VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Simulation and estimation of point process models in finance [electronic resource]
Keywords: Management Science and Engineering.

Stochastic models of event timing are popular in many applications because of their ability to capture random event arrivals and their impacts. For the particular settings of point processes with stochastic intensities, this dissertation develops a simulation and estimation methodologies. Specifically, this dissertation constructs efficient importance sampling estimators of certain rare-event probabilities involving affine point processes under a large pool regime. The proposed computational approach is based on dynamic importance sampling, and the design of the estimators extends past literature to accommodate the point process settings. In particular, the state-dependent change of measure is performed not at event arrivals but over a deterministic time grid. Several common criteria for optimality of the estimators under limited computational resources are analyzed. Numerical results illustrate the advantages of the proposed estimators. Additionally, this dissertation establishes accurate estimators of bond illiquidity from bond transaction records. The measure of bond illiquidity is defined as the sum of a round-trip transaction cost, i.e., a bid-ask spread, and a carrying cost. The carrying cost is the compound cost monetizing the waiting time for counterparties while locked in or holding a bond. Transaction times and their bid-ask spreads are modeled by arrivals and marks of a marked point process so that bond illiquidity is estimated by an effective bid-ask spread and a certain function of its intensity. Numerical results illustrate the advantages of the proposed measure and volume-related trends.
Simultaneous multi-slice magnetic resonance imaging [electronic resource]
Keywords: Electrical Engineering.

The slow acquisition speed of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) hinders its wider adoption as a diagnostic and research tool. In recent years, simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) MRI has been proposed to accelerate MRI scans. The main focus of this dissertation is to develop a generic and accurate data reconstruction framework, termed hybrid-space SENSE, for SMS MRI. To evaluate the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss in the reconstruction, analytical geometry-factor maps are derived. Under the proposed framework, a matrix-decoding Nyquist ghosting correction method is further developed to conduct slice-specific Nyquist ghosting correction for SMS echo planar imaging. This dissertation also presents work on three other aspects of SMS MRI: one is designing undersampling strategies that generate incoherent interslice aliasing; another is de-signing autocalibrating undersampling schemes; the third aspect is designing signal excitation radiofrequency (RF) pulse with reduced peak amplitude.
Simurg
Keywords: collaboration
makerspaces
rural education
education technology
sociocultural theories
learning
LDT
Thesis

Simurg is a novel model for structuring learning experiences for students in rural Pakistan. The model describes a collaboration across multiple levels - with village teachers, local and remote mentors and university researchers - to co-design lessons aimed at extending the curriculum to skills such as collaboration, creativity and problem solving. A variety of existing information and communication technologies allow the school to leverage the assets of the local community and the skills of remote collaborators. In our work with the elementary school Banyan, introduction of low-cost robotics kits and other digital tools showed promising gains in computational thinking and language literacies.
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Profiling of Point Reyes Coho Salmon: A Genetics Perspective on Current Management Practices
Keywords:  Department of Biology
Biology
Marine Biology
Conservation
Coho salmon
endangered species
SNP
genetics
Oncorhynchus kisutch
Thesis

The Point Reyes watershed system is valuable habitat for the endangered Coho Salmon, a keystone species in this fragile ecosystem. The current management paradigm treats the entire Point Reyes peninsula as a single conservation unit in which habitat needs to only be maintained at the watershed level. However, the validity of a multi-creek meta-population model, in which the creek populations are not separate, for this system is not well verified. Previous work has relied on the synthesis of fragmented data from studies with alternative goals in order to inform policy, while this approach introduces genetic evidence as a more quantitative, direct method of determining population makeup and conservation strategy. Through PCR amplification and DNA sequencing, this study genotypes 128 fish from a collection of tissue samples for a suite of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that will provide a quantitative basis for assessing the relationship between various stream populations. The individuals selected for this project represent five distinct geographic populations, which are genotyped for SNPs occurring in introns, exons, and the major histocompatibility complex coding region, creating a diverse profile for each individual. Additionally, due to the amount of temporal variability in the tissue collection date, the genotype profiles created from this assay are also applied to temporal comparisons. The discovery of significant similarities in SNP distributions between streams supports the current conservation paradigm. The data presented here provides a template for genetic stock identification projects in similar coastal watershed systems and introduces a tool to supplement tag data in tracking endangered salmonid populations.
Sketching sound [electronic resource] : gestural interaction in expressive music programming
Keywords: Music.

New developments in technology lead to new types of interactions in computer music performance and composition. In the realm of mobile touchscreen devices such as phones and tablet computers, a variety of research efforts and software applications have explored the musical possibilities of multitouch interaction, the physical properties of the devices themselves, the orientation and location sensing of the devices, and their persistent connection to the network. However, these interactions have been largely ignored in the space of music programming on the device itself. We have developed two prototype systems to explore concepts employing these interactions and technologies to program music on mobile touchscreen devices. The first of these, miniAudicle for iPad, is an environment for programming ChucK code on an iPad. The second prototype developed is a sound design and music composition system utilizing touch and handwritten stylus input. In this system, called "Auraglyph, " users draw a variety of audio synthesis structures, such as oscillators and filters, in an open canvas. Once created, these structures may be further parameterized by touch and other hand-drawn figures. These systems and the principles they embody have been evaluated personally by the author and with feedback from a variety of musicians and music technologists. Ultimately, we believe this research shows that the critical parameters for developing sophisticated software for new interaction technologies are consideration of the technology's inherent affordances and mindful attention to design. To this end, we have proposed a set of principles for designing these systems stemming from this research and previous research in this field.
"Sleep and Learning in Mouse Model of Smith-Magenis Syndrome"
Keywords:  Department of Biology
Smith-Magenis Syndrome
RAI1
circadian rhythm disorders
learning disorders
seizures
developmental disorders
Stanford Department of Biology
Thesis

Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS) is a developmental disorder characterized by sleep disturbances, craniofacial abnormalities and moderate learning disability. Humans and mouse models with a deletion of Retinoic acid inducible 1 (RAI1) exhibit all aforementioned characteristics of SMS. However, the mechanisms through which RAI1 deletion leads to cognitive deficiencies is unknown. We’re interested in using mouse models with RAI1 heterozygous deletion to establish a link between sleep disturbances and cognitive deficiencies in SMS. In order to do so, we must determine if RAI1 +/- mice accurately model the cognitive and circadian phenotype of SMS patients. We found that working memory and potentially sleep quality are impaired in RAI1 +/- mice, but declarative memory is intact, suggesting dosage dependent effect of Rai1 on different cognitive processes. Moreover, one third of RAI1 deletion mice experienced seizures during sleep, suggesting that sleep seizures may be a common, underreported feature of SMS. Our results suggest that RAI1 +/- mice are a potential model of examining working memory and circadian problems in SMS, and that the latter symptom could be a cause for the former. With our model, we can discover new avenues for managing SMS, specifically the rescue of working memory through rescue of the circadian rhythm through existing sleep-inducing drugs such as trazadone.
A small scale system for releasing a test mass into a Geodesic orbit [electronic resource]
Keywords: Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Space-based applications in navigation, aeronomy, geodesy, and fundamental physics such as gravitational wave detection and tests of the Equivalence Principle require ultra-sensitive accelerometers or drag-free apparatuses to either measure disturbing forces (such as solar pressure and drag), or cancel them directly. Most solutions utilize a precisely manufactured Test Mass (TM) that is released into a housing (an empty volume) in a satellite in space, and made to follow a geodesic trajectory, with the host spacecraft shielding the TM from external disturbing forces. Depending on its mass, size, shape, and the launch vehicle environment, the TM may be restrained prior to release. Careful attention must be paid to mechanical and electrical forces that may cause the TM to adhere to its restraints or the walls of the cavity. Mechanisms to overcome the force of adhesion (``stiction'') are typically required. In the current state-of-the-art, either the spacecraft has significant propulsive capability to pull the TM from the restraint using inertial force, or the spacecraft uses some compressed gas or mechanical actuator to separate the TM from the housing. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is the most salient example, as it uses a pure gold coating that is prone to creep and cold welding, and is therefore naturally prone to adhere to itself; its release process removes the caging force in three stages, finishing with a dynamic retraction of two contacting fingers from opposite faces. After release, the system faces a potential critical failure if the TM comes to rest in contact with the housing wall. The host spacecraft must either employ its propulsive capability to accomplish separation, or use some other actuator. Lacking the capability for the former, LISA will use an electrostatic actuator to arrest the resulting motion, since recontact with the housing could cause an unrecoverable condition. Efforts to advance the aforementioned science have been stymied in part by the enormous costs of fielding full-scale drag-free systems. Stanford has previously proposed a gravitational wave observatory called LAser GRavitational-wave ANtenna at GEo-lunar Lagrange Points (LAGRANGE) that would involve a dedicated mission of three spacecraft to the Earth-moon L3, L4 and L5 Lagrange points. Each spacecraft would host a Gravitational Reference Sensor (GRS) comprised of a spherical test mass in an evacuated cavity. The estimated cost for this mission is almost \
A small weak scale from a small cosmological constant [electronic resource]
Keywords: Physics.

This thesis discusses a framework in which Weinberg's anthropic explanation of the cosmological constant problem also solves the higgs hierarchy problem. The weak scale is selected by chiral dynamics that controls the stabilization of an extra dimension. When the higgs vacuum expectation value is close to a fermion mass scale (the weak scale), the radius of an extra dimension becomes large, and develops an enhanced number of vacua available to scan the cosmological constant down to its observed value. At low energies, the radion, the particle that controls the size of the extra dimension, necessarily appears as an unnaturally light scalar, in a range of masses and couplings accessible to fifth-force searches as well as scalar dark matter searches with atomic clocks and gravitational-wave detectors. The fermion sector that controls the size of the extra dimension consists of a pair of electroweak doublets and several singlets. These leptons satisfy approximate mass relations related to the weak scale and are accessible to the LHC and future colliders.
The social fluency hypothesis [electronic resource]
Keywords: Business.

I introduce the Social Fluency Hypothesis, which stipulates that the ease versus difficulty of social interactions shapes social perceptions and behavior, as well as important psychological, relational, and economic outcomes. I propose that experiencing social interactions as smooth and effortless, rather than as strenuous and taxing, fulfills individuals' fundamental need to form positive social connections and satisfies their preference for fluent mental processes, and that individuals draw important inferences about their interaction partners and relationships from their experiences of social fluency versus disfluency. Six studies demonstrated positive effects of social fluency across a range of circumstances. In Studies 1-3, experiencing social fluency in tacit coordination tasks produced a robust Halo effect, leading individuals to perceive their interaction partners as higher in morality, sociality, and competence; expect positive future interactions; and demonstrate greater behavioral trust, to everyone's benefit. In Studies 4 and 5, social fluency explained unique variance in the subjective value that individuals derived from their negotiations, above and beyond individuals' instrumental outcomes and experiences of procedural justice. Study 6, which focused on the role of social fluency in teamwork, found that cultural and racial diversity in teams was associated with lower levels of social fluency. Social fluency positively predicted psychological need fulfillment and affective commitment toward the team, and mediated the negative effects of diversity on these outcomes. Overall, my theory and findings highlight the significance of social fluency for establishing positive connections with others.
Social Support and Eating Disorders on Instagram: Communication Patterns Amongst Users in the Eating Disorder Recovery Community
Keywords: Communications
Media Studies
Coterminal Masters Program
eating disorders
social media
Instagram
language
psychological well-being
social support
self-disclosure
Thesis

It is important to address the increasing growth of a group of people turning to social media to express a stigmatized facet of their identity: their eating disorder. This research focuses on the accounts of people using Instagram as a tool for eating disorder recovery. Instagram provides users the opportunity to disclose sensitive information about their eating disorder recovery experiences, and users can respond in ways that may provide the posters with social support and positive validation in their recovery. I conducted a linguistic analysis of 300 posts within the eating disorder recovery community. I analyzed the language in the posts themselves, the language in the comments received by the post, and the relationship between certain types of posts and their associated comments. Results indicate that discourse of the eating disorder recovery community on Instagram is overwhelmingly positive, demonstrating that users find support and encouragement when disclosing sensitive information about their experiences on Instagram. Posts that are higher in positive tone also receive more positive comments, while posts that are longer, higher in narrative style, higher in clout and confident language, and more authentic receive longer responses. Implications of these results and directions for future research are discussed.
Sources of Parenting Information in Rural China: A Mixed-Method Analysis
Keywords: East Asian Studies
Rural China
Economic Development
Parenting
Mixed-Method
Freeman Spogli Institute
Thesis

Active parenting during the first few years of a child’s life can have significant benefits on child development and set the foundation for learning the skills required in a modern economy. China's rural children are lagging behind their urban counterparts partly because so many rural caregivers do not engage in positive parenting behaviors such as reading, singing, and playing with children when they are infants and toddlers.
This thesis contributes to the existing literature on child development in developing countries by examining sources of parenting information in rural China through case studies in southern Shaanxi province. It uses a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to identify sources of parenting information for caregivers of infants and toddlers. The children in this study range in age from 6 months to 5 years old, as the paper utilizes samples from a study that began in 2013 as well as currently ongoing studies. The quantitative section analyzes the relationship between certain self-reported sources of parenting information and the number of positive parenting behaviors done. In the qualitative section, this paper also asks rural caregivers about the content of their primary information sources to explore what parenting suggestions caregivers are receiving and what specific parenting lessons caregivers actually retain.
This study suggests multiple ways to improve rural parenting. Encouraging more active parenting behavior through disseminating information on parenting is a low-cost way to improve rural child development outcomes starting from infancy. In addition to media programs better tailored toward encouraging positive parenting behaviors toward infants and toddlers, community-based resources of parenting information can help caregivers learn positive parenting behaviors through social interaction. More local involvement can also help foster a culture of positive parenting. Caregivers need information to help rural children compete in the modern Chinese economy and boost the overall economic well-being of Chinese society as its economy matures.
The author would like to acknowledge the support of Professor Scott Rozelle, the staff and colleagues at REAP and CEEE, and a generous Mentored Global Research Fellowship travel grant from FSI.
The (South) American dream [electronic resource] : geographic and economic mobility in 19th-century Argentina
Keywords: Economics.

In this dissertation I study geographic and economic mobility in late 19th-century Argentina. In the first chapter, I compare rates of intergenerational occupational mobility in 1869-1895 Argentina to those in (1) 1850-1880 United States, (2) 1851-1881 United Kingdom and (3) 1865-1900 Norway. I find that Argentina had levels of intergenerational occupational mobility that were very close to those of the US, and considerably above those of the UK and Norway. There was a sharp divide between Old and New World countries in terms of social mobility, with the latter featuring much higher mobility levels than the former. I also document the existence of large differences in rates of intergenerational occupational mobility across regions of Argentina: the difference between the least and the most mobile province in terms of mobility is of similar magnitude to the difference between the US and the UK in the same time period. In the second chapter, I study the mobility and economic outcomes of European immigrants and their children in 19th-century Argentina, the second largest destination country during the Age of Mass Migration. I use new data linking males across censuses and passenger lists of arrivals to Buenos Aires. First-generation immigrants experienced faster occupational upgrading than natives. Occupational mobility was substantial relative to Europe; immigrants holding unskilled occupations upon arrival experienced high rates of occupational upgrading. Second-generation immigrants outperformed the sons of natives in terms of literacy, occupational status and access to property, and experienced higher rates of intergenerational mobility out of unskilled occupations. In the third chapter, I study the effects of improvements in transport infrastructure on the economic outcomes of parents and their children. To do so, I exploit the expansion of the railroad network in 19th-century Argentina and new longitudinal data following individuals before and after this expansion took place. To deal with the endogeneity of railroad location, I construct an instrumental variable that takes advantage of the fact that districts along the route of province capitals were more likely to be connected. I find that, once their district got connected to the railroad, adults largely remained farmers or farm workers. By contrast, their children moved out of farming toward more modern and higher paying occupations. The movement out of farming occupations reflected both local changes in employment structure and increased migration out of rural areas, and it was more pronounced among children in districts where the soil was not suitable for agriculture. Consistent with the higher level of skills required for this transition out of farming occupations, children in connected districts were more likely to be literate in adulthood. These results shed light on how improvements in transportation can shape the transition from a mostly rural to a diversified economy.