Cognitive Analytic Therapy in People with Learning Disability: An investigation into the common reciprocal roles found within this client group

Developments over the last twenty years have shown that, contrary to previous opinion, people with learning disabilities can benefit from psychotherapy (Sinason 1992; Kroese, Dagnan & Loumidia, 1997). Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) has been adapted for use with a learning disability population (Ryle 2002). CAT collaboratively examines the Reciprocal Roles (RRs) a client plays in relationships. These are impacted by clients’ experiences of the world. The aim of this research is to identify which RRs may become apparent in working with people with learning disabilities. The therapy notes of participants (n=16) who had undergone CAT were examined and analysed using content analysis. Twenty-two different RRs were found. Four common Reciprocal Roles and two common idealised Reciprocal Roles were identified. Other observations about the data are presented. The limitations and clinical implications of the study are discussed

Does environment affect the star formation histories of early-type galaxies?

Differences in the stellar populations of galaxies can be used to quantify the effect of environment on the star formation history. We target a sample of early-type galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey in two different environmental regimes: close pairs and a general sample where environment is measured by the mass of their host dark matter halo. We apply a blind source separation technique based on principal component analysis, from which we define two parameters that correlate, respectively, with the average stellar age (eta) and with the presence of recent star formation (zeta) from the spectral energy distribution of the galaxy. We find that environment leaves a second order imprint on the spectra, whereas local properties - such as internal velocity dispersion - obey a much stronger correlation with the stellar age distribution.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Proceedings of JENAM 2010, Symposium 2: "Environment and the formation of galaxies: 30 years later

First detection of intestinal microsporidia in Northern Nigeria

Microsporidia are intracellular spore-forming protozoa that are increasingly being recognized as pathogens in humans. Faecal samples were taken from 2250 HIV/AIDS and 1050 HIV-negative patients from Kano and Makurdi in Northern Nigeria, and were investigated for microsporidial infections by Giemsa staining technique (Light microscopy). In Kano, Enterocytozoon bienuesi was detected in 8 (14.17%) and Encephalitozoon intestinalis in 5 (2.60%) out of 192 HIV/AIDS patients screened. A mixed infection of both 0.52% was observed. Results from Makurdi showed that Enterocytozoon bienuesi was detected in 13 (0.65%) and Encephalitozoon intestinalis in 96 (4.78%) out of 2008 HIV/AIDS patients examined. No mixed infection was observed. Microsporidial spores were not found in 1050 HIV-negative patients screened from both areas. There was a significant difference (X2, p<0.05) in infection rates between the HIV/AIDS and HIV-negative patients. This study aimed at detecting the prevalence of intestinal microsporidia to provide baseline data on the status of this disease in Nigeria. Detection of Microsporidia in Immuno-compromised patients has not been described previously in this area

Estimation of subsurface porosities and thermal conductivities of polygonal tundra by coupled inversion of electrical resistivity, temperature, and moisture content data

Studies indicate greenhouse gas emissions following permafrost thaw will amplify current rates of atmospheric warming, a process referred to as the permafrost carbon feedback. However, large uncertainties exist regarding the timing and magnitude of the permafrost carbon feedback, in part due to uncertainties associated with subsurface permafrost parameterization and structure. Development of robust parameter estimation methods for permafrost-rich soils is becoming urgent under accelerated warming of the Arctic. Improved parameterization of the subsurface properties in land system models would lead to improved predictions and a reduction of modeling uncertainty. In this work we set the groundwork for future parameter estimation (PE) studies by developing and evaluating a joint PE algorithm that estimates soil porosities and thermal conductivities from time series of soil temperature and moisture measurements and discrete in-time electrical resistivity measurements. The algorithm utilizes the Model-Independent Parameter Estimation and Uncertainty Analysis toolbox and coupled hydrological-thermal-geophysical modeling. We test the PE algorithm against synthetic data, providing a proof of concept for the approach. We use specified subsurface porosities and thermal conductivities and coupled models to set up a synthetic state, perturb the parameters, and then verify that our PE method is able to recover the parameters and synthetic state. To evaluate the accuracy and robustness of the approach we perform multiple tests for a perturbed set of initial starting parameter combinations. In addition, we varied types and quantities of data to better understand the optimal dataset needed to improve the PE method. The results of the PE tests suggest that using multiple types of data improve the overall robustness of the method. Our numerical experiments indicate that special care needs to be taken during the field experiment setup so that (1) the vertical distance between adjacent measurement sensors allows the signal variability in space to be resolved and (2) the longer time interval between resistivity snapshots allows signal variability in time to be resolved

The Galaxy Structure-Redshift Relationship

There exists a gradual, but persistent, evolutionary effect in the galaxy population such that galaxy structure and morphology change with redshift. This galaxy structure-redshift relationship is such that an increasingly large fraction of all bright and massive galaxies at redshifts 2 < z < 3 are morphologically peculiar at wavelengths from rest-frame ultraviolet to rest-frame optical. There are however examples of morphologically selected spirals and ellipticals at all redshifts up to z ~ 3. At lower redshift, the bright galaxy population smoothly transforms into normal ellipticals and spirals. The rate of this transformation strongly depends on redshift, with the swiftest evolution occurring between 1 < z < 2. This review characterizes the galaxy structure-redshift relationship, discusses its various physical causes, and how these are revealing the mechanisms responsible for galaxy formation.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures. Invited Review to appear in "Penetrating Bars Through Masks of Cosmic Dust: The Hubble Tuning Fork Strikes A New Note", ed. D. Block et a

Violent video games and morality: a meta-ethical approach

This paper considers what it is about violent video games that leads one reasonably minded person to declare "That is immoral" while another denies it. Three interpretations of video game content a re discussed: reductionist, narrow, and broad. It is argued that a broad interpretation is required for a moral objection to be justified. It is further argued that understanding the meaning of moral utterances – like "x is immoral" – is important to an understanding of why there is a lack of moral consensus when it comes to the content of violent video games. Constructive ecumenical expressivism is presented as a means of explaining what it is that we are doing when we make moral pronouncements and why, when it comes to video game content, differing moral attitudes abound. Constructive ecumenical expressivism is also presented as a means of illuminating what would be required for moral consensus to be achieved

Partial Covering Arrays: Algorithms and Asymptotics

A covering array $\mathsf{CA}(N;t,k,v)$ is an $N\times k$ array with entries in $\{1, 2, \ldots , v\}$, for which every $N\times t$ subarray contains each $t$-tuple of $\{1, 2, \ldots , v\}^t$ among its rows. Covering arrays find application in interaction testing, including software and hardware testing, advanced materials development, and biological systems. A central question is to determine or bound $\mathsf{CAN}(t,k,v)$, the minimum number $N$ of rows of a $\mathsf{CA}(N;t,k,v)$. The well known bound $\mathsf{CAN}(t,k,v)=O((t-1)v^t\log k)$ is not too far from being asymptotically optimal. Sensible relaxations of the covering requirement arise when (1) the set $\{1, 2, \ldots , v\}^t$ need only be contained among the rows of at least $(1-\epsilon)\binom{k}{t}$ of the $N\times t$ subarrays and (2) the rows of every $N\times t$ subarray need only contain a (large) subset of $\{1, 2, \ldots , v\}^t$. In this paper, using probabilistic methods, significant improvements on the covering array upper bound are established for both relaxations, and for the conjunction of the two. In each case, a randomized algorithm constructs such arrays in expected polynomial time

Siting prisons, sighting communities: geographies of objection in a planning process

This paper reviews the planning process for a Scottish prison located near a former mining village. Analysing the letters of objection submitted by residents offers an opportunity to explore local views about prison and community and to relate these to the unique social and spatial history of the area. The planning process itself structured how residents were able to express themselves and defined what counted as a relevant objection. After deconstructing this process, the paper then restores and uses as a framework for analysis three geographies of objection stripped from local responses to the development proposal: the emotional, temporal, and spatial. Emotional expressions of objection added intensity and gave meaning to claims about the historical decline of the region and also conveyed a deep sense of the proposed building site as a lived space. Particular grounds of opposition—over fear of strangers, the fragility of a local orchid, and the pollution from mining—provide an opportunity to explore the complex nature of place meaning and community identity, ultimately leading to a conclusion that the meaning of place is always in flux. The paper argues that Simmel’s classic concept of the stranger, as the outsider who comes to stay, offers a useful analytic in understanding how the quality of proximal remoteness that prisons and other unwanted developments constitute participates in a constantly evolving sense of the local

Automated computational analysis reveals structural changes in the enteric nervous system of nNOS deficient mice

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) neurons play a fundamental role in inhibitory neurotransmission, within the enteric nervous system (ENS), and in the establishment of gut motility patterns. Clinically, loss or disruption of nNOS neurons has been shown in a range of enteric neuropathies. However, the effects of nNOS loss on the composition and structure of the ENS remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to assess the structural and transcriptional consequences of loss of nNOS neurons within the murine ENS. Expression analysis demonstrated compensatory transcriptional upregulation of pan neuronal and inhibitory neuronal subtype targets within the Nos1−/− colon, compared to control C57BL/6J mice. Conventional confocal imaging; combined with novel machine learning approaches, and automated computational analysis, revealed increased interconnectivity within the Nos1−/− ENS, compared to age-matched control mice, with increases in network density, neural projections and neuronal branching. These findings provide the first direct evidence of structural and molecular remodelling of the ENS, upon loss of nNOS signalling. Further, we demonstrate the utility of machine learning approaches, and automated computational image analysis, in revealing previously undetected; yet potentially clinically relevant, changes in ENS structure which could provide improved understanding of pathological mechanisms across a host of enteric neuropathies

Correlation Induced Inhomogeneity in Circular Quantum Dots

Properties of the "electron gas" - in which conduction electrons interact by means of Coulomb forces but ionic potentials are neglected - change dramatically depending on the balance between kinetic energy and Coulomb repulsion. The limits are well understood. For very weak interactions (high density), the system behaves as a Fermi liquid, with delocalized electrons. In contrast, in the strongly interacting limit (low density), the electrons localize and order into a Wigner crystal phase. The physics at intermediate densities, however, remains a subject of fundamental research. Here, we study the intermediate-density electron gas confined to a circular disc, where the degree of confinement can be tuned to control the density. Using accurate quantum Monte Carlo techniques, we show that the electron-electron correlation induced by an increase of the interaction first smoothly causes rings, and then angular modulation, without any signature of a sharp transition in this density range. This suggests that inhomogeneities in a confined system, which exist even without interactions, are significantly enhanced by correlations.Comment: final version, modified introduction and clarifications, 4 page