Measuring emotion regulation ability across negative and positive emotions: The Perth Emotion Regulation Competency Inventory (PERCI)

Emotion regulation problems underlie the abnormal levels of negative or positive emotion that characterise many forms of psychopathology. Several self-report measures of emotion regulation ability exist, but many are inconsistent with contemporary emotion regulation theory, and none comprehensively assess this construct across both negative and positive emotions. In this paper, we report our attempt to remedy these measurement limitations by developing and validating the Perth Emotion Regulation Competency Inventory (PERCI), a 32 item self-report questionnaire that measures emotion regulation ability as it is defined by the extended process model of emotion regulation. In Study 1, our confirmatory factor analyses in a sample of adults (N = 231) suggested that the PERCI had a factor structure consistent with its theoretical basis and could separately measure people\u27s ability to regulate their negative and positive emotions. All subscale and composite scores had high internal consistency reliability. Study 2 (N = 1175) replicated these findings with respect to factor structure and internal consistency reliability, and correlational or regression analyses with measures of psychopathology, emotion regulation processes, alexithymia, and interpersonal attachment style also supported the validity of the PERCI. We conclude that the PERCI appears to have strong psychometric properties. Clinical and research implications are discussed

Predictors of Support Needs of Distance Education Students in the Institute of Distance Education and e-Learning (IDeL), University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

The study sought to establish the predictors of support systems for students in distance learning. Using the pragmatist paradigm, the study employed the concurrent triangulation design where 623 distance education students were randomly sampled from 41 study centers in Ghana for the quantitative phase of the study. Concurrently, 18 participated in 3 separate focus group discussions made up of 6 students each whilst the Registrar was also interviewed. Questionnaire adapted from Ozoglu (2009) was used to collect quantitative data whilst self-constructed semi-structured interview guides were used to collect qualitative data from the respondents. Means and Standard Deviations as well as Multiple Regression were used to analyse the quantitative data. The qualitative data were analysed using content analysis for respondents’ interview data. The study found that the most critical learner support needs were assistance in overcoming technical problems, orientation to the course media/delivery format of IDeL, help with the admission/registration process, counseling services to overcome students’ concerns about their education and textbooks provided by IDeL. The Regression Analysis showed that the learner support needs of the distance education students were predicted by sex, age and certificates students’ have enrolled for. It was recommended, therefore, that IDeL should consider the sex, age and certificates students’ have enrolled for in the provision of support systems for their students as they predict the support needs of the students

Microsurgical third ventriculocisternostomy as an alternative to ETV: report of two cases

OBJECTIVE: To describe a microsurgical alternative to endoscopic third ventriculocisternostomy. METHODS: Two children with shunt-dependent hydrocephalus and multiple shunt revisions were considered candidates for third ventriculocisternostomy (TVS). Because of slit ventricles, an endoscopic approach was not possible and, therefore, both patients received a microsurgical TVS by a supraorbital approach. RESULTS: In both cases, microsurgical TVS was successful and the patients became shunt free. CONCLUSION: Microsurgical TVS by a supraorbital craniotomy is a viable alternative to endoscopic TVS in selected cases

A Comparison of Sensitivity Analysis Techniques for Complex Models for Environmental Management

Computer based modelling methods are being used increasingly to replicate natural systems in order to review both large and small scale policy measures prior to their implementation. Integrated Assessment Modelling (IAM) incorporates knowledge from several different disciplines into one model in order to provide an overarching assessment of the impact of different management decisions. The importance of IAM is that the environmental, social and economic impacts of management choices can be assessed within a single model, further allowing assessment in relation to sustainability criteria. The considerable detail facilitated by these models often requires the inclusion of a large number of parameters and model inputs, many of whose values may not be known with certainty. For this reason and because models do not always behave intuitively (in particular when there are non-linearities involved), sensitivity analysis (SA) of the model to changes in its parameters and inputs is an important stage of model development. Current SA methods have not kept pace with rapid increases in computing power and availability and more importantly the resultant increases in model size and complexity. Also related to the complexity is increased difficulty in finding and fitting distributions to all parameters. Further, the complex nature of integrated models requires SA that is flexible and can be implemented regardless of model structure. This research aims to establish new criteria for SA used in the context of integrated models for environmental management and decision-making. These criteria are believed to reflect the current requirements specific to this type of modelling. Desirable criteria are identified as: high computational efficiency; ability to take into account higher order parameter interactions; ability to account for model non-linearities; not requiring knowledge of parameter probability distributions; and use in decision making. SA of an integrated model of the Namoi River catchment is performed using the Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Testing (FAST) method, Morris method, method of Sobol', and regression and correlation coefficients. The results from these analyses are used as a basis for comparing the SA methods by the new criteria outlined above. The Namoi model is a combination of a flow model with a non-linear component, a policy model, an economic model and an extraction model. It can be used for assessing management options for the river. SA of two different potential management options for the catchment is undertaken to facilitate comparison of sensitivity between two slightly different models. Comparison of the different SA methods shows that none of the methods meet all of the criteria and, in particular, there are no methods that are effective for use when comparing management options. This lack of an adequate SA method for integrated models indicates that development of a new method of SA specifically for integrated models for environmental management is desirable. The FAST method is shown to meet the criteria most effectively, being able to account for model non-linearity and non-monotonicity, requiring only parameter ranges (not distributions), and being relatively computationally efficient (although this does come at a loss of some resolution). Results from the FAST SA of the Namoi model show the model to be sensitive to several parameters within the non-linear loss module. Further, one management option shows sensitivity to the decision variables within the model while the other does not. This means that the first management option clearly corresponds to the more controllable form of the model

A framework for engaging stakeholders in solving real-world water resources management problems

Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) are becoming increasingly popular for solving environmental and water resources optimisation problems. In the past, the focus of these studies has generally been on methodological issues related to the optimisation algorithm, while the incorporation of stakeholder preferences in the MOEA solution process has largely been ignored. In recent years, there has been increased recognition of the need to apply these approaches to real-world problems to facilitate the realisation of their full potential. However, in most of these studies, stakeholder input was only used to direct the optimisation search process or select the final optimal solution(s), while the contribution of stakeholder input to other important components of the problem solving process was not considered. The reason for this is that the full consideration of stakeholder input in solving environmental and water resources optimisation problems requires the development of a more holistic approach, which involves a range of additional challenges. To address these challenges, a framework for including stakeholder input in real-world optimisation problems has been developed as part of the Optimal Water Resources Mix (OWRM) project initiated by the South Australian Government through the Goyder Institute for Water Research. The framework includes a conceptual framework (Figure 1) and a procedure for its implementation. The framework was applied to an urban water supply security study for Adelaide, South Australia. A summary of the framework and how it was implemented to identify optimal water sourcing options for the Adelaide case study is presented in this paper. This study highlights the important role of stakeholder input at the various stages of the problem formulation and optimisation process, analysis and results, although it can be expensive and time consuming to do so. It is recommended that adequate resources be made available for stakeholder engagement in project plans and budgets, as there needs to be clear and ongoing communication between stakeholder groups throughout the project. It also demonstrates that the use of MOEAs as the optimisation engine, together with appropriate stakeholder input, provides a combination that is well-suited to solving real-world water resources problems.W. Wu, H. R. Maier, G. C. Dandy, R. Leonard c, K. Bellette, S. M. Cuddy and S. Maheepal

ICNavS: A tool for reliable dynamic route guidance

The aim of this paper is to devise a new reliable dynamic route guidance approach by integrating the A* algorithm, the concept of reliability and an existing route guidance method into a single package. A new purpose-developed software tool, the Imperial College Navigation Software (ICNavS), is presented, so as to implement and demonstrate the new approach on a real road network, using simulated data. A summary of the background of the program is given, followed by a procedure developed in order to model the features of real road networks, as well as missing data. Then, a imulation experiment on a part of West London’s road network is carried out and the results are presented

Evaluation Document: GRUMP - Gawler River UNHARMED Mitigation Project

Hedwig van Delden, Roel Vanhout, Graeme Riddell, Elco Koks, Douglas Radford, Graeme C. Dandy, Eike Hamers, Holger R. Maier, Aaron C. Zecchi

Gendered self-views across 62 countries: A test of competing models

Social role theory posits that binary gender gaps in agency and communion should be larger in less egalitarian countries, reflecting these countries’ more pronounced sex-based power divisions. Conversely, evolutionary and self-construal theorists suggest that gender gaps in agency and communion should be larger in more egalitarian countries, reflecting the greater autonomy support and flexible self-construction processes present in these countries. Using data from 62 countries (N = 28,640), we examine binary gender gaps in agentic and communal self-views as a function of country-level objective gender equality (the Global Gender Gap Index) and subjective distributions of social power (the Power Distance Index). Findings show that in more egalitarian countries, gender gaps in agency are smaller and gender gaps in communality are larger. These patterns are driven primarily by cross-country differences in men’s self-views and by the Power Distance Index (PDI) more robustly than the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI). We consider possible causes and implications of these findings.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

The Micro-Pillar Shear-Stress Sensor MPS3 for Turbulent Flow

Wall-shear stress results from the relative motion of a fluid over a body surface as a consequence of the no-slip condition of the fluid in the vicinity of the wall. To determine the two-dimensional wall-shear stress distribution is of utter importance in theoretical and applied turbulence research. In this article, characteristics of the Micro-Pillar Shear-Stress Sensor MPS3, which has been shown to offer the potential to measure the two-directional dynamic wall-shear stress distribution in turbulent flows, will be summarized. After a brief general description of the sensor concept, material characteristics, possible sensor-structure related error sources, various sensitivity and distinct sensor performance aspects will be addressed. Especially, pressure-sensitivity related aspects will be discussed. This discussion will serve as ‘design rules’ for possible new fields of applications of the sensor technology