Spatial ability, sex, and handedness at 10/11 years of age

The importance of spatial ability is argued and the difficulties in defining and assessing it discussed. These questions are asked are the suggested relationships between spatial ability and sex, and between spatial ability and handedness still evident when spatial ability and handedness are more carefully defined than usual and when children of 10/11 are studied? The Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (E.H.I.) was modified and administered to 519 children. E.H.I. score and writing hand were compared as criteria of handedness. All 57 left handers and 57 right handers matching them in degree of handedness, age, and school experience were selected. The Spatial Test II (Watts) was administered to these 114 children. No evidence was found of any relationship. The implications of this are discussed

How do therapists understand and use humour in their work with obsessive-compulsive clients? A grounded theory study

This qualitative research study seeks to explore how experienced therapists - the majority of whom are Cognitive Behavioural Therapists - understand humour; and how they use it in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Between two and three per cent of the population have OCD and the World Health Organization ranks it in the top ten most disabling illnesses. However, forty per cent of obsessive-compulsive clients who engage in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for OCD either refuse, do not finish or fail to benefit from treatment. At the same time, research indicates that the therapeutic alliance is the primary driver for client change in therapy; and that humorous interventions help to strengthen this alliance. Data from semi-structured interviews with eight participants were analysed using Willig’s abbreviated grounded theory method (2013) and a tentative model was constructed. Humour is presented as an expression of paradox in OCD (it being at once illogical, distressing and dangerous; as well as creative, informative and absurd). Participants continuously assess the type and function of humour used in session. ‘Light’ and soothing humour promotes constructive outcomes (distancing while closely bonded, playfulness, normalising, reframing); while ‘dark’ and provocative humour risks negative results (defending, offending, rupturing). When making decisions about humour use, participants have regard to both in-the-moment, and longer term, feedback on the strength of the therapeutic relationship; as well as certain individual differences (religion, class, gender, age, etc. of the client) and intrapsychic variables (the participant’s own experience, training and professional reputation). The implications for theory and practice are discussed, with an emphasis on enhancing knowledge in the field of counselling psychology. Recommendations for future research are also made

The emergency laparotomy - principles and perioperative management

This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the 'Additional Link' above to download the whole journal issue.Open acces

BRCA1-BARD1: the importance of being in shape

The breast cancer type-1 susceptibility protein (BRCA1) contributes to genome integrity through homologous recombinational DNA repair and by protecting stalled replication forks from nucleolytic degradation. We recently discovered that fork protection requires a conformational change of BRCA1 unimportant to homologous recombination repair, indicating separate roles for BRCA1 in these pathways

The charged beam dumps for the international linear collider

The baseline configuration of the International Linear Collider requires 2 beam dumps per interaction region, each rated to 18MW of beam power, together with additional beam dumps for tuning purposes and machine protection. The baseline design uses high pressure moving water dumps, first developed for the SLC and used in the TESLA design, although a gas based dump is also being considered. In this paper we discuss the progress made by the international community on both physics and engineering studies for the beam dumps.Comment: Presented at European Particle Accelerator Conference (EPAC 06), Edinburgh, Scotland, 26-30 Jun 200