Describe Your Pain: A Heuristic Exploration of the Role of Art in Communicating the Experience of Chronic Pain

The condition of chronic pain, like other chronic illness, is a phenomena that begs further investigation because of its significant physical and psychological impacts. Additionally, it is an affliction that is difficult to treat, understand and overcome. Traditionally, diagnosis and treatment of this condition has depended on retrospective recall of symptoms, which are often subjected to bias. Current research in medical art therapy has shown promising potential in the treatment of both the psychological, physiological and sociological impacts of chronic pain. However, there is limited arts-based research that steps outside of a medical model. In this research I have used my own experience to deepen the understanding of chronic pain by addressing the following question: How might a daily art practice describe the lived experience of a training art therapist experiencing chronic pain? This was explored using a heuristic, arts-informed methodology. Data was collected through a daily art exercise that responded to the prompt, “Describe your pain today” as well as reflective journaling. The discussion of these images utilizes Jungian theory in order to gain insight into the more intangible meanings produced by the imagery

Comparative Psychological Assessment of Patients with Anorexia Nervosa and their Siblings

This study represented an exploration of possible protective factors in the lives of adolescents whose sisters suffer from anorexia nervosa. In examining the 16 patients, ages 12-21, and their 16 siblings free of eating disorders within three years of age of the patient, this research has attempted to understand the dynamics of anorexia nervosa as it related to the sisters who comprised the comparison group. The purpose of this research was to investigate some mental health factors of female adolescent siblings of patients with anorexia nervosa who themselves have never exhibited eating disorders, to identify those psychosocial factors that are shared by anorectics with their sisters who are free of eating disorders, and to identify those psychosocial factors that separate the two groups. Four aims and a series of nine hypotheses were formulated and the two groups compared on factors of affective psychopathology, perceived social networks, anxiety disorders, locus of control, parents' assessment of child's competence, child's assessment of the same, and perceived family cohesiveness and adaptability. Relationship among these variables was studied within the different samples, and a parental assessment of both girls was provided by their mothers. Findings revealed that the anorectic patients had a restricted social network, manifested a somewhat more external locus of control, and had a high prevalence of affective disorders, as compared to their siblings. The siblings perceived themselves as more competent in general and social functioning. There was no difference between these two groups on perceived cognitive and physical functioning or their perception of family cohesion and adaptability. The mothers perceived the anorectic daughters a s less socially competent but rated both daughters equally competent on cognitive , physical, and general functioning. The correlation between parental perception of competence and self-report of their daughter was slightly higher in the anorectic patients than in their siblings . Findings indicate that the psychosocial correlates o f anorexia nervosa are multivaried and do not necessarily fit the prevailing stereotypes in the literature on this disorder

Liberadas o sometidas: el gobierno de las mujeres en Ella y La Atlántida

El presente trabajo se propone analizar la representación del poder de las mujeres en Ella, de H. Rider Haggard (1887) y La Atlántida, de Pierre Benoit (1919), dos ficciones del subgénero “mundos perdidos” cuyos personajes femeninos distópicos tienen una estrecha vinculación con los imaginarios y coyunturas en que fueron concebidos. En el primer caso, la monarquía totalitaria se opone al régimen parlamentario de Gran Bretaña y pone en relación a las dos reinas: Ayesha, la reina en la ficción y Victoria, reina de Inglaterra. En el segundo, la figura de Antinea viene a representar un suerte de feminismo mal entendido que tiene como finalidad la venganza. Como en Ayesha, la belleza funciona como herramienta de poder. Si bien el destino de las dos gobernantas difiere, el imaginario que les da origen es similar. Ambos personajes, figuraciones de la femme fatale, encuentran en sus puntos débiles el germen de lo mujeril entendido en términos de Wollstonecraft. Deudoras de un sistema de valores patriarcal, la belleza las reviste de una autoridad ilegítima que encuentra su límite en el mismo carácter que les da fuerza: en su condición de mujeres.o presente trabalho se propõe a analisar a representação do poder das mulheres em Ella, de H. Rider Haggard (1887) e La Atlántida, de Pierre Benoit (1919), duas ficções do subgênero “mundos perdidos” cujas personagens femininas distópicas têm uma estreita vinculação com os imaginários e conjunturas em que foram concebidos. No primeiro caso, a monarquia totalitária se opõe ao regime parlamentar da Grã-Bretanha e coloca em relação duas rainhas: Ayesha, a rainha na ficção e Vitória, a rainha da Inglaterra. No segundo, a figura de Antiena vem representar um tipo de feminismo mal-sucedido que tem como finalidade a vingança. Como em Aeysha, a beleza funciona como ferramenta de poder. Ainda que o destino das duas governantes difira, o imaginário que lhes dá origem é similar. Ambas as personagens, figurações da femme fatale, encontram em seus pontos frágeis o germe da mulheridade, entendida nos termos de Wollstonecraft. Devedoras de um sistema de valores patriarcal, a beleza reveste-as de uma autoridade ilegítima que encontra seu limite no mesmo traço que lhes dá força: a sua condição de mulheres

Transportation and Sanitation Drivers of Land Use/Land Cover Change: Loss of the Jamaica Bay Wetlands

This thesis presents an analysis (1830-2014) of the historical events of land use/land cover change in the Jamaica Bay estuary, identification of the agents of change, and a perspective on the potential drivers of transportation and sanitation in land use/land cover change

Les minarets mamelouks de Ramla

Introduction L’un des symboles les plus remarquables de la ville de Ramla est son minaret de trente mètres de haut, qui s’élève sur le mur nord de la vieille mosquée omeyyade, mieux connue sous le nom de Mosquée Blanche. Cette tour, du haut de laquelle les fidèles étaient appelés à la prière, fut érigée en 1318, durant le troisième règne du sultan mamelouk An-Nâsir Muhammad ben Qalâ’ûn (1310-1341). Quatre ans auparavant, un autre minaret, qui n’existe plus aujourd’hui, avait été érigé par le ..

Bacterially mediated removal of phosphorus and cycling of nitrate and sulfate in the waste stream of a "zero-discharge" recirculating mariculture system

Simultaneous removal of nitrogen and phosphorus by microbial biofilters has been used in a variety of water treatment systems including treatment systems in aquaculture. In this study, phosphorus, nitrate and sulfate cycling in the anaerobic loop of a zero-discharge, recirculating mariculture system was investigated using detailed geochemical measurements in the sludge layer of the digestion basin. High concentrations of nitrate and sulfate, circulating in the overlying water (~15 mM), were removed by microbial respiration in the sludge resulting in a sulfide accumulation of up to 3 mM. Modelling of the observed S and O isotopic ratios in the surface sludge suggested that, with time, major respiration processes shifted from heterotrophic nitrate and sulfate reduction to autotrophic nitrate reduction. The much higher inorganic P content of the sludge relative to the fish feces is attributed to conversion of organic P to authigenic apatite. This conclusion is supported by: (a) X-ray diffraction analyses, which pointed to an accumulation of a calcium phosphate mineral phase that was different from P phases found in the feces, (b) the calculation that the pore waters of the sludge were highly oversaturated with respect to hydroxyapatite (saturation index = 4.87) and (c) there was a decrease in phosphate (and in the Ca/Na molar ratio) in the pore waters simultaneous with an increase in ammonia showing there had to be an additional P removal process at the same time as the heterotrophic breakdown of organic matter

Human Model Reaching, Grasping, Looking and Sitting Using Smart Objects

Manually creating convincing animated human motion in a 3D ergonomic test environment is tedious and time consuming. However, procedural motion generators help animators efficiently produce complex and realistic motions. Using the concept of a Human Modeling Software Testbed (HMST), we created novel procedural methods for animating reaching, grasping, looking, and sitting using the environmental context of ‘smart’ objects that parametrically guide human model ergonomic motions. This approach enabled complicated procedures such as collision-free leg reach and contextual sitting motion generation. By procedurally adding small secondary details to the animation, such as head/eye vision constraints and prehensile grasps, the animated motions look more natural with minimal animator input. A ‘smart’ object in the scene graph provides specific parameters to produce proper motions and final positions. These parameters are applied to the desired figure procedurally to create any secondary motions, and further generalize to any environment. Our system allows users to proceed with any required ergonomic analyses with confidence in the visual validity of the automated motions

Comparative Metagenomics and Network Analyses Provide Novel Insights Into the Scope and Distribution of β-Lactamase Homologs in the Environment

The β-lactams are the largest group of clinically applied antibiotics, and resistance to these is primarily associated with β-lactamases. There is increasing understanding that these enzymes are ubiquitous in natural environments and henceforth, elucidating the global diversity, distribution, and mobility of β-lactamase-encoding genes is crucial for holistically understanding resistance to these antibiotics. In this study, we screened 232 shotgun metagenomes from ten different environments against a custom-designed β-lactamase database, and subsequently analyzed β-lactamase homologs with a suite of bioinformatic platforms including cluster and network analyses. Three interrelated β-lactamase clusters encompassed all of the human and bovine feces metagenomes, while β-lactamases from soil, freshwater, glacier, marine, and wastewater grouped within a separate “environmental” cluster that displayed high levels of inter-network connectivity. Interestingly, almost no connectivity occurred between the “feces” and “environmental” clusters. We attributed this in part to the divergence in microbial community composition (dominance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes vs. Proteobacteria, respectively). The β-lactamase diversity in the “environmental” cluster was significantly higher than in human and bovine feces microbiomes. Several class A, B, C, and D β-lactamase homologs (blaCTX-M, blaKPC, blaGES) were ubiquitous in the “environmental” cluster, whereas bovine and human feces metagenomes were dominated by class A (primarily cfxA) β-lactamases. Collectively, this study highlights the ubiquitous presence and broad diversity of β-lactamase gene precursors in non-clinical environments. Furthermore, it suggests that horizontal transfer of β-lactamases to human-associated bacteria may be more plausible from animals than from terrestrial and aquatic microbes, seemingly due to phylogenetic similarities