Low-level Users Research Articles

Hierarchical Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning for Energy-Efficient Hybrid Computation Offloading

Mobile edge computing (MEC) provides an economical way for the resource-constrained edge users to offload computational workload to MEC servers co-located with the access point (AP). In this article, we consider a hybrid computation offloading scheme that allows edge users to offload workloads by using active RF communications and backscatter communications. We aim to maximize the overall energy efficiency subject to the completion of all workload by jointly optimizing the AP's beamforming and the users' offloading decisions. Considering a dynamic environment, we propose a hierarchical multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (H-MADRL) framework to solve this problem. The high-level agent resides in the AP and optimizes the beamforming strategy, while the low-level user agents learn and adapt individuals' offloading strategies. To further improve the learning efficiency, we propose a novel optimization-driven learning algorithm that allows the AP to estimate the low-level users' actions by solving approximate optimization problem efficiently. Then, the action estimation can be shared with all users and drive them to update individuals' actions independently. Simulation results reveal that our algorithm can improve the system performance by 50%. The learning efficiency and reliability are also improved significantly comparing to the model-free learning methods.

Associations between smartphone use and mental health and well-being among young Swiss men

Background and aimsIntense use of smartphones is associated with mental health problems and low well-being. However, little is known about the mental health and well-being of non- and low-level users. This study investigated the possibly non-linear associations between time spent using a smartphone, including non-users, and mental health and well-being among young adults. MethodsBetween 2016 and 2018, 5315 young Swiss men (M = 25.45 years old, SD = 1.25) completed a questionnaire assessing smartphone use, daily time spent using a smartphone, mental health and well-being (i.e. depression, social anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, life satisfaction, stress) and potential confounding variables (social capital, personality, education). The associations of smartphone use and time spent using a smartphone (linear and quadratic associations) with mental health and well-being were tested using regression models. ResultsNon-users (4.3%) reported worse mental health and well-being than smartphone users on all outcomes. Time spent using a smartphone was linearly associated with higher rates of social anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and lower levels of life satisfaction. The association with stress was non-linear, with significant linear and quadratic coefficients of time spent using a smartphone. Associations were partially attributable to confounding variables (i.e. social capital, personality, and education). ConclusionsNon-users and intense users of smartphones have lower levels of mental health and well-being than low-level users. Although society and mental health professionals are deeply concerned about the potentially negative consequences of the ever-increasing use of smartphones, the present study suggested that not using a smartphone may also indicate problems.

Research on the Influence of User and Graphic–Text Combined Icon Construal Level Fitting on Visual Cognition

Based on the individual traits of the user’s construal level differences, this study examines the visual cognition differences of graphic–text combined icon concreteness in the interface between users with high and low construal levels. We classified four types of graphic–text combined icons, which are as follows: concrete graphic + concrete text (Ci + Ct), concrete graphic + abstract text (Ci + At), abstract graphic + concrete text (Ai + Ct), and abstract graphic + abstract text (Ai + At). According to the behavioral experiment results, there is no visual cognitive difference between the two types of traits users in Ci + Ct. In terms of Ci + At and Ai + Ct, the visual cognitive performance of high construal level users is slightly better than that of low construal level users. In Ai + At, there are obvious visual cognitive differences between the two types of users. Visual cognitive fluency plays a mediating role in response time and matching rates of the two types of users. Based on the construal level perspective, this study considers the visual cognitive differences based on the user’s stable traits. It provides a certain reference for the graphic–text combined icons’ design in the adaptive human–computer interaction interface.

Korelasi Tingkat Penggunaan Smartphone dengan Tingkat Kecemasan Peserta Diklat Pusdiklat Tenaga Teknis Pendidikan dan Keagamaan

[CORRELATION OF SMARTPHONE USE LEVEL WITH AN ANXIETY LEVEL OF TRAINING PARTICIPANTS]. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between smartphone use and participants’ anxiety of education and training program (Diklat/ Pendidikan dan Pelatihan), the level of smartphone use of Diklat’s participants, and the anxiety level of Diklat’s participants. This research method uses a survey with 106 training participants in the Education and Religious Technical Training Center as many as 106 people. The results of this study show that there is a very positive relationship between smartphone use and participants’ anxiety of Diklat. So, the higher the intensity of smartphone use, the higher the anxiety level, and vice versa the lower the intensity of smartphone use, the lower the anxiety level. Regarding the level of smartphone use of Diklat’s participants, 52% (55 people) were included in moderate level, 16% (17 people) were considered high level smartphone users, and 32% (34 people) of the participants were low level users. Then, the results of the study for anxiety levels showed that 50 people (47%) of the participants had anxiety at a moderate level, 34 people (32%) had high level anxiety, and 22 people (21%) had low level anxiety. The more often the smartphone is used by them in daily life, the higher the level of anxiety experienced by them if they do not have access to their smartphone. Anxiety arises because they cannot send messages, browse, or make a call to people (such as family and friends). Even, the intensity of using smartphones is increasing now as there are many mobile applications that provide facilities for human life such as online transportation and mobile banking so that the absence of smartphones will increase anxiety

Attitudes Towards using Digital Technologies in Education as an Important Factor in Developing Digital Competence: The Case of Slovenian Student Teachers

The purpose of the study was to determine what attitudes specifically Slove-nian student teachers hold towards using digital technologies in education, their self-reported proficiency in using digital technologies in education and to what extent their attitudes towards using digital technologies in education predict their self-reported proficiency in using digital technologies. We measured the attitudes towards using digital technologies in education through four dimensions: Teaching and learning, Assessment and critical thinking, Empowering learners and Facilitating learner’s digital competence. Self-reported proficiency in using digital technology was measured on four groups of digital technologies: Digital resources, Communication tools, Digi-tal tools and Online learning tools. The results show that Slovenian student teachers predominantly hold positive attitudes towards using digital technol-ogies in education, but they assess themselves as low-level users. Also, the student teachers’ attitudes towards using digital technologies in education were proved as an important predictor of their level of proficiency in using digital technologies.

The use of yoga for chronic health conditions: Results from the Australian 45 and Up Study

Background: Unprecedented changes to the structure of the Australian population are predicted for the near future, with adults over the age of 65 years estimated to increase by around 50% in the next 15-20 years. The prevalence of chronic diseases among the older adult population is high. In recent years, yoga is being utilised as a means of promoting physical, psychological and social well-being. However, the extent of yoga utilisation among the middle to older aged women in Australia remains unclear. Methods: Data were obtained via a survey of 1,925 women aged 45 years and over living in (State of) New South Wales, Australia diagnosed with asthma, depression, diabetes, osteoarthritis and/or osteoporosis, randomly selected from the 45 and Up Study participants. Results: Consultation with a yoga instructor (3.4%) and self-practiced yoga (4.8%) specifically for chronic illness was relatively low. Positive bivariate associations were found between educational status and women who consulted a yoga instructor (p=0.006) and women who self-practiced yoga (p=0.038) for their condition; a similar association was found between yoga self-practice and marital status (p=0.007). Of the five-chronic illness, only women diagnosed with diabetes were more likely to consult a yoga instructor (OR=3.47) and self-practice yoga (OR=3.32), compared to women with other conditions. Conclusions: Australian women with asthma, depression, diabetes, osteoarthritis and/or osteoporosis are relatively low-level users of yoga. It is recommended that future research should examine why yoga use is so low compared to other chronic diseases. There is a need for large-scale studies to examine the associations between women with chronic health conditions and yoga use amongst wider health care utilisation. Keywords: Yoga use; asthma; depression; diabetes; osteoarthritis; osteoporosis; women

Engaging m-commerce adopters in India

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of factors derived from the unified theory of user acceptance of technology (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, age, gender) and of those drawn from literature (perceived risk, perceived enjoyment and innovativeness) on the adoption of m-commerce in India. It also suggests implications of these for the consumer behavior theory practitioners and marketers.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using an online survey from 321 respondents, split into two groups (high and low adoption level users) based on the usage scores of the four categories of m-commerce- location-based, transaction-based, entertainment and content delivery. Logistic regression technique was used to identify the prominent factors among the nine identified influencers to understand the differences between the two groups.FindingsThe findings of this paper are sample biasness, self-reported m-commerce adoption level, limited m-commerce categories and specific context.Research limitations/implicationsExcept the two factors of performance expectancy and facilitating conditions, all other variables discriminate between low and high adoption levels of m-commerce services in India. Social influence, perceived enjoyment and innovativeness were the three main factors that were found to have the most significant impact on the discrimination levels of m-commerce service users in India. Further, it was found that women and the younger generation users of m-commerce showed a greater propensity for adopting m-commerce practices.Practical implicationsMarketers need to focus on key factors like social influence, perceived enjoyment, perceived risk and effort expectancy to persuade the young and innovative consumer target groups increase their adoption of m-commerce services.Originality/valueThis is the first study of its kind to explore factors that distinguish users with low and high levels of m-commerce adoption, by taking into consideration all four categories of m-commerce (transaction-based, content delivery, location-based and entertainment). In doing so, it highlights the need for marketers to focus on factors beyond facilitating conditions and performance expectancy, to enhance the adoption of m-commerce practices.

A secrecy-preserving language for distributed and object-oriented systems

In modern systems it is often necessary to distinguish between confidential (low-level) and non-confidential (high-level) information. Confidential information should be protected and not communicated or shared with low-level users. The non-interference policy is an information flow policy stipulating that low-level viewers should not be able to observe a difference between any two executions with the same low-level inputs. Only high-level viewers may observe confidential output. This is a non-trivial challenge when considering modern distributed systems involving concurrency and communication.The present paper addresses this challenge, by choosing language mechanisms that are both useful for programming of distributed systems and allow modular system analysis. We consider a general concurrency model for distributed systems, based on concurrent objects communicating by asynchronous methods. This model is suitable for modeling of modern service-oriented systems, and gives rise to efficient interaction avoiding active waiting and low-level synchronization primitives such as explicit signaling and lock operations. This concurrency model has a simple semantics and allows us to focus on information flow at a high level of abstraction, and allows realistic analysis by avoiding unnecessary restrictions on information flow between confidential and non-confidential data.Due to the non-deterministic nature of concurrent and distributed systems, we define a notion of interaction non-interference policy tailored to this setting. We provide two kinds of static analysis: a secrecy-type system and a trace analysis system, to capture inter-object and network level communication, respectively. We prove that interaction non-interference is satisfied by the combination of these analysis techniques. Thus any deviation from the policy caused by implicit information leakage visible through observation of network communication patterns, can be detected. The contribution of the paper lies in the definition of the notion of interaction non-interference, and in the formalization of a secrecy type system and a static trace analysis that together ensure interaction non-interference. We also provide several versions of a main example (a news subscription service) to demonstrate network leakage.

E-Cigarettes and the Drug Use Patterns of Adolescents.

This study examines the role of e-cigarettes in the drug use patterns of adolescents. Of specific interest is whether adolescent e-cigarette users fall into a group of (1) youth who do not use traditional drugs of abuse or (2) polysubstance users. Using latent class analysis, we identify major "classes" of substance users on the basis of recent use of e-cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, and prescription drugs. Analyses are conducted separately for adolescents in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. Data come from 16 615 participants in the 2014 Monitoring the Future survey. Youth who do not use traditional drugs of abuse account for about 50% of e-cigarette users in 8th grade, 35% in 10th grade, and 17% in 12th grade. These youth come from a large "low-level users" group found in each grade, characterized by low probability of use for all substances (e-cigarette probability in this group for 8th graders = .046; 10th graders = .071; 12th graders = .027). Other e-cigarette users come from a smaller, "poly-users" group found in each grade, characterized by high-to-moderate probabilities (.83-.21) of using e-cigarettes and other substances. Specific to 12th grade is a third, additional polysubstance group characterized by high likelihood of e-cigarette use (.93). The proportion of e-cigarette users who do not use traditional drugs of abuse is larger at younger ages. Longitudinal panel studies starting at 8th and 10th grades may best inform the current debate on whether e-cigarette use is a risk or protective factor for future transition to the use of other substances. The proportion of e-cigarette users who do not use traditional drugs of abuse is larger at younger ages. Longitudinal panel studies starting at 8th and 10th grades may best inform the current debate on whether e-cigarette use is a risk or protective factor for future transition to the use of other substances.

Human short-term exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones decreases computer-assisted visual reaction time

The worldwide dramatic increase in mobile phone use has generated great concerns about the detrimental effects of microwave radiations emitted by these communication devices. Reaction time plays a critical role in performing tasks necessary to avoid hazards. As far as we know, this study is the first survey that reports decreased reaction time after exposure to electromagnetic fields generated by a high specific absorption rate mobile phone. It is also the first study in which previous history of mobile phone use is taken into account. The aim of this study was to assess both the acute and chronic effects of electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones on reaction time in university students. Visual reaction time (VRT) of young university students was recorded with a simple blind computer-assisted-VRT test, before and after a 10min real/sham exposure to electromagnetic fields of mobile phones. Participants were 160 right-handed university students aged 18-31. To assess the effect of chronic exposures, the reaction time in sham-exposed phases were compared among low level, moderate and frequent users of mobile phones. The mean±SD reaction time after real exposure and sham exposure were 286.78±31.35ms and 295.86±32.17ms (P<0.001), respectively. The age of students did not significantly alter the reaction time either in talk or in standby mode. The reaction time either in talk or in standby mode was shorter in male students. The students' VRT was significantly affected by exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by a mobile phone. It can be concluded that these exposures cause decreased reaction time, which may lead to a better response to different hazards. In this light, this phenomenon might decrease the chances of human errors and fatal accidents.

Behavioral inhibition and activation systems: Differences in substance use expectancy organization and activation in memory.

We used multidimensional scaling to model the semantic network of alcohol and marijuana expectancies (N=897). Preference mapping was used to estimate vectors representing patterns of activation through the network as a function of levels of behavioral inhibition (BIS) and behavioral activation (BAS). Individuals with low BIS combined with high BAS levels exhibited patterns of activation emphasizing behavioral activation similar to heavier drug users in previous research. High BIS, low BAS individuals exhibited activation patterns with greater emphasis on inhibitory expectancies similar to low-level users. Differences in expectancy activation patterns were maintained after controlling for substance use and gender. Individual differences in BIS/BAS are associated with the organization of semantic networks and patterns of activation of expectancies contributing to differences in substance use behavior.

Information security management: An information security retrieval and awareness model for industry

The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual view of an Information Security Retrieval and Awareness (ISRA) model that can be used by industry to enhance information security awareness among employees. A common body of knowledge for information security that is suited to industry and that forms the basis of this model is accordingly proposed. This common body of knowledge will ensure that the technical information security issues do not overshadow the non-technical human-related information security issues. The proposed common body of knowledge also focuses on both professionals and low-level users of information. The ISRA model proposed in this paper consists of three parts, namely the ISRA dimensions (non-technical information security issues, IT authority levels and information security documents), information security retrieval and awareness, and measuring and monitoring. The model specifically focuses on the non-technical information security that forms part of the proposed common body of knowledge because these issues have, in comparison with the technical information security issues, always been neglected.

Concurrent validity of cannabis misuse diagnoses on CIDI-Auto 2.1 in low-level cannabis users from the general population

The aim of the current study was to investigate the concurrent validity of cannabis misuse diagnoses (abuse and/or dependence) on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI-Auto 2.1) in 50 relatively low-level cannabis users from the general population. Cannabis misuse diagnoses on the CIDI were compared with Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) scores indicating the level of cannabis dependence. Participants with cannabis misuse diagnoses had significantly higher SDS scores, and significantly more of them (82%) self-reported daily or weekly cannabis use than participants without such diagnoses. The overall agreement between CIDI-Auto diagnoses and SDS scores was 86%. SDS scores were 3.5 times more likely than chance to predict presence of cannabis misuse diagnoses on the CIDI. Therefore it appears that CIDI-Auto 2.1 assigns cannabis misuse diagnoses to relatively low-level cannabis users from the general population in fair agreement with SDS scores and self-reports of cannabis use.

Information flow in secure contexts

Information flow security in a multilevel system aims at guaranteeing that no high level information is revealed to low level users, even in the presence of any possible malicious process. This requirement could be stronger than necessary when some k

The return to smoking: 1‐year relapse trajectories among female smokers

Research has demonstrated that a lapse in cigarette abstinence often leads smokers to fully relapse (i.e., return to daily smoking). However, patterns of smoking resumption beyond the point at which relapse occurs have not been examined in systematic follow-up studies. Daily cigarette intake data for 108 female adult smokers who participated in a smoking cessation trial were recorded at several points during the 365 days following the participants' quit date. SAS Proc Traj, a group-based mixture modeling procedure, was used to determine cigarette-use trajectories over time (i.e., patterns of smoking resumption). Over the 365 days, 27% of the sample maintained abstinence. Among the 73% who relapsed, four distinct trajectories emerged: low-level users (8% of the overall sample), moderate users (17%), slow-returners (15%), and quick-returners (33%). A few individual characteristics differentiated these groups. Overall, the findings illustrate that, after relapsing, smokers do not follow a unitary course of smoking resumption; rather, they exhibit more variable resumption patterns than previously assumed.

Substance use Trajectories from Early Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood: A Comparison of Smoking, Binge Drinking, and Marijuana use

Over the past several years, there has been growing interest in identifying distinct developmental trajectories of substance use. Using data from the RAND Adolescent/Young Adult Panel Study (N = 6,527), we synthesize our prior findings on patterns of smoking, binge drinking, and marijuana use from early adolescence (age 13) to emerging adulthood (age 23). We also present new data on how these trajectory classes compare on key psychosocial and behavioral outcomes during emerging adulthood. For each type of substance use, we found two periods of vulnerability: early adolescence and the transition to emerging adulthood. As expected, early users were at relatively high risk for poor outcomes at age 23 compared to consistent low-level users and abstainers, even if they reduced their use during adolescence. However, youths who were not early users, but steadily increased their use over time, also tended to be at relatively high risk. Results suggest that multiple prevention approaches might be needed to successfully reach at-risk youths.

Neuropsychiatrie aspects of HIV infection.

Human immuno deficiency virus may cause a broad spectrum of psychiatric sequelae. In this review we discus the possible associations between HIV infection with psychosis, mild neurocognitive disorder and dementia. The cerebral reserve model gives an explanation why HIV infected individuals with low educational level and/or intravenous drug users are more vulnerable to direct and indirect neurotoxic effects of HIV.

A trusted subject architecture for multilevel secure object-oriented databases

We address security in object-oriented database systems for multilevel secure environments. Such an environment consists of users cleared to various security levels, accessing information labeled with varying classifications. Our purpose is three-fold. First, we show how security can be naturally incorporated into the object model of computing so as to form a foundation for building multilevel secure object-oriented database management systems. Next, we show how such an abstract security model can be realized under a cost-effective, viable, and popular security architecture. Finally, we give security arguments based on trusted subjects and a formal proof to demonstrate the confidentiality of our architecture and approach. A notable feature of our solution is the support for secure synchronous write-up operations. This is useful when low level users want to send information to higher level users. In the object-oriented context, this is naturally modeled and efficiently accomplished through write-up messages sent by low level subjects. However, such write-up messages can pose confidentiality leaks (through timing and signaling channels) if the timing of the receipt and processing of the messages is observable to lower level senders. Such covert channels are a formidable obstacle in building high-assurance secure systems. Further, solutions to problems such as these have been known to involve various tradeoffs between confidentiality, integrity, and performance. We present a concurrent computation model that closes such channels while preserving the conflicting goals of confidentiality, integrity, and performance. Finally, we give a confidentiality proof for a trusted subject architecture and implementation and demonstrate that the trusted subject (process) cannot leak information in violation of multilevel security.

The use of dental sealants by Ohio dentists.

To assess the extent to which Ohio dentists report using pit and fissure sealants and factors associated with sealant use. A mail survey of a random sample of Ohio dentists was conducted in 1989 and repeated in 1992 with a newly drawn sample. Only responses from general dentists were analyzed using univariate analyses and multiple regression. Dentists who reported using sealants increased from 79.4 percent in 1989 to 91.8 percent in 1992. In 1992, 42.9 percent were low-level users (< 15% of school-aged patients), 41.7 percent were moderate-level users (15-39%), and 15.3 percent were high-level users (> 39%). Over three-fourths of sealant-using dentists expressed some degree of willingness to seal incipient caries. The level of sealant use was associated with dentists' knowledge about sealants, conservative management of dental caries, number of children seen in the practice, and influence of insurance coverage for sealants. The regression model explained 22.0 percent of the variance. Clinical factors associated with the level of use were: dentists' willingness to seal premolars; caries-free teeth; teeth with deep, narrow pits and fissures; teeth with small, frank occlusal caries; and patients 18 years of age or older. This regression model explained only 15.1 percent of the variance. The grate majority of Ohio dentists report using sealants. The percent of reported sealant users increased between 1989 and 1992. Ohio dentists are not consistent with regard to the percent of their child patients for whom they apply sealants or their willingness to seal incipient caries. Dentists continue to identify lack of insurance coverage for sealant application as a major barrier to patients receiving the service.

Computing at work

article Free AccessComputing at work: empowering action by “low-level users” Author: Andrew Clement Univ. of Toronto, Toronto, Ont., Canada Univ. of Toronto, Toronto, Ont., CanadaView Profile Authors Info & Claims Communications of the ACMVolume 37Issue 1Jan. 1994 pp 52–ff.https://doi.org/10.1145/175222.175226Published:02 January 1994Publication History 125citation1,106DownloadsMetricsTotal Citations125Total Downloads1,106Last 12 Months26Last 6 weeks12 Get Citation AlertsNew Citation Alert added!This alert has been successfully added and will be sent to:You will be notified whenever a record that you have chosen has been cited.To manage your alert preferences, click on the button below.Manage my AlertsNew Citation Alert!Please log in to your account Save to BinderSave to BinderCreate a New BinderNameCancelCreateExport CitationPublisher SiteeReaderPDF