'The world is full of big bad wolves': investigating the experimental therapeutic spaces of R.D. Laing and Aaron Esterson

In conjunction with the recent critical assessments of the life and work of R.D. Laing, this paper seeks to demonstrate what is revealed when Laing’s work on families and created spaces of mental health care are examined through a geographical lens. The paper begins with an exploration of Laing’s time at the Tavistock Clinic in London during the 1960s, and of the co-authored text with Aaron Esterson entitled, Sanity, Madness and the Family (1964). The study then seeks to demonstrate the importance Laing and his colleague placed on the time-space situatedness of patients and their worlds. Finally, an account is provided of Laing’s and Esterson’s spatial thinking in relation to their creation of both real and imagined spaces of therapeutic care

On the in situ measurement of temperature and electrical conductivity of sea-water

After some brief comments on the measurement of temperature and electrical conductivity in oceanography, the measuring probes suitable for in situ measurements are reviewed. Then the method of measurement is described using an improved model of the so-called bathysonde. This makes possible a continuous recording of temperature, conductivity, and pressure with high accuracy in great depths. Measurements from the Skagerrak and from the Mediterranean are considered. Finally, problems are discussed which arise when evaluating electrical conductivity and temperature from in situ measurements

The story of Mileva Maric : Did Einstein?s first wife contribute to his scientific work?

It is currently widely believed that Einstein?s first wife, Mileva Maric, made significant contributions to his scientific work. Numerous publications since 1990 have variously contended that she co-authored his celebrated 1905 papers, did the mathematics for the special relativity paper, or even continued to collaborate with him up to the time of the birth of the couple?s second son in 1910. In this article the author cites the mostly widely disseminated claims and provides evidence that they do not withstand close examination. Citations are given for more detailed refutations of these claims. It is concluded that there is no good evidence that Mileva Maric was Einstein?s secret collaborator

Secrets of heaven: allegory, Jews, the European Enlightenment and the case of Emanuel Swedenborg

This project argues for the persistence of biblical allegory in eighteenth-century Christian thought, contrary to the narrative of allegory’s demise, found, for instance, in the work of Peter Harrison and Hans Frei. I demonstrate that two factors in particular, the scientific revolution and Christian discourse about Jewish interpretation, shaped the content and quality of allegorical interpretations of the Bible in this century. Using the case of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), natural philosopher and biblical commentator, the dissertation will consider how allegory functioned amidst epistemological shifts brought on by new naturalistic and mechanistic explanations of the universe, and amidst tides of anti-Judaism and Christian Kabbalah. This project is divided into three parts, which examine the context, content, and reception of Swedenborg’s multi-volume biblical commentary, Arcana coelestia. Part one lays contextual groundwork with a brief comparative look to the commentaries of other eighteenth-century figures, both Jewish and Christian. I survey the discourse about allegory, science, and religious identity in the commentaries of William Whiston, Johan Kemper, Moses Mendelssohn, and Menaḥem Naḥum. Part two contains a close reading of Swedenborg’s interpretation of Genesis 3, revealing a bias against the two communities of interpreters he believes incapable of accessing the full depths of biblical wisdom: scientists, or the learned skeptics of natural philosophy, and the Jews. Using Harold Bloom’s concept of the “anxiety of influence” I point to resemblances in Swedenborg’s own hermeneutic to interpretive methods deemed, by either himself or those around him, to be Jewish, kabbalistic, or naturalistic. Part three examines Swedenborg’s reception, revealing a double ambivalence to Swedenborg and to allegory among figures as diverse as Immanuel Kant, John Wesley, Friedrich Oetinger, William Blake and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. These men had in common a fascination with Swedenborg’s doctrine of correspondences, but also harbored deep reservations that manifested in moments of harsh criticism and even ridicule. Despite such protestations, those interested in Swedenborg often produce reformulations of biblical allegory in their own terms. This is, therefore, a study of the relationship between texts and contexts, and the persistence of allegory even in an age that was supposedly hostile to it.2019-05-12T00:00:00

A translation of and select commentary on Victorinus of Pettau’s commentary on the Apocalypse

This thesis comprises an introduction to the life and works of Victorinus of Pettau, a translation of his commentary on the Apocalypse and a select commentary on that work

The Role of Plant-soil Feedback in the Invasion of Brachypodium sylvaticum in Douglas-fir Forests

Invasive plants have the capacity to transform landscapes and alter ecosystem function, causing significant economic and ecological damage. These effects include displacement and reduction of native flora and fauna, altered fire regimes, modification of biotic and abiotic soil properties, as well as local, regional, and global economic impacts. With such large impacts it is important that we better understand invasion dynamics to help with prevention, control and mitigation of invasive species. One process that has been associated with plant invasion is plant-soil feedback (PSF). A PSF occurs when plants alter biotic and abiotic soil properties through a variety of root exudates and litter decomposition such that subsequent plant growth is either positively or negatively affected. Positive conspecific and negative heterospecific responses have been theorized to be invasive species traits that promote invasion. Once an invasive species is removed from a system, there is a chance that PSFs generated by that species will persist in the soil, which is often referred to as 'plant legacies' or 'legacy effects' and may negatively influence restoration efforts. In the U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW), Brachypodium sylvaticum (slender false brome), a perennial bunch grass native to Eurasia, is listed as a quarantined invasive species in California, Oregon, and Washington. Currently, B. sylvaticum is in the midst of rapid population growth and range expansion with populations in New York, Virginia, and Ontario, Canada. With a quickly expanding range research is critical for successful efforts to reduce the spread of B. sylvaticum. We developed two experiments to determine if PSF is a contributing factor to B. sylvaticum invasion in PNW forests. We hypothesized that 1) B. sylvaticum has positive conspecific and negative heterospecific PSF, 2) native species PSF has no effect on B. sylvaticum, and 3) PSF generated by B. sylvaticum will persist in the soil once removed, but over time, response of native species, soil nutrients and bacterial community composition will change from the invaded conditioned. To test our first two hypotheses, B. sylvaticum and five common native plants from the Oregon Coastal range, including the economically important tree, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir), were grown in a greenhouse on wild forest soils that had either been sterilized or kept live to condition the soil biotic community to the invader and the native species. Brachypodium sylvaticum was then grown on soil conditioned by itself and soil conditioned by natives; each of the five native species was grown on soil conditioned by B. sylvaticum and on their own conditioned soils. Plant biomass along with species specific measurements (number of leaves, stems, tillers, stem diameter and height) were recorded and a relative response (RR) index was used to determine the direction of PSF for the invader and native species. To test our third hypothesis, in March, 2015, ten plots were established in the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest located in Corvallis, OR where B. sylvaticum had at least 75% cover. Herbicide was applied to half of each plot to make two soil treatments: soil with B. sylvaticum and soil without B. sylvaticum. Over a nine-month period three soil collections took place where soil was collected from all plots and treatments. Plant response was evaluated by growing four native species and B. sylvaticum on both soil treatments and evaluating total biomass with a RR index; plant response (via growth), soil nutrients and bacterial communities were measured for each collection period. Bacterial communities were measured with phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis and high throughput 16s rRNA amplicon sequencing. Contrary to our hypotheses, the RR to PSF generated by B. sylvaticum was negative for the invader and P. menziesii and neutral for all other natives. Soils conditioned by Bromus vulgaris inhibited B. sylvaticum growth whereas soils conditioned by Prunella vulgaris and P. menziesii promoted B. sylvaticum growth. When testing for legacy effects, the RR of P. menziesii was negative when grown on soils where B. sylvaticum had been removed for six-months (six-month soils) but when grown on soils where B. sylvaticum had been removed for nine-months (nine-month soil) the RR of P. menziesii was neutral. The RR of P. vulgaris to six-month soils was positive while its RR to nine-month soils was negative. Nutrient and bacterial communities did not change in response to B. sylvaticum removal suggesting that the biotic and abiotic legacy requires longer than nine-months to be observed or B. sylvaticum does not affect the response variables measured. Overall, our data suggest that PSF generated by B. sylvaticum does not facilitate the invasion process but does differentially affect native species growth over time. PSF generated by native grasses may be a useful restoration tool to help prevent B. sylvaticum invasion and we suggest planting native species at least nine-months after B. sylvaticum removal

Acceptability and Use of an Online Health Priorities Self-Identification Tool for Older Adults: A Qualitative Investigation

OBJECTIVE: To examine the use of a web-based, self-directed health priorities identification tool for older adults with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs). METHODS: We recruited a gender- and racially-diverse, highly educated sample of older adults with MCCs to engage with our My Health Priorities tool, then complete a semi-structured interview. Thematic analysis was used to examine interview transcripts. RESULTS: Twenty-one participants shared perspectives on the acceptability and use of the tool. Three themes (with eleven subthemes) were generated to describe: website CONCLUSION: Participants found this tool acceptable and easy to use, describing a variety of benefits of the priorities self-identification process and offered suggestions for refinement and broader implementation. Older adults with limited internet navigation abilities or misconceptions about the self-directed process may benefit from clinicians clarifying the purpose of the process or initiating priorities-aligned discussions. INNOVATION: This novel tool can help older adults with MCCs define what matters most for their health and healthcare, informing a variety of health decisions. This tool may enable and motivate patients to lead health priorities decision-making discussions with clinicians and care partners

Patient Priorities-Aligned Care For Older adults With Multiple Conditions: a Nonrandomized Controlled Trial

IMPORTANCE: Older adults with multiple conditions receive health care that may be burdensome, of uncertain benefit, and not focused on what matters to them. Identifying and aligning care with patients\u27 health priorities may improve outcomes. OBJECTIVE: to assess the association of receiving patient priorities care (PPC) vs usual care (UC) with relevant clinical outcomes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this nonrandomized controlled trial with propensity adjustment, enrollment occurred between August 21, 2020, and May 14, 2021, with follow-up continuing through February 26, 2022. Patients who were aged 65 years or older and with 3 or more chronic conditions were enrolled at 1 PPC and 1 UC site within the Cleveland Clinic primary care multisite practice. Data analysis was performed from March 2022 to August 2023. INTERVENTION: Health professionals at the PPC site guided patients through identification of values, health outcome goals, health care preferences, and top priority (ie, health problem they most wanted to focus on because it impeded their health outcome goal). Primary clinicians followed PPC decisional strategies (eg, use patients\u27 health priorities as focus of communication and decision-making) to decide with patients what care to stop, start, or continue. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Main outcomes included perceived treatment burden, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) social roles and activities, CollaboRATE survey scores, the number of nonhealthy days (based on healthy days at home), and shared prescribing decision quality measures. Follow-up was at 9 months for patient-reported outcomes and 365 days for nonhealthy days. RESULTS: A total of 264 individuals participated, 129 in the PPC group (mean [SD] age, 75.3 [6.1] years; 66 women [48.9%]) and 135 in the UC group (mean [SD] age, 75.6 [6.5] years; 55 women [42.6%]). Characteristics between sites were balanced after propensity score weighting. At follow-up, there was no statistically significant difference in perceived treatment burden score between groups in multivariate models (difference, -5.2 points; 95% CI, -10.9 to -0.50 points; P = .07). PPC participants were almost 2.5 times more likely than UC participants to endorse shared prescribing decision-making (adjusted odds ratio, 2.40; 95% CI, 0.90 to 6.40; P = .07), and participants in the PPC group experienced 4.6 fewer nonhealthy days (95% CI, -12.9 to -3.6 days; P = .27) compared with the UC participants. These differences were not statistically significant. CollaboRATE and PROMIS Social Roles and Activities scores were similar in the 2 groups at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This nonrandomized trial of priorities-aligned care showed no benefit for social roles or CollaboRATE. While the findings for perceived treatment burden and shared prescribing decision-making were not statistically significant, point estimates for the findings suggested that PPC may hold promise for improving these outcomes. Randomized trials with larger samples are needed to determine the effectiveness of priorities-aligned care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04510948

Role of community health workers in type 2 diabetes mellitus self-management: A scoping review

Background: Globally the number of people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has risen significantly over the last few decades. Aligned to this is a growing use of community health workers (CHWs) to deliver T2DM self-management support with good clinical outcomes especially in High Income Countries (HIC). Evidence and lessons from these interventions can be useful for Low- and Middle-Income countries (LMICs) such as South Africa that are experiencing a marked increase in T2DM prevalence. Objectives: This study aimed to examine how CHW have been utilized to support T2DM self-management globally, their preparation for and supervision to perform their functions. Method: The review was guided by a stepwise approach outlined in the framework for scoping reviews developed by Arksey and O’Malley. Peer reviewed scientific and grey literature was searched using a string of keywords, selecting English full-text articles published between 2000 and 2015. Articles were selected using inclusion criteria, charted and content analyzed. Results: 1008 studies were identified of which 54 full text articles were selected. Most (53) of the selected studies were in HIC and targeted mostly minority populations in low resource settings. CHWs were mostly deployed to provide education, support, and advocacy. Structured curriculum based education was the most frequently reported service provided by CHWs to support T2DM self-management. Support services included informational, emotional, appraisal and instrumental support. Models of CHW care included facility linked nurse-led CHW coordination, facility-linked CHW led coordination and standalone CHW interventions without facility interaction. Conclusion: CHWs play several roles in T2DM self-management, including structured education, ongoing support and health system advocacy. Preparing and coordinating CHWs for these roles is crucial and needs further research and strengthening