Today's engineers, designers, and technologists are often thrust into the role of problem solver, from the initial design phase of a product or process all the way to final development. Many engineers in manufacturing environments are tasked with solving problems and continuously improving processes to enhance company profitability, efficiency,…

Both an art and a science, enrollment projections have become a major component to effective college and university fiscal planning. With stagnant or declining state budget support for public higher education along with an increasing emphasis on revenue generation, never before has predicting the size of an entering class become more imperative.…

In 1974, the National Football League (NFL) initiated a sudden death overtime rule for games ending in a tie score at the end of regulation time. The rule states that the sudden death system of determining the winner shall prevail when the score is tied at the end of the regulation playing time of all NFL games. The team scoring first during…

When using linear models for cluster-correlated or longitudinal data, a common modeling practice is to begin by fitting a relatively simple model and then to increase the model complexity in steps. New predictors might be added to the model, or a more complex covariance structure might be specified for the observations. When fitting models for…

The assumptions of the model for factor analysis do not exclude a class of indeterminate covariances between factors and error variables (Grayson, 2003). The construction of all factors of the model for factor analysis is generalized to incorporate indeterminate factor-error covariances. A necessary and sufficient condition is given for…

Proves a theorem about the invariance of the Lotka function under a transformation that maps numbers of authors as variables to number of collaborators as variables. A general approach to incorporate the average number of collaborators in a production function is discussed, leading to a general framework to model multirelational data. (Author/LRW)

Describes the development of a computer-aided decision-making system to assist educational practitioners in curriculum decision making about innovative program features and implementation requirements. Topics discussed include the identification of variables; database generation; mathematical modeling; compromising between effectiveness and…

This paper discusses the principles underlying discriminant analysis and constructs a simulated data set to illustrate its methods. Discriminant analysis is a multivariate technique for identifying the best combination of variables to maximally discriminate between groups. Discriminant functions are established on existing groups and used to…

A well-established approach to modeling clustered data introduces random effects in the model of interest. Mixed-effects logistic regression models can be used to predict discrete outcome variables when observations are correlated. An extension of the mixed-effects logistic regression model is presented in which the dependent variable is a latent…

The mechanisms of perceptual learning are analyzed theoretically, probed in an orientation-discrimination experiment involving a novel nonstationary context manipulation, and instantiated in a detailed computational model. Two hypotheses are examined: modification of early cortical representations versus task-specific selective reweighting.…

Comparative applications of simple and complex faculty flow models are examined to determine (1) their relative demands for data and calculations, (2) the divergence of their projections, especially when modelling a no-growth faculty, and (3) an estimate of the error incurred (i.e., the cost to analysis) when a simple model is used. The results…

A search for better predictors of incomes of high school and college graduates is described. The accuracy of the prediction, implicit in the work of John R. Walsh of Harvard University, that the income differences in a given year are good indicators of income differences in future years, was tested by applying standard statistical procedures to…

The development of a predictive equation capable of explaining a significant percentage of enrollment variability at Florida International University is described. A model utilizing trend analysis and a multiple regression approach to enrollment forecasting was adapted to investigate enrollment dynamics at the university. Four independent…

Examines two classes of production functions in which the long-run competitive equilibrium scale of the firm increases when the relative price of the dominant factor decreases. Compares these with a third class of production functions where the equilibrium scale is independent of the relative price of the dominant factor. (MJP)

Describes class exercises where undergraduates construct and test mathematical models using data and issues related to social security. The students collect data and forecast economic and demographic variables that determine future tax rates. They then discuss government policies that are derived from their models. (MJP)