Homoeopathy

Homoeopathy is a system of treating patients using very low dose preparations according to the principle: "like should be cured with like". This paper summarises the research evidence presented in a recent issue of Effective Health Care on the effectiveness of homoeopathy. Increasing numbers of patients are seeking information on complementary medicines from NHS health professionals. Results of a 1998 survey of use and expenditure on complementary medicine in England suggested that 28% of respondents had either visited a complementary therapist or had purchased an over the counter herbal or homoeopathic remedy in the past year. From this survey it was estimated that there could be over 470 000 recent users of homoeopathic remedies in England

Implementation and perceived benefits of an after-school soccer program designed to promote social and emotional learning: A multiple case study

Social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies such as self-awareness and relationship skills are predictors of academic success, overall well-being, and avoidance of problematic behaviors. Among school-aged children, research has demonstrated that well-implemented programs teach SEL competencies and life skills (e.g., leadership, responsible decision making) that can transfer to other settings. Similar claims have been made in the field of sport-based youth development (SBYD), however, the SEL framework has not been widely applied in sport programming. Implementation, student learning, and transfer of learning in SBYD programs designed to promote SEL require further exploration. Therefore, the current study examined the implementation and perceived benefits of an after-school soccer program designed to promote SEL. Participants were six coaches and 51 students from three different sites where this program is offered. A multiple case study design was used, integrating data from customized feedback surveys, interviews, systematic observation, and field notes. Results indicated the program reflects many SBYD best practices. Although implementation varied between sites, program culture and core values were consistent. Evidence indicated students learned and applied SEL lessons in the soccer program and that transfer beyond the program was promoted. Participants were most likely to report transfer to the school setting, therefore, future studies should examine this topic more directly. Other implications for research and program implementation are discussed

Offering a TPSR physical activity club to adolescent boys labeled "at risk" in partnership with a community-based youth serving program

Aunque se ha incrementado la literatura centrada en la importancia de colaboraciones que enmarcan o apoyan los programas de TPSR, hay pocas descripciones detalladas de colaboraciones exitosas y mutualmente beneficiosas. El objetivo de este artículo es compartir mi experiencia en un club de actividad física que usa TPSR, desarrollado junto con una organización de apoyo a los jóvenes de Memphis, Tennessee. La organización de apoyo a jóvenes con la que colaboré es una organización inclusiva, dirigida de manera eficaz y basada en valores similares. La continuidad al impartir sesiones semanales de TPSR incrementó la eficacia y la coherencia del componente de actividad física de los programas existentes y lo alineó más con las sesiones de valores y otros aspectos del programa. Esta colaboración me permitió implementar el modelo de TPSR con gran fidelidad y desarrollar ideas que he podido compartir con numerosas audiencias interesadas en este trabajo. Lo más importante es que el personal del programa y yo sentimos que esta colaboración y nuestros esfuerzos combinados tuvieron una influencia positiva en los chicos del programa y apoyaron su éxito en el programa y es de esperar que más allá también.Although there has been an increased focus in the literature on the importance of partnerships that frame or support TPSR programs, there are few detailed descriptions of successful, mutually beneficial partnerships. The purpose of this essay is to share my story of a successful TPSR physical activity club I developed in partnership with an existing youth serving organization in Memphis, Tennessee. The youth serving organization I partnered with was comprehensive, effectively run, and based in similar values. The infusion of weekly TPSR lessons increased the effectiveness and coherence of the existing program's physical activity component and aligned it more with their value lessons and other aspects of their program. This partnership allowed me to implement the TPSR model with a high degree of fidelity and to develop ideas that I have been able to share with a wide range of audiences interested in this work. Most importantly, the program's staff and I felt this partnership and our combined efforts had a positive influence on the boys in the program and supported their success in the program and hopefully beyond

John W. McCormack

A short biography of Boston native and United States Congressman John W. McCormack, prepared for the dedication of John W. McCormack Hall at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, April 26, 1985

Platelet-mediated metabolism of the common dietary flavonoid, quercetin.

BACKGROUND: Flavonoid metabolites remain in blood for periods of time potentially long enough to allow interactions with cellular components of this tissue. It is well-established that flavonoids are metabolised within the intestine and liver into methylated, sulphated and glucuronidated counterparts, which inhibit platelet function. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We demonstrate evidence suggesting platelets which contain metabolic enzymes, as an alternative location for flavonoid metabolism. Quercetin and a plasma metabolite of this compound, 4'-O-methyl quercetin (tamarixetin) were shown to gain access to the cytosolic compartment of platelets, using confocal microscopy. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) showed that quercetin was transformed into a compound with a mass identical to tamarixetin, suggesting that the flavonoid was methylated by catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) within platelets. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Platelets potentially mediate a third phase of flavonoid metabolism, which may impact on the regulation of the function of these cells by metabolites of these dietary compounds

The enigma of facial asymmetry:is there a gender specific pattern of facedness?

Although facial symmetry correlates with facial attractiveness, human faces are often far from symmetrical with one side frequently being larger than the other (Kowner, 1998). Smith (2000) reported that male and female faces were asymmetrical in opposite directions, with males having a larger area on the left side compared to the right side, and females having a larger right side compared to the left side. The present study attempted to replicate and extend this finding. Two databases of facial images from Stirling and St Andrews Universities, consisting of 180 and 122 faces respectively, and a third set of 62 faces collected at Abertay University, were used to examine Smith's findings. Smith's unique method of calculating the size of each hemiface was applied to each set. For the Stirling and St Andrews sets a computer program did this automatically and for the Abertay set it was done manually. No significant overall effect of gender on facial area asymmetry was found. However, the St Andrews sample demonstrated a similar effect to that found by Smith, with females having a significantly larger mean area of right hemiface and males having a larger left hemiface. In addition, for the Abertay faces handedness had a significant effect on facial asymmetry with right-handers having a larger left side of the face. These findings give limited support for Smith's results but also suggest that finding such an asymmetry may depend on some as yet unidentified factors inherent in some methods of image collection

Exploring the individualized experiences of participants in a responsibility-based youth development program

Youth development programs are built upon the assumption that individual participants have a unique set of strengths, needs, and developmental opportunities. The same is true of the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model. Although TPSR calls for individualized curricula and differentiated instruction, these topics have not been sufficiently examined in the literature. The current study provides case studies of four purposefully selected African American adolescent males and their experience in a community-based TPSR program. Findings are used to evaluate the program in terms of providing meaningful experiences to individual participants and illuminating the importance of considering individual differences among participants even when they have many characteristics in common. Implications for teaching and research are discussed.Los programas de desarrollo juvenil se basan en la suposición de que los individuos que participan tienen un conjunto de puntos fuertes, necesidades y oportunidades de desarrollo. Esto es aplicable también al modelo de Enseñanza de la Responsabilidad Personal y Social (TPSR). Aunque el TPSR los participantes requiere una individualización del curriculum y una instrucción diferenciada, dichos asuntos no han sido suficientemente estudiados. El presente escrito proporciona los estudios de caso de cuatro varones adolescentes afro-americanos, intencionalmente seleccionados, y su experiencia en un programa comunitario de TPSR. Los resultados se utilizan para evaluar si el programa proporciona experiencias significativas a los jóvenes y para destacar la importancia de considerar las diferencias individuales de los partcipantes, incluso cuando tienen muchas características en común. Se abordan también sus implicaciones para la enseñanza y la investigación

Hubble Space Telescope High Resolution Imaging of Kepler Small and Cool Exoplanet Host Stars

High resolution imaging is an important tool for follow-up study of exoplanet candidates found via transit detection with the Kepler Mission. We discuss here HST imaging with the WFC3 of 23 stars that host particularly interesting Kepler planet candidates based on their small size and cool equilibrium temperature estimates. Results include detections, exclusion of background stars that could be a source of false positives for the transits, and detection of physically-associated companions in a number of cases providing dilution measures necessary for planet parameter refinement. For six KOIs, we find that there is ambiguity in which star hosts the transiting planet(s), with potentially strong implications for planetary characteristics. Our sample is evenly distributed in G, K, and M spectral types. Albeit with a small sample size, we find that physically-associated binaries are more common than expected at each spectral type, reaching a factor of 10 frequency excess at M. We document the program detection sensitivities, detections, and deliverables to the Kepler follow-up program archive.Comment: Accepted for the Astronomical Journal; 13 pages with 9 figure

An Empirically Derived Three-Dimensional Laplace Resonance in the Gliese 876 Planetary System

We report constraints on the three-dimensional orbital architecture for all four planets known to orbit the nearby M dwarf Gliese 876 based solely on Doppler measurements and demanding long-term orbital stability. Our dataset incorporates publicly available radial velocities taken with the ELODIE and CORALIE spectrographs, HARPS, and Keck HIRES as well as previously unpublished HIRES velocities. We first quantitatively assess the validity of the planets thought to orbit GJ 876 by computing the Bayes factors for a variety of different coplanar models using an importance sampling algorithm. We find that a four-planet model is preferred over a three-planet model. Next, we apply a Newtonian MCMC algorithm to perform a Bayesian analysis of the planet masses and orbits using an n-body model in three-dimensional space. Based on the radial velocities alone, we find that a 99% credible interval provides upper limits on the mutual inclinations for the three resonant planets ($\Phi_{cb}<6.20^\circ$ for the "c" and "b" pair and $\Phi_{be}<28.5^\circ$ for the "b" and "e" pair). Subsequent dynamical integrations of our posterior sample find that the GJ 876 planets must be roughly coplanar ($\Phi_{cb}<2.60^\circ$ and $\Phi_{be}<7.87^\circ$), suggesting the amount of planet-planet scattering in the system has been low. We investigate the distribution of the respective resonant arguments of each planet pair and find that at least one argument for each planet pair and the Laplace argument librate. The libration amplitudes in our three-dimensional orbital model supports the idea of the outer-three planets having undergone significant past disk migration.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, 8 tables. Accepted to MNRAS. Posterior samples available at https://github.com/benelson/GJ87