A cognitive science analysis of the Quaker Business Method: is how it works why it works?

The Quaker Business Method (QBM) has been in development for over 300 years. Quakers believe that the QBM is an effective means for making decisions. This paper develops a tripartite theoretical framework to analyze the QBM in order to examine its efficacy, both in terms of the quality of its processes and the morality of its decisions. The framework encompasses: (1) a decomposition of the QBM as a set of tools; (2) a selection of theories and models from cognitive science that explain how humans think; (3) a set of relational models that can be used to objectively judge the morality of different forms of human behavioural interactions. Overall, it appears that QBM tools may counter the deficits in natural human abilities to reason and solve problems, and that they may promote decision making practices that are moral and that the resulting decisions, themselves, may be moral

Eccentric exercise versus Usual-care with older cancer survivors: The impact on muscle and mobility- an exploratory pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Resistance exercise programs with high compliance are needed to counter impaired muscle and mobility in older cancer survivors. To date outcomes have focused on older prostate cancer survivors, though more heterogeneous groups of older survivors are in-need. The purpose of this exploratory pilot study is to examine whether resistance exercise via negative eccentrically-induced work (RENEW) improves muscle and mobility in a diverse sample of older cancer survivors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 40 individuals (25 female, 15 male) with a mean age of 74 (± 6) years who have survived (8.4 ± 8 years) since their cancer diagnosis (breast, prostate, colorectal and lymphoma) were assigned to a RENEW group or a non-exercise Usual-care group. RENEW was performed for 12 weeks and measures of muscle size, strength, power and mobility were made pre and post training.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>RENEW induced increases in quadriceps lean tissue average cross sectional area (Pre: 43.2 ± 10.8 cm²; Post: 44.9 ± 10.9 cm²), knee extension peak strength (Pre: 248.3 ± 10.8 N; Post: 275.4 ± 10.9 N), leg extension muscle power (Pre: 198.2 ± 74.7 W; Post 255.5 ± 87.3 W), six minute walk distance (Pre: 417.2 ± 127.1 m; Post 466.9 ± 125.1 m) and a decrease on the time to safely descend stairs (Pre: 6.8 ± 4.5 s; Post 5.4 ± 2.5 s). A significant (P < 0.05) group x time interaction was noted for the muscle size and mobility improvements.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This exploration of RENEW in a heterogeneous cohort of older cancer survivors demonstrates increases in muscle size, strength and power along with improved mobility. The efficacy of a high-force, low perceived exertion exercise suggests RENEW may be suited to older individuals who are survivors of cancer.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00335491">NCT00335491</a></p

Ocean Acidification at High Latitudes: Potential Effects on Functioning of the Antarctic Bivalve Laternula elliptica

Ocean acidification is a well recognised threat to marine ecosystems. High latitude regions are predicted to be particularly affected due to cold waters and naturally low carbonate saturation levels. This is of concern for organisms utilising calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to generate shells or skeletons. Studies of potential effects of future levels of pCO2 on high latitude calcifiers are at present limited, and there is little understanding of their potential to acclimate to these changes. We describe a laboratory experiment to compare physiological and metabolic responses of a key benthic bivalve, Laternula elliptica, at pCO2 levels of their natural environment (430 µatm, pH 7.99; based on field measurements) with those predicted for 2100 (735 µatm, pH 7.78) and glacial levels (187 µatm, pH 8.32). Adult L. elliptica basal metabolism (oxygen consumption rates) and heat shock protein HSP70 gene expression levels increased in response both to lowering and elevation of pH. Expression of chitin synthase (CHS), a key enzyme involved in synthesis of bivalve shells, was significantly up-regulated in individuals at pH 7.78, indicating L. elliptica were working harder to calcify in seawater undersaturated in aragonite (ΩAr = 0.71), the CaCO3 polymorph of which their shells are comprised. The different response variables were influenced by pH in differing ways, highlighting the importance of assessing a variety of factors to determine the likely impact of pH change. In combination, the results indicate a negative effect of ocean acidification on whole-organism functioning of L. elliptica over relatively short terms (weeks-months) that may be energetically difficult to maintain over longer time periods. Importantly, however, the observed changes in L. elliptica CHS gene expression provides evidence for biological control over the shell formation process, which may enable some degree of adaptation or acclimation to future ocean acidification scenarios

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Oh deer, what can the matter be? Landholder attitudes to deer management in Queensland

Deer are not native to Australia but have been present in the country for more than 150 years. For most of that time they have not been regarded as either an agricultural or environmental pest, but in the last few years there have been calls for their numbers to be reduced. Four species of deer can be found in well established populations in Queensland, mostly occurring on private land. Hence the effectiveness of any management of deer as pests will be heavily influenced by the actions of the land owners. This paper reports on a survey of the attitudes of landholders towards deer on their properties. A total of 2621 surveys was mailed to landowners and managers in regions known to support wild deer in Queensland. Of the 28.3% of surveys returned, over 75% of respondents conducted some form of primary production on their land and 65% of these had deer on their properties at least some of the time. Responses to questions were mostly uniform throughout the state, with over 50% of respondents wanting the deer population to stay at current levels or increase. Only 5% of respondents supported poisoning as a management strategy, with 17% supporting trapping. Recreational hunting and game- meat harvesting were favoured management options, with 42% and 51% support respectively. Only 25% of respondents thought wild deer caused environmental damage and 30% thought wild deer caused agricultural damage, with most associating wild deer as a less significant pest than those species already declared under state legislation. Of those surveyed, 56% agreed with the statement 'It is important to maintain wild deer populations for future generations to enjoy'. The spread of deer in Australia is of increasing concern to ecologists, and there have been calls for action to reduce their numbers on private and public land. The results of this survey imply that a significant proportion of Queensland landholders would resist legislation aimed at managing deer as a pest in areas with long-established wild deer populations

The multiple-wing-hairs Gene Encodes a Novel GBD–FH3 Domain-Containing Protein That Functions Both Prior to and After Wing Hair Initiation

The frizzled signaling/signal transduction pathway controls planar cell polarity (PCP) in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Epistasis experiments argue that in the Drosophila epidermis multiple wing hairs (mwh) acts as a downstream component of the pathway. The PCP proteins accumulate asymmetrically in pupal wing cells where they are thought to form distinct protein complexes. One is located on the distal side of wing cells and a second on the proximal side. This asymmetric protein accumulation is thought to lead to the activation of the cytoskeleton on the distal side, which in turn leads to each cell forming a single distally pointing hair. We identified mwh as CG13913, which encodes a novel G protein binding domain–formin homology 3 (GBD–FH3) domain protein. The Mwh protein accumulated on the proximal side of wing cells prior to hair formation. Unlike planar polarity proteins such as Frizzled or Inturned, Mwh also accumulated in growing hairs. This suggested that mwh had two temporally separate functions in wing development. Evidence for these two functions also came from temperature-shift experiments with a temperature-sensitive allele. Overexpression of Mwh inhibited hair initiation, thus Mwh acts as a negative regulator of the cytoskeleton. Our data argued early proximal Mwh accumulation restricts hair initiation to the distal side of wing cells and the later hair accumulation of Mwh prevents the formation of ectopic secondary hairs. This later function appears to be a feedback mechanism that limits cytoskeleton activation to ensure a single hair is formed