9,115 research outputs found

    Algorithms for Colourful Simplicial Depth and Medians in the Plane

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    The colourful simplicial depth of a point x in the plane relative to a configuration of n points in k colour classes is exactly the number of closed simplices (triangles) with vertices from 3 different colour classes that contain x in their convex hull. We consider the problems of efficiently computing the colourful simplicial depth of a point x, and of finding a point, called a median, that maximizes colourful simplicial depth. For computing the colourful simplicial depth of x, our algorithm runs in time O(n log(n) + k n) in general, and O(kn) if the points are sorted around x. For finding the colourful median, we get a time of O(n^4). For comparison, the running times of the best known algorithm for the monochrome version of these problems are O(n log(n)) in general, improving to O(n) if the points are sorted around x for monochrome depth, and O(n^4) for finding a monochrome median.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure

    Exploring children’s perceptions of their local environment in relation to time spent outside

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    This study aims to understand how children perceive their environment, exploring the affordances children perceive to influence their physical activity (PA) behaviour when outside. Participants included boys and girls aged 10–12 years (n = 15) living in Scotland. Children's visual and verbal representations of their perceived environment were analysed to assess environmental determinants of PA. The findings suggested that physical affordances that offer a sense of risk were important to children's play spaces. Social affordances influenced where the children went in their environment and the features they utilised as part of play behaviour; strangers were considered threatening depending on whether the activity was recognised

    Designing a web-application to support home-based care of childhood CKD stages 3-5: Qualitative study of family and professional preferences

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    Background: There is a lack of online, evidence-based information and resources to support home-based care of childhood CKD stages 3-5. Methods. Qualitative interviews were undertaken with parents, patients and professionals to explore their views on content of the proposed online parent information and support (OPIS) web-application. Data were analysed using Framework Analysis, guided by the concept of Self-efficacy. Results: 32 parents, 26 patients and 12 professionals were interviewed. All groups wanted an application that explains, demonstrates, and enables parental clinical care-giving, with condition-specific, continously available, reliable, accessible material and a closed communication system to enable contact between families living with CKD. Professionals advocated a regularly updated application to empower parents to make informed health-care decisions. To address these requirements, key web-application components were defined as: (i) Clinical care-giving support (information on treatment regimens, video-learning tools, condition-specific cartoons/puzzles, and a question and answer area) and (ii) Psychosocial support for care-giving (social-networking, case studies, managing stress, and enhancing families' health-care experiences). Conclusions: Developing a web-application that meets parents' information and support needs will maximise its utility, thereby augmenting parents' self-efficacy for CKD caregiving, and optimising outcomes. Self-efficacy theory provides a schema for how parents' self-efficacy beliefs about management of their child's CKD could potentially be promoted by OPIS. © 2014 Swallow et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

    The development and evaluation of a web-based diet and diabetes education programme for children with type 1 diabetes

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    PhD ThesisDiabetes education is one of the essential components of standard diabetes care. Rapid advances in technology have made the internet a viable mode for the delivery of educational interventions to young people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The main purpose of this study was to develop a web-based education programme to assist in diabetes management and to provide support for children with T1D in Malaysia. The data were collected in three phases using a mix method approach. Participants were children with T1D living in Malaysia (n=64), their parents (n=12), the clinicians (n=3) and Malaysian‟ children living in Newcastle (n=12). In Phase one, the data were collected using both qualitative and quantitative methods to understand the experiences and challenges which children face living with diabetes and to identify regularly consumed carbohydrate-rich foods. In Phase two, data were gathered by a semi-structured interview and an open-ended questionnaire with healthy children in Newcastle to elicit views and general usability of the programme. In the final Phase, Phase three, children with T1D and their families were recruited and introduced to the programme and guided in its use at home. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with children, parents and clinicians, and the questionnaires were used with children in order to gain participants‟ views, experiences and acceptance of the system. Children used the programme for a period of six months. Most children reported using the programme to obtain information about carbohydrate content of the food and drink they consumed and adjusting their insulin accordingly. They also reported they had made changes in their food choices based on the information and knowledge they obtained from the programme. Most of them did not record their blood glucose regularly in the programme. The majority felt confident in managing their diet, insulin, and monitoring their blood glucose, however, a few reported lack of confidence and difficulty managing their diabetes. Clinicians indicated that the programme was feasible to use in the clinic setting to teach and review children‟ blood glucose and dietary intake, and to support children when they faced any problems related to their diabetes. The clinicians believed that the programme had the most application for children as a self-education and self-management system. Overall, participants described the programme as useful, accessible and beneficial for managing diet and diabetes. This study demonstrated feasibility of using the web-based education programme. Further research is required to determine the effectiveness of the programme in improving diabetes management of T1D by young people.Malaysian governmen

    A Note on Lower Bounds for Colourful Simplicial Depth

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    The colourful simplicial depth problem in dimension d is to find a configuration of (d+1) sets of (d+1) points such that the origin is contained in the convex hull of each set, or colour, but contained in a minimal number of colourful simplices generated by taking one point from each set. A construction attaining d2 + 1 simplices is known, and is conjectured to be minimal. This has been confirmed up to d = 3, however the best known lower bound for d ≥ 4 is ⌈(d+1)2 /2 ⌉. In this note, we use a branching strategy to improve the lower bound in dimension 4 from 13 to 14
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