A discontinuous space : postmodern perspectives on mental health discourse

Language in the mental health field is rich with powerful metaphors, hyperbolic phrases, and linguistic symbols of historical, political and social meaning. At a closer look, a dominant discourse rooted deep in the grounds of empirical science is revealed. In this theoretical study, mental health language is deconstructed using Critical Discourse Analysis and other related theories to locate and analyze a dominant discourse, which opens space for a non-dominant discourse. Postmodern theory assumes that power, entangled with and interdependent on powerlessness, is an absolute phenomenon, and that power abuse can be revealed through the study of a discourse itself. The purpose of this thesis is to locate the way power in a dominate discourse is practiced and spoken in common, everyday mental health language, in order to connect this power to an \u27Other\u27 discourse whose ideology and voice is marginalized. Although there are numerous alternative discourses, one that is gaining recognition and posing hard challenges toward the dominate discourse is the Recovery discourse, a language that speaks clearly about this place of discontinuity and oppression. As all people are subject to and participants of the dominant discourse (to one degree or another), this investigation aims to focus on how social workers participate in the dominant discourse and investigates the role of consciousness regarding power and oppression in therapeutic settings, posing questions about the role and place of social workers, regarding language use in the mental health field

Audio Universe: Tour of the Solar System

We have created a show about the Solar System, freely available for both planetariums and home viewing, where objects in space are represented with sound as well as with visuals. For example, the audience listens to the stars appear above the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and they hear the planets orbit around their heads. The aim of this show is that it can be enjoyed and understood, irrespective of level of vision. Here we describe how we used our new computer code, STRAUSS, to convert data into sound for the show. We also discuss the lessons learnt during the design of the show, including how it was imperative to obtain a range of diverse perspectives from scientists, a composer and representatives of the blind and vision impaired community.Comment: Published in Astronomy and Geophysics, Volume 63, Issue 2, Pages 2.38-2.40. This is the authors' accepted version of the manuscript. Visit https://www.audiouniverse.org for audio-visual resources. Our new sonification code, STRAUSS, is available at: https://github.com/james-trayford/strauss. Article is 5 pages with 3 figure

More than glitter and glue: an arts-informed autoethnographic exploration of school-based art education

This doctoral study offers a space to inquire about and explore complexities, joys and obstacles faced in the teaching of art in a school setting. It takes the form of an arts-informed autoethnography and is viewed through a combined new materialist, decolonial, and affective lens. Within the presentation of this study, I look to acts of making and reflecting that explore the impact of materials and how they act to mediate knowing and making meaning through embodied relationship. Used flexibly and reflexively, this combination of theoretical and methodological approaches enables an emergent methodology that initiates a call to seek more than what is traditionally expected and supposed within a Western framework of thinking. Through this approach an intentional examination and questioning of human and more-than-human experience is considered. By charting my navigation of time and space, and by identifying possibilities, differences, and possible mismatches, of the perception of the role of visual arts education, perhaps other arts educators can feel supported and empowered to share their stories, concerns, and ideas for change. Guiding this study are three questions that ask: In what ways do individual school experiences influence perspectives and approaches to visual arts education? What social practices and value systems are at play in dominant approaches to visual arts education that need to be considered and interrogated? Recognizing public education as a complex space, how can new materialisms inform an expansive practice of arts education? Using these questions to frame explorations and unfolding understandings, ideas and concerns were able to surface. Within the presentation of this study, I share three ideas, or threads, that developed through the art making and reflexive research methods. In the first thread, a sense of not belonging and its effect on identity opened to choosing to embrace ever-changing, emerging entanglements. In the second thread I look at the conception of time in a school. I then interrupt linear time’s hold through material intervention. In the third thread I confront narratives of scarcity at play in my teaching practice. I attempt to navigate an understanding of the craving for control and predictability in the face of ‘not enough’. Rather than allowing myself to disengage from ambiguity and uncertainty, I embrace exploration with materials and affects. In this way I look to enact interconnectivity and subjectivity as strength through making as a way of knowing and a lived form of inquiry

Assessing Generic and Program-Specific Dose-Response Relations Between Engagement in Contemplative Practices and Reductions in Teachers\u27 Occupational Stress and Burnout

Teaching is a stressful, uncertain, and emotionally laden profession (Chaplain, 2008; Farber, 1999; Johnson et al., 2005). One approach to reduce psychological distress and improve well-being in teachers is through the use of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs. While MBSR programs have been shown in several studies to be effective with regard to improving well-being in teachers, little research has been done to date examining the relationship between program dose and outcomes. This study examines the relationship between both generic and program-specific dose and outcomes of stress and burnout. Results showed some evidence that generic yoga frequency is related to outcomes. No significant relationships between program-specific dose and outcomes were found. Directions for future research are discussed

Characterizing axonal myelination within the healthy population: a tract-by-tract mapping of effects of age and gender on the fiber g-ratio

: The g-ratio, equal to the ratio of the inner-to-outer diameter of a myelinated axon, is associated with the speed of conduction, and thus reflects axonal function and integrity. It is now possible to estimate an "aggregate" g-ratio in vivo using MRI. The aim of this study was to assess the variation of the MRI-derived fiber g-ratio in the brain of healthy individuals, and to characterize its variation across the lifespan. Thirty-eight healthy participants, aged between 20 and 76, were recruited. Whole-brain g-ratio maps were computed and analyzed voxel-wise. Median tract g-ratio values were also extracted. No significant effect of gender was found, whereas age was found to be significantly associated with the g-ratio within the white matter. The tract-specific analysis showed this relationship to follow a nearly-linear increase, although the slope appears to slow down slightly after the 6th decade of life. The most likely interpretation is a subtle but consistent reduction in myelin throughout adulthood, with the density of axons beginning to decrease between the 4th and 5th decade

Repetitive Task Training for Improving Functional Ability After Stroke: A major update of a Cochrane Review

Repetitive task training (RTT) involves the active practice of task-specific motor activities and is a component of current therapy approaches in stroke rehabilitation

The effect of bilateral eye-movements versus no eye-movements on sexual fantasies

Background and Objectives Bilateral eye-movements (EMs) and visual mental imagery both require working memory resources. When performed together, they compete for these resources, which can cause various forms of mental imagery to become impaired (e.g., less vivid). This study aimed to examine whether EMs impair sexual fantasies (a form of mental imagery) in the same manner. Methods Eighty undergraduates (40 males, 40 females) took part in four counterbalanced conditions: (1) EMs and an experience-based sexual fantasy; (2) EMs and an imagination-based sexual fantasy; (3) experience-based sexual fantasy only; and (4) imagination-based sexual fantasy only. In each condition, the vividness, emotionality, and arousability of the sexual fantasy were rated pre- and post-task. All three variables were predicted to decrease in the EM conditions. Results Sexual fantasies were reported as less vivid, positive, and arousing after performing concurrent EMs relative to fantasising only, for both memory- and imagination-based sexual fantasies. There were no gender differences. Demand did not appear to account for the effects. Limitations Self-report measures were used rather than objective measures. Working memory taxation and capacity were not directly assessed. Also, negatively appraised sexual fantasies were not targeted and a ‘no intervention’ control was not included. Conclusions Bilateral EMs were effective at impairing the phenomenological properties of sexual mental imagery, extending the literature on EM effects. Given the potential clinical implications, future research should focus on validating and extending these results, for example, by targeting negatively appraised sexual fantasies (including problematic and offense-related) and incorporating a ‘no intervention’ condition

Theoretical evaluation of wall teichoic acids in the cavitation-mediated pores formation in Gram-positive bacteria subjected to an electric field

Background: Electroporation is a method of choice to transform living cells. The ability of electroporation to transfer small or large chemicals across the lipid bilayer membrane of eukaryotic cells or Gram-negative bacteria relies on the formation of transient pores across the membrane. To exist, these pores rely on an insulator (the bilayer membrane) and the presence of a potential difference on either side of the membrane mediated by an external electric field. In Gram-positive bacteria, however, the wall is not an insulator but pores can still form when an electric field is applied. Past works have shown that the electrostatic charge of teichoic acids, a major wall component; sensitizes the wall to pore formation when an external electric field is applied. These results suggest that teichoic acids mediate the formation of defects in the wall of Gram-positive bacteria. Methods: We model the electrostatic repulsion between teichoic acids embedded in the bacterial wall composed of peptidoglycan when an electric field is applied. The repulsion between teichoic acids gives rise to a stress pressure that is able to rupture the wall when a threshold value has been reached. The size of such small defects can diverge leading to the formation of pores. Results: It is demonstrated herein that for a bonding energy of about ~ 1 − 10 kBT between peptidoglycan monomers an intra-wall pressure of about ~ 5 − 120 kBT/nm3 generates spherical defects of radius ~ 0.1 − 1 nm diverging in size to create pores. Conclusion: The electrostatic cavitation of the bacterial wall theory has the potential to highlight the role of teichoic acids in the formation pores, providing a new step in the understanding of electroporation in Gram positive bacteria without requiring the use of an insulator

Returning to leisure activity post-stroke: barriers and facilitators to engagement

Objectives: To identify barriers and facilitators to engagement when returning to, or participating in, leisure activity post-stroke or TIA. Design: Sequential explanatory, mixed methods study Setting: 21 hospital sites across England, Wales and Northern Ireland Participants: Adults with a clinical diagnosis of first/recurrent stroke or TIA. Patients approaching end of life were excluded. Participants were recruited as in-patients or at first clinic appointment and a baseline questionnaire was completed. A 6-month follow-up questionnaire was sent to participants for self-completion. Open-text questions were asked about barriers and facilitators when returning to, or participating in, leisure activity. Responses were thematically analysed and explored by participant characteristics, including type of leisure activity undertaken. Characteristics also included measures of socioeconomic deprivation, mood, fatigue and disability. Results: 2000 participants returned a 6-month follow-up questionnaire (78% stroke, 22% TIA); 1045 participants responded to a question on barriers and 820 on facilitators. Twelve themes were identified and the proportion of responses were reported (%). Barriers: physical difficulties (69%), lower energy levels (17%), loss of independence (11%), psychological difficulties (10%), hidden disabilities (7%), and delay or lack of healthcare provision (3%). Facilitators: family support (35%), healthcare support (27%), well-being and fitness (22%), friendship support (20%), self-management (19%), and returning to normality (9%). ‘Physical difficulties’ was the most reported barrier across all participant characteristics and activity types. Family support was the most reported facilitator except for those with greater disability, where it was healthcare support and those without fatigue where it was well-being and exercise. Conclusions: Physical difficulties and lack of energy are problematic for stroke and TIA survivors who want to return to or participate in leisure activity. Healthcare support alone cannot overcome all practical and emotional issues related to leisure activity engagement. Family support and improving well-being are important facilitators and future research should explore these mechanisms further

Student experiences of nursing on the front line during the COVID-19 pandemic

This article provides the reflections of three University of Salford student nurses. Two have experience of working on the front line during the COVID-19 pandemic. One has now qualified as a registered nurse. The crucial role of students' personal tutors is also presented