A Predictor Analysis Framework for Surface Radiation Budget Reprocessing Using Design of Experiments

Earth’s Radiation Budget (ERB) is an accounting of all incoming energy from the sun and outgoing energy reflected and radiated to space by earth’s surface and atmosphere. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) project produces and archives long-term datasets representative of this energy exchange system on a global scale. The data are comprised of the longwave and shortwave radiative components of the system and is algorithmically derived from satellite and atmospheric assimilation products, and acquired atmospheric data. It is stored as 3-hourly, daily, monthly/3-hourly, and monthly averages of 1°x1° grid cells. Input parameters used by the algorithms are a key source of variability in the resulting output data sets. Sensitivity studies have been conducted to estimate the effects this variability has on the output data sets using linear techniques. This entails varying one input parameter at a time while keeping all others constant or by increasing all input parameters by equal random percentages, in effect changing input values for every cell for every three hour period and for every day in each month. This equates to almost 11 million independent changes without ever taking into consideration the interactions or dependencies among the input parameters. A more comprehensive method is proposed here for the evaluating the shortwave algorithm to identify both the input parameters and parameter interactions that most significantly affect the output data. This research utilized designed experiments that systematically and simultaneously varied all of the input parameters of the shortwave algorithm. A D-Optimal design of experiments (DOE) was chosen to accommodate the 14 types of atmospheric properties computed by the algorithm and to reduce the number of trials required by a full factorial study from millions to 128. A modified version of the algorithm was made available for testing such that global calculations of the algorithm were tuned to accept information for a single temporal and spatial point and for one month of averaged data. The points were from each of four atmospherically distinct regions to include the Amazon Rainforest, Sahara Desert, Indian Ocean and Mt. Everest. The same design was used for all of the regions. Least squares multiple regression analysis of the results of the modified algorithm identified those parameters and parameter interactions that most significantly affected the output products. It was found that Cosine solar zenith angle was the strongest influence on the output data in all four regions. The interaction of Cosine Solar Zenith Angle and Cloud Fraction had the strongest influence on the output data in the Amazon, Sahara Desert and Mt. Everest Regions, while the interaction of Cloud Fraction and Cloudy Shortwave Radiance most significantly affected output data in the Indian Ocean region. Second order response models were built using the resulting regression coefficients. A Monte Carlo simulation of each model extended the probability distribution beyond the initial design trials to quantify variability in the modeled output data

Connecting and Cultivating Columbia: Vignettes of Columbia\u27s Most Connected Leaders

This senior thesis project takes a look at the lives of some of Columbia\u27s most philanthropic leaders. Inspired by my grandfather, I set out to interview and write vignettes about five of Columbia\u27s leaders, learning about their lives and the paths that brought them to their current positions of influence. Through the project, I saw many differences and commonalities between the leaders

Australia’s National Anti-Bullying Jurisdiction: Paper Tiger or Velvet Glove

Australia’s innovative national anti-bullying legislation came into effect on 1 January 2014, against a backdrop of fear and resistance on the part of some conservative politicians and other stakeholder opponents. This paper contributes to an understanding of the efficacy and value of this fledgling jurisdiction or its lack thereof. In it, we describe the beginnings of the anti-bullying regime, outline the new legislative provisions, explore whether the inaction of the first six months has continued, examine the statistics arising from the jurisdiction’s first 15 months of operation, and review the case law development over its first 18 months. We ask whether the anti-bullying jurisdiction is proving to be a paper tiger in an empty suit or iron fist in a velvet glove

Telling Giselle: Reworking the Ideologies of a Canonical Ballet

This paper outlines the process from conception to analysis of Telling Giselle which was performed February 7-9 2019 in the McLean Studio as the performance component of Patricia Allisons MFA thesis at York University. This paper starts by contextualizing Thophile Gautiers Giselle, the original ballet that this production was based on, and outlines the ideological elements of the storyline that would be addressed in this reworking. This paper then summarizes the theoretical framework that informed the creation of this work included key concepts from Linda Hutcheon, Vida L. Midgelow, and Darko Suvin. It summarizes the core methodology used and how the theoretical framework influenced its creation. Finally, this paper includes a scene by scene analysis of the performance and a conclusion which points towards the potential for future research on this

In Search of Professional Dispositions that Yield Cultural Relevance in Primary Grade Pedagogy: A Cautionary Tale of One Kindergarten Teacher

Primary grade teachers are challenged to establish firm learning foundations for all children, yet for many teachers cultural diversity makes this a complex pedagogical challenge. It is widely assumed that the success with which teachers meet this challenge is reflected in their dispositions toward diversity, and ultimately toward culturally relevant pedagogy as a professional orientation. This article describes a multi-year study of cultural relevance in early mathematics teaching. Using the case of one kindergarten teacher who exhibited positive dispositions toward cultural relevance, the authors examine factors that seemed to work against its adoption in her pedagogy

EFFECT OF PRE AND POST IFRS REPORTING SYSTEM IN MODERN BANKING SECTOR IN NIGERIA

The research is to examine the effects of adopting the international financial reporting system (IFRS) on modern banking industries and monetary firms, particularly through a study of the South Eastern region of the country. The literature shows that there is a need to understand the effects of adopting the international financial reporting system (IFRS), in the study area. The study applied percentage analysis, descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, and correlation analysis to study the data analysis in the system. The result shows that the response hypothesis disagrees with the null hypothesis and rejects the null hypothesis. However, the alternate hypothesis will be accepted, which states that there is a significant difference between the introduction of IFRS, which has increased the reliability and transparency of the financial statements of banks. The result concludes that there is a need to adopt IFRS in modern banking industries and banking sectors in the south eastern region. The findings of this study show that there is a need for the adoption of an international financial reporting system (IFRS) in the modern banking system to enhance accountability in the banking sector. The study recommends the adoption of IFRS for other accounting firms and organizations to improve accountability and accuracy.  Keywords: Accounting; Finance; Industry; IFRS; GAAP; Banking; Reporting System.

Evaluation as Harvesting: Drama in Education as Tender Fruit

Under pressure to appear objective and accountable, policy-oriented program evaluations emphasize easily specified, concrete objectives. Drama in education, by contrast, is concerned largely with “tender fruit,” those objectives more global, harder to define, and susceptible to damage in the “harvesting” process. We suggest a compromise between these two positions, presenting an evaluation project as a complex adaptation of an innovation or growth profile, in drama in education. Although data collection involved neither outcome measures nor classroom observations, the report contained enough hard data to be acceptable to and useful for policy makers, yet provided a richness of information appropriate to the philosophy of drama in education. Faisant l’objet de pressions pour paraître objectives et sérieuses, les évaluations de programmes qui suivent les politiques établies privilégient des objectifs concrets et faciles à identifier. Les cours de théâtre, eux, s’occupent surtout de “fruits plus tendres,” d’objectifs plus globaux, plus difficiles à définir et susceptibles de s’endommager lors de la “récolte.” Les auteurs suggèrent un compromis entre ces deux positions en présentant un project d’évaluation qui serait une adaptation complexe d’un profil d’innovation ou de croissance dans les cours de théâtre. Même si les données colligées ne comprenaient ni des mesures des résultats ni des observations en classee, le rapport contenait suffisamment de données objectives pour être acceptable et utile aux responsables des politiques et a fourni des informations suffisamment significatives pour servir de fondement à une philosophie de l’éducation relative à l’art dramatique.

Control Interno en la Cooperativa Agropecuaria de Producción de Hortalizas (COOPRAHOR, R.L), del municipio de Sebaco departamento de Matagalpa, en el I semestre del año 2013

El tema abordado en este Seminario trata de los Sistemas Contables y Control Interno, en las cooperativas del departamento de Matagalpa, durante el año 2013. El propósito de esta investigación fue Evaluar el Sistema Contable y Control Interno que se aplica en la Cooperativa Agropecuaria de producción de Hortalizas COOPRAHOR, R.L, para que dicha Cooperativa se dé cuenta si está realizando razonablemente el manejo de sus recursos tanto económicos y administrativos. Es de gran importancia que la Cooperativa realice evaluaciones de los procedimientos de Control Interno, ya que estas les permitirán detectar las debilidades que estos pudieran presentar en el desarrollo de sus operaciones, y de tal manera implementar medidas que sean necesarias para lograr la efectividad y eficiencia y resguardo de sus activos. Los resultados obtenidos indican que el Manual de Control Interno que la Cooperativa posee cuenta con muchas debilidades en lo que respecta a la segregación de funciones ya que la contadora general realiza las función de cajera y demás funciones administrativas lo cual también afecta directamente a la estructura organizativa de la misma, lo cual es de gran importancia considerar la necesidad de implementar mejoras que permitan un mejor funcionamiento dentro de la Cooperativa, así como también se carece de conocimientos del modelo de Control Interno COS

Guest Editors’ Introduction to the FIRE Special Issue on “The Place and Future of Comparative Education in Teacher Education”

Guest Editors’ Introduction to the FIRE Special Issue on “The Place and Future of Comparative Education in Teacher Education”