12,749 research outputs found
Training Community-Based Professionals to Implement an Empirically Supported Parenting Program
Professionals representing 14 community-based organizations were trained at three different sites serving urban and rural families to implement an empirically supported parenting program for families of young children with challenging behaviors. Of the 44 practitioners trained, 23 successfully completed the program, which involved passing a knowledge test and facilitating the entire 10session program with a family. A total of 28, primarily low-income families completed the program. The family outcomes obtained by the facilitators, based on multiple pre-program and post-program measures, were comparable with those reported previously in the literature for facilitators trained in university settings. The challenges inherent in efforts to increase the community’s capacity to implement empirically supported programs are addressed
Complexity plots
In this paper, we present a novel visualization technique for assisting in observation and analysis of algorithmic\ud
complexity. In comparison with conventional line graphs, this new technique is not sensitive to the units of\ud
measurement, allowing multivariate data series of different physical qualities (e.g., time, space and energy) to be juxtaposed together conveniently and consistently. It supports multivariate visualization as well as uncertainty visualization. It enables users to focus on algorithm categorization by complexity classes, while reducing visual impact caused by constants and algorithmic components that are insignificant to complexity analysis. It provides an effective means for observing the algorithmic complexity of programs with a mixture of algorithms and blackbox software through visualization. Through two case studies, we demonstrate the effectiveness of complexity plots in complexity analysis in research, education and application
Measuring Visual Complexity of Cluster-Based Visualizations
Handling visual complexity is a challenging problem in visualization owing to
the subjectiveness of its definition and the difficulty in devising
generalizable quantitative metrics. In this paper we address this challenge by
measuring the visual complexity of two common forms of cluster-based
visualizations: scatter plots and parallel coordinatess. We conceptualize
visual complexity as a form of visual uncertainty, which is a measure of the
degree of difficulty for humans to interpret a visual representation correctly.
We propose an algorithm for estimating visual complexity for the aforementioned
visualizations using Allen's interval algebra. We first establish a set of
primitive 2-cluster cases in scatter plots and another set for parallel
coordinatess based on symmetric isomorphism. We confirm that both are the
minimal sets and verify the correctness of their members computationally. We
score the uncertainty of each primitive case based on its topological
properties, including the existence of overlapping regions, splitting regions
and meeting points or edges. We compare a few optional scoring schemes against
a set of subjective scores by humans, and identify the one that is the most
consistent with the subjective scores. Finally, we extend the 2-cluster measure
to k-cluster measure as a general purpose estimator of visual complexity for
these two forms of cluster-based visualization
EFFECTS OF ALTERNATIVE ACREAGE RESTRICTION PROVISIONS ON ALABAMA COTTON FARMS
The 1985 Farm Bill departs from recent farm bills in moving toward more restrictive acreage control. The change from a two- to a five-year average in calculating base acreage and enforcement of limited cross-compliance appear to significantly alter crop mix decisions on representative Alabama cotton farms.Political Economy,
EFFECT OF THE 1985 FARM BILL PROVISIONS ON FARMERS' SOIL CONSERVATION DECISIONS
Conservation initiatives in the 1985 Farm Bill affected farmers' decisions regarding soil conservation. A farmer survey was conducted and a multiperiod mixed-integer programming model was developed to determine an optimal farm plan with choice of crop-tillage combinations and land retirement. Results indicate that farmers' incentives to reduce soil loss in the Sand Mountain region in Alabama are not substantially affected by provisions of the 1985 Farm Bill. The bid price for the Conservation Reserve Program will have to be considerably higher than 1988 levels to provide an incentive to remove land from production.Agricultural and Food Policy,
Improving the Functional Control of Aged Ferroelectrics using Insights from Atomistic Modelling
We provide a fundamental insight into the microscopic mechanisms of the
ageing processes. Using large scale molecular dynamics simulations of the
prototypical ferroelectric material PbTiO3, we demonstrate that the
experimentally observed ageing phenomena can be reproduced from intrinsic
interactions of defect-dipoles related to dopant-vacancy associates, even in
the absence of extrinsic effects. We show that variation of the dopant
concentration modifies the material's hysteretic response. We identify a
universal method to reduce loss and tune the electromechanical properties of
inexpensive ceramics for efficient technologies.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Dynamic RKKY interaction between magnetic moments in graphene nanoribbons
Graphene has been identified as a promising material with numerous
applications, particularly in spintronics. In this paper we investigate the
peculiar features of spin excitations of magnetic units deposited on graphene
nanoribbons and how they can couple through a dynamical interaction mediated by
spin currents. We examine in detail the spin lifetimes and identify a pattern
caused by vanishing density of states sites in pristine ribbons with armchair
borders. Impurities located on these sites become practically invisible to the
interaction, but can be made accessible by a gate voltage or doping. We also
demonstrate that the coupling between impurities can be turned on or off using
this characteristic, which may be used to control the transfer of information
in transistor-like devices.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure
Factors Affecting the Corporate Decision-Making Process of Air Transport Manufacturers
Fuel economy is a pivotal question influencing the future sale and utilization of commercial aircraft. The NASA Aircraft Energy Efficiency (ACEE) Program Office has a program intended to accelerate the readiness of advanced technologies for energy efficient aircraft. Because the decision to develop a new airframe or engine is a major financial hazard for manufacturers, it is important to know what factors influence the decision making process. A method is described for identifying and ranking individuals and organizations involved at each stage of commercial air transport development, and the barriers that must be overcome in adopting new technologies
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