Enhancing suicide risk assessment through the use of visual metaphor : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Health Science in Psychology at Massey University, Albany Campus, New Zealand

Competent assessment and management of the risk of harm is a core competency that mental health professionals are expected to possess. However, despite this expectation, adequate training programs have been lacking for decades and, even when risk assessment training is provided, it is often reported as being insufficient. The literature indicates that training delivery methods often include passive and didactic methods during supervision or seminar sessions. To help enhance the learning of suicide risk factors, some authors proposed a visual metaphor that visually and metaphorically depicts all suicide risk factors. The main purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of the proposed visual metaphor. A pilot RCT was undertaken to test several hypotheses, all of which predicted that the visual metaphor would demonstrate superior effects when compared with the conventional textual teaching methods. A group of 22 psychology students were randomized into either a control group (who learnt suicide risk factors via the conventional textual teaching methods) or a treatment group (that learnt the risk factors using the visual metaphor in addition to the conventional textual teaching methods). Memory recall, knowledge transfer, cognitive load, and satisfaction were all tested at the end of the learning sessions. Independent samples t tests indicated that the visual metaphor was effective in improving memory recall and knowledge transfer and reducing the cognitive load. The differences between the two groups’ post-learning scores were significant in each of these outcome measures. The treatment group also expressed higher satisfaction levels in comparison to the control group. Overall the visual metaphor of suicide risk factors was found to be superior to the conventional teaching methods in teaching suicide risk factors to university psychology students. Limitations, implications of this study and directions for future research are discussed

Supergravity and Large N Noncommutative Field Theories

We consider systems of Dp branes in the presence of a nonzero B field. We study the corresponding supergravity solutions in the limit where the branes worldvolume theories decouple from gravity. These provide dual descriptions of large N noncommutative field theories. We analyse the phase structure of the theories and the validity of the different description. We provide evidence that in the presence of a nonzero B field the worldvolume theory of D6 branes decouples from gravity. We analyse the systems of M5 branes and NS5 branes in the presence of a nonzero C field and nonzero RR fields, respectively. Finally, we study the Wilson loops (surfaces) using the dual descriptions.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures, Latex; typos corrected, ref. adde

Trading Wireless Information and Power Transfer: Relay Selection to Minimize the Outage Probability

This paper studies the outage probability minimization problem for a multiple relay network with energy harvesting constraints. The relays are hybrid nodes used for simultaneous wireless information and power transfer from the source radio frequency (RF) signals. There is a trade-off associated with the amount of time a relay node is used for energy and information transfer. Large intervals of information transfer implies little time for energy harvesting from RF signals and thus, high probability of outage events. We propose relay selection schemes for a cooperative system with a fixed number of RF powered relays. We address both causal and non-causal channel state information cases at the relay--destination link and evaluate the trade-off associated with information/power transfer in the context of minimization of outage probability.Comment: IEEE GlobalSiP, 201

3D Camouflaging Object using RGB-D Sensors

This paper proposes a new optical camouflage system that uses RGB-D cameras, for acquiring point cloud of background scene, and tracking observers eyes. This system enables a user to conceal an object located behind a display that surrounded by 3D objects. If we considered here the tracked point of observer s eyes is a light source, the system will work on estimating shadow shape of the display device that falls on the objects in background. The system uses the 3d observer s eyes and the locations of display corners to predict their shadow points which have nearest neighbors in the constructed point cloud of background scene.Comment: 6 pages, 12 figures, 2017 IEEE International Conference on SM

Entanglement Entropy for Logarithmic Conformal Field Theory

We study holographic entanglement entropy for certain logarithmic conformal field theories by making use of their gravity descriptions. The corresponding gravity descriptions are provided by higher derivative gravity at critical points where the equations of motion degenerate leading to a log gravity. When the central charge of the dual theory is zero, the entanglement entropy has a new divergent term whose coefficient is given by the new anomaly of the logarithmic conformal field theory.Comment: 16 pages, no figures, V2: Refs. added, typos fixed, V3: Published versio

Holographic Entanglement Entropy for 4D Conformal Gravity

Using the proposal for holographic entanglement entropy in higher derivative gravities, we compute holographic entanglement entropy for the conformal gravity in four dimensions which turns out to be finite. However, if one subtracts the contribution of the four dimensional Gauss-Bonnet term, the corresponding entanglement entropy has a divergent term and indeed restricted to an Einstein solution of the conformal gravity, the resultant entanglement entropy is exactly the same as that in the Einstein gravity. We will also make a comment on the first law of the entanglement thermodynamics for the conformal gravity in four dimensions.Comment: 16 pages, Published Versio