A Qualitative Analysis of Client Perceptions of the Effects of Helpful Therapist Self-Disclosure in Long-Term Therapy

Thirteen adult psychotherapy clients currently in long-term therapy were interviewed twice, with semistructured protocols, about their experiences with helpful instances of therapist self-disclosure. Data were analyzed with a qualitative methodology. Results indicated that helpful therapist self-disclosures (a) occurred when these clients were discussing important personal issues, (b) were perceived as being intended by therapists to normalize or reassure the clients, and (c) consisted of a disclosure of personal nonimmediate information about the therapists. The therapist self-disclosures resulted in positive consequences for these clients that included insight or a new perspective from which to make changes, an improved or more equalized therapeutic relationship, normalization, and reassurance. Implications for psychotherapy are discussed

Microbial Regulation of Allergic Inflammation

Allergic diseases have reached pandemic levels and represent a significant source of morbidity, mortality and healthcare cost. These chronic inflammatory diseases are characterized by interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-9 and IL-13 production by CD4+ T helper type 2 (TH2) cells, immunoglobulin E (IgE) production by B cells, and the recruitment of effector cells to sites of tissue inflammation. In addition to host genetic polymorphisms and environmental triggers, studies in patients and model systems suggest that commensal bacterial-derived signals influence susceptibility to TH2 cytokine-mediated allergic inflammation. For example, patients with allergies display altered commensal bacterial populations and antibiotic treatment increases allergy susceptibility. However, the influence of antibiotic treatment on intestinal bacterial communities, and subsequent effects on innate immune cells that influence the development of allergic inflammation, are poorly defined. Chapter 2 describes the development and characterization of a new murine antibiotic treatment model using 454 deep sequencing techniques and details antibiotic-induced temporal and spatial alterations to bacterial communities colonizing the murine intestine. Having characterized the effects of antibiotic treatment on commensal populations, Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 examine the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which innate immune cells respond to commensal-derived signals and regulate TH2 cytokine-mediated allergic responses. Data in Chapter 3 describe antibiotic-induced steady-state elevations in serum IgE levels and circulating basophil populations, an innate granulocyte implicated in contributing to allergic TH2 cell responses, as well as exaggerated basophil-mediated inflammation in models of allergic disease. Data in Chapter 4 indicate that circulating basophil populations correlate with serum IgE levels in mice and patients with hyper-IgE syndrome, and that B cell-intrinsic MyD88 expression limits murine IgE levels and basophil responses. These results provide novel mechanistic insights into how commensal bacterial-derived signals influence TH2 cytokine-mediated allergic inflammation, and have implications for the development of new preventative or therapeutic interventions for allergic disease

The Axiverse Extended: Vacuum Destabilisation, Early Dark Energy and Cosmological Collapse

A model is presented in the philosophy of the "String Axiverse" of Arvanitaki et al (arXiv:0905.4720v2 [hep-th]) that incorporates a coupling of ultralight axions to their corresponding moduli through the mass term. The light fields roll in their potentials at late times and contribute to the dark sector energy densities in the cosmological expansion. The addition of a coupling and extra field greatly enrich the possible phenomenology of the axiverse. There are a number of interesting phases where the axion and modulus components behave as Dark Matter or Dark Energy and can have considerable and distinct effects on the expansion history of the universe by modifying the equation of state in the past or causing possible future collapse of the universe. In future such a coupling may help to alleviate fine tuning problems for cosmological axions. We motivate and present the model, and briefly explore its cosmological consequences numerically.Comment: 13 pages, 17 figures, published in PRD. v3: corrected SUSY interpretation of axion potential scal

High Reynolds number tests of a Douglas DLBA 032 airfoil in the Langley 0.3-meter transonic cryogenic tunnel

A wind-tunnel investigation of a Douglas advanced-technology airfoil was conducted in the Langley 0.3-Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel (0.3-m TCT). The temperature was varied from 227 K (409 R) to 100 K (180 R) at pressures ranging from about 159 kPa (1.57 atm) to about 514 kPa (5.07 atm). Mach number was varied from 0.50 to 0.78. These variables provided a Reynolds number range (based on airfoil chord) from 6.0 to 30.0 x 10 to the 6th power. This investigation was specifically designed to: (1) test a Douglas airfoil from moderately low to flight-equivalent Reynolds numbers, and (2) evaluate sidewall-boundary-layer effects on transonic airfoil performance characteristics by a systematic variation of Mach number, Reynolds number, and sidewall-boundary-layer removal. Data are included which demonstrate the effects of fixing transition, Mach number, Reynolds number, and sidewall-boundary-layer removal on the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil. Also included are remarks on model design and model structural integrity

Sexual Attraction Toward Clients, Use of Supervision, and Prior Training: A Qualitative Study of Predoctoral Psychology Interns

Interviews were conducted with 13 predoctoral psychology interns about an experience of sexual attraction toward a client, use of supervision to address the sexual attraction, and prior training regarding sexual attraction. Results indicated that sexual attraction to clients consisted of physical and interpersonal aspects. Therapists believed they were more invested and attentive than usual to clients to whom they were sexually attracted, and they indicated that sexual attraction created distance, distraction, and loss of objectivity. In terms of supervision, only half of the participants disclosed their sexual attraction to supervisors, and supervisors seldom initiated the discussion. Furthermore, trainees found it helpful when supervisors normalized the sexual attraction and provided the opportunity to explore feelings in supervision. Finally, trainees believed their training programs did not adequately address therapist sexual attraction

Do Perceptions of Ballot Secrecy Influence Turnout? Results from a Field Experiment

Although the secret ballot has long been secured as a legal matter in the United States, formal secrecy protections are not equivalent to convincing citizens that they may vote privately and without fear of reprisal. We present survey evidence that those who have not previously voted are particularly likely to voice doubts about the secrecy of the voting process. We then report results from a field experiment where we provided registered voters with information about ballot secrecy protections prior to the 2010 general election. We find that these letters increased turnout for registered citizens without records of previous turnout, but did not appear to influence the behavior of citizens who had previously voted. These results suggest that although the secret ballot is a long-standing institution in the United States, providing basic information about ballot secrecy can affect the decision to participate to an important degree.