Promoting Client Welfare and Preserving Autonomy: Ethical Treatment of Eating Disorders

Counselors often experience an ethical dilemma when mandating treatment for clients with eating disorders. In this article, the authors will briefly discuss the characteristics of eating disorders, the impact of cognitive impairment on the decision to mandate treatment, and the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, and nonmalificence that counselors must consider when work-ing with clients from this population. To address ethical concerns, the authors will apply Welfel’s (2010) ethical decision-making model to a case involving a client with Anorexia Nervosa

Symptom Burden, Survival and Palliative Care in Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Introduction. The symptom burden and role of palliative care (PC) in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) are not well defined. Methods. This study retrospectively reviewed both symptoms and PC involvement in patients known to an STS referral centre who died in one calendar year. Results. 81 patients met inclusion criteria of which 27% had locally advanced disease and 73% metastases at initial referral. The median number of symptoms was slowly progressive ranging from 2 (range 0–5) before first-line chemotherapy (n = 50) to 3 (range 1–6) at the time of best supportive care (BSC) decision (n = 48). Pain and dyspnoea were the commonest symptoms. Median overall survival from BSC decision was 3.4 weeks. 88% had PC involvement (either hospital, community, or both) with median time from first PC referral to death of 16 (range 0–110) weeks. Conclusions. Patients with metastatic STS have a significant symptom burden which justifies early PC referral. Pain, including neuropathic pain, is a significant problem. Dyspnoea is common, progressive and appears to be undertreated. Time from BSC decision to death is short, and prospective studies are required to determine whether this is due to overtreatment or very rapid terminal disease progression

Carprofen inhibits the release of matrix metalloproteinases 1, 3, and 13 in the secretome of an explant model of articular cartilage stimulated with interleukin 1β

Introduction: Arthritic diseases are characterized by the degradation of collagenous and noncollagenous extracellular matrix (ECM) components in articular cartilage. The increased expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is partly responsible for cartilage degradation. This study used proteomics to identify inflammatory proteins and catabolic enzymes released in a serum-free explant model of articular cartilage stimulated with the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 1β (IL-1β). Western blotting was used to quantify the release of selected proteins in the presence or absence of the cyclooxygenase-2 specific nonsteroidal pro-inflammatory drug carprofen. Methods: Cartilage explant cultures were established by using metacarpophalangeal joints from horses euthanized for purposes other than research. Samples were treated as follows: no treatment (control), IL-1β (10 ng/ml), carprofen (100 μg/ml), and carprofen (100 μg/ml) + IL-1β (10 ng/ml). Explants were incubated (37°C, 5% CO2) over twelve day time courses. High-throughput nano liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry uncovered candidate proteins for quantitative western blot analysis. Proteoglycan loss was assessed by using the dimethylmethylene blue (DMMB) assay, which measures the release of sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Results: Mass spectrometry identified MMP-1, -3, -13, and the ECM constituents thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) and fibronectin-1 (FN1). IL-1β stimulation increased the release of all three MMPs. IL-1β also stimulated the fragmentation of FN1 and increased chondrocyte cell death (as assessed by β-actin release). Addition of carprofen significantly decreased MMP release and the appearance of a 60 kDa fragment of FN1 without causing any detectable cytotoxicity to chondrocytes. DMMB assays suggested that carprofen initially inhibited IL-1β-induced GAG release, but this effect was transient. Overall, during the two time courses, GAG release was 58.67% ± 10.91% (SD) for IL-1β versus 52.91% ± 9.35% (SD) with carprofen + IL-1β. Conclusions: Carprofen exhibits beneficial anti-inflammatory and anti-catabolic effects in vitro without causing any detectable cytotoxicity. Combining proteomics with this explant model provides a sensitive screening system for anti-inflammatory compounds

Developing sexual competence? Exploring strategies for the provision of effective sexualities and relationships education

School-based sexualities and relationships education (SRE) offers one of the most promising means of improving young people's sexual health through developing 'sexual competence'. In the absence of evidence on whether the term holds the same meanings for young people and adults (e.g. teachers, researchers, policy-makers), the paper explores 'adult' notions of sexual competence as construed in research data and alluded to in UK Government guidance on SRE, then draws on empirical research with young people on factors that affect the contexts, motivations and outcomes of sexual encounters, and therefore have implications for sexual competence. These data from young people also challenge more traditional approaches to sexualities education in highlighting disjunctions between the content of school-based input and their reported sexual experience. The paper concludes by considering the implications of these insights for developing a shared notion of what SRE is trying to achieve and suggestions for recognition in the content and approaches to SRE.</p

Characterizing Mathematics Graduate Student Teaching Assistants’ Opportunities to Learn from Teaching

Exemplary models to inform novice instruction and the development of graduate teaching assistants (TAs) exist. What is missing from the literature is the process of how graduate students in model professional development programs make sense of and enact the experiences offered. A first step to understanding TAs’ learning to teach is to characterize how and whether they link observations of student work to hypotheses about student thinking and then connect those hypotheses to future teaching actions. A reason to be interested in these connections is that their strength and coherence determine how well TAs can learn from experiences. We found TAs can connect observations and future teaching, but that the connections vary in quality. Our analysis suggests future revisions to TA development programs, which we discuss in the conclusion

A “Learning Revolution”? Investigating Pedagogic Practices around Interactive Whiteboards in British Primary Classrooms

Interactive whiteboards have been rapidly introduced into all primary schools under UK Government initiatives. These large, touch-sensitive screens, which control a computer connected to a digital projector, seem to be the first type of educational technology particularly suited for whole-class teaching and learning. Strong claims are made for their value by manufacturers and policy makers, but there has been little research on how, if at all, they influence established pedagogic practices, communicative processes and educational goals. This study has been designed to examine this issue, using observations in primary (elementary) school classrooms. It is funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and builds on the authors’ previous research on ICT in educational dialogues and collaborative activities

Microbial impacts on 99mTc migration through sandstone under highly alkaline conditions relevant to radioactive waste disposal

Geological disposal of intermediate level radioactive waste in the UK is planned to involve the use of cementitious materials, facilitating the formation of an alkali-disturbed zone within the host rock. The biogeochemical processes that will occur in this environment, and the extent to which they will impact on radionuclide migration, are currently poorly understood. This study investigates the impact of biogeochemical processes on the mobility of the radionuclide technetium, in column experiments designed to be representative of aspects of the alkali-disturbed zone. Results indicate that microbial processes were capable of inhibiting 99mTc migration through columns, and X-ray radiography demonstrated that extensive physical changes had occurred to the material within columns where microbiological activity had been stimulated. The utilisation of organic acids under highly alkaline conditions, generating H2 and CO2, may represent a mechanism by which microbial processes may alter the hydraulic conductivity of a geological environment. Column sediments were dominated by obligately alkaliphilic H2-oxidising bacteria, suggesting that the enrichment of these bacteria may have occurred as a result of H2 generation during organic acid metabolism. The results from these experiments show that microorganisms are able to carry out a number of processes under highly alkaline conditions that could potentially impact on the properties of the host rock surrounding a geological disposal facility for intermediate level radioactive waste

Assessing strategic, tactical, and operational decision-making and risk in a livestock production chain through experimental simulation platforms

This paper provides a research summary of a series of serious games and simulations that form the basis of an experimental platform for the study of human decision-making and behavior associated with biosecurity across complex livestock production chains. This platform is the first of its kind to address the challenges associated with scaling micro-behavior of biosecurity decision-making to macro-patterns of disease spread across strategic, tactical and operational levels, capturing the roles that facility managers and front-line workers play in making biosecurity decisions under risk and uncertainty. Informational and incentive treatments are tested within each game and simulation. Behavioral theories are used to explain these findings. Results from serious games in the form of behavioral probability distributions are then used to simulate disease incidence and spread across a complex production chain, demonstrating how micro-level behaviors contribute to larger macro-level patterns. In the case of this study, the propensity to adopt micro-level biosecurity practices are applied to a network percolation disease spread model. By presenting the suite of companion models of behavior and disease spread we are able to capture scaling dynamics of complex systems, and in the process, better understand how individual behaviors impact whole systems

Beyond the hypothesis of boundedness for the random coefficient of Airy, Hermite and Laguerre differential equations with uncertainties

[EN] In this work, we study the full randomized versions of Airy, Hermite and Laguerre differential equations, which depend on a random variable appearing as an equation coefficient as well as two random initial conditions. In previous contributions, the mean square stochastic solutions to the aforementioned random differential equations were constructed via the Frobenius method, under the assumption of exponential growth of the absolute moments of the equation coefficient, which is equivalent to its essential boundedness. In this paper we aim at relaxing the boundedness hypothesis to allow more general probability distributions for the equation coefficient. We prove that the equations are solvable in the mean square sense when the equation coefficient has finite moment-generating function in a neighborhood of the origin. A thorough discussion of the new hypotheses is included.This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad grant MTM2017-89664-P.Calatayud Gregori, J.; Cortés, J.; Jornet Sanz, M. (2020). Beyond the hypothesis of boundedness for the random coefficient of Airy, Hermite and Laguerre differential equations with uncertainties. Stochastic Analysis and Applications. 38(5):875-885. https://doi.org/10.1080/07362994.2020.1733017S875885385Neckel, T., & Rupp, F. (2013). Random Differential Equations in Scientific Computing. doi:10.2478/9788376560267Villafuerte, L., Braumann, C. A., Cortés, J.-C., & Jódar, L. (2010). Random differential operational calculus: Theory and applications. Computers & Mathematics with Applications, 59(1), 115-125. doi:10.1016/j.camwa.2009.08.061Cortés, J.-C., Jódar, L., Camacho, F., & Villafuerte, L. (2010). Random Airy type differential equations: Mean square exact and numerical solutions. Computers & Mathematics with Applications, 60(5), 1237-1244. doi:10.1016/j.camwa.2010.05.046Calbo, G., Cortés, J.-C., & Jódar, L. (2011). Random Hermite differential equations: Mean square power series solutions and statistical properties. Applied Mathematics and Computation, 218(7), 3654-3666. doi:10.1016/j.amc.2011.09.008Calatayud, J., Cortés, J.-C., & Jornet, M. (2019). Improving the Approximation of the First- and Second-Order Statistics of the Response Stochastic Process to the Random Legendre Differential Equation. Mediterranean Journal of Mathematics, 16(3). doi:10.1007/s00009-019-1338-6Calatayud, J., Cortés, J.-C., Jornet, M., & Villafuerte, L. (2018). Random non-autonomous second order linear differential equations: mean square analytic solutions and their statistical properties. Advances in Difference Equations, 2018(1). doi:10.1186/s13662-018-1848-8Gregori, J., López, J., & Sanz, M. (2018). Some Notes to Extend the Study on Random Non-Autonomous Second Order Linear Differential Equations Appearing in Mathematical Modeling. Mathematical and Computational Applications, 23(4), 76. doi:10.3390/mca23040076Calbo, G., Cortés, J.-C., & Jódar, L. (2010). Mean square power series solution of random linear differential equations. Computers & Mathematics with Applications, 59(1), 559-572. doi:10.1016/j.camwa.2009.06.007Calbo, G., Cortés, J.-C., Jódar, L., & Villafuerte, L. (2010). Analytic stochastic process solutions of second-order random differential equations. Applied Mathematics Letters, 23(12), 1421-1424. doi:10.1016/j.aml.2010.07.011CALBO SANJUÁN, G. (s. f.). Mean Square Analytic Solutions of Random Linear Models. doi:10.4995/thesis/10251/8721Jagadeesan, M. (2017). Simple analysis of sparse, sign-consistent JL. arXiv:1708.02966.Lin, G. D. (2017). Recent developments on the moment problem. Journal of Statistical Distributions and Applications, 4(1). doi:10.1186/s40488-017-0059-2Ernst, O. G., Mugler, A., Starkloff, H.-J., & Ullmann, E. (2011). On the convergence of generalized polynomial chaos expansions. ESAIM: Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Analysis, 46(2), 317-339. doi:10.1051/m2an/2011045Calbo, G., Cortés, J.-C., Jódar, L., & Villafuerte, L. (2011). Solving the random Legendre differential equation: Mean square power series solution and its statistical functions. Computers & Mathematics with Applications, 61(9), 2782-2792. doi:10.1016/j.camwa.2011.03.04

The Quest for the Missing Dust: II -- Two Orders of Magnitude of Evolution in the Dust-to-Gas Ratio Resolved Within Local Group Galaxies

We explore evolution in the dust-to-gas ratio with density within four well-resolved Local Group galaxies - the LMC, SMC, M31, and M33. We do this using new ${\it Herschel}$ maps, which restore extended emission that was missed by previous ${\it Herschel}$ reductions. This improved data allows us to probe the dust-to-gas ratio across 2.5 orders of magnitude in ISM surface density. We find significant evolution in the dust-to-gas ratio, with dust-to-gas varying with density within each galaxy by up to a factor 22.4. We explore several possible reasons for this, and our favored explanation is dust grain growth in denser regions of ISM. We find that the evolution of the dust-to-gas ratio with ISM surface density is very similar between M31 and M33, despite their large differences in mass, metallicity, and star formation rate; conversely, we find M33 and the LMC to have very different dust-to-gas evolution profiles, despite their close similarity in those properties. Our dust-to-gas ratios address previous disagreement between UV- and FIR-based dust-to-gas estimates for the Magellanic Clouds, removing the disagreement for the LMC, and considerably reducing it for the SMC - with our new dust-to-gas measurements being factors of 2.4 and 2.0 greater than the previous far-infrared estimates, respectively. We also observe that the dust-to-gas ratio appears to fall at the highest densities for the LMC, M31, and M33; this is unlikely to be an actual physical phenomenon, and we posit that it may be due to a combined effect of dark gas, and changing dust mass opacity.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa