The concept that knowledge is transferred from a speaker's first language grammar into the interlanguage grammar being constructed for his second language makes testable predictions for how learners should behave given certain combinations of first and second language. This thesis…

In this thesis, we propose a new stochastic decoding algorithm for non-binary LDPC codes with d_v = 2, which is based on the concept of a mutliset, a generalization of the set that allows for multiple occurrences of the same…

This project concerns the ways in which social computing functions as a rational steering medium in network societies. Exploring cases that include the structured data protocols of an ascendant "Web 3.0", Google PageRank and collaborative filtering services, the work unearths…

Electron radiotherapy (RT) offers a number of advantages over photons. The high surface dose, combined with a rapid dose fall-off beyond the target volume presents a net increase in tumor control probability and decreases the normal tissue complication for superficial…

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is often used to investigate effective connectivity in functional neuroimaging studies. Modeling effective connectivity refers to an approach in which a number of specific brain regions, called regions of interest (ROIs), are selected according to some…

Economic downturns are known to affect the management of natural resources and the environment. Although statistics and industry figures have revealed some impacts of the 2007-08 Global Financial Crisis (GFC), its dynamics and long term consequences for forest management, particularly…

With the progression of the AIDS epidemic, understanding the host responseto the opportunistic fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, responsible forapproximately 650,000 deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa each year, has become animportant topic of research. Current knowledge suggests that susceptibility tocryptococcal pneumonia in…

Telomerase, the main mechanism for telomere maintenance, is active in 85% of cancer cells. Telomerase inhibition leads to telomere erosion, chromosome damage, and cell death, thereby validating the enzyme as a prime target in the search for anticancer therapies. hTERT…

In statistical applications of hidden Markov models (HMMs), one may have no knowledge of the number of hidden states (or order) of the model needed to be able to accurately represent the underlying process of the data. The problem of…

There is an increasing awareness of the importance of spirituality in mental health as reflected in the addition of the category "religious or spiritual problem" in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) and the inclusion of knowledge…