Relational Red Flags: Detecting Undesirable Qualities in Initial Romantic Encounters

This dissertation extends the work of Signal Detection Theory (SDT) (Green & Swets, 1966; Swets, 1964) in the social sciences by applying it to romantic relationships, specifically initial romantic encounters (i.e. formal or informal first few dates, or random, chance encounters). The term relational red flag is put forth to describe the detection of signals in initial romantic encounters that may be perceived as any undesirable quality, which can be a characteristic, behavior, state, or trait that a person would not want in a potential romantic partner. These undesirable qualities can be costly to a healthy, stable relationship because they conflict with the individual’s own expectations, similarities, and compatibilities. The significant findings of this dissertation are derived from a two-study, mixed methods approach. The results from Study 1 led to the formation of a relational red flag typology, comprised of the nine main types and 23 subtypes of relational red flags, which also included the identification of the most severe relational red flags. Gender differences were also discovered. Study 2 built off the foundation provided by Study 1, revealing that relational red flags change across young adulthood, depending on an individual’s specific dating experiences and their own personal development. Findings also showed that an individual’s family and social network can play a vital role in the detection and processing of relational red flags. Additionally, a sequential identification and decision-making process was also discovered, which explains how individuals detect, label, and then handle relational red flags. Lastly, the best and worst approaches to handling relational red flags was also identified. Discussions, limitations, and future research are provided for both studies

Conceptual information processing: A robust approach to KBS-DBMS integration

Integrating the respective functionality and architectural features of knowledge base and data base management systems is a topic of considerable interest. Several aspects of this topic and associated issues are addressed. The significance of integration and the problems associated with accomplishing that integration are discussed. The shortcomings of current approaches to integration and the need to fuse the capabilities of both knowledge base and data base management systems motivates the investigation of information processing paradigms. One such paradigm is concept based processing, i.e., processing based on concepts and conceptual relations. An approach to robust knowledge and data base system integration is discussed by addressing progress made in the development of an experimental model for conceptual information processing

Beyond capitalocentricism: are non-capitalist work practices "alternatives"?

It is widely believed that there is no alternative to capitalism. Over the last two decades however, the critical geography literature on diverse economies has demonstrated the existence of alternatives to capitalism by revealing the persistence of non-capitalist forms of work and organisation. The aim in this paper is to question the validity and usefulness of continuing to frame these non-capitalist practices as "alternatives". Positioning non-capitalist economic practices as “alternatives” fails to capture not only the ubiquity of such practices in everyday life, but also how those engaging do not see them as “alternatives” in the sense of a second choice, or less desirable option, to capitalist practices. The intention in doing so is to reveal that it is not non-capitalist practices that are “alternative” but rather, capitalist practices themselves, thus opening up the future to the possibility of a non-capitalist world more fully than has so far been the case. Key words: Economic geography qualitative UK capitalism diverse economies community self-hel

Tradeoff analysis for electric power planning in New England

The use of a multi-attribute trade-off analysis technique as a vehicle to provide information to a diverse group of electric industry interests can play a beneficial role for developing long-range strategies for the electric power sector. The advisory group/analysis team structure presented here allows different groups to evaluate multiple issues simultaneously, incorporating the range of supply and demand options, and future uncertainties characteristic of complex systems.The initial phase of such an Integrated Resource Planning project for New England electric power industry has identified that: significant gains in the areas of reliability and environmental emissions can be made by the introduction of new generating technologies; the recent emphasis on natural gas fired technologies should be matched by an effort to ensure adequate supplies of gas, and other effort to guard against fuel related vulnerabilities

Cosmic microwave background snapshots: pre-WMAP and post-WMAP

Abbreviated: We highlight the remarkable evolution in the CMB power spectrum over the past few years, and in the cosmological parameters for minimal inflation models derived from it. Grand unified spectra (GUS) show pre-WMAP optimal bandpowers are in good agreement with each other and with the one-year WMAP results, which now dominate the L < 600 bands. GUS are used to determine calibrations, peak/dip locations and heights, and damping parameters. These CMB experiments significantly increased the case for accelerated expansion in the early universe (the inflationary paradigm) and at the current epoch (dark energy dominance) when they were combined with `prior' probabilities on the parameters. A minimal inflation parameter set is applied in the same way to the evolving data. Grid-based and and Monte Carlo Markov Chain methods are shown to give similar values, highly stable over time and for different prior choices, with the increasing precision best characterized by decreasing errors on uncorrelated parameter eigenmodes. After marginalizing over the other cosmic and experimental variables for a weak+LSS prior, the pre-WMAP data of Jan03 cf. the post-WMAP data of Mar03 give Omega_{tot} =1.03^{+0.05}_{-0.04} cf. 1.02^{+0.04}_{-0.03}. Adding the flat prior, n_s =0.95^{+0.07}_{-0.04} cf. 0.97^{+0.02}_{-0.02}, with < 2\sigma evidence for a log variation of n_s. The densities have concordance values. The dark energy pressure-to-density ratio is not well constrained by our weak+LSS prior, but adding SN1 gives w_Q < -0.7. We find \sigma_8 = 0.89^{+0.06}_{-0.07} cf. 0.86^{+0.04}_{-0.04}, implying a sizable SZ effect; the high L power suggest \sigma_8 \sim 0.94^{+0.08}_{-0.16} is needed to be SZ-compatible.Comment: 36 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables, Jan 2003 Roy Soc Discussion Meeting on `The search for dark matter and dark energy in the Universe', published PDF (Oct 15 2003) is http://www.cita.utoronto.ca/~bond/roysoc03/03TA2435.pd

Observational Tests of the Mass-Temperature Relation for Galaxy Clusters

We examine the relationship between the mass and x-ray gas temperature of galaxy clusters using data drawn from the literature. Simple theoretical arguments suggest that the mass of a cluster is related to the x-ray temperature as $M \propto T_x^{3/2}$. Virial theorem mass estimates based on cluster galaxy velocity dispersions seem to be accurately described by this scaling with a normalization consistent with that predicted by the simulations of Evrard, Metzler, & Navarro (1996). X-ray mass estimates which employ spatially resolved temperature profiles also follow a $T_x^{3/2}$ scaling although with a normalization about 40% lower than that of the fit to the virial masses. However, the isothermal $\beta$-model and x-ray surface brightness deprojection masses follow a steeper $\propto T_x^{1.8-2.0}$ scaling. The steepness of the isothermal estimates is due to their implicitly assumed dark matter density profile of $\rho(r) \propto r^{-2}$ at large radii while observations and simulations suggest that clusters follow steeper profiles (e.g., $\rho(r) \propto r^{-2.4}$).Comment: 25 pages, 10 figures, accepted by Ap