theoretically identical on the construct being measured have different scores on it.
This dissertation consists of three journal-style manuscripts (published or under review) that were used as examples to address the importance of the issue of measurement invariance and psychometric validity in ECD research using data from two unique areas: autism and executive functioning. The three data sets were collected on pre-school children with parents and or teachers as informants and were chosen to represent different levels of data collection – clinical, community, and population. These data sets allowed for the examination of measurement invariance by type of informant, sex, and age of child. The results from the three studies illustrate the importance of assessing measurement invariance in ECD and whether or not the instruments examined can be used to assess sub-group differences with confidence.
A lack of measurement invariance found for two of the studies, suggests that observed group differences in latent constructs could be attributed, in part, to measurement bias. More importantly, bias in the measurement of the constructs of severity of social impairment symptoms in autism, and executive functioning across groups could have an impact on services such as patient treatment. These biases could also influence public policy development, particularly when there may be an underlying need for a cross-group approach where belief systems may affect the meaning and structure of constructs.
In summary, measurement invariance should be a prerequisite for making any meaningful comparisons across groups. A requirement of establishing measurement invariance should be included in the guidelines for comparative research studies as a necessary first step before an instrument is adopted for use.
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González, David Andrés. "Cross-measure Equivalence and Communicability in the Assessment of Depression: a Fine-grained Focus on Factor-based Scales." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2012. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc149597/.
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Depression is heterogeneous, however, depression measures conceptualize it as homogeneous. To help fulfill NIMH's strategic plan to focus on components of depression, this study analyzed the psychometrics of factor-based subscales in the BDI-II, CES-D, IDAS, and IDS. CCA was also used to explore redundancy across measures. Using a diverse sample of symptomatic undergraduates, this study found the IDAS to be the best measure, with complete DSM-IV symptom coverage and psychometrically sound subscales. The other measures did not have consistent subscales or coverage of symptoms. Furthermore, CCA revealed low levels of redundancy across measures. These results serve to disabuse the field of a perception that different measures of equivalently measure depression. Conversion tables were provided to empirically compare scores from different measures.
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Haldeman, Brooke. "Influence of Synoptic Scale Circulation on Temperature and Equivalent Temperature Extremes in Chicago, IL (1948-2014)." OpenSIUC, 2015. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/1811.
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Heat waves are responsible for significant economic impacts and loss of life each year in the United States with humidity often playing an important role. This study examined synoptic patterns associated with extreme temperature and equivalent temperature events in Chicago, IL over the period of 1948-2014 using summertime (June 1st- September 15th) values. Temperature and equivalent temperature-based heat waves were defined as periods with at least eight consecutive six-hour observations exceeding the historical 95th percentile values of temperature and equivalent temperature, respectively, using data from O’Hare International Airport. Self-organizing maps (SOMs) were then applied to 500 mb geopotential height and 850 mb specific humidity datasets from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis to identify synoptic states associated with extreme temperature and equivalent temperature events. SOM nodes associated with heat waves were identified and assessed for trends using median of pairwise slopes regression. While mean summertime temperature and equivalent temperature in Chicago did not exhibit significant trends, yearly summertime minimum temperatures were found to be increasing with a significant trend. Additionally, several synoptic patterns favorable for the development of high temperature and high humidity heat waves were increasing significantly.
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Bradbury, Bruce William Economics Australian School of Business UNSW. "Family Size and Relative Need." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. Economics, 1997. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/17174.
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This thesis examines three questions concerned with the relative income needs of families of different sizes - often summarised by indices known as ???equivalence scales???. The first is the extent to which researchers and policy makers should offset the costs of family composition (eg the expenditure costs of children) with the benefits associated with demographic choice (eg the ???joys of parenthood???). Chapter 2 concludes that there are demographic and financial market constraints that will often make a narrow focus on expenditure costs appropriate for distributional research and tax/transfer policies. However, this will not always be the case. One implication of this result is that it may be reasonable for distributional research to use different equivalence scales for adults and children in the same household. Part 2 of the thesis introduces a new method for the estimation of the within-household income distribution and expenditure costs of different family types. This is based upon the household welfare model of Samuelson together with Lau???s method for modelling the joint consumption of household goods. In Chapter 4, this method is applied to the estimation of equivalence scales for older singles and married couples. The estimation is based upon a detailed set of assumptions about the extent of joint consumption for 17 different commodity groups. The main conclusions are that: the theoretical model fits the observed behaviour well (with the exception of some home production effects); that aged couples share their income relatively evenly; and that the relative rate of pension for aged singles in Australia is probably too low. In Part 3, the thesis examines how changes in poverty can be estimated when there is uncertainty about the equivalence scale. The thesis proposes a new method which permits a set of upper and lower bounds for the equivalence scale to be assumed, which in turn determine upper and lower bounds for the increase in poverty. This method is applied to measure the change in poverty in Australia during the 1980s. Equivalence scales can be found that imply either an increase or a decrease in poverty.
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Hutchings, William C. "The effects of small-scale heterogeneities on aquifer storage recovery systems." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2005. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/SFE0001353.
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D'AQUINO, Luigi. "STUDIO DELLA CIRCOLAZIONE IDRICA A SCALA INGEGNERISTICA IN ACQUIFERI FRATTURATI." Doctoral thesis, La Sapienza, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/11573/917503.
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Albayrak, Alp [Verfasser], Wolfgang [Akademischer Betreuer] Polifke, Wolfgang [Gutachter] Polifke, and Aimee S. [Gutachter] Morgans. "Time Scales of Equivalence Ratio and Inertial Waves in Unsteady Combustion Dynamics / Alp Albayrak ; Gutachter: Wolfgang Polifke, Aimee S. Morgans ; Betreuer: Wolfgang Polifke." München : Universitätsbibliothek der TU München, 2019. http://d-nb.info/1184476918/34.
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Palakurthi, Nikhil Kumar. "Direct Numerical Simulation of Liquid Transport Through Fibrous Porous Media." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1406881191.
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GIACHIN, RICCA ELENA. "Essays in economics of happiness." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata", 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2108/207782.
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Il Capitolo 1 focalizza l’attenzione sulla relazione tra tempo libero relazionale e soddisfazione di vita dichiarata. Nella letteratura empirica sul benessere soggettivo, è generalmente riconosciuto che il tempo libero dedicato ad interazioni sociali è correlato positivamente con la soddisfazione di vita riportata per mezzo di interviste. L’analisi tenta di definire se l’associazione tra le due variabili sia di tipo causale. A questo scopo viene condotta un’analisi empirica sul German Socio Economic Panel (GSOEP) 1984 - 2007. La disponibilità di osservazioni individuali ripetute nel tempo consente l’uso di un modello lineare ad effetti fissi che corregge per le variabili omesse persistenti nel tempo, come i tratti della personalità di un individuo. Il modello non corregge però per variabili omesse mutabili nel tempo. Si ricorre quindi ad una stima strumentata del tempo dedicato alle attività sociali. La tecnica di strumentazione si basa sulla variazione del tempo relazionale a seguito del pensionamento. Dato che lo status di pensionamento individuale ha un’influenza diretta sul livello di benessere soggettivo, la variabile strumentale adottata è la proporzione di persone in pensione per anno e per macro regione tedesca (Germania Est/Ovest). Nella regressione del primo stadio si evidenzia come l'impatto della proporzione di pensionati sul tempo devoluto alle attività sociali sia significativamente differente tra donne e uomini. Sfruttando tale eterogeneità, siamo in grado di strumentare con successo la variabile di interesse. L’analisi riesce dunque a dimostrare che il tempo libero dedicato alle interazioni sociali ha un effetto causale positivo sulla soddisfazione di vita. L’evidenza empirica di tale nesso di causalità può avere importanti implicazioni sulle politiche sociali.
Il Capitolo 2 affronta il tema della soddisfazione di vita riportata dagli immigrati e dell’impatto delle relazioni diplomatiche tra il paese d’origine e d’approdo. L’analisi tenta quindi di stimare il valore di buone relazioni bilaterali. L’analisi utilizza un indice che misura il grado di cooperazione e conflitto nei rapporti tra Stati. L’indice è stato ideato da studiosi di Relazioni Internazionali per l’analisi quantitativa degli eventi internazionali. Esso è costruito come somma di eventi occorsi tra Stati, pesati in base al grado di cooperazione/conflitto attribuito da un panel di esperti. Nella nostra analisi, l’indice d’intensità delle relazioni bilaterali è associato agli immigrati intervistati nel GSOEP. L’indice ha una variabilità sia temporale che tra individui. Ciò permette di condurre un’analisi econometrica che sfrutta i vantaggi di un dataset longitudinale controllando per gli effetti fissi individuali. L’analisi empirica porta ad affermare che buone relazioni bilaterali sono significativamente correlate con la soddisfazione di vita degli immigrati, specialmente nel caso di eventi frequenti. Tale correlazione è maggiormente rilevante per gli immigrati che si trovando da più tempo in Germania e che hanno intenzione di rimanervi. Questo risultato conferma quanto già affermato in letteratura, ossia, che le relazioni tra Stati influenzano direttamente la qualità di vita degli immigrati nel paese di destinazione, ma non depongono a favore del processo d’integrazione. Usando, infine, il calcolo della variazione compensativa applicata all’indice delle relazioni tra Stati se ne monetarizza l’effetto. In conclusione, l’analisi giunge ad attribuire un valore significativo alla diplomazia: buone relazioni tra il paese d’origine e di destinazione hanno importanti esternalità positive per coloro che abitano all’estero.
Il Capitolo 3 si incentra, invece, sulla relazione, fin qui poco esplorata, tra soddisfazione di vita e figli. Nella fiorente letteratura empirica sulle determinanti della soddisfazione di vita si tiene conto del numero di bambini presenti nell’unità famigliare tra le variabile esplicative standard assieme al reddito familiare disponibile (spesso non corretto per la dimensione familiare). L’impatto sulla soddisfazione di vita di tale variabile risulta associare sia il beneficio di un effetto relazionale sia il costo in termini monetari e di tempo dei figli. Nella letteratura sulla soddisfazione di vita si trova, infatti, che il coefficiente per i figli non è significativo, o è addirittura negativo. Nel lavoro qui presentato si cerca di discriminare l’effetto monetario dei figli da quello non monetario, attraverso l’utilizzo delle comuni scale di equivalenza per il reddito familiare. L’analisi empirica da noi condotta è basata su cittadini tedeschi intervistati dal GSOEP negli anni 1984 - 2007. Si dimostra, dunque, che, adottando delle elasticità di scale sempre maggiori, ossia assumendo minime, se non nulle, economie di scala nella formazione del nucleo familiare, l’impatto del numero di bambini sulla soddisfazione di vita divenga positivo. Viene anche rifiutata l’ipotesi di omogeneità dei coefficienti date le notevoli differenze nell’impatto dei figli conviventi sull’individuo a seconda del genere e della località geografica d’origine (Germania Est/Ovest). Si conclude che l’effetto non pecuniario dei figli sia maggiore per gli uomini, gli individui con un reddito familiare inferiore o uguale alla mediana, e soprattutto
per i cittadini dell’Est. I risultati ottenuti nei sottogruppi possono essere imputati, secondo la nostra interpretazione a differenti costi opportunità e norme socio-culturali.Chapter 1 focuses on the relation between social leisure and subjective well-being. In the empirical literature it is generally found that social leisure is positively correlated with life satisfaction. We ask if this association captures a genuine causal effect of the consumption of a social leisure time index on subjective well-being by using panel data from the German Socio Economic Panel (GSOEP) 1984 - 2007. The availability of multiple observations per individual allows us to use the fixed effect estimation technique which takes care of time invariant personal traits and omitted variables. This strategy of estimation solves only a part of the endogeneity issues which bias our coefficient for social leisure. We then adopt an Instrumental-Variables estimation. Our identification strategy exploits the change in social leisure brought about by retirement. However, individual retirement directly influences subjective well-being. Therefore, we instrument social leisure with the ratio of retired people in the sample by year and geographic location. Our results show a gendered difference in the impact of this ratio on social life. Exploiting the gender heterogeneity brings us to a successful instrumentation of social leisure. We can therefore conclude that social leisure has a positive causal effect on life satisfaction. Chapter 2 addresses the issue of subjective well-being of migrants and diplomatic relation. In particular, the paper represents an attempt to establish the value of good relationships between countries by considering their effects on a group of individuals who are arguably intimately affected by them: immigrants. We appeal to an index of conflict/cooperation constructed by experts in International Relations Sciences and currently used to carry out quantitative analysis on events data. Such index is an annual weighted sum of news items occurring between countries according to their content of conflict and cooperation, as established by a panel of experts in the field. This index is matched to a sample of immigrants in Germany who belong to the GSOEP data. The index of bilateral relations thus exhibits both time-series and cross-section variation and allows us to use a linear fixed effect estimation method. We find that good relations are positively and significantly correlated with immigrant life satisfaction, especially when we downplay low-value news events. This significant effect is much stronger for immigrants who have been in Germany longer, and who expect to stay there forever. This is consistent with good relations directly affecting the quality of immigrants’ lives in the host country, but is not consistent with assimilation. In order to evaluate the economic significance of our finding we finally compute the compensating surplus of the index of international relations. There is thus a significant value to diplomacy: good relationships between home and host countries generate significant well-being externalities for those who live abroad. Chapter 3 addresses the issue not enough explored by the happiness literature of the relation between children and life satisfaction. Indeed, the empirical analyses on the determinants of life satisfaction often include the number of children living in the household in the standard set of socio demographic explanatory variables together with household disposable income (often not corrected for household size). In this way, the estimation of the children’s coefficient does not fully discriminate between the monetary and non-monetary impact of children in the household. In our paper, we compare results obtained by correcting income for different equivalence scales. Indeed, equivalence scales are intended to measure the variation in income needed to bring households of different compositions to the same welfare level. The main arguments revolve around economies of scale in household formation. Our empirical analysis is based on the West and East subsamples of the GSOEP 1984 – 2007. We find that when economies of scale are assumed to be perfects (i.e. the household size and composition does not reduce the fruition of available income) children living in the household affect negatively the life satisfaction of adults. Adopting less perfect economies of scale in the household brings the children’s coefficient to shift from negative to positive and significant. We further reject slope homogeneity as we find strong differences between gender and regions of the impact of children living in the household. We show that the positive “non pecuniary” effect of children is stronger for men, below or equal to median income households and, most of all, for East Germans. We interpret these subsample split results as driven by heterogeneous opportunity costs and cultural traits.
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Simmons, Nicholas A. "An investigation into the robustness of willingness to pay for non-market goods in relation to subjective well-being." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2016. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/23010.
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This thesis investigates the sensitivity of derived monetary valuations of the well-being effects of non-market goods, by considering, in turn, the four components that contribute to these calculations. Comparisons are made to the current subjective well-being (SWB) literature by altering one component at a time in a willingness to pay (WTP) function, in addition to varying the estimator used when calculating WTP. The first component varied is the measure of income used; a more robust, up-to-date measure is proposed that takes into account household size, economies of scale and composition, plus other improvements over current income scaling approaches including equivalence scales. Secondly, anticipation and adaptation effects are examined, in order to allow for the dynamics of SWB in WTP valuations. Thirdly, due to the ordered nature of the dependent variable, the effects of both cardinal and ordinal models on WTP derivations are investigated. Such models include the ordered logit fixed effects (FE) model (see for example Das and Van Soest (1999), Ferrer-i-Carbonell and Frijters (2004) and Baetschmann et al. (2011)). The final input to be varied is whether income endogeneity is accounted for. A control function approach is used in this case. A key finding is that all four inputs in the WTP calculation contribute significantly to the estimated WTP values. However, the degree to which each input influences the variation in WTP values differs substantially. The three main contributing factors to WTP variations are the income variable chosen, anticipation and adaptation effects, and controlling for endogeneity. Additionally, this thesis proposes a new way to define WTP that is also valid for ordered estimators. Whilst the standard WTP approach relies simply on coefficient ratios at a point in time, the method proposed here uses the finding that statistically significant anticipation and adaptation effects, along with adaptation to all non-market events (except for unemployment) suggest that there are concerns with taking WTP values as yearly valuations that assume constant effects on SWB. By instead defining WTP as the summation of the value of all WTP effects over all lag and lead effect periods, the total value of an event can be calculated. This definition presents further weaknesses of the original method by showing that because of significant lag and lead effects for events such as divorce and widowhood, these events have substantially larger WTP values than first thought. This leads to the major finding in this study that rank orders are not preserved when controlling for income endogeneity, even when comparing two model specifications that are identical in all other respects. Therefore, despite absolute WTP valuations appearing more similar for linear and ordered estimators when a more appropriate model specification is in place, the rank orders are affected. This finding argues against papers such as Powdthavee and van den Berg (2011) that find that rank orders are preserved for WTP valuations when modelling SWB. In conclusion, given rank orders are generally not preserved when a small change is made in the model specification, the validity of the WTP method is significantly reduced. Finally, the above methodology is applied to education, with the main contribution to the education literature being that the positive effects on SWB from education only exist in terms of lead effects.
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Sauvan, Pierre-Emmanuel. "Etude des phénomènes physiques associés à la propagation d'ondes consécutives à une explosion et leur interaction avec des structures, dans un environnement complexe." Phd thesis, Université d'Orléans, 2012. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00802429.
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Les travaux présentés dans ce mémoire de thèse s'inscrivent dans le cadre des études liées aux dégâts sur les structures et les blessures subies par les personnes à la suite d'explosions de charges explosives en milieu confiné et semi-confiné. Afin de mener cette étude, des expériences sont réalisées à petite échelle en laboratoire et sont complétées par des simulations numériques. Les ondes de choc sont obtenues grâce à la détonation d'une charge explosive gazeuse composée de propane-oxygène en proportion stoechiométrique. L'étude consiste donc à réaliser des expériences à petite échelle en laboratoire afin d'apprécier les champs de pression obtenus à la suite de la détonation d'une charge explosive au sein de deux configurations différentes. La première représente un atelier pyrotechnique et la seconde met en jeu un entrepôt de stockage de bouteilles de gaz. Les résultats expérimentaux sont ensuite confrontés à des résultats obtenus par simulations numériques réalisées grâce au logiciel AUTODYN. En complément de ces deux configuration principales, une étude est menée sur l'identification des pics de surpressions réfléchis grâce à une approche expérimentale appelée paroi par paroi. Une étude est également menée sur la détermination d'une équivalence massique entre le TNT et le mélange gazeux utilisé pour les expériences.
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Vazquez-Guzman, David. "Measurement of income inequality in Mexico : methodology, assessment and empirical relationship with poverty and human development." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/446.
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The intended contribution of this work is to systematically discuss a selection of methodological topics and some of the empirical and technical issues that have been driving the measurement of inequality in Mexico so far. This discussion has two strands: firstly, the general case, and second, the particular case of Mexico. The general case include some philosophical concerns, along with a review of the traditional inequality measurement, the most common operational decisions in empirical calculations, and the recent methodological contribution of development literature that is mostly centered around the capability approach of Sen (1985b). The philosophical part contrasted with other approaches and rejected the Marxist view of economic inequality, which is mostly viewed as an outcome of exploitation. The distributional judgments are compared with more ancient schools of thought in regards to justice. Another methodological issue is such that social inequality, approximated by income inequality, might be considered as an additional functioning that measures the degree of social cohesion in the country, this finding is an implication that comes from the definition of functionings within the capability approach; then, social inequality is a functioning that is different in nature from other measures of destitution, and it is also different from the destitution that is captured by absolute poverty measurement. Our general case includes a review of the most popular ways to measure inequality, such as normative and pragmatic inequality measures that are mentioned with their properties, with their rankings of the distributions provided by the use of stochastic dominance and quantile comparisons, and the construction of statistical models and some graphic representations of income economic inequality; the approach of inequality concerns included in the measurement of relative poverty is rejected for the sake of clarity. Then this general view would guide us to a better understanding of the Mexican literature for the consideration of income distribution. The measurement of destitution provided by governmental offices is necessary to discuss, because there might be some lack of coherence between the design of the measurement and the complex legal system in Mexico. We also consider a set of regulatory concerns that might not be unique to the Mexican law, but may be generalized for developing countries as a whole. Some of the methodological discussions that show how the Mexican research has been influenced by the international literature about human destitution will be good to clarify, looking at the value judgments that have been automatically accepted by the researchers. A sensitivity analysis was performed to the empirical calculation of inequality in Mexico, so the measurement showed to be different in regards to a variety of operational concerns: the recipient unit, the different data from income and consumption-expenditure surveys, various non-responses and underreported biases, the inclusion of a regional price index, among other things. In this work was also covered the reasons why it might be the case that destitution and poverty assessment was studied more deeply than inequality itself, so the possible ambiguity of inequality with poverty measurement is challenged in this work with a variety of theoretical remarks and empirical arguments. The final topic for the particular case of Mexico is to shed light in regards to the context of the capability approach and the use of equivalence scales, because these methodological approaches consider respectively directly and indirectly the assessment of distributional judgments. This discussion is followed by an empirical assessment of inequality measures that is related with a set of functionings and services, where a direct relationship of measures of inequality with other measures of destitution is made clear.
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Koumi, Koffi Espoir. "Modélisation du contact entre matériaux hétérogènes : Application au contact Aube/Disque." Thesis, Lyon, INSA, 2015. http://www.theses.fr/2015ISAL0120/document.
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Cette thèse s'intéresse à la problématique du contact entre matériaux hétérogènes. L'industrie (automobile, aéronautique, spatiale, ...) s'intéresse de plus en plus à ces types de matériaux. Il s'agira par exemple des alliages métalliques, des matériaux poreux, matériaux composites (composites tissés, interlocks 3D, interlocks 2D), des billes céramiques contenant des impuretés (porosités/précipités),... Dans ce manuscrit, un modèle de contact basé sur les méthodes semi-analytiques a été développé. Un algorithme de gradient conjugué est utilisé afin de résoudre rapidement le problème de contact. Le modèle permet de prendre en compte la présence d'une ou de plusieurs hétérogénéités isotropes/anisotropes dans le problème de contact. Une approche inspirée de la méthode de l'inclusion équivalente proposée par Eshelby est utilisée dans le solveur de contact pour prendre en compte l'effet de ces hétérogénéités. Les méthodes de transformées de Fourier rapides (FFT) permettent d'accélérer les calculs. Une méthode numérique a été mise en œuvre afin de prendre en compte l'interaction entre plusieurs hétérogénéités. Le massif peut être élastique ou viscoélastique. L'approche développée dans la thèse peut résoudre à la fois les problèmes d'indentation, de roulement/glissement ou de fretting en présence de matériaux élastiques hétérogènes, viscoélastiques homogènes ou hétérogènes. Les solutions sont données en termes de champs de pressions, de cisaillements et de contraintes. Dans le cas des matériaux viscoélastiques le code de calcul est capable de fournir le coefficient de frottement apparent ainsi que toutes les variables de contact aussi bien en régime permanent que transitoire. Le modèle a été validé par comparaison avec la méthode des éléments finis classiques en utilisant le logiciel commercial Abaqus v6.11. Le temps de calcul ainsi que l'espace mémoire nécessaire sont considérablement réduits par rapport à la méthode éléments finis. La parallélisation a été introduite dans le code de contact afin de réduire toujours plus le temps de calcul. Il s'agit d'un code robuste, rapide et facilement utilisable en Bureau d'Etudes. Une approche expérimentale originale a été mise en place afin de mesurer les champs de déplacements à l'interface des corps en contact. De bonnes corrélations essais/calculs ont été obtenues. Enfin quelques applications industrielles ont été présentées. Un couplage entre un code éléments finis structurel et le code semi-analytique de résolution de contact a été également réaliséThe present PhD thesis deals with contact problems between heterogeneous materials. Nowadays heterogeneous materials are extensively used in several industrial domains (automotive, aeronautics, aerospace, ...). Heterogeneous materials involve porous materials, aluminum alloys, composites materials (woven composites, interlocks 3D, interlocks 2D), metallic or ceramics materials containing impurities (porosities/precipitates). In this work, a contact model based on semi-analytical method is proposed. A conjugate gradient algorithm is used for a fast resolution of contact equations. The model can account for one or more isotropic/anisotropic inhomogeneities. An approach taking inspiration from the Eshelby equivalent inclusion method is used in the contact solver to account for the effect of inhomogeneities. 2D and 3D Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT) are used to speed up the computation. A numerical method is implemented in order to take into account interactions between many heterogeneities. The semi-infinite space/ matrix can be either elastic or visco-elastic. The model developed in the present PhD thesis can solve indentation, rolling/sliding or fretting contact problems between heterogeneous elastic materials, homogeneous or heterogeneous visco-elactic materials. In the case of visco-elastic materials, the model permits to get the solution in terms of contact pressure distribution, subsurface stresses, apparent friction coefficient, both in the transient and then steady-state regimes. The model has been validated by performing a comparison with the results of a finite element model. The CPU time and memory necessary are greatly reduced in comparison with the classical finite element method. The model developed is fast, robust and extremely easy to use. An original experimental approach was proposed in order to measure the displacement fields at interface of two contacting bodies. A good agreement between experimental results and numerical simulations is obtained. Finally, the model is applied on some industrial applications. A coupling between a finite element model and the semi-analytical code allow to take into account the effects of structure on contact problem
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Ohler, Tamara. "Essays on the Rising Demand for Convenience in Meal Provisioning in the United States." 2013. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/open_access_dissertations/760.
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Household food budgets offer a window on consumers' demand for convenience. During the 1980s and 1990s, three shifts likely promoted an increase in the share of the food budget devoted to convenient meal options, namely meals out and prepared foods: the growing number of hours that women spent in paid work, the growing opportunity cost of women's time spent doing housework, and the drop in the price of food relative to all other goods. I test whether the impact of these economic trends (on food budget allocation) was mediated by a change in the impact of children on household meal allocation. I find support for this hypothesis in a model of food away expenditures, which likely reflects two unmeasured shifts. First, (own) child care and household production of meals apparently became substitutes rather than complements. Second, a range of both prepared foods and family-friendly restaurants became available.
The growing demand for time-saving meal options, including frozen food and meals out, has important implications for a core determinant of living standards: the ability to harness scale economies from home production of meals. I test whether greater reliance on convenient meals reduced household-level economies of scale. Other factors could mediate against, or even offset such a loss, including technological advances in the production and distribution of food. Using Engel curve analyses, I find that scale economies fell from 1980 to 2000, thereby reducing living standards; my lower- and upper-bound estimates of the drop are 44 percent and 110 percent respectively.
Economies of scale are not simply a function of household size and composition, as standard equivalence scaling techniques suggest; they are affected by the ways that households trade non-market work and market substitutes. This dissertation contributes to the small literature that challenges the validity of fixed-parameter equivalence scales, such as the per capita scale, which ignore household production. I first attach plausible values to scale parameters and then compare equivalent-income trajectories of parents and non-parents across (standard) fixed parameter and (non-standard) time-varying equivalence scales. I present plausible lower- and upper-bound estimates of the rise in income inequality between parents and non-parents.
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Brown, Qunita. "Exploring the scalar equivalence of the picture vocabulary scale of the Woodcock Munoz language survey across rural and urban isiXhosa-speaking learners." 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/1767.
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Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych)The fall of apartheid and the rise of democracy have brought assessment issues in multicultural societies to the forefront in South Africa. The rise of multicultural assessment demands the development of tests that are culturally relevant to enhance fair testing practices, and issues of bias and equivalence of tests become increasingly important. This study forms part of a larger project titled the Additive Bilingual Education Project (ABLE). The Woodcock Munoz Language Survey (WMLS) was specifically selected to evaluate the language aims in the project, and was adapted from English to isiXhosa. Previous research has indicated that one of the scales in the adapted isiXhosa version of the WMLS, namely the Picture Vocabulary Scale (PV), displays some item bias, or differential item functioning (DIF), across rural and urban isiXhosa learners. Research has also indicated that differences in dialects can have an impact on test takers’ scores. It is therefore essential to explore the structural equivalence of the adapted isiXhosa version of the WMLS on the PV scale across rural and urban isiXhosa learners, and to ascertain whether DIF is affecting the extent to which the same construct is measured across both groups. The results contribute to establishing the scalar equivalence of the adapted isiXhosa version of the WMLS across rural and urban isiXhosa-speaking learners. Secondary Data Analysis (SDA) was employed because this allowed the researcher to re-analyse the existing data in order to further evaluate construct equivalence. The sample of the larger study consisted of 260 learners, both male and female, selected from a population of Grade 6 and 7 learners attending schools in the Eastern Cape. The data was analysed by using the statistical programme Comprehensive Exploratory Factor Analysis (CEFA) and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Exploratory factor analysis and the Tucker’s phi coefficient were used. The results indicated distinct factor loadings for both groups, but slight differences were observed which raised concerns about construct equivalence. Scatter plots were employed to investigate further, which also gave cause for concern. It was therefore concluded that construct equivalence was only partially attained. In addition, the Cronbach’s Alpha per factor was calculated, showing that internal consistency was displayed only for Factor 1 and not for Factor 2 for the rural group, or both factors for the urban group. Scalar equivalence across the two groups must therefore be explored further.
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Chang, Shu-Hui, and 張淑惠. "An empirical analysis of household equivalence scale and horizontal equity of individual income tax:evidence from Taiwan." Thesis, 1996. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/77594770228453701258.
Full textAbstract:
碩士國立中興大學
財政學研究所
84
Personal exemptions under the individual income tax are the same level for each taxpayer,spouse,and each dependent after 1986. The regulation may not correspond with the rule of fairness. Because the adequacy of the level of exemptions may be affected by demographic characteristics. Household equivalence scales are defined as ratios of cost functions between demographically different households, so they have practical applications in the design of tax policies. One of the tasks of this thesis is to estimate household equivalence scales in order to provide adequacy of the level of exemptions. The author makes use of Engel model to estimate household equivalence scales and have a reasonable result, so we also get a successful estimation of personal exemptions. The rest of this thesis is to use three indexes to measure horizontal inequity of individual income tax. The indexes are coefficient of variation and the indexes used by Aronson & Lambert(1994) and Plotnick(1981). In empirical framework personal exemptions have two definitions. One is the level of tax law, the other is the level that the author estimate in the thesis.When personal exemptions are the latter, the individual income tax is more equity. We can infer that individual income tax are less equity when personal exemptions are the same for everyone. If the level of personal exemptions are made according to household equivalence scales will increase extent of horizontal equity.
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Jayasinghe, Maneka (J M. Maneka Savithri). "Equivalence Scales and Poverty Measurement: A Study of How Income, Sub-National Location, Technological Scale and Gender Impact on Food Consumption Scale Economies and Hence Lving Standards in Sri Lanka." Thesis, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366259.
Full textAbstract:
Accurately identifying who in the population is the poorest of the poor is critical for developing efficient and effective poverty reduction strategies. A key part of this task is to compare household welfare across households of different sizes, compositions and sub-national locations. Yet the typical equivalence scales used in this process by most policymakers impose harsh and unrealistic assumptions on household behaviour and the extent to which households of different sizes realise economies of scale in consumption (CSE). These assumptions include the notion that household tastes are unrelated to income (homothetic preferences) and no substantial differences exist in the extent to which CSE can be realised across households located in different sub-national regions, time periods and gender compositions. This thesis focuses mainly on analysing the CSE associated with food consumption, labelled as FCSE, since expenditure on food represents the major share of household expenditure for poor households.
The main objective of this thesis is to investigate how household characteristics and their behavioural choices affect the ability of these households to achieve FCSE, and thereby their poverty status, using Sri Lanka as a case study. In doing so, the relationships between FCSE and a number of household socio-economic and demographic characteristics and household behavioural choices are investigated. The characteristics considered comprise household size, location, income, and gender of the head of household; the behavioural choices considered comprise the decision to consume home-grown food, and the decision to adopt domestic technology to aid food preparation and consumption.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Pavelich, Janet Mary. "Commuting Equivalence Relations and Scales on Differentiable Functions." Thesis, 2002. https://thesis.library.caltech.edu/6783/1/Pavelich_j_2001.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
This work consists of two independent chapters:
The first is a study of commuting countable Borel equivalence relations, where two equivalence relations R and 5 are said to commute if, as binary relations, they commute with respect to the composition operator , i.e., R ◦ S = S ◦ R. The primary problem considered is, to what extent does the complexity of E = R V S depend on the complexity of R and S , if R and S commute? This is considered both in the case where the underlying space supports no E-invariant probability measure, and the case where it supports at least one such measure. In the first case, the answer is 'not very much': any such aperiodic equivalence relation E can be written as R V S, where Rand 5 are smooth aperiodic. In the second case, we frame our study within the context of costs, a system of invariants for countable Borel equivalence relations with invariant probability measures, developed by G. Levitt [12] and D. Gaboriau [5]. One aspect of costs which is not well understood is the extent to which 'commutativity' within an equivalence relation (in a more general sense than the definition given above) trivializes its cost. We have shown that, under certain conditions, this is in fact the case. One of the consequences of these investigations is a new, elementary proof of the fact the group SL_2 (Z[^1_2]) is anti-treeable.
The second chapter is motivated by the well known theorem of descriptive set theory that every П^1_1 subset of a Polish (separable, completely metrizable) space admits a П^1_1 scale. We construct a П^1_1 scale on the set of differentiable functions with domain [0,1], which is a П^1_1 subset of the Polish space C([0,1]) . This construction is based on the П^1_1 rank of differentiable functions given by Kechris and Woodin in [4], and, like this rank, is meant to reflect the intrinsic nature of DIFF, and so give a 'natural ' criterion for determining whether the uniform limit of differentiable functions is itself differentiable. We then attempt to further analyze this 'scale criterion' for a sequence of differentiable functions (ƒ_n) by comparing it to the criterion that the sequence (ƒ'_n) converges.
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Pokhrel, Bharat Prasad. "Household equivalence scales, poverty and inequality in Indonesia : three essays." Thesis, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/9658.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-141).
Estimation of adult equivalence scales for Indonesia -- Poverty in Indonesia -- Inequality in Indonesia.
Microfiche.
xiii, 141 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm
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Ferreira, Maria Luisa de Almeida. "Household equivalence scales and welfare comparisons with application to U.S.A." 1992. http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/28743381.html.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1992.Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 284-303).
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Papajoanu, Ondřej. "Sebekontrola žáků jako pedagogické téma: problematika měření pomocí sebehodnoticích dotazníků." Doctoral thesis, 2019. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-405898.
Full textAbstract:
Self-control is a key non-cognitive skill, which is frequently measured using self-report questionnaires containing items with rating scales. Such data, however, can be hindered by the differences in scale usage among respondents. This may lead to erroneous conclusions when comparing different groups of respondents. The aim of the thesis is to analyze the differences in self-control among students from different Czech upper-secondary schools based on their (unadjusted) self-reports and self-reports adjusted for the differences in scale usage using the anchoring vignette method. The empirical part of the thesis comprises two studies. In the first (pilot) study, we translate a scale to measure self-control, create anchoring vignettes and focus on the verification of the method's basic assumptions using the data from questionnaires and interviews with students. In the second (main) study, we compare the (un-)adjusted self-reports of self-control and the assessment of the vignettes between students from the selected upper- secondary schools of a different type in Prague (N = 312). We found differences in evaluation standards between students from different types of schools. Differences in scale usage among respondents indeed represent a real threat when comparing student self-reports of self-control....
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"Equivalent circuits for junctions of lossy and dispersive VLSI interconnects." Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1994. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5888566.
Full textAbstract:
by Man-chung Suen.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1994.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves [123]-[126]).
Acknowledgement --- p.ii
Abstract --- p.iii
List of Tables --- p.vii
List of Figures --- p.xii
Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1
Chapter 2 --- Approach to Find the Equivalent Models --- p.5
Chapter 2.1 --- Scattering Parameters of the Microstrip Structure --- p.5
Chapter 2.2 --- Optimization Process --- p.7
Chapter 2.3 --- Summary --- p.8
Chapter 3 --- Microstrip Discontinuities Being Modelled --- p.9
Chapter 3.1 --- Right-Angled Bend --- p.9
Chapter 3.2 --- T-Junction --- p.10
Chapter 3.3 --- Tapered Line --- p.10
Chapter 4 --- Deficiency of Lumped Equivalent Circuits --- p.13
Chapter 4.1 --- Scattering Parameter of the T-Network --- p.13
Chapter 4.2 --- Optimization Result for the T-Network --- p.14
Chapter 4.3 --- Summary --- p.15
Chapter 5 --- Proposed Wideband Equivalent Circuits --- p.17
Chapter 5.1 --- Model of a Uniform Non-Homogeneous Microstrip Line --- p.17
Chapter 5.2 --- Right-Angled Bend --- p.22
Chapter 5.2.1 --- Circuit 1L --- p.24
Chapter 5.2.2 --- Circuit 2L --- p.25
Chapter 5.2.3 --- Circuit 3L --- p.26
Chapter 5.2.4 --- Circuit 4L --- p.27
Chapter 5.3 --- T-Junction --- p.28
Chapter 5.3.1 --- Circuit IT --- p.28
Chapter 5.3.2 --- Circuit 2T --- p.31
Chapter 5.3.3 --- Circuit 3T --- p.31
Chapter 5.3.4 --- Circuit 4T --- p.34
Chapter 5.4 --- Tapered Line --- p.36
Chapter 5.4.1 --- Circuit It -n =3 --- p.37
Chapter 5.5 --- Summary --- p.38
Chapter 6 --- Performance of the Equivalent Circuits --- p.39
Chapter 6.1 --- Right-Angled Bend --- p.40
Chapter 6.1.1 --- Without Conductor Loss --- p.40
Chapter 6.1.2 --- With Conductor Loss --- p.48
Chapter 6.2 --- T-Junction --- p.49
Chapter 6.2.1 --- Without Conductor Loss --- p.53
Chapter 6.2.2 --- With Conductor Loss --- p.63
Chapter 6.3 --- Tapered Line --- p.69
Chapter 6.3.1 --- Without Conductor Loss --- p.69
Chapter 6.3.2 --- With Conductor Loss --- p.72
Chapter 6.4 --- Summary --- p.73
Chapter 7 --- Modelling Performance Using TEM Approximation --- p.77
Chapter 7.1 --- Right-Angled Bend --- p.77
Chapter 7.1.1 --- Without Conductor Loss --- p.78
Chapter 7.1.2 --- With Conductor Loss --- p.87
Chapter 7.2 --- T-Junction --- p.92
Chapter 7.2.1 --- Without Conductor Loss --- p.92
Chapter 7.2.2 --- With Conductor Loss --- p.104
Chapter 7.3 --- Tapered Line --- p.115
Chapter 7.3.1 --- Without Conductor Loss --- p.116
Chapter 7.3.2 --- With Conductor Loss --- p.117
Chapter 7.4 --- Summary --- p.117
Chapter 8 --- Conclusion --- p.120
Bibliography --- p.123
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Anýžová, Petra. "Mezinárodní srovnatelnost postojových škál sociálního kapitálu a politického odcizení v Evropském sociálním výzkumu." Doctoral thesis, 2014. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-338488.
Full textAbstract:
Petra A n ý ž o v á Doctoral thesis: Cross-Country Comparability of Social Capital and Political Disaffection Attitude Scales in the European Social Survey Abstract The doctoral thesis deals with the methodological perspectives of comparative cross-national research. Currently, in the globalization period, the importance of these perspectives has been increasing. Unfortunately, social scientists analyse attractive international data more and more often without realising the levels of data comparability. Therefore they are not fully aware the best approach to statistical analysis of these data and their convenient comparative interpretation. This thesis introduces the issue of data equivalence as one of the most important quality aspects of cross-national research and focuses especially on attitude scales owing to the fact that their comparability is endangered the most in comparative research. In particular, the subject of the analysis is the international comparability of two of the most frequent robust attitude scales: namely social capital and political disaffection scales as they are measured in the European Social Survey first data set. In sociology and political science, these two social science concepts are very significant and they have been studied both theoretically and empirically as social...
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Huang, Chao-Jen, and 黃昭荏. "Analysis of Multi-scale Structures Using the Atomistic-Continuum Mechanics and the Equivalent Methods." Thesis, 2012. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/27209924926863390353.
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博士國立清華大學
動力機械工程學系
101
The continuous development and improvement in the nanotechnology field prompt many researchers to develop various simulation methods to determine the material properties of nanoscale structures. The most common simulation methodologies include Quantum Mechanics, Molecular Dynamics, and Monte Carlo, among others. However, these methods are restricted by the time limitation of the central processing unit (CPU) computer hardware, which cannot estimate larger-scale nanoscale models. Thus, decreasing the CPU processing time and retaining the physical properties of nanoscale structures have become critical issues. To decrease the CPU processing time and complexity of larger nanoscale models, the current study utilized atomistic-continuum mechanics (ACM) to build an equivalent model. ACM consists of atomic mechanics, continuous mechanics, equivalent theory, finite element method, and high-speed computing theory to estimate the mechanical properties of a multi-scale structure. ACM transfers an originally discrete atomic structure into an equilibrium continuum model, and does not require the assumption of the Young’s modulus and the cross-sectional area of each chemical bond. ACM can allow the Young’s modulus to be obtained using the same model for tensile and modal analyses. This study investigates the mechanical properties of silicon (Si)-germanium (Ge), hereafter SiGe, heterostructures and carbon nanotube (CNT) composite materials. In the estimation of the material properties of SiGe heterostructures, different heterostructure volume fractions and thicknesses reflect the different deformations caused by the Si lattice constant that is not equal to that of Ge. This study utilized the ACM method, constraint equation, and local-global theory to establish a conceptual framework that links the lattices of Si and Ge. Therefore, this strategy can describe the strain effect caused by the lattice mismatch in the nanoscale heterostructure. The strain distribution with Si and Ge having different volume fractions and different thicknesses is investigated. The analytical result is also validated with previous studies indicating that the entire top Si layer surface depicts compressor strain when the mesa length is 50 nm. This study establishes a simulation method to obtain the mechanical behavior of nanoscale strained-silicon and serve as a guide for semiconductor devices design. The Young’s modulus of CNTs can be presented using the ACM method. Both tensile and modal analytical results agree with the experimental results in literature indicating that the ACM model can properly describe mechanical properties. Based on this result, this study investigated the equivalent solid, shell, and beam models to generate similar mechanical behaviors with the ACM model. The similar mechanical behavior of the equivalent model includes the model under tensile, torsion, or shear external loading. These equivalent models can significantly reduce the required total element number and CPU processing time to investigate a larger nanoscale structure. This study also adopted three cross-sectional area definitions to explore whether the Young’s modulus of CNT ropes depends on the cross-sectional area definition. The results indicate that the Young’s modulus distribution based on the circumcircle assumptions well agrees with most of the experimental results. Hence, most experimental methods adopted the circumcircle to obtain the Young’s modulus of the CNT ropes. The circumcircle assumption involves the distribution of the tubes and the gap between each tube. The ratio between the gap and tube areas becomes a stable value when the diameter of the CNT ropes is increased. Therefore, a larger diameter of CNT ropes that represents the Young’s modulus becomes a stable value, as mentioned in literature. This study adopted phenolic resin/CNT composite material to discuss local and global technique applications. The representative volume element was utilized to validate the consistency of the Young’s modulus of theoretical and numerical results. The equivalent models simultaneously decrease the CPU processing time and maintain mechanical behavior, making them sufficient, accurate, and acceptable. This equivalent method is feasible from a local to global perspective and vice versa.
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Kwasnicki, Wieslaw T. "An equivalent model generator for large scale linear networks based on a system identification approach." 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/1993/15396.
Full text
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Chu, Ting-Chen, and 朱亭甄. "A Study on Applications of the Scaled Average Equivalence Test to Statistical Evaluation of Genetically Modified Products." Thesis, 2013. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/16359712355330993214.
Full textAbstract:
碩士國立臺灣大學
農藝學研究所
101
According to the European Commission, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms, such as plants and animals, whose genetic characteristics are being modified artificially in order to give them a new property. However, with the development of genetically modified organisms, the assessment of GMOs for safety is an important issue. The components, genotype and phenotype of GM plants should be identified and evaluated. The Panel on GMOs of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a guideline of scientific opinion on the statistical considerations for safety evaluation of GMOs in 2010. The GMO Panel of the EFSA indicated that both the proof of difference and the proof of equivalence are required for evaluation of the safety of GMOs. The EFSA’s scientific opinion on statistical considerations for the safety evaluation suggests that the difference in average between the GM crop and its conventional counterpart lie within the natural variability which can be estimated from the commercial varieties. Therefore, we propose a new criterion for assessment of equivalence of the safety profile between the GM crop and conventional crop which is the scaled square mean difference between the GM crop and its conventional crop with the variance of commercial crops as the scaled factor. Under the mixed-effects model, we applied the modified large-sample (MLS) method to derive the 95% upper confidence limit of the linearized criterion as the testing procedure for evaluation of equivalence in the safety profile between the GMO and its conventional crop. A simulation was conducted to investigate the performance, in terms of size and power, for the proposed procedure. A numerical example illustrates the applications of the proposed method.
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Šarapatková, Anna. "Metodologický pohled na měření (anti)imigračních postojů (kvalita měření se zaměřením na jeho ekvivalenci)." Master's thesis, 2019. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-406304.
Full textAbstract:
Opportunities that we have in today's world are sharply evolving, and the world is changing all together with these changes. This development is noticeably observed within the topic of global movement of (not only) population, which has changed fundamentally, both economically, politically and socially. Today's so much diversified form of migration, which has lost its transparency it used to has, is a very up to date and debated topic currently almost all over the world. Because of high importance of the topic "migration" it is often subject of research and number of surveys. One of the most examined area within the topic migration is attitudes of people towards immigration and immigrant, oftentimes together with investigating cause leading to particular attitude. Due to the international reach of the topic, these attitudes are often subject of cross-national research or national research, which, however, use data from international surveys. There is a clear disparity across European states in these attitudes towards immigration and, above all, the immigrants themselves. Given this nature of cross-national surveys measuring attitudes towards immigrants, it is important to focus on the measurement quality, which is becoming increasingly complex in the perspective of international research. It is...
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Rescigno, Francesca. "DEVELOPMENT AND SCALE-UP OF 3D ENDOGENOUS HUMAN SKIN EQUIVALENT MODELS AS PLATFORM FOR COSMETICS TESTING." Tesi di dottorato, 2017. http://www.fedoa.unina.it/11798/1/Rescigno_Francesca_29.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
The current necessity of development new biological in vitro models that mimic the characteristics and the complexity of human tissue arises from the need to find a valid alternative to animal models to test and validate new products, and to screen substances and procedures for tissue repair and regeneration. In particular, in the cosmetics field, big multinational companies have developed and devised methods for the realization of testing platforms in large scale, since the European Regulations (Decree 76/768/EEC and the EU Cosmetic Regulation 1223/2009) ban the putting on the market cosmetic products whose ingredients, or parts thereof, have been tested on animal models. in this scenario, researchers have been spent many efforts to develop innovative tissue engineering strategies to create 3D skin equivalent models that faithfully recapitulate the characteristics of human skin in terms of organization, complexity, architecture and responsivity to specific exogenous stimuli.
The optimization of the process to produce these skin equivalent represents a crucial step to obtain i) tissue in large scale in order to allow the screening of a large number of molecules/exogenous factor ii) a high-fidelity replica of the native counterpart in order to evaluate the effect of molecules/exogenous factor on the mechanical properties and ECM composition organization and hydration. For this purpose, in my PhD work, after a deep study of the literature, it was developed a method of production of 3D skin equivalent models in large scale with great reproducibility.
In the first part of the thesis, there is a description of the principal systems that composed the human skin and a summary about the main arguments of European Regulation related to cosmetics testing, the development of alternatives animal tests and its principal applications. In the second chapter, we exploited a bottom-up tissue engineering approach to build up the skin tissues. Such approach allowed to obtain skin tissues composed of endogenous extracellular matrix (ECM), produced by human dermal fibroblasts and by stratified epithelial cells that constitute a fully differentiated epithelium resembling the human epidermis. In the third chapter, we performed a morphological characterization of our 3D skin tissue by histological, biochemical and mechanical analysis in order to better describe the main features of this human skin equivalent models. Furthermore, to validate the skin produced as testing platform, we induced different kinds of damages (UVA, H2O2) and after evaluating the effect on the tissue, with the aim to study the effectiveness of molecules having antioxidant and photo-protective action.
Finally, in the last part of thesis, we described firstly, a comparison between 3D skin models designed by us with the commercially available gold standard models produced by best international companies, and then a scale-up strategy in order to improve the production process of 3D-skin equivalent models with the prospective of realization of a start-up. In this last part, we described phases and all critical steps of human skin equivalent production passing from the realization of skin tissue in small scale to the large scale and the development of a working plan of all activities to better control step by step the quality and the effectiveness of final product.
All results reported in my thesis strongly suggested a possible use of the developed skin tissues as a valid alternative to the use of animal models for the testing of new cosmetic compounds.
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"Monitoring soil water and snow water equivalent with the cosmic-ray soil moisture probe at heterogeneous sites." Thesis, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10388/ETD-2016-01-2415.
Full textAbstract:
Soil water content (SWC) measurements are crucial worldwide for hydrological predictions, agricultural activities, and monitoring the progress of reclamation on disturbed land from industrial activities. In colder climates, snow water equivalent (SWE) measurements are equally important, and directly contribute to improved spring water supply forecasting. Both these variables, SWC and SWE, are commonly measured with either point-scale (e.g. soil cores for SWC and snow tubes for SWE) or large-scale (remote sensing) methods. The cosmic-ray soil moisture probe (CRP) was recently developed to fill this gap between small- and large-scale measurements. The CRP provides an average SWC reading in a landscape-scale measurement footprint (300 m radius) by taking advantage of the relationship between aboveground neutrons and soil water. Although the CRP has proved accurate in relatively homogenous sites, it has not been validated at highly heterogeneous sites. Since snow is simply frozen water, the CRP also has the potential for monitoring SWE at the landscape-scale. However, no calibration has been developed for measuring SWE with the CRP. This thesis aimed to further validate the use of a CRP for measuring SWC at a highly heterogeneous site, and calibrate a CRP for monitoring landscape-scale SWE at an agriculture field. The heterogeneous site used to validate the CRP for SWC measurement was an oil sand reclamation site made up of multiple test plots of varying soil layer treatments. Despite the clear differences in soil texture at the site, the CRP-monitored SWC compared accurately to sampled soil water content and a network of soil moisture probes. With the use of modeling, it was also possible to downscale the CRP measurement to the plot scale. For calibrating the CRP for monitoring SWE, an empirical calibration function was developed based on the relationship between the CRP-measured neutrons and SWE from snow surveys with snow tubes. Using the calibration equation, CRP-estimated SWE closely matched SWE measured from snow surveys. Differences were attributed to mid winter and spring melting of the snowpack along with varying soil water content in the top of the soil profile. This research demonstrates the usefulness of the CRP for monitoring SWC at unique sites and its ability to monitor SWE at the landscape-scale.
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Pagani, Claudio. "Modeling of Masonry Structures at Multiple Scales." Doctoral thesis, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/2158/1248578.
Full textAbstract:
Masonry represents the material used in the great majority of the world-building heritage structures.
Reliable tools for analysis of masonry structures are needed not only for seismic vulnerability assessment but also to properly design interventions to restore and strengthen existing buildings, which deserve to be preserved.
Masonry is a nonlinear, heterogeneous, and anisotropic material whose properties strongly depend on its microstructure, typically composed of two phases, blocks and mortar, and on the way it is assembled.
To simulate the mechanical behavior of masonry structures, numerous models have been developed, characterized by different detailing levels.
For large structures, the need for computational efficiency leads to simplified models characterized by the subdivision of masonry walls in macro-elements.
A notable example of this group of models is the equivalent-frame method, which consists of identifying the masonry wall with an ideal frame, where panels are modeled as beams characterized by proper mechanical behavior.
The detailing level can be increased by considering each macro-element as a homogenized continuum, assuming that, at the scale of representation, masonry can be treated as a continuum having mechanical properties that reproduce the overall response of a certain portion of the heterogeneous microstructure.
However, the formulation of a suitable constitutive law is not an easy task.
It should phenomenologically reproduce the material mechanics, including tension cracking, shear sliding, compressive crushing, and many other aspects.
Moreover, this approach requires a cumbersome identification of mechanical parameters that are not always easy to determine from basic experimental tests on the material.
To consider the role of each constituent and the effects of their interactions, a microscale model can be set up, where blocks, mortar joints, and mortar-block interfaces are represented explicitly.
In this work, masonry structures are studied at several detailing levels.
An issue affecting equivalent-frame models, namely the presence of irregularity in the wall opening layout, is addressed by comparing equivalent-frame results with finite-element ones, which are assumed to better represent the actual behavior of irregular walls.
A parametric analysis on masonry piers, modeled as a homogenized continuum, is carried out, aimed to assess the influence of the height-to-width ratio and the vertical compression load on the nonlinear static behavior.
The focus is then shifted to finer scales.
The localization analysis of an orthotropic macro-scale model in the framework of multi-surface plasticity is presented, deriving analytical localization conditions corroborated by finite element simulations.
Finally, a microscale model for regular masonry is developed to analyze the localization properties of the representative volume element, also by investigating the role of its size and periodicity directions.
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Tsai, Chun-Yang, and 蔡竣揚. "The Investigation of Novel High-Scaled Equivalent-Si3N4-Thickness Charge-Trapping Flash and Metal-Insulator-Metal Capacitor." Thesis, 2011. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/33898131380277758731.
Full textAbstract:
博士國立交通大學
電子研究所
100
Recently, the logic and memory devices size are being continuously scaled down to reduce the area of the chip and the cost. However traditional dielectric materials will face the physical limitation of nano devices. To meet this requirement, high dielectric constant (k) materials provide the only solution. For nonvolatile memory, to continue downscaling into sub-20-nm region, the metal-oxide-nitride-oxide-Si (MONOS) Charge-Trapping (CT) flash devices will be used to replace the poly-Si floating-gate (FG) flash memory. One difficult challenge for CT flash is to scale down the vertical gate stack for better charge control. However, the charge-trapping efficiency, memory window and retention characteristics are largely degraded at the target 3-nm Si3N4 trapping layer. To improve the charge-trapping efficiency and retention is to use a deep conduction band energy (EC) high-k trapping layer. For future generation Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) capacitors, higher capacitance density with still low leakage current is required. Besides, small dielectric thickness less than 10 nm is demanded to fit in the scaled three-dimensional DRAM structure. In this dissertation, we will investigate the application of several high-k dielectric materials for CT flash memory and MIM Capacitors. First of all, we have fabricated the TaN-[SiO2-LaAlO3]-HfON-[LaAlO3-SiO2]-Si Charge-Trapping (CT) flash device. A Large 6.4 V initial memory window, a 4.3 V 10-year extrapolated retention window at 125oC, and a 5.5 V endurance window at 106 cycles were measured, under very fast 100 us and low 16 V program/erase (P/E). These excellent results were achieved using As+ implant into HfON trapping layer that were significantly better than those of control device without ion implantation. In order to downscale the equivalent-Si3N4-thickness (ENT), we also have replaced As+-implanted HfON with As+-implanted-ZrON trapping layer. The device has a highly scaled 3.6 nm ENT, a large 4.9 V initial memory window, and a good retention of 3.1 V 10-year extrapolated retention window at 125oC, under the same P/E conditions. Next, to further downscale the ENT, we also used Ge reaction with HfON trapping layer to form HfGeON for better charge-trapping and data retention. This CT flash device with record-thinnest 2.5-nm ENT trapping layer, a large 4.4 V initial memory window, a good retention of 3.2 V 10-year extrapolated retention window at 125oC, and endurance window of 3.6 V at 106 cycles were measured. Finally, for MIM capacitors, we also have fabricated high-κNi/ZrO2/TiN MIM capacitors with a very high 52 fF/um2 capacitance density, a low leakage current of 1.6*10-7 A/cm2 and good 10-year reliability with a small ?媒/C of 1.7% at 2 V. Such excellent device integrity is attributed to the combination of enhanced ZrO2 tetragonal-phase by laser annealing, high work-function Ni electrode and good bottom-interface treatment.