An integrative mixed-methods analysis examined traditional beliefs as associated with beliefs about self-care during pregnancy and with alcohol abstinence among young adult women from two rural U.S.-Mexico border communities. Quantitative (measured scale) variables and qualitative thematic variables generated from open-ended responses served as within-time predictors of these health-related out...

Mixed methods research is the integration of quantitative and qualitative components in a research project. Whether you are reading or designing a mixed methods research project, it is important to be familiar with both qualitative and quantitative research methods and the specific purposes for which they are brought together in a study: triangulation, complementarity, expansion, initiation, or...

AIM To present a novice researcher's use of a reflective research diary in the quantitive measure of a mixed methods study and to recommend resulting changes to practice. BACKGROUND Reflexivity is often regarded as a useful tool for ensuring the standard of qualitative research. Reflexivity provides transparent information about the positionality and personal values of the researcher that cou...

In this paper we discuss the use of spatial models in mixed-reality systems. We outline several types of model that might exist, how they are surveyed or otherwise authored, how they are represented to the users and how they are supported by the underlying middleware and sensors. We show that systems often contain numerous “models” of space and that a lot of work goes into maintaining or reifyi...

There are increasing numbers of people who are now using smartphones. Consequently, there is a risk of addiction to certain web applications such as social networking sites (SNSs) which are easily accessible via smartphones. There is also the risk of an increase in narcissism amongst users of SNSs. The present study set out to investigate the relationship between smartphone use, narcissistic te...

Most industrial model predictive controllers (MPC) use the traditional two-layer structure developed in the early 1980’s, where the upper layer defines optimal steady-state targets for inputs and outputs, while the lower layer calculates the control moves that drive the system towards these steady-state targets. As a rule, both layers use continuous quadratic programming (QP) formulations to de...