There are three chapters of manuscripts in this dissertation and all of them are talking about a specific theme: stochastic control, but with completely different perspectives.
In the first manuscript, we solve the optimal barrier strategy for dividend distribution in a complicated Lévy system. In this system, the capital of...
Teachers may be attracted to the use of a game in a learning activity under the presumption that students will find the game experience to be more “fun” than typical classroom activities. The use of a game in a learning activity should help students attain important learning outcomes and engage...
In this dissertation, we use Fourier-analytic methods to study questions of equidistribution on the compact abelian group Zp of p-adic integers. In particu- lar, we prove a LeVeque-type Fourier analytic upper bound on the discrepancy of sequences. We establish p-adic analogues of the classical Dirichlet and Fejér kernels on R/Z,...
About 1% of U.S. births each year are planned home births (Vital Statistics Reports 2017). Of these, roughly 10% transfer to a higher level of care during labor (Melissa Cheyney et al. 2014), yet their experiences are rarely heard. Storytelling has long been used not only as entertainment, but as...
One goal of using robots in introductory computer science (CS) courses is to improve motivation among learners. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of using the Cozmo and Lego Mindstorm robots to improve students’ motivation in a CS orientation course, and we describe our experience using these robots in...
Developmental mathematics and the completion of degrees have been at the forefront of community colleges in recent years. Positive psychology has given rise to the Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions. The purpose of this study is to study the relationship between positive emotions and developmental mathematics achievement at the community...
A widely held belief is that the pre-2018 U.S. repatriation tax has led to stockpiles of cash of multinational corporations being trapped overseas, but there is evidence showing that firms are issuing debt to access cash. Standard and Poor has documented this phenomenon as “synthetic cash repatriation.” This study examines...
Definitions of child poverty and measurement approaches are directly linked to poverty reduction strategies. The definition determines the measure and the measure, in turn, informs policies, which can subsequently reshape measurement approaches. Applying human rights approach and using method of document analysis, this research explores how the conceptualization and measurement...
In this essay I investigate the effect of United States March 2018 steel tariffs on producers’ capital. I use intertemporal event study methodology to appraise the effect of announcement of the tariffs on March 01, 2018 on the stock returns of major US steel companies listed at New York Stock...
Ocean acidification (OA) is the result of increasing concentrations of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, leading to a suite of alterations to specific parameters of ocean chemistry, which can negatively impact many marine organisms and ecosystems. Understanding how to measure and monitor the chemistry of OA will require specialized education...