A Comparison Of Relationship Dimensions With Behavior Dimensions For First Time Expectant Fathers

Little research exists examining the behavioral and attitudinal changes of first-time expectant fathers. This study was designed to identify any significant relationship between assessment instruments classified as Relationship Measures and Behavior Measures. A longitudinal study of 23 first-time expectant fathers examining identifiable trends and assessment instruments was conducted by a 13 member cohort group. The study took place within 200 mile radius of the “Upper Ohio Valley.” A Correlation Matrix containing each instrument was chosen to examine the variables within Measure in an attempt to identify significant correlations. Results indicate significant correlations were observed between Anxiety in the third trimester and Narcissism in the second trimester, Anxiety in the first trimester and Self-Esteem in the first trimester, Anxiety in the third trimester and Self-Esteem in the first trimester, Anxiety in the third trimester and Self-Esteem in the third trimester. Significant correlations exist between the Relationship Assessment Scale and the Index of Marital Satisfaction. The Relationship Assessment Scale in the first trimester shows significant correlation with Anxiety in all three trimesters; the Relationship Assessment Scale in the second trimester is significantly correlated with Anxiety in the second trimester. A significant correlation is represented between the Index of Marital Satisfaction and Anxiety in all but the second trimester for the Index of Marital Satisfaction and the first and third trimesters for Anxiety. A significant correlation is present in all three trimesters of the Index of Marital Satisfaction when compared with the first trimester of Narcissism, and Narcissism correlates at a significant level with the first and third trimesters of the Index of Marital Satisfaction

Understanding the effects of violent video games on violent crime

Psychological studies invariably find a positive relationship between violent video game play and aggression. However, these studies cannot account for either aggressive effects of alternative activities video game playing substitutes for or the possible selection of relatively violent people into playing violent video games. That is, they lack external validity. We investigate the relationship between the prevalence of violent video games and violent crimes. Our results are consistent with two opposing effects. First, they support the behavioral effects as in the psychological studies. Second, they suggest a larger voluntary incapacitation effect in which playing either violent or non-violent games decrease crimes. Overall, violent video games lead to decreases in violent crime. --Video Games,Violence,Crime

Understanding the effects of violent video games on violent crime

Psychological studies invariably find a positive relationship between violent video game play and aggression. However, these studies cannot account for either aggressive effects of alternative activities video game playing substitutes for or the possible selection of relatively violent people into playing violent video games. That is, they lack external validity. We investigate the relationship between the prevalence of violent video games and violent crimes. Our results are consistent with two opposing effects. First, they support the behavioral effects as in the psychological studies. Second, they suggest a larger voluntary incapacitation effect in which playing either violent or non-violent games decrease crimes. Overall, violent video games lead to decreases in violent crime

SoK: Cryptographically Protected Database Search

Protected database search systems cryptographically isolate the roles of reading from, writing to, and administering the database. This separation limits unnecessary administrator access and protects data in the case of system breaches. Since protected search was introduced in 2000, the area has grown rapidly; systems are offered by academia, start-ups, and established companies. However, there is no best protected search system or set of techniques. Design of such systems is a balancing act between security, functionality, performance, and usability. This challenge is made more difficult by ongoing database specialization, as some users will want the functionality of SQL, NoSQL, or NewSQL databases. This database evolution will continue, and the protected search community should be able to quickly provide functionality consistent with newly invented databases. At the same time, the community must accurately and clearly characterize the tradeoffs between different approaches. To address these challenges, we provide the following contributions: 1) An identification of the important primitive operations across database paradigms. We find there are a small number of base operations that can be used and combined to support a large number of database paradigms. 2) An evaluation of the current state of protected search systems in implementing these base operations. This evaluation describes the main approaches and tradeoffs for each base operation. Furthermore, it puts protected search in the context of unprotected search, identifying key gaps in functionality. 3) An analysis of attacks against protected search for different base queries. 4) A roadmap and tools for transforming a protected search system into a protected database, including an open-source performance evaluation platform and initial user opinions of protected search.Comment: 20 pages, to appear to IEEE Security and Privac

Evaluation of uncomplicated acute respiratory tract infection management in veterans: A national utilization review.

BackgroundAntibiotics are overprescribed for acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs). Guidelines provide criteria to determine which patients should receive antibiotics. We assessed congruence between documentation of ARI diagnostic and treatment practices with guideline recommendations, treatment appropriateness, and outcomes.MethodsA multicenter quality improvement evaluation was conducted in 28 Veterans Affairs facilities. We included visits for pharyngitis, rhinosinusitis, bronchitis, and upper respiratory tract infections (URI-NOS) that occurred during the 2015-2016 winter season. A manual record review identified complicated cases, which were excluded. Data were extracted for visits meeting criteria, followed by analysis of practice patterns, guideline congruence, and outcomes.ResultsOf 5,740 visits, 4,305 met our inclusion criteria: pharyngitis (n = 558), rhinosinusitis (n = 715), bronchitis (n = 1,155), URI-NOS (n = 1,475), or mixed diagnoses (>1 ARI diagnosis) (n = 402). Antibiotics were prescribed in 68% of visits: pharyngitis (69%), rhinosinusitis (89%), bronchitis (86%), URI-NOS (37%), and mixed diagnosis (86%). Streptococcal diagnostic testing was performed in 33% of pharyngitis visits; group A Streptococcus was identified in 3% of visits. Streptococcal tests were ordered less frequently for patients who received antibiotics (28%) than those who did not receive antibiotics 44%; P < .01). Although 68% of visits for rhinosinusitis had documentation of symptoms, only 32% met diagnostic criteria for antibiotics. Overall, 39% of patients with uncomplicated ARIs received appropriate antibiotic management. The proportion of 30-day return visits for ARI care was similar for appropriate (11%) or inappropriate (10%) antibiotic management (P = .22).ConclusionsAntibiotics were prescribed in most uncomplicated ARI visits, indicating substantial overuse. Practice was frequently discordant with guideline diagnostic and treatment recommendations

When Wrong is Right: The Instructional Power of Multiple Conceptions

For many decades, educational communities, including computing education, have debated the value of telling students what they need to know (i.e., direct instruction) compared to guiding them to construct knowledge themselves (i.e., constructivism). Comparisons of these two instructional approaches have inconsistent results. Direct instruction can be more efficient for short-term performance but worse for retention and transfer. Constructivism can produce better retention and transfer, but this outcome is unreliable. To contribute to this debate, we propose a new theory to better explain these research results. Our theory, multiple conceptions theory, states that learners develop better conceptual knowledge when they are guided to compare multiple conceptions of a concept during instruction. To examine the validity of this theory, we used this lens to evaluate the literature for eight instructional techniques that guide learners to compare multiple conceptions, four from direct instruction (i.e., test-enhanced learning, erroneous examples, analogical reasoning, and refutation texts) and four from constructivism (i.e., productive failure, ambitious pedagogy, problem-based learning, and inquiry learning). We specifically searched for variations in the techniques that made them more or less successful, the mechanisms responsible, and how those mechanisms promote conceptual knowledge, which is critical for retention and transfer. To make the paper directly applicable to education, we propose instructional design principles based on the mechanisms that we identified. Moreover, we illustrate the theory by examining instructional techniques commonly used in computing education that compare multiple conceptions. Finally, we propose ways in which this theory can advance our instruction in computing and how computing education researchers can advance this general education theory

Design and analysis of quasi-experiments in landscape ecology: responses of fauna to landscape vegetation transformation in South-Eastern NSW

The context for this work is the application of statistical science in the study of interrelationships between fauna and environments undergoing change in landscape ecology. The core of the thesis is a collection of papers which can be viewed in two ways: 1) a set of major studies in statistical practice in the field of ecology and 2) as contributions to new knowledge on the effects of landscape vegetation transformation on fauna, in particular birds, in south-eastern Australia. These papers exhibit effective contributions to ecology and conservation of wildlife through an ability to understand ecological issues from a statistical perspective. The focus in this thesis is as much on scientific process as it is on biological outcomes. The introductory chapter provides an overview of some of the statistical thinking behind my contributions to four major projects through statistical design and statistical modelling, and highlights some key findings and new understandings in ecology. Key roles in the research presented include: • Recognising natural systems in the landscape worthy of study and seizing the opportunity to study them (ecological serendipity). ‘Treatments’ (ecological contrasts) are selected and planned and are assigned randomly in true experiments; in quasi-experiments, treatments may already exist, are not randomly assigned but can be taken advantage of. • Formulating projects and asking interesting and important questions. • Considering the ‘best’ study design to yield high quality data suitable for addressing the key questions. • Overseeing the implementation of the design, fieldwork protocols, and providing input into data collection and collation. • Formulating statistical models for analysis. • Undertaking all of the data analysis and taking responsibility for statistical analysis and resulting inferences. Where necessary, adapting existing methodologies suitable for solving the problem at hand. • Developing suitable statistical presentation of results. • Interpreting and explaining results. • Writing scientific articles and submitting them for publication. Statistical topics and methods include the design of large-scale quasi-experiments in landscape ecology, and a range of powerful and flexible statistical modelling frameworks for the analysis of a diverse range of data types and complex data structures. Interdisciplinary collaboration has resulted in many significant scientific contributions to ecological knowledge in the study of relationships between faunal biodiversity and landscape transformation. In particular, the importance of statistical aspects of experimental design in large-scale, long-term research studies has been demonstrated. Many new insights into effects of plantation establishment and subsequent maturation on different groups of biota have been gained. Cross-sectional and temporal responses to revegetation, regrowth, and remnant vegetation at multiple spatial scales have been quantified. Composite indices have been developed for classifying biodiversity values of farms by novel applications of statistical ideas. Furthermore, significant contributions have been made in developing sound statistical methodology for the study of long-term trends in reporting rates of birds, using structurally complex presence-absence data. These methods have been recently adapted by Birdlife Australia and now form the basis for summarising trends in terrestrial birds

IATK:An immersive analytics toolkit

International audienceWe introduce IATK, the Immersive Analytics Toolkit, a software package for Unity that allows interactive authoring and exploration of data visualisation in immersive environments. The design of IATK was informed by interdisciplinary expert-collaborations as well as visual analytics applications and iterative refinement over several years. IATK allows for easy assembly of visualisations through a grammar of graphics that a user can configure in a GUI— in addition to a dedicated visualisation API that supports the creation of novel immersive visualisation designs and interactions. IATK is designed with scalability in mind, allowing visualisation and fluid responsive interactions in the order of several million points at a usable frame rate. This paper outlines our design requirements, IATK’s framework design and technical features, its user interface, as well as application examples