This study evaluated the effectiveness of proxy voice intervention, embedded within couple enactments, on client-perceived softening. During enactments, direct couple interaction is the focus while the therapist coaches from the periphery. In the context of an enactment, the therapist may use proxy voice when partners appear to be distressed and expressing themselves in terms of secondary emotions by modeling appropriate attachment and self-concept expression. The primary research question was whether therapist use of proxy voice in an enactment would be more likely to bring about softening effects, or whether use of proxy voice was counter-intuitive to enactment conceptualization and would bring about effects related to struggle (e.g. withdrawal or negativity). The review of literature sets forth (1) enactments as common factors; (2) enactments conceptually and operationally; (3) proxy voice in the context of enactments; and (4) the effects of proxy voice on softening versus withdrawal or negativity. Proxy voice occurred 42 times in nine research sessions where proxy voice was delivered repeatedly in a 20-30 minute enactment episode. Results indicated that proxy voice was significantly (both statistically and clinically) associated to softening while dissimilarly linked with withdrawal or negativity. Results also suggested that proxy voice may be used to dampen volatility and foster couple softening during enactment in the following ways: (1) proxy voice temporarily increases the structure of the couple interaction, thereby allowing the therapist to dampen reactivity and model healthy expression before returning to direct couple interaction; (2) proxy voice is a hypothesis of softer emotions that fits the clients' experiences, helps them to feel validated, and encourages them to consider something in a newer, softer way; and (3) proxy voice taps into foundational relationship dynamics surrounding self-concept and attachment experiences that "propel" interaction processes but remain outside conscious awareness or explicit expression for the couple. These preliminary findings suggest that proxy voice intervention embedded within a fluid, carefully delineated, and discriminating model of enactments effectively facilitates essential elements of couple interaction (expression of primary affect, and self-concept and attachment threats) while promoting self-reliant couple interaction and increased couple softening.

In this thesis, the impact of multihomed clients and multihomed proxy servers on the performance of modern networks is investigated. The network model used in our investigation integrates three main components: the new one-to-any Anycast communication paradigm that facilitates server replication, the next generation Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) that offers larger address space for packet switched networks, and the emerging multihoming trend of connecting devices and smart phones to more than one Internet service provider thereby acquiring more than one IP address. The design of a previously proposed Proxy IP Anycast service is modified to integrate user device multihoming and Ipv6 routing. The impact of user device multihoming (single-homed, dual-homed, and triple-homed) on network performance is extensively analyzed using realistic network topologies and different traffic scenarios of client-server TCP flows. Network throughput, packet latency delay and packet loss rate are the three performance metrics used in our analysis. Performance comparisons between the Anycast Proxy service and the native IP Anycast protocol are presented. The number of Anycast proxy servers and their placement are studied. Five placement methods have been implemented and evaluated including random placement, highest traffic placement, highest number of active interface placements, K-DS placement and a new hybrid placement method. The work presented in this thesis provides new insight into the performance of some new emerging communication paradigms and how to improve their design. Although the work has been limited to investigating Anycast proxy servers, the results can be beneficial and applicable to other types of overlay proxy services such as multicast proxies.

Bakgrund: Våld mot barn är ett vanligt fenomen globalt och förekommer i olika former, vilket kan leda till negativa konsekvenser hos de som har varit våldsutsatta som barn. Lagar som främjar barns rättigheter till ett adekvat omhändertagande och beskyddande har framhållits i denna studie. Sjuksköterskans yrkesspecifika kunskaper och skyldigheter inom hälso-och sjukvården har visat sig vara svåra att förhålla sig till, vilket har lett till brister inom anmälning av våld mot barn. Syfte: Belysa upplevelser av att ha varit våldsutsatt som barn. Metod: En kvalitativ studiedesign användes. Avsiktligt urval tillämpades och bestod av fem valda självbiografier. Analys av berättelser användes för att analysera de valda självbiografierna. I analysprocessen tillämpades fyra analysfrågor, varav en kretsade kring den teoretiska referensramen lidande. Resultat: Upplevelser hos de som har varit våldsutsatta som barn presenterades baserat på analysfrågorna. Rädsla i form av Växande gåshud var den huvudsakliga upplevelsen. Slutsats: Trots lagar som är tänkta att skydda barn från våldsutsatthet, var upplevelser av våld i barndomen vanligt förekommande i de fem självbiografierna. Upplevelser hade sitt ursprung i en maktlös position i rollen som barn, vilket hanterades med hjälp av strategier hos de som har varit våldsutsatta som barn. Icke gynnsamma upplevelser hos de som har varit våldsutsatta som barn framkom i vårdande sammanhang. Dessa upplevelser skulle ha kunnat förebyggas genom ett professionellt förhållningssätt hos sjuksköterskan. Rapportering och uppmärksammande av fenomenet våld mot barn skulle ha kunnat skydda barn från våldsutsatthet.

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<p>Traditionally, measures have been developed using Classical Test Theory (CTT). Modern psychometric methods (e.g. Rasch analysis) are being applied to increase understanding of item-level statistics and to aid in interpreting rating scale scores. This thesis aims to compare and contrast psychometric findings for the PedsQL^TM 4.0 Generic Core Scales using CTT and Rasch analysis to determine if a Rasch approach provides information that furthers our understanding of scale scores. The assumptions, advantages and limitations of each psychometric paradigm are presented.</p> <p>Issues that arise when measuring quality of life are discussed to set the stage for a psychometric analysis of the PedsQL^TM in a childhood cancer sample. The PedsQL^TM measures child health in terms of physical, social, emotional and school function. The parent-report version was used in a Canadian study of 385 parents of children aged 2 to 17 years on active cancer treatment and data was re-analyzed for this thesis. CTT analysis was performed using PASW Statistics and Rasch analysis was performed using Rumm2030.</p> <p>Internal consistency reliability was higher using CTT (a = 0.93) than Rasch analysis (Person Separation Index = 0.78). Rasch analysis item curves showed respondents did not discriminate between response categories and a 3 point scale (vs. 5) was preferred. Item curves also indicated most items were free of bias. There are no equivalent visual representations in CTT of how respondents use response categories or of whether items display bias. Both approaches indicate a large ceiling effect associated with the overall score.</p> <p>Results challenge internal consistency reliability of the PedsQL^TM 4.0. Rasch analysis permits detailed and visually pleasing examination of item-level statistics more effectively than CTT. Research is needed to determine which testing circumstances render Rasch analysis useful and justify time and resources to use both paradigms as complementary tools to maximize understanding of rating scale scores.</p> / Master of Science Rehabilitation Science (MSc)

This dissertation deals with monitoring, collecting, analyzing, and modeling of World Wide Web (WWW) traffic and client interactions. The rapid growth of WWW usage has not been accompanied by an overall understanding of models of information resources and their deployment strategies. Consequently, the current Web architecture often faces performance and reliability problems. Scalability, latency, bandwidth, and disconnected operations are some of the important issues that should be considered when attempting to adjust for the growth in Web usage. The WWW Consortium launched an effort to design a new protocol that will be able to support future demands. Before doing that, however, we need to characterize current users' interactions with the WWW and understand how it is being used. We focus on proxies since they provide a good medium or caching, filtering information, payment methods, and copyright management. We collected proxy data from our environment over a period of more than two years. We also collected data from other sources such as schools, information service providers, and commercial aites. Sampling times range from days to years. We analyzed the collected data looking for important characteristics that can help in designing a better HTTP protocol. We developed a modeling approach that considers Web traffic characteristics such as self-similarity and long-range dependency. We developed an algorithm to characterize users' sessions. Finally we developed a high-level Web traffic model suitable for sensitivity analysis. As a result of this work we develop statistical models of parameters such as arrival times, file sizes, file types, and locality of reference. We describe an approach to model long-range and dependent Web traffic and we characterize activities of users accessing a digital library courseware server or Web search tools. Temporal and spatial locality of reference within examined user communities is high, so caching can be an effective tool to help reduce network traffic and to help solve the scalability problem. We recommend utilizing our findings to promote a smart distribution or push model to cache documents when there is likelihood of repeat accesses. / Ph. D.