An Examination Through An Ecological Lenses of the Relationships Among Stressors, Protective Factors, and Psychological Outcomes in the Lives of Urban Adolescents

Many urban youth are exposed to substantial rates of stressors within different levels of their environment which increases their likelihood for experiencing negative mental health outcomes. Some emerging research suggests that traditional individually-based and family-based protective factors have a limited role in protecting urban youth facing community-based stressors. This study examined whether community-based protective factors moderated the relationship between community-based stressors and psychological symptoms in a sample of 384 urban youth recruited from three schools in the Midwest region. Some support for hypothesis I was found. In particular, community-based protective factor (i.e. religion) was found to lessen the impact of exposure to community violence on parent reported Time 2 total psychological symptoms. On the other hand, relying on school-based supports was not found to mitigate the link between community-based stressors and youth reported Time 2 total psychological symptoms. This study also examined whether community-based protective factors promote healthier mental health outcomes by strengthening protective factors which exist in more proximal systems such as individually-based (i.e. coping) or family-based protective factors. No support for hypothesis II was found. Overall, findings from this study suggest that compared to individually-based or family-based protective factors, community-based protective factors were more likely to serve as moderators of the relationship between community-based stressors and psychological symptoms. Secondly, it suggests that community-based protective factors do not function uniformly across community-level stressors and psychological symptoms. The results found in this study have implications for developing interventions aimed at promoting well-being in urban youth. Future research should continue to use theory and previous findings to build this literature

Men Who Abuse Women: Testing a Narrative-Feminist Approach to Group Psychotherapy

Although a number of treatment approaches are available to psychotherapists who work with men who abuse women, we still know very little about how to effectively treat these men (Smedslund, Dalsbø, Steiro, Winsvold, & Clench-Aas, 2011). This study set out to test the efficacy of a process group for partner violent men, a group that was guided largely by a narrative-feminist philosophy developed by Australian psychologist Alan Jenkins (Jenkins, 1990). A secondary analysis of data was conducted on a sample of 821 partner violent men who were self- or court-referred to a non-profit community counseling agency in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Demographic data were obtained and self-report measures were administered at two time-points, pre- and post-treatment. A cross-lagged panel model was specified to evaluate the longitudinal effects of the group. Results found no change over time in men’s severity of abuse perpetration, psychological experience (depression and stress), self-esteem, and relationship functioning. Results showed that following treatment, men’s self-esteem decreased when they experienced greater psychological distress at the beginning of treatment. An unexpected finding in this study was the meaning of affective expression appeared to change for men from pre- to post-treatment. Findings are examined in light of the available literature, considering study limitations and directions for future scholarship

Diffusion of cosmic rays in galaxies and clusters of galaxies and its application to SKA CTA

A thesis submitted to the School of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, June 2015.Galaxy clusters are the largest virialised and most recently formed cosmic structures. Their study is therefore a powerful mechanism to probe the large scale properties of the universe. A full understanding of the non-thermal properties of galaxy clusters has not yet been achieved. In particular, the origin of radio halos in galaxy clusters is still a topic of debate today. Several models have been proposed to explain the origin of radio halos but all of these models present some problems either in reproducing observations or in predicting the values of their parameters. Recent observations of radio halos in clusters have shown that in some clusters the morphology of the radio emission appears to be more correlated with the distribution of galaxies than it is with the thermal gas. It has also been observed that while most clusters exhibit a correlation between the radio and X-ray luminosities, there are clear exceptions to this rule. Motivated by these observations, we propose a new theory to explain the origin of radio halos in clusters: that the radio emission observed in clusters is produced by electrons injected by different galaxies and di using in the intra cluster medium. In developing our theory, we study the diffusion of relativistic electrons in galaxies by obtaining a very general solution of the diffusion equation which describes the transport of cosmic rays. This solution allows us to study the spatial, spectral and temporal properties of relativistic electrons and their radio emission for a wide range of cosmic objects. We test this model by applying it to the radio galaxy M51 and reproduce its spatial and spectral properties. We also study the evolution of M51-like galaxies. The model is then applied to study radio halos in clusters of galaxies. We investigate how the properties of these radio halos change when the number and types of sources in a cluster are varied. We compare the results of this model with the observed radio map and density flux spectrum for several galaxy clusters, specifically the low-luminosity cluster CL1446+26 and other clusters with a range of luminosities. Our model provides a very promising explanation of the properties of radio halos in galaxies and clusters of galaxies. The observed properties like the morphology of radio maps in galaxy clusters, the ux spectrum and the correlation between radio and X-ray luminosities, can be reproduced by our model. This is done by considering the combination and evolution of galactic sources having radio properties similar to those of M51. Our model is simple and nevertheless very promising and therefore refining it can lead to a better understanding of the origin of radio halos

Exponential Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) Chart Under The Assumption of Moderateness And Its 3∆ Control Limits

Moderate distribution is a very good alternative of normal distribution proposed by Naik V.D and Desai J.M. [4], which has mean deviation as scale parameter rather than the standard deviation. Mean deviation (δ) is a very good alternative of standard deviation (σ) as mean deviation is considered to be the most intuitively and rationally defined measure of dispersion. This fact can be very useful in the field of quality control to construct the control limits of the control charts. On the basis of this fact Naik V.D. and Tailor K.S. [5] have proposed 3δ control limits. In 3δ control limits, the upper and lower control limits are set at 3δ distance from the central line where δ is the mean deviation of sampling distribution of the statistic being used for constructing the control chart. In this paper it has been assumed that the underlying distribution of the variable of interest follows moderate distribution proposed by Naik V.D and Desai J.M. [4] and 3δ control limits of exponential weighted moving average chart are derived. Also an empirical study is carried out to illustrate the use these charts

Using Best Practices of Teaching and Learning to Make Your Meetings More Inclusive and Productive

As instructors of information literacy, our goal is to equip learners with the skills needed to critically evaluate, use, and create information effectively and ethically. Listening and speaking skills are vital, as the information proficient learner listens to information, asks questions, and synthesizes the information with which they interact. As instructors, we model these skills and behaviors within and outside of classrooms and libraries. We teach learners how to read information, model metacognitive skills, and support learners with how to effectively articulate their findings and new knowledge. We recognize that our pedagogy extends beyond the traditional classroom, which can include other learning spaces, such as meeting spaces. Taking a broader understanding of “learners” can include traditional students as well as our colleagues and teaching moments can abound within these interactions. As teachers, we must model and set learners up for success in classrooms and meeting spaces and ensure they are inclusive and productive. This involves best practices of teaching and instructional design: understanding learner characteristics, creating effective learning outcomes, designing assessment to measure learning, creating effective instructional materials, and using feedback and reflection to improve our teaching. In this workshop, learn how to apply best practices of teaching and learning to your meetings in order to make them more productive and inclusive. Participants will have time to plan an upcoming meeting or revise a past meeting in this workshop

Using Best Practices of Teaching and Learning to Make Your Meetings More Inclusive and Productive

As instructors of information literacy, our goal is to equip learners with the skills needed to critically evaluate, use, and create information effectively and ethically. Listening and speaking skills are vital, as the information proficient learner listens to information, asks questions, and synthesizes the information with which they interact. As instructors, we model these skills and behaviors within and outside of classrooms and libraries. We teach learners how to read information, model metacognitive skills, and support learners with how to effectively articulate their findings and new knowledge. We recognize that our pedagogy extends beyond the traditional classroom, which can include other learning spaces, such as meeting spaces. Taking a broader understanding of “learners” can include traditional students as well as our colleagues and teaching moments can abound within these interactions. As teachers, we must model and set learners up for success in classrooms and meeting spaces and ensure they are inclusive and productive. This involves best practices of teaching and instructional design: understanding learner characteristics, creating effective learning outcomes, designing assessment to measure learning, creating effective instructional materials, and using feedback and reflection to improve our teaching. In this workshop, learn how to apply best practices of teaching and learning to your meetings in order to make them more productive and inclusive. Participants will have time to plan an upcoming meeting or revise a past meeting in this workshop

Automatic surface defect quantification in 3D

Three-dimensional (3D) non-contact optical methods for surface inspection are of significant interest to many industrial sectors. Many aspects of manufacturing processes have become fully automated resulting in high production volumes. However, this is not necessarily the case for surface defect inspection. Existing human visual analysis of surface defects is qualitative and subject to varying interpretation. Automated 3D non-contact analysis should provide a robust and systematic quantitative approach. However, different 3D optical measurement technologies use different physical principles, interact with surfaces and defects in diverse ways, leading to variation in measurement data. Instrument s native software processing of the data may be non-traceable in nature, leading to significant uncertainty about data quantisation. Sub-millimetric level surface defect artefacts have been created using Rockwell and Vickers hardness testing equipment on various substrates. Four different non-contact surface measurement instruments (Alicona InfiniteFocus G4, Zygo NewView 5000, GFM MikroCAD Lite and Heliotis H3) have been utilized to measure different defect artefacts. The four different 3D optical instruments are evaluated by calibrated step-height created using slipgauges and reference defect artefacts. The experimental results are compared to select the most suitable instrument capable of measuring surface defects in robust manner. This research has identified a need for an automatic tool to quantify surface defect and thus a mathematical solution has been implemented for automatic defect detection and quantification (depth, area and volume) in 3D. A simulated defect softgauge with a known geometry has been developed in order to verify the implemented algorithm and provide mathematical traceability. The implemented algorithm has been identified as a traceable, highly repeatable, and high speed solution to quantify surface defect in 3D. Various industrial components with suspicious features and solder joints on PCB are measured and quantified in order to demonstrate applicability