801 research outputs found
Becoming more human: a phenomenological exploration of embodied emotional awareness in psychotherapy
This heuristic phenomenological research explores the lived experience of embodied emotional awareness in psychotherapy and counselling psychology. The research springs from an embodied perspective of considering all human experiences holistically. It is an embodied research designed and conducted so it gathers data in an embodied way, and attends to the relationship between knowledge and experience, to share a more embodied way of being where understanding and feeling, self and other, inner and outer, head and heart, are intrinsically intertwined. Heuristic research (Moustakas, 1990) along with the researcher’s self-inquiry are guiding the study. Additionally, the experience of seven participants is explored with in-depth semi-structured interviews and a research process of reflexive embodied empathy (Finlay, 2005). The analysis using Moustakas’s (1990) seven stages of heuristic research reveals five major themes: embodiment is a process, being is feeling, disembodied being, multidimensional being, and relational connection points. The findings show the important and multidimensional connection between the body, emotions and awareness within psychotherapy: the therapist can feel themselves and the client, connect with the client, be aware of the two, discern between the two, choose what to bracket or what to focus on, and choose attitude and action. This research identifies embodied emotional awareness as a way of being where we simultaneously allow ourselves to feel everything in the present moment while staying aware of feeling. It also reveals that embodied emotional awareness is merely one aspect of embodiment, which is a process of integrating the multidimensionality of our whole being and bringing awareness into it. Embodied emotional awareness seems to be contagious; when we become more embodied it has a rippling effect on others. The implication for psychotherapy and counselling psychology is that they need to reintegrate the body into its core practice and training, and as psychotherapists become more embodied, this gets transmitted and supports the clients to become more embodied. Heuristic research is experienced as a multidimensional interactive and synchronistic process of embodiment, intimately intertwined with the researcher’s life
Eclipsing binaries in the MACHO database: New periods and classifications for 3031 systems in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Eclipsing binaries offer a unique opportunity to determine fundamental
physical parameters of stars using the constraints on the geometry of the
systems. Here we present a reanalysis of publicly available two-color
observations of about 6800 stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, obtained by the
MACHO project between 1992 and 2000 and classified as eclipsing variable stars.
Of these, less than half are genuine eclipsing binaries. We determined new
periods and classified the stars, 3031 in total, using the Fourier parameters
of the phased light curves. The period distribution is clearly bimodal,
reflecting refer to the separate groups of more massive blue main sequence
objects and low mass red giants. The latter resemble contact binaries and obey
a period-luminosity relation. Using evolutionary models, we identified
foreground stars. The presented database has been cleaned of artifacts and
misclassified variables, thus allowing searches for apsidal motion, tertiary
components, pulsating stars in binary systems and secular variations with
time-scales of several years.Comment: 11 figures, 9 pages, accepted for publication in Ap
Oil palm leaf fibre and its suitability for paper-based products
Due to the shortage of wood as origin materials for paper-based production, agro-residue materials have been explored in the quest of finding the best alternative fibre. Oil palm leaf (OPL) is one of agro-residue that has potential due to its comparable characteristics with wood fibre. Studies on chemical compositions, fibre morphology, and mechanical property of OPL have been carried out aiming to evaluate its potential as a substitute raw material for pulp and paper-based production. The chemical compositions were analysed according to the TAPPI standard, Kurscher-Hoffner and chlorite methods accordingly. The mechanical property (tensile, tearing and bursting strengths) were determined as described in TAPPI test methods. Fibre dimensions were determined using Franklin method and analysed under the optical microscope. The content of cellulose in the OPL is determined to be 43.8%. Although, this result is lower than wood fibre (53%), OPL has higher hemicellulose content (36.4%) than the wood fibre (27.5%). In addition, the lignin content (19.7%) of OPL is in the low range of those in wood resources (18 - 25%). These parameters are important components to produce good quality pulp and will provide high mechanical strength of the paper-based products. The measured fibre length of oil palm leaf (1.13 mm) is shorter than the wood fibre (1.90 mm). Meanwhile, the mechanical property of OPL showed lower indexes than wood resources, however, tear (1.80 mN.m2/g) and burst (0.95 kPa.m2/g) indexes of OPL are higher than other published and successful wood resources (Eucalyptus). Based on the analyses, the oil palm leaf is indeed a suitable alternative of raw material for pulp and paper-based industries
Ultraluminous Quasars At High Redshift Show Evolution In Their Radio-Loudness Fraction In Both Redshift And Ultraviolet Luminosity
We take a sample of 94 ultraluminous, optical quasars from the search of over
14,486 deg^2 by Onken et al. 2022 in the range 4.4<redshift<5.2 and match them
against the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey (RACS) observed on the Australian
Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). From this most complete sample of
the bright end of the redshift ~5 quasar luminosity function, there are 10
radio continuum detections of which 8 are considered radio-loud quasars. The
radio-loud fraction for this sample is 8.5 \pm 2.9 per cent. Jiang et al. 2007
found that there is a decrease in the radio-loud fraction of quasars with
increasing redshift and an increase with increasing absolute magnitude at rest
frame 2500 Angstroms. We show that the radio-loud fraction of our quasar sample
is consistent with that predicted by Jiang et al. 2007, extending their result
to higher redshifts.Comment: Accepted by MNRA
Social learning approach in designing persuasive e-commerce recommender system model
Intention to purchase in existing online business practice is learned through observation of information display by online seller. The emergent growth of persuasive technologies currently holds a great potential in driving a positive influence towards consumer purchase behavior. But to date, there is still limited research on implementing persuasion concept into the recommender system context. Drawing upon the principle design of persuasive system, the main purpose of this study is to explore social learning advantages in creating persuasive features for E-Commerce recommender system. Based on Social Cognitive Theory, the influence of personal and environmental factors will be examined in measuring consumer purchase intention. In addition, dimensions of social learning environment are represented by observational learning theory and cognitive learning theory. From those reviews, this study assumed that social learning environment can be created based on attentiveness, retentiveness, motivational, knowledge awareness and interest evaluation cues of consumer learning factors. Furthermore, the persuasive environment of recommender system is assumed to have positive influence towards individual characteristics such as self-efficacy behavior, perceived task complexity and confused by over choice. Findings from those reviews have contributed to the development of a research model in visualizing social learning environment that can be used to develop a persuasive recommender system in E-Commerce and hence measures the impact towards consumer purchase intention
Trace element fractionation between PM10 and PM2.5 in coal mine dust: Implications for occupational respiratory health
This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordInvestigations into the respiratory health impacts of coal mine particulate matter (PM) face the challenge of understanding its chemical complexity. This includes highly variable concentrations of trace metals and metalloids such as Fe, Ti, Mn, Zn, Ni, V, Cr, Cu, Pb, Cd, Sb, As and Sn, which may be capable of inducing cell damage. Analysis of PM10 and PM2.5 samples size-separated from deposited coal mine dusts collected on PVC flat surfaces at a height of 1.5-2 m inside the second level in the Velenje lignite mine, Slovenia, demonstrates that some of these metallic elements (in this case Cu, Sb, Sn, Pb, Zn, As, Ni) can be concentrated in PM2.5, the most deeply inhalable and therefore potentially most bioreactive size fraction. These elements are likely to be mainly present in silicates, oxides, and perhaps antimonides and arsenides, rather than in the calcareous, carbonaceous or sulphide components which show no obvious affinity for PM2.5. Whereas in the Velenje lignites concentrations of these metallic elements are low and so do not present any obvious extra health risk to the miners, this is unlikely to be the case in mines where unusually metal-enriched coals are being excavated. We therefore recommend that levels of potentially toxic elements in PM2.5 should be assessed where metal- and metalloid-rich coals are being mined worldwide, especially given uncertainties relating to the efficiency of current dust suppression and respiratory protective equipment for such fine particle sizes.European Commission Research Fund for Coal and Stee
Comparison of the Stellar Populations of Bulges and Discs using the MaNGA Survey
We use the MaNGA integral-field spectroscopic survey of low-redshift galaxies
to compare the stellar populations of the bulge and disc components, identified
from their Sersic profiles, for various samples of galaxies. Bulge dominated
regions tend to be more metal-rich and have slightly older stellar ages than
their associated disc dominated regions. The metallicity difference is
consistent with the deeper gravitational potential in bulges relative to discs,
which allows bulges to retain more of the metals produced by stars. The age
difference is due to star formation persisting longer in discs relative to
bulges. Relative to galaxies with lower stellar masses, galaxies with higher
stellar masses tend to have bulge dominated regions that are more metal-rich
and older (in light-weighted measurements) than their disc dominated regions.
This suggests high-mass galaxies quench from the inside out, while lower-mass
galaxies quench across the whole galaxy simultaneously. Early-type galaxies
tend to have bulge dominated regions the same age as their disc dominated
regions, while late-type galaxies tend to have disc dominated regions
significantly younger than their bulge dominated regions. Central galaxies tend
to have a greater metallicity difference between their bulge dominated regions
and disc dominated regions than satellite galaxies at similar stellar mass.
This difference may be explained by central galaxies being subject to mergers
or extended gas accretion bringing new, lower-metallicity gas to the disc,
thereby reducing the average metallicity and age of the stars; quenching of
satellite discs may also play a role.Comment: Accepted by PAS
Galaxy redshift surveys selected by neutral hydrogen using FAST
We discuss the possibility of performing a substantial spectroscopic galaxy
redshift survey selected via the 21cm emission from neutral hydrogen using the
Five-hundred metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) to be built in China. We
consider issues related to the estimation of the source counts and
optimizations of the survey, and discuss the constraints on cosmological models
that such a survey could provide. We find that a survey taking around two years
could detect ~10^7 galaxies with an average redshift of ~0.15 making the survey
complementary to those already carried out at optical wavelengths. These
conservative estimates have used the z=0 HI mass function and have ignored the
possibility of evolution. The results could be used to constrain Gamma =
(Omega_m h) to 5 per cent and the spectral index, n_s, to 7 per cent
independent of cosmic microwave background data. If we also use simulated power
spectra from the Planck satellite, we can constrain w to be within 5 per cent
of -1.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figures, Accepted by MNRAS, minor correction
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