1,133 research outputs found
Global trends in psycho-oncology research investments 2016-2020: a content analysis
No full textObjective: an estimated one-third of cancer patients experience a clinically significant psychological disorder, however it is unclear to what extent this is reflected in research funding. To address this a systematic analysis the allocation of psycho-oncology research funding globally between 2016 and 2020 was conducted.Methods: a global dataset of 66,388 cancer research awards, from 2016 to 2020 inclusive and totalling 523m of funding awarded for psychological research across 1122 studies: 2.14% of all cancer research funding during this period (97,473 (IQR 453,051). Within psychological research, mental health received most funding (14 million. By country of funder, the USA provided most investment ($375.5 m, 71.8%).Conclusions: psycho-oncology research received relatively little funding, for example, when compared with pre-clinical cancer research. There needs to be a shift from pre-clinical science to research that benefits cancer patients in the shorter-term. Low- and middle-income countries, and ethnic minorities in higher-income settings, were underrepresented despite having a large cancer burden, indicating inequities that need to be addressed.</p
Global funding for surgical research between 2016 and 2020:content analysis of public and philanthropic investments
No full textBackgroundSurgery is an intrinsic component of healthcare, estimated to be involved in the treatment of 28–32% of the global burden of disease. Research is crucial to improving the quality of surgical care and thus patient outcomes. The aim of this study was to analyse global patterns of public and philanthropic investment in surgical research.MethodsPublicly available databases of human surgical research funding awards between 2016 and 2020 were searched. Awards were categorized by surgical specialty, cross-cutting research theme, and phase of research.ResultsA total of 8042 awards were identified, with a total investment of 0.7 billion annually), contrasting with 2.46 billion (70.7%)), clinical trials received 0.30 billion (8.6%). By cross-cutting research theme, the largest investment was into intraoperative research (0.76 billion (21.9%)), preoperative/neoadjuvant studies (0.04 billion (1.2%)). Global surgery was the least well-funded area of research ($0.03 billion (0.8%)).ConclusionSurgical research remains underfunded in comparison with other specialties, with most investment directed towards preclinical research, not directly involving patients. Only a small proportion was invested in clinical trials, public health, and global surgery. These findings limit the impact of surgical research on improving population health and contrast starkly with the ubiquity of surgical treatments in the management of the global burden of disease. Urgent prioritization of surgical research and evaluation of priorities in research investment are required, to reflect surgery’s pivotal role in global healthcare
If Memory Serves: The effect of mental representations of size on prehension motions
No full textWhile previous studies have shown an effect of familiar size after recent exposure to an object (McIntosh & Lashley, 2008), this study aims to test the effect of object experience and potential mental representations that participants may hold. To do this expert tennis players are compared against non-tennis players. When presented with an oversized tennis ball (Type III) we predict that expert participants with greater prior knowledge of the standard sized tennis ball will significantly under scale and under reach in their prehension movements in comparison to participants who have minimal prior experience. This will be due to stronger mental representations they carry of the tennis ball. A number of kinematic measures were taken during non probe trials in order to predict movement behaviour for the Type III stimulus at probe distances. These predicted values were subtracted from actual values. Group effects on deviations from predicted values in Y axis displacement, peak velocity and maximum grip aperture were found to be non significant. Therefore it is not possible to infer any use of long term size mental representations on action guidance. These findings support those of Marotta & Goodale (2001) in that familiar size has no effect on action when participants have binocular vision available to them. These findings may also support Landy, Maloney, Johnston & Young’s (1995) theory of visual cue weighting, when binocular cues are available the weighting on vergence increases, rather than familiar size information being disregarded completely. It is suggested in future studies that non spherical stimuli are used and that the recent interaction effect found by McIntosh & Lashley (2008) is compared against any long term representations of size. In addition to this, significant differences in speed of motion displayed between expert and control groups could be tested in other action or perceptual-based task
Dalhousia McIntosh 1885
No full textDalhousia McIntosh, 1885 reinstated Dalhousia McIntosh, 1885: 186. Type species: Dalhousia atlantica McIntosh, 1885, by monotypy. Diagnosis: Hesioninae with two lateral antennae, and one median antenna on dorsal prostomial surface. Palps biarticulate, palpophores large, massive, palpostyles smaller, blunt. Eyes dark, black, brown or reddish, anterior ones larger than posterior ones, sometimes approaching each other in lateral view. Nuchal organs U-shaped. Peristomial dorsolateral and ventrolateral tubercles low, barely projected. Pharynx with upper jaw double, lower jaw transverse plate. Parapodia sesquiramous along chaetigers 1–3, biramous thereafter. Notochaetae from chaetiger 4, subdistally denticulate, delicate, sometimes abundant, usually very long, reaching neurochaetal tips. Neurochaetae compound falcigers, blades bidentate, guards approaching subdistal tooth. Etymology. McIntosh (1885: 186, footnote 2) indicated that the genus group name was named ‘after the Earl of Dalhousie, K.T.’ It was Fox Maule-Ramsay, 11 th Earl of Dalhousie (22 Apr. 1801 – 6 Jul. 1874), who under Queen Victoria was the Secretary of State for War (1855–1858) (Fryde et al. 1941). ‘K.T.’ stands for Knight of the Order of the Thistle, a Scotish order of chivalry. Gender. Feminine. Indicated by the declination of the nominative, and after the combination with the specific epithet, atlantica, used in its feminine acception to emphasize that the type specimen was found in the Atlantic Ocean. Remarks. von Marenzeller (1904: 308), Chamberlin (1919: 190), Horst (1921: 80), and Pleijel (1998: 110) regarded Dalhousia as a junior synonym of Leocrates. It is herein regarded as distinct on the bases of the above diagnosis. It can be separated from other genera in the tribe by following the key above. Roule (1896b: 454) rejected the independent status of Dalhousia McIntosh, 1885 because the morphological characters seemed insufficient, especially regarding the presence of the so-called frontal tubercle. However, McIntosh (1885: 187) included in the diagnosis the lack of median antenna. Further, Roule (1896: 454) regarded Dalhousia as a junior synonym of Fallacia de Quatrefages, 1866 probably because McIntosh (1885: 188) wrongly indicated that the pharynx was unarmed, but Fallacia is a junior synonym of Hesione Savigny in Lamarck, 1818, as indicated elsewhere (Salazar-Vallejo 2018). Roule (1906: 51) modified his perspective by clarifying that Dalhousia was proposed because it lacks median antenna, and pharyngeal jaws, and he regarded it as a junior synonym of Tyrrhena Claparède, 1868 based upon a damaged specimen and concluded that ‘Ce genre, avec son unique espèce, doit probablement disparaitre de la nomenclature.’ [This genus, with its only species, should probably disappear from nomenclature]. This conclusion was probably taken too literally, including by McIntosh himself, because he referred to Roule as the author for the species in his subsequent publications (McIntosh 1901: 227, 1908: 130). However, provided that both names refer to the same biological species, Dalhousia atlantica McIntosh, 1885 has priority over Tyrrhena atlantica Roule 1896. On the other hand, there are some differences worth mentioning based on the original descriptions. For example, McIntosh (1885:187) indicated that eyes were reddish-brown, whereas Roule (1906: 54) reported them as purple and, in the same publication, he included a figure to show some features. This difference, however, might depend on the time spent in the ethanol before the study of specimens by these authors. Then, these differences were the high variation of the relative size of eyes (Roule 1906, Pl. 5, Fig. 37), their fusion, pigmentation of nuchal organs, and insertion of the median antenna: between anterior eyes in two cases, central in one (two if figure 36 is included), and between posterior eyes in the other. Regretfully, despite McIntosh (1885: 187) indicated the eyes were placed in a pigmented prostomial area, this pigmentation was apparently not taken into account by Roule (1906) for clarifying the relative size of eyes. Further, as indicated in the above key to Hesioninae genera, Dalhousia McIntosh, 1885 is very similar to Paradalhousia n. gen. by having palps biarticulate, jaws in the pharynx, their nuchal organs as two U-shaped lobes, and parapodia are sesquiramous anteriorly and biramous posteriorly. They differ in some features of the pharynx armature and in neurochaetal pigmentation. In Dalhousia the upper jaw is double, T-shaped, and the ventral one is a transverse plate, but there are no marginal denticles, and neurochaetae are often brownish, whereas in Paradalhousia upper and lower jaws are single, fang-shaped, with a marginal circle of denticles, and neurochaetae are pale.Published as part of Salazar-Vallejo, Sergio I., 2020, Revision of Leocrates Kinberg, 1866 and Leocratides Ehlers, 1908 (Annelida, Errantia, Hesionidae), pp. 1-114 in Zootaxa 4739 (1) on pages 20-21, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4739.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/367254
Biblical church growth : how you can work with God to build a faithful church
No full textEvery pastor wants to have a vibrant, dynamic church. There are many popular models for church growth based on outstanding churches led by outstanding pastors. But unfortunately, specific models are temporary and go out of style quickly. Author Gary McIntosh explores the biblical principles for church growth and applies them to today\u27s culture. Instead of concentrating on the ephemeral how of church growth, he focuses on the unchanging why. McIntosh defines church growth as all that is involved in bringing men and women who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ into fellowship with him and into responsible church membership. In other words, church growth is effective evangelism, not a methodology for increasing membership. According to Biblical Church Growth, growing churches always evidence a desire to fulfill the Great Commission by cooperating with God in building a faithful church. Using personal stories and current statistics as well as numerous biblical examples, the author sets forth ten basic principles that provide an eternal foundation for helping any church-large or small-achieve lasting vitality and growth.https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/1005/thumbnail.jp
Church that works : your one-stop resource for effective ministry
No full textThe expertise of veteran church consultant and best-selling author Gary McIntosh is now available in an easily portable format. McIntosh offers readers his invaluable insights on the church in order to help leaders make their churches more effective. It\u27s just like hiring your own church consultant, but at a fraction of the cost. This at-a-glance practical guidebook helps pastors and church leaders with a wide variety of issues, including: -reaching different generations -assimilating visitors -following trends -designing worship -danger signs of decline -and many more. Short, to-the point chapters examine trends and ministry methods that can be easily adapted to fit every church\u27s needs.https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/1001/thumbnail.jp
Quantifying psychological resilience and elucidating its mechanisms using multivariate modelling
No full textIt is estimated that approximately 30% of individuals worldwide are affected by mental health problems during
their lifetime. Currently, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders
and a leading cause of non-lethal disability worldwide. However, despite exposure to known risk factors for
MDD, human responses to it vary widely. Whilst some individuals develop MDD, others develop only mild and
transient symptoms or no depressive symptomology at all. This ability to 'bounce back' from or 'escape‘ the
development of psychiatric illness is referred to as psychological resilience (Chapter 1). Scientific and clinical
interest in resilience has grown exponentially over recent decades, but wide discrepancies are still found in both
its definition and measurement. As such, resilience is rarely measured directly, but inferred from the
measurement of two specific points of convergence; adversity (its antecedents) and positive adaptation (its
consequences). Whilst the study of adversity and positive adaptation has informed our knowledge of resilience it
often fails to consider other putative risk factors for MDD (such as genetics), or potential protective factors that
may foster resilience despite risk. More recently, examining protective factors have become a focus of research
in relation to resilience. This research suggests that numerous protective factors coalesce to contribute to
resilient outcomes which give rise to a dynamic resilience process that varies contextually and temporally.
Although investigating resilience may be expected to reveal similar findings to studying MDD itself, it does
represent a new facet to scientific and clinical research. Specifically, resilience focuses on intervention long
before the development of MDD when effects on subsequent suffering may be ameliorated. For this reason, it is
imperative to address the concept of resilience, concentrating on the core components of adversity, positive
adaptation and protective factors, to move beyond description towards an understanding of individual
differences in resilience (Chapter 2). In this thesis, three studies will be presented which aim to examine
psychological resilience from multiple perspectives to further delineate the concept.
In Chapter 3, the associations and interactions between neuroticism and general intelligence (g) on MDD, and
psychological distress were examined in GS:SFHS (Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study) to
investigate whether g mitigates the detrimental effects of neuroticism on mental health, as such an association
has previously been identified for physical health and mortality. A larger replication was also performed in UK
Biobank using a self-reported measure of depression. Across two large samples it was found that intelligence
provides protection against psychological distress and self-reported depression in individuals high in
neuroticism, but intelligence confers no such protection against clinical MDD in those high in neuroticism. In
Chapter 4, a new dataset is presented which was designed to investigate psychological resilience and mental
health. Specifically, the STRADL (Stratifying Resilience and Depression Longitudinally) dataset aimed to re-contact
existing GS:SFHS participants to obtain repeat measures of MDD and psychological distress in addition
to obtaining data on resilience, coping style and adverse life experiences. This dataset has the potential to
identify mechanisms and pathways to resilience but also elucidate causal mechanisms and pathways of
depression sub-types. Chapter 5 investigated whether neuroticism and resilience are downstream mediators of
genetic risk for depression, and whether they contribute independently to such risk. Specifically, the moderating
and mediating relationships between polygenic risk scores (PRS) for depression, neuroticism, resilience, and
both clinical and self-reported MDD were examined in STRADL. Regression analyses indicated that
neuroticism and PRS for depression independently associated with increased risk for both clinical and self-reported
MDD, whereas resilience associated with reduced risk. Structural equation modelling suggested that
polygenic risk for depression associates with vulnerability for both clinical and self-reported MDD through two
partially independent mediating mechanisms in which neuroticism increases vulnerability and resilience reduces
it. In Chapter 6, the proportion of phenotypic variance that is attributable to genetic and shared-familial
environment was estimated for resilience and three main coping styles; task-, emotion-, and avoidance-oriented
coping. Bivariate analyses were conducted to estimate the genetic correlations between these traits and
neuroticism. Our results indicate that common genetics affect both resilience and coping style. However, in
addition, early shared-environmental effects from the nuclear family influence resilience whereas recent shared-environment
effects from a spouse influence coping style. Furthermore, strong genetic overlap between
resilience, emotion-oriented coping, and neuroticism suggests a relationship whereby genetic factors that
increase negative emotionality lead to decreased resilience. These studies highlight the necessity for
complementary multivariate techniques in resilience research to elucidate tractable methodologies to potentially
identify mechanisms and modifiable risk factors to protect against psychiatric illness (Chapter 7)
Human Rights and the Environment
No full textThis chapter is published in the book International Human Rights Law in Aotearoa New Zealand, edited by Margaret Beddgood, Kris Gledhill and Ian McIntosh. This chapter considers whether New Zealand law should contain explicit human rights to an environment of quality. The author surveys New Zealand’s existing environmental law and compares this to International rights and standards to identify where New Zealand falls short. The chapter concludes that whilst human rights in relation to climate change provides many benefits, such as a public mechanism to influence climate change regulation, they also present problems, such as jurisdictional limits, creating the ultimate rights paradox
- …
