The Scientist-Practitioner in a Counselling Psychology Setting

The human psyche is influenced by an extraordinary complexity of experiences. Many would therefore maintain that we can never completely understand another human being. As scientist-practitioners, is our purported allegiance to, and reliance upon, ‘official’ sources of knowledge (including theory and scientific evidence) sufficient for us to be confident that we can construct consistently helpful solutions from the myriad clinical data at our fingertips? Should we as psychologists accept that full understanding of causality is simply not an achievable objective? If we adopt the position that we can never fully explain causes, however, what role do we actually play? Can our interventions even be considered valid, let alone scientific? The question of how practitioners reflect upon their activity, and of the scientific assumptions behind their work, has occupied much debate in the field of psychology, and the many different strands of this debate are woven throughout the fabric of this book. In this chapter, we consider some of the many implications of this debate for counselling psychologists. Specifically, we begin by exploring the position of counselling psychology within the profession more broadly, and consider its place in the current controversy about the scientist-practitioner role. Next, we articulate some of our own practice in this regard, attempting not only to make note of the systematic approaches that we employ in counselling psychology but also to incorporate the wide range of expectation and experience that comes to the therapeutic endeavour. Finally, we try to define the type of scientist-practitioner that we envision in a counselling psychology setting

Deploying rural community wireless mesh networks

Inadequate Internet access is widening the digital divide between town and countryside, degrading both social communication and business advancements in rural areas. Wireless mesh networking can provide an excellent framework for delivering broadband services to such areas. With this in mind, Lancaster University deployed a WMN in the rural village of Wray over a three-year period, providing the community with Internet service that exceeds many urban offerings. The project gave researchers a real-world testbed for exploring the technical and social issues entailed in deploying WMNs in the heart of a small community

Future Reserves 2020: the British Army and the Politics of Military Innovation during the Cameron Era

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Oxford University Press via the DOI in this record.Since 2001 there has been an increase in the use of reserve forces in conflicts sparking a number of organizational transformations when it comes to reserves. In Britain, the Future Reserves 2020 (FR2020) transformation was a cornerstone of recent defence policy. Yet, the scholarly work on military innovations has ignored reserve forces. This article examines why and how the recent attempt to transform the British Army Reserve was undertaken, and analyses its outcome. In doing so, this article contributes a major new case-study to the literature focused on civilian-directed peacetime innovation and the impact of intra-party and intra-service politics upon it. Firstly, we originally examine how intra-party political motivations were the primary initiator of the innovation. Secondly, contrary to previous intra-service rivalry explanations, we argue that our case is a compelling example of intra-service rivalry between components rather than branches, and over manpower and organizational structure rather than technology and visions of victory. Finally, addressing the lack of theory in innovation studies, we show how the transformation followed post-Fordist principles to address its political, ideological and financial drivers. We conclude that numerous innovation processes can be operant at different times, and that FR2020 has been frustrated by the interaction between these processes

Sustained pupil responses are modulated by predictability of auditory sequences

The brain is highly sensitive to auditory regularities and exploits the predictable order of sounds in many situations, from parsing complex auditory scenes, to the acquisition of language. To understand the impact of stimulus predictability on perception, it is important to determine how the detection of predictable structure influences processing and attention. Here we use pupillometry to gain insight into the effect of sensory regularity on arousal. Pupillometry is a commonly used measure of salience and processing effort, with more perceptually salient or perceptually demanding stimuli consistently associated with larger pupil diameters.In two experiments we tracked human listeners' pupil dynamics while they listened to sequences of 50ms tone pips of different frequencies. The order of the tone pips was either random, contained deterministic (fully predictable) regularities (experiment 1, n = 18, 11 female) or had a probabilistic regularity structure (experiment 2, n = 20, 17 female). The sequences were rapid, preventing conscious tracking of sequence structure thus allowing us to focus on the automatic extraction of different types of regularities. We hypothesized that if regularity facilitates processing by reducing processing demands, a smaller pupil diameter would be seen in response to regular relative to random patterns. Conversely, if regularity is associated with heightened arousal and attention (i.e. engages processing resources) the opposite pattern would be expected. In both experiments we observed a smaller sustained (tonic) pupil diameter for regular compared with random sequences, consistent with the former hypothesis and confirming that predictability facilitates sequence processing.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe brain is highly sensitive to auditory regularities. To appreciate the impact that the presence of predictability has on perception, we need to better understand how a predictable structure influences processing and attention. We recorded listeners' pupil responses to sequences of tones that followed either a predictable or unpredictable pattern, as the pupil can be used to implicitly tap into these different cognitive processes. We found that the pupil showed a smaller sustained diameter to predictable sequences, indicating that predictability eased processing rather than boosted attention. The findings suggest that the pupil response can be used to study the automatic extraction of regularities, and that the effects are most consistent with predictability helping the listener to efficiently process upcoming sounds

Effect of multi-component fertilizers on seeds yield, yield components and physiological parameters of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.)

ArticleSubject of the discussed studies was an analysis of the impact of mineral multicomponent fertilizers, from Polish and foreign producers, on the yield and yield components of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus var. oleifera). Two field experiments were carried out in 2015–2017 in Lipnik. The experimental crop was winter oilseed rape, hybrid cultivar DK EXPLICIT. Two factors were studied in the experiment A: 4 multi-component mineral fertilizers - two Belarusian (1 i 2), one Russian and one Polish (Polifoska 6) and 4 doses of fertilization (250, 500 and 750 kg ha-1 ). In the experiment (B) were compared two factors: 3 multi-component mineral fertilizers - Belarusian, Russian and Polish production - Polifoska 8 and 4 doses of fertilization (200, 400 and 600 kg ha-1 ). The fertilizers applied in the experiments, manufactured in Belarus, Russia and Poland, did not show variations in the amount of yield of winter rape. The number of winter rapeseed plants on the area unit (in autumn and spring) was independent of the type of fertilizers. In the experiment B, higher number of rapeseed siliques was obtained after application of Polifoska 8, than other fertilizers. Rapeseed grown on soil with the fertilizers manufactured in Belarus showed a lower value of greenness index (SPAD) and leaf area index (LAI). As a result of the application of multi-component fertilizers, manufactured in Belarus, Russia and Poland, the recorded differences in the winter rapeseed yield, yield components and physiological parameters did not exceed 10%

X-Band Wireless Power Transfer System Using a Focused Array Lens

Wireless power beaming from space and energy harvesting were once stories of science fiction, until now. Wireless power transmission (WPT) is a field continually in development to provide energy in situations where energy transfer through wires is impractical or unfeasible. This engineering discipline abandons the use of wire technology for the energy transfer between the power source and a distant device. While various forms of WPT exist, our project focuses on transmission through means of radio frequency (RF), utilizing electromagnetic waves to power devices. Furthermore, WPT technology primarily assists in the elimination of a physical connection between devices, and it allows power transmission from a central hub, which can be located at variable distances away from the devices it is charging. Furthermore, WPT technology can address issues of not having a power source in remote areas, where satellite technology can be used to beam energy to remote locations on Earth’s surface. Additionally, WPT can be extended into energy recycling and energy harvesting from various radio frequency (RF) sources. This project created a WPT system using a three-layer double-loop transmitarray. Beam focusing was successfully accomplished using the array, with an introduced 5 dB of power gain at the receiver within a region of 0.3 meters to 1 meter. The peak gain was 5.8 dB at 0.61 meters and a minimum of 2.2 dB at 2.059 meters, forming a bell-shaped curve characteristic of beam focusing

The impact of transport infrastructure projects on sustainable development within a major logistics gateway in North West England

In the North West of England the issue of a perceived infrastructure gap is of increasing concern. Investment needs to be made to improve the transport infrastructure of the region if it is to be expected to promote the development of its own regional logistics gateway. Funding tools have been set up to address the challenges arising from the imbalance in infrastructure development that exists between regions in the north of the United Kingdom and those in the south. For regions with well developed economies the outlook is promising as the availability of modern transport infrastructure looks set to improve. However, some sources believe that the development of new transport infrastructure will have a negative impact upon sustainable development. It is expected that this will occur in a range of both direct and indirect ways. As a result, it is critical that planning for the creation of new intermodal transport infrastructure, or the upgrading of that which already exists, takes into account the impact that these developments will have on the sustainable development of the host region. A scenario based development methodology is proposed in this paper. It was developed to provide a way to identify potential scenarios that may arise within a given region as a result of transport infrastructure projects. To create significant scenarios the methodology is dependent on the availability of a sufficient quantity of quality data. For this paper that data was collected through a focus group composed of stakeholders from the region in question. This was further supported by the performance of an impact survey using the same group of stakeholders

Characterizing contributions of glacier melt and groundwater during the dry season in a poorly gauged catchment of the Cordillera Blanca (Peru)

The retreat of glaciers in the tropics will have a significant impact on water resources. In order to overcome limitations with discontinuous to nonexistent hydrologic measurements in remote mountain watersheds, a hydrochemical and isotopic mass balance model is used to identify and characterize dry season water origins at the glacier fed Querococha basin located in southern Cordillera Blanca, Peru. Dry season water samples, collected intermittently between 1998 and 2007, were analyzed for major ions and the stable isotopes of water (δ^18 O and δ^2 H). The hydrochemical and isotopic data are analysed using conservative characteristics of selected tracers and relative contributions are calculated based on pre-identified contributing sources at mixing points sampled across the basin. The results show that during the dry-season, groundwater is the largest contributor to basin outflow and that the flux of groundwater is temporally variable. The groundwater contribution significantly correlates (P-value=0.004 to 0.044) to the antecedent precipitation regime at 3 and 18–36 months. Assuming this indicates a maximum of 4 years of precipitation accumulation in groundwater reserves, the Querococha watershed outflows are potentially vulnerable to multi-year droughts and climate related changes in the precipitation regime. The results show that the use of hydrochemical and isotopic data can contribute to hydrologic studies in remote, data poor regions, and that groundwater contribution to tropical proglacial hydrologic systems is a critical component of dry season discharge

Non-invasive screening of breast cancer from fingertip smears—a proof of concept study

Breast cancer is a global health issue affecting 2.3 million women per year, causing death in over 600,000. Mammography (and biopsy) is the gold standard for screening and diagnosis. Whilst effective, this test exposes individuals to radiation, has limitations to its sensitivity and specificity and may cause moderate to severe discomfort. Some women may also find this test culturally unacceptable. This proof-of-concept study, combining bottom-up proteomics with Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (MALDI MS) detection, explores the potential for a non-invasive technique for the early detection of breast cancer from fingertip smears. A cohort of 15 women with either benign breast disease (n = 5), early breast cancer (n = 5) or metastatic breast cancer (n = 5) were recruited from a single UK breast unit. Fingertips smears were taken from each patient and from each of the ten digits, either at the time of diagnosis or, for metastatic patients, during active treatment. A number of statistical analyses and machine learning approaches were investigated and applied to the resulting mass spectral dataset. The highest performing predictive method, a 3-class Multilayer Perceptron neural network, yielded an accuracy score of 97.8% when categorising unseen MALDI MS spectra as either the benign, early or metastatic cancer classes. These findings support the need for further research into the use of sweat deposits (in the form of fingertip smears or fingerprints) for non-invasive screening of breast cancer