Dangerous implications of a minimum length in quantum gravity

The existence of a minimum length and a generalization of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle seem to be two fundamental ingredients required in any consistent theory of quantum gravity. In this letter we show that they would predict dangerous processes which are phenomenologically unacceptable. For example, long--lived virtual super--Planck mass black holes may lead to rapid proton decay. Possible solutions of this puzzle are briefly discussed.Comment: 5 pages, no figure. v3: refereed versio

Infant mental health home visiting therapists- reflective supervision self- efficacy in community practice settings

In recent years, there has been an increase in the research on reflective supervision, including the development of tools designed to measure reflective practice in the context of reflective supervision. The Reflective Supervision Self- Efficacy Scale for Supervisees (RSSESS) is a self- report measure that has been used in previous evaluations and is designed to assess perceived reflective practice self- efficacy for Infant Mental Health- Home Visiting (IMH- HV) therapists. Properties of the RSSESS including factor structure and reliability are explored in a first study that lays the foundation for the use of the RSSESS in an IMH- HV evaluation in the State of Michigan. IMH- HV therapists completed the RSSESS at 4 time points over a 12- month period and also completed a Clinician Profile Form that included questions about their IMH background and their work experience, including job satisfaction and burnout. Results indicated that the RSSESS is a reliable tool to measure change in reflective practice skills. IMH- HV therapists demonstrated growth in their use of reflective practice skills with families and their observational skills over the 12- month period. In addition, results indicated correlations between reflective supervision self- efficacy and job satisfaction as well as burnout.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154909/1/imhj21834.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154909/2/imhj21834_am.pd

Prevalence of facet joint pain in chronic spinal pain of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions

BACKGROUND: Facet joints are a clinically important source of chronic cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine pain. The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the prevalence of facet joint pain by spinal region in patients with chronic spine pain referred to an interventional pain management practice. METHODS: Five hundred consecutive patients with chronic, non-specific spine pain were evaluated. The prevalence of facet joint pain was determined using controlled comparative local anesthetic blocks (1% lidocaine or 1% lidocaine followed by 0.25% bupivacaine), in accordance with the criteria established by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). The study was performed in the United States in a non-university based ambulatory interventional pain management setting. RESULTS: The prevalence of facet joint pain in patients with chronic cervical spine pain was 55% 5(95% CI, 49% – 61%), with thoracic spine pain was 42% (95% CI, 30% – 53%), and in with lumbar spine pain was 31% (95% CI, 27% – 36%). The false-positive rate with single blocks with lidocaine was 63% (95% CI, 54% – 72%) in the cervical spine, 55% (95% CI, 39% – 78%) in the thoracic spine, and 27% (95% CI, 22% – 32%) in the lumbar spine. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that in an interventional pain management setting, facet joints are clinically important spinal pain generators in a significant proportion of patients with chronic spinal pain. Because these patients typically have failed conservative management, including physical therapy, chiropractic treatment and analgesics, they may benefit from specific interventions designed to manage facet joint pain

Lill-baħar

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Nefqa żgħira u fejda kbira ta’ T. Z. – Stedina ta’ Dun Karm – Ix-xohra aħjar mill-ħofra ta’ L. C. – Min ma jħares għali u bgħid, jaqa’ fil-qrib ta’ L. C. – Stedina f’raħal ta’ A. C. – Il-ħalliel misruq ta’ T. Z. – Għanja ta’ mħabba ta’ C. M. B. – Lill-baħar ta’ Dun Pietru Pawl.N/

Eħlisna Mulej!

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Il-Libiena ta’ Dun Karm – Min Int? ta’ Ġużè Chetcuti – Kampnar ta’ Ġużè Chetcuti – Ħajja Bla Ħajr ta’ Ġużè Galea – Imħabba ta’ Omm ta’ P. Pawl Tabone – B’tifkira ta’ oħti Ġużeppina li mietet fl-ewwel ta’ Novembru 1940 ta’ P. P. Saydon – Iżda ta’ Dun Karm – Arloġġ żgħir u ġrajjietu ta’ L. Cutajar – It-Triq tal-Ħelsien ta’ Ġużè Chetcuti – San Kalċidonju, Għawdex ta’ A. Buttigieg – Eħlisna Mulej! ta’ K. Sant.N/