Developing thoughts about what might have been

Recent research has changed how developmental psychologists understand counterfactual thinking or thoughts of what might have been. Evidence suggests that counterfactual thinking develops over an extended period into at least middle childhood, depends on domain-general processes including executive function and language, and dissociates from counterfactual emotions such as regret. In this article, we review the developmental evidence that forms a critical but often-overlooked complement to the cognitive, social, and neuroscience literatures. We also highlight topics for further research, including spontaneous counterfactual thinking and counterfactual thinking in clinical settings. © 2014 The Society for Research in Child Development

The spacial dynamics of below-ground fungal communities : a study of pattern and process

Soil fungi are an important part of terrestrial ecosystems, having invaluable roles in decomposition, carbon storage and nutrient cycling processes. Despite this, their ubiquitous nature and the methodological challenges associated with studying their diversity, have led to the traditional belief that fungal communities show little spatial structure. However, with the rapid development of molecular methods, research is now indicating that below-ground fungal communities are spatially heterogeneous in response to environmental variables and that the spatial structure of such communities has important above-ground consequences, such as influencing plant community structure and plant productivity. Spatial patterns displayed by below-ground fungal communities are alone insufficient in order to gain an accurate insight into how the community dynamics contribute to ecosystem functioning. The importance of spatial and environmental factors is often strongly interrelated and their relative importance is generally context and scale dependent. The research presented in this thesis, therefore, combines the analysis of fungal community spatial patterns with models based on mechanisms that drive their assembly over a range of spatial scales and levels of community organisation. Patterns of soil fungal community assembly were sampled from separation distances of 20 cm to 500 km, over three experimental designs, and analysed by T-RFLP and high throughput sequencing. The roles of spatial distance, habitat type, edaphic characteristics, climatic conditions, vegetation type and the diversity of the plant 17 community, as well as phylogenetic relatedness, in shaping the observed fungal communities were considered by a range of multivariate and spatial statistics. Large scale fungal community patterns were found, spanning distances of between 100 and 500 km along the south-east coast of Australia, as well as at smaller scales of 20 cm to approximately 100 m, sampled in temperate and alpine/subalpine ecosystems. A distinct lack of spatial patterning existed for the sampled below-ground fungal communities at intermediate scales. Spatial distance was found to have an important role in shaping the detected community patterns, while environmental factors did not play a dominant role in shaping the fungal community, independently of other measured variables, at the scales at which spatial patterns were detected. The functional processes that shape community assembly were additionally considered by looking at the role of niche and neutral dynamics as well as by explicitly characterising the role of dispersal in shaping the metacommunity. Neutrality modeling suggested that niche-based assembly contributed to soil fungal community assembly at the investigated scales. However, the role of stochastic or deterministic assembly mechanisms in driving community structure depended on the strength of dispersal and the degree of niche overlap experienced by the community, ultimately supporting the continuum hypothesis of niche and neutral assembly. Moreover, differences in the characteristics of the metacommunity were shown to influence the processes by which local communities were structured, emphasising that ecological processes do not act at the same scale/s at which community patterns are evident. Overall, understanding both pattern and process of fungal community assembly is essential to contribute to predicting changes in fungal community structure and function, at spatially relevant scales. With this knowledge it will be possible to better 18 recognise the effects of environmental change on fungal communities, in order to manage and conserve the surrounding terrestrial environments accordingly

Expressive Writing as a Coping Mechanism for Caregivers of People with Parkinson\u27s Disease

Caregivers face challenges that take a tremendous toll both mentally and physically, while also having to experience their changing relationship with a loved one who continuously deteriorates. (Ornstein, Gaugler, Devanand, Scarmeas, Zhu, & Stern, 2013). The purpose of my study will be to examine if utilizing expressive writing (EW) can benefit caregivers of loved ones with Parkinson’s disease. I hypothesized that EW would help alleviate caregiver burden, and decrease negative mood and healthier coping means, while caregivers who write within a positive framework will experience the greatest alleviation of burden, better reported mood, and coping means. In this study the caregivers’ stress and coping skill were assessed before and after the EW intervention. Caregivers were provided with online journals in which they were instructed to write for twenty minutes a day for three consecutive days. They were given prompts to direct their writing. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: 1) writing only about the positive emotions experienced or 2) writing about the negative and positive emotions felt as a caregiver. After the end of their intervention participants\u27 journal entries were analyzed using a linguistic word count program (LIWC) to test hypotheses regarding benefits of varied EW strategies. Trends showed that EW was most beneficial for participants caring for loved ones in the earlier stages of Parkinson’s and placed in the positive framing condition. The finding suggests that future research should focus on the impact of positive emotion focus and healthier coping styles and length of effective journaling

Are silver products an effective treatment for infection of chronic wounds?

Abstract Aim; To identify whether silver is an effective treatment for infected chronic wounds and to identify any adverse effects. Background; Conflicting evidence exists around the effectiveness and adverse effects of silver products which has led to considerable confusion regarding this treatment in practice. With some previous systematic reviews and RCTs identifying that not enough evidence exists to recommend the use of silver products. However, a systematic review conducted by Lo et al (2008) identified that silver was an effective product for wound healing and reduction of infection levels, therefore it was important to identify if any RCTs had been published from this date to add weight to these conclusions. Methods; A systematic review of the literature was conducted using two search strategies in order to capture both effectiveness data (RCTs), and adverse effect data (RCTs & observational studies). For effectiveness searched; databases were searched from 2008- January 2014 using Cochrane CENTRAL, MEDLINE and EMBASE- including only randomised controlled trials. Adverse effects data was extracted from from the effectiveness results, with the additional searches performed to capture observational studies. This search was conducted from 1950- January 2014 using MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL databases. Results; In total 5 RCTs and 4 observational studies were identified for inclusion in the review. It was identified that silver products are an effective treatment for infected chronic wounds, based on statistically significant results regarding wound healing and infection levels in the included controlled studies- and in combination with the results from the systematic review conducted by Lo et al (2008). Additionally, no serious adverse effects were identified. Conclusion; This systematic review strengthens the case for the use of silver products on managing locally infected chronic wounds. However, the use of silver must be accompanied by a thorough wound assessment; a “two week challenge” is recommended before reassessing for alternative treatment options

Reel Queer: Emergent Discourses and Contexts of Queer Youth Identity Constructions and Experiences in Digital Video Projects

My thesis examines the discourses present in digital video projects created by queer youth, ages 13-20, who participated in The Reel Queer Youth video mentorship program between 2009 and 2012. I used textual analysis, specifically discourse and critical technocultural discourse analysis to explore constructions of identity in youth and experiences present in digital video projects and the contexts these discourses were produced within. I identified three overarching discursive themes: (a) call for more complex understandings of queer youth identities and experiences; (b) concern regarding gender binaries; and (c) change and self-responsibility. In addition to the discursive themes, I identified and discussed four contextualizing elements. The elements consist of: (a) culture, the larger media discourses concerning the experiences of queer youth; (b) environment, the RQY video production workshop where the videos were produced; (c) production, the actual production process needed to produce a digital video project; and (d) platform, Vimeo, the video sharing site that hosts the RQY videos. I placed the themes and contextualizing elements identified into conversation with each other. I was able to identify four conversations: (a) sexual and gender identity labels; (b) unspoken discourses: reinforcing queer universality; (c) cyberqueer materiality and technolcultural space; and (d) queer technological progress. These conversations reveal that culture and environment had an impact on what how the youth conceptualize and construct gender and sexual identities, as well as what discourses are silenced. Production and platform influence what is actually able to be captured and shared through the use of digital video, while platform affects who can access the videos and the potential negative ramifications of making the RQY videos public

Social Work Practice in Public Defense

Little is known about the collaboration between public defense and social work despite the growing implementation of the approach. This dissertation attempts to better understand the implications for social work practice in the public defense setting by 1) reviewing the literature to gain an understanding of social work roles, services, and practice outcomes, 2) examining demographic characteristics and criminal charges incurred by a group of clients in a public defense setting to better understand the population to develop and tailor interventions, and 3) determining the effect of social work services in terms of the number and severity of criminal charges when statistically controlling for pre-existing criminal history and demographic characteristics. Findings indicate that significant gaps exist in understanding the population of public defense clients served by social workers, making it difficult to understand how to tailor services and target interventions. A clear picture emerged of the typical social work client in one public defense setting: male, European American, unmarried, and around 34 years old at the time he began working with a social worker. Also, two distinct subgroups of social work clients were identified: a smaller group comprised of clients who predominantly incurred low-level misdemeanor charges, and a larger group comprised of clients who incurred a high number of low-level misdemeanors, but incurred a higher number of charges, in general, and were more likely to have incurred some felony charges. When comparing clients who did and did not receive social work services, results indicated that the probability of incurring a misdemeanor charge and the number of misdemeanor charges incurred during a two-year time period were lower for clients who received social work services. The probability of incurring a felony charge was lower for the legal group, but there was not a statistically significant difference between groups in the number of felony charges. Implications for practice and future research are discussed

Enhancing Climate Education for a Changing Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia (CBNERR), located at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), coordinates Climate Education for a Changing Bay (CECB), a program providing meaningful watershed educational experiences (MWEEs) that are fully integrated and systemic into the classroom curriculum for ninth grade students in Gloucester and Mathews County, Virginia. CECB also provides interrelated professional development opportunities for teachers in the region. The overall objective of CECB is to improve climate literacy within local high schools by advancing the use of locally relevant environmental data and information in classroom curriculum, field experiences, and professional teacher training. Students have three experiences with CBNERR Education staff: a classroom visit will be the students’ initial exposure to climate change science and the impacts that it will have on natural ecosystems, coastal communities, and local issues; a field experience on the schoolgrounds outlined in the activity; and a field experience at VIMS. Throughout the program, salt marshes are used as a model ecosystem to study the impacts of climate chang

Application of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine to Ameliorate Sepsis Induced Ileus

Graduate Basi