Leave truth alone: on deflationism and contextualism

According to deflationism, grasp of the concept of truth consists in nothing more than a disposition to accept a priori (non-paradoxical) instances of the schema:(DS) It is true that p if and only if pAccording to contextualism, the same expression with the same meaning might, on different occasions of use, express different propositions bearing different truth-conditions (where this does not result from indexicality and the like).On this view, what is expressed in an utterance depends in a non-negligible way on the circumstances. Charles Travis claims that contextualism shows that ‘deflationism is a mistake’, that truth is a more substantive notion than deflationism allows. In this paper, I examine Travis's arguments in support of this ‘inflationary’ claim and argue that they are unsuccessful

How is coaching being used within schools? Does coaching have an impact on improvement in school settings?

Within this report we are seeking to investigate how coaching is being used within school, who is doing it and how it is evaluated by those using it. Without such information it is difficult to offer informed support to teachers and schools in this field. The results of this work will identify the potential that a sample of head teachers see for coaching as a development tool for the future and indicate where schools are finding value in the coaching approach. Primarily we hope this will inform head teachers and those responsible for teacher development so they have access to the experience of others building best practice in the area. This information may also help to inform decisions of policy and strategy at all levels. It may help to shape the training offered by those with commissioning and provider roles for the development of teachers and leaders in schools. The findings of this report may help tailor provision to the specific needs of teachers and schools rather than using the generic commercial models of coaching currently on offer

"Because they made me come" : motivation and outcome in adolescent substance abuse treatment

Due to the fact that most research done on motivation and readiness to change as it applies to chemical dependency treatment has been done in the adult population, the present study was designed to assess how motivation and readiness to change impact adolescent chemical dependency treatment. The Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) was implemented in the adolescent chemical dependency treatment program at Coastal Horizons Center. The sample consisted of 28 participants (13 females and 15 males) who were admitted to treatment at Coastal Horizons Center and administered the SOCRATES at least twice over a period of eight months. None of the hypotheses were confirmed due to a number of issues beyond the researcher’s control. SOCRATES subscale scores did not indicate movement to an advanced stage of change. Furthermore, higher SOCRATES subscale scores were not associated with more days spent in treatment, more treatment attendance, or a higher proportion of clean urine screens. The limitations of the study are discussed

Liquid state properties from first principles DFT calculations: Static properties

In order to test the Vibration-Transit (V-T) theory of liquid dynamics, ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations of thermodynamic properties of Na and Cu are performed and compared with experimental data. The calculations are done for the crystal at T = 0 and T_m, and for the liquid at T_m. The key theoretical quantities for crystal and liquid are the structural potential and the dynamical matrix, both as function of volume. The theoretical equations are presented, as well as details of the DFT computations. The properties compared with experiment are the equilibrium volume, the isothermal bulk modulus, the internal energy and the entropy. The agreement of theory with experiment is uniformly good. Our primary conclusion is that the application of DFT to V-T theory is feasible, and the resulting liquid calculations achieve the same level of accuracy as does ab initio lattice dynamics for crystals. Moreover, given the well established reliability of DFT, the present results provide a significant confirmation of V-T theory itself.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 5 tables, edited to more closely match published versio

Evolution of predator dispersal in relation to spatio-temporal prey dynamics : how not to get stuck in the wrong place!

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Novel B(Ar')2(Ar'') hetero-tri(aryl)boranes: a systematic study of Lewis acidity

A series of homo- and hetero-tri(aryl)boranes incorporating pentafluorophenyl, 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl, and pentachlorophenyl groups, four of which are novel species, have been studied as the acidic component of frustrated Lewis pairs for the heterolytic cleavage of H2. Under mild conditions eight of these will cleave H2; the rate of cleavage depending on both the electrophilicity of the borane and the steric bulk around the boron atom. Electrochemical studies allow comparisons of the electrophilicity with spectroscopic measurements of Lewis acidity for different series of boranes. Discrepancies in the correlation between these two types of measurements, combined with structural characterisation of each borane, reveal that the twist of the aryl rings with respect to the boron-centred trigonal plane is significant from both a steric and electronic perspective, and is an important consideration in the design of tri(aryl)boranes as Lewis acids

Children\u27s experiences of companion animal maltreatment in households characterized by intimate partner violence

Cruelty toward companion animals is a well-documented, coercive tactic used by abusive partners to intimidate and control their intimate partners. Experiences of co-occurring violence are common for children living in families with intimate partner violence (IPV) and surveys show that more than half are also exposed to abuse of their pets. Given children\u27s relationships with their pets, witnessing such abuse may be traumatic for them. Yet little is known about the prevalence and significance of this issue for children. The present study examines the experiences of children in families with co-occurring pet abuse and IPV. Using qualitative methods, 58 children ages 7–12 who were exposed to IPV were asked to describe their experiences of threats to and harm of their companion animals. Following the interviews, template analysis was employed to systematically develop codes and themes. Coding reliability was assessed using Randolph\u27s free-marginal multirater kappa (kfree = .90). Five themes emerged from the qualitative data, the most common being children\u27s exposure to pet abuse as a power and control tactic against their mother in the context of IPV. Other themes were animal maltreatment to discipline or punish the pet, animal cruelty by a sibling, children intervening to prevent pet abuse, and children intervening to protect the pet during a violent episode. Results indicate that children\u27s experiences of pet abuse are multifaceted, potentially traumatic, and may involve multiple family members with diverse motives

A common framework for collecting evidence of real-life outcomes of aphasia interventions: thoughts and applications

Two related conceptual frameworks have been developed to guide outcome measurement. The Framework for Outcome Measurement (FROM) captures the integration of key generic concepts central to recent international thinking in the area of health and disability. The second, Living with Aphasia: Framework for Outcome Measurement (A-FROM), focuses directly on communication and is intended to guide thinking about outcome measurement in aphasia. User-friendly and accessible schematics represent potential outcome domains and highlight the centrality of quality of life. The frameworks and methods of development will be discussed. Guidelines for potential applications will be presented with examples from two A-FROM derived tools

Miscarriage and stillbirth following maternal Zika virus infection in nonhuman primates.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is associated with congenital defects and pregnancy loss. Here, we found that 26% of nonhuman primates infected with Asian/American ZIKV in early gestation experienced fetal demise later in pregnancy despite showing few clinical signs of infection. Pregnancy loss due to asymptomatic ZIKV infection may therefore be a common but under-recognized adverse outcome related to maternal ZIKV infection