Thesis (M.A. (Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2000 / Refer to document

There are problems with poor quality, poor scheduling and poor working climate in the Swedish construction industry. Many parts have been involved, trying to solve the problem. This spring a new planning and building-law becomes final. In this law, the requirements set on the controls are greater. Hopefully this will lead to fewer construction errors. The requirements set on the working environment have also increased, forcing consultants and contractors to focus on safe workplaces. For each project requiring a building permit, an inspection plan has to been drawn. The inspection plan aims to ensure that the constructed building is operational. To ensure that the control plan is followed, self monitoring is performed. For each project, every designer also has to do a risk analysis to ensure a safe working environment. This report presents an investigation of stakeholders’ roles in the construction process. It also points out what by law should be controlled and against what. The result of the report is templates for control against PBL, self-monitoring plan and risk analysis. / Det finns stora problem med bristande kvalitet, dålig tidplanering och undermåligt arbetsmiljöklimat i den svenska byggbranschen. Detta problem är något som berörda parter lagt ner mycket tid på för att komma till rätta med. Som ett led i strävan mot kvalitetssäkring träder en ny Plan- och bygglag i kraft den 2 maj, som ökar kravet på innehåll i kontrollplaner, och därmed egenkontrollplaner. Arbetsmiljöfrågor har under senare år även de blivit mer aktuella med krav på byggarbetsmiljösamordnare och riskanalys. För samtliga projekt som kräver bygglov, rivningslov, marklov eller anmälan krävs en kontrollplan. Dessutom ska en egenkontrollplan samt en riskanalys finnas för samtliga projektörer i samtliga projekt. Riskanalyser ligger ofta till grund för val av lösningar eller omdirigeringar för att undvika personskador. I denna rapport redovisas en grundlig utredning av nyckelpersoners roll i kvalitets- och arbetsmiljöarbetet, samt vad som egentligen ska kontrolleras och mot vad. Nyckelpersonerna identifieras efterhand i rapporten. Resultatet av utredningen är förslag på utformning av mallar för kontrollplan-PBL, egenkontrollplan samt riskanalys.

本研究嘗試從社會比較理論的觀點出發，欲探討線上參考團體（即網友意見）對消費者行為之影響。經由文獻回顧，本研究釐清了社會比較行為與參考團體影響力之基本意涵與兩者間之關係，並引入產品特性、自我監控程度以及資訊搜尋價值等變項，欲探討此三變項於上述關係中之干擾效果是否存在。 本研究以台大批踢踢實業坊作為施測場域，利用網路問卷蒐集使用者資料。調查發現，受訪者之社會比較行為（區分為反射式評估和對照式評估）與線上參考團體之影響力（區分為資訊依賴、來源可信度及購買選擇三構面）之間，確實可能存在顯著關聯性與影響關係。而瀏覽不同產品特性、具有不同自我監控程度或是獲得不同程度資訊搜尋價值之受訪者，他們受到線上參考團體影響之程度亦有所差異。然而，上述三變項在社會比較行為與線上參考團體影響力兩者關係間之干擾效果未被證實。

The factor of precision has always been the mastermind of the shooting sport. With new shooters coming into the field every day and with more aspiring shooters bringing laurels, a help of technology for training can make a difference. When advanced systems like the SCATT, Electronic Target Systems, etc. are marked for the people of the higher background, an easy handle autonomous system for self-monitoring training of precision improvement has always been a question of far reach. This project is about developing an external removable device, which will monitor and evaluate the shooter efficiency of gripping weapon, measure by pressure given at the contact points of the weapon. In the contact points, such as the trigger, the hand grip, cheek rest, butt plate and the hand rest; we use force sensitive resistors, which are connected to an automatic monitoring system built over an Arduino platform. The system analyses the shots based on the variation in the pressure at each point of contact for every shot. By further analysis and consolidation, the average pressure over a range of shots, an optimal pressure point can be fixed individually for the respective shooter. This pressure points are used as references, by rating them in comparison with the corresponding shot acquired in the target. The system includes a pre-designed training program, which autonomously monitors and trains the shooter to achieve the optimum grip in every shot, thereby increasing the accuracy and precision in a sequence of shots. With time, it helps the body to develop a muscle memory based on controlled training and learn the rhythm of applying optimum pressure to achieve better results. / <p>Noted the puBlication content is patented.</p>

Diabetes mellitus belongs to diseases frequently occurring in childhood and adulthood. Insufficient knowledge of this disease and an unsatisfactory compensation for diabetes leads to development of late complications that have a negative impact on one's, as well as the family's, life and create an economic problem for society as a whole. The thesis focuses on the main characteristics of the disease, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Complications of the disease, including advice for patients themselves and their prevention are described in more detail. Social aspects (work inclusion of a diabetic, invalidity and reduced work capacity, driving of motor vehicles) are also emphasised. The research part containing 18 questions aims to find out to what extent the Czech public is informed about the problematic areas of this disease. It also assesses the feasibility of obtaining information from individuals of different ages and places of residence (city vs. village) regarding diabetes. These hypotheses were stated within the scope of the research: 1. Individuals older than 50 years of age are better informed about diabetes than individuals of a younger age. 1. Individuals living in a city have a better access to information concerning diabetes than individuals living in a village. The data was obtained from questionnaire research, in which respondents older than 18 years of age participated. The data collection took place in Bechyně Spa Ltd. 58 % of the resultant questionnaires were completed by women and 42 % by men.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) é uma das principais causas de doença renal crônica terminal. Na doença renal diabética (DRD) observa-se um curso bifásico no padrão glicêmico, na fase inicial o aumento da resistência insulínica induz a hiperglicemia e, com perda progressiva da taxa de filtração glomerular, há redução na depuração dos medicamentos anti-hiperglicemiantes e insulina, aumentando o risco de hipoglicemias. Portanto, diante da perda da função renal, a reavaliação da terapia hipoglicemiante e ajustes constantes nas doses de insulina são necessários, com intuito de otimizar o controle glicêmico e minimizar seus efeitos colaterais. A revisão da literatura mostra diversos pontos sem resposta, principalmente relacionados à dose, ajuste da terapia insulínica, seguimento e monitoração do controle glicêmico em portadores de DM e DRC. O objetivo deste ensaio randomizado, cruzado, controlado foi comparar o controle glicêmico do tratamento com insulina glargina à insulina NPH em portadores de DM2 e DRD estágios 3 e 4. Pacientes e métodos: Trinta e quatro pacientes foram randomizados para receber insulina glargina uma vez ao dia ou insulina NPH em três aplicações diárias. Insulina lispro foi prescrita três vezes ao dia, em aplicações pré-prandiais nos dois grupos. Após 24 semanas de terapia, os pacientes tiveram seu esquema de insulina trocado para terapia insulínica oposta. Testes laboratoriais foram realizados após 12, 24, 36 e 48 semanas de estudo. O sistema de monitorização continua de glicose (CGMS) foi instalado ao término de cada terapia. Resultados: Dos 34 pacientes incluídos, 29 completaram as 48 semanas propostas no estudo, 2 pacientes perderam seguimento por má adesão e 3 pacientes não completaram o estudo em decorrência a eventos adversos (1 óbito, 1 ingresso em hemodiálise e 1 evento cardiovascular, todos em uso de insulina NPH). Após 24 semanas de tratamento com insulina glargina houve uma redução estatisticamente significante da média da HbA1c de 8,86 ± 1,4% para 7,95 ± 1,1% (p=0,0285), esta diferença não foi observada com a insulina NPH (8,21 ± 1,29% para 8,44 ± 1,32%). Durante o uso de insulina glargina o número de eventos noturnos de hipoglicemia foi menor comparado a insulina NPH (p=0,046); além disso, hipoglicemia grave ocorreu apenas na terapêutica com NPH. Conclusão: O tratamento com insulina glargina foi associado a melhor controle glicêmico e a redução do risco de hipoglicemia noturna quando comparada à insulina NPH,em pacientes portadores de DM e DRC estágios 3 e 4 / Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Kidney disease diagnosis and its progression require re-evaluation of hypoglycemic therapy and constant dosing adjustments, to optimize glycemic control and minimize its side effects. Long acting insulin analogs and its pharmacokinetics have not been studied in different stages of kidney disease, nor is there consensus defining appropriate dose adjustment in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and CKD. The aim of this randomized, cross-over, open-label controlled clinical trial is to compare the glycemic response to intensive insulin treatment with NPH insulin or insulin glargine in T2DM patients and CKD stages 3 and 4. The primary efficacy end point was change in A1C from baseline. Thirty-four patients were randomized to receive insulin glargine once a day or NPH insulin, three times a day. Insulin lispro was prescribed as prandial insulin to both groups. After six months, patients switched to the other insulin therapy group. Laboratory tests were performed at baseline at 12, 24, 36 and 48 weeks. A continuous glucose monitoring system was implemented after 24 weeks and at the end of protocol. Results: Total of 29 subjects have completed the two branches of study, 2 patients dropped out due to low compliance and other 3 patients as a result of adverse events (1 death, 1 ingress on dialysis program, 1 cardiovascular event; all of them were on NPH therapy). After 24 weeks, average of A1c decreased on glargine group compared to baseline 8,86 ± 1,4% to 7,95 ± 1,1% (p=0,0285), but this difference was not observed on NPH group. There were no differences of insulin doses between both groups. Glargine group showed a tendency of lower risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia compared to NPH group (p=0,046). Conclusion: Insulin glargine improved glycemic control by reducing HbA1c without gain weight and with reduced tendency toward nocturnal hypoglycemic events compared with NPH insulin

The ability to accurately predict an impending hard disk failure is important for reliable storage system design. The facility provided by most hard drive manufacturers, called S.M.A.R.T. (self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology), has been shown by current research to have poor predictive value. The problem of finding alternatives to S.M.A.R.T. for predicting disk failure is an area of active research. In this work, we present a rule discovery methodology, and show that it is possible to construct decision support systems that can detect such failures using information recorded from live disks. It is desired that any such prediction methodology should have high accuracy and must have ease of interpretability. Black box models can deliver highly accurate solutions but do not provide an understanding of events which explains the decision given by it. To this end we explore rule based classifiers for predicting hard disk failures from various disk events. We show that it is possible to learn easy to understand rules from disk events. Our evaluation shows that our system can be tuned either to have a high failure detection rate (i.e., classify a bad disk as bad) or to have a low false alarm rate (i.e., not classify a good disk as bad). We also propose a modification of MLRules algorithm for classification of data with imbalanced class distributions. The existing algorithm, assuming relatively balanced class distributions and equal misclassfication costs, performs poorly in classification of such datasets. The performance can be considerably improved by introducing cost- sensitive learning to the existing framework.

The mere thought effect is the tendency for favorable attitudes to become more favorable and unfavorable attitudes to become more unfavorable following thought (Tesser, 1978). Changes in belief-consistency and belief-confidence mediate this effect (Tesser, Martin, & Mendolia, 1995). However, there are self-monitoring differences in the extent to which people are driven by consistency in their beliefs (Fuglestad & Snyder, 2009; Snyder, 1974). It was predicted that mere-thought and self-monitoring will interactively influence attitude polarization. We also hypothesized that the interactive effects of mere-thought and self-monitoring on attitude polarization will be mediated by belief-consistency and belief-confidence. After indicating their initial attitudes about capital punishment, participants were randomly assigned to two different opportunities for thought (i.e., 60s or 180s condition) to list all beliefs about capital punishment. Participants independently responded to the 25-item Self-Monitoring Scale (Snyder, 1974) and a measure on belief-confidence. As predicted, there was a marginally reliable significant interaction between mere-thought and self-monitoring. Low self-monitors compared to high self-monitors demonstrated more polarized attitudes when giving them more time to think about a target issue. As predicted, after controlling for belief-consistency and belief-confidence, the interaction between opportunity for thought and self-monitoring was attenuated. Limitations (i.e., problem with directionality, third variable problem, and threats to statistical validity) and suggestions for future research (i.e., conditions high self-monitors might exhibit more attitude polarization and exploring additional personality/situational moderators) were discussed.

Cognitive dissonance occurs when someone engages in a counter-attitudinal behavior that has negative consequences. In the present study whether moderators such as self-monitoring and self-compassion impact the experience of dissonance. Specifically, high self-monitors should experience less dissonance than low self-monitors because of their propensity to alter their opinions based on the social cues around them and not be as attached to their opinions as low self-monitors. Self-compassion may also moderate the dissonance effect in that more self-compassionate individuals may handle the experience of dissonance with more self-kindness and subsequently experience less dissonance than participants with low self-compassion. Participants (N = 331, 76% women, Mage= 22.5) completed an online survey where they expressed their opinion on a variety of ethical issues on a 15 point scale. Participants were then asked to write a counter-attitudinal essay on the ethical issue of capital punishment. If participants indicated previously that they supported capital punishment then they were asked to write against capital punishment, and vice versa for those who initially indicated being against capital punishment. Perception of choice was manipulated such that participants were given no choice to write according to the instructions or participants had a perceived choice in their writing topic. They were then asked to respond to several dependent variable measures and predictor variables including the full self-monitoring and self-compassion scales. Overall, participants experienced cognitive dissonance from writing the essay, and self-monitoring moderated participants’ experience of cognitive dissonance. Self-compassion did not moderate the dissonance effect; however, self-compassion interacted with dissonance to impact participants’ endorsement of moral values. These findings suggest cognitive dissonance effects can be extended to moral attitudes, and self-monitoring may impact people’s individual dissonance experiences.

A connection between self-monitoring, which is an individual difference in concern about self-presentation, and partner knowledge structures, which is how people organize thoughts about their current romantic partner, is explored in this study. There were two competing hypotheses. If people structure thoughts about their partner in a way similar to how they structure their social worlds, then low self-monitors would have integrated partner knowledge structures and high self-monitors would have compartmentalized partner knowledge structures. If people structure thoughts about their partner in a way that reflects their relationship motivations and needs then we would find the opposite pattern of results. We used a measure of compartmentalization and integration as well as Snyder’s (1974) Self-Monitoring Scale to explore our hypotheses. Although both low self-monitors and high self-monitors had relatively compartmentalized partner knowledge structures, we found support for the relationship motivations and needs hypothesis. Low self-monitors had more compartmentalized partner knowledge structures than did high self-monitors. In fact, low self-monitors were more likely than high self-monitors to have completely compartmentalized views of their partners. Reasons for these findings, limitations of this study, and future directions are discussed.