Addressing Heterosexism: Student Narratives of a Guided Imagery Activity

A published guided imagery (GI) offers an innovative active learning tool for teaching about heterosexism in counselor education. A literature review precedes the description of a critical narrative inquiry of students’ experiences with the GI activity. A sample of 19 students in two sections of a counseling course recounted stories of their GI experience in individual written reflections and focus group interviews. Findings describe individual and collective meaning-making, resulting in three themes about their struggles, insights, and perspectives of themselves and their personal and professional worlds. Implications for counselor education professionals include conceptualization and implementation of guided imagery for active learning and important considerations for managing students’ emotional and cognitive reactions

CACREP Accreditation Simulation: Transformative Learning in Counselor Education

A CACREP accreditation simulation activity is provided as a framework for counselor educators to facilitate experiential learning for doctoral students in counselor education. This article includes instructional strategies for self-directed learning and reflective journaling to introduce program development and accreditation processes throughout a semester length assignment. Participating students embody the roles of fictional faculty members embarking on accreditation to promote student collaboration and increased knowledge of CACREP standards through transformative learning

Successional change in phosphorus stoichiometry explains the inverse relationship between herbivory and lupin density on Mount St. Helens

Background: The average nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio (N:P) of insect herbivores is less than that of leaves, suggesting that P may mediate plant-insect interactions more often than appreciated. We investigated whether succession-related heterogeneity in N and P stoichiometry influences herbivore performance on N-fixing lupin (Lupinus lepidus) colonizing primary successional volcanic surfaces, where the abundances of several specialist lepidopteran herbivores are inversely related to lupin density and are known to alter lupin colonization dynamics. We examined larval performance in response to leaf nutritional characteristics using gelechiid and pyralid leaf-tiers, and a noctuid leaf-cutter. Methodology/Principal Findings: We conducted four studies. First, growth of larvae raised on wild-collected leaves responded positively to leaf %P and negatively to leaf carbon (%C), but there was no effect of %N or quinolizidine alkaloids (QAs). Noctuid survival was also positively related to %P. Second, we raised gelechiid larvae on greenhouse-grown lupins with factorial manipulation of competitors and soil N and P. In the presence of competition, larval mass was highest at intermediate leaf N:P and high %P. Third, survival of gelechiid larvae placed on lupins in high-density patches was greater when plant competitors were removed than on controls. Fourth, surveys of field-collected leaves in 2000, 2002, and 2003 indicated that both %P and %N were generally greater in plants from low-density areas. QAs in plants from low-density areas were equal to or higher than QAs in high-density areas. Conclusions/Significance: Our results demonstrate that declines in lupin P content under competitive conditions are associated with decreased larval growth and survival sufficient to cause the observed negative relationship between herbivore abundance and host density. The results support the theoretical finding that declines in stoichiometric resource quality (caused here by succession) have the potential to cause a decrease in consumer abundance despite very dense quantities of the resource. © 2009 Apple et al

Unmasking white delusion: a critical analysis for the organization

The article summarizes the arguments of the social debate regarding white delusion in the organization. This article delves into the phenomenon of white delusion, a term coined by the author, Stacey Morin, which signifies a lack of awareness and denial of systemic racial disparities in marginalized communities. The analysis focuses on Morin's and Bishop’s conceptualization of white delusion in the organization and the subsequent development of the Unmasking White Delusion: DEI model. This model, grounded in the framework of critical race theory, explores the denial, evaluation, and implementation phases, which aim to address and eliminate white delusion within organizations. The research contributes to the ongoing dialogue surrounding diversity and inclusion and addresses a gap in knowledge. The systematization of literary sources and approaches to solving the problem indicates that the white delusion is harmful to the organization. The urgency of addressing this problem stems from the absence of an inclusive and diverse culture, leading to diminished productivity and innovation. Our research methodology followed a logical sequence, beginning with a systematic literature review that critically analyzed the issue of white delusion within the organizational context. The objective was to unravel its complexities and comprehend how it impedes progress toward a more inclusive and equitable culture. The literature was critically analyzed based on concepts aligned with each phase of the Unmasking White Delusion: DEI model within the overarching framework of critical race theory. We contend that adopting the Unmasking White Delusion DEI model will play a pivotal role in mitigating the adverse effects of white delusion within the organization. The results from our thorough analysis of the literature review spurred the development of the Unmasking White Delusion: DEI model. This model serves as a visual guide and strategic tool for organizations seeking to eradicate white delusion and cultivate a culture of psychological safety for minority employees. By applying this model and integrating the Critical Race Theory framework, organizations can effectively confront white delusion through a comprehensive three-phase approach—denial, evaluation, and implementation. This entails organizations recognizing, assessing, and translating insights into actionable strategies, fostering a more inclusive and equitable workplace. The main conclusions of the research highlight the multifaceted process of eliminating white delusion in the organization

Moving epidemic method (MEM) applied to virology data as a novel real time tool to predict peak in seasonal influenza healthcare utilisation. The Scottish experience of the 2017/18 season to date

Scotland observed an unusual influenza A(H3N2)- dominated 2017/18 influenza season with healthcare services under significant pressure. We report the application of the moving epidemic method (MEM) to virology data as a tool to predict the influenza peak activity period and peak week of swab positivity in the current season. This novel MEM application has been successful locally and is believed to be of potential use to other countries for healthcare planning and building wider community resilience

N-P co-limitation of primary production and response of arthropods to N and P in early primary succession on Mount St. Helens Volcano

Background: The effect of low nutrient availability on plant-consumer interactions during early succession is poorly understood. The low productivity and complexity of primary successional communities are expected to limit diversity and abundance of arthropods, but few studies have examined arthropod responses to enhanced nutrient supply in this context. We investigated the effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition on plant productivity and arthropod abundance on 24-yr-old soils at Mount St. Helens volcano. Methodology/Principal Findings:We measured the relative abundance of eight arthropod orders and five families in plots that received N, P, or no nutrients for 3-5 years. We also measured plant % cover, leaf %N, and plant diversity. Vegetation responded rapidly to N addition but showed a lagged response to P that, combined with evidence of increased N fixation, suggested P-limitation to N availability. After 3 yrs of fertilization, orthopterans (primarily Anabrus simplex (Tettigoniidae) and Melanoplus spp (Acrididae)) showed a striking attraction to P addition plots, while no other taxa responded to fertilization. After 5 yrs of fertilization, orthopteran density in the same plots increased 80%-130% with P addition and 40% with N. Using structural equation modeling, we show that in year 3 orthopteran abundance was associated with a P-mediated increase in plant cover (or correlated increases in resource quality), whereas in year 5 orthopteran density was not related to cover, diversity or plant %N, but rather to unmeasured effects of P, such as its influence on other aspects of resource quality. Conclusions/Significance:The marked surprising response to P by orthopterans, combined with a previous observation of P-limitation in lepidopteran herbivores at these sites, suggests that P-mediated effects of food quantity or quality are critical to insect herbivores in this N-P co-limited primary successional system. Our results also support a previous suggestion that the availability of N in these soils is P-limited. © 2010 Bishop et al

Understanding Centenarians' Psychosocial Dynamics and Their Contributions to Health and Quality of Life

While it is understood that longevity and health are influenced by complex interactions among biological, psychological, and sociological factors, there is a general lack of understanding on how psychosocial factors impact longevity, health, and quality of life among the oldest old. One of the reasons for this paradox is that the amount of funded research on aging in the US is significantly larger in the biomedical compared to psychosocial domains. The goals of this paper are to highlight recent data to demonstrate the impact of four pertinent psychosocial domains on health and quality of life of the oldest old and supplement recommendations of the 2001 NIA Panel on Longevity for future research. The four domains highlighted in this paper are (1) demographics, life events, and personal history, (2) personality, (3) cognition, and (4) socioeconomic resources and support systems

Serotonin 5-HT2A receptors underlie increased motor behaviors induced in dopamine-depleted rats by intrastriatal 5-HT2A/2C agonism

ABSTRACT Gene expression studies have suggested that dopamine (DA) depletion increases the sensitivity of striatal direct pathway neurons to the effects of serotonin (5-HT) via the 5-HT 2 receptor. The present study examined the possible influence(s) of 5-HT 2A or 5-HT 2C receptor-mediated signaling locally within the striatum on motor behavior triggered by 5-HT 2 receptor agonism in the neonatal DA-depleted rat. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA; 60 g in 5 l per lateral ventricle) on postnatal day 3 to achieve near-total DA depletion bilaterally. Sixty days later, sham-operated (saline-injected) or 6-OHDA-treated rats were challenged with the 5-HT 2A/2C agonist DOI [(Ϯ)-1-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-aminopropane] or saline either by systemic treatment or bilateral intrastriatal infusion. Motor behavior was quantified for 60 min after agonist injection using computerized activity monitors. Systemic DOI treatment (0.2 or 2.0 mg/kg i.p.) was more effective in inducing motor activity in the DA-depleted group compared with intact controls. Intrastriatal DOI infusion (1.0 or 10.0 g/side) also produced a significant rise in motor activity in the DA-depleted group during the 30-to 60-min period of behavioral analysis but did not influence behavior in intact animals. The effects of intrastriatal DOI infusion were blocked by intrastriatal coinfusion of the 5-HT 2 antagonist ketanserin (1. A loss of dopamine (DA) transmission to the rodent striatum during early postnatal development results in a compensatory increase in serotonin (5-HT) innervation to the dorsal striatum Several studies indicate that 5-HT 2A receptors are positioned to mediate the influences of enhanced 5-HT signaling in the DA-depleted striatum. First, 5-HT release agents and 5-HT 2 receptor agonists gain potency in inducing striatal preprotachykinin (PPT; encodes substance P and neurokini