Playing the 'Blame Game': Accounting and the construction of disruptive behaviour in family interviews

Systemic conceptualisations suggest that family processes which involve blaming and holding the child accountable for their behaviour play an important role in the maintenance of disruptive behaviour problems. Discourse analytic work in family therapy settings has shown that accountability for the family’s reported problems is a key concern for family members. This study used a conversation analytic (CA) approach to examine family members’ accounts of child disruptive behaviour. The two participating families were both engaged in family therapy for disruptive behaviour problems. Each family participated in a family interview which was recorded and transcribed according to CA principles. The analysis focused on the discursive organisation of accounts, as well as how these accounts were constructed to actively manage accountability during the interviews. Accounts were organised into a threepart structure consisting of a ‘statement of causality’, ‘warrant’ and ‘formulation’. Three strategies for managing accountability were identified: ‘objectifying’, ‘normalising’ and ‘systematic vagueness’. The analytic findings are discussed in terms of their relevance to systemic theory and practice

DNA Sequence Analysis of SLC26A5, Encoding Prestin, in a Patient-Control Cohort: Identification of Fourteen Novel DNA Sequence Variations

Prestin, encoded by the gene SLC26A5, is a transmembrane protein of the cochlear outer hair cell (OHC). Prestin is required for the somatic electromotile activity of OHCs, which is absent in OHCs and causes severe hearing impairment in mice lacking prestin. In humans, the role of sequence variations in SLC26A5 in hearing loss is less clear. Although prestin is expected to be required for functional human OHCs, the clinical significance of reported putative mutant alleles in humans is uncertain.To explore the hypothesis that SLC26A5 may act as a modifier gene, affecting the severity of hearing loss caused by an independent etiology, a patient-control cohort was screened for DNA sequence variations in SLC26A5 using sequencing and allele specific methods. Patients in this study carried known pathogenic or controversial sequence variations in GJB2, encoding Connexin 26, or confirmed or suspected sequence variations in SLC26A5; controls included four ethnic populations. Twenty-three different DNA sequence variations in SLC26A5, 14 of which are novel, were observed: 4 novel sequence variations were found exclusively among patients; 7 novel sequence variations were found exclusively among controls; and, 12 sequence variations, 3 of which are novel, were found in both patients and controls. Twenty-one of the 23 DNA sequence variations were located in non-coding regions of SLC26A5. Two coding sequence variations, both novel, were observed only in patients and predict a silent change, p.S434S, and an amino acid substitution, p.I663V. In silico analysis of the p.I663V amino acid variation suggested this variant might be benign. Using Fisher's exact test, no statistically significant difference was observed between patients and controls in the frequency of the identified DNA sequence variations. Haplotype analysis using HaploView 4.0 software revealed the same predominant haplotype in patients and controls and derived haplotype blocks in the patient-control cohort similar to those generated from the International HapMap Project.Although these data fail to support a hypothesis that SLC26A5 acts as a modifier gene of GJB2-related hearing loss, the sample size is small and investigation of a larger population might be more informative. The 14 novel DNA sequence variations in SLC26A5 reported here will serve as useful research tools for future studies of prestin

Self-tuning to the Hopf bifurcation in fluctuating systems

The problem of self-tuning a system to the Hopf bifurcation in the presence of noise and periodic external forcing is discussed. We find that the response of the system has a non-monotonic dependence on the noise-strength, and displays an amplified response which is more pronounced for weaker signals. The observed effect is to be distinguished from stochastic resonance. For the feedback we have studied, the unforced self-tuned Hopf oscillator in the presence of fluctuations exhibits sharp peaks in its spectrum. The implications of our general results are briefly discussed in the context of sound detection by the inner ear.Comment: 37 pages, 7 figures (8 figure files

RESPUESTAS FISIOLÓGICAS Y PSICOGENÉTICA EN EL TRASTORNO DE ESTRÉS POST-TRAUMÁTICO.

RESUMEN El propósito de esta revisión es puntualizar acerca algunas características del Trastorno de Estrés Post-Traumático (TEPT) que sobresalen desde los puntos de vista epidemiológico, psicológico y fisiológico. Algunos de estos aspectos se correlacionan con familias de genes hoy asociados fuertemente con los casos positivos de dicho trastorno. Se destacan dentro de ellos, algunos relacionados con la expresión de subtipos de receptores GABAA. Probablemente, estas y otras características genéticas contribuyan a la explicación de las variaciones en la susceptibilidad individual lo cual aparece claramente en los estudios clínicos donde no todos los sujetos expuestos a un mismo evento traumático desarrollen el trastorno. Palabras claves: Trastorno de Estrés Post-Traumático, Psicogenética, Respuestas Fisiológicas ABSTRACT The purpose of this review is to remark some characteristics of the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that stand out from the epidemic, psychological and physiologic points of view. Some of these aspects are correlated with families of genes with a strong associations within the positive cases of this disorder. Stand out inside them, some related with the expression of subtypes of GABAA receptors. Probably, these and other genetic characteristics contribute to the explain the variations in the individual susceptibility that appears clearly in the clinical studies where not all the exposed to the same traumatic event develops the dysfunction

RESPUESTAS FISIOLÓGICAS Y PSICOGENÉTICA EN EL TRASTORNO DE ESTRÉS POST-TRAUMÁTICO.

RESUMEN El propósito de esta revisión es puntualizar acerca algunas características del Trastorno de Estrés Post-Traumático (TEPT) que sobresalen desde los puntos de vista epidemiológico, psicológico y fisiológico. Algunos de estos aspectos se correlacionan con familias de genes hoy asociados fuertemente con los casos positivos de dicho trastorno. Se destacan dentro de ellos, algunos relacionados con la expresión de subtipos de receptores GABAA. Probablemente, estas y otras características genéticas contribuyan a la explicación de las variaciones en la susceptibilidad individual lo cual aparece claramente en los estudios clínicos donde no todos los sujetos expuestos a un mismo evento traumático desarrollen el trastorno. Palabras claves: Trastorno de Estrés Post-Traumático, Psicogenética, Respuestas Fisiológicas ABSTRACT The purpose of this review is to remark some characteristics of the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that stand out from the epidemic, psychological and physiologic points of view. Some of these aspects are correlated with families of genes with a strong associations within the positive cases of this disorder. Stand out inside them, some related with the expression of subtypes of GABAA receptors. Probably, these and other genetic characteristics contribute to the explain the variations in the individual susceptibility that appears clearly in the clinical studies where not all the exposed to the same traumatic event develops the dysfunction

A model and experimental approach to the middle ear transfer function related to hearing in the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

At present, there are no direct measures of hearing for any baleen whale (Mysticeti). The most viable alternative to in vivo approaches to simulate the audiogram is through modeling outer, middle, and inner ear functions based on the anatomy and material properties of each component. This paper describes a finite element model of the middle ear for the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) to calculate the middle ear transfer function (METF) to determine acoustic energy transmission to the cochlea. The model was developed based on high resolution computed tomography imaging and direct anatomical measurements of the middle ear components for this mysticete species. Mechanical properties for the middle ear tissues were determined from experimental measurements and published values. The METF for the humpback whale predicted a better frequency range between approximately 15 Hz and 3 kHz or between 200 Hz and 9 kHz based on two potential stimulation locations. Experimental measures of the ossicular chain, tympanic membrane, and tympanic bone velocities showed frequency response characteristics consistent with the model. The predicted best sensitivity hearing ranges match well with known vocalizations of this species

Localization of the Cochlear Amplifier in Living Sensitive Ears

BACKGROUND: To detect soft sounds, the mammalian cochlea increases its sensitivity by amplifying incoming sounds up to one thousand times. Although the cochlear amplifier is thought to be a local cellular process at an area basal to the response peak on the spiral basilar membrane, its location has not been demonstrated experimentally. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using a sensitive laser interferometer to measure sub-nanometer vibrations at two locations along the basilar membrane in sensitive gerbil cochleae, here we show that the cochlea can boost soft sound-induced vibrations as much as 50 dB/mm at an area proximal to the response peak on the basilar membrane. The observed amplification works maximally at low sound levels and at frequencies immediately below the peak-response frequency of the measured apical location. The amplification decreases more than 65 dB/mm as sound levels increases. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that the cochlea amplifier resides at a small longitudinal region basal to the response peak in the sensitive cochlea. These data provides critical information for advancing our knowledge on cochlear mechanisms responsible for the remarkable hearing sensitivity, frequency selectivity and dynamic range

A case for taking the dual role of counsellor-researcher in qualitative research

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Qualitative Research in Psychology on 3rd August 2016, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2016.1205694There is ongoing debate about whether the challenges of practice-based research in counselling, with clients’ discourses providing the raw data, can be overcome. This article begins by considering the argument of whether taking a dual role of counsellor-researcher within case study research is a legitimate qualitative approach. A case example using sand-tray in short-term therapy with adults from a pluralistic perspective is provided to demonstrate how the challenges of the dual role can be managed to produce effective research findings. It is suggested that this approach closes the gap between research and practice to produce findings that are highly relevant to the counselling context. The ethical considerations of taking a dual role of counsellor-researcher are considered, and opportunities and challenges when adopting this approach are identified

T-Cell Infiltration and Adaptive Treg Resistance in Response to Androgen Deprivation With or Without Vaccination in Localized Prostate Cancer

Purpose: Previous studies suggest that androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) promotes antitumor immunity in prostate cancer. Whether a vaccine-based approach can augment this effect remains unknown. Experimental Design: Therefore, we conducted a neoadjuvant, randomized study to quantify the immunologic effects of a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-secreting allogeneic cellular vaccine in combination with low-dose cyclophosphamide (Cy/GVAX) followed by degarelix versus degarelix alone in patients with high-risk localized prostate adenocarcinoma who were planned for radical prostatectomy. Results: Both Cy/GVAX plus degarelix and degarelix alone led to significant increases in intratumoral CD8+ T cell infiltration and PD-L1 expression as compared to a cohort of untreated, matched controls. However, the CD8+ T cell infiltrate was accompanied by a proportional increase in regulatory T cells (Treg), suggesting that adaptive Treg resistance may dampen the immunogenicity of ADT. Although Cy/GVAX followed by degarelix was associated with a modest improvement in time-to-PSA progression and time-to-next treatment as well as an increase in PD-L1, there was no difference in the CD8 T-cell infiltrate as compared to degarelix alone. Gene expression profiling demonstrated that CHIT1, a macrophage marker, was differentially upregulated with Cy/GVAX plus degarelix compared to degarelix alone. Conclusions: Our results highlight that ADT with or without Cy/GVAX induces a complex immune response within the prostate tumor microenvironment. These data have important implications for combining ADT with immunotherapy. In particular, our finding that ADT increases both CD8+ T cells and Tregs, supports the development of regimens combining ADT with Treg-depleting agents in the treatment of prostate cancer