The Influence of Geology and Season on Macroinvertebrates in Belizean Streams: Implications for Tropical Bioassessment

Considerable attention has been paid to the potentially confounding effects of geological and seasonal variation on outputs from bioassessments in temperate streams, but our understanding about these influences is limited for many tropical systems. We explored variation in macroinvertebrate assemblage composition and the environmental characteristics of 3rd- to 5th-order streams in a geologically heterogeneous tropical landscape in the wet and dry seasons. Study streams drained catchments with land cover ranging from predominantly forested to agricultural land, but data indicated that distinct water-chemistry and substratum conditions associated with predominantly calcareous and silicate geologies were key determinants of macroinvertebrate assemblage composition. Most notably, calcareous streams were characterized by a relatively abundant noninsect fauna, particularly a pachychilid gastropod snail. The association between geological variation and assemblage composition was apparent during both seasons, but significant temporal variation in compositional characteristics was detected only in calcareous streams, possibly because of limited statistical power to detect change at silicate sites, or the limited extent of our temporal data. We discuss the implications of our findings for tropical bioassessment programs. Our key findings suggest that geology can be an important determinant of macroinvertebrate assemblages in tropical streams and that geological heterogeneity may influence the scale of temporal response in characteristic macroinvertebrate assemblages

Retroactive Liability Under the Superfund: Time to Settle the Issue

This Article addresses the need for a legislative solution to the issue of retroactive liability under CERCLA. Before suggestion a legislative solution, the authors examine the history of CERCLA. The examination is followed with an analysis of the reasoning applied in the original Olin decision, how courts reacted to this decision, and an analysis of its reversal in Olin II. After examining the ongoing debate in Congress, the authors conclude by suggesting a legislative solution and calling for legislation affirming CERCLA retroactive liability

Controlled Clinical Trial of a Self-Help for Anxiety Intervention for Patients Waiting for Psychological Therapy

This study was a controlled clinical trial in which patients were offered a brief low cost, low intensity self-help intervention while waiting for psychological therapy. A CBT based self-help pack was given to patients with significant anxiety problems and no attempt was made to exclude patients on the basis of severity or co-morbidity. The treatment group received the intervention immediately following assessment and the control group after a delay of 8 weeks so comparisons between the two groups were made over 8 weeks. Although there was some support for the effectiveness of the self help intervention, with a significant time x group interaction for CORE-OM scores, this was not significant with the intention to treat analysis, nor for HADS anxiety and depression scores and the effect size was low. A follow up evaluation suggested some patients attributed significant goal attainment to the intervention. The findings suggest the routine use of self-help interventions in psychological therapies services should be considered although further more adequately powered research is required to identify the type of patients and problems that most benefit, possible adverse effects and the effect on subsequent uptake of and engagement in therapy

"Poetry in the Making": Ted Hughes and the Art of Writing

This study takes as its focus Ted Hughes’s composition techniques throughout his career, arguing that his self-conscious experimentation with the processes by which he wrote affected the style and subject matter of his work. Hughes’s poetry has lent itself to a number of familiar critical approaches, focusing on his preoccupation with mythology, his interaction with the natural world and his creative partnership with his first wife, Sylvia Plath. Yet no study, until now, has looked systematically at his literary drafts and the extent to which Hughes’s method of composition radically altered during his writing career. Archive material at Emory University, accessible since 2000, and new archive materials held at the British Library and made available for study for the first time in 2010, have opened up possibilities for much greater depth of research into Hughes’s writing processes and the birth and evolution of individual poems. By engaging with these materials, my research complements new studies which are tackling under-examined areas of Hughes’s work, whilst contributing more broadly to an increased awareness of the central importance of archival work in the study of literature. Literary manuscript drafts have often been used to study writers whose writing methods consciously foreground the drafting process. Whilst Hughes has not previously been considered in this light, my original investigations into his archival materials reveal a poet for whom the nature of the compositional process was a central concern which defines and redefines his poetry across his career.University of Exete

The Role of Early Intervention in Parental Self-Efficacy for Parents of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

Purpose: To investigate the effects of age at enrollment in early intervention (EI) and dosage of EI services (frequency and intensity) on parental self-efficacy (PSE) and to determine whether parents with better PSE demonstrate more involvement in deciding Individualized Family Service Plan goals (IFSP), services, and amount of services. Method: Sixty-five parent-child dyads were included in this retrospective between-subjects study. PSE was measured using the Scale of Parental Involvement and Self-Efficacy (DesJardin, 2003). Dosage of EI services and parent/professional involvement in IFSP decision-making were measured using a Child Demographic Questionnaire. Results: Statistically significant correlations were not found between age at EI enrollment and SPISE subscales. Statistically significant correlations were not found based on frequency or intensity of EI services. Mixed results were found regarding level of parent involvement in decision-making of IFSP goals, kinds of services, and amount of services. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the complexities in determining the effects of age at EI enrollment, EI dosage, and central elements of the IFSP on self-efficacy in parents of children who are deaf/hard-of-hearing. Future studies are needed to validate these findings and further the knowledge base about the role of EI in supporting parents’ sense of self-efficacy in supporting their child’s development

Connectivity-enhanced diffusion analysis reveals white matter density disruptions in first episode and chronic schizophrenia.

Reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) is a well-established correlate of schizophrenia, but it remains unclear whether these tensor-based differences are the result of axon damage and/or organizational changes and whether the changes are progressive in the adult course of illness. Diffusion MRI data were collected in 81 schizophrenia patients (54 first episode and 27 chronic) and 64 controls. Analysis of FA was combined with "fixel-based" analysis, the latter of which leverages connectivity and crossing-fiber information to assess both fiber bundle density and organizational complexity (i.e., presence and magnitude of off-axis diffusion signal). Compared with controls, patients with schizophrenia displayed clusters of significantly lower FA in the bilateral frontal lobes, right dorsal centrum semiovale, and the left anterior limb of the internal capsule. All FA-based group differences overlapped substantially with regions containing complex fiber architecture. FA within these clusters was positively correlated with principal axis fiber density, but inversely correlated with both secondary/tertiary axis fiber density and voxel-wise fiber complexity. Crossing fiber complexity had the strongest (inverse) association with FA (r = -0.82). When crossing fiber structure was modeled in the MRtrix fixel-based analysis pipeline, patients exhibited significantly lower fiber density compared to controls in the dorsal and posterior corpus callosum (central, postcentral, and forceps major). Findings of lower FA in patients with schizophrenia likely reflect two inversely related signals: reduced density of principal axis fiber tracts and increased off-axis diffusion sources. Whereas the former confirms at least some regions where myelin and or/axon count are lower in schizophrenia, the latter indicates that the FA signal from principal axis fiber coherence is broadly contaminated by macrostructural complexity, and therefore does not necessarily reflect microstructural group differences. These results underline the need to move beyond tensor-based models in favor of acquisition and analysis techniques that can help disambiguate different sources of white matter disruptions associated with schizophrenia

Pain in older adults with dementia

Background: We aimed to explore the existing use of pain assessment tools and guidelines, and develop understanding of the practical considerations required to facilitate their use within the nursing home, hospital and community settings. Methods: A self-administered web-based survey was conducted with nurses, health and social care workers with an interest in the assessment of pain in older adults with cognitive impairment. The survey was distributed to participants in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Results: Only a minority of staff reported use of (inter-)national or local standards or specific pain assessment tools in daily practice. A range of tools were reported as being used, which varied across country. While participants generally reported that these pain assessment tools were easy/very easy to use, many participants reported that they were difficult to interpret. Assessment is generally performed whilst providing nursing care. This was highlighted in 70–80% of all participating countries. While many of these tools rely on facial expression of pain, facial expressions were considered to be the least useful in comparison to other items. Furthermore findings showed that nurses employed in long-term care settings did not feel that they were educated enough in pain assessment and management. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that pain education is required across all countries surveyed. This should include a focus on guidelines and standards for assessment and subsequent management of pain. Findings suggest that clinical staff find interpreting facial expressions in relation to pain more difficult

A peer-led intervention to promote sexual health in secondary schools: the STASH feasibility study

Background: Young people report higher levels of unsafe sex and have higher rates of sexually transmitted infections than any other age group. Schools are well placed to facilitate early intervention, but more effective approaches are required. Peer-led approaches can augment school-based education, but often fail to capitalise on mechanisms of social influence. The potential of using social media in sexual health has not been tested in school settings. Objectives: Finalise the design of the Sexually Transmitted infections And Sexual Health (STASH) intervention; assess the recruitment and retention of peer supporters, and acceptability to participants and stakeholders; assess the fidelity and reach, in addition to the barriers to and facilitators of, implementation; refine programme theory; understand the potential of social media; determine design parameters for a future randomised controlled trial, including economic evaluation; and establish whether or not progression criteria were met. Design: This was a feasibility study comprising intervention development and refinement of the STASH pilot and non-randomised feasibility trial in six schools. Control data were provided by students in the year above the intervention group. Setting: Secondary schools in Scotland. Participants: Students aged 14–16 years, teachers and intervention delivery partners. Interventions: The STASH intervention was adapted from A Stop Smoking In Schools Trial (ASSIST) (an effective peer-led smoking intervention). Based on diffusion of innovation theory, the STASH study involves peer nomination to identify the most influential students, with the aim of recruiting and training 15% of the year group as peer supporters. The peer supporters deliver sexual health messages to friends in their year group via conversations and use of Facebook (www.facebook.com; Facebook, Inc., Menlo Park, CA, USA) to share varied content from a curated set of web-based resources. Peer supporters are given support themselves via follow-up sessions and via trainer membership of Facebook groups. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was whether or not progression criteria were met in relation to intervention acceptability and feasibility. The study also piloted indicative primary outcomes for a full-scale evaluation. Data sources: Peer supporter questionnaire; observations of activities; interviews with trainers, teachers, peer supporters and students; monitoring log of peer supporter activities (including on Facebook and meeting attendance); questionnaire to control year group (baseline characteristics, social networks, mediators and sexual health outcomes); baseline and follow-up questionnaire (approximately 6 months later) for intervention year group. Results: A total of 104 students were trained as peer supporters (just over half of those nominated for the role by their peers). Role retention was very high (97%). Of 611 students completing the follow-up questionnaire, 58% reported exposure to STASH study activities. Intervention acceptability was high among students and stakeholders. Activities were delivered with good fidelity. The peer supporters were active, representative of their year group and well connected within their social network. Carefully managed social media use by peer supporters augmented conversations. A primary outcome of ‘always safer sex’ was identified, measured as no sex or always condom use for vaginal or anal sex in the last 6 months. The intervention cost £42 per student. Six progression criteria were met. A seventh criterion (regarding uptake of role by peer supporters) was not. Limitations: Small feasibility study that cannot comment on effectiveness. Conclusions: The STASH intervention is feasible and acceptable within the context of Scottish secondary schools. The results support continuation to a full-scale evaluation. Future work: Small-scale improvements to the intervention, refinement to programme theory and funding sought for full-scale evaluation. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN97369178. Funding: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 8, No. 15. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information

Comparison of several secondary metabolite and elemental ion contents of leaves from Kandelia obovata and Sonneratia caseolaris forests located in the Red River Delta

The two mangrove species Kandelia obovata and Sonneratia caseolaris were widely planted in the Red River delta. Both K. obovata and S. caseolaris forests play an important role in the economic development and environmental protection of the delta. However, chemical responses of the common mangrove forests to different ecological conditions in the delta have not yet been described. In this study, we evaluated chemical responses of K. obovata and S. caseolaris through comparisons of the content of metabolites and element ions in leaves of mangrove plants located under different ecological conditions in the Red River delta. In the low salinity area (Thuy Truong), specific leaf areas of K. obovata and S. caseolaris were much lower while the succulent index was higher compared to those in the high salinity area (Kim Trung). In Kim Trung, both species had a lower ratio of chlorophyll a/chlorophyll b. K. obvata in lower light (under the S. caseolaris canopy) had lower levels of chlorophyll b, resulting in a higher Chla/chlb ratio. There was no difference in the Mg content of leaves between two areas. An increase in Na content in leaves of mangrove plants in the higher salinity area was evident. The high K/Na ratio in leaves were eveluated for both species in high salinity areas. Our results also showed better uptake of K in leaves of S. caseolaris growing in the low salinity conditions (Thuy Truong), i.e. Thuy Truong has more favourable ecological conditions for S. caseolaris. Carotenoid contents in leaves of both species growing in the higher salinity were lower.