Social anxiety

In this chapter, we lay out our approach to applying Emotion-Focused Therapy to clients presenting with social anxiety (EFT-SA), a debilitating fear of other people. We present a theoretical model of the origins of society anxiety, based in experiences of social degradation, which result in primary emotional processes organized around a core sense of shame-ridden defective self. These give rise to secondary reactive anxiety that others will see the person’s defectiveness, organized around a coach/critic/ guarding aspect of self that, in the process of trying to keep the person safe from exposure, inadvertently generates the emotional dysregulation characteristic of SA. Following this we present a model and case example for working with SA via an emotional deepening process that begins with accessing secondary reactive anxiety of others in particular situations, then works backwards to accessing and activating primary maladaptive shame so that this emotion scheme can be restructured within a secure, accepting therapy relationship. We conclude with a brief summary of evidence for EFT-SA and some final thoughts about how working with this client population has changed our EFT practice

Living Mesolithic Time: Narratives, Chronologies and Organic Material Culture

AbstractBritish and Irish Mesolithic studies have long been characterized by a reliance on broad-scale lithic typologies, both to provide chronologies, and in discussion of ‘cultural’ groups. More recently, traditional narrative structures—period definitions of ‘Early’ and ‘Late’, or culture typologies—have been complemented by a host of other evidence. This has included new studies of site stratigraphy, evidence for seasonality, and material culture chaîne opératoire chronologies, which place a greater emphasis on both temporal precision and the lived experiences of Mesolithic peoples. This paper will consider how the study of organic artefacts forces these narrative scales into acute focus, and presents an opportunity to explore the challenges in synthesizing different forms of data. We discuss how the evidence from sites in Ireland and Britain allows for new approaches, and highlight some of the challenges that this evidence presents, not least the perennial issue of moving from site-specific data to broader narratives. While the nature of earlier prehistoric evidence makes this an especially obvious issue for Mesolithic studies, it is one which generally besets archaeology. We suggest that in order to move beyond this in earlier prehistoric studies specifically, we need to make better use of all evidence sources, however seemingly prosaic, including antiquarian collections in museums, and chance and casual finds. Only by including the raft of available data, and recognizing its utility beyond the sum of individual apparently uninspiring parts, can we begin to move from generalizing narratives to more nuanced archaeological understandings of past material worlds

Recognising human activity in free-living using multiple body-worn accelerometers

Objectives: Recognising human activity is very useful for an investigator about a patient's behaviour and can aid in prescribing activity in future recommendations. The use of body worn accelerometers has been demonstrated to be an accurate measure of human activity, however research looking at the use of multiple body worn accelerometers in a free living environment to recognise a wide range of activities is not evident. This study aimed to successfully recognise activity and sub-category activity types through the use of multiple body worn accelerometers in a free living environment. Method: Ten participants (Age = 23.1 ± 1.7 years, height =171.0 ± 4.7 cm, mass = 78.2 ± 12.5 Kg) wore nine body-worn accelerometers for a day of free living. Activity type was identified through the use of a wearable camera, and sub category activities were quantified through a combination of free-living and controlled testing. A variety of machine learning techniques consisting of pre-processing algorithms, feature and classifier selections were tested, accuracy and computing time were reported. Results: A fine k-nearest neighbour classifier with mean and standard deviation features of unfiltered data reported a recognition accuracy of 97.6%. Controlled and free-living testing provided highly accurate recognition for sub-category activities (>95.0%). Decision tree classifiers and maximum features demonstrated to have the lowest computing time. Conclusions: Results show recognition of activity and sub-category activity types is possible in a free living environment through the use of multiple body worn accelerometers. This method can aid in prescribing recommendations for activity and sedentary periods for healthy living

Efficient time-domain simulation of nonlinear, state-space, transmission-line models of the cochlea

Nonlinear models of the cochlea are best implemented in the time domain, but their computational demands usually limit the duration of the simulations that can reasonably be performed. This letter presents a modified state space method and its application to an example nonlinear one-dimensional transmission-line cochlear model. The sparsity pattern of the individual matrices for this alternative formulation allows the use of significantly faster numerical algorithms. Combined with a more efficient implementation of the saturating nonlinearity, the computational speed of this modified state space method is more than 40 times faster than that of the original formulation

The prevalence and significance of renal perfusion defects in early kidney transplants quantified using 3D contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)

Objectives - Vascular complications are one of the most common causes of early kidney transplant dysfunction. Contrast enhanced ultrasound increases sensitivity to tiny vascular changes.. The aim was to assess the prevalence and size of vascular abnormalities in renal transplantation patients following surgery using 3D CEUS to determine the significance of perfusion defects on renal function. Methods - Ninety nine renal transplant patients underwent 3D CEUS after surgery to quantify perfusion defects as percentage total renal volume (TRV). Serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were recorded up to three months post-surgery. Results - In the 99 patients, 20 had perfusion defects (0.2 – 43% TRV). There was a meaningful difference in patients with perfusion defects in eGFR at 1 month (90% CI 2.7 to 19.2 ml/min/1.73m2) and 3 months (90% CI 1.9 to 19.6 ml/min/1.73m2) and in Creatinine at 3 months (90% CI -56 to -8 μmol/L) using a predetermined clinical threshold. Perfusion defect size correlated well with both serum creatinine and eGFR at 3 months (R= 0.80 (p ≤ 0.000) and 0.58 (p= 0.038)). No correlation seen prior to 3 months. Conclusions - Perfusion defects in kidney transplants were more common than expected and were highly likely to reduce renal function at 1-3 months and the size of the defect affected the degree of functional change at 3 months

Harbour porpoise distribution can vary at small spatiotemporal scales in energetic habitats

The authors acknowledge support received from the Scottish Funding Council, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Scottish Power Renewables and E.ON under the Hebridean Marine Energy Futures (HMEF) programme (Grant reference number 1R042 (HFU) SPIRIT , Project Ref. HR10012), a research initiative led by the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and Aquamarine Power. Scarba C-POD data were collected under the UK Natural Environment Research Council (DEFRA/NERC) grant NE/J004367/1 (RESPONSE).Marine habitat heterogeneity underpins species distribution and can be generated through interactions between physical and biological drivers at multiple spatiotemporal scales. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is used worldwide to study potential impacts of marine industrial activities on cetaceans, but understanding of animals’ site use at small spatiotemporal scales (<1 km, <1 day) remains limited. Small-scale variability in vocalising harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) distribution within two Scottish marine renewable energy development (MRED) sites was investigated by deploying dense arrays of C-POD passive acoustic detectors at a wave energy test site (the European Marine Energy Centre [Billia Croo, Orkney]) and by a minor tidal-stream site (Scarba [Inner Hebrides]). Respective arrays consisted of 7 & 11 moorings containing two C-PODs each and were deployed for up to 55 days. Minimum inter-mooring distances varied between ~300–600 m. All C-POD data were analysed at a temporal resolution of whole minutes, with each minute classified as 1 or 0 on the basis of presence/absence of porpoise click trains (Porpoise-Positive Minutes/PPMs). Porpoise detection rates were analysed using Generalised Additive Models (GAMs) with Generalised Estimation Equations (GEEs). Although there were many porpoise detections (wave test site: N = 3,432; tidal-stream site: N = 17,366), daily detection rates varied significantly within both arrays. Within the wave site array (<1 km diameter), average daily detection rates varied from 4.3–14.8 PPMs/day. Within the tidal-stream array (<2 km diameter), average daily detection rates varied from 10.3–49.7 PPMs/day. GAM-GEE model results for individual moorings within both arrays indicated linkages between porpoise presence and small-scale heterogeneity among different environmental covariates (e.g. tidal phase, time of day). Porpoise detection rates varied considerably but with coherent patterns between moorings only several hundred metres apart and within hours. These patterns presumably have ecological relevance. These results indicate that, in energetically active and heterogeneous areas, porpoises can display significant spatiotemporal variability in site use at scales of hundreds of metres and hours. Such variability will not be identified when using solitary moored PAM detectors (a common practice for site-based cetacean monitoring), but may be highly relevant for site-based impact assessments of MRED and other coastal developments. PAM arrays encompassing several detectors spread across a site therefore appear to be a more appropriate tool to study site-specific cetacean use of spatiotemporally heterogeneous habitat and assess the potential impacts of coastal and nearshore developments at small scales.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe