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In MRI studies, spatial normalization is required to infer results at the group level. In the presence of a brain lesion, such as in stroke patients, the normalization process can be affected by tissue loss, spatial deformations, signal intensity changes, and other stroke sequelae that introduce confounds into the group analysis results. Previously, most neuroimaging studies with lesioned brains have used normalization methods optimized for intact brains, raising potential concerns about the accuracy of the resulting transformations and, in turn, their reported group level results. In this study, we demonstrate the benefits of creating an intermediate, cohort‐specific template in conjunction with diffeomorphism‐based methods to normalize structural MRI images in stroke patients. We show that including this cohort‐specific template improves accuracy compared to standard methods for normalizing lesioned brains. Critically, this method reduces overall differences in normalization accuracy between stroke patients and healthy controls, and may improve the localization and connectivity of BOLD signal in functional neuroimaging data., Proper normalization is crucial for group neuroimaging studies. However, this process is often suboptimal in lesion studies. We propose that the normalizing images to a cohort‐specific template may improve normalization of lesion studies and increase the fidelity of the group level results.

Children with sleep difficulties have limited options for treatment. Advancements in technology allow for the digital delivery of evidence-based sleep strategies developed with a focus on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approaches for insomnia. An initial survey study was conducted to assess the need and current management of sleep problems in pediatric populations. A secondary pilot study evaluated the effect of a digitally-delivered sleep strategy for the treatment of pediatric sleep problems. In the pilot study, participants had access to a mobile application which provided individualized CBT-focused sleep solutions delivered over 6-10 weeks. A total of 218 participants were surveyed to determine their need and approach for pediatric sleep problems. Approximately 74% reported sleep problems in children aged 0-1 (46%), 2-4 (67%), 5-12 (85%), and 13-17 (73%). In the pilot study, 11 families with pediatric sleep problems (children categorized as baby, toddler and school-aged) were enrolled and received the DrLullaby digital intervention. An improvement in key sleep behavior was observed including "time to fall asleep" (n = 8; 72.7%), "total time asleep" (n = 6; 54.5%) and "time awake" (n = 7; 63.6%). Within group analysis for time awake and time to fall asleep showed a mean change from baseline of 75.6% and 31.3%, respectively. Within group analysis for total time asleep showed a mean improvement of 1 h and 3 min compared to baseline. The collective distress scale score was decreased by 35%. These results suggest viability of the digital delivery of evidence-based sleep strategies for treatment of pediatric sleep problems.

This paper presents central elements of what we have termed Jungian socioanalysis - an emerging theory combining analytical psychology, complexity theories, sociological theories, socio- and psychoanalysis, social dreaming, group analysis and affect theories consisting of five assumptions (see also Odde & Vestergaard 2021). Jungian socioanalysis develops a process approach, as opposed to a systems approach, to sociality. In this paper we focus mostly on one of the five assumptions, namely that Jungian socioanalysis explores social fields 'from within' through smaller groups, treating group processes as a vehicle to gain a psychosocial and cultural understanding of larger social entities. We give an example of this approach with a presentation of two local social dreaming experiences in Denmark, focusing on Europe in transition. We show that the most significant outcome doesn't rely on the specific content of the dreams, but rather on the engagement in the social dreaming process itself, resulting in transformative image-affects. The paper ends with reflections on how these social dreaming experiences inform a Jungian socioanalysis, pointing to enabling intersubjective meetings, or present moments, opening for a deeper understanding from within the group as opposed to a systems approach. The paper is a revised version of a presentation at the 2018 European Congress in Avignon.

This paper presents a preliminary sketch of what we have termed a Jungian socioanalysis - an emerging theory combining analytical psychology, complexity theories, sociological theories, socio- and psycho-analysis, group analysis and affect theories. Our assumption is that Jungian theory and practice need to attend to and focus more on social contexts, sociality and the influence of societal developments. But also, on the other hand, that analytical psychology, primarily Jung's theory of individuation and the transcendent function as well as the broad complexity perspective of his theory of psyche, can be extended to a 'socio' and not just a 'psycho' perspective. The paper presents five foundational assumptions for a Jungian socioanalysis, with the following headings: 1) A Jungian socioanalysis calls for a complex psychology; 2) (Un)consciousness is social and sociality has a dimension of (un)consciousness; 3) A Jungian socioanalysis explores social fields 'from within' by smaller groups; 4) A Jungian socioanalysis enables and is enabled by emerging metaphors and affect-imagery; 5) Socio-cultural fields have an impulse toward individuation. This is the first of two papers in the present edition of the journal - the second paper gives socio-clinical illustrations of our thesis in this paper.

OBJECTIVE: This brief report examined the relationship between intergenerational ambivalence and loneliness in later life among a group of older adults with at least one child. BACKGROUND: Previous work has explored the links between intergenerational ambivalence and other indicators of well-being but has not examined loneliness. Although studies show an association between positive and negative relationship quality with children and loneliness, there are conflicting findings, and there is also insufficient exploration of the role of gender. METHOD: Utilizing pooled data from the 2012 and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (n = 10,967) (https://hrs.isr.umich.edu/documentation), structural equation models were used to examine the hypothesized relationships, and multiple group analysis was utilized to assess potential gender differences. RESULTS: The results indicated that greater intergenerational ambivalence was associated with increased loneliness in later life. However, there were no significant gender or marital status differences in the relationships. CONCLUSION: This study adds to the existing literature on ambivalence and well-being by showing that ambivalent relationships are related to loneliness. Results underscore the emotional complexity of parent–child relationships and suggest the need for investigating the consequences of holding contradictory feelings.

Aim We examined whether a newly developed computer‐aided neuropsychiatric series of test, CogEvo, is necessary and sufficient for the evaluation of cognitive function in older people. Methods A total of 272 participants in worthwhile life activity for the prevention of decline in mobility and cognitive function were administered tests every week at 33 locations in Fukaura‐machi, Japan. Basic profile information, a Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), a CogEvo and a clock drawing test were used in the present study. Results Our results are summarized as: (i) the total score of the CogEvo and MMSE tests decreased significantly according to age and in age group analysis; (ii) scores from the CogEvo and MMSE tests showed a significant correlation; (iii) MMSE scores showed marked ceiling effects; (iv) analysis of cognitive domains, such as orientation, attention, memory and executive function, and spatial cognition using CogEvo showed significant age‐dependent impairment; (v) CogEvo discriminated three score groups of MMSE results with sensitivity and specificity of 70% and 60% in the 27 score group, respectively; (vi) CogEvo memory tests reflected more detailed recall function than registration function; and (vii) CogEvo spatial cognition test results were correlated with test items of the MMSE and clock drawing tests. Conclusions CogEvo is an easy and potentially useful computer‐aided test battery that can be used to evaluate age‐related or pathological decline in cognitive function from middle age and in preclinical stages of dementia. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; ••: ••–••.

Background Young people who seek mental health treatment often also seek the services of non‐profit organizations to support their well‐being. Wisdom2Action (W2A) is a Canadian knowledge mobilization network that focuses on improving the mental health and well‐being of children and youth in challenging contexts by increasing the use of evaluation, evidence and engagement in the youth‐serving sector. Since 2013, W2A has engaged youth advisors (YAs) to provide input to W2A's Board, lead their own projects and co‐design W2A activities. Objective In fall 2017, the YAs, as well as adult Board members and W2A staff, collaborated in a participatory evaluation to better understand the experiences and impacts of youth engagement. This article describes insights derived through this process. Design and participants Board, YAs and staff members participated in a reflective approach to informing, analysing and sharing the findings from this process. Individual interviews and review of documents, as well as iterative cycles of group analysis and synthesis, were conducted. Results Both YAC members and W2A benefit from YAs’ leadership and engagement. The YAs position themselves as members of the youth‐serving sector, not merely recipients of its services; as such, their professional development aligns with the mandates of W2A and merits further investment, despite challenges in impact measurement. Conclusion This article identifies challenges and facilitators of implementing an effective and sustainable youth advisory council model of engagement in the context of a pan‐Canadian network. The mutual gains and areas of growth for youth, adults and the organization described can inform health services, as well as funders and advocates for youth well‐being.

This paper reports on the work of a peer supervision group engaged in simultaneous research and clinical supervision. During an 18-month period, the group met to discuss 22 individual treatments of people diagnosed with psychosomatic disorders to identify common patterns of resistance and to assist therapists to effectively manage resistance. The aim of the present study was to identify and better understand psychological challenges the group experienced during this research process and its impact on their capacity to work effectively in their tasks. Supervision meetings were recorded and two types of qualitative analyses, derived from the work of Pichon-Riviere and Bion, were performed to study the group work and processes. Analysis showed fluctuations and compromise formations between the tendency to work objectively and to regress during critical periods of the research process. Factors that pulled the group in both directions are identified and discussed. We believe many of the processes observed in this study are applicable to other peer supervision groups. An understanding of such group processes is likely to enhance group work.

Functional MRI at ultra‐high field (UHF, ≥7 T) provides significant increases in BOLD contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) compared with conventional field strength (3 T), and has been exploited for reduced field‐of‐view, high spatial resolution mapping of primary sensory areas. Applying these high spatial resolution methods to investigate whole brain functional responses to higher‐order cognitive tasks leads to a number of challenges, in particular how to perform robust group‐level statistical analyses. This study addresses these challenges using an inter‐sensory cognitive task which modulates top‐down attention at graded levels between the visual and somatosensory domains. At the individual level, highly focal functional activation to the task and task difficulty (modulated by attention levels) were detectable due to the high CNR at UHF. However, to assess group level effects, both anatomical and functional variability must be considered during analysis. We demonstrate the importance of surface over volume normalisation and the requirement of no spatial smoothing when assessing highly focal activity. Using novel group analysis on anatomically parcellated brain regions, we show that in higher cognitive areas (parietal and dorsal‐lateral‐prefrontal cortex) fMRI responses to graded attention levels were modulated quadratically, whilst in visual cortex and VIP, responses were modulated linearly. These group fMRI responses were not seen clearly using conventional second‐level GLM analyses, illustrating the limitations of a conventional approach when investigating such focal responses in higher cognitive regions which are more anatomically variable. The approaches demonstrated here complement other advanced analysis methods such as multivariate pattern analysis, allowing UHF to be fully exploited in cognitive neuroscience.

OBJECTIVES: The task of this working group was to update the knowledge about the use of drugs and biologicals affecting healing of soft tissue and bone during implant treatment or procedures associated with it. Moreover, the impact of titanium particles and biocorrosion on complications and implant survival has been analysed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The literature in the areas of interest (platelet concentrates, antiresorptive drugs as well as implant-host interaction) was screened using systematic reviews for the former two areas, whereas a narrative critical review was performed for the latter topic. Two manuscripts on platelet concentrates, one manuscript on antiresorptive drugs and one manuscript on the effects of biocorrosion, were presented for group analysis with subsequent discussion in the plenum and final consensus approval. RESULTS: Results and conclusions of the individual reviews of the three topics are presented in the respective papers. Conclusions of the group on strengths and weaknesses of available evidence as well as consensus statements and directions for further research are provided in this study. The following papers were subject to group discussions and formed the basis for the consensus statements: Stähli A, Strauss FJ, Gruber R. () The use of platelet-rich-plasma to enhance the outcomes of implant-related therapies: a systematic review Strauss FJ, Stähli A, Gruber R. (2018) The use of platelet-rich-fibrin to enhance the outcomes of implant-related therapies: a systematic review Mombelli A, Hashim D, Cionca N. () What is the impact of titanium particles and bio-corrosion on implant survival and complications? A critical review Stavropoulos A, Bertl K, Pietschmann P, Pandis N, Morten Schiødt, Klinge B. () The effect of antiresorptive drugs on implant therapy: a systematic review. ispartof: CLINICAL ORAL IMPLANTS RESEARCH vol:29 pages:93-99 ispartof: location:SWITZERLAND, Pfaffikon status: published

Aim Echo-planar imaging is a common technique used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); however, it suffers from image distortion and signal loss because of large susceptibility effects that are related to the phase-encoding direction of the scan. Despite this relation, the majority of neuroimaging studies has not considered the influence of phase-encoding direction. Here, we aimed to clarify how phase-encoding direction can affect the outcome of an fMRI connectivity study of schizophrenia (SCZ). Methods Resting-state fMRI using anterior to posterior (A-P) and posterior to anterior (P-A) directions was used to examine 25 patients with SCZ and 37 matched healthy controls (HC). We conducted a functional connectivity (FC) analysis using independent component analysis and performed three group comparisons: (i) A-P versus P-A (all participants); (ii) SCZ versus HC for the A-P and P-A datasets; and (iii) the interaction between phase-encoding direction and participant group. Results The estimated FC differed between the two phase-encoding directions in areas that were more extensive than those where signal loss has been reported. Although FC in the SCZ group was lower than that in the HC group for both directions, the A-P and P-A conditions did not exhibit the same specific pattern of differences. Further, we observed an interaction between participant group and the phase-encoding direction in the left temporoparietal junction and left fusiform gyrus. Conclusion Phase-encoding direction can influence the results of FC studies. Thus, appropriate selection and documentation of phase-encoding direction will be important in future resting-state fMRI studies.

Objective To explore how youths' perceived relationship self-efficacy following relationship education may vary on the basis of program and youth characteristics. Background Youth-focused relationship education has been shown to promote attitudes and behaviors that foster healthy romantic relationships. Yet little is known about the factors associated with variations in these program outcomes. Method Using data collected from a convenience sample of 1,076 youth who participated in the Love U2: Relationship Smarts Plus program, structural equation models and multiple group analysis using chi-square difference tests were examined to assess whether and how various program and youth characteristics are associated with relationship self-efficacy. Results Youths' romantic relationship self-efficacy was greater when programming was offered within a week or weekly versus monthly, after school rather than in-school, and whether participants were female and had previous dating experiences. Several demographic factors (e.g., race, sex) moderated the influence of programmatic and individual characteristics on self-efficacy. Conclusion Variability exists in how relationship and marriage education programs are implemented in uncontrolled real-world settings. Our findings suggest that program outcomes may also vary on the basis of certain youth and program characteristics. Implications Practitioners should carefully consider how the tailoring of program content and delivery to meet the needs of diverse audiences maintains program fidelity and can potentially influence program outcomes.

Background Appropriate dispatch criteria and helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) crew decisions are crucial for avoiding over-triage and reducing the number of concurrencies. The aim of the present study was to compare patient outcomes after completed HEMS missions and missions cancelled by the HEMS due to concurrencies. Methods Missions cancelled due to concurrencies (AMB group) and completed HEMS missions (HEMS group) in Western Norway from 2004 to 2013 were assessed. Outcomes were survival to hospital discharge, physiology score in the emergency department, emergency interventions in the hospital, type of department for patient admittance, and length of hospital stay. Results Survival to discharge was similar in the two groups. One-third of the primary missions in the HEMS group and 13% in the AMB group were patients with pre-hospital conditions posing an acute threat to life. In a sub group analysis of these patients, HEMS patients were younger, more often admitted to an intensive care unit, and had an increased survival to discharge. In addition, the HEMS group had a greater proportion of patients with deranged physiology in the emergency department according to an early warning score. Conclusion Patients in the HEMS group seemed to be critically ill more often and received more emergency interventions, but the two groups had similar in-hospital mortality. Patients with pre-hospital signs of acute threat to life were younger and presented increased survival in the HEMS group.

Network meta-analysis (NMA) uses both direct and indirect evidence to compare the efficacy and harm between several treatments. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a statistical method that investigates relations among observed and latent variables. Previous studies have shown that the contrast-based Lu-Ades model for NMA can be implemented in the SEM framework. However, the Lu-Ades model uses the difference between treatments as the unit of analysis, thereby introducing correlations between observations. The main objective of this study is to demonstrate how to undertake NMA in SEM using the outcome of treatment arms as the unit of analysis (arm-parameterized model) and to evaluate direct-indirect evidence inconsistency under this framework. We then showed that our models can include trials of within-person designs without the need for complex data manipulation. Moreover, we showed that a novel approach to meta-analysis, the unrestricted weighted least squares, can be readily extended to NMA under our framework. Finally, we demonstrated that the direct-indirect evidence inconsistency can be evaluated by using multiple group analysis in SEM. We then proposed a novel arm-parameterized inconsistency model for inconsistency evaluation. We applied the proposed models to two NMA datasets and showed that our approach yielded results identical to the Lu-Ades model. We also showed that relaxing variance assumptions can reduce the confidence intervals for certain treatment contrasts, thereby yielding greater statistical power. The arm-parameterized inconsistency model unifies current approaches to inconsistency evaluation.

Meta-analysis is a popular and flexible analysis that can be fit in many modeling frameworks. Two methods of fitting meta-analyses that are growing in popularity are structural equation modeling (SEM) and multilevel modeling (MLM). By using SEM or MLM to fit a meta-analysis researchers have access to powerful techniques associated with SEM and MLM. This paper details how to use one such technique, multiple group analysis, to test categorical moderators in meta-analysis. In a multiple group meta-analysis a model is fit to each level of the moderator simultaneously. By constraining parameters across groups any model parameter can be tested for equality. Using multiple groups to test for moderators is especially relevant in random-effects meta-analysis where both the mean and the between studies variance of the effect size may be compared across groups. A simulation study and the analysis of a real data set are used to illustrate multiple group modeling with both SEM and MLM. Issues related to multiple group meta-analysis and future directions for research are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This study examines the role of morphological awareness (MA) in literacy achievement and compensation in word reading of adults with dyslexia through an exploration of three questions: (1) Do adult dyslexics demonstrate a deficit in MA, and how is this potential deficit related to phonological awareness (PA)? (2) Does MA contribute independently to literacy skills equally in dyslexics and control readers? and (3) Do MA and PA skills differ in compensated and noncompensated dyslexics? A group of dyslexic and normal reading university students matched for age, education and IQ participated in this study. Group analysis demonstrated an MA deficit in dyslexics; as well, MA was found to significantly predict a greater proportion of word reading and spelling within the dyslexic group compared with the controls. Compensated dyslexics were also found to perform significantly better on the morphological task than noncompensated dyslexics. Additionally, no statistical difference was observed in MA between the normal reading controls and the compensated group (independent of PA and vocabulary). Results suggest that intact and strong MA skills contribute to the achieved compensation of this group of adults with dyslexia. Implications for MA based intervention strategies for people with dyslexia are discussed.

This article considers determinants of innovative performance of entrepreneurs in developing countries. Innovation is viewed from a personal initiative perspective. We distinguish two mechanisms through which entrepreneurs who show personal initiative are innovative. The first mechanism is business planning. The second mechanism is the acquisition of resources that can be accessed through a social network of relations. We argue that the two mechanisms depend on the context of innovation. Planning will be more beneficial in more dynamic environments. In dynamic and individualistic-oriented environments it will be more beneficial to actively develop networks. In more static, collectivistic-oriented environments personal initiative will be less beneficial. The model was tested using a sizable survey of 283 rural and 290 urban entrepreneurs in Uganda, a country located in East Africa.

This study investigates whether contract type (temporary versus permanent employment) moderates the relationship between emotional exhaustion and supervisor-rated individual performance. Most temporary workers desire permanent employment, and this may drive them to uphold performance also when strained. This hypothesis was tested with multiple-group analysis in a sample of 430 call-center operators from five Portuguese organizations from different sectors. The results show that emotional exhaustion related negatively to supervisor-rated individual performance among permanent workers, but not among temporary workers. Our conclusion is that the relationship between emotional exhaustion and supervisor-rated individual performance is conditional upon contract type. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21608 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hrm.21608/pdf

SummaryBackground Front-line teachers seek guidance and tools to instruct and remediate clinical reasoning, but effective professional development methods to accomplish these goals have not been reported. Methods A 2–hour workshop was developed to empower front-line clinician educators to teach and remediate clinical reasoning by understanding the cognitive steps in the clinical reasoning process which can be leveraged in clinical settings. The workshop has been given 19 times over 6 years and uses interactive didactic presentations, facilitated discussion and dyad exercises, followed by small group analysis of trainee cases, where the diagnosis and remediation of clinical reasoning issues are practised. Results The quality and organisation of the session and the participants' intentions to change their teaching practice were rated higher than faculty development seminars in the same academic years. Participants cited the four-step model, technology analogies and the opportunity to analyse cases with peers as highly effective elements of the workshop. Discussion Similarly structured faculty development seminars may help bring insights from clinical reasoning theory to bedside and classroom instruction.

Marketing theorists have widely proposed that culture is one of the underlying determinants of consumer behavior and that increasing globalization is creating a multicultural marketplace. Empirical inquiries in the field of tourism remain scarce, particularly regarding the understanding of behavioral influences. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating the influence of sub-cultures on tourism motivation. Drawing on grid-group cultural theory, an analysis of survey data from 727 Chinese tourists reveals that respondents classified as different cultural types had different travel motivations. Contributions and limitations of the study are discussed, and future research directions are suggested. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Received 19 October 2012; Revised 02 July 2013; Accepted 16 July 2013

Burnout is a serious occupational hazard. This study investigated the possibility to develop an effective salutogenic group intervention among employees suffering from severe burnout symptoms. Participants consisted of employees aged 31 to 59 years working in different public service occupations, such as police officers, tax officers, (and other public service officers), and assigned to three different groups: analytic (N = 25), psychodramatic (N = 24) and controls (N = 28). The intervention comprised 16 separate days over a nine-month period. Changes in sense of coherence (SOC) were measured four times with the 13-item Orientation to Life Questionnaire during the intervention and at six-month follow-up, and analyzed by general linear model (GLM) and using Cohen's d to estimate effect sizes. Change in SOC between the three groups was statistically significant (F(4,148) = 2.65, p = 0.036). The psychodrama group showed a higher increase in SOC than the analytic group during the intervention, while the improvement in the analytic group was significant during the six-month follow-up. Total effect size from baseline to follow-up was in the analytic group 0.71, in the psychodrama group 0.47, and in the control group from baseline to end of intervention 0.09. The results show that it is possible to improve SOC by group intervention in the occupational healthcare context. The dialogue-based analytic method and action-based psychodramatic method differ in their specific effects.

Researchers have suggested that self-efficacy can predict and prevent depression, while negative coping strategies, as typified by rumination, can lead to depression. The authors examined the relationship between self-efficacy, rumination, and depression in Japanese nursing students. The result of a structural equation model showed that rumination, but not self-efficacy, predicted depression. The result of simultaneous multiple group analysis indicated that there was homogeneity within the same path diagram between genders. The result implied that stress management should focus on controlling the degree of rumination rather than self-efficacy in order to efficiently maintain the mental health of Japanese nursing students.

Healthcare providers do not have a validated instrument to measure breastfeeding self-efficacy among Hong Kong Chinese. In this study, we sought to translate the breastfeeding self-efficacy scale-short form (BSES-SF) into Hong Kong Chinese and to examine the psychometric properties in a sample of 185 breastfeeding mothers. The construct validity of the translated scale was supported by confirmatory factor analysis and known group analysis. The receiver operating characteristics analysis indicated that the total score of the translated scale at 48-72 hours after delivery could be a useful diagnostic tool for identifying mothers likely to discontinue breastfeeding prematurely, before 6 months postpartum. Further research to cross-validate the suggested cut-off value of the scale is recommended.

“ Resonance ” is one of the basic concepts in group analysis which represents a psycho dynamic perspective of group therapy. Based mainly on psychoanalytic theory and practice, group analysis explores the matrix of communication between people, which may be transformed into therapeutic contribution. Resonance is a primal unconscious and spontaneous communication between people in which all - human themes inspire each other, forming an interpersonal group mind and common emotional experience. In psychotherapy, “ Resonance ” is an acoustic metaphor for human interaction, which draws on the phenomenon in which “ a sound is reinforced by refl ection or specifi cally by synchronous vibration ” (Oxford English Dictionary). The sound (vibration) of one string may evoke a different sound from another nearby string of the same pitch (frequency). In group analysis the term “ Resonance ” was suggested by Foulkes (1977) as he noticed some spontaneous unconscious, verbal or non - verbal interaction between members in the group that resembled for him strings that vibrate and reinforce each other. “ The individual resonates in the key to which he is attuned, in which his specifi c personality structure is set. . . . the term resonance underlines that this happens quite instinctively and inevitably. Each individual member picks out from the common pool what is relevant to him ” (Foulkes, 1977 : pp. 298 – 299). According to Foulkes (1977) , resonance always takes into account the unconscious meaning and the “ wavelength of the stimulating event, ” faithfully and correctly. In the analytic group individuals not only resonate on a large scale to each other, simultaneously and reciprocally, but also to the group as a whole and particularly to the group conductor, who in turn is infl uenced by his own resonance. Under the conditions which we create in these groups, that which is deeply individual material is also shared in the group itself. Thus what is unknown and unknowable to each individual member is nevertheless activated by this common process and is in this way also fed back into the common matrix.

Purpose: To evaluate effects of combining functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquired from different field strengths on group analysis as a function of the number of subjects at each field strength. Materials and Methods: In all, 28 subjects (18 at 3T) participated in an auditory task of passively listening to a 0.75s segment of jazz music in an event-related design. Results of single-subject analysis were combined to create all possible subject combinations for a group size of eight subjects from each of the 3T and 1.5T pools, comprising subject mixtures of (3T/1.5T) 0/8, 2/6, 4/4, 6/2, and 8/0. Group analysis performance of each subject permutation was measured by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and activation overlap maps. Results: While area under ROC curves, extent of activation in the gold standard region, and reliability of activation increased with the number of 3T subjects, marginal gain decreased. ROC performance overlap across mixtures was observed, indicating that some combinations of subjects markedly outperformed others. For detection of activation, 4/4 was arguably the minimum mixture level that was comparable to 3T-only group results. Conclusion: Inclusion of 1.5T data does not necessarily reduce the validity of group analysis. Lower field strength data was found only to limit detection power, but did not affect specificity. Within the limits of realignment error, these results should also extend to group longitudinal analyses of subject mixtures from different field strengths. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2011;. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

eggenberger sk, meiers sj, krumwiede n, bliesmer m & earle p (2011) Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness3, 283–292 Reintegration within families in the context of chronic illness: a family health promoting process Aim. To describe the processes families use to manage family life in the context of a chronic illness and build theory that clarifies elements of the family processes. Background. Illness has been described as a family affair triggering families to shift their individual and family patterns as they attempt to manage ongoing life with a chronic illness. Family processes are central to the tasks and goals of a family living with a chronic illness. One in two families will experience a chronic illness in the next decade, hence it is important that research focus on understanding family processes that can influence health of the member with an illness and family health. Design. Grounded theory methodology was used for this study. Nine families participated with 46 participant family members interviewed aged between 6–75 years. Families included members with varied chronic illnesses. Semi-structured, audiotaped interviews with group analysis methods focused on family level data. Data were collected in 2005. Results. The central phenomenon was identified as an ongoing process of reintegration within families in the context of chronic illness. Recognising the vulnerability and reality of chronic illness prompts families to initiate reintegration within a context of uncertainty presented by the specific illness and its ongoing management. As a result of the caring strategies chosen by families, a pattern of engagement with the chronic illness was developed that focused on ongoing connecting, pondering, relating and struggling. Conclusions. A model of reintegration provides new understandings of ongoing family processes of a chronic illness. Supporting the evolving family as they engage with the chronic illness through processes of connecting, pondering relating, and struggling promotes family health. Relevance to clinical practice. Findings provide direction for health professionals planning family interventions to support family caring strategies and family processes as families engage with the chronic illness.

Accessible summary • For nurses working with people with a learning disability in forensic settings (possibly having committed a criminal act), it is thought that they need different skills than those nurses in general learning disability settings. • Research in forensic nurses working in mental health secure settings suggest that they nurse according to six themes. • This research study tested this six theme framework for forensic learning disability nursing. • Whilst some of the themes were relevant for nurses working in forensic learning disability services, some were not relevant. Summary This article reports on a study carried out on the role constructs of forensic and nonforensic Learning Disability Nursing in relation to six binary themes. The aims were to identify if there were differences in perceptions of forensic learning disability nurses and nonforensic learning disability nurses in relation to the six binary themes of the role construct framework and then to establish if there were differences between the two groups of nurses. The method was a survey design with the sample drawn from high, medium and low security settings and nonsecure settings in the UK. From 400 questionnaires distributed, response rates of 46% and 49% were achieved from secure and nonsecure settings, respectively. The results indicate that the forensic nurses group show a significant difference between ranked scores on a number of themes but no significant difference was found between scores on one of the themes. The nonforensic nurses group also showed a significant difference between scores on a number of the themes but no significant difference was found between scores on a number of themes. Finally, the results of the between group analysis show a significant difference between forensic and nonforensic groups scores on several themes but these are few in number. The conclusions drawn are that whilst there is some support for the relevance of the themes in relation to learning disabilities in the forensic setting, there is less support for nonforensic settings.

The impact on individuals of severe and early trauma is looked at from an integrative perspective that seeks to combine the growing body of evidence and literature from psychoanalysis and from an attachment perspective, which emphasizes the centrality of the relationship in which the trauma occurs. As much sexual abuse happens without the opportunity for communication, it is suggested that what is most traumatic about the trauma is its lack of shareability. This is exactly what group psychotherapy can promote. Through cohesiveness the group can create a secure base through which to explore the world of inner objects and interpersonal relationships and, specifically, the traumatic responses of the self. The majority of groups in non-forensic settings are for women only and short-term specifically in order to prevent the tendency of the women to get stuck in an identity of being victims. The author discusses the literature that addresses differences in the way in which men and women respond to childhood sexual abuse. As the group functions as a microcosm of society, it is suggested that mixed groups enable cultural stereotypes, or the social, to enter the group room where it can be shared and illuminated, and as further demonstrated through clinical material, the presence of the ‘other’ facilitates an interplay between the male/female/abuser/victim poles leading to an opportunity to work with more perverse attachments and identifications.

Introduction Inferring connectivity between brain regions has been raising a lot of attention in recent decades. Copula directional dependence (CDD) is a statistical measure of directed connectivity, which does not require strict assumptions on probability distributions and linearity. Methods In this work, CDDs between pairs of local brain areas were estimated based on the fMRI responses of human participants watching a Pixar animation movie. A directed connectivity map of fourteen predefined local areas was obtained for each participant, where the network structure was determined by the strengths of the CDDs. A resampling technique was further applied to determine the statistical significance of the connectivity directions in the networks. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the suggested method using CDDs, statistical group analysis was conducted based on graph theoretic measures of the inferred directed networks and CDD intensities. When the 129 fMRI participants were grouped by their age (3–5 year‐old, 7–12 year‐old, adult) and gender (F, M), nonparametric two‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) results could identify which cortical regions and connectivity structures correlated with the two physiological factors. Results Especially, we could identify that (a) graph centrality measures of the frontal eye fields (FEF), the inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), and the temporopolar area (TP) were significantly affected by aging, (b) CDD intensities between FEF and the primary motor cortex (M1) and between ITG and TP were highly significantly affected by aging, and (c) CDDs between M1 and the anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) were highly significantly affected by gender. Software The R source code for fMRI data preprocessing, estimation of directional dependences, network visualization, and statistical analyses are available at https://github.com/namgillee/ CDDforFMRI.

Background Scholars have called for research approaches that actively include and are driven by people with intellectual disabilities, but the process of inclusive data analysis has been scarcely documented in the literature. This paper demonstrates the process university researchers and a group of self-advocates used to analyse and interpret data collected during a participatory action research (PAR) project to increase the group’s capacity for self-advocacy. Materials and Methods University researchers presented numerical data in three visual formats for analysis. Seventeen People First members analysed and interpreted the data using a modified focus group approach. Results All members participated in data analysis, but not all members participated in data interpretation. Members’ interpretations suggest that the group felt an increased sense of empowerment and heightened awareness as a result of their increased capacity to run a meeting and involvement in the PAR cycle of action and reflection. Conclusions Findings suggest that strategies such as visual representation of data, group analysis, and familiarity with data collection tools foster an inclusive process of analysis and interpretation.

Independent component analysis (ICA) is a promising method that is increasingly used to analyze brain imaging data such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), structural MRI, and electroencephalography and has also proved useful for group comparison, e.g., differentiating healthy controls from patients. An advantage of ICA is its ability to identify components that are mixed in an unknown manner. However, ICA is not necessarily robust and optimal in identifying between-group effects, especially in highly noisy situations. Here, we propose a modified ICA framework for multi-group data analysis that incorporates prior information regarding group membership as a constraint into the mixing coefficients. Our approach, called coefficient-constrained ICA (CC-ICA), prioritizes identification of components that show a significant group difference. The performance of CC-ICA via synthetic and hybrid data simulations is evaluated under different hypothesis testing assumptions and signal to noise ratios (SNRs). Group analysis is also conducted on real multitask fMRI data. Results show that CC-ICA improves the estimation accuracy of the independent components greatly, especially those that have different patterns for different groups (e.g., patients vs. controls); In addition, it enhances the data extraction sensitivity to group differences by ranking components with P value or J-divergence more consistently with the ground truth. The proposed algorithm performs quite well for both group-difference detection and multitask fMRI data fusion, which may prove especially important for the identification of relevant disease biomarkers.

Background/Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) and Bimanual Training on the Quality of Life (QOL) of school aged children with congenital hemiplegia. Design: Randomised comparison clinical trial. Participants and Setting: 43 children with congenital hemiplegia, aged between 5 and 17 years were matched for age (mean 11.1 years), gender (21 female) and side of hemiplegia (27 right). Materials/Methods: Each pair was randomly allocated to either CIMT or Bimanual therapy with both interventions delivered using a day camp model with a circus theme for the same duration (2 weeks) and intensity (60 hours over 10 days). QOL were assessed at baseline and again at 3 weeks post-intervention using the CP QOL-Child questionnaire which was completed by all parents and children 9 years or older. Data were compared within each group and also between groups. Paired t-tests were used for the within group analysis and Analysis of Covariance(ANCOVA) for the between group analysis. Results: There were no differences at baseline between the groups for either parent reported (n= 42) or child self-reported (n= 30) QOL. After intervention no statistical difference between the groups was found for the parent-reported data, for the domains of Social Wellbeing (F=1.211, p=0.28), Functioning (F=0.142, p=0.71),Participation(F=0.036, p=0.85), Emotional Wellbeing (F=0.790, p=0.78), Pain(F=0.900, p=0.35), Access (F=1.719, p=0.20) and Family (F=0.008, p=0.93). There was also no statistical difference between the groups for child self-reported QOL for the domains of Social Wellbeing (F=0.121, p=0.73), Functioning (F= 1.264, p=0.27), Participation (F=0.471, p=0.50), Emotional Wellbeing (F=0.421, p=0.42), and Pain(F=0.155, p=0.70). There was a significant improvement within the CIMT group for Social Wellbeing (t=-2.148, p=0.045) and within the Bimanual group for Emotional Wellbeing (t=-2.273, p=0.034) over time. Both groups however had a reduction in the Participation domain on both parent report and child self-report. Conclusions/Significance: An intensive program of novel rehabilitation may lead to improvements in social and emotional wellbeing. Neither method of upper limb intervention produced a superior effect on QOL. The importance of considering QOL in an intervention based trial has been highlighted in this study, which is one of the first to evaluate the QOL of children with congenital hemiplegia in an interventional trial.

In this paper the author gives a summary of the contributions made by Dr Estela Welldon to the Group Psychotherapy at The Portman Clinic. He describes how clinicians working at the Portman Clinic have evolved and adapted the principles and practices from group psychotherapy in order to work with perverse, violent, delinquent, transsexual and other specialist patient groups in what is described as `forensic group psychotherapy'. Attention is drawn to the selection of patients, composition of the group, particular differences of dynamic administration of the group, the style of the conductor, and the observed and expected group processes. The author describes his personal experience as a specialist registrar in forensic psychotherapy at the Portman Clinic working with Dr Welldon, and his continued work there as a consultant, and the continual development and evolution of forensic group psychotherapy.

Presented in honour of Dr Estela Welldon as a friend and colleague, and in acknowledgement of her contributions to forensic psychotherapy and group analysis for people who suffer from extreme anxieties associated with confused sex and gender identifications and choices, sado-masochism and criminality, this article integrates Bionian and Foulkesian perspectives in group analysis by conceptualizing a fourth basic assumption in the unconscious life of social systems. The basic assumption of Incohesion: Aggregation/Massification or (ba) I:A/M is derived from a relational rather than an instinctual metapsychology, and assumes that helplessness and the fear of annihilation precede the emergence of envy, thus emphasizing the importance of traumatogenic processes. Traumatized people with crustacean and amoeboid defences/protections against the fear of annihilation are likely to personify aggregation and massification processes, respectively. This theory can be applied in the group treatments of our most disturbed patients, and in understanding the dynamics of traumatized social systems, ranging from families to organizations and even societies.

If stress and disease impose fitness costs, and if those costs vary as a function of group size, then stress and disease should exert selection pressures on group size. We assessed the relationships between group size, stress, and parasite infections across nine groups of red colobus monkeys (Procolobus rufomitratus) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We used fecal cortisol as a measure of physiological stress and examined fecal samples to assess the prevalence and intensity of gastrointestinal helminth infections. We also examined the effect of behaviors that could potentially reduce parasite transmission (e.g., increasing group spread and reducing social interactions). We found that cortisol was not significantly related to group size, but parasite prevalence was negatively related to group size and group spread. The observed increase in group spread could have reduced the rate of parasite transmission in larger groups; however, it is not clear whether this was a density-dependent behavioral counter-strategy to infection or a response to food competition that also reduced parasite transmission. The results do not support the suggestion that gastrointestinal parasitism or stress directly imposed group-size-related fitness costs, and we cannot conclude that they are among the mechanisms limiting group size in red colobus monkeys. Am. J. Primatol. 70:1072–1080, 2008. © 2008 Wiley–Liss, Inc.

Cognitive functions in the child's brain develop in the context of complex adaptive processes, determined by genetic and environmental factors. Little is known about the cerebral representation of cognitive functions during development. In particular, knowledge about the development of right hemispheric (RH) functions is scarce. Considering the dynamics of brain development, localization and lateralization of cognitive functions must be expected to change with age. Twenty healthy subjects (8.6–20.5 years) were examined with fMRI and neuropsychological tests. All participants completed two fMRI tasks known to activate left hemispheric (LH) regions (language tasks) and two tasks known to involve predominantly RH areas (visual search tasks). A laterality index (LI) was computed to determine the asymmetry of activation. Group analysis revealed unilateral activation of the LH language circuitry during language tasks while visual search tasks induced a more widespread RH activation pattern in frontal, superior temporal, and occipital areas. Laterality of language increased between the ages of 8–20 in frontal (r = 0.392, P = 0.049) and temporal (r = 0.387, P = 0.051) areas. The asymmetry of visual search functions increased in frontal (r = −0.525, P = 0.009) and parietal (r = −0.439, P = 0.027) regions. A positive correlation was found between Verbal‐IQ and the LI during a language task (r = 0.585, P = 0.028), while visuospatial skills correlated with LIs of visual search (r = −0.621, P = 0.018). To summarize, cognitive development is accompanied by changes in the functional representation of neuronal circuitries, with a strengthening of lateralization not only for LH but also for RH functions. Our data show that age and performance, independently, account for the increases of laterality with age. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Before considering a given fMRI paradigm as a valid clinical tool, one should first assess the reliability of functional responses across subjects by establishing a normative database and defining a reference activation map that identifies major brain regions involved in the task at hand. However, the definition of such a reference map can be hindered by inter‐individual functional variability. In this study, we analysed functional data obtained from 50 healthy subjects during a semantic language task to assess the influence of the number of subjects on the reference map and to characterise inter‐individual functional variability. We first compared different group analysis approaches and showed that the extent of the activated network depends not only on the choice of the analysis approach but also on the statistical threshold used and the number of subjects included. This analysis suggested that, while the RFX analysis is suitable to detect confidently true positive activations, the other group approaches are useful for exploratory investigations in small samples. The application of quantitative measures at the voxel and regional levels suggested that while ∼15–20 subjects were sufficient to reveal reliable and robust left hemisphere activations, >30 subjects were necessary for revealing more variable and weak right hemisphere ones. Finally, to visualise inter‐individual variability, we combined two similarity indices that assess the percentages of true positive and false negative voxels in individual activation patterns relative to the group map. We suggest that these measures can be used for the estimation of the degree of ‘normality’ of functional responses in brain‐damaged patients, where this question is often raised, and recommend the use of different quantifications to appreciate accurately the inter‐individual functional variability that can be incorporated in group maps. Hum Brain Mapp 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

After the initial seminal works of Sophus Lie on ordinary differential equations, several important results on point symmetry group analysis of ordinary differential equations have been obtained. In this review, we present the salient features of point symmetry group classification of scalar ordinary differential equations: linear nth-order, second-order equations as well as related results. The main focus here is the contributions of Peter Leach, in this area, in whose honour this paper is written on the occasion of his 65th birthday celebrations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper analyzes the impact of the Los Angeles Living Wage Ordinance on employers using two original data sets and a quasi-experimental research design. Relative to a control group of establishments, the starting pay of low-wage workers has risen by $1.74 per hour, paid days off have risen by two days, and employer-paid health benefits have not significantly changed among establishments covered by the living wage ordinance. Living wage establishments have witnessed a sizeable reduction in low-wage worker turnover, a drop in absenteeism, reduced overtime hours, and reduced job training relative to the control group of establishments. The ordinance appears to have had no significant impact on the use of part-time workers, the intensity of supervision, or the tendency of living wage firms to fill vacancies from within.

This study describes a modified long-term group analysis for bulimic women. In a naturalistic, prospective ‘before-and-after’ design the study evaluates the effects of the treatment by ‘effect size’ and clinical significant change. Nine out of ten bulimic patients who completed treatment obtained recovery, not only from bulimic behaviour, but also from several different areas of psychological dysfunctioning. Long-term psychoanalytic group treatment was found to be a valuable option for treatment of severely bulimic patients. The group concept holds many inherent advantages and can be combined with individual and antidepressant treatment. It is suggested that a wider range of measures is needed to evaluate treatment outcome. The Bulimics Maturation Scale constructed by the author is introduced as an outcome measure. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.