619 research outputs found
Exploring emotions and cognitions in hoarding: a Q-methodology analysis
Background:
The cognitions and emotions of people prone to hoarding are key components of the dominant cognitive behavioural model of hoarding disorder.
Aims:
This study sought to use Q-methodology to explore the thoughts and feelings of people that are prone to hoarding, to identify whether distinct clusters of participants could be found.
Method:
A 49-statement Q-set was generated following thematic analysis of initial interviews (n = 2) and a review of relevant measures and literature. Forty-one participants with problematic hoarding met various study inclusion criteria and completed the Q-sort (either online or offline). A by-person factor analysis was conducted and subsequent participant clusters compared on psychometric measures of mood, anxiety, hoarding and time taken on the online task as proxy for impulsivity.
Results:
Four distinct participant clusters were found constituting 34/41 (82.92%) of the participants, as the Q-sorts of n = 7 participants failed to cluster. The four clusters found were ‘overwhelmed’ (n = 11 participants); ‘aware of consequences’ (n = 13 participants); ‘object complexity’ (n = 6 participants) and ‘object–affect fusion’ (n = 4 participants). The clusters did not markedly differ with regard to hoarding severity, anxiety, depression or impulsivity.
Conclusions:
Whilst the participant clusters reflect extant research evidence, they also reveal significant heterogeneity and so prompt the need for further research investigating emotional and cognitive differences between people prone to hoarding
Adaptive Tuning of Drop-Tail Buffers for Reducing Queueing Delays.
Internet router buffers are used to accommodate
packets that arrive in bursts and to maintain high utilization of the egress link. Such buffers can lead to large queueing delays. We propose a simple algorithm, Active Drop-Tail (ADT), which regulates the queue size, based on prevailing traffic conditions, to a minimum size that still allows for a desired (high) level of utilization. Packet level ns2 simulations are provided to show that Adaptive Drop-Tail achieves significantly smaller queues than current approaches at the expense of 1-2% of the link utilization
On AIMD Congestion Control in Multiple Bottleneck Networks.
We consider a linear algebraic model of the Additive-Increase Multiplicative-Decrease congestion control algorithm and present results on average fairness and convergence for multiple bottleneck networks. Results are presented for
networks of both long-lived and short-lived flows
“The most brutal immigration regime in the developed world”: International Media Responses to Australia’s Asylum-Seeker Policy
Despite intense media coverage of Australia’s asylum-seeker policy, there is minimal attention to structures and processes that influence international media perspectives. This article explores international media responses to Australia’s policy using a mixed-method approach. Our research focused on twenty-five articles from international media outlets surrounding the 2014 “riots” at Manus Island Regional Processing Centre. Three major themes (political relationships, domestic policy and practice, and treatment of asylum-seekers) highlight some key trends in international media representations of this event as an example. We discuss the implications of such findings for the production, representation, and reception of international media stories.Malgré une couverture médiatique intense de la politique australienne concernant les chercheurs d’asile, il y a très peu d’attention portée aux structures et processus qui influencent les perspectives médiatiques internationales. Cet article étudie les réactions de la part des médias internationaux concernant la politique australienne en utilisant une approche à méthodologie mixte. Nos recherches se sont portées sur 25 articles émanant de diffuseurs de médias internationaux autour des «émeutes» de 2014 au Manus Island Regional Processing Centre (centre de traitement régional pour l’immigration de l’île de Manus). Trois thèmes principaux (Relations politiques, Politique interne et pratiques, et Traitement des chercheurs d’asile) mettent en valeur des tendances clés dans la représentation de la part des médias internationaux de cet évènement particulier en tant qu’exemple. Nous abordons une discussion des implications de ces recherches pour la production, la représentation et la réception des actualités médiatiques internationales
A non-invasive method for link upgrade planning using coarse-grained measurements
A basic problem faced by network operators concerns
the provisioning of bandwidth to meet quality of service
(QoS) requirements. In the network core, the preferred solution is simply to overprovision link bandwidth. We propose a new approach to making link upgrade decisions based only on readily available coarse SNMP measurements
The clinical effectiveness of stepped care systems for depression in working age adults: A systematic review
Primary cutaneous malignancies in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa: A retrospective histopathological review
Background. Excessive sun exposure and a high prevalence of HIV increase skin cancer risk in South Africa (SA).Objective. To describe the nature and extent of skin cancers presenting in the public and private health sectors of the Northern Cape Province of SA.Methods. A retrospective analysis of histologically confirmed new primary cutaneous malignancies from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2012 was conducted using public and private health sector databases. Types, quantity and distribution of common invasive malignancies by population group, age, gender, anatomical site and health sector were explored. One-year cumulative incidence was calculated and logistic regression models were used to analyse incidence and melanoma thickness trends.Results. A total of 4 270 biopsies (13 cutaneous malignancies) were identified. The commonest was squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), followed by basal cell carcinoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) and basosquamous carcinoma, in descending order. The odds of a white male developing SCC increased by 8% each year (odds ratio (OR) 1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 - 1.15; p=0.022), while the odds of a black male developing SCC and KS decreased by 9% (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.84 - 0.99; p=0.033) and 18% (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.70 - 0.97; p=0.022), respectively, each year. SCC and CMM were diagnosed at more advanced stages in the public than in the private healthcare sector. CMM is being detected earlier, as indicated by low-stage depth increasing by 72% annually (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.04 - 3.01; p=0.042).Conclusions. Results suggest that reported skin cancer patterns are changing. There is a need for further research and equitable appropriation of financial resources and effort towards developing primary skin cancer prevention initiatives in SA
Below the sea – below the radar? The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an opportunity for raising awareness of the ocean?
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Lunar elemental composition and ivestigations with D-CIXS x-ray mapping spectrometer on SMART-1
The D-CIXS Compact X-ray Spectrometer on ESA SMART-1 successfully launched in Sept 2003 can derive 45 km resolution images of the Moon with a spectral resolution of 185 eV, providing the first high-resolution global map of rock forming element abundances
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