Promoting Queer Competency Through An Experiential Framework

Many counselors report feeling under prepared to effectively work with queer persons. Arguably, this can be mitigated through early intervention within training programs. However, many counseling programs do not adequately prepare their students to work with queer persons. To eliminate this gap in training, this article combines endorsed counseling competencies and experiential learning as an approach to enhance counselor queer training and preparation. This approach primarily framed through the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies, and further supported through the Competencies for Counseling with LGBQQIA Individuals, and the ALGBTIC Competencies for Counseling with Transgender Clients can create an encompassing curricula and pedagogical framework for counselor educators

Supersymmetric Yang-Mills, octonionic instantons and triholomorphic curves

In four-dimensional gauge theory there exists a well-known correspondence between instantons and holomorphic curves, and a similar correspondence exists between certain octonionic instantons and triholomorphic curves. We prove that this latter correspondence stems from the dynamics of various dimensional reductions of ten-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. More precisely we show that the dimensional reduction of the (5+1)-dimensional supersymmetric sigma model with hyperkaehler (but otherwise arbitrary) target X to a four-dimensional hyperkaehler manifold M is a topological sigma model localising on the space of triholomorphic maps M -> X (or hyperinstantons). When X is the moduli space M_K of instantons on a four-dimensional hyperkaehler manifold K, this theory has an interpretation in terms of supersymmetric gauge theory. In this case, the topological sigma model can be understood as an adiabatic limit of the dimensional reduction of ten-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills on the eight-dimensional manifold M x K of holonomy Sp(1) x Sp(1) in Spin(7), which is a cohomological theory localising on the moduli space of octonionic instantons.Comment: 26 pages, LaTeX2e (A comment and a corresponding acknowledgement added and a reference ammended

Prognostically controlled comparison of dialysis and renal transplantation

Prognostically controlled comparison of dialysis and renal transplantation. Because the comparison of survival in patients with renal failure treated by dialysis and transplantation may be biased by pretreatment prognostic differences in the patients who receive these two therapies, we quantified the pretreatment prognosis of all 430 dialysis and transplant patients who began therapy for end-stage renal disease at two hospitals from 1970 to 1980. Five pretreatment factors had a statistically significant adverse effect on survival: age, duration of diabetes, left ventricular failure, myocardial infarction, and other serious comorbid illness. Dialysis patients had a worse pretreatment prognosis than transplant patients did. When we controlled for these pretreatment differences, the actuarial 5-year patient survivals were 80% for dialysis (D), 79% for cadaver transplantation (CT), and 91% for living donor transplantation (LDT), (P = 0.9 for CT vs. D, and P = 0.05 for LDT vs. D). This similarity in survival with dialysis and cadaver transplantation was quite different from the results obtained when pretreatment prognosis was not controlled; the uncontrolled 5-year patient survivals were 43% for D, 77% for CT, and 89% for LDT (P < 0.001 for CT vs. D, and P < 0.001 for LDT vs. D). Our data suggest that the major factor determining differences in survival with dialysis and renal transplantation is not the relative efficacy of the two treatments but the pretreatment prognostic status of the patients chosen to receive them.Une comparaison contrôlée de façon pronostique entre la dialyse et la transplantation rénale. Puisque la comparaison de la survie des malades en insuffisance rénale traités par dialyse ou par transplantation peut être biaisée par des différences pronostiques pré-thérapeutiques entre les malades qui reçoivent ces deux traitements, nous avons quantifié le pronostic pré-thérapeutique de l'ensemble des 430 malades dialysés et transplantés qui ont commencé le traitement de leur insuffisance rénale dans deux hôpitaux de 1970 à 1980. Cinq facteurs préthérapeutiques possédaient un effet adverse statistiquement significatif sur la survie: l'âge, la durée du diabète, une insuffisance ventriculaire gauche, un infarctus du myocarde, et une autre maladie sérieuse associée. Les dialysés avaient un pronostic pré-thérapeutique plus mauvais que les transplantés. Lorsque nous avons contrôlé ces différences pré-thérapeutiques, la survie actuarielle à 5 ans des malades était de 80% pour la dialyse (D), 79% pour la transplantation cadavérique (CT), et 91% pour la transplantation avec donneur vivant (LDT) (P = 0,9 pour CT contre D, et P = 0,05 pour LDT contre D). Cette similitude de survie en dialyse ou après transplantation cadavérique était très différente des résultats obtenus lorsque le pronostic pré-thérapeutique n'était pas contrôlé; les survies non contrôlées à 5 ans des malades étaient de 43% pour D, 77% pour CT, et 89% pour LDT (P < 0,001 pour CT contre D, et P < 0,001 pour LDT contre D). Nos données suggèrent que le facteur principal déterminant les différences de survie en dialyse ou après transplantation rénale n'est pas l'efficacité relative des deux traitements, mais l'état pronostique pré-thérapeutique des malades choisis pour les recevoir

Twitching motility among pathogenic Xylella fastidiosa isolates and the influence of bovine serum albumin on twitching-dependent colony fringe morphology

Fourteen Xylella fastidiosa isolates from grapevines exhibiting Pierce's disease symptoms in California, Texas, and South Carolina were examined for type IV pilus-mediated twitching motility, a phenotype previously observed in a Temecula isolate from California. All isolates except one from South Carolina (SC 19A97) exhibited colonies with a peripheral fringe on PW agar, a feature indicative of twitching motility; however, when individual cells of SC 19A97 were examined at higher magnifications twitching motility was observed. The presence and width of colony peripheral fringes were related to the amount of bovine serum albumin (BSA) present in the medium; no or low levels of BSA (0-1.8 g L−1) permitted development of the widest fringe, whereas higher levels (3.5-6.0 g L−1) severely limited, and in many instances prevented, peripheral fringe development. The growth rate of the wild-type Temecula isolate in PW broth with different concentrations of BSA was similar for all tested concentrations of BSA; however, growth was significantly reduced in medium without BS

General Model-based Filters for Extracting Cycles and Trends in Economic Time Series

A new class of model-based filters for extracting trends and cycles in economic time series is presented. These low pass and band pass filters are derived in a mutually consistent manner as the joint solution to a signal extraction problem in an unobserved components model. The resulting trends and cycles are computed in finite samples using a Kalman filter and associated smoother. The filters form a class which is a generalisation of the class of Butterworth filters, widely used in engineering. They are very flexible and have the important property of allowing relatively smooth cycles to be extracted from economic time series. Perfectly sharp, or ideal, band pass filters emerge as a special case. Applying the method to a quarterly series on US investment shows a clearly defined cycle currently at the peak of a boom

Grapevine xylem sap enhances biofilm development by Xylella fastidiosa

Xylella fastidiosa is able to form biofilms within xylem vessels of many economically important crops. Vessel blockage is believed to be a major contributor to disease development caused by this bacterium. This report shows that Vitis riparia xylem sap increases growth rate and induces a characteristic biofilm architecture as compared with biofilms formed in PD2 and PW media. In addition, stable cultures could be maintained, frozen and reestablished in xylem sap. These findings are important as xylem sap provides a natural medium that facilitates the identification of virulence determinants of Pierce's diseas

An annotated list of the Lepidoptera of Honduras

A biodiversity inventory of the Lepidoptera of Pico Bonito National Park and vicinity, in the Department of Atlantida of northern Honduras, was initiated in 2009 to obtain baseline data. We present a revised checklist of Honduran butterfly species (updated from the initial 1967 lists), as well as the first comprehensive list of Honduran moths. Our updated list includes 550 species of Papilionoidea, 311 Hesperioidea, and 1,441 moth species

A randomised trial of an internet weight control resource: The UK Weight Control Trial [ISRCTN58621669]

BACKGROUND: Obesity treatment is notoriously unsuccessful and one of the barriers to successful weight loss reported by patients is a lack of social support. The Internet offers a novel and fast approach to the delivery of health information, enabling 24-hour access to help and advice. However, much of the health information available on the Internet is unregulated or not written by qualified health professionals to provide unbiased information. The proposed study aims to compare a web-based weight loss package with traditional dietary treatment of obesity in participants. The project aims to deliver high quality information to the patient and to evaluate the effectiveness of this information, both in terms of weight loss outcomes and cost-effectiveness. METHODS: This study is a randomised controlled trial of a weight loss package against usual care provided within General Practice (GP) surgeries in Leeds, UK. Participants will be recruited via posters placed in participating practices. A target recruitment figure of 220 will enable 180 people to be recruited (allowing for 22% dropout). Participants agreeing to take part in the study will be randomly allocated using minimisation to either the intervention group, receiving access to the Internet site, or the usual care group. The primary outcome of the study will be the ability of the package to promote change in BMI over 6 and 12 months compared with traditional treatment. Secondary outcomes will be the ability of the Internet package to promote change in reported lifestyle behaviours. Data will be collected on participant preferences, adherence to treatment, health care use and time off work. Difference in cost between groups in provision of the intervention and the cost of the primary outcome will also be estimated. CONCLUSION: A positive result from this study would enhance the repertoire of treatment approaches available for the management of obesity. A negative result would be used to inform the research agenda and contribute to redefining future strategies for tackling obesity

An annotated list of the Lepidoptera of Honduras

A biodiversity inventory of the Lepidoptera of Pico Bonito National Park and vicinity, in the Department of Atlantida of northern Honduras, was initiated in 2009 to obtain baseline data. We present a revised checklist of Honduran butterfly species (updated from the initial 1967 lists), as well as the first comprehensive list of Honduran moths. Our updated list includes 550 species of Papilionoidea, 311 Hesperioidea, and 1,441 moth species