Counselling and psychotherapy,complementary and alternative medicine and the future of healthcare

The counselling and psychotherapy profession is undergoing considerable change as a result of government intervention in the form of regulation, funding and efficacy research. In this paper we argue that these changes, even though they challenge some of the basic ways of thinking which have come to underpin the profession since its inception, also offer an opportunity to stimulate debate and thought in regard to how the profession might contribute to the development of healthcare systems in the future. We argue that this could be enhanced if therapists can learn from the experience of practitioners in the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), which has been experiencing similar changes in recent years. Indeed, both fields of clinical activity adopt many similar underlying clinical principles and, according to Samuels (2001), have similar political outlooks. With reference to anthroposophic psychotherapy which, as well as being a form of psychotherapy, is also part of a ‘whole systems’ approach to CAM, we will examine those characteristics of psychotherapy and CAM that can inform the thinking of healthcare systems as a whole.     

丙泊酚或七氟醚复合瑞芬太尼麻醉对机体蛋白质分解代谢的影响

比较丙泊酚或七氟醚复合瑞芬太尼全麻维持,对行经腹会阴联合直肠癌根治术（Miles 手术）患者机体蛋白质分解代谢的影响。选择40例将要行 Miles 手术的患者,年龄25岁～65岁,ASA Ⅰ级～Ⅱ级,随机分为两组：一组接受丙泊酚复合瑞芬太尼全麻维持（P 组,n＝20）;另一组接受七氟醚复合瑞芬太尼全麻维持（S 组,n＝20）。尿标本自手术开始切皮（0h）每小时收集一次,检测尿液中3-甲基组氨酸（3-M H）与肌酐（Cr）的比值（3-M H／Cr）。呼吸商（RQ）从手术切皮（0h）以后每小时检测一次。结果 P 组与 S 组 T2（1h ～2h）、T3（2h ～3h）的3-M H ／Cr 值与 T0（0h）、T1（0h ～1h）相比,明显升高,且 P 组 T2和 T3的3-M H／Cr 值和 RQ 均比 S 组低。丙泊酚脂肪乳中的甘油三酯可能会作为供能物质被机体分解利用,从而减少体内蛋白质的分解。     

Potential mapping of ZnO by off-axis electron holography

Off-axis electron holography has been used to map the electric potential derived from the spontaneous polarity in a ZnO film. A wedge-shaped ZnO film, in which the holograms and the object wave were reconstructed, was used. To interpret the phase image correctly, the reconstructed amplitude image was used to obtain information on the thickness, which was then applied to eliminate the thickness effect on the phase shift. The electric potential distribution was characterized and the polarity of the ZnO film determined.     

Dielectric relaxation in ternary systems of alcohols and nitriles in benzene at microwave frequency

The permittivity and the dielectric loss of ternary mixtures of equimolar concentrations of m-cresol, o-cresol with acetonitrile, acrylonitrile and benzonitrile in benzene have been measured at 8.33 GHz and 308 K. The distribution parameter α, the most probable relaxation time τ, the relaxation time for overall rotation of the molecule τ(1), the relaxation time for group rotation τ(2), and the excess dipole moment for various systems have been calculated by the Cole-Cole and Higasi methods. Data has been analyzed in terms of two-relaxation processes: overall rotation and group rotation.     

Scaling of stacking fault energy and deformation temperature on strain hardening of FCC metals and alloys

The strain-hardening behaviour of metals and alloys are significantly affected by the dynamic recovery process, the rate of which can be increased by increases in deformation temperature and/or stacking fault energy (SFE). In the present work, the decay slope of the strain-hardening rate with flow stress as a function of both temperature and stacking fault energy is quantitatively evaluated for several face-centered cubic metals and alloys. A universal and quantitative approach to the scaling of the effects of temperature and stacking fault energy on strain-hardening behaviour is developed, which could be useful for predicting deformation behaviour or for material design.     

Electrical properties of thin films of a-Ga x Te100− x composed of nanoparticles

Thin films of Ga _x Te_{100? x} (x?=?3, 6, 9 and 12) have been synthesized by thermal evaporation. From SEM images, it is observed that all the films contain nanoparticles of sizes varying from 100 to 200?nm. The dc electrical conductivity of the as-deposited films of Ga _x Te_100?x nanoparticles is measured as a function of temperature range from 298 to 383?K, and increases exponentially with temperature. The value of the activation energy, calculated from the slope of ln?σ _dc versus 1000/T plots, is found to decrease with increase in the Ga content. On the basis of the value of the pre-exponential factor σ _o, it is suggested that the conduction is due to thermally assisted tunneling of carriers in localized states near the band edges. The optical measurements suggest an indirect optical band gap in this system. The value of the optical band gap decreases on increasing the Ga concentration.     

Midgap photon effects in As2S3 glass

Photo-induced phenomena in glasses excited by two-photon absorption have been studied and compared with those produced by bandgap illumination. The two-photon excitation of As₂S₃ gives a refractive-index increase, unaccompanied by photodarkening. Raman-scattering spectra show that the excitation increases the density of ‘wrong’ bonds. These observations are discussed and compared with photo-induced changes in SiO₂.     

The evolution of consciousness as a self‐organizing information system in the society of other such systems

The evolution of consciousness is seen in the context of energy driven evolution in general in which energy and information, or the in‐forming of complex structure, are seen as two sides of the same coin. From this perspective consciousness is viewed as an ecological system in which streams of cognitive, perceptual, and emotional information form a rich complex of interactions, analogous to the interactive metabolism of a living cell. The result is an organic, self‐generating, or autopoietic, system, continuously in the act of creating itself. Evidence suggests that this process is chaotic, or at least chaotic‐like, and capable of assuming a number of distinct states best understood as chaotic attractors. Such systems do not exist in isolation, but function most normally in hypercomplex attractor patterns termed societies.     

Sweetened blood cools hot tempers: physiological self-control and aggression

Aggressive and violent behaviors are restrained by self-control. Self-control consumes a lot of glucose in the brain, suggesting that low glucose and poor glucose metabolism are linked to aggression and violence. Four studies tested this hypothesis. Study 1 found that participants who consumed a glucose beverage behaved less aggressively than did participants who consumed a placebo beverage. Study 2 found an indirect relationship between diabetes (a disorder marked by low glucose levels and poor glucose metabolism) and aggressiveness through low self-control. Study 3 found that states with high diabetes rates also had high violent crime rates. Study 4 found that countries with high rates of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (a metabolic disorder related to low glucose levels) also had higher killings rates, both war related and non-war related. All four studies suggest that a spoonful of sugar helps aggressive and violent behaviors go down.     

The personal life of the behavior analyst

The human species faces crises of critical proportions. Excessive population, global warming, and the anticipated descent from peak fossil-fuel extraction promise to change our future in far-reaching ways. Operant conditioning prepares the individual for a world similar to the selecting past, but our world is changing more rapidly than our adaptation. As individuals, we cannot make substantial changes in the world at large because we do not control enough reinforcers, but we can turn to the sources of our personal behavior and manipulate them. We will need help. Better organized social networks and the self-management techniques they support can promote immediate changes in consumption at home, work, and moving about in our personal worlds. Surprisingly, consuming less can lead to more satisfying and happier lives, but a better understanding of reinforcement contingencies is necessary. We can recover the strengthening effects of personal daily accomplishments that are eroded when conditioned generalized reinforcers intervene. When we get our own personal lives in order we can reduce our carbon footprints, restore the connections between our behavior and its strengthening effects, and become models worthy of imitation.