Biopsychosocial implications of living with multiple sclerosis: a qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is estimated to affect 2.8 million people worldwide, with increasing prevalence in all world regions (Walton et al). While there is no cure for MS, medication and lifestyle modifications can slow disease progression and enhance patients’ quality of life. The biopsychosocial model of health recognises important interactions among biological, psychological and social factors in illness, including those relating to illness management, which contribute to the experience of those diagnosed with MS. Objective: This qualitative, idiographic study aimed to explore the lived experiences of patients in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) diagnosed with S. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of eight patients with MS ranging in age from 25 to 56 years. All participants were residing in the UAE at the time of data collection. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: Three superordinate themes were identified from patients’ candid accounts of their lives with MS, highlighting issues of illness management, acceptance and gratitude, and adaptive coping. These themes broadly illustrate biological, psychological and social aspects of patients’ MS experiences. Conclusion: The study emphasised the importance of adopting the biopsychosocial model to treat and manage MS. Additionally, it highlights the need for routine assessment and early, multidimensional approach with multidisciplinary team efforts to improve patients’ quality of life

The Optical/Near-IR Colors of Broad Absorption Line Quasars, Including the Candidate Radio-Loud BAL Quasar 1556+3517

A candidate radio-loud broad absorption line quasar (RLBAL) has been reported by Becker et al. (1997). We present JHK observations of this object and three other radio-detected BALs taken with the new Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT/Ohio State/Aladdin IR Camera (MOSAIC) on the KPNO 4-meter. The candidate RLBAL 1556+3517 has B-K=6.63, redder than all but one or two known z>1 quasars. This strongly suggests the observed continuum of this quasar is reddened by dust. Even when this extreme reddening is taken into account 1556+3517 is still probably radio-loud, although near-IR spectroscopy to measure its Balmer decrement will be needed to verify this. In addition, since it is a flat-spectrum object, VLBI observations to determine the extent (if any) to which beaming affects our estimate of its radio luminosity will be needed before 1556+3517 can be unequivocally declared a radio-loud BAL. We also use our data and data from the literature to show that optically selected BALs as a class have B-K colors consistent with the observed distribution for optically selected quasars as a whole. Thus there is currently no evidence that the tendency of optically selected BALs to be preferentially radio-intermediate (Hooper, Francis, & Impey 1993) is due to extinction artificially lowering estimated BAL optical luminosities. However, as most quasar surveys, both radio and optical, would be insensitive to a population of reddened radio-quiet BALs, the existence of a large population of reddened BALs similar to 1556+3517 cannot yet be ruled out.Comment: Accepted to ApJ Letters; 10 pages including 1 figure and 2 tables. This version somewhat revised from initial submission, with a better figur

Differential responses of two nearshore infaunal assemblages to experimental petroleum additions

Empirical support is provided for the hypothesis that benthic communities found in relatively constant and predictable environments are less stable (resistant and resilient) following unusual disturbances than lower-diversity communities found in more inconstant and unpredictable environments. A less diverse benthic community (i.e., the Streblospio-Tubificoides assemblage) inhabiting an inconstant and unpredictable, shallow marsh cove was disturbed less and recovered faster from an experimental addition of No. 2 fuel oil, than the more diverse benthos (i.e., the Nucula-Mediomastus assemblage) inhabiting a relatively more constant and predictable, deeper coastal embayment. Disturbed sediment had a stimulatory effect on most populations in the marsh and an inhibitory effect on most populations in the bay. Initial amount and subsequent behavior of oil were similar in the two environments. Thus, differential responses of the two communities are attributable to intrinsic biological properties rather than differences in levels or composition of oil

Effect of an oil spill on benthic animals in the lower York River, Virginia

Although considerable study has been centered upon intertidal organisms with respect to their response to oil spills, most investigations have been conducted on exposed rocky intertidal habitats (1). Few studies are available which describe the response of benthic animal communities in mid-Atlantic estuaries and particularly in its largest estuary, Chesapeake Bay. This study documents both from field survey data and laboratory bioassay studies the effects of an accidental oil spill on the intertidal benthic communities of the Lower York River, Virginia

My grade, my right: linking academic entitlement to academic performance

The identifcation of determinants and correlates of academic entitlement is of particular interest for researchers and (academic) tutors alike. Whilst personality traits have been linked to academic entitlement in the past, the relative importance of familial influence remains unclear. Hence, to address this deficit, this study utilizes a sample of business and psychology undergraduates (N=170) in the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, the impact of academic entitlement on students’ misestimation of coursework grades was assessed in a subsample of psychology undergraduates (N=92). Multiple regression analyses revealed honesty–humility as the strongest predictor of academic entitlement, indicating lower entitlement of more honest students. In contrast, familial influences were unrelated to academic entitlement. Interestingly, higher entitled expectations were associated with larger overestimation of grades. Our findings indicate honesty–humility as an important driver of academic entitlement, whilst entitled expectations appear to be associated with misperceptions of students' own academic performance

Axial Symmetry and Rotation in the SiO Maser Shell of IK Tauri

We observed v=1, J=1-0 43-GHz SiO maser emission toward the Mira variable IK Tauri (IK Tau) using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). The images resulting from these observations show that SiO masers form a highly elliptical ring of emission approximately 58 x 32 mas with an axial ratio of 1.8:1. The major axis of this elliptical distribution is oriented at position angle of ~59 deg. The line-of-sight velocity structure of the SiO masers has an apparent axis of symmetry consistent with the elongation axis of the maser distribution. Relative to the assumed stellar velocity of 35 km/s, the blue- and red-shifted masers were found to lie to the northwest and southeast of this symmetry axis respectively. This velocity structure suggests a NW-SE rotation of the SiO maser shell with an equatorial velocity, which we determine to be ~3.6 km/s. Such a NW-SE rotation is in agreement with a circumstellar envelope geometry invoked to explain previous water and OH maser observations. In this geometry, water and OH masers are preferentially created in a region of enhanced density along the NE-SW equator orthogonal to the rotation/polar axis suggested by the SiO maser velocities.Comment: 17 Pages, 4 figures (2 color); accepted for publication in Ap

A comparison of seafloor habitats and associated benthic fauna in areas open and closed to bottom trawling along the central California Continental Shelf

Executive Summary: A number of studies have shown that mobile, bottom-contact fishing gear (such as otter trawls) can alter seafloor habitats and associated biota. Considerably less is known about the recovery of these resources following such disturbances, though this information is critical for successful management. In part, this paucity of information can be attributed to the lack of access to adequate control sites – areas of the seafloor that are closed to fishing activity. Recent closures along the coast of central California provide an excellent opportunity to track the recovery of historically trawled areas and to compare recovery rates to adjacent areas that continue to be trawled. In June 2006 we initiated a multi-year study of the recovery of seafloor microhabitats and associated benthic fauna inside and outside two new Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) closures within the Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries. Study sites inside the EFH closure at Cordell Bank were located in historically active areas of fishing effort, which had not been trawled since 2003. Sites outside the EFH closure in the Gulf of Farallones were located in an area that continues to be actively trawled. All sites were located in unconsolidated sands at equivalent water depths. Video and still photographic data collected via a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) were used to quantify the abundance, richness, and diversity of microhabitats and epifaunal macro-invertebrates at recovering and actively trawled sites, while bottom grabs and conductivity/temperature/depth (CTD) casts were used to quantify infaunal diversity and to characterize local environmental conditions. Analysis of still photos found differences in common seafloor microhabitats between the recovering and actively trawled areas, while analysis of videographic data indicated that biogenic mound and biogenic depression microhabitats were significantly less abundant at trawled sites. Each of these features provides structure with which demersal fishes, across a wide range of size classes, have been observed to associate. Epifaunal macro-invertebrates were sparsely distributed and occurred in low numbers in both treatments. However, their total abundance was significantly different between treatments, which was attributable to lower densities at trawled sites. In addition, the dominant taxa were different between the two sites. Patchily-distributed buried brittle stars dominated the recovering site, and sea whips (Halipteris cf. willemoesi) were most numerous at the trawled site though they occurred in only five of ten transects. Numerical classification (cluster analysis) of the infaunal samples also revealed a clear difference between benthic assemblages in the recovering vs. trawled areas due to differences in the relative abundances of component species. There were no major differences in infaunal species richness, H′ diversity, or J′ evenness between recovering vs. trawled site groups. However, total infaunal abundance showed a significant difference attributable to much lower densities at trawled sites. This pattern was driven largely by the small oweniid polychaete Myriochele gracilis, which was the most abundant species in the overall study region though significantly less abundant at trawled sites. Other taxa that were significantly less abundant at trawled sites included the polychaete M. olgae and the polychaete family Terebellidae. In contrast, the thyasirid bivalve Axinopsida serricata and the polychaetes Spiophanes spp. (mostly S. duplex), Prionospio spp., and Scoloplos armiger all had significantly to near significantly higher abundances at trawled sites. As a result of such contrasting species patterns, there also was a significant difference in the overall dominance structure of infaunal assemblages between the two treatments. It is suggested that the observed biological patterns were the result of trawling impacts and varying levels of recovery due to the difference in trawling status between the two areas. The EFH closure was established in June 2006, within a month of when sampling was conducted for the present study, however, the stations within this closure area are at sites that actually have experienced little trawling since 2003, based on National Marine Fishery Service trawl records. Thus, the three-year period would be sufficient time for some post-trawling changes to have occurred. Other results from this study (e.g., similarly moderate numbers of infaunal species in both areas that are lower than values recorded elsewhere in comparable habitats along the California continental shelf) also indicate that recovery within the closure area is not yet complete. Additional sampling is needed to evaluate subsequent recovery trends and persistence of effects. Furthermore, to date, the study has been limited to unconsolidated substrates. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to characterize the recovery trajectories of a wide spectrum of seafloor habitats and communities and to link that recovery to the dynamics of exploited marine fishes. (PDF has 48 pages.

The Voices of History: theorising the interpersonal semantics of historical discourses

‘The individual consumer, the learner of history, is offered an impressive array of discursive products geared to catch his or her attention, to persuade him or her of the truth of whatever message is transmitted’ (Blanco and Rosa 1997: 197. In this article I examine these discursive products from the perspective of ‘voice’. I do this as a way of bringing to conscious attention the strategies that historians use in order to persuade and position the ‘consumer’. ‘Voice’ in recent systemic linguistic theorizing refers to distinctive configurations of APPRAISAL choices. Within the domain of history, research to date has identified three main configurations or voices—‘recorder’, ‘interpreter’, and ‘adjudicator’. Central to the research reported on in this article is Martin’s APPRAISAL framework (Martin 1997, 2000). APPRAISAL 1 systems are the semantic resources used to negotiate emotions, judgments, and valuations. In this article I will examine how choices from these systems vary in ways that are systematic — different history texts speak with different ‘voices’. These voices, I argue, are a key rhetorical strategy in history discourse. Different combinations of APPRAISAL resources are drawn on to negotiate the heteroglossic positions of their audiences. As such they are a key resource for both the professional and apprentice historian in their assessment of interpretations of the past

Near Infrared Adaptive Optics Imaging of QSO Host Galaxies

We report near-infrared (primarily H-band) adaptive optics (AO) imaging with the Gemini-N and Subaru Telescopes, of a representative sample of 32 nearby (z<0.3) QSOs selected from the Palomar-Green (PG) Bright Quasar Survey (BQS), in order to investigate the properties of the host galaxies. 2D modeling and visual inspection of the images shows that ~36% of the hosts are ellipticals, \~39% contain a prominent disk component, and ~25% are of undetermined type. 30% show obvious signs of disturbance. The mean M_H(host) = -24.82 (2.1L_H*), with a range -23.5 to -26.5 (~0.63 to 10 L_H*). At <L_H*, all hosts have a dominant disk component, while at >2 L_H* most are ellipticals. "Disturbed" hosts are found at all M_H(host), while "strongly disturbed" hosts appear to favor the more luminous hosts. Hosts with prominent disks have less luminous QSOs, while the most luminous QSOs are almost exclusively in ellipticals or in mergers (which presumably shortly will be ellipticals). At z<0.13, where our sample is complete at B-band, we find no clear correlation between M_B(QSO) and M_H(host). However, at z>0.15, the more luminous QSOs (M_B<-24.7), and 4/5 of the radio-loud QSOs, have the most luminous H-band hosts (>7L_H*), most of which are ellipticals. Finally, we find a strong correlation between the "infrared-excess", L_IR/L_BB, of QSOs with host type and degree of disturbance. Disturbed and strongly disturbed hosts and hosts with dominant disks have L_IR/L_BB twice that of non-disturbed and elliptical hosts, respectively. QSOs with "disturbed" and "strongly-disturbed" hosts are also found to have morphologies and mid/far-infrared colors that are similar to what is found for "warm" ultraluminous infrared galaxies, providing further evidence for a possible evolutionary connection between both classes of objects.Comment: 80 pages, accepted for publication in ApJ Supp

Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: Australian Experience with Genetic Testing

Linkage analysis has been performed in four pedigrees with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN 2A) or familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) using pericentromeric chromosome 10 probes. Important information regarding carrier status has been provided in 10 individuals, many of whom would not have been identified by pentagastrin stimulation testing. We have also used pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to link the probes H4JRBP and pMCK2 to a 150 kb fragment. Using PFGE, no evidence was found in DNA from lymphocytes of a major DNA rearrangement in two individuals affected with MEN 2A and an individual with MEN 2B compared with normals. Metastatic MTC from one patient has been used to generate a cDNA library which will be used to screen for candidate MEN 2A and MEN 2B gen