Exploring the meaning in meaningful coincidences: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of synchronicity in therapy

Synchronicity experiences (SEs) are defined as psychologically meaningful connections between inner events (e.g., thought, dream or vision) and one or more external events occurring simultaneously or at a future point in time. There has been limited systematic research that has investigated the phenomenology of SEs in therapy. This study aimed to redress this by exploring the process and nature of such experiences from the perspective of the practitioner. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA; Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009) was used to interview a purposive sample of nine practitioners who reported SEs in their therapeutic sessions. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with three counsellors, three psychologists and three psychotherapists, and focused on how participants make sense of their experiences of synchronicity in therapy. Three superordinate themes were identified: Sense of connectedness, therapeutic process, and professional issues. Findings suggest that SEs can serve to strengthen the therapeutic relationship and are perceived as useful harbingers of information about the therapeutic process, as well as being a means of overcoming communication difficulties, as they are seen to provide insights into the client’s experiencing of themselves and others, regardless of whether or not the SE is acknowledged by the client or disclosed by the therapist

C/EBPalpha: critical at the origin of leukemic transformation

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematopoietic malignancy characterized by clonal expansion of myeloid progenitor cells. A major mechanistic theme in AML biology is the extensive collaboration among fusion oncoproteins, transcription factors, and chromatin regulators to initiate and sustain a transformed cellular state. A new study in this issue describes how the C/EBPalpha transcription factor is crucial for the initiation of AML induced by MLL fusion oncoproteins, but is entirely dispensable for the maintenance of established disease. These observations provide a unique glimpse into the pioneer round of regulatory events that are critical at the origin of AML formation. Furthermore, this study implies the existence of oncogene-induced positive feedback loops capable of bypassing the continuous need for certain regulators to propagate disease

Crystal structure of the catalytic fragment of murine poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-2.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) has become an important pharmacological target in the treatment of cancer due to its cellular role as a 'DNA-strand break sensor', which leads in part to resistance to some existing chemo- and radiological treatments. Inhibitors have now been developed which prevent PARP-1 from synthesizing poly(ADP-ribose) in response to DNA-breaks and potentiate the cytotoxicity of DNA damaging agents. However, with the recent discoveries of PARP-2, which has a similar DNA-damage dependent catalytic activity, and additional members containing the 'PARP catalytic' signature, the isoform selectivity and resultant pharmacological effects of existing inhibitors are brought into question. We present here the crystal structure of the catalytic fragment of murine PARP-2, at 2.8 A resolution, and compare this to the catalytic fragment of PARP-1, with an emphasis on providing a possible framework for rational drug design in order to develop future isoform-specific inhibitors

Climate readiness in smallholder agricultural systems: lessons learned from REDD+

The debate around the role that agriculture should play in mitigating climate change and sequestering greenhouse gases is politically complex and technically complicated. In many countries, and particularly in developing countries with a large smallholder population, the agricultural sector faces competing priorities, such as national food security goals, poverty alleviation, addressing natural resource degradation and adapting to the already visible effects of climate change. Many of these goals are closer to the immediate, short-term priorities of national decision-makers, relegating climate change mitigation to a secondary priority. It is therefore essential to implement mitigation strategies in concert with strategies that increase the resilience and increase the productivity of agricultural systems. Despite differences in the forestry and the agricultural sectors, experiences from the REDD+ process, and particularly its readiness phase, can offer useful lessons for an agricultural readiness process. The REDD+ readiness process created an overall coherent structure, framework and process of guiding countries towards developing the technical and institutional ability to integrate mitigation activities into their forestry sectors. An overview of the lessons learned from REDD+ Readiness, organized by objectives, governance, process, scope and finance, is provided in this working paper

How effective is the Forestry Commission Scotland's woodland improvement programme--'Woods In and Around Towns' (WIAT)--at improving psychological well-being in deprived urban communities? A quasi-experimental study

Introduction: There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that green spaces may positively influence psychological well-being. This project is designed to take advantage of a natural experiment where planned physical and social interventions to enhance access to natural environments in deprived communities provide an opportunity to prospectively assess impacts on perceived stress and mental well-being.<p></p> Study design and methods: A controlled, prospective study comprising a repeat cross-sectional survey of residents living within 1.5 km of intervention and comparison sites. Three waves of data will be collected: prephysical environment intervention (2013); postphysical environment intervention (2014) and postwoodland promotion social intervention (2015). The primary outcome will be a measure of perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) preintervention and postintervention. Secondary, self-report outcomes include: mental well-being (Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale), changes in physical activity (IPAQ-short form), health (EuroQoL EQ-5D), perception and use of the woodlands, connectedness to nature (Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale), social cohesion and social capital. An environmental audit will complement the study by evaluating the physical changes in the environment over time and recording any other contextual changes over time. A process evaluation will assess the implementation of the programme. A health economics analysis will assess the cost consequences of each stage of the intervention in relation to the primary and secondary outcomes of the study.<p></p> Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval has been given by the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh College of Art Research, Ethics and Knowledge Exchange Committee (ref. 19/06/2012). Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, national and international conferences and, at the final stage of the project, through a workshop for those interested in implementing environmental interventions.<p></p&gt

A New Technique for Finding Needles in Haystacks: A Geometric Approach to Distinguishing Between a New Source and Random Fluctuations

We propose a new test statistic based on a score process for determining the statistical significance of a putative signal that may be a small perturbation to a noisy experimental background. We derive the reference distribution for this score test statistic; it has an elegant geometrical interpretation as well as broad applicability. We illustrate the technique in the context of a model problem from high-energy particle physics. Monte Carlo experimental results confirm that the score test results in a significantly improved rate of signal detection.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

High Order Upwind Schemes for Multidimensional Magnetohydrodynamics

A general method for constructing high order upwind schemes for multidimensional magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), having as a main built-in condition the divergence-free constraint \divb=0 for the magnetic field vector \bb, is proposed. The suggested procedure is based on {\em consistency} arguments, by taking into account the specific operator structure of MHD equations with respect to the reference Euler equations of gas-dynamics. This approach leads in a natural way to a staggered representation of the \bb field numerical data where the divergence-free condition in the cell-averaged form, corresponding to second order accurate numerical derivatives, is exactly fulfilled. To extend this property to higher order schemes, we then give general prescriptions to satisfy a $(r+1)^{th}$ order accurate \divb=0 relation for any numerical \bb field having a $r^{th}$ order interpolation accuracy. Consistency arguments lead also to a proper formulation of the upwind procedures needed to integrate the induction equations, assuring the exact conservation in time of the divergence-free condition and the related continuity properties for the \bb vector components. As an application, a third order code to simulate multidimensional MHD flows of astrophysical interest is developed using ENO-based reconstruction algorithms. Several test problems to illustrate and validate the proposed approach are finally presented.Comment: 34 pages, including 14 figure

A genuinely multi-dimensional upwind cell-vertex scheme for the Euler equations

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/77007/1/AIAA-1989-95-623.pd

Improving interagency service integration of the Australian Nurse Family Partnership Program for First Nations women and babies: a qualitative study.

BackgroundThe Australian Nurse Family Partnership Program (ANFPP) is an evidence-based, home visiting program that offers health education, guidance, social and emotional support to first-time mothers having Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) babies. The community-controlled sector identified the need for specialised support for first time mothers due to the inequalities in birthing and early childhood outcomes between First Nations' and other babies in Australia. The program is based on the United States' Nurse Family Partnership program which has improved long-term health outcomes and life trajectories for mothers and children. International implementation of the Nurse Family Partnership program has identified interagency service integration as key to program recruitment, retention, and efficacy. How the ANFPP integrates with other services in an Australian urban setting and how to improve this is not yet known. Our research explores the barriers and enablers to interagency service integration for the Australian Nurse Family Partnership Program ANFPP in an urban setting.MethodsA qualitative study using individual and group interviews. Purposive and snowball sampling was used to recruit clients, staff (internal and external to the program), Elders and family members. Interviews were conducted using a culturally appropriate 'yarning' method with clients, families and Elders and semi-structured interview guide for staff. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed prior to reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsSeventy-six participants were interviewed: 26 clients, 47 staff and 3 Elders/family members. Three themes were identified as barriers and three as enablers. Barriers: 1) confusion around program scope, 2) duplication of care, and 3) tensions over 'ownership' of clients. Enablers (existing and potential): 1) knowledge and promotion of the program; 2) cultural safety; and 3) case coordination, co-location and partnership forums.ConclusionEffective service integration is essential to maximise access and acceptability of the ANFPP; we provide practical recommendations to improve service integration in this context