912 research outputs found

    Analysis and Design of Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) Techniques for Next Generation Wireless Communication Systems

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    The current surge in wireless connectivity, anticipated to amplify significantly in future wireless technologies, brings a new wave of users. Given the impracticality of an endlessly expanding bandwidth, there’s a pressing need for communication techniques that efficiently serve this burgeoning user base with limited resources. Multiple Access (MA) techniques, notably Orthogonal Multiple Access (OMA), have long addressed bandwidth constraints. However, with escalating user numbers, OMA’s orthogonality becomes limiting for emerging wireless technologies. Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA), employing superposition coding, serves more users within the same bandwidth as OMA by allocating different power levels to users whose signals can then be detected using the gap between them, thus offering superior spectral efficiency and massive connectivity. This thesis examines the integration of NOMA techniques with cooperative relaying, EXtrinsic Information Transfer (EXIT) chart analysis, and deep learning for enhancing 6G and beyond communication systems. The adopted methodology aims to optimize the systems’ performance, spanning from bit-error rate (BER) versus signal to noise ratio (SNR) to overall system efficiency and data rates. The primary focus of this thesis is the investigation of the integration of NOMA with cooperative relaying, EXIT chart analysis, and deep learning techniques. In the cooperative relaying context, NOMA notably improved diversity gains, thereby proving the superiority of combining NOMA with cooperative relaying over just NOMA. With EXIT chart analysis, NOMA achieved low BER at mid-range SNR as well as achieved optimal user fairness in the power allocation stage. Additionally, employing a trained neural network enhanced signal detection for NOMA in the deep learning scenario, thereby producing a simpler signal detection for NOMA which addresses NOMAs’ complex receiver problem

    Civil Gang Injunction Effects: The Perceptions of Residents and Neighbors of Their Safety

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    This hermeneutic phenomenological study aimed to assess the general effectiveness of civil gang injunctions based on community members\u27 perceptions of their safety in Los Angeles County, California. The theory that served as the foundation for this study was social disorganization, as interpreted by Shaw and McKay (1972). It helped to gauge how well community members understood their lived experiences and perceived the effects of injunctions on their safety. The following question guided this study: Do local citizens believe communities are safer and more secure when civil gang injunctions are used? Eight community members from two Los County cities were chosen using a purposeful criterion and snowball sampling. One-on-one semistructured interviews were used to collect the data, and the researcher maintained reflective memos in the data analysis. The answer to the research question was both yes and no, and the application of social disorganization theory was both confirmed and disconfirmed. Safer neighborhoods served as confirmation of the social disorganization theory. Disconfirming the theory was indicated by gangs involved internal and external disruption: disturbing gang relationships with the community and other gangs, and disrupting gang culture and family ties. The findings also revealed that CGIs should not have an unlimited term because people can change, and those placed on CGIs are hampered access to meaningful employment

    Gen Z and Sustainable Diets: A Holistic Perspective. Understanding Perceptions of and Engagement with the Social, Economic and Environmental Dimensions of a Sustainable Diet

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    Current food production methods are causing wide scale degradation of the natural environment thus a shift towards more sustainable agricultural systems is essential in fighting the climate crisis. Understanding how Gen Z, a generation that will inherit the changing climate, relates to the social, economic and environmental aspects of a sustainable diet is important in ensuring they are aware how to make an impact with their dietary choices. This thesis aimed to gain a holistic understanding of Gen Z's perceptions of and engagement with sustainable diets. Two studies were conducted online, examining Canadian youth between the ages of 18-25. The first study took an exploratory approach, aiming to understand what a sustainable diet means to Gen Z in their own words. The second study took a predictive approach, aiming to quantify and understand Gen Z's action stages around a range of sustainable dietary behaviours, including the psychological and educational factors that influence their stage of change. Results from Study One highlighted that youth perceive behaviours centered around supporting their local community and reducing food waste to be effective for promoting a sustainable diet. In addition, over 60% of participants indicated that there were barriers preventing them from engaging in sustainable diets, such as cost. Results from Study Two revealed that a high food literacy score and a strong belief in the efficacy of a behaviour are the two most important predictors of being in an action stage for a range of sustainable dietary behaviours. Together these two studies provide a holistic overview of what sustainable diets mean to Gen Z, how they currently engage with sustainable diets, and ways to encourage action. The thesis also contributes to the scholarly literature on the use of TTM and TPB in assessing the factors that influence engagement with sustainable dietary behaviours. It also offers practical recommendations on how our results can be used to shape policy, educational interventions and marketing towards Gen Z

    Equipped for Change: A Grounded Theory Study of White Antiracist School Leaders’ Attitudes and Perceptions of Racial Consciousness in Educational Leadership

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    There is substantial evidence that issues of race and racism and are common in U.S. public schools, especially those greatly impacted by poverty and racial segregation. Unfortunately, it is highly likely many of these occurrences either go unrecognized, unacknowledged, or are perpetrated unknowingly by White educators and administrators—many of whom are well-intentioned, but lack the critical lens necessary in challenging and dismantling them. For White people, the enculturating normativity of White racial dominance, maintained by the social conditioning of Whiteness, facilitates an environment of racial ignorance and insignificance, leaving most painfully oblivious to the damaging complexities of racism in contemporary American society. The purpose of this qualitative study is to illuminate the perceptions and experiences of selected White school leaders who have committed themselves to (a) antiracist school leadership identity development, and (b) the promotion of racially-just school cultures. Responses to semi-structured interview questions were coded, analyzed, and organized into themes to generate an educational leadership theory. Constructivist grounded theory (CGT) methodologies, critical race theory (CRT), critical whiteness studies (CWS), and critical pedagogy (CP) informed the data collection methods and theoretical foundations of this study. Findings revealed a need to reexamine and revise existing antiracist education psychology and pedagogy with an emphasis on cohesion and clarity of purpose. This study contributes new knowledge and insight into the struggle to successfully implement effective, sustainable antiracist school efforts capable of establishing and normalizing racial equity in public education

    Frivolous Floodgate Fears

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    When rejecting plaintiff-friendly liability standards, courts often cite a fear of opening the floodgates of litigation. Namely, courts point to either a desire to protect the docket of federal courts or a burden on the executive branch. But there is little empirical evidence exploring whether the adoption of a stricter standard can, in fact, decrease the filing of legal claims in this circumstance. This Article empirically analyzes and theoretically models the effect of adopting arguably stricter liability standards on litigation by investigating the context of one of the Supreme Court’s most recent reliances on this argument when adopting a stricter liability standard for causation in employment discrimination claims. In 2013, the Supreme Court held that a plaintiff proving retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act must prove that their participation in a protected activity was a but-for cause of the adverse employment action they experienced. Rejecting the arguably more plaintiff-friendly motivating-factor standard, the Court stated, “[L]essening the causation standard could also contribute to the filing of frivolous claims, which would siphon resources from efforts by employer[s], administrative agencies, and courts to combat workplace harassment.” Univ. of Tex. Sw. Med. Ctr. v. Nassar, 570 U.S. 338, 358 (2013). And over the past ten years, the Court has overturned the application of motivating-factor causation as applied to at least four different federal antidiscrimination statutes. Contrary to the Supreme Court’s concern that motivating-factor causation encourages frivolous charges, many employment law scholars worry that the heightened but-for standard will deter legitimate claims. This Article empirically explores these concerns, in part using data received from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Specifically, it empirically tests whether the adoption of the but-for causation standard for claims filed under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and by federal courts of appeals under the Americans with Disabilities Act has impacted the filing of discrimination claims and the outcome of those claims in federal court. Consistent with theory detailed in this Article, the empirical analysis provides evidence that the stricter standard may have increased the docket of the federal courts by decreasing settlement within the EEOC and during litigation. The empirical results weigh in on concerns surrounding the adoption of the but-for causation standard and provide evidence that the floodgates argument, when relied on to deter frivolous filings by changing liability standards, in fact, may do just the opposite by decreasing the likelihood of settlement in the short term, without impacting the filing of claims or other case outcomes

    Centering Consumer Dignity Within Volunteer Operations

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    Volunteerism has become so commonplace in the United States that it is often considered the third sector of our economy. To maximize output and stretch every dollar, many nonprofit agencies rely on volunteers to assist with the provision of their direct services. This unfettered access to their service population, without the same trainings and safeguards as implemented with paid staff, potentially create the opportunity for these volunteers to violate the dignity of the nonprofit consumer, either intentionally or unintentionally. The purpose of this study is to explore this phenomenon and determine if it is in fact a shared experience. Through a mixed methods approach and a critical theory framework, the study finds that this experience is in fact a shared one among health and human services nonprofit agencies in the greater Scranton area. It finds that these dignity violations occur in seven common ways (privacy invasion, negative communications, overstepping boundaries, value misalignment, judgement, violated autonomy, and confrontation), caused or allowed by deficiencies in four operational areas (communication, staff, volunteer roles, and training), and effects are felt across all stakeholders (the agency, staff, and volunteers). The discussion offers an alternative approach to public administration theory and an operational framework administrators may use to limit future occurrences of this phenomenon. With a more pointed focus on equity in public administration, future research should confirm the common occurrence of consumer dignity violation, measure its impact on the consumers themselves, and develop best practices to minimize its incidence

    Middle School Teacher Perceptions of the Use of Serious Games for Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

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    Attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood neurodevelopment disorder, and digital serious game use has recently shown significant promise in this psychotherapeutic area. Digital serious games have also been used as an innovative teaching and learning approach. The purpose of this study was to explore middle school teachers’ perceptions of the use of digital serious games for students with ADHD. The conceptual framework for this study was Sherry’s model of game engagement. The two research questions for this basic qualitative study focused on middle school teacher perceptions regarding the benefits and challenges related to the use of digital serious games for students with ADHD. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 middle school teachers from southern U.S. school districts who had used digital serious games for at least one academic school year. Data analysis using emergent codes showed that middle school teachers reported that the social aspect of digital serious games encouraged teamwork and camaraderie while also emotionally building student confidence. Challenges included students being distracted by their peers, anxiety and frustration caused by not understanding the concepts of the game, and time constraints that influence a student’s performance within a game. Results of this study may contribute to positive social change by providing teachers and administrators with the knowledge and leverage they need to understand the benefits and challenges of using serious games when teaching students with ADHD, thereby improving student success through teacher support and professional development

    Teachers\u27 Perspectives On School Bullying: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study

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    The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to describe the K-12 teachers\u27 perception of school bullying, prevention, and effective coping approaches in the Southeastern region. The central phenomenon of the study focused on K-12 teachers\u27 perspective of bullying. The theory guiding the study was social cognitive as it related to observing individuals through the lens of lived experiences, social interactions, modeling, and self-efficacy. The methodological approach conducted in this study consisted of a qualitative phenomenological design. The phenomenological design validated this approach as it enabled stakeholders such as teachers to address the (i.e., social-emotional, verbal/physical, self-esteem, and poor academic) effects that bullying has had on victims and/or those that bully. The study was conducted with 12 participants with at least 3 or more years of teaching experience in K-12 grades. Triangulation was a resource utilized to collect concise data in this qualitative study through individual interviews, journal prompts, and letter-writing prompt. The three identified themes that arose from the data analysis were as follows: professional development training, isolation, and children\u27s mental health

    Avoiding Success: How Does Fear of Success Impact Today\u27s Workforce?

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    Fear of success refers to the anxiety experienced by individuals as they come close to accomplishing a goal, ambivalent and even paralyzed over choosing to accept or avoid success. Success fearers are more likely to avoid success, choosing to forego their goal to avoid the assumed negative repercussions that will accompany the success (Canavan, 1989). Though interest in fear of success has waned since its introduction in the 1970’s, evidence of fear of success still exists today. However, original theories of fear of success cannot explain its impact on both men and women, and little is known about how it impacts individuals in the workplace. The present studies were designed to reevaluate existing theory about fear of success in order to further our understanding of the phenomenon in the organizational context. In Study 1, using qualitative interviews, I sought to challenge and expand existing theory regarding the origins and consequences of fear of success. In Study 2, using a correlational study, I examined the relationships between fear of success and several key personality (e.g., achievement motivation, locus of control, self-esteem) and individual-level work-related (e.g., organizational identification, mentorship quality) factors. My findings confirmed some prior information about fear of success, while other results suggest the need for new theory and for further experimentation. My dissertation provides a first step toward better understanding how fear of success influences behavior in the workplace and informs recommendations on how to alleviate its undesirable effects in the workplace and enhance its desirable effects

    Evidence-based practice to develop social communication competency: listening to the voices of teachers of autistic children

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    In education research, there is a firm belief that reflecting on inclusive pedagogy is imperative for teachers, as effective inclusion means considering the child’s needs on all levels and adopting appropriate practices to meet these needs in schools (Lerner and Johns 2015). The appropriate practices, recommended for teachers of autistic children should have a research base, with evidence of their effectiveness to show what works to support learning. Such practices are termed evidence-based practices (EBPs). The 2016 Review of Autism Spectrum D[ifference] (ASD) Provision, commissioned by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), has identified that in Ireland there are ‘significant gaps in our knowledge of interventions for supporting children and young people with ASD, at different ages and in different educational settings’ (Bond et al. 2016, p.139). Despite global efforts, an upsurge in the availability of literature on ASD and the existence of high-quality experimental research, recommendations from empirical studies are not always transmitting into effective practice (Joyce and Cartwright 2020). The researcher sought to document the EBPs, that teachers report as most effective in early years’ classrooms, to facilitate social communication competency (SCC), which is acknowledged, nationally and internationally, as significant for autistic children. The research study utilised a detailed systematic literature review to provide an authentic evidence-based foundation that informed data collection, for teachers to use to reflect on their practice. The research adopted a cross-sectional survey as the data collection instrument, which was completed by a purposeful sample of teachers nationally across Ireland. A mixed methods approach to data analysis was embraced, whereby quantitative and qualitative analyses were combined to yield rich data (Creswell and Guetterman 2021). The study adopted Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory as its theoretical framework for analysis. It unveiled the perspectives of teachers in relation to EBPs, which they employ to teach SCC to autistic children in early years’ classrooms. Emerging from the voices of the teachers, seen as key stakeholders in the provision of education for autistic children, several recommendations are suggested for policy and practice, nationally and internationally.N
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