The effectiveness of videoconference-based cognitive-behavioural therapy

The purpose of this research was to expand scientific understanding regarding the use of videoconferencing technology to administer psychological services. The primary study in this thesis is a randomised-controlled trial comparing in-person to videoconference-based Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This study is, to the author’s knowledge, the largest clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of CBT via videoconference that has been conducted on an adult population in Australia. Twenty-nine clients were recruited who had a primary DSM-IV diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression. Participants were randomly assigned to receive 12 sessions of either in-person or videoconference-based treatment. Participants in both conditions received treatment at a university clinic in Perth Western Australia.The intervention provided was based on CBT manualised treatments but individualised to suit the unique needs of each client. Primary symptomology and quality of life was measured pre, post and 6-weeks following treatment. Secondary outcome measures included working alliance, credibility of therapy and client satisfaction. Overall, retention in both treatment conditions was similar. Statistical analysis using multi-level linear modelling indicated a significant reduction in client symptoms across time but no significant differences between treatment conditions. There were also no significant differences between conditions on working alliance, credibility of therapy and client satisfaction ratings. The findings of study one suggest that CBT via videoconference can be effectively provided in a real-world clinical practice context.The second study in this thesis is an in-depth case study of a client with severe and complex obsessive-compulsive disorder who received forty sessions of psychotherapy administered through a mix of videoconference and text-chat. Session recordings, transcripts and therapists notes were analysed using thematic analysis to explore how the technology influenced client engagement. The results indicated that the mixture of videoconferencing and text-chat might have facilitated client engagement by helping to reduce interpersonal anxiety, thus allowing the client to continue disclosing and discussing issues that were espoused in shame, guilt and embarrassment. To the author’s knowledge, the methods of engaging the client via combined videoconference and text-chat reported in study two have not been reported in the literature before

The Purdue University Get Away Special II (PUGAS II)

The Purdue University Get Away Special Project (PUGAS) is a student-run organization dedicated to preparing payloads for flight on NASA's space shuttle. The first such payload (PUGAS I) flew on Challenger in 1983. The second payload (PUGAS II) should be ready by the end of 1988 and will include three experiments. The first experiment will involve the production of tin metal foam under microgravity conditions. The second experiment will focus on the desorption of water from carbon-epoxy composite materials. The third experiment will use a solid polymeric material to detect radiation in space

Staff perceptions of PRN medication in a residential care setting

Purpose- The aim was to explore the perceptions of staff towards psychotropic Pro Re Nata (PRN) medication in a residential care setting. Design- Three male and seven female participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview. Transcripts were analysed using Thematic Analysis. Findings- Four themes pertaining to PRN medication emerged from the data; behaviour change, calming effect, importance of timing and perceived uniqueness. Research Limitations/Implications- The participant group was not homogenous and findings may have been different in a more qualified cohort. This care setting may not be representative of other environments where PRN medication is administered. The findings do however highlight some of the challenges facing the administration of PRN medication in mental health and care settings. Practical Implications- The awareness of these themes are significant for improving staff knowledge, training practices and policies towards the use and administration of psychotropic PRN medication. Originality: This the first study to engage in a thematic analysis of staff views towards the administration of PRN medication

Photometric study of southern SU UMa-type dwarf novae and candidates -- III: NSV 10934, MM Sco, AB Nor, CAL 86

We photometrically observed four southern dwarf novae in outburst (NSV 10934, MM Sco, AB Nor and CAL 86). NSV 10934 was confirmed to be an SU UMa-type dwarf nova with a mean superhump period of 0.07478(1) d. This star also showed transient appearance of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) during the final growing stage of the superhumps. Combined with the recent theoretical interpretation and with the rather unusual rapid terminal fading of normal outbursts, NSV 10934 may be a candidate intermediate polar showing SU UMa-type properties. The mean superhump periods of MM Sco and AB Nor were determined to be 0.06136(4) d and 0.08438(2) d, respectively. We suggest that AB Nor belongs to a rather rare class of long-period SU UMa-type dwarf novae with low mass-transfer rates. We also observed an outburst of the suspected SU UMa-type dwarf nova CAL 86. We identified this outburst as a normal outburst and determined the mean decline rate of 1.1 mag/d.Comment: 13 pages, 23 figures, to appear in MNRAS. For more information, see http://www.kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp/vsnet

V803 Centauri: Helium Dwarf Nova Mimicking a WZ Sge-Type Superoutburst

We observed long-term behavior of the helium dwarf nova V803 Cen, and clarified the existence of at least two distinct states (state with 77-d supercycles and standstill-like state) which interchangeably appeared with a time-scale of 1--2 yr. We also conducted a time-resolved CCD photometry campaign during the bright outburst in 2003 June. The overall appearance of the outburst closely resemble that of the late stage of the 2001 outburst of WZ Sge, consisting of the initial peak stage (superoutburst plateau), the dip, and the oscillating (rebrightening) states. During the initial peak stage, we detected large-amplitude superhump-type variation with a period of 0.018686(4) d = 1614.5(4) s, and during the oscillation stage, we detected variations with a period of 0.018728(2) d = 1618.1(2) s. We consider that the former period better represents the superhump period of this system, and the latter periodicity may be better interpreted as arising from late superhumps. The overall picture of the V803 Cen outburst resembles that of a WZ Sge-type outburst, but apparently with a higher mass-transfer rate than in hydrogen-rich WZ Sge-type stars. We suggest that this behavior may be either the result of difficulty in maintaining the hot state in a helium disk, or the effect of an extremely low tidal torque resulting from the extreme mass ratio.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, to appear in PAS

Outbursts of EX Hydrae: mass-transfer events or disc instabilities?

We present the 45-yr record of the light curve of EX Hya, and discuss the characteristics of its 15 observed outbursts. We then concentrate on the 1998 outburst, reporting the first outburst X-ray observations. We discover an X-ray beat-cycle modulation, indicating that an enhanced accretion stream couples directly with the magnetosphere in outburst, confirming our previous prediction. Optical eclipse profiles late in outburst show that the visible light is dominated by an enhanced mass-transfer stream overflowing the accretion disc. We are uncertain whether the enhanced mass transfer is triggered by a disc instability, or by some other cause. While in outburst, EX Hya shows some of the characteristics of SW Sex stars