The Development of the Stress-Response Scale for Adolescents

Adolescence is an important period in the life cycle for which to study stress, due to the many involved developmental changes that require adaptation. This adaptation can be very stressful and result in pathology. Stress is defined as a process involving a continual transaction between stressors in the environment, mediating variables, and stress responses. The Stress-Response Scale for Adolescents (SRSA) was developed to measure self-perceived stress responses of those between the ages of 14 to 20. The SRSA\u27s development involved three studies. Study 1 involved item selection, scale construction, item reduction, and estimations of internal consistency and validity. Truthfulness items were developed to determine the honesty of responses. Study 2 tested the ability of the SRSA, through roe-enactment methodology, to distinguish those in a high-stress condition versus those in a low-stress condition. Study 3, again with the use of role-enactment methodology, tested the potential of the SRSA to detect changes in stress-response levels when individuals were taken from a low-stress to a high-stress condition and vice versa. The final SRSA includes 32 stress-response and six truthfulness items. Initially, factor analysis of the SRSA revealed a high loading of gender on the primary factor. Separate forms were created for males and females. Repeat factor analyses of items in the two forms revealed four factors each for males and females but were of questionable utility due to high intercorrelations. All sections of the SRSA should be used for most purposes. Internal consistency estimates of the SRSA are .96 (2 \u3c .05) for females and .94 (2 \u3c .05) for males. Validity estimates are all in the expected direction and range from .25 to .79 for both males and females. The truthfulness items have a coefficient alpha of .82 for females and .77 for males, with validity estimates ranging from .34 for females to .14 (25 \u3c .05) for males. Studies 2 and 3 revealed that the SRSA does have the potential of differentiating between those in different stress conditions and also of detecting stress-response changes. It was concluded that the SRSA, although in preliminary form, has the potential of assessing the stress response in adolescents as long as the discussed weaknesses, such as small sample size and nonrandomization, are taken into account

Ultra-high temperature stability Joule-Thomson cooler with capability to accomodate pressure variations

A Joule-Thomson cryogenic refrigeration system capable of achieving high temperature stabilities in the presence of varying temperature, atmospheric pressure, and heat load is provided. The Joule-Thomson cryogenic refrigeration system includes a demand flow Joule-Thomson expansion valve disposed in a cryostat of the refrigeration system. The expansion valve has an adjustable orifice that controls the flow of compressed gas therethrough and induces cooling and partial liquefaction of the gas. A recuperative heat exchanger is disposed in the cryostat and coupled to the expansion valve. A thermostatically self-regulating mechanism is disposed in the cryostat and coupled to the J-T expansion valve. The thermostatically self-regulating mechanism automatically adjusts the cross sectional area of the adjustable valve orifice in response to environmental temperature changes and changes in power dissipated at a cold head. A temperature sensing and adjusting mechanism is coupled to a cold head for adjusting the temperature of the cold head in response to the change in heat flow in the cold head. The temperature sensing and adjusting mechanism comprises a temperature sensitive diode, a wound wire heater, and an electrical feedback control circuit coupling the diode to the heater. An absolute pressure relief valve is interposed between the output of the cryostat and an exhaust port for maintaining a constant exhaust temperature in the refrigerating system, independent of the changes in atmospheric pressure

Sharing Economy Business Models : Addressing the design-implementation gap

Despite sharing being a long-practiced form of consumption, the concept ‘sharing economy’ has emerged only recently. New business models have proliferated, utilising technology to reduce transaction costs and facilitate shared access. Societal actors have taken interest in the sharing economy, to reduce resource consumption, foster social cohesion, and support the economy. However, sharing economy business models facilitate a wide array of consumption practices, including sharing, renting, borrowing, lending, bartering, swapping, trading, exchanging, gifting, buying second-hand, and even buying new goods. Past academic research and media attention tend to focus on unicorns such as Airbnb and Uber. There is greater need to explore the diverse permutations of business models within the sharing economy, especially considering sustainability.However, a gap exists between the design and successful implementation of sharing economy business models. This research aims to advance and structure knowledge about the sharing economy and sustainable business models, by using business modelling methods to study the design and implementation of sharing economy business models. Inspired by design science, this research engages in prescriptive theory-building and design- oriented research to construct and evaluate design artefacts. Incorporating data materials from people, documents, and literature, the research strategies of grounded theory and desk research are utilised to support methods for data collection and data analysis.The research proposes a prescriptive definition of the sharing economy as a socio-economic system that leverages technology to mediate two-sided markets, which facilitate temporary access to goods that are under- utilised, tangible, and rivalrous. From this, four design principles guide the formation of the sharing economy business model framework, which capture three value dimensions, sixteen business model attributes, and eighty- nine configuration options. This research proposes a coherent design theory to support the conceptualisation of sharing economy business models for sustainability.Additional artefacts are developed to support the successful implementation of these business models. First, business model patterns provide the justificatory knowledge to select relevant business model attributes in specific contexts. Then, a systematic framework measures the social impact of sharing platforms across four aspects – trust, empowerment, social justice, and inclusivity. Finally, organisational response strategies to COVID-19 are established in the sharing economy.The primary contribution of this research is conceptual, with additional modest methodological and empirical contributions. Furthermore, the artefacts are intended to be useful for research and practice, including scholars, entrepreneurs, managers, policymakers, investors, users, and concerned citizens

Innovation and the Triple Bottom Line: Investigating Funding Mechanisms and Social Equity Issues of Living Labs for Sustainability

Cities face a host of challenges including urbanisation and climate change and must quickly adapt and integrate sustainability solutions to deal with these challenges. One platform seen as a mechanism to support innovation for sustainability in cities is the concept of the living lab. A living lab is a user-centred, open innovation ecosystem that seeks to engage academia, industry and municipalities along with the community in the processes of co-creation and co-generation of products, processes or services in a real-world context. On-going research seeks to measure the potential of living labs to support innovation for sustainability as they are often regarded as a mechanism to support rapid social and technological transformations. The triple bottom line perspective guides this investigation to examine the environmental, financial and social aspects of living labs. Several methods are used in this study to analyse and triangulate data as it relates to the triple bottom line, namely, literature analysis of 118 living labs, thirteen respondents to a survey of living labs, five semi-structured interviews of funding partners and relevant stakeholders, and geographic information systems (GIS) analysis of living labs in the Netherlands, England and Wales. Living labs for sustainability offer the promise of sustainability transformations in cities; yet, issues plague the viability of living labs as a platform to usher such transitions. The results show that living labs most often engage in projects in the fields of energy efficiency and smart city solutions; yet, they do not communicate the decarbonisation and environmental impacts of their actions. In examining the extent to which the funding regime supports living labs, it is clear that the current funding strategy focuses on the financing of short-term projects as opposed to platforms or processes such as living labs. Consequently, the current funding regime needs to develop mechanisms that support platforms and ecosystems for sustainable innovation that would allow for long-term commitment and trust to be built between living labs and the community. Lastly, while living labs are often embedded in disadvantaged communities, it appears that living labs tend to only engage those willing participants who represent a non-diverse and privileged section of society. This analysis suggests that living labs for sustainability shall seek to engage all people impacted and included in their sustainability purview in the development of sustainability solutions

Reconfigurable structure

A reconfigurable structure includes a plurality of selectively extensible and retractable limbs, at least one node pivotably receiving respective ends of at least two limbs, and an actuator associated with each limb for extending and retracting the limb. The structure may further include an addressable module associated with each actuator to control the actuator

Methods of determining complete sensor requirements for autonomous mobility

A method of determining complete sensor requirements for autonomous mobility of an autonomous system includes computing a time variation of each behavior of a set of behaviors of the autonomous system, determining mobility sensitivity to each behavior of the autonomous system, and computing a change in mobility based upon the mobility sensitivity to each behavior and the time variation of each behavior. The method further includes determining the complete sensor requirements of the autonomous system through analysis of the relative magnitude of the change in mobility, the mobility sensitivity to each behavior, and the time variation of each behavior, wherein the relative magnitude of the change in mobility, the mobility sensitivity to each behavior, and the time variation of each behavior are characteristic of the stability of the autonomous system

System and method for determining stability of a neural system

Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer-readable media for determining stability of a neural system. The method includes tracking a function world line of an N element neural system within at least one behavioral space, determining whether the tracking function world line is approaching a psychological stability surface, and implementing a quantitative solution that corrects instability if the tracked function world line is approaching the psychological stability surface

Evolvable synthetic neural system

An evolvable synthetic neural system includes an evolvable neural interface operably coupled to at least one neural basis function. Each neural basis function includes an evolvable neural interface operably coupled to a heuristic neural system to perform high-level functions and an autonomic neural system to perform low-level functions. In some embodiments, the evolvable synthetic neural system is operably coupled to one or more evolvable synthetic neural systems in a hierarchy

System and method for embedding emotion in logic systems

A system, method, and computer readable-media for creating a stable synthetic neural system. The method includes training an intellectual choice-driven synthetic neural system (SNS), training an emotional rule-driven SNS by generating emotions from rules, incorporating the rule-driven SNS into the choice-driven SNS through an evolvable interface, and balancing the emotional SNS and the intellectual SNS to achieve stability in a nontrivial autonomous environment with a Stability Algorithm for Neural Entities (SANE). Generating emotions from rules can include coding the rules into the rule-driven SNS in a self-consistent way. Training the emotional rule-driven SNS can occur during a training stage in parallel with training the choice-driven SNS. The training stage can include a self assessment loop which measures performance characteristics of the rule-driven SNS against core genetic code. The method uses a stability threshold to measure stability of the incorporated rule-driven SNS and choice-driven SNS using SANE

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Adolescent Depression: Effects on Multiple Parameters

Clinical depression is the most frequently reported mental health problem for adolescents. Previously studied psychological treatment approaches for adolescent depression have recently been combined and packaged into a comprehensive psychoeducational intervention titled the Adolescent Coping With Depression Course (ACWDC). This study investigated whether treatment of clinically depressed adolescents using the ACWDC resulted in significant emotional, behavioral, and/or academic performance changes as reported by the adolescent, and observed by the parents and teachers. Nineteen clinically depressed adolescents were identified by screening 876 students in a local high school, using a multistage screening procedure. All selected subjects met the DSM III-R criteria of major depression or dysthymia. Identified subjects were randomly assigned to either a treatment or a waitlist-control condition. Subjects in the treatment condition received treatment while subjects in the waitlist-control condition received no treatment until after the completion of the study (eight weeks later). Treatment consisted of participation in the ACWDC, conducted in 12 two-hour teaching sessions held over an eight-week period after school. Outcome measures included a variety of self-report, teacher, and parent rating scales. A pretest-posttest randomized experimental design was utilized to examine treatment effects. At post-testing, subjects receiving treatment reported significantly greater decreases in depression and problem behaviors than subjects not receiving treatment. However, at post-testing there were no significant differences between treatment conditions on parent- and teacher-observed problem behaviors, or teacher-reported academic performance changes. Based on the results of this study and previous studies, participation by clinically depressed adolescents in the ACWDC does result in significant self-reported decreases in depression and problem behaviors. However, contrary to expectations, these self-reported changes have not been consistently observed by parents or teachers in reductions of problem behaviors at home or school, nor in significant teacher-observed academic improvement at school