Making space for empathy: supporting doctors in the emotional labour of clinical care

BACKGROUND: The academic and medical literature highlights the positive effects of empathy for patient care. Yet, very little attention has been given to the impact of the requirement for empathy on the physicians themselves and on their emotional wellbeing. DISCUSSION: The medical profession requires doctors to be both clinically competent and empathetic towards the patients. In practice, accommodating both requirements can be difficult for physicians. The image of the technically skilful, rational, and emotionally detached doctor dominates the profession, and inhibits physicians from engaging emotionally with their patients and their own feelings, which forms the basis for empathy. This inhibition has a negative impact not only on the patients but also on the physicians. The expression of emotions in medical practice is perceived as unprofessional and many doctors learn to supress and ignore their feelings. When facing stressful situations, these physicians are more likely to suffer from depression and burnout than those who engage with and reflect on their feelings. Physicians should be supported in their emotional work, which will help them develop empathy. Methods could include questionnaires that aid self-reflection, and discussion groups with peers and supervisors on emotional experiences. Yet, in order for these methods to work, the negative image associated with the expression of emotions should be questioned. Also, the work conditions of physicians should improve to allow them to make use of these tools. SUMMARY: Empathy should not only be expected from doctors but should be actively promoted, assisted and cultivated in the medical profession

TC-1 observations of flux pileup and dipolarization-associated expansion in the near-Earth magnetotail during substorms

Fifty-three substorms measured by Double Star/TC-1 in the near-Earth magnetotail from July to October, 2004 are studied. The main features of these events are: (a) Magnetic flux pileup characterized by continuous enhancement of B z is observed, which starts almost simultaneously with aurora breakup within 1–3 minutes, indicating that substorm onset is in close relation to flux pileup. (b) Sudden plasma sheet expansion with sharp increases in ion temperature and density is seen in all events, which occurs typically ∼11 minutes after the beginning of pileup. The plasma sheet expansion is shown to be in close relation with the primary substorm dipolarization and, hence, can be referred to as ‘dipolarization-associated expansion’. (c) Evidence indicates that the substorm current wedge first forms earthward of TC-1 position and, hence, inward of the flow braking region, and then propagates tailward with an expansion in the Z-direction. Possible implications of these observations are briefly discussed

A Policy-Driven Large Scale Ecological Restoration: Quantifying Ecosystem Services Changes in the Loess Plateau of China

As one of the key tools for regulating human-ecosystem relations, environmental conservation policies can promote ecological rehabilitation across a variety of spatiotemporal scales. However, quantifying the ecological effects of such policies at the regional level is difficult. A case study was conducted at the regional level in the ecologically vulnerable region of the Loess Plateau, China, through the use of several methods including the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), hydrological modeling and multivariate analysis. An assessment of the changes over the period of 2000–2008 in four key ecosystem services was undertaken to determine the effects of the Chinese government's ecological rehabilitation initiatives implemented in 1999. These ecosystem services included water regulation, soil conservation, carbon sequestration and grain production. Significant conversions of farmland to woodland and grassland were found to have resulted in enhanced soil conservation and carbon sequestration, but decreased regional water yield under a warming and drying climate trend. The total grain production increased in spite of a significant decline in farmland acreage. These trends have been attributed to the strong socioeconomic incentives embedded in the ecological rehabilitation policy. Although some positive policy results have been achieved over the last decade, large uncertainty remains regarding long-term policy effects on the sustainability of ecological rehabilitation performance and ecosystem service enhancement. To reduce such uncertainty, this study calls for an adaptive management approach to regional ecological rehabilitation policy to be adopted, with a focus on the dynamic interactions between people and their environments in a changing world

Measurement of the matrix element for the decay η′→ηπ +π -

The Dalitz plot of η⊃′→ηπ⊃+π⊃- decay is studied using (225.2±2.8)×106 J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII e⊃+e⊃- collider. With the largest sample of η⊃′ decays to date, the parameters of the Dalitz plot are determined in a generalized and a linear representation. Also, the branching fraction of J/ψ→γη⊃′ is determined to be (4.84±0.03±0.24)×10⊃-3, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. © 2011 American Physical Society.published_or_final_versio

Higher-order multipole amplitude measurement in ψ ′→γχ c2

Using 106×106 ψ ′ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring, the higher-order multipole amplitudes in the radiative transition ψ ′→γχ c2→γπ +π -/γK +K - are measured. A fit to the χ c2 production and decay angular distributions yields M2=0.046±0. 010±0.013 and E3=0.015±0.008±0.018, where the first errors are statistical and the second systematic. Here M2 denotes the normalized magnetic quadrupole amplitude and E3 the normalized electric octupole amplitude. This measurement shows evidence for the existence of the M2 signal with 4.4σ statistical significance and is consistent with the charm quark having no anomalous magnetic moment. © 2011 American Physical Society.published_or_final_versio

Determination of the number of J/ψ events with J/ψ → inclusive decays

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Two-photon widths of the χ c0,2 states and helicity analysis for χ c2→γγ

Based on a data sample of 106×106 ψ ′ events collected with the BESIII detector, the decays ψ ′→γχ c0,2, χ c0,2→γγ are studied to determine the two-photon widths of the χ c0,2 states. The two-photon decay branching fractions are determined to be B(χ c0→γγ)=(2. 24±0.19±0.12±0.08)×10 -4 and B(χ c2→γγ)=(3.21±0.18±0. 17±0.13)×10 -4. From these, the two-photon widths are determined to be Γ γγ(χ c0)=(2. 33±0.20±0.13±0.17)keV, Γ γγ(χ c2)=(0.63±0.04±0. 04±0.04)keV, and R=Γ γγ(χ c2)/ Γ γγ(χ c0)=0.271±0. 029±0.013±0.027, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and those from the PDG B(ψ ′→γχ c0,2) and Γ(χ c0,2) errors, respectively. The ratio of the two-photon widths for helicity λ=0 and helicity λ=2 components in the decay χ c2→γγ is measured for the first time to be f 0/2=Γγγλ= 0(χ c2)/Γγγλ=2(χ c2)=0. 00±0.02±0.02. © 2012 American Physical Society.published_or_final_versio

Observation of \chi_{cJ} decaying into the p\bar{p}K^{+}K^{-} final state

First measurements of the decays of the three $\chi_{cJ}$ states to $p\bar{p}K^{+}K^{-}$ final states are presented. Intermediate $\phi\to K^{+}K^{-}$ and $\Lambda(1520)\to pK^{-}$ resonance states are observed, and branching fractions for $\chi_{cJ}\to \bar{p}K^{+}\Lambda(1520)$, $\Lambda(1520) \bar{\Lambda}(1520)$, and $\phi p\bar{p}$ are reported. We also measure branching fractions for direct $\chi_{cJ}\to p\bar{p} K^{+}K^{-}$ decays. These are first observations of $\chi_{cJ}$ decays to unstable baryon resonances and provide useful information about the $\chi_{cJ}$ states. The experiment uses samples of $\chi_{cJ}$ mesons produced via radiative transitions from 106 million $\psi^{\prime}$ mesons collected in the BESIII detector at the BEPCII $e^+e^-$ collider.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure