Movement and stillness : mindfulness and the art of inquiry

Mindfulness researchers have predominantly used quantitative methods. Post positivist researchers have developed operational definitions and measures of mindfulness to understand and capture what mindfulness is. However, the act of operationalizing and measuring mindfulness ignores the works of some teachers/students of mindfulness that describe mindfulness as the immeasurable or indefinable. This is not to say that we cannot use descriptions to spark learning into mindfulness, only to understand that the description is not the described when discussing mindfulness, as Krishnamurti has highlighted. The common tools utilized by mindfulness teachers to help spark students’ learning into mindfulness are such things as yoga, questions, stories, and breath awareness. Post positivist researchers, and mindfulness teachers and their students, are exploring the question: “What is mindfulness?” with different methods. To be able to utilize story to spark learning into mindfulness/represent the results of this study, I have completed a qualitative study exploring the question: How do the participants in this study’s mindfulness program inquire? Eight middle-aged women Hatha yoga students consented to participate in this study’s six-and-half week mindfulness program. The program had experiential, discussion/story, and movement based learning. As the mindfulness teacher, I continuously posed questions to and discussed questions with the students, to help spark learning into mindfulness. The women, myself, and the works of mindfulness authors highlighted that mindful inquiry was about the oneness of learning, listening, and compassion; as well as, the importance of stories, friendship, and trust. These themes were communicated through the fictional story

Narcissus-myten

Artiklen fortolker narcissus-myten med udgangspunkt i den version, der findes i Ovids Metamorfoser. Fortolkningsmetoden er inspireret af C. G. Jung og går ud på at anskue myten som en drøm. Det er en fortolkning på subjektplan. Mytens hændelser afspejler udfordringer fra det ubevidste og det enkelte menneskes evne til at tage udfordringen op. I Narcissus' tilfælde er udfordringen for stærk, hvorfor han ender som indadvendt, vegeterende, død

Effect of an EBM course in combination with case method learning sessions: an RCT on professional performance, job satisfaction, and self-efficacy of occupational physicians

Objective An intervention existing of an evidence-based medicine (EBM) course in combination with case method learning sessions (CMLSs) was designed to enhance the professional performance, self-efficacy and job satisfaction of occupational physicians. Methods A cluster randomized controlled trial was set up and data were collected through questionnaires at baseline (T0), directly after the intervention (T1) and 7 months after baseline (T2). The data of the intervention group [T0 (n = 49), T1 (n = 31), T2 (n = 29)] and control group [T0 (n = 49), T1 (n = 28), T2 (n = 28)] were analysed in mixed model analyses. Mean scores of the perceived value of the CMLS were calculated in the intervention group. Results The overall effect of the intervention over time comparing the intervention with the control group was statistically significant for professional performance (p <0.001). Job satisfaction and self-efficacy changes were small and not statistically significant between the groups. The perceived value of the CMLS to gain new insights and to improve the quality of their performance increased with the number of sessions followed. Conclusion An EBM course in combination with case method learning sessions is perceived as valuable and offers evidence to enhance the professional performance of occupational physicians. However, it does not seem to influence their self-efficacy and job satisfactio

Effects of thermoneutrality on dysferlin-deficient muscular dystrophy

Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (MD) Type 2B (LGMD2B) is a rare form of MD caused by mutations in the dysferlin (DYSF) gene. As an autosomal recessive disorder, LGMD2B can occur in both males and females and is characterized by progressive muscle wasting, eventually leading to ambulatory dysfunction. Unfortunately, no treatment options can cure patients of LGMD2B. One potential factor in the lack of therapies is the absence of humanized animal models for preclinical studies. Current LGMD2B mouse models lack the disease severity typically observed in the human condition. Additionally, LGMD2B mice remain mobile, whereas most patients are non-ambulatory or exhibit a marked decrease in mobility. Developing more humanized animal models of LGMD2B is vital for improvements in LGMD2B research. Recently, our lab has shown that crossing a DYSF knockout mouse with a mouse lacking apolipoprotein E (ApoE), a surface transport lipoprotein, significantly raises plasma cholesterol and correlates with a severe muscle wasting phenotype and marked ambulatory dysfunction. However, LGMD2B patients have an intact ApoE gene, demonstrating a major limitation of this model. Regardless, the DYSF/ApoE double knockout (DKO) mouse provides proof of principle that dyslipidemia plays a factor in LGMD2B pathology and warrants further investigations. Since thermoneutral (TN) housing of wild type mice has been shown to increase plasma lipids significantly when fed a western diet (WD), we hypothesized that TN housing of BLAJ mice, a mild model of LGMD2B, would lead to an exacerbation of muscle wasting when fed a cholesterol-rich WD. Herein, we report that TN BLAJ mice fed a cholesterol-rich WD exhibited the greatest level of fibrofatty replacement, despite not increasing plasma cholesterol. Additionally, thermoneutrality affected LGMD2B mice in a sex-specific manner, with females having significantly more fibrofatty replacement than males. Finally, TN BLAJ mice fed a cholesterol-rich WD had increases in mTORC1 regulated protein synthesis, in addition to a decrease in LC3 mediated autophagy, suggesting an overall decrease in protein turnover within DYSF-null skeletal muscle. In conclusion, this study reveals BLAJ mice to be sensitive to changes in ambient temperature and suggests that alterations in metabolism could be a contributing factor in LGMD2B pathology.Medicine, Faculty ofAnesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department ofGraduat

Formal individualized teaching, a differentiated instructional model, effects on student learning in a high school ACT preparation course

The lack of clear and manageable implementation models for individualized instruction continued to exist in high schools. Formal individualized teaching (FIT), a differentiated instructional model, was studied to determine its impact on student learning. The FIT model included analyzing student data using a Pareto analysis to identify individual student areas to strengthen, designing instruction to address identified areas, and using formative assessment to adjust instruction. Eleventh grade students in a southern rural high school were enrolled in a FIT model taught ACT preparatory course. Results concluded that student ACT composite scores significantly increased for students who had the FIT model ACT course. The results provided evidence that the FIT model was an implementable differentiated instructional model which improved student learning