Understanding change in psychotherapy: the literature and parents' experiences.

Understanding how change occurs in psychotherapy is imperative in informing clinical practice. Increasing attention has been given to the role that qualitative research could play in enhancing our understanding of therapeutic change. Although quantitative research suggests that parent-child psychotherapy is effective in facilitating change, no research to date has focused on how parents make sense of their change experience. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse semi-structured interviews of eight parents who had completed parent-child psychotherapy about their understanding of change. Five master themes emerged which encapsulated participant’s understanding of change. These included constructing a survivor narrative, the experience of being understood enabling further understanding, adjusting expectations and practicing acceptance and feeling empowered to relinquish control. The final theme summarised how despite psychotherapy being conceptualised as a ‘precious’ resource, there was a sense that its limitations could negatively impact participant’s wellbeing. The study concluded that meaningful elements of change were identified from the parents’ experience. Findings were discussed in relation to previous research. Limitations and implications for future research and practice were examined

Quantitative analysis of ruminal methanogenic microbial populations in beef cattle divergent in phenotypic residual feed intake (RFI) offered contrasting diets

peer-reviewedBackground Methane (CH4) emissions in cattle are an undesirable end product of rumen methanogenic fermentative activity as they are associated not only with negative environmental impacts but also with reduced host feed efficiency. The aim of this study was to quantify total and specific rumen microbial methanogenic populations in beef cattle divergently selected for residual feed intake (RFI) while offered (i) a low energy high forage (HF) diet followed by (ii) a high energy low forage (LF) diet. Ruminal fluid was collected from 14 high (H) and 14 low (L) RFI animals across both dietary periods. Quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis was conducted to quantify the abundance of total and specific rumen methanogenic microbes. Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the association between the relative abundance of methanogens and animal performance, rumen fermentation variables and diet digestibility. Results Abundance of methanogens, did not differ between RFI phenotypes. However, relative abundance of total and specific methanogen species was affected (P < 0.05) by diet type, with greater abundance observed while animals were offered the LF compared to the HF diet. Conclusions These findings suggest that differences in abundance of specific rumen methanogen species may not contribute to variation in CH4 emissions between efficient and inefficient animals, however dietary manipulation can influence the abundance of total and specific methanogen species.Funding for the development and main work of this research was provided under the National Development Plan, through the Research Stimulus Fund, administered by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food, Ireland RSF 05 224

Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing Techniques in Environmental Assessment

Digital map products and spatial inventories are becoming increasingly available from geological surveys, agricultural, natural resource, environmental, energy, transportation and forestry departments. As well there are now multitudes of specialized digital airborne and satellite image products available. This wide availability of geographically referenced data and the advances in spatial data analysis software are providing geoscientists with new tools and new ways of viewing traditionally used data. Through several examples, this paper will demonstrate how remote sensing and GIS technologies can contribute to environmental assessment of an urban fringe area. Nowhere is the need for spatial inventories and mapping greater than in such areas, where pre-existing information becomes rapidly outdated. A 260-km2 site, north of Metropolitan Toronto was chosen as a study area. A spatial data base was constructed which included imagery from three different satellite sensors, a Digital Terrain Model (DTM), a digital drainage network, and a digital copy of the Ontario Geological Survey's Quaternary geological map. Résumé Un nombre croissant de produits de la cartographie numérique et d'inventaires spatiaux sont offerts par les services de levés géologiques et les ministères responsables de l'agriculture, des ressources naturelles, de l'environnement, de l'énergie, des transports, et des forêts. Il existe également une multitude de produits numériques spécialisés provenant de l'imagerie satellite ou aéroportée. Cette grande disponibilité de données à références géographiques et les nouveautés en matière de logiciel d'analyse des données spatiales offrent aux géoscientifiques de nouveaux outils et de nouvelles façons de considérer les données habituelles. À l'aide de plusieurs exemples, on démontre dans le présent article comment la télédétection et les technologies de SIG peuvent être utilisées dans l'évaluation environnementale des zones péri-urbaines. Il n'existe pas d'en-droit où le besoin de données d'inventaires spatiaux et de cartographie soit plus pressant que dans ces banlieues, où l'information existante est sit vite périmée. Une zone d'étude de 260 km2 située au nord de la zone métropolitainede Toronto a été choisie. Une banque de données spatiales a été créé, et elle renferme des images provenant de trois détecteurs satellisés, un modèle numérique de terrain (MNT), un réseau de drainage numérisé, et une copie numérique de la carte géologique des dépôts de Quaternaire de la Commission Géologique de l'Ontario

ASSOCIATIONS OF SHORT AND MEDIUM CHAIN SATURATED FATTY ACIDS AND DAIRY WITH COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IN THE BOSTON PUERTO RICAN HEALTH STUDY

Cognitive decline is a major public health concern. Evidence suggests that Hispanic/Latino adults, specifically Puerto Rican adults, in the US are at a higher risk of developing dementia or cognitive decline due to the high prevalence of risk factors, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Emerging evidence suggests that specific dietary fatty acids, short and medium-chain-length saturated fatty acids, that are found in dairy may be beneficial for cognitive function. However, there are limited observational studies examining the effects of SMCSFA and dairy on cognitive function in Hispanic/Latino adults. We examined the cross-sectional and prospective associations between SMCSFA and dairy consumption with cognitive function among Puerto Rican adults. Data were from the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (57 yrs, 71% female), an ongoing prospective cohort study. Diet was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Dairy products included milk, cheese, yogurt, cream, and butter. Our primary exposures were the sum of SMCSFA(%TE), a dietary fatty acid pattern consistent with high SMCSFA, total dairy (s/d), regular & reduced fat dairy (s/d), and nonfat dairy products (s/d). A battery of neurocognitive tests was administered by trained staff in the language of preference. Global cognitive function score (GCS) was calculated as the mean z-scores of the individual tests. A subset of BPRHS participants returned for neurocognitive testing at 13-yr follow-up. We analyzed SMCSFA in a substitution analysis at the expense of trans fats and added sugar. Dairy models were adjusted for total energy, age, sex, physical activity, smoking status, and education. We also conducted a substation analysis of dairy at the expense of red and processed meats. Our cross-sectional analysis was conducted using multivariate linear regression. Our prospective analysis assessed the change over baseline, 2 and 13 years using a mixed effects model with time-covarying covariates. In the final sample, participants consumed 2.42 s/day of dairy and less than 1% of their diet was derived from SMCSFA. Most dairy was consumed through 2% and whole milk (37%). Most SMCSFA in the diet were derived from cheese (30%) and whole milk (22%). Butter was significantly related to GCS over 13 years of follow-up. There were no significant associations between SMCSFA, total dairy, regular & reduced fat dairy, or nonfat dairy with cognitive function cross-sectionally or prospectively. In this cohort of Puerto Rican adults, our findings suggest there were no associations between SMCSFA and dairy with cognitive function. Future prospective studies should examine this relationship in a similar population with larger sample sizes and over a longer duration