Systematic case study research : a practice-oriented introduction to building an evidence base for counselling and psychotherapy

Background: Historically, clinical case studies have played a central role in counselling and psychotherapy training and practice, by allowing practitioners to learn about ideas and interventions being developed by colleagues. In recent years, the development of methods for systematic collection and analysis of case data has made it possible for case study research to begin to make a contribution to the evidence base for therapy policy and practice. Aim: This paper provides an overview of the characteristics of rigorous case study research, introduces a set of studies that exemplify these principles, and reviews the relevance of systematic case study inquiry for policy, practice and training. Conclusions: If case study research is to fulfil its potential as a source of research-based knowledge, it is essential for practitioners to publish more systematic case studies that document the range and scope of everyday therapeutic practice. It is also necessary to carry out further research into a variety of methodological issues associated with single-case inquiry, as a means of further developing this approach to practice-based research

Catch allocation in a shared fishery with a minimally managed recreational sector

A prevalent problem in shared fisheries is competition between commercial and recreational fishers for access to a resource that is subject to increasing utilisation pressure. For most shared fisheries in New Zealand, the commercial sector is efficiently managed with a regime of individual transferable quota (ITQ), but the recreational fishing is only minimally managed. A model is developed that can be used to explore the size of the total allowable catch (TAC) that is both sustainable AND maximises the value to the NZ economy of the combined commercial and recreational catch when the commercial catch is regulated via a total allowable commercial catch (TACC) while the recreational catch (RC) is self regulating. Determinants of the optimal catch allocation include: • the relative size of annual value to recreational fishers vis-à-vis the value of one unit of ACE to the commercial fishing sector from a unit decrease in the TACC • the relation between value to recreational fishers and size of stock biomass • the biology, and in particular the population dynamics of the fishery • the nature of the functional relationship between the self regulating recreational catch and stock biomass. The model can be applied to a fishery of interest by quantifying the above variables and relationships.economics management shared fishery catch allocation, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

GPU accelerated Nature Inspired Methods for Modelling Large Scale Bi-Directional Pedestrian Movement

Pedestrian movement, although ubiquitous and well-studied, is still not that well understood due to the complicating nature of the embedded social dynamics. Interest among researchers in simulating pedestrian movement and interactions has grown significantly in part due to increased computational and visualization capabilities afforded by high power computing. Different approaches have been adopted to simulate pedestrian movement under various circumstances and interactions. In the present work, bi-directional crowd movement is simulated where an equal numbers of individuals try to reach the opposite sides of an environment. Two movement methods are considered. First a Least Effort Model (LEM) is investigated where agents try to take an optimal path with as minimal changes from their intended path as possible. Following this, a modified form of Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is proposed, where individuals are guided by a goal of reaching the other side in a least effort mode as well as a pheromone trail left by predecessors. The basic idea is to increase agent interaction, thereby more closely reflecting a real world scenario. The methodology utilizes Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) for general purpose computing using the CUDA platform. Because of the inherent parallel properties associated with pedestrian movement such as proximate interactions of individuals on a 2D grid, GPUs are well suited. The main feature of the implementation undertaken here is that the parallelism is data driven. The data driven implementation leads to a speedup up to 18x compared to its sequential counterpart running on a single threaded CPU. The numbers of pedestrians considered in the model ranged from 2K to 100K representing numbers typical of mass gathering events. A detailed discussion addresses implementation challenges faced and averted

Out of the pot and into the money: Managing the Western Rock Lobster Fishery by ITE's or ITQ's?

The West Coast Rock Lobster fishery is Australia's most valuable commercial fishery. Around 550 vessels harvest an average of 10,500 tonnes of lobster per annum. The industry has an enviable track record of biological management based on a variety of input controls, although three significant pot reduction interventions have been necessary in recent years. An evaluation of a range of possible future management regimes is reported in this paper. The results were derived from a purpose built bio-economic model three separate biological zones in the fishery using non linear optimization to produce ten year steady state solutions for alternative management options. Management options included the current pot control system, and versions of variable transferable catch quota. Key outputs for each scenario include: net economic benefits, breeder biomass index, annual catch, annual pot lifts, number of pots and vessel numbers. The results indicate significant potential net economic gains from moving away from the current input control regime. The range of scenarios modelled illustrated some of the tradeoffs between maximising net economic returns and minimizing biological risks, as well as quantifying the impact of changes such as improved pot design and extended fishing seasons. The results will inform consideration by the industry about a possible new management system.rock lobster, quotas, ITQs, Western Australia, bioeconomic, economic benefits, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Whiskerless Schottky diode

A Schottky diode for millimeter and submillimeter wave applications is comprised of a multi-layered structure including active layers of gallium arsenide on a semi-insulating gallium arsenide substrate with first and second insulating layers of silicon dioxide on the active layers of gallium arsenide. An ohmic contact pad lays on the silicon dioxide layers. An anode is formed in a window which is in and through the silicon dioxide layers. An elongated contact finger extends from the pad to the anode and a trench, preferably a transverse channel or trench of predetermined width, is formed in the active layers of the diode structure under the contact finger. The channel extends through the active layers to or substantially to the interface of the semi-insulating gallium arsenide substrate and the adjacent gallium arsenide layer which constitutes a buffer layer. Such a structure minimizes the effect of the major source of shunt capacitance by interrupting the current path between the conductive layers beneath the anode contact pad and the ohmic contact. Other embodiments of the diode may substitute various insulating or semi-insulating materials for the silicon dioxide, various semi-conductors for the active layers of gallium arsenide, and other materials for the substrate, which may be insulating or semi-insulating

Illegitimate Children’s Rights in Probate Proceedings—In re Estate of James A. Palmer, Deceased

The transfer of a person\u27s assets after death has been an important element in the law beginning with the Magna Carta, and is firmly rooted in American jurisprudence. Defining children and heirs for probate purposes remains a difficult issue. In particular, the determination of children and heirs in an age when the birth of “illegitimate” children is common makes the proper and just determination of heirship a recurring and timely topic. The Minnesota Probate Code defines the term “child” and provides: “a person is the child of the person\u27s parents regardless of the marital status of the parents and the parent and child relationship may be established under the Parentage Act, sections 257.51 to 257.74.” The Minnesota Supreme Court recently interpreted this provision in In re Estate of Palmer. The court held that in a probate proceeding paternity may be established by clear and convincing evidence without having to use the Parentage Act

Instrumentation for a Postural Sway Platform

A postural sway platform has been developed for studies involving elderly falters. It will be used to assist in determining reasons some elderly people are prone to falling and others are not. Results of these postural sway tests will be combined with other tests on both fallers and nonfallers to determine specific reasons for falling. A simple Z-axis platform has been developed that utilizes a unique hanger system and three strain gage transducers. The output of these transducers is input to an analog-to-digital conversion board in a personal computer. Software has been written to take data from the platform and display it graphically on the computer screen. This display includes real-time information on the center of gravity of the patient, as well as his/her weight. Arithmetic means are then calculated on the accumulated sway pattern data. These results and the results of other tests on patients can then be used to determine if a patient may be prone to falling