Treatment outcome in individuals with chronic pain: is the Pain Stages of Change Questionnaire (PSOCQ) a useful tool? Jenny StrongCorresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author, a, Kym Westburya, Glen Smithb, Ian McKenziec and William Ryan

The efficacy of psychological treatments emphasising a self-management approach to chronic pain has been demonstrated by substantial empirical research. Nevertheless, high drop-out and relapse rates and low or unsuccessful engagement in self-management pain rehabilitation programs have prompted the suggestion that people vary in their readiness to adopt a self-management approach to their pain. The Pain Stages of Change Questionnaire (PSOCQ) was developed to assess a patient's readiness to adopt a self-management approach to their chronic pain. Preliminary evidence has supported the PSOCQ's psychometric properties. The current study was designed to further examine the psychometric properties of the PSOCQ, including its reliability, factorial structure and predictive validity. A total of 107 patients with an average age of 36.2 years (SD = 10.63) attending a multi-disciplinary pain management program completed the PSOCQ, the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) and the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPI) pre-admission and at discharge from the program. Initial data analysis found inadequate internal consistencies of the precontemplation and action scales of the PSOCQ and a high correlation (r = 0.66, P < 0.01) between the action and maintenance scales. Principal component analysis supported a two-factor structure: 'Contemplation' and 'Engagement'. Subsequent analyses revealed that the PSEQ was a better predictor of treatment outcome than the PSOCQ scales. Discussion centres upon the utility of the PSOCQ in a clinical pain setting in light of the above findings, and a need for further research. (C) 2002 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of a mungbean (Vigna radiata) RFLP linkage map and its comparison with lablab (Lablab purpureus) revelas a high level of colinearity between the two genomes

A genetic linkage map of mungbean (Vigna radiata, 2n = 2x = 22) consisting of 255 RFLP loci was developed using a recombinant inbred population of 80 individuals. The population was derived from an intersubspecific cross between the cultivated mungbean variety 'Berken' and a wild mungbean genotype 'ACC 41' (V radiata subsp. sublobata). The total length of the map, which comprised 13 linkage groups, spanned 737.9 cM with an average distance between markers of 3.0 cM and a maximum distance between linked markers of 15.4 cM. The mungbean map was compared to a previously published map of lablab (Lablab purpureus, 2n = 2x = 24) using a common set of 65 RFLP probes. In contrast to some other comparative mapping studies among members of the Fabaceae, where a high level of chromosomal rearrangement has been observed, marker order between mungbean and lablab was found to be highly conserved. However, the two genomes have apparently accumulated a large number of duplications/deletions after they diverged.

Ethephon promotion of crop abscission for unshaken and mechanically shaken macadamia

Promotion of fruit abscission in macadamia, Macadamia integrifolia (Proteaceae), has potential to reduce costs associated with prolonged harvesting of late-abscising cultivars. Effects of ethephon [(2-chloroethyl) phosphonic acid] on fruit removal force and crop abscission were monitored at 3 stages of the harvest season on both unshaken and mechanically shaken trees of the late-abscising macadamia cultivar A16. Ethephon application, tree shaking, or a combination of the 2 methods, accelerated crop removal from the tree at all stages during harvest. Early harvest before natural abscission resulted in little or no difference in nut-in-shell and kernel weight, kernel recovery and kernel oil content. Delaying ethephon application or tree shaking until commencement of natural abscission resulted in greater crop removal. Fruit removal force declined naturally towards 1 kgf at this stage, and was further reduced by ethephon application. The most effective approach for harvest acceleration was to reduce fruit removal force, before tree shaking, by spraying trees with ethephon.

Establishment of Nilaparvata Iugens Stl in rice crop nurseries: a possible source of outbreaks

We tested the hypothesis that early-planted seedbeds of rioe are mere heavily infested with brown planthopper (BPH) than later seedbeds, and that transplanted plants with lBPH are a source of subsequent population increase and possible outbreaks. The experiments were conducted at CARDI and Takeo province in wet season 2000 and early wet 2 season 200 I. BPH at O. 25. 50, 100, 200 1m were infested onto plants with low and high fertilizer treatments. Rice seeds of varieties moderately and highly susceptible to BPH were sown 3 weeks early, 2 weeks early, at the normal time, and later than normal (5 weeks) and treated with low and high fertilizer rates. At Takeo, the 3< weeks early seedbeds were infested by BPH migration, and both varieties with high fertilizer caught more immigrant insects and subsequently had damaging outbreaks of BPH in the third generation. At CARDl, no seedbeds were infested with immigrant BPH. Seedbeds in areas with continuous cropping of rice have a high risk of BPH attack, Seedlings infested with 200, 100, and 50 BPI[/m2 resulted in death of the plant. Plants with 100 and 200 BPH/m'! were kj[Jed sooner. With 25 BPIVm2 plants were not kllled, but subsequent population increase caused yi eld reduction. Yield loss was high ill higlh fertilizer treated plants. Key words , ,

The Building Partnerships Program: An Approach to Community-based Learning for Medical Students in Australia

The Building Partnerships Program at the University of Queensland, Australia seeks to address the dual challenge of preparing doctors who are responsive to the community while providing a meaningful context for social sciences learning. Through partnerships with a diverse range of community agencies, the program offers students opportunities to gain non-clinical perspectives on health and illness through structured learning activities including: family visits; community agency visits and attachments; and interview training. Students learn first-hand about psychosocial influences on health and how people manage health problems on a day-to-day basis. They also gain insights into the work of community agencies and how they as future doctors might work in partnership with them to enhance patient care. We outline the main components of the program, identify challenges and successes from student and community agency perspectives, and consider areas that invite further development.

An evaluative case study of a psychological skills training program for athletes with intellectual disabilities

The purpose was to develop an evaluative case study of six 3-hr sessions, spaced over 3 months, of psychological skills training (PST) provided to athletes with an intellectual disability who were training for the Basketball Australia State Championships. Participants were 7 males and 7 females, aged 15.8 to 27.1 years, with a receptive language level of 7 to 13.7 years, 2 female coaches, 2 psychologists, and I registered psychologist supervisor. Sessions focused specifically on stress management, with primary attention given to cue words, breathing techniques, and positive thinking. Findings, based on interviews and participant observations, revealed that all participants believed that the PST was appropriate and worthwhile.

A formal model of real-time program compilation

Program compilation can be formally defined as a sequence of equivalence-preserving transformations, or refinements, from high-level language programs to assembler code, Recent models also incorporate timing properties, but the resulting formalisms are intimidatingly complex. Here we take advantage of a new, simple model of real-time refinement, based on predicate transformer semantics, to present a straightforward compilation formalism that incorporates real-time constraints. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

A simple formula for the average gate fidelity of a quantum dynamical operation

This Letter presents a simple formula for the average fidelity between a unitary quantum gate and a general quantum operation on a qudit, generalizing the formula for qubits found by Bowdrey et al. [Phys. Lett. A 294 (2002) 258]. This formula may be useful for experimental determination of average gate fidelity. We also give a simplified proof of a formula due to Horodecki et al. [Phys. Rev. A 60 (1999) 1888], connecting average gate fidelity to entanglement fidelity. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Productivity growth in pre-1990 Mongolian agriculture: Spiralling disaster or emerging success?

The reasons for the spectacular collapse of so many centrally-planned economies are a source of ongoing debate. In this paper, we use detailed farm-level data to measure total factor productivity (TFP) changes in Mongolian grain and potato farming during the 14-year period immediately preceding the 1990 economic reforms. We measure TFP growth using stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) methods. Our results indicate quite poor overall performance, with an average annual TFP change of - 1.7% in grain and 0.8% in potatoes, over the 14-year period. However, the pattern of TFP growth changed substantially during this period, with TFP growth exceeding 7% per year in the latter half of this period. This suggests that the new policies of improved education, greater management autonomy, and improved incentives, which were introduced in final two planning periods in the 1980s, were beginning to have a significant influence upon the performance of Mongolian crop farming. Crown Copyright (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Pea mania: deranged behaviour in cattle grazing a pea crop (Pisum sativum var arvense)

Hypersensitivity to external stimuli, progressing in some animals to manic behaviour, occurred in a cattle herd that grazed a crop of field peas (Pisum sativum var arvense) in the pre-flowering stage. Haematological and biochemical analyses eliminated hypomagnesaemia and ketosis as diagnoses. Other than two steers euthanased due to injuries sustained during manic episodes, all affected animals survived, recovering over 3 days when moved to alternative pasture. No necropsies were conducted. No microbial pathogens or endophytes were found on or in the plants. A previously reported incident in Victoria in 1987 in cattle grazing peas appeared to be of a similar nature. Environmental factors leading to these incidents were not clearly identified.

Interval training program optimization in highly trained endurance cyclists

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of three different high-intensity interval training (HIT) regimens on endurance performance in highly trained endurance athletes. Methods: Before, and after 2 and 4 wk of training, 38 cyclists and triathletes (mean +/- SD; age = 25 +/- 6 yr; mass = 75 +/- 7 kg; (V)over dot O-2peak = 64.5 +/- 5.2 mL.kg(-1).min(-1)) performed: 1) a progressive cycle test to measure peak oxygen consumption ((V)over dotO(2peak)) and peak aerobic power output (PPO), 2) a time to exhaustion test (T-max) at their (V)over dotO(2peak) power output (P-max), as well as 3) a 40-kin time-trial (TT40). Subjects were matched and assigned to one of four training groups (G(1), N = 8, 8 X 60% T-max P-max, 1:2 work:recovery ratio; G(2), N = 9, 8 X 60% T-max at P-max, recovery at 65% HRmax; G(3), N = 10, 12 X 30 s at 175% PPO, 4.5-min recovery; G(CON), N = 11). In addition to G(1) G(2), and G(3) performing HIT twice per week, all athletes maintained their regular low-intensity training throughout the experimental period. Results: All HIT groups improved TT40 performance (+4.4 to +5.8%) and PPO (+3.0 to +6.2%) significantly more than G(CON) (-0.9 to + 1.1 %; P < 0.05). Furthermore, G(1) (+5.4%) and G(2) (+8.1%) improved their (V)over dot O-2peak significantly more than G(CON) (+ 1.0%; P < 0.05). Conclusion: The present study has shown that when HIT incorporates P-max as the interval intensity and 60% of T-max as the interval duration, already highly trained cyclists can significantly improve their 40-km time trial performance. Moreover, the present data confirm prior research, in that repeated supramaximal HIT can significantly improve 40-km time trial performance.