1,191 research outputs found
Clinical and service implications of a cognitive analytic therapy model of psychosis
Cognitive analytic therapy (CAT) is an integrative, interpersonal model of therapy predicated on a radically social concept of self, developed over recent years in the UK by Anthony Ryle. A CAT-based model of psychotic disorder has been developed much more recently based on encouraging early experience in this area. The model describes and accounts for many psychotic experiences and symptoms in terms of distorted, amplified or muddled enactments of normal or ‘neurotic’ reciprocal role procedures (RRPs) and of damage at a meta-procedural level to the structures of the self.
Reciprocal role procedures are understood in CAT to represent the outcome of the process of internalization of early, sign-mediated, interpersonal experience and to constitute the basis for all mental activity, normal or otherwise. Enactments of maladaptive RRPs generated by early interpersonal stress are seen in this model to constitute a form of ‘internal expressed emotion’. Joint description of these RRPs and their enactments (both internally and externally) and their subsequent revision is central to the practice of CAT during which they are mapped out through written and diagrammatic reformulations.
This model may usefully complement and extend existing approaches, notably recent CBT-based interventions, particularly with ‘difficult’ patients, and generate meaningful and helpful understandings of these disorders for both patients and their treating teams. We suggest that use of a coherent and robust model such as CAT could have important clinical and service implications in terms of developing and researching models of these disorders as well as for the training of multidisciplinary teams in their effective treatment
Correlated X-ray and Optical Variability in Mkn 509
We present results of a 3 year monitoring campaign of the Seyfert 1 galaxy
Markarian 509, using X-ray data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and
optical data taken by the SMARTS consortium. Both light curves show significant
variations, and are strongly correlated with the optical flux leading the X-ray
flux by 15 days. The X-ray power spectrum shows a steep high-frequency slope of
-2.0, breaking to a slope of -1.0 at at timescale of 34 days. The lag from
optical to X-ray emission is most likely caused by variations in the accretion
disk propagating inward.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Compressed sensing imaging techniques for radio interferometry
Radio interferometry probes astrophysical signals through incomplete and
noisy Fourier measurements. The theory of compressed sensing demonstrates that
such measurements may actually suffice for accurate reconstruction of sparse or
compressible signals. We propose new generic imaging techniques based on convex
optimization for global minimization problems defined in this context. The
versatility of the framework notably allows introduction of specific prior
information on the signals, which offers the possibility of significant
improvements of reconstruction relative to the standard local matching pursuit
algorithm CLEAN used in radio astronomy. We illustrate the potential of the
approach by studying reconstruction performances on simulations of two
different kinds of signals observed with very generic interferometric
configurations. The first kind is an intensity field of compact astrophysical
objects. The second kind is the imprint of cosmic strings in the temperature
field of the cosmic microwave background radiation, of particular interest for
cosmology.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure. Version 2 matches version accepted for
publication in MNRAS. Changes includes: writing corrections, clarifications
of arguments, figure update, and a new subsection 4.1 commenting on the exact
compliance of radio interferometric measurements with compressed sensin
The 74MHz System on the Very Large Array
The Naval Research Laboratory and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
completed implementation of a low frequency capability on the VLA at 73.8 MHz
in 1998. This frequency band offers unprecedented sensitivity (~25 mJy/beam)
and resolution (~25 arcsec) for low-frequency observations. We review the
hardware, the calibration and imaging strategies, comparing them to those at
higher frequencies, including aspects of interference excision and wide-field
imaging. Ionospheric phase fluctuations pose the major difficulty in
calibrating the array. Over restricted fields of view or at times of extremely
quiescent ionospheric ``weather'', an angle-invariant calibration strategy can
be used. In this approach a single phase correction is devised for each
antenna, typically via self-calibration. Over larger fields of view or at times
of more normal ionospheric ``weather'' when the ionospheric isoplanatic patch
size is smaller than the field of view, we adopt a field-based strategy in
which the phase correction depends upon location within the field of view. This
second calibration strategy was implemented by modeling the ionosphere above
the array using Zernike polynomials. Images of 3C sources of moderate strength
are provided as examples of routine, angle-invariant calibration and imaging.
Flux density measurements indicate that the 74 MHz flux scale at the VLA is
stable to a few percent, and tied to the Baars et al. value of Cygnus A at the
5 percent level. We also present an example of a wide-field image, devoid of
bright objects and containing hundreds of weaker sources, constructed from the
field-based calibration. We close with a summary of lessons the 74 MHz system
offers as a model for new and developing low-frequency telescopes. (Abridged)Comment: 73 pages, 46 jpeg figures, to appear in ApJ
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Managing digital coordination of design: emerging hybrid practices in an institutionalized project setting
What happens when digital coordination practices are introduced into the institutionalized setting of an engineering project? This question is addressed through an interpretive study that examines how a shared digital model becomes used in the late design stages of a major station refurbishment project. The paper contributes by mobilizing the idea of ‘hybrid practices’ to understand the diverse patterns of activity that emerge to manage digital coordination of design. It articulates how engineering and architecture professions develop different relationships with the shared model; the design team negotiates paper-based practices across organizational boundaries; and diverse practitioners probe the potential and limitations of the digital infrastructure. While different software packages and tools have become linked together into an integrated digital infrastructure, these emerging hybrid practices contrast with the interactions anticipated in practice and policy guidance and presenting new opportunities and challenges for managing project delivery. The study has implications for researchers working in the growing field of empirical work on engineering project organizations as it shows the importance of considering, and suggests new ways to theorise, the introduction of digital coordination practices into these institutionalized settings
Shame, social deprivation, and the quality of the voice-hearing relationship.
OBJECTIVES: Many individuals hold different beliefs about the voices that they hear and have distinct relationships with them, the nature of which may determine the distress experienced. Understanding what factors contribute to these beliefs and relationships and consequently the resulting distress is important. The current research examined whether shame and social deprivation, in a sample of adult voice-hearers, were related to the relationships that individuals had with their voices or the beliefs that they held about them. DESIGN: The study utilized a cross-sectional, Internet-based design. METHODS: Eighty-seven adult voice-hearers from England were recruited to the online survey. Participants completed measures regarding shame, beliefs about voices, and relationships with voices and provided demographic information and postcodes that were used to refer to Index of Multiple Deprivation data. RESULTS: Social deprivation and shame were not associated. Shame was positively associated with variables describing negative voice-hearing beliefs/relationships but not positive voice-hearing beliefs/relationships. Principal component analysis on the eight voice-hearing variables yielded two components related to positive and negative voice-hearing qualities. A multiple regression conducted on the two components identified that shame was only associated with negative voice-hearing qualities. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that therapies that target shame may be helpful when working with negative voice-hearing beliefs and relationships. Future research should utilize experimental or longitudinal designs to examine the direction of the relationship. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The results contribute to the limited research evidence available regarding the relationship between shame and voice-hearing. The results suggest the utility of psychological therapies that focus on shame such as compassion-focused therapy and that conceptualize voices interpersonally such as cognitive analytic therapy. No conclusions can be made regarding causation. The sample size was relatively small, and results cannot be generalized to other areas of the United Kingdom. Future research should utilize experimental and longitudinal designs to examine the impact of shame on voice-hearing experiences and to examine other factors that may predict shame
Judging the impact of leadership-development activities on school practice
The nature and effectiveness of professional-development activities should be judged in a way that takes account of
both the achievement of intended outcomes and the unintended consequences that may result. Our research project set out to create a robust approach that school staff members could use to assess the impact of
professional-development programs on leadership and management practice without being constrained in this judgment by the stated aims of the program. In the process,
we identified a number of factors and requirements relevant to a wider audience than that concerned with the development of leadership and management in England.
Such an assessment has to rest upon a clear understanding of educational leadership,a clearly articulated model of practice, and a clear model of potential forms of impact.
Such foundations, suitably adapted to the subject being addressed, are appropriate for assessing all teacher professional development
A Brief History of AGN
Astronomers knew early in the twentieth century that some galaxies have
emission-line nuclei. However, even the systematic study by Seyfert (1943) was
not enough to launch active galactic nuclei (AGN) as a major topic of
astronomy. The advances in radio astronomy in the 1950s revealed a new universe
of energetic phenomena, and inevitably led to the discovery of quasars. These
discoveries demanded the attention of observers and theorists, and AGN have
been a subject of intense effort ever since. Only a year after the recognition
of the redshifts of 3C 273 and 3C 48 in 1963, the idea of energy production by
accretion onto a black hole was advanced. However, acceptance of this idea came
slowly, encouraged by the discovery of black hole X-ray sources in our Galaxy
and, more recently, supermassive black holes in the center of the Milky Way and
other galaxies. Many questions remain as to the formation and fueling of the
hole, the geometry of the central regions, the detailed emission mechanisms,
the production of jets, and other aspects. The study of AGN will remain a
vigorous part of astronomy for the foreseeable future.Comment: 37 pages, no figures. Uses aaspp4.sty. To be published in
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 1999 Jun
Star-galaxy separation in the AKARI NEP Deep Field
Context: It is crucial to develop a method for classifying objects detected
in deep surveys at infrared wavelengths. We specifically need a method to
separate galaxies from stars using only the infrared information to study the
properties of galaxies, e.g., to estimate the angular correlation function,
without introducing any additional bias. Aims. We aim to separate stars and
galaxies in the data from the AKARI North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) Deep survey
collected in nine AKARI / IRC bands from 2 to 24 {\mu}m that cover the near-
and mid-infrared wavelengths (hereafter NIR and MIR). We plan to estimate the
correlation function for NIR and MIR galaxies from a sample selected according
to our criteria in future research. Methods: We used support vector machines
(SVM) to study the distribution of stars and galaxies in the AKARIs multicolor
space. We defined the training samples of these objects by calculating their
infrared stellarity parameter (sgc). We created the most efficient classifier
and then tested it on the whole sample. We confirmed the developed separation
with auxiliary optical data obtained by the Subaru telescope and by creating
Euclidean normalized number count plots. Results: We obtain a 90% accuracy in
pinpointing galaxies and 98% accuracy for stars in infrared multicolor space
with the infrared SVM classifier. The source counts and comparison with the
optical data (with a consistency of 65% for selecting stars and 96% for
galaxies) confirm that our star/galaxy separation methods are reliable.
Conclusions: The infrared classifier derived with the SVM method based on
infrared sgc- selected training samples proves to be very efficient and
accurate in selecting stars and galaxies in deep surveys at infrared
wavelengths carried out without any previous target object selection.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
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