274 research outputs found
Planning a DSN support section technical library
The planning procedure being used to establish a technical library for the Deep Space Network support section is described. The inventory and survey methods employed are described and the preliminary results of these methods are discussed
Extended formulation in cognitive behavioural therapy for OCD:A single case experimental design
The demanding nature of exposure work that forms an essential component of exposure and response prevention (ERP) for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is for some patients intolerable and leads to disengagement. The addition of cognitive therapy to ERP (CBT) with a focus on developing a shared understanding of how OCD works may aid engagement. This paper reports a case study of an individual who had not responded to two previous courses of ERP due to engagement difficulties with the treatment rationale. This study aimed to establish if CBT for OCD, incorporating an extended period of assessment and longitudinal formulation, would: (1) aid in engagement with the treatment rationale and therapy and (2) lead to an improvement in OCD symptoms, general functioning and mood. An A-B single case experimental design was used. Standardised measures were collected at weekly intervals over 15 sessions of CBT, in conjunction with pre-post idiographic behavioural measures. The extended formulation was successful in helping the individual to develop a less threatening understanding of how OCD works, enabling her to engage in therapy. This led to a reduction in the duration of the overt compulsions in her behavioural measures although on the standardised measures there was no change in self-reported OCD symptoms. The patient's covert rituals and underlying responsibility and control beliefs largely remained intact, thus maintaining her OCD and requiring further intervention. There was a significant improvement in social functioning and consequently the patient reported being able to regain a sense of some control in her life.Key learning aims(1)To describe the factors that might lead to a patient disengaging from exposure work in treatment for OCD.(2)To identify the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating a period of extended formulation when working with patients who have not previously been able to tolerate exposure work.(3)To describe ways of monitoring observable improvements in areas of functioning that matter to the patient in order to help them to celebrate their progress and boost their sense of self-efficacy
Free and Inexpensive Teaching Material for Woodworking Teachers--An Update
Industrial Arts Educatio
Myriad : a distributed machine vision application framework
This thesis examines the potential for the application of distributed computing frameworks to industrial and also lightweight consumer-level Machine Vision (MV) applications. Traditional, stand-alone MV systems have many benefits in well-defined, tightly- controlled industrial settings, but expose limitations in interactive, de-localised and small-task applications that seek to utilise vision techniques. In these situations, single-computer solutions fail to suffice and greater flexibility in terms of system construction, interactivity and localisation are required. Network-connected and distributed vision systems are proposed as a remedy to these problems, providing dynamic, componentised systems that may optionally be independent of location, or take advantage of networked computing tools and techniques, such as web servers, databases, proxies, wireless networking, secure connectivity, distributed computing clusters, web services and load balancing. The thesis discusses a system named Myriad, a distributed computing framework for Machine Vision applications. Myriad is composed components, such as image processing engines and equipment controllers, which behave as enhanced web servers and communicate using simple HTTP requests. The roles of HTTP-based distributed computing servers in simplifying rapid development of networked applications and integrating those applications with existing networked tools and business processes are explored. Prototypes of Myriad components, written in Java, along with supporting PHP, Perl and Prolog scripts and user interfaces in C , Java, VB and C++/Qt are examined. Each component includes a scripting language named MCS, enabling remote clients (or other Myriad components) to issue single commands or execute sequences of commands locally to the component in a sustained session. The advantages of server- side scripting in this manner for distributed computing tasks are outlined with emphasis on Machine Vision applications, as a means to overcome network connection issues and address problems where consistent processing is required. Furthermore, the opportunities to utilise scripting to form complex distributed computing network topologies and fully-autonomous federated networked applications are described, and examples given on how to achieve functionality such as clusters of image processing nodes. Through the medium of experimentation involving the remote control of a model train set, cameras and lights, the ability of Myriad to perform traditional roles of fixed, stand-alone Machine Vision systems is supported, along with discussion of opportunities to incorporate these elements into network-based dynamic collaborative inspection applications. In an example of 2D packing of remotely-acquired shapes, distributed computing extensions to Machine Vision tasks are explored, along with integration into larger business processes. Finally, the thesis examines the use of Machine Vision techniques and Myriad components to construct distributed computing applications with the addition of vision capabilities, leading to a new class of image-data-driven applications that exploit mobile computing and Pervasive Computing trends
The Musicians’ and Songwriters’ Yearbook 2008: The Essential Resource for Anyone Working in the Music Industry
With a Foreword by John Kennedy, OBE, former President of Universal Music International, and Chairman of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Includes articles commissioned from leading UK music personalities.
"The essential 'black book' to the music world, this authoritative reference book contains contact names and vital information covering all aspects of the industry. ... Packed with all the latest information on the industry, this is a book to suit all types of musicians, whether from a rock and pop, jazz or classical background."
"If knowledge is power, the Musicians' and Songwriters' Yearbook is one of the most potent resources available to anyone in the music business." - "The Works", Magazine of the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.
Second edition; completely revised and updated each year. (From the publisher of "Writers' and Artists' Yearbook".
The Musicians’ and Songwriters’ Yearbook 2007: The Essential Resource for Anyone Working in the Music Industry
With a Foreword by Peter Reichardt, former Chairman and CEO of EMI Music Publishing. Includes articles commissioned from leading UK music personalities.
"The essential 'black book' to the music world, this authoritative reference book contains contact names and vital information covering all aspects of the industry. ... Packed with all the latest information on the industry, this is a book to suit all types of musicians, whether from a rock and pop, jazz or classical background."
(From the publisher of "Writers' and Artists' Yearbook".
Estimating adolescent sleep patterns: parent reports versus adolescent self-report surveys, sleep diaries, and actigraphy
In research and clinical contexts, parent reports are often used to gain information about the sleep patterns of their adolescents; however, the degree of concordance between parent reports and adolescent-derived measures is unclear. The present study compares parent estimates of adolescent sleep patterns with adolescent self-reports from surveys and sleep diaries, together with actigraphy.
Methods: A total of 308 adolescents (59% male) aged 13–17 years completed a school sleep habits survey during class time at school, followed by a 7-day sleep diary and wrist actigraphy. Parents completed the Sleep, Medical, Education and Family History Survey.
Results: Parents reported an idealized version of their adolescent’s sleep, estimating significantly earlier bedtimes on both school nights and weekends, significantly later wake times on weekends, and significantly more sleep than either the adolescent self-reported survey, sleep diary, or actigraphic estimates.
Conclusion: Parent reports indicate that the adolescent averages a near-optimal amount of sleep on school nights and a more than optimal amount of sleep on weekends. However, adolescent-derived averages indicate patterns of greater sleep restriction. These results illustrate the importance of using adolescent-derived estimates of sleep patterns in this age group and the importance of sleep education for both adolescents and their parents
Item development for a patient‐reported measure of compassionate healthcare in action
Background Compassionate care is a fundamental component of healthcare today; yet, many measures of compassionate care are subjective in focus and lack clarity around what compassionate care looks like in practice. Measures mostly relate to physical healthcare settings, neglecting mental healthcare. They also lack significant involvement of people with lived experience (PLE) of healthcare delivery in their development. This study aimed to begin the process of developing a new patient-reported measure, one that captures the observable actions of compassionate care delivery or ‘compassionate healthcare in action’ by any healthcare professional working in any care setting. The study involves PLE of healthcare delivery, both patients and staff, throughout. Methods A multistage mixed-methods scale development process was followed. First, items were derived inductively from reflexive thematic analysis of patient and clinician interviews about what compassionate care meant to them (n = 8), with additional items derived deductively from a literature review of existing measures. Next, a panel of patient, clinician and researcher experts in compassionate care was recruited (Round 1: n = 33, Round 2: n = 29), who refined these items in a two-round modified online Delphi process. Results Consensus was reached on 21 items of compassionate care in action relating to six facets: understanding, communication, attention, action, emotional sensitivity and connection. These items will form the basis for further scale development. Conclusions This item development work has laid the foundation of a potential new tool to systematically measure what compassionate healthcare in action looks like to patients. Further research is underway to produce a valid and reliable version of this proposed new measure. We have outlined these initial stages in detail in the hope of encouraging greater transparency and replicability in measure development, as well as emphasising the value of involving PLE throughout the process. Patient or Public Contribution This study involved PLE of both physical and mental healthcare (as staff, patients and service users) throughout the development of the new measure, including initial project conceptualisation and participation in item generation and refinement stages
Resiliency as a mediator of the impact of sleep on child and adolescent behavior
First published online 23 December 2013Background: Disturbed sleep is detrimental to child behavior; however, the precise means by which this association occurs is unclear. Sleep and resilience can theoretically share an underlying neural mechanism and therefore influence one another. However, the role of resilience in the association between sleep and behavior is not known. The associations between sleep, resilience, and problematic behavior in children and adolescents aged 7–18 years were investigated in this study. Methods: A correlational design was used to determine the relationships between total sleep problems, indices of resilience, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Results: Sleep problems and resiliency variables were strongly correlated, and further, sleep problems were found to be predictive of resiliency scores. Resiliency significantly mediated the relationship between increased sleep problems and both overall internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, and specifically, measures of depression and anxiety. Conclusion: Sleep impacted levels of resilience such that greater sleep disturbance reduced resilience and consequently increased problematic behavior, potentially predisposing individuals to psychopathology.Alex Chatburn, Scott Coussens, Mark J Kohle
- …