“Strengthening the bridge between learning and earning: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the counsellor placement

Background: Effective therapy is dependent upon the quality of counsellor training and this study arose from the paucity of research around a concept which, whilst central to counsellor training, has received scant attention – the counsellor placement. Strong historical links exist between the voluntary sector and counselling and most trainee counsellors volunteer within a ‘placement’ to accrue practice hours necessary for qualification. This research elucidates the counsellor placement concept, context and consequences. Aim: The purpose of this research was to explore the perceptions of counsellor placement stakeholders and review an emerging practice model where course providers offer their trainees a placement parallel to their counselling course. These objectives transitioned into two research questions. Firstly, “What are the lived experiences of trainees, course providers, placement providers and supervisors involved in counsellor placements?” Secondly, “How is the establishment of a counsellor placement parallel to a university course perceived by those involved and what learning can be derived from their experience?” Methodology and methods: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis [IPA] approach generated data via questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Analysis revealed super-ordinate themes which enriched an otherwise narrow field of research. Findings: Placements were positioned within counsellor training and their impact on future practitioners was considered. Participants described a continuum of inconsistent placement experiences and identified what constitutes a satisfactory placement. Contextually dependent, yet separate, factors between stakeholders were also evidenced. A counsellor placement alongside a university course was perceived as a valuable and viable model that benefits all involved, although this comes with cost and resource implications. Learning and challenges emanating from this placement model were articulated. Implications for practice: Findings deepened understanding of the complexity of the counsellor placement in relation to training and employability. Resultantly, suggestions were made for strengthening the placement bridge between learning and earning

Beverly Smoke in a Sophomore Recital

This is the program from the sophomore voice recital of Beverly Smoke, accompanied by Steven Cole on the piano. The recital was on March 31, 1995, in the Mabee Fine Arts Center Recital Hall

SPACE: Enhancing Life on Earth. Proceedings Report

The proceedings of the 12th National Space Symposium on Enhancing Life on Earth is presented. Technological areas discussed include: Space applications and cooperation; Earth sensing, communication, and navigation applications; Global security interests in space; and International space station and space launch capabilities. An appendices that include featured speakers, program participants, and abbreviation & acronyms glossary is also attached

Diminished 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2 Activity Is Associated With Decreased Weight and Weight Gain Across the First Year of Life

Context: Low birth weight is associated with adverse metabolic outcome in adulthood. Exposure to glucocorticoid (GC) excess in utero is associated with decreased birth weight, but the prospective longitudinal relationship between GC metabolism and growth has not been examined. Objective: We have hypothesized that changes in GC metabolism leading to increased availability may impair growth. Design: This was a prospective, longitudinal study with clinical measurements and 24-hour urinary steroid metabolite analysis at 1, 4, 12, 26, and 52 weeks after delivery in mothers and their babies. Setting: The study was conducted with observations and samples collected in the volunteers' own homes. Participants: Healthy mothers and newborn babies/infants participated in the study. Interventions: There were no interventions. Main outcome measures: Urinary steroid metabolite excretion quantified by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy across the first year of life in relation to change in weight was measured. Results: The total production of the GC metabolites quantified increased across the first year of life. Markers of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity increased from the age of 3 months as did those of 5α-reductase activity. After correcting for confounding variables, low markers of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 activity was associated with reduced absolute weight and decreased weight gain over the first year of life. In the mothers, 5α-reductase activity was low at birth and progressively increased to normal over the first 6 months postpartum. Conclusions: Increased GC exposure as a consequence of reduced 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 activity is likely to be a critical determinant of growth in early life. This not only highlights the central role of GCs and their metabolism, but also emphasizes the need for detailed longitudinal analyses

Autoantibodies to Agrin in Myasthenia Gravis Patients

To determine if patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) have antibodies to agrin, a proteoglycan released by motor neurons and is critical for neuromuscular junction (NMJ) formation, we collected serum samples from 93 patients with MG with known status of antibodies to acetylcholine receptor (AChR), muscle specific kinase (MuSK) and lipoprotein-related 4 (LRP4) and samples from control subjects (healthy individuals and individuals with other diseases). Sera were assayed for antibodies to agrin. We found antibodies to agrin in 7 serum samples of MG patients. None of the 25 healthy controls and none of the 55 control neurological patients had agrin antibodies. Two of the four triple negative MG patients (i.e., no detectable AChR, MuSK or LRP4 antibodies, AChR-/MuSK-/LRP4-) had antibodies against agrin. In addition, agrin antibodies were detected in 5 out of 83 AChR+/MuSK-/LRP4- patients but were not found in the 6 patients with MuSK antibodies (AChR-/MuSK+/LRP4-). Sera from MG patients with agrin antibodies were able to recognize recombinant agrin in conditioned media and in transfected HEK293 cells. These sera also inhibited the agrin-induced MuSK phosphorylation and AChR clustering in muscle cells. Together, these observations indicate that agrin is another autoantigen in patients with MG and agrin autoantibodies may be pathogenic through inhibition of agrin/LRP4/MuSK signaling at the NMJ

Introduction: Toward an Engaged Feminist Heritage Praxis

We advocate a feminist approach to archaeological heritage work in order to transform heritage practice and the production of archaeological knowledge. We use an engaged feminist standpoint and situate intersubjectivity and intersectionality as critical components of this practice. An engaged feminist approach to heritage work allows the discipline to consider women’s, men’s, and gender non-conforming persons’ positions in the field, to reveal their contributions, to develop critical pedagogical approaches, and to rethink forms of representation. Throughout, we emphasize the intellectual labor of women of color, queer and gender non-conforming persons, and early white feminists in archaeology

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead