Recent polls suggest that less than half (46%) of Canadians are confident in the criminal justice system (CJS) as a whole (e.g., Roberts, 2004). Low levels of public confidence are problematic, as the criminal justice system relies on public support in order to function effectively (Casey, 2008). Previous research has found that attitudes toward the CJS are typically based on misperceptions and misinformation, with the public being unaware of the functioning of the CJS as well as crime trends (e.g., Doob, 2000). Therefore, it seems logical that providing the public with factual information about crime and criminal justice may lead to increased confidence. A handful of studies conducted in the United Kingdom have shown that, in general, public education does lead to increased confidence (e.g, Hough & Park, 2002). However, questions pertaining to the mode of delivery have been raised (Singer & Cooper, 2009). Therefore, three studies were conducted in order to further investigate this issue as well as to delve into the differences between active and passive learning. Whereas active learning refers to being actively engaged in the learning process through various means (e.g, discussion, problem-solving), passive learning refers to passively obtaining information, such as by listening or by reading (Prince, 2004). Before attempting to change public opinion of the CJS, it is crucial that we first have a comprehensive understanding of what these opinions and attitudes are. As such, Study 1, a quantitative survey of CJS knowledge and attitudes, and Study 2, qualitative focus groups, were conducted. Results from these two studies were used to develop materials for Study 3: Increasing confidence in the CJS through education. As has been found in past research, participants who received CJS information had a higher level of knowledge than controls, who received information about Canadas health care system. Interestingly, the type of learning (active vs. passive) did not have an effect on CJS knowledge. However, an effect was observed in regards to confidence and satisfaction: Participants who received CJS information through active learning were more confident in the CJS and had a higher level of satisfaction. These results have important implications for real-world interventions.

The purpose of the study was to develop a sequential test method for obtaining a confidence interval in life-testing. The problem of using a maximum likelihood estimator based upon grouped data was considered. Life-times that were investigated are described by the exponential distribution. The sequential test used the length of the confidence interval as a stopping rule.The test method and necessary calculations were described. The results of using different length values as a stopping rule were compared using a computer simulation. Results are indicated in two categories: percent of time the estimate contained the true parameter value, and average number of data collection times needed to obtain the estimate. It was concluded that the test method was accurate and efficient. The length value was a considerable factor in deriving good results from the test method. It was recommended that research be continued to establish a method of choosing the best length value to be used.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

The receiver operating characteristic, or the ROC curve, is widely utilized to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a test, in other words, the accuracy of a test to discriminate normal cases from diseased cases. In the biomedical studies, we often meet with missing data, which the regular inference procedures cannot be applied to directly. In this thesis, the random hot deck imputation is used to obtain a 'complete' sample. Then empirical likelihood (EL) confidence intervals are constructed for ROC curves. The empirical log-likelihood ratio statistic is derived whose asymptotic distribution isproved to be a weighted chi-square distribution. The results of simulation study show that the EL confidence intervals perform well in terms of the coverage probability and the average length for various sample sizes and response rates.

Introduction: Driver perceptions may be a more important determinant of behaviour than one’s actual driving abilities. While there is evidence to support these associations, prior studies have relied on self-reports of driving behaviour. Purpose: The primary purposes of this study were to extend previous research by examining driver perceptions in relation to measures of actual driving behaviour and to compare the perceptions and behaviour of sole versus couple drivers. Methods: A convenience sample of 61 older drivers (aged 67 to 92, 59% women) were recruited as either sole drivers (only driver in the household, n=39) or couples (both currently driving and sharing a vehicle, n=22). Two in-vehicle devices (one with a GPS unit) were installed in participant vehicles for one week. Participants completed trip logs, out-of-home activity diaries, questions on usual driving habits and ratings of situational driving frequency and avoidance. Perceptions were assessed using the Driving Comfort Scales (DCS Day and Night) and Perceived Driving Abilities (PDA) Scales. Couples were also asked to rate their comfort level in their partner’s driving using modified DCSs. Tools were administered at one of two home visits (during which vehicle devices were installed and removed) and an interview conducted at the end to ascertain whether the week’s driving was typical. Results: Driving comfort scores were significantly related to multiple indicators of actual driving behaviour, including: radius from home (DCS-D, p<.05; DCS-N, p<.01), total distance overall (DCS-N, p<.001) and at night (DCS-D, p<.05; DCS-N, p<.01). Perceived abilities, meanwhile, were related to distance driven (p<.01). Although sole drivers were significantly older, they drove more often, longer distances and for greater duration than couple drivers. Overall, men had higher DCS scores and, in couples, were more likely to rate themselves higher than their spouses. Partners’ comfort levels in their spouses’ driving were related to their spouses’ self-reported situational avoidance and amount of night driving over the study week. When couples drove together, traditional roles were evident (i.e., the husband often preferred to drive and the wife let him). Multivariate analyses showed that the square-root of distance (km) was most influenced by household status, location of residence, perceived abilities, and gender (R2 = .57), while the log of the average radius was influenced by location of residence and perceived comfort in night driving (R2 = .33). Conclusions: This was the first study to examine older drivers’ perceptions in relation to actual driving behaviour and to compare the perceptions and behaviour of sole versus couple drivers. Study results supported prior associations (with self-reported driving) and extended our knowledge base by demonstrating that perceptions (both personal and those of others) are important to actual driving behaviour. The current findings also provide new insight into the importance of examining location of residence and household status.

Herman Melville’s final novel The Confidence-Man destabilizes conventional Western models of ethical behavior, particularly Kantian notions of moral agency, by exposing and challenging their basis in rationality and a progressivist model of history. The Confidence-Man shows rationality to be nothing more than one way, among many other possible ways, that human beings attempt to fix the world in their understanding and justify their moral choices. I use these insights from The Confidence-Man to illuminate Melville’s opposition to the missionaries’ work of civilizing and Christianizing the South Seas islanders in his earlier travelogues. In Typee, his first novel, Melville demonstrates that layers of existence—in fact, real human lives—are denied when the story of human relations is framed as a narrative of progress. This thesis concludes by proposing that Melville reworks the idea of failure as a potential strategy against the totalizing narrative of advancing rationalism.

Titel: Vägen till toppen; Vilka faktorer har betydelse för att nå en ledarposition? Nivå: C-uppsats i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Ida Backman &amp; Victoria Kurt Handledare: Stig Sörling Datum: 2012 - Maj Syfte: Syftet med detta examensarbete är att belysa faktorer som har betydelse för att nå ledande positioner inom företag och organisationer. Finns det exempelvis något samband mellan personer med ledarposition vad gäller personliga egenskaper och utbildning? Är det något som är medfött hos ledaren och är en del av dennes karaktär, eller något människan kan lära sig att utveckla? Vår strävan är att belysa olika metoder, utbildningar och bearbetade strategier/teorier som kan bidra till att en person lyckas gå långt som ledare. Finns det något recept att följa eller beror det helt på slumpen? Eller är det kanske så att människan under uppväxten formas till en framgångsrik ledare? Metod: Studien bygger på ett hermeneutiskt synsätt och vi använder våra tankar och intryck vi får tillsammans med den kunskap vi har för att förstå och tolka det vi studerar. I vår studie intervjuar vi fem personer med ledarbefattning, vi ställer öppna frågor för att få reda på så mycket som möjligt om deras bakgrund. Ämnet studerar vi även i litteratur, uppsatser och vetenskapliga artiklar. Utifrån dessa grunder drar vi sedan paralleller och slutsatser. Resultat &amp; slutsats: Slutsatsen i studien är att personliga egenskaper är något som är av stor vikt. På denna punkt framträder ett tydligt samband mellan teori och praktik. Inre drivkraft är en personlig egenskap som i detta arbete identifieras som en viktig framgångsfaktor. Även utbildning är enligt vår slutsats av stor betydelse för att nå framgång som ledare. Slutligen konstaterar vi att det finns skillnader beroende på vilken generation ledaren tillhör. Den yngre generationen som idag är i 30 årsåldern har ofta en mer medveten karriärplan i förhållande till den äldre generationen. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Det finns inte så mycket forskning kring hur människor konkret går tillväga för att nå en chefsposition. Ett förslag till framtida forskning är att djupare studera fenomenet inre drivkraft. Det är svårt att hitta vetenskapliga artiklar, litteratur och andra studier inom detta område. Inre drivkraft är ett område som enligt denna studie är av stor vikt för att nå en chefsposition. Uppsatsens bidrag: Studien bidrar till en förståelse för hur viktigt det är med utbildning och kompetens för att nå ledande positioner samt att hårt arbete inte går obemärkt. Det krävs drivkraft och självförtroende och även "rätt" egenskaper för att nå toppen. Nyckelord: Utbildning, drivkraft, ledaregenskaper, självförtroende. / Title: The way to the top: what factors are significant to reach a leadership position? Level: C-essay in the subject of business Author: Ida Backman &amp; Victoria Kurt Supervisor: Stig Sörling Date: 2012 - May Aim: The purpose of this essay is to identify what it takes to achieve leadership positions in organizations. For example, is there a relationship between education and leadership qualities? We also want to find out if good leadership is something that is inborn or can be developed. We want to examine methods, educations and theories that help a person to become a successful leader. Is there a certain recipe to follow or is it all about chance? Method: The study is based on a hermeneutic approach. We have in our study interviewed five people with leadership positions. We asked open questions to find out as much as possible about their background. We have also reviewed preview studies on the subject. On these bases, we have drawn parallels and conclusions. Result &amp; Conclusion: What we have found in our study is that personal qualities are something that proves to be of great importance, we see a clear link between theory and practice on this point. Inner motivation is a personal attribute that we have identified as a key success factor. We have further concluded that education is vital for success as a leader. Finally, we note that there are differences depending on which generation you belong to. The younger generation around 30 years old has a more conscious career plan than the older generation. Suggestions for future research: There is not much research about how to concretely go about to reach a management position. A proposal for future research is to more deeply study the phenomenon of Inner motivation. It is difficult to find scientific articles, literature and other studies in this area. This is an area that we have found to be very important to reach managerial positions. Contribution of the thesis: The study has contributed to an understanding of the importance of education and skills to reach senior positions, and that hard work does not go unnoticed. It takes energy and confidence, and even the "right" personality to reach the top. Keywords: Education, motivation, leadership skills, self-confidence

Introduction: Driver perceptions may be a more important determinant of behaviour than one’s actual driving abilities. While there is evidence to support these associations, prior studies have relied on self-reports of driving behaviour. Purpose: The primary purposes of this study were to extend previous research by examining driver perceptions in relation to measures of actual driving behaviour and to compare the perceptions and behaviour of sole versus couple drivers. Methods: A convenience sample of 61 older drivers (aged 67 to 92, 59% women) were recruited as either sole drivers (only driver in the household, n=39) or couples (both currently driving and sharing a vehicle, n=22). Two in-vehicle devices (one with a GPS unit) were installed in participant vehicles for one week. Participants completed trip logs, out-of-home activity diaries, questions on usual driving habits and ratings of situational driving frequency and avoidance. Perceptions were assessed using the Driving Comfort Scales (DCS Day and Night) and Perceived Driving Abilities (PDA) Scales. Couples were also asked to rate their comfort level in their partner’s driving using modified DCSs. Tools were administered at one of two home visits (during which vehicle devices were installed and removed) and an interview conducted at the end to ascertain whether the week’s driving was typical. Results: Driving comfort scores were significantly related to multiple indicators of actual driving behaviour, including: radius from home (DCS-D, p<.05; DCS-N, p<.01), total distance overall (DCS-N, p<.001) and at night (DCS-D, p<.05; DCS-N, p<.01). Perceived abilities, meanwhile, were related to distance driven (p<.01). Although sole drivers were significantly older, they drove more often, longer distances and for greater duration than couple drivers. Overall, men had higher DCS scores and, in couples, were more likely to rate themselves higher than their spouses. Partners’ comfort levels in their spouses’ driving were related to their spouses’ self-reported situational avoidance and amount of night driving over the study week. When couples drove together, traditional roles were evident (i.e., the husband often preferred to drive and the wife let him). Multivariate analyses showed that the square-root of distance (km) was most influenced by household status, location of residence, perceived abilities, and gender (R2 = .57), while the log of the average radius was influenced by location of residence and perceived comfort in night driving (R2 = .33). Conclusions: This was the first study to examine older drivers’ perceptions in relation to actual driving behaviour and to compare the perceptions and behaviour of sole versus couple drivers. Study results supported prior associations (with self-reported driving) and extended our knowledge base by demonstrating that perceptions (both personal and those of others) are important to actual driving behaviour. The current findings also provide new insight into the importance of examining location of residence and household status.

Purpose: The primary purpose of this project was to determine the effect of aquatic exercise and aquatic exercise combined with an education group program on decreasing both psychosocial and physical fall risk factors in community-dwelling older adults with hip osteoarthritis (OA). Secondary purposes were to 1) describe fall risk, history and nature of falls and near-falls in older adults with hip OA, 2) determine the association of the timed up and go test (TUG) to history of falls and near-falls, 4) explore the relationship of both psychosocial and physical factors to history of falls and near-falls, and 5) evaluate the role of falls-efficacy in predicting balance performance. Methods: Participants were recruited from the community and screened for presence of hip osteoarthritis and fall risk. Baseline fall history and a battery of measures for balance, muscle strength, functional ability and falls-efficacy were administered. Participants were then randomly assigned to one of three groups: Aquatic Exercise, Aquatic Exercise and Education or a Control Group. The interventions were twice per week for 11 weeks. Fall risk factors were measured after 11 weeks. Study 1 described history of falls and near-falls and evaluated the association of the TUG screening test with fall and near-fall history. Study 2 summarized the relationships of physical and psychosocial fall risk factors and identified the primary predictors of fall risk, based on associations with fall history. Study 3 evaluated the randomized controlled clinical trial comparing the impact of the interventions (aquatic exercise and education) on fall risk outcomes. Results: Older adults with hip OA reported a high frequency of falls and near-falls. The TUG, using a cut-off score of 10 sec., was associated with frequent near-fall history. There was a strong association of frequent near-falls to history of actual falls, with the association increasing 7-fold if lower falls-efficacy was present. Falls-efficacy was also an independent predictor of balance impairment. Screening for history of near-falls and falls-efficacy may be important in predicting risk of future falls. The combination of Aquatic Exercise and Education improved falls-efficacy and functional mobility compared to Aquatic Exercise only or no intervention. Aquatic Exercise on its own was not effective in decreasing fall risk factors or improving falls-efficacy. Significance of Findings: The accumulation of both physical and psychosocial risk factors in older adults with hip OA increases their vulnerability to falls and injury. Fall prevention programs for this population should be designed to include both exercise and education to address falls-efficacy and physical fall risk factors.

Recent polls suggest that less than half (46%) of Canadians are confident in the criminal justice system (CJS) as a whole (e.g., Roberts, 2004). Low levels of public confidence are problematic, as the criminal justice system relies on public support in order to function effectively (Casey, 2008). Previous research has found that attitudes toward the CJS are typically based on misperceptions and misinformation, with the public being unaware of the functioning of the CJS as well as crime trends (e.g., Doob, 2000). Therefore, it seems logical that providing the public with factual information about crime and criminal justice may lead to increased confidence. A handful of studies conducted in the United Kingdom have shown that, in general, public education does lead to increased confidence (e.g, Hough & Park, 2002). However, questions pertaining to the mode of delivery have been raised (Singer & Cooper, 2009). Therefore, three studies were conducted in order to further investigate this issue as well as to delve into the differences between active and passive learning. Whereas active learning refers to being actively engaged in the learning process through various means (e.g, discussion, problem-solving), passive learning refers to passively obtaining information, such as by listening or by reading (Prince, 2004). Before attempting to change public opinion of the CJS, it is crucial that we first have a comprehensive understanding of what these opinions and attitudes are. As such, Study 1, a quantitative survey of CJS knowledge and attitudes, and Study 2, qualitative focus groups, were conducted. Results from these two studies were used to develop materials for Study 3: Increasing confidence in the CJS through education. As has been found in past research, participants who received CJS information had a higher level of knowledge than controls, who received information about Canadas health care system. Interestingly, the type of learning (active vs. passive) did not have an effect on CJS knowledge. However, an effect was observed in regards to confidence and satisfaction: Participants who received CJS information through active learning were more confident in the CJS and had a higher level of satisfaction. These results have important implications for real-world interventions.

A large discrepancy between national exam results and final grades in English has been found in compulsory school. Between 1.9% and 18.7%, depending on which school, of students receive a course grade that is different from their grade on the national exam. (Corren, 2001 and Skolvärlden, 2012) As a result, many students have not in reality reached the criteria for the passing grade. In my experience, many students come to us with low self-esteem and motivation due to their difficulties with learning a second language. This study compares two ways of learning and their effects on self-esteem, motivation, accuracy and fluency. The subjects were all the students in the college that started year one, and on paper had the grade pass from compulsory school, but in reality had not reached that level. The students were divided into two groups, one with focus on accuracy, and one with focus on fluency. The accuracy-based task followed the style of a traditional English course book. The fluency-based task had one part where the students told each other about various topics and another where they were encouraged to practice their writing skills by keeping a journal. The students were assessed using one evaluation test, a questionnaire and a final test. The questionnaire provided data for the students’ perceived change in fluency, accuracy, self-esteem and motivation. The written tests provided data for accuracy and fluency. The results in this study showed an overall increase in accuracy, fluency and self-confidence in the accuracy-based task, but that only the fluency-based task enhanced motivation.