Successful Session Research Articles

The Abortion Question and Pastoral Counseling

ABSTRACT Successful sessions often require the counselor to engage in interdisciplinary exchange (1) to gain critical information and (2) to explore models and new ways of lookingat issues. This article offers one example of the interdisciplinary venture on the abortion issue. Far-reaching decisions are sometimes made in an inescapable climate of ambiguity. Often pastoral counseling proves most useful when counselor and counselee must work together in confronting informed ambiguity and in coming to terms with their own ambivalence. The abortion issue is so steeped in ambiguity that some counselors try to avoid dealing with it in their sessions. The issue is not only emotion-laden but cognitively challenging. It places considerable strain on pastoral counselors to open themselves to learn from their parishioners why their beliefs and values are meaningful to them. It also challenges the counselees to think as well as to feel about their deepest convictions.

Enhancing interaction using videoconferencing in continuing health education

Health professionals employ many methods for meeting their continuing education needs. However, one essential element needed to change practice behavior, and consequent patient outcomes, is the use of teaching approaches that provide interaction among participants and the instructor. These interactions should be situated in a clinical context that is relevant to participants. Videoconferencing links an instructor and participants at various remote sites using audio and video communication. A number of programs that use videoconferencing in health education have recently been described in the literature. All of these programs report that this medium has been well received by participants and is a viable alternative for delivering continuing education. There are many reasons why videoconferencing can be justtified. It permits rural health professionals to participate in educational events without leaving their communities, and allows specialists at academic centers to reach learners in many remote communities in a relatively cost-effective manner. However, new approaches to teaching need to be employed with this medium. This paper describes a workshop delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Alliance for Continuing Medical Education. This workshop was based on a mini-case, followed by two questions: (1) Why would a 2-hour lecture with slides be inappropriate for videoconferencing? and (2) What specific suggestions would you make in designing this session? Several practical techniques are presented for conducting successful videoconferencing sessions.

Cecilia: A Production Interface to Csound

By 1994, it was becoming increasingly evident that the future of electroacoustic composition resided in the use of general-purpose computer workstations. The MIDI protocol and its limiting event descriptors had long been a hindrance to a sound-object approach to composition. In many ways, the earlier analog studio had been more conducive to experimentation with sound. MIDI separated the control aspects of composition (MIDI scores) from sound generation (MIDI synthesizers and samplers), and a vital link was lost. It was becoming more difficult to control synthesizers that, ironically, could generate increasingly complex sounds. With the computer power attained by 1994, software synthesis and processing tools offered an attractive alternative. We used Csound (Vercoe 1986), the grande dame of such systems, as the basis for constructing a new system, one to which all processing functions of the traditional studio would be ported, so that they could be offered to the composer in a digestible and intuitive form. Given Csound's terse command-line interface, this was easier said than done. The new system had to be responsive and not require that the composer be particularly knowledgeable in the theories and practices of audio processing. In other words, the system had to accommodate the composer more than the computer-music programmer. Yet, as the composer would grow to use more sophisticated techniques, the system also had to allow for an elegant shift to a more complex relationship with the inner resources of Csound programming. After the new system, called Cecilia, had been in use for a period of time, it became evident that a practical and responsive interface helped not only the neophyte. Many, if not most, sound-processing tasks in electroacoustic music (particularly in musique concrate and acousmatic music) rely on a relatively well-known subset of audio-processing techniques. In the end, it turned out that Cecilia's philosophy of preset modules, covering the usual time-based and frequency-based audio processes, was contributing to explosive productivity for seasoned composers as well as for neophytes. We approached Csound as a serious production tool for electroacoustic and computer music. Furthermore, our use of the language was biased toward the production of sound-object oriented composition (sometimes called musique concrete), where sound is obtained, more often than not, from previous recordings, then submitted to complex chains of transformations, and finally reorganized into compositions using a fairly traditional multitracking and mixing environment. In a general sense, Cecilia can be thought of as a composition-management system, because it brings together under one roof the many programs needed to run a successful composition session. It offers many tools of its own when needed, but it tries to employ tools that are already available on the various computer platforms used by composers.

Set, Setting, and Matrix

The future use of psychedelics as an aid to therapeutic change is bound to come. The best source of information on how to use these extraordinary drugs is clearly a detailed description of the successes (and failures) of those researchers who have used these compounds to bring curative, creative and growth-potentiating experiences to their patients. A study of their work is recommended in order to identify those elements that lead to successful sessions. Two known essential elements are “set,” which involves the personality and expectations of the patient, and “setting,” which has to do with the environment of the session. A third element of importance is that of “matrix,” which includes consideration of the environment (1) from which an individual comes, (2) in which the individual lives during the time of the sessions, and (3) to which the individual returns after successful therapy—the everyday living space; these three elements are discussed.

Single session treatment of a borderline personality disorder

Debbie, a patient in ongoing therapy, volunteered to assist in a workshop by participating in an interview. The goals of the session were to identify some small, discrete problem that could be worked on in the limited time available, and to demonstrate how a short-term treatment can be used. The issues considered revolved around Debbie's schema. Her early abuse set several schemas that have directed Debbie's life. The goals of the therapy would be to help modify those rules. The single session was a microcosm of a longer-term therapy. Overall, from the reports of the patient and her therapist, on follow-up, she was able to do the homework with the the therapist's assistance and found that it was helpful in countering the negative thoughts. This led to a lifting of the concomitant depression and a diminution in the self-injurious behavior. Many sessions would be needed to reinforce and strengthen the exercise strated in this session. Overall, I would see this session as both a successful treatment session and a demonstration of how identifying discrete, proximal goals can benefit patients with long-standing Axis II problems. The hypotheses and questions led to data gathering and hypothesis testing. Throughout the session, it was essential to be aware of the likely schemas so that some could be used in the session, while others were clearly avoided. By developing a conceptualization or model of the problem(s), a set of interventions could be mobilized within the session and as homework between sessions. By working toward a coping model of treatment rather than attempting to cure long-standing problems, brief cognitive behavioral interventions can be successful.

Empirical studies and intelligent language tutoring

The research described in this paper addresses how a language tutoring system tackles a practical problem in learning a language — negative transfer (mother tongue influence). The empirical studies we have undertaken indicate that negative transfer is the most obvious explanation for most of the errors committed by first-year students in their study of Chinese grammar at the University of Durham. The results of our empirical studies accord with the views of experts on both negative transfer and the Chinese language. A language tutoring prototype (the Chinese Tutor) has been designed on the basis of the results of the empirical studies. The Chinese Tutor contains five models: the expert model, the student model, the diagnoser, the tutor model and the interface module. The five models work effectively together in order to ensure a successful tutorial session. A number of potential users from the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Durham have used the Chinese Tutor with positive results. In this paper, we will first address issues in relation to empirical studies: the significance of empirical studies and the results of the empirical studies. We will then move on to some of the important design issues, i.e., how the problem of negative transfer is tackled by the Chinese Tutor, which includes discussions on how the rules in the mixed grammar are used for detecting arbitrary transfer errors; how the types of error made by the student are inferred; and how an appropriate tutorial strategy is selected. Finally, a tutorial session run by one of the students who has used the Chinese Tutor is presented and what the Chinese Tutor can offer to the students will also be addressed.

904–49 Children Below 6 Years of Age with Accessory Pathway Related Tachyarrhythmias. Whom to Ablate and How

By August 1994, a total of 103 children (≤15 yrs) underwent radio-frequency current (RFC) ablation for accessory pathway (AP) mediated supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Of these, 23 were infants aged less than 6 years (11 f, 12 m; 3.9 ± 1.6 yrs). All infants had suffered from recurrent or almost incessant episodes of SVT, which were diagnosed at birth in 13 and prenatally in 4. SVT was refractory to an antiarrhythmic regimen with 3 to 6 different agents. Tachycardia-related symptoms included cardiac arrest in 2 infants with WPW, syncope in 3 pts, reduced physical stress capacity in 11 and SVT-related chest pain in 1. Thirteen pts had an overt AP, with an additional concealed pathway in 2; the remaining 10 pts had a concealed AP, in 6 of which it sustained the permanent form of junctional reciprocating tachycardia (PJRT). In the latter group 3 infants had reduced left ventricular function (Fraction-shortening 13 to 21). In 11 infants, a single 5- or 6 French steerable catheter was used for therapeutic intervention. In 9 infants a second catheter was required for diagnostic purposes. Within 25 sessions, 22 infants were cured by a median of 7 RFC applications. Procedure duration was 3.4 ± 1.9 hours, with a median radiation exposure time of 29.0 minutes. During a 19 month follow-up (median), 20/22 infants were asymptomatic and required no antiarrhythmic medication. Two pts had recurrences of SVT (1 PJRT), one of which underwent a successful repeat session. Tachycardia related reduced left ventricular function evolved to normal values in all 3 infants within the follow-up period. There were no serious complications. 1) RFC-ablation of accessory pathway-mediated supraventricular tachycardia is feasible, safe and effective in children aged less than 6 years. 2) Reduced invasiveness due to simplified catheter techniques is achievable in this particular patient population. 3) In children with an age <6 years, indication for RFC-ablation is restrictive and should be provided in pts with severe symptoms due to drug-refractory SVT.

The approval plan profiling session

The approval plan profiling session, when vendor and library meet to establish specifications for a new approval plan, has received little attention in the literature. Preparation for the session requires decisions on a range of issues bearing upon the ultimate success of an approval plan such as publisher scope, subject specifications, duplication control, and budget. Organization of the session itself is also important. In addition to creation of a new profile, the profiling session is an excellent opportunity for library staff and the vendor, working together closely for a day or more, to lay the foundation for a strong and lasting relationship. This article is primarily intended for librarians new to the administration of approval plans. It outlines the steps necessary to organize a successful profiling session, whether for an entirely new approval plan, or for a new plan replacing a plan with another vendor.

Catheter-induced mechanical conduction block of right-sided accessory fibers with Mahaim-type preexcitation to guide radiofrequency ablation.

Accessory pathways originating at the tricuspid annulus that exhibit decremental antegrade conduction properties (Mahaim-type preexcitation) are amenable to radiofrequency (RF) current catheter ablation. However, a reliable and reproducible strategy for mapping and ablation of these fibers is lacking. Eleven patients with preexcited atrioventricular tachycardia involving a decrementally conducting antegrade accessory pathway underwent complete electrophysiological evaluation and subsequent attempts at RF catheter ablation. Mechanical conduction block at the subannular level of the atrial input to the accessory fiber was induced by catheter manipulation in 8 patients, in 2 of them during atrial fibrillation. RF current was delivered, after resumption of preexcitation, to the site of mechanical block during atrial pacing (n = 6) or atrial fibrillation (n = 2) and eliminated the accessory pathway in all 8 patients. In another patient, mechanical block was not observed, but ablation of the atrial accessory fiber insertion was achieved at the subannular level during atrioventricular tachycardia. The anatomic site of ablation along the tricuspid annulus was anterolateral (n = 1), lateral (n = 3), or posterolateral (n = 5). Failures were encountered in the first patient of the series in whom ablation attempts were directed at the ventricular insertion of the accessory fiber and in a patient in whom ablation of the atrial insertion was attempted at the supraannular level. Recurrence of preexcitation within 12 hours was observed in 5 of 6 patients in whom ablation had been achieved during atrial pacing. Eventually successful repeat sessions were performed the following day using a simplified ablation approach. Thus, a median of 5 RF pulses (range, 1 to 26) per accessory fiber eliminated conduction in 9 (82%) of the 11 patients in 1.9 +/- 0.9 sessions. During a follow-up of 9.5 +/- 2.3 months, preexcitation recurred in 1 patient. The atrial origin of accessory connections with Mahaim-type preexcitation is apparently confined to the anterolateral-to-posterolateral region of the tricuspid annulus. Mechanical conduction block in the atrial input to the accessory fiber induced at the subannular level by catheter manipulation provides an optimal marker to locate the ablation site, even during atrial fibrillation. To expose early recurrence of antegrade accessory pathway conduction, intermittent atrial pacing in the 12 hours after ablation is advisable; in cases of recurrence, a repeat procedure can readily be performed using just the ablation catheter advanced to the target site at the tricuspid annulus.

Model-based guidance by the longest common subsequence algorithm for indoor autonomous vehicle navigation using computer vision

The use of the longest common subsequence algorithm is proposed for model-based guidance of autonomous vehicles by computer vision in indoor environments. A map of the corridor contour of a building, describing the navigation environment and measured before navigation sessions, is used as the model for guidance. Two cameras mounted on the vehicle are used as the vision sensors. The wall baselines in the images taken from the two cameras are extracted and constitute the input pattern. The environment model and the input pattern are represented in terms of line segments in a two-dimensional floor-plane world. By encoding the line segments into one-dimensional strings, the best matching between the environment model and the input pattern is just the longest common subsequence of the strings. So no complicated comparison is needed and robust matching results can be obtained. The actual position and orientation of the vehicle are determined accordingly and used for guiding the navigation of the vehicle. Successful navigation sessions on an experimental vehicle are performed and confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Radiofrequency catheter ablation for treatment of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome — short- and long-term follow-up

One hundred and twenty-five patients with accessory pathways mediated tachyarrhythmias underwent radiofrequency ablation. Right-sided accessory pathways were ablated from the atrial aspect of the tricuspid anulus (all from the femoral vein approach) and the left-sided accessory pathways were ablated from the atrial or ventricular aspect of the mitral anulus. Immediately after the procedures, 3 of 8 accessory pathways (38%) and 131 of 137 accessory pathways (95%) were ablated successfully with radiofrequency through a small-tip (2 mm) and a large-tip (4 mm) electrode catheter, respectively. Seven of the 11 accessory pathways that failed radiofrequency ablation had a later successful direct current ablation. During follow-up (3 to 22 months), serial electrophysiological study showed that 11 of the 114 patients (10%) with successful ablation had return of accessory pathway conduction (2 had recurrence of tachycardia, 2%). Complications included accidental AV block (1 patient), cardiac tamponade (1 patient) and possible aortic dissection (1 patient). Transient proarrhythmic effects (more atrial and ventricular premature beats) were seen during the first week and sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias were not inducible. In a successful session, procedure and radiation exposure times (including the time for diagnostic procedures) were 3.8 ± 0.2 h and 45 ± 4 min, respectively. This study confirms that radiofrequency ablation with a large-tip electrode catheter is an effective and relatively safe nonsurgical method for treatment of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, with a low complication and recurrence rate.

Motivating At-Risk Students through Flexible Summer School Opportunities

Flexibility may be the key to successful summer sessions for at-risk young sters. A flexible schedule allowed this district to decrease its failure rate and improve student performance.

Reappraisal of intermediate-term follow-up of radiofrequency ablation of accessory atrioventricular pathways for treatment of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of catheter mediated radiofrequency (RF) ablation in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, 125 patients with accessory pathway (AP) mediated tachyarrhythmias underwent RF ablation. Right-sided APs were ablated from the atrial aspect of the tricuspid annulus (all from the femoral vein approach) and the left-sided APs were ablated from the atrial or ventricular aspect of the mitral annulus. Immediately after ablation, 3 of 8 APs (38%) and 131 of 137 APs (95%) were ablated successfully with RF through a small-tip (2 mm) and a large-tip (4 mm) electrode catheter, respectively. Seven of the 11 APs where RF ablation failed had a later successful DC ablation. During follow-up (3 to 22 months), 11 of the 114 patients (10%) with successful ablation had return of accessory pathway conduction (2 had recurrence of tachycardia (2%)). Complications included transient myocardial injury (peak CK-MB 15 +/- 3 IU/l), transient proarrhythmic effects (more atrial and ventricular premature beats), accidental AV block (1 patient), cardiac tamponade (1 patient) and suspicion of aortic dissection (1 patient). In successful sessions, procedure and radiation exposure time were 3.8 +/- 0.2 h and 45 +/- 4 min, respectively. This study confirms that RF ablation with a large-tip electrode catheter is an effective and relatively safe nonsurgical method for treatment of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Relationship Between Self-reported Activity Levels and Actual Heart Rates in Teenagers

A study was designed to explore the relationship between self-reported activity levels and actual heart rate (HR) as measured by a portable heart rate monitor (Sport Tester PE3000). Twenty-two teenagers (8 boys, 14 girls, median age of 16) from Watertown High School, Massachusetts participated in this pilot study which involved continuous monitoring of HR during normal daily activities and simultaneous completion of a time/activity diary. There were 31 successful monitoring sessions ranging from 1.9 to 17 hours with a median monitoring time of 12.6 hours. Four unsuccessful monitoring sessions were experienced due to equipment failure. Apart from participant cooperation, the single most important factor affecting the feasibility of continuous heart rate monitoring was found to be equipment design. The overall average heart rate observed was 88.4 bpm (SD = 24.3). An individual's correlation coefficient for perceived activity level (documented in half-hour intervals) and heart rate (averaged over the half-hour intervals) varied from 0.24 to 0.89. More than half of the correlation coefficients were below 0.40. There was a significant difference (P less than .0001) between average heart rate for time spent indoors (90 bpm) versus outdoors (103 bpm) even after correcting for sleeping time. It is concluded that continuous HR monitoring with simultaneous completion of a time/activity diary is feasible and is a promising source of information for studies on exposure to air pollutants.

Teaching end users the CD Plus MEDLINE menu mode in thirty minutes.

Guidance through the CD Plus menu mode is warranted and has proved worthwhile. The Stowe Library's Information Services Department offers instruction once per week; the session usually lasts thirty minutes but may run longer if the attendees are particularly astute or enthusiastic. Individuals or classes may also request instruction at times that are better suited to their schedules. Librarians who search CD Plus on a daily basis will undoubtedly become facile with the direct searching mode. New end users will probably enjoy more success by using the menu mode. The menu mode does not provide documentation; therefore, a modified text of this article including the illustrations might be considered an adequate print manual for the menus. However, many of the system capabilities cannot be used unless they are taught by an experienced operator. Such a basic but necessary introduction requires approximately one-half hour. The pace will be brisk, and time for extraneous experimentation is unlikely. A successful instruction session is a result of preparation rather than improvisation. If the specific interests of the clientele in attendance are known in advance, a reworking of the examples would be appropriate. Although no formal evaluation of this instruction technique has been made, most attendees express an appreciation and understanding of the system's capabilities by the end of the session. Tangible feedback comes from seeing an end user who had participated in instruction return to the workstation on an ongoing basis to search the database successfully.

A Successful Aging Project: Pooling University and Community Resources

1. In successful aging, the effects of aging are minimized by such extrinsic factors as nutrition, exercise, stress management, and social support. 2. Mutual and individual goal setting was encouraged at the outset of the successful aging sessions. The most frequently mentioned goals were learning more about health, staying well, feeling well, and helping others to be well. 3. A nonjudgmental attitude toward previous knowledge or lifestyle was prevalent. By tapping formal and informal community resources to deliver a program of health promotion, the project maximized cooperation within an aging services network.

1986 Ocean Sciences Meeting report

The 1986 Ocean Sciences Meeting, sponsored by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), was held January 13–17 in New Orleans, La. There were 700 papers presented at the meeting, which had 989 registered attendees. This meeting had a 40% increase in exhibitors and an increase in the number of poster papers presented in comparison to the 1984 Ocean Sciences Meeting.This meeting, as did the two previous Ocean Sciences Meetings, proved to be a great success. Many of the sessions held were devoted to topics that involve new technologies and new directions in oceanographic research. Highlights of the meeting included the following: An informal but well‐attended workshop entitled “Ocean Telemetry: Resources and Needs” was held. There were successful sessions on marginal ice zones, estuaries, low‐oxygen environments, and effects of seamounts on physical and biological processes. These multidisciplinary sessions included contributions from physical, chemical, and biological oceanographers. The “Global Ocean Flux” sessions addressed the extension of the understanding of the factors that control ocean production and the fate of biogenic particles on regional to global scales.

URSI Symposium workshop report: Multiple‐parameter radar measurements of precipitation

A feature of the URSI Commission F Open Symposium on Multiple‐Parameter Radar Measurements of Precipitation was a lively workshop session covering each of the three broad topic areas of the meeting. Though reports of successful workshop sessions can never be fully comprehensive, this report covers the main points discussed in the three areas.

Working for families with dysfunctional children: An approach and structure for the first family therapy interview

A preplanned and structured format for conducting the first family treatment interview is presented in which the assessment task is seen as an opportunity to help a family succeed in constructively, coherently, and logically looking at itself, the “problem” child, and the problems with which it is attempting to deal. Strategies of modelling openness and competence are suggested. Building on the family's perceptions and plan in the empathic and respectful way is postulated as a way of avoiding power struggles and setting the stage for collaboration. The model is designed to provide a successful first session for the family and therapist, during which they complete a challenging task.

History at 1983 IUGG Meeting

Perhaps because the 1983 IUGG meeting at Hamburg commemorated the 100th anniversary of the First International Polar Year, the 50th anniversary of the Second International Polar Year, and the 25th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year, it was a particularly appropriate forum for the study of the history of space science. By any measure, however, the 18th IUGG Assembly marks a watershed in the study of history and its application to space physics and geophysics.Besides two highly successful sessions on historical events and on the use of historical records in research sponsored by the IAGA Interdivisional Commission on History, several of the IUGG Union lectures and interunion sessions specifically addressed historical concerns. In particular, M. Nicolet's address (“Reflexions sur l'Année Géophysiaue Internationale”) and the opening remarks, which reminded the participants of the 1912 meeting in Hamburg of the Association Géodesique Internationale, revolved about historical events.