Contemplative positive psychology: Introducing mindfulness into positive psychology

A pesar de que mindfulness está integrado en muchos manuales de psicología positiva como una técnica “positiva”, apenas se han desarrollado las implicaciones que tiene su uso ni se ha investigado la relación entre mindfulness y bienestar humano. Analizar las principales potencialidades de los dos ámbitos, las posibilidades de integración, así como las posibles contradicciones entre sus mensajes, es fundamental de cara a establecer puentes. Mindfulness es más que una técnica de meditación, lleva implícitos una serie de valores y condicionantes éticos que se adecuan en buena medida con los presupuestos que se proponen desde la psicología positiva, como el desarrollo de la amabilidad, la compasión, y las emociones positivas. El objetivo de este artículo es presentar por un lado aspectos comunes y similitudes, y por otro lado diferencias entre mindfulness y la psicología positiva. También se presentarán los principales estudios que han investigado el papel que tiene mindfulness y las prácticas contemplativas sobre el bienestar humano. Finalmente se discutirá y plantearán futuras líneas de investigación e intervención para acercar ambas propuestas. Although mindfulness is included in many positive psychology manuals as a “positive” technique, the implications of its use have scarcely been developed and the relationship between mindfulness and human well-being has barely been researched. Analyzing the main strengths of the two fields, the possibilities for their integration and the potential contradictions between their messages is essential in order to establish connections. Mindfulness is more than a meditation technique. It has implicit within it a set of values and ethical conditions that coincide to a great extent with the proposed assumptions from positive psychology, such as the development of kindness, compassion, and positive emotions. The aim of this paper is to present, on the one hand, the commonalities and similarities, and on the other, the differences between mindfulness and positive psychology. We also present the main studies that have investigated the role of mindfulness and contemplative practices on human well-being. Finally future research will be discussed and intervention suggested in order to bring the two proposals together

Recent advances in signal integration mechanisms in the unfolded protein response [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

Since its discovery more than 25 years ago, great progress has been made in our understanding of the unfolded protein response (UPR), a homeostatic mechanism that adjusts endoplasmic reticulum (ER) function to satisfy the physiological demands of the cell. However, if ER homeostasis is unattainable, the UPR switches to drive cell death to remove defective cells in an effort to protect the health of the organism. This functional dichotomy places the UPR at the crossroads of the adaptation versus apoptosis decision. Here, we focus on new developments in UPR signaling mechanisms, in the interconnectivity among the signaling pathways that make up the UPR in higher eukaryotes, and in the coordination between the UPR and other fundamental cellular processes

The activated endoplasmic reticulum stress sensor IRE1 oligomerizes into filaments contained in 30 nm membrane tubes of complex topology

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is an intracellular signaling network that adjusts the abundance and protein folding capacity of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) according to need. The most conversed branch of the UPR is mediated by the ER‐resident transmembrane kinase/endoribonuclease IRE1. It senses unfolded protein accumulation within the ER and transduces the signal via a non‐conventional mRNA splicing mechanism. In response to direct binding of unfolded proteins in the ER lumen, IRE1 activates by oligomerization and accumulates in dynamic foci. IRE1 foci are not autophagosomes as they did not colocalize with the autophagosomal marker LC3. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experiments indicate that IRE1 molecules in the foci remain in equilibrium with IRE1 molecules in the surrounding ER network. We determined the structure of IRE1 foci in cells by whole cell correlative light – electron tomography. Our results show that IRE1 oligomers induce membrane deformations, leading to the protrusion of narrow 30 nm ribosome‐free tubes that remain connected to the ER and are twisted into glomeruli of complex topology. The tubes contain two parallel filaments in their lumen, likely representing oligomerized IRE1 ER‐lumenal domains. Taken together, our findings define a previously unrecognized subdomain of the ER membrane and shed new light on the structure and organization of active mammalian IRE1 inside the cell

The impact of a change on the size of the smoke compartment in the evacuation of health care facilities

Evacuation in health-care facilities is complex due to the physical impairment of the patients. This kind of evacuation usually requires the assistance of the workforce members. A proposed change of NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, would increase the maximum allowable size of a smoke compartment (a space within the building enclosed by smoke barriers on all sides that restricts the movement of smoke) in health-care occupancies from 2090 m2 to 3700 m2, almost double the size. This study aims to analyse the impact of this change in the required time for evacuating patients during a fire in order to understand the consequences of that potential change. This paper is focused on the area where the patient?s rooms are located. The evacuation scenario is a floor plan comprised of four smoke compartments. To analyse the proposed change, the smoke barriers between two adjacent compartments were removed in a floor plan and three ratios of number of patients per one staff member were considered (4:1, 3:1 and 2:1). A computational methodology was conducted to calibrate the model STEPS for simulating assisted evacuation processes. In addition, Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS) was used to simulate the fire and smoke spread in a table and a PC to compare fire and evacuation results The evacuation results show that the change of the smoke compartment size increases the mean evacuation time by 23%; however, the fire results show that the available safe egress time is 16 min for both smaller and large smoke compartment. The ratio of the number of patients per staff member is also a strong factor that increases the evacuation up to 82% when comparing the ratios of 2 patients per staff member and 4 patients per staff member

Thermal oxidative decomposition estimation combining TGA and DSC as optimization targets for PMMA

Thermal analysis techniques play a key role to determine and characterize solid phase thermal decomposition. In this sense, Simultaneous Thermal Analysis (STA, i.e. TGA and DSC tests carried out simultaneously) are widely employed, since it provides information about how mass is lost and energy released while the temperature of the sample increases. Fire computer models combined with methods numerical methods are widely used to represent the results from tests and to achieve the values of the kinetic and thermal parameters. Previous works looked forward achieving those parameters using, as unique optimization target, the mass loss curve (TGA) or its derivative (DTGA). As the study of heat release rate is a decisive element to characterize the material properly, most recent works were adding additional measures. These extra measurements concern the heat transfer and the energy required or released during temperature programmed heating, such as heat rate release, heat of gasification, or the surface temperatures of the samples. The information about the energy is provided by the Differential Scanning Calorimetry curve (DSC). Despite of the employment of the information provided by the DSC, this information usually is not used as a target to approach the DSC simulated curve to the experimental one as TGA does. Based on the lack of use of the DSC curve as numerical approaching process to set the kinetic properties, we decide to explore the possibility of adding this as a new target in the process. Therefore, kinetic and thermal properties might be achieved fitting experimental and simulated curves simultaneously, which should allow us to take into account the decomposition process and their energy released. Results obtained in the present work reveal the major challenge of getting a set of parameters, which can fit DSC curve. The level of accuracy reached when only TGA is utilized as target to approach is higher than the level of accuracy of DSC curve. This fact makes increase the value of the errors when both curves are used as targets to approach. In other words, an approach to both curves simultaneously cannot be directly made. With this consideration in mind, this paper proposes an alternative methodology in order to fit TGA curve considering the optimization of the DSC curve. The methodology proposed in the present work is applied to the analysis of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA).The authors would like to express their thanks to the Nuclear Safety Council for the cooperation and cofinancing of the project "Simulation of fires in nuclear power plants" and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for the PYRODESIGN Project grant, Ref.: BIA2012-37890, financed jointly by ERDF

Thermal characterization of building assemblies by means of transient data assimilation

The quantification of the overall “R-value” of building components is commonly achieved by using numerical models which are generally validated using the standardized Hot Box test. This test set-up follows a complex methodology specifically designed to deliver only the R-value. Modern building assemblies are of a level of complexity that many times a single parameter is insufficient to improve the design of the assembly. This paper proposes a simple thermal test set-up to analyse both transient and steady state heat flow processes, allowing for effective numerical fitting of parameters that describe all internal heat flow processes. As a result, the contribution of each element of an assembly can be evaluated on its overall insulating capabilities, thereby allowing for a truly optimised design solution. Two wall systems including significant thermal bridges have been chosen to illustrate this methodology. The proposed method, not only delivers a steady state thermal assessment as reliable as the standardized Hot Box procedure, but also allows a precise quantification of internal heat flows and the capability to conduct realistic transient state thermal assessments

Mesh influence on the fire computer modeling in nuclear power plants

Los modelos computacionales de incendio permiten estudiar las consecuencias de los incendios en escenarios reales. Su uso para el análisis y la mejora de la seguridad contra incendios en centrales nucleares se ha visto incrementado al publicarse la normativa que permite el empleo de métodos informados por el riesgo y basados en prestaciones. La selección del tamaño de celda es fundamental en estos modelos. El mallado debe establecer un compromiso entre su ajuste a la geometría, la resolución de las ecuaciones y los tiempos de cómputo. El presente artículo estudia distintos tamaños de celda mediante la herramienta FDS, con el objetivo de evaluar su influencia en los resultados simulados. Como punto de referencia se emplearon escenarios de interés en centrales nucleares. Los resultados ofrecen datos relevantes para los usuarios, mostrando los tamaños de celda óptimos para garantizar la calidad de las simulaciones y reducir las incertidumbres en sus resultados

Variabilidad de los Parámetros de Salida del Modelado de Fluidodinámica Computacional de Incendios frente a Resultados Experimentales

Es conocido que las magnitudes físicas que caracterizan un fluido gaseoso cuando este es turbulento, varían bruscamente tanto espacial, como temporalmente[1, 2]. Esto es particularmente válido para los fluidos gaseosos que tienen lugar en los escenarios de incendios. No obstante, frecuentemente la variabilidad, sobre todo temporal, de los resultados obtenidos para estas magnitudes mediante algunos modelos de fluidodinámica computacional (CFD) parece ser exagerada y contradecir la natural inercia que los procesos termodinámicos y aerodinámicos suelen tener para las bajas velocidades de flujo que son comunes en estos escenarios. A efectos del trabajo de investigación fue empleado el modelo Fire Dynamics Simulator-FDS, donde esta intensa variabilidad se observa tanto en parámetros de salida locales como globales del programa. El propósito del trabajo fue analizar en que grado esta variabilidad se corresponde con la realidad o es artificialmente introducida por la simulación. Inicialmente, se procedió a estudiar la posible aleatoriedad de esta variabilidad, debido a la introducción de una cierta cantidad de ruido de forma aleatoria en algunas variables iniciales del modelo FDS a efectos de asegurar la resolución numérica. Para comprobar la afectación de este ruido aleatorio en los parámetros de salida, se realizaron simulaciones de escenarios idénticos en equipos diferentes para observar si esta aleatoriedad estaba presente en los resultados. Después de comprobar la no afectación de la aleatoriedad en los resultados mediante este análisis inicial, se procedió a comprobar que grado de la variabilidad presente en la simulación no se corresponde con los experimentos. Para ello se ha elaborado y aplicado un método basado en el análisis espectral de los resultados simulados y experimentales de estas variables