Theoretical Studies On The Design of School Choice Mechanism

This thesis consists of three papers on market design which address broadly applicable questions on the design of school choice mechanisms, refugee placement, assignment in entry-level labour markets and similar matching rules.In the first paper a new family of rules is introduced for many-to-one matching problems, the Preference Rank Partitioned (PRP) rules. PRP rules are Student-Proposing Deferred Acceptance rules where the schools use a choice function based on the students' preference orderings in addition to the schools' strict priority orderings. Each PRP rule uses a choice function which is a function of a fixed partition of both student preference ranks and school priority ranks: the choice function first seeks to select students based on the priority classes and then based on the preference classes. The strict priorities are only used for tie-breaking. PRP rules include many well-known matching rules and some interesting new rules, and we analyze them in this unified framework. In the second paper we study a new class of matching rules, called Deferred Acceptance with Improvement Trading Cycles (DA-ITC), which start with the DA, and if the DA outcome is not Pareto-efficient then there is an iterated improvement trading cycle phase which allows for Pareto-improvements until a Pareto-efficient outcome is reached. We first revisit EADAM (Kesten, 2010) and show that a simple algorithm which retraces cycles in the DA procedure in a backward order of the rejections is equivalent to the EADAM rule. The new class of DA-ITC rules contains the EADAM and DA-TTC as its two extreme members and exhibits some of their desirable properties. In the third paper we focus on matching problems where stability need not be satisfied if the violation of priorities is "small," such as when a small priority difference is considered insignificant or when one is willing to consent but only if the priority reversal is small. Based on the degree of stability which specifies what is considered a small priority gap, we define two families of matching rules, the k-Consent rules and the k-DA rules, and explore their attributes

Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on the Public Service Delivery in Local Government

This study examined the impact of Information and Communication Technology on the Public Service Delivery in the three Local Government Councils in Oyo Township. A descriptive survey design was employed and adapted questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. The population of the study consists of all staff in the three Local Government Councils in Oyo Township. An incidental random sampling technique was used to select four hundred and fifty (450) respondents from the population of the study and four hypotheses were formulated for the study. Out of the 450 questionnaires administered on the sample of the study, only 430 were returned. Data collected were analysed using both simple percentage and multiple regression analysis at 0.05 level of significant. The results of the study showed that there is significant positive effect of ICT on public service delivery. Also, the results indicated that ICT significantly improve public service delivery at reduce cost to the peoples. In addition, the results showed that ICT significantly ensure transparency and accountability in the public service delivery. Finally, the results indicated that the use of ICT was significantly affected by the following challenges (i.e. poor infrastructure, poor finance, broadband access, ICT expertise, leadership styles, culture and bureaucracy). The study recommends that there must be provision for continuous training of the local government personnel on ICT to keep them abreast of new development in information technology and sensitization programme must be organized continually for the personnel in the local government councils

Access And Use Of Information And Communication Technology For Administrative Purposes By Institutional Administrators In Colleges Of Education In Nigeria: An Example Of Emmanuel Allayande College Of Education, Oyo

This study examined the access and use of Information and Communication Technology for administrative purposes by Institutional Administrators in Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo. The study states the various ICT resources that can be used for effective and efficient institutional administration. The study highlights the role of ICT in institutional administration. A sample of forty five institutional administrators was drawn from the college. A questionnaire tagged “ICT and College of Education Administration” was used to collect the data needed for the study. The instrument solicited for information on the ICT facilities available for administrative purpose in the college, extent of using ICT by institutional administrators’ for administrative purpose and their attitude toward ICT usage and administrative effectiveness of college of education administration. The result of the study revealed that there are inadequate ICT facilities in the college which institutional administrators can be used to perform different administrative purposes effectively. Also, the findings showed that the level of ICT usage of the institutional administrators for administrative purposes is very low. The findings also revealed that a significant relationship exists between ICT usage and Administrative Effectiveness of College of Education Administration. However, administrators’ gender differences have no influence on their attitude towards ICT usage and Administrative Effectiveness of College of Education Administration. Recommendations are suggested that need assessment should be carried out to facilitate development and deployment of ICT in Colleges of Education and government should look into the issues of funding of education in general and ICT in particular. Also the institutional administrators should be encouraged to be ICT driven so as to boost their productivity

Design and analysis of LTE and wi-fi schemes for communications of massive machine devices

Existing communication technologies are designed with speciÿc use cases in mind, however, ex-tending these use cases usually throw up interesting challenges. For example, extending the use of existing cellular networks to emerging applications such as Internet of Things (IoT) devices throws up the challenge of handling massive number of devices. In this thesis, we are motivated to investigate existing schemes used in LTE and Wi-Fi for supporting massive machine devices and improve on observed performance gaps by designing new ones that outperform the former. This thesis investigates the existing random access protocol in LTE and proposes three schemes to combat massive device access challenge. The ÿrst is a root index reuse and allocation scheme which uses link budget calculations in extracting a safe distance for preamble reuse under vari-able cell size and also proposes an index allocation algorithm. Secondly, a dynamic subframe optimization scheme that combats the challenge from an optimisation solution perspective. Thirdly, the use of small cells for random access. Simulation and numerical analysis shows performance improvements against existing schemes in terms of throughput, access delay and probability of collision. In some cases, over 20% increase in performance was observed. The proposed schemes provide quicker and more guaranteed opportunities for machine devices to communicate. Also, in Wi-Fi networks, adaptation of the transmission rates to the dynamic channel condi-tions is a major challenge. Two algorithms were proposed to combat this. The ÿrst makes use of contextual information to determine the network state and respond appropriately whilst the second samples candidate transmission modes and uses the e˛ective throughput to make a deci-sion. The proposed algorithms were compared to several existing rate adaptation algorithms by simulations and under various system and channel conÿgurations. They show signiÿcant per-formance improvements, in terms of throughput, thus, conÿrming their suitability for dynamic channel conditions

Bridging Theory and Practice: Application of Constructivist Tenets to the Teaching of Reaction Stoichiometry

Active engagement of the learner with the learning environment, focusing on the learner rather than teacher, and acknowledging (as well as challenging) learners’ understanding/intellectual development are useful pedagogical strategies that can facilitate meaningful learning of reaction stoichiometry. In consonance with this fact, constructivist believed that students must play active roles in their learning if it is to occur deeply, endure, be enjoyable, and transfer to contexts beyond the classroom. Constructivism as a theory of learning is still gaining popularity as a new paradigm for learning science. Yet translating a theory of learning into a theory of teaching (before it can be operationalized) has proven to be quite difficult for teachers. This paper provides helpful insight into how constructivist instruction can be implemented when teaching reaction stoichiometry.Keywords: stoichiometric problems, problem-solving instruction, constructivist tenets, constructivism

Factors associated with fruit and vegetable consumption among Caribbean immigrants in the United States

Background: There are limited data available on the fruit and vegetable consumption of Caribbean immigrants in the United States. Purpose: To assess changes in intakes of fruits and vegetables in Caribbean immigrants while assessing knowledge of the recommended servings and barriers to intake. Method: A cross sectional Internet questionnaire was conducted for Caribbean-born members of the social network website Cariblifecentral.com. Data were analyzed using descriptive frequencies, Pearson’s chi-square, and the Student’s t-test. Results: Of 113 respondents, 37 reported consuming less vegetables since emigrating (p\u3c0.10) while 29 reported eating more. However, 10.8% of respondents did not know the recommended servings for vegetables. Access to fresh produce was no barrier to consumption. Conclusions: As this population continues to grow, it becomes necessary to tailor nutrition and disease prevention information and provide education about the benefits of consuming a balanced diet and risks associated with inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables

Helsinkiläisten asunnottomien terveys, myöhempi asumistilanne ja terveyspalvelujen käyttö

Being homeless is a stressful life-situation that complicates everyday life in many ways. Previous studies from other countries have shown that homelessness is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, as well as increased use of hospital and emergency department services. Yet, the health situation of the homeless in Finland has not been extensively studied before. The aim of this study was to examine the housing situation, morbidity, mortality and healthcare service use of the homeless shelter population in Helsinki, Finland. By combining data from both local and national registers three cohorts of shelter users (in total 1458 persons) were followed for up to ten years. The housing situation, morbidity and overall as well as cause-specific mortality and health care service use were assessed and compared with an age-matched control group from the general population. The results show that homeless shelter users had high morbidity compared with the control group, and that especially psychiatric morbidity was high. During the ten-year follow-up period about half of those who had stayed in shelter died, which means a fivefold risk of death for the homeless compared with the controls. The risk of death from diseases and medical conditions was more than threefold compared with the control group, and the risk of death from external causes was over tenfold. The large majority of those still alive at the end of the ten year follow-up were staying in supported housing, with only a small group being still or again homeless. Six per cent of the homeless were independently housed. Compared with controls, the homeless had over 40 times more hospital days in psychiatric hospitals, 10 times more hospital emergency department visits and over six times more medical/surgical hospital days. Also those who had stayed only temporarily in shelter had a high use of emergency department and hospital services. Mental disorders were strongly associated with primary healthcare service use. The homeless visited primary care for mental health- and substance use-related problems, traumas and infections, but undertreatment of chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes was detected. This study shows that, also in the Finnish setting, having experienced homelessness is strongly associated with adverse health outcomes and that the prognosis for the homeless in shelters is poor both in terms of being independently housed and mortality. The high use of hospital and emergency services and relatively low use of outpatient care, as well as undertreatment of chronic conditions, indicate that access to timely and appropriate care is insufficient, leading to high use of specialized care. Better, targeted healthcare services are needed to prevent avoidable hospitalizations, ill health and premature death.Asunnottoman henkilön arki on monella tapaa hankalaa ja stressaavaa. Aiempi kansainvälinen tutkimus on osoittanut, että asunnottomuuteen liittyy kohonnut sairastavuuden ja kuolleisuuden riski, sekä lisääntynyttä päivystys- ja sairaalapalvelujen käyttöä. Asunnottomien terveydentilaa ei ole Suomessa aiemmin selvitetty perusteellisesti. Tämän väitöstutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tuottaa tietoa pääkaupunkiseudun ensisuojissa yöpyneiden asunnottomiensairastavuudesta, kuolleisuudesta, terveyspalvelujen käytöstä ja myöhemmästä asumistilanteesta. Yhdistelemällä rekisteritietoja monesta eri rekisteritietokannasta tutkimuksessa seurattiin kolmea ensisuojassa yöpyneiden ryhmää (yhteensä 1458 henkilöä) pisimmillään kymmenen vuoden ajan. Heidän asumistilannettaan, sairastavuuttaan, kuolleisuuttaan ja terveyspalvelujen käyttöään verrattiin ikävakioituun verrokkiryhmään. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittivat, että asunnottomat olivat verrokkeja selvästi sairaampia, koskien erityisesti mielenterveyshäiriöitä. Kymmenen vuoden seurannan aikana noin puolet ensisuojassa yöpyneistä asunnottomista kuoli, mikä tarkoittaa noin viisinkertaista kuolemanriskiä verrokkiryhmään nähden. Seurannan lopussa elossa olleista tutkittavista valtaosa asui tuetun asumisen piirissä ja vain pieni joukko oli yhä tai jälleen asunnottomina. Kuusi prosenttia alkuperäisestä asunnottomien ryhmästä asui itsenäisesti. Verrokkiryhmään nähden asunnottomilla oli yli nelikymmenkertaisesti sairaalapäiviä psykiatrisessa sairaalahoidossa, kymmenkertaisesti sairaalapäivystyskäyntejä ja yli kuusinkertaisesti sairaalapäiviä somaattisessa erikoissairaanhoidossa. Myös he, joiden ensisuojassa yöpyminen oli tilapäistä ja lyhytaikaista, käyttivät paljon sairaala- ja päivystyspalveluja. Mielenterveysongelmista kärsiminen oli vahvasti yhteydessä perusterveydenhuollon käyttöön. Asunnottomat henkilöt kävivät perusterveydenhuollon lääkärin vastaanotolla mielenterveys- ja päihdeongelmien, traumojen sekä infektioiden takia, sen sijaan krooniset taudit olivat alihoidettuja. Tämä tutkimus osoittaa, että myös Suomessa asunnottomuuteen liittyy hyvin usein terveysongelmia ja selvästi kohonnut kuolemanriski. Runsas sairaala- ja päivystyspalvelujen käyttö sekä suhteellisen pieni polikliinisten palvelujen käyttö viittaavat siihen, että oikea-aikaisen ja asianmukaisen hoidon saatavuus on asunnottomilla riittämätöntä, mikä johtaa suureen erikoissairaanhoitopalvelujen käyttöön. Tarvittaisiinkin parempia, erityisesti asunnottomille kohdistettuja terveyspalveluja vähentämään ennaltaehkäistävissä olevia sairaalajaksoja, huonoa terveyttä ja kohonnutta ennenaikaisen kuoleman riskiä