440 research outputs found
Solving the Dirichlet problem constructively
The Dirichlet problem is of central importance in both applied and
abstract potential theory. We prove the (perhaps surprising) result that the existence
of solutions in the general case is an essentially nonconstructive proposition: there
is no algorithm which will actually compute solutions for arbitrary domains and
boundary conditions. A corollary of our results is the nonexistence
of constructive
solutions to the NavierStokes
equations of fluid flow. But not all the news is
bad: we provide reasonable conditions, omitted in the classical theory but easily
satisfied, which ensure the computability of solutions
You Have to Make Something of All That Rubbish, Do You? An Empirical Investigation of the Social Process of Qualitative Research.
In this article, we examine participantsā talk about qualitative research. We provide empirical support for post structural theorizations of the interview and propose three distinct but related dimensions of qualitative research: emotional, purposive/relational, and epistemic/ontological. In this study, participants often became upset but constructed participation as enjoyable and cathartic. The purpose of participation was to assist the communities to which one belonged. Participation was an active, reflexive practice that reconstructed the self and changed knowledge about oneās self. This latter epistemic/ontological dimension of participation appeared to be the most compelling for participants, but it is also the hardest to observe, with implications for how we consider the costs and benefits of participation. We suggest two practical measures for researchers and institutional review boards to consider in light of our findings: routinely asking questions about the research experience in qualitative studies and reformulating patient information statements to particularize them to qualitative research. Keywords: emotions; epistemology; ethics; qualitative research, general; research participatio
Informed consent and medical ordeal: a qualitative study
Background Informed consent is a mainstay of clinical practice, with both moral and legal force. Material disclosure about extreme treatments, however, is unlikely to convey the full impact of the experience of treatment. Informed consent may be flawed under such cir-cumstances. Aims To compare expressed satisfaction with pre-treatment information to satisfaction af-ter experiencing autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for recurrent lymphoma. Methods A qualitative, narrative-based cohort study has been conducted in a Teaching hospital Bone Marrow Transplant unit at Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia. The cohort consisted of ten transplant recipients and nine of their nominated lay carers. The Outcome measure was satisfaction expressed in narrative interviews at the time of transplantation and three months later. We used discourse analytic techniques to examine the narratives. Results Both patients and carers expressed high satisfaction with the information given by individual clinicians and by speakers at a formal Information Day held before transplanta-tion. At the first interview, neither patients nor carers commented much on the forthcom-ing ordeal of chemotherapy and bone marrow ablation, although all patients had under-gone previous chemotherapy. At the second interview, the ordeal dominated the narratives, and retrospective dissatisfaction with information was common. Conclusions This study suggests that information about treatment theories and protocols can be satisfactorily communicated, but personal experience of suffering defies communi-cation. This finding has serious implications for the practices involved in obtaining informed consent and for the very notion of informed consent. KEY WORDS Autologous stem cell transplantation; haematological malignancies; extreme treatment; medical communication; informed consent
Widening the debate about conflict of interest: addressing relationships between journalists and the pharmaceutical industry
The phone-hacking scandal that led to the closure of the News of the World newspaper in Britain has prompted international debate about media practices and regulation. It is timely to broaden the discussion about journalistic ethics and conduct to include consideration of the impact of media practices upon the populationās health. Many commercial organizations cultivate relationships with journalists and news organizations with the aim of influencing the content of health-related news and information communicated through the media. Given the significant influence of the media on the health of individuals and populations, we should be alert to the potential impact of industry-journalist relationships on health care, health policy and public health. The approach taken by the medical profession to its interactions with the pharmaceutical industry provides a useful model for management of industry influence.
Keywords
Journalism, mass media, pharmaceutical industry, conflict of interest, ethics, media regulationNHMR
Informed consent and medical ordeal: a qualitative study
Background Informed consent is a mainstay of clinical practice, with both moral and legal force. Material disclosure about extreme treatments, however, is unlikely to convey the full impact of the experience of treatment. Informed consent may be flawed under such cir-cumstances.
Aims To compare expressed satisfaction with pre-treatment information to satisfaction af-ter experiencing autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for recurrent lymphoma.
Methods A qualitative, narrative-based cohort study has been conducted in a Teaching hospital Bone Marrow Transplant unit at Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia. The cohort consisted of ten transplant recipients and nine of their nominated lay carers. The Outcome measure was satisfaction expressed in narrative interviews at the time of transplantation and three months later. We used discourse analytic techniques to examine the narratives.
Results Both patients and carers expressed high satisfaction with the information given by individual clinicians and by speakers at a formal Information Day held before transplanta-tion. At the first interview, neither patients nor carers commented much on the forthcom-ing ordeal of chemotherapy and bone marrow ablation, although all patients had under-gone previous chemotherapy. At the second interview, the ordeal dominated the narratives, and retrospective dissatisfaction with information was common.
Conclusions This study suggests that information about treatment theories and protocols can be satisfactorily communicated, but personal experience of suffering defies communi-cation. This finding has serious implications for the practices involved in obtaining informed consent and for the very notion of informed consent.
KEY WORDS
Autologous stem cell transplantation; haematological malignancies; extreme treatment; medical communication; informed consent
Knowledge, Beliefs, and Decisions of Pregnant Australian Women Concerning Donation and Storage of Umbilical Cord Blood: A PopulationāBased Survey
postprintBackground: Many women giving birth in Australian hospitals can choose to donate their childās umbilical cord blood to a public cord blood bank or pay to store it privately. We conducted a survey to determine the proportion and characteristics of pregnant women who are aware of umbilical cord blood (UCB) banking and who have considered and decided about this option. The survey also sought to ascertain information sources, knowledge and beliefs about UCB banking, and the effect of basic information about UCB on
decisions.
Methods: Researchers and/or hospital maternity staff distributed a survey with basic information about UCB banking to 1,873 women of at least 24 weeks gestation who were attending antenatal classes and hospital clinics in 14 Public and private maternity hospitals in New South Wales.
Results: Most respondents (70.7%) were aware of UCB banking. Their main information sources were leaflets from hospital clinics, print media, antenatal classes, TV, radio, friends and relatives. Knowledge about UCB banking was patchy, and respondents overestimated the likelihood their child would need or benefit from UCB. Women who were undecided about UCB banking were younger, less educated or from ethnic or rural backgrounds. After providing basic information about UCB banking, the proportion of respondents who indicated they had decided whether or not to donate or store UCB more than doubled from 30.0% to 67.7%.
Conclusions: Basic information for parents about UCB banking can affect planned decisions about UCB banking. Information should be accurate and balanced, should counter misconceptions, and should target specific groups.
Keywords: Antenatal care; Health information; Blood banks; New South Wales, AustraliaNational Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Grant Number: 51241
Knowledge, Beliefs, and Decisions of Pregnant Australian Women Concerning Donation and Storage of Umbilical Cord Blood: A PopulationāBased Survey
Background: Many women giving birth in Australian hospitals can choose to donate their childās umbilical cord blood to a public cord blood bank or pay to store it privately. We conducted a survey to determine the proportion and characteristics of pregnant women who are aware of umbilical cord blood (UCB) banking and who have considered and decided about this option. The survey also sought to ascertain information sources, knowledge and beliefs about UCB banking, and the effect of basic information about UCB on decisions. Methods: Researchers and/or hospital maternity staff distributed a survey with basic information about UCB banking to 1,873 women of at least 24 weeks gestation who were attending antenatal classes and hospital clinics in 14 Public and private maternity hospitals in New South Wales. Results: Most respondents (70.7%) were aware of UCB banking. Their main information sources were leaflets from hospital clinics, print media, antenatal classes, TV, radio, friends and relatives. Knowledge about UCB banking was patchy, and respondents overestimated the likelihood their child would need or benefit from UCB. Women who were undecided about UCB banking were younger, less educated or from ethnic or rural backgrounds. After providing basic information about UCB banking, the proportion of respondents who indicated they had decided whether or not to donate or store UCB more than doubled from 30.0% to 67.7%. Conclusions: Basic information for parents about UCB banking can affect planned decisions about UCB banking. Information should be accurate and balanced, should counter misconceptions, and should target specific groups. Keywords: Antenatal care; Health information; Blood banks; New South Wales, AustraliaNational Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Grant Number: 51241
Anomalous Expansion of Attractively Interacting Fermionic Atoms in an Optical Lattice
Strong correlations can dramatically modify the thermodynamics of a quantum
many-particle system. Especially intriguing behaviour can appear when the
system adiabatically enters a strongly correlated regime, for the interplay
between entropy and strong interactions can lead to counterintuitive effects. A
well known example is the so-called Pomeranchuk effect, occurring when liquid
3He is adiabatically compressed towards its crystalline phase. Here, we report
on a novel anomalous, isentropic effect in a spin mixture of attractively
interacting fermionic atoms in an optical lattice. As we adiabatically increase
the attraction between the atoms we observe that the gas, instead of
contracting, anomalously expands. This expansion results from the combination
of two effects induced by pair formation in a lattice potential: the
suppression of quantum fluctuations as the attraction increases, which leads to
a dominant role of entropy, and the progressive loss of the spin degree of
freedom, which forces the gas to excite additional orbital degrees of freedom
and expand to outer regions of the trap in order to maintain the entropy. The
unexpected thermodynamics we observe reveal fundamentally distinctive features
of pairing in the fermionic Hubbard model.Comment: 6 pages (plus appendix), 6 figure
Comprehensive lipidomic analysis of human plasma using multidimensional liquid- and gas-phase separations: Two-dimensional liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry <i>vs</i>. liquid chromatography-trapped-ion-mobility-mass spectrometry
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