Mori Dream Spaces as fine moduli of quiver representations

We construct Mori Dream Spaces as fine moduli spaces of representations of bound quivers, thereby extending results of Craw--Smith \cite{CrawSmith} beyond the toric case. Any collection of effective line bundles $\mathscr{L}=(\mathscr{O}_X, L_1,..., L_r)$ on a Mori Dream Space $X$ defines a bound quiver of sections and a map from $X$ to a toric quiver variety $|\mathscr{L}|$ called the multigraded linear series. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for this map to be a closed immersion and, under additional assumptions on $\mathscr{L}$, the image realises $X$ as the fine moduli space of $\vartheta$-stable representations of the bound quiver. As an application, we show how to reconstruct del Pezzo surfaces from a full, strongly exceptional collection of line bundles.Comment: 25 pages, 2 figures; v2 section 3 simplified, typos corrected; v3 final versio

Compassion-Focused Therapy Change Mechanisms in a Complex PTSD Population

Study 1: Investigating the Relationships between Shame, Compassion, and ICD-11 Complex PTSD Symptom ClustersComplex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) is characterised by six symptom clusters with three core PTSD symptoms (re-experiencing, avoidance, and a current sense of threat) and three disturbances in self-organisation (DSO) symptoms (affective dysregulation, negative self-concept, and disturbances in relationships; World Health Organisation [WHO], 2021). Shame may play a significant role in CPTSD, and compassion may be important for reducing shame and treating CPTSD. However, the relationships between shame, compassion, and the DSO symptom clusters have not yet been investigated. This cross-sectional study investigated associations between shame (global, internal, external), self-compassion, the ability to receive compassion from others, and DSO symptom clusters in a treatment-seeking CPTSD population. Multiple regression analyses with wild bootstrapping were performed on pre-treatment data from a pre-existing database of 75 adults with probable CPTSD, controlling for multicollinearity. The three-predictor model (self-compassion, compassion from others, and global shame) accounted for significant variance in negative self-concept. Compassion from others was a unique negative predictor of disturbances in relationships. This suggests that the ability to receive compassion from others may be crucial for interpersonal difficulties in CPTSD. However, the model did not account for significant variance and had no unique predictors for affective dysregulation. Self-compassion and global shame also did not demonstrate significant unique associations with the DSO symptom clusters. The complex interplay between shame, compassion, and other factors in CPTSD symptoms warrants further investigation. The findings have implications for psychological interventions targeting interpersonal functioning in CPTSD.Study 2: Change Mechanisms within a Compassionate Resilience Group for Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Single Case Experimental DesignShame is a core feature of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) that can significantly impair functioning. Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) aims to reduce shame and self-criticism by developing compassion. This study used a multiple-baseline single-case experimental design (SCED) to investigate the change mechanisms of a CFT-based Compassionate Resilience Group (CRG) intervention for adults with CPTSD, focusing on shame, self-compassionate action, social safeness, heart rate variability (HRV), and the three flows of compassion. Three participants with probable CPTSD were randomly allocated to different baseline lengths (one, two or three weeks) before starting the 13-session CRG intervention. Shame, self-compassionate action, social safeness, and HRV were measured daily using visual analogue scales and an HRV smartphone application. The three flows of compassion and global, internal, and external shame were assessed weekly using standardised measures. Data were analysed using visual analysis, Tau-U, Non-overlap of All Pairs, reliable change index, and clinically significant change. Participants showed mixed responses to the intervention. One participant demonstrated a significant decrease in shame and reliable improvements in compassion for and from others. Other participants showed no significant changes or increased shame, with limited data due to attrition. The study provides preliminary evidence for the CRG's potential to influence shame and particular compassion flows. However, the findings are limited by the small sample and high attrition. Further research with larger samples is needed to establish the intervention's efficacy and change mechanisms. The study highlights the importance of considering shame measurement and adopting a long-term, compassionate approach in CPTSD treatment.The Effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy for the Three Flows of Compassion, Self-Criticism, and Shame in Clinical Populations: A Systematic ReviewCompassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) has shown promise for addressing mental health conditions, but reviews have lacked focus on CFT interventions and CFT’s key theoretical change mechanisms. This limits our understanding of how CFT specifically impacts the components it aims to target, such as the compassion flows, self-criticism, and shame, which might be crucial for compassionate change. This systematic review included literature from 2000 to 2024, evaluating the effectiveness of CFT on the three flows of compassion, self-criticism, and shame in 16 studies involving clinical populations. Outcomes were assessed from pre-intervention to post-intervention and pre-intervention to follow-up, with narrative synthesis. The risk of bias was appraised. The review showed preliminary findings on the effectiveness of CFT for compassion flows, self-criticism, and shame among clinical populations. Outcomes demonstrated consistent improvements in self-criticism (12 studies) and self-compassion (eight studies), with small to large effects. Reductions in external shame were also observed (six studies). There was limited and inconsistent evidence for internal shame (one study), the ability to give compassion to others (three studies), and the ability to receive compassion from others (two studies). Follow-up analysis was conducted for three studies and suggested some maintenance of outcomes, but findings were inconsistent. Certainty and clinical applicability are currently limited due to the need for more rigorous, standardised research addressing design, measurement, and sampling limitations. Further research is needed to understand the impact of CFT on interpersonal compassion and shame

Researchers\u27, Stakeholders\u27, and Investors\u27 Perceptions of U.S. Stem Cell Research Policy

Federal support and funding for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research in the United States lags behind stem cell programs in many countries because of the divisive debate over hESC research and the continually evolving federal policies that have hindered research efforts. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of stem cell researchers, stakeholders, and investors in the United States about the effects of the current federal stem cell policy on stem cell research in the United States, the moral disagreement with stem cell research, and their recommendations to improve stem cell research policy in the United States. Rogers\u27s diffusion of innovation theory and Kingdon\u27s agenda-setting theory served as the theoretical frameworks for this study. Data were collected through telephonic semistructured interviews with a snowball sample of 21 participants. Data were analyzed using Attride-Stirling\u27s 6 steps of thematic coding. Findings indicated the need to educate laypersons and legislators, involve the public in the stem cell research policy debate, increase federal funding, and exclude religious considerations from political discussions. The implications for positive social change are directed at stem cell policymakers to focus attention and resources on creating a cohesive federal hESC funding policy to ensure that stem cell research improves in the United States with the goal of developing treatments for conditions that are currently untreatable

Adapting and testing a brief intervention to reduce maternal anxiety during pregnancy (ACORN): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: National guidelines in the UK, United States of America, Canada, and Australia have recently stressed the importance of identifying and treating antenatal anxiety and depression. However, there is little research into the most effective and acceptable ways of helping women manage their symptoms of anxiety and stress during pregnancy. Research indicates the necessity to consider the unique needs and concerns of perinatal populations to ensure treatment engagement, highlighting the need to develop specialised treatments which could be integrated within routine antenatal healthcare services. This trial aims to develop a brief intervention for antenatal anxiety, with a focus on embedding the delivery of the treatment within routine antenatal care. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a two-phase feasibility trial. In phase 1 we will develop and pilot a brief intervention for antenatal anxiety, blended with group support, to be led by midwives. This intervention will draw on cognitive behavioural principles and wider learning from existing interventions that have been used to reduce anxiety in expectant mothers. The intervention will then be tested in a pilot randomised controlled trial in phase 2. The following outcomes will be assessed: (1) number of participants meeting eligibility criteria, (2) number of participants consenting to the study, (3) number of participants randomised, (4) number of sessions completed by those in the intervention arm, and (5) number of participants completing the post-intervention outcome measures. Secondary outcomes comprise: detailed feedback on acceptability, which will guide further development of the intervention; and outcome data on symptoms of maternal and paternal anxiety and depression, maternal quality of life, quality of couple relationship, mother-child bonding, infant temperament and infant sleep. DISCUSSION: The study will provide important data to inform the design of a future full-scale randomised controlled trial of a brief intervention for anxiety during pregnancy. This will include information on its acceptability and feasibility regarding implementation within current antenatal services, which will inform whether ultimately this provision could be rolled out widely in healthcare settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN95282830 . Registered on 29 October 2014

Portfolio Vol. IV N 2

Mahood, Danner L. War Sonnets. Poetry. 2. Lenser, Eugene. Landscape. Picture. 2. Lay, Mary Virginia. Damned Laughter. Prose. 3-4. Card, Dorothy. They Call It Love. Prose. 5. Kinney, John. Maestro. Prose. 7-9. Anstaett, Joe. Styleglance. Picture. 6. Beckham, Adela. Still the Echo. Poetry. 10. Bridge, Robert. Design for Life. Prose. 11. Seagrave, Dr. Gordon. Letter from Burma. Prose. 12-13. Chin, David K. To know their theatre is to know the Chinese people. Prose. 15. Jones, Charles. The Bookshelf. Prose. 16. Smith, Duke. Keeping the Records Straight. Prose. 17. Beckham, Adela. If Love Could Be. Prose. 19. Raymond, Toby. The Courtship of Miles Standish. Poetry. 20. King, Horace. The Case for Modern Art. Prose. 21-22. Elliot, Frances Gray. Black and White Dancers. Picture. 10

Anatomy-Aware Self-supervised Fetal MRI Synthesis from Unpaired Ultrasound Images

Fetal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers exquisite images of the developing brain but is not suitable for anomaly screening. For this ultrasound (US) is employed. While expert sonographers are adept at reading US images, MR images are much easier for non-experts to interpret. Hence in this paper we seek to produce images with MRI-like appearance directly from clinical US images. Our own clinical motivation is to seek a way to communicate US findings to patients or clinical professionals unfamiliar with US, but in medical image analysis such a capability is potentially useful, for instance, for US-MRI registration or fusion. Our model is self-supervised and end-to-end trainable. Specifically, based on an assumption that the US and MRI data share a similar anatomical latent space, we first utilise an extractor to determine shared latent features, which are then used for data synthesis. Since paired data was unavailable for our study (and rare in practice), we propose to enforce the distributions to be similar instead of employing pixel-wise constraints, by adversarial learning in both the image domain and latent space. Furthermore, we propose an adversarial structural constraint to regularise the anatomical structures between the two modalities during the synthesis. A cross-modal attention scheme is proposed to leverage non-local spatial correlations. The feasibility of the approach to produce realistic looking MR images is demonstrated quantitatively and with a qualitative evaluation compared to real fetal MR images.Comment: MICCAI-MLMI 201

Development of a multi-locus sequence typing scheme for Laribacter hongkongensis, a novel bacterium associated with freshwater fish-borne gastroenteritis and traveler's diarrhea

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Laribacter hongkongensis is a newly discovered, facultative anaerobic, Gram-negative, motile, sea gull-shaped rod associated with freshwater fish borne gastroenteritis and traveler's diarrhea. A highly reproducible and discriminative typing system is essential for better understanding of the epidemiology of <it>L. hongkongensis</it>. In this study, a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) system was developed for <it>L. hongkongensis</it>. The system was used to characterize 146 <it>L. hongkongensis </it>isolates, including 39 from humans and 107 from fish.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fragments (362 to 504 bp) of seven housekeeping genes were amplified and sequenced. Among the 3068 bp of the seven loci, 332 polymorphic sites were observed. The median number of alleles at each locus was 34 [range 22 (<it>ilvC</it>) to 45 (<it>thiC</it>)]. All seven genes showed very low <it>d</it>_<it>n</it>/<it>d</it>_{<it>s </it>}ratios of < 0.04, indicating that no strong positive selective pressure is present. A total of 97 different sequence types (STs) were assigned to the 146 isolates, with 80 STs identified only once. The overall discriminatory power was 0.9861. eBURST grouped the isolates into 12 lineages, with six groups containing only isolates from fish and three groups only isolates from humans. Standardized index of association (<it>I</it>^<it>S</it>_<it>A</it>) measurement showed significant linkage disequilibrium in isolates from both humans and fish. The <it>I</it>^<it>S</it>_{<it>A </it>}for the isolates from humans and fish were 0.270 and 0.636, indicating the isolates from fish were more clonal than the isolates from humans. Only one interconnected network (<it>acnB</it>) was detected in the split graphs. The P-value (P = 0) of sum of the squares of condensed fragments in Sawyer's test showed evidence of intragenic recombination in the <it>rho, acnB </it>and <it>thiC </it>loci, but the P-value (P = 1) of maximum condensed fragment in these gene loci did not show evidence of intragenic recombination. Congruence analysis showed that all the pairwise comparisons of the 7 MLST loci were incongruent, indicating that recombination played a substantial role in the evolution of <it>L. hongkongensis</it>. A website for <it>L. hongkongensis </it>MLST was set up and can be accessed at <url>http://mlstdb.hku.hk:14206/MLST_index.html</url>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A highly reproducible and discriminative MLST system was developed for <it>L. hongkongensis</it>.</p

Leadership in Compassionate Care: Final Report 2012

This report reflects the initiation, planning, running and the important outcomes emerging from the Leadership in Compassionate Care Programme. The team worked in close partnership across the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University and NHS Lothian. This report also shares the highlights, challenges and solutions to embed compassionate care education and nursing practice.Additional co-authors: Fiona Smith, Stephen DM Smith, Ria Tocher, and Anne Waug