Exploring the relationships between self-criticism and perfectionism with diabetes-related distress and management in a type 1 diabetes population

Section A: People with a chronic health condition (CHC) are at a greater risk of depression, which can interact with their medical condition and decrease quality of life. Self-criticism correlates with depression and may be factor contributing to poorer outcomes for those with a CHC. This narrative literature review, based on a systematic search, explored, and critiqued 10 papers examining what is known about the relationship with self-criticism and CHCs. The review highlighted that specific antecedent or triggering event that causes the CHC which predisposes the individual to self-criticism is yet to be identified in the current literature, associated with adjustment, symptoms, coping, emotional responses, and functioning and social perceptions amongst those with a CHC. The question remains as to whether selfcriticism impacts directly on physiology or if it acts as a mediator of depressive symptoms in relation to one’s CHC. Section B: The aim of this descriptive study was to develop a greater understanding into the levels of self-criticism in adults with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), and how this interacts with different types of perfectionism and impacts upon Diabetes-Related Distress (DRD) and diabetes self-management. The findings indicate that maladaptive perfectionism may be an important factor to consider when supporting an individual experiencing DRD and/or struggling with confidence in their diabetes self-management. The study also indicates that the hated-self form of self-criticism may be a more prominent factor in certain forms of DRD. Findings were considered alongside limitations as well as clinical and research implications, such as the need for future research to focus on systemic support experiences of the individual, family and medical systems in the treatment and care of T1D

Improved surface quality of anisotropically etched silicon {111} planes for mm-scale integrated optics

We have studied the surface quality of millimeter-scale optical mirrors produced by etching CZ and FZ silicon wafers in potassium hydroxide to expose the $\{111\}$ planes. We find that the FZ surfaces have four times lower noise power at spatial frequencies up to $500\, {mm}^{-1}$. We conclude that mirrors made using FZ wafers have higher optical quality

UMFC #12: A COMPREHENSIVE FORENSIC ANALYSIS CASE REPORT

The University of Montana Forensic Case 12 (UMFC) is a human skeleton with an MNI of one that was recovered in August 1983 from an old schoolyard in Helena, Montana, by construction workers who were building a highway. The individual was given to the University of Montana Anthropology Department following the authority’s investigation. At the time, the University of Montana aided in the analysis of the skeletal remains and both departments had deemed the case as forensically insignificant and historic. The initial recoverers believed that the individual was a descendant of the Last Chance Gulch era and reflected Chinese ancestry, but UM’s 1983 professor Charline G. Smith’s forensic analyses reflect a Caucasian male. Based on my suite of skeletal analyses, case 12 is consistent with the probable biological sex of male, approximately [23-39] years of age at death, and [5’3”-5’8”] in stature with a weight consistent of [130-172lbs]. The ancestral analyses used for identification are highly variable and unreliable but are consistent with someone of Native American or Guatemalan descent. Case 12 shows taphonomy consistent with a historic specimen with heavy soil staining. Pathological conditions present consist of alveolar resorption of dentition [#31] and tooth wear, also consistent with an adult, historic individual. The proximal shaft of the right humerus is abnormally wide, consistent with an osteochondromas, and porosity on the orbital roof is consistent with cribra orbitalia. There are no indications of antemortem or perimortem trauma to the remains, but there were several types of damage done to the skeleton postmortem. This includes depressions on the skull and heavy fragmentation and splintering of skeletal elements throughout. The skull is warped, and the right temporal bone is disarticulated, which can possibly be attributed to the introduction of water into the soil during burial

Measurement of the lowest millimetre-wave transition frequency of the CH radical

The CH radical offers a sensitive way to test the hypothesis that fundamental constants measured on earth may differ from those observed in other parts of the universe. The starting point for such a comparison is to have accurate laboratory frequencies. Here we measure the frequency of the lowest millimetre-wave transition of CH, near 535 GHz, with an accuracy of 0.6 kHz. This improves the uncertainty by roughly two orders of magnitude over previous determinations and opens the way for sensitive new tests of varying constants.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Progress in atom chips and the integration of optical microcavities

We review recent progress at the Centre for Cold Matter in developing atom chips. An important advantage of miniaturizing atom traps on a chip is the possibility of obtaining very tight trapping structures with the capability of manipulating atoms on the micron length scale. We recall some of the pros and cons of bringing atoms close to the chip surface, as is required in order to make small static structures, and we discuss the relative merits of metallic, dielectric and superconducting chip surfaces. We point out that the addition of integrated optical devices on the chip can enhance its capability through single atom detection and controlled photon production. Finally, we review the status of integrated microcavities that have recently been demonstrated at our Centre and discuss their prospects for future development.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, proceedings of the ICOLS07 conferenc

Invisibly Visible: A Study of African-American Females and their Ascent to the Superintendency

African-American women leading school districts as public school superintendents of schools is rare. It is even more infrequent for multiple African-American women to serve in the position of superintendent of schools in the same state. This historical qualitative study investigated and documented the history of African-American women who served in the position of public superintendent of schools in the state of Missouri. Research on the topic of African-American female superintendents is scarce. This study contributed to the growing body of research focused on the personal stories and experiences of African-American women who served and continue to serve as superintendents. The researcher documented factors and experiences the participants perceived as influential in their ascent to the position. Seven African-American females, either former or current superintendents in the state of Missouri, participated in this study. Personal interviews, along with a semi-structured interview schedule, served as the primary data collection method used to capture data for this study. A Black feminist thought lens was used to examine barriers and experiences of oppression. Findings from this research identified the participants’ various paths to the superintendency, suggested that barriers of race, gender and oppression existed, highlighted perceived accomplishments, provided explanations for why multiple African-American females have served as public school superintendents in the state of Missouri, and proposed recommendations for aspiring African-American females interested in becoming a superintendent

Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Nutrients on Lung Function in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Introduction Veterans are three times more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than the general population. This is likely due to increased use of tobacco and exposure to environmental risk factors. Nutritional intake has been linked to COPD, and veterans report unique barriers to improving their eating habits. Purpose The primary outcome of this study was to examine the relationship between antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrient intake and lung function in veterans with COPD. It was hypothesized that a higher intake of lutein + zeaxanthin, ß-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, retinol, ɑ-carotene, ß-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin D, ɑ-tocopherol, omega-3, zinc and selenium would have a positive association on lung function in veterans with this disease. It was further hypothesized that intakes of ɣ-tocopherol and omega-6 would have an inverse association with lung function. Methods A total of 42 veterans participated in this prospective cohort study. All participants filled out a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and lung function data were also gathered. A micronutrient adequacy score was calculated from the results of the FFQ based on 2/3 recommended dietary allowance (RDA). Veteran’s smoking status and use of nutritional supplements was also included in the data analysis. Significant findings were adjusted for possible confounders of age and smoking. Results Participants had a very low intake of omega-3 as only 21% of veterans met the AI (1.6g for men) with a mean consumption of 0.3g. Participants also consumed less of the anti-inflammatory nutrient ɑ-tocopherol (mean intake of 8mg) compared to the pro-inflammatory nutrient ɣ-tocopherol (mean intake of 11mg). Thirty participants (71%) had a micronutrient adequacy score of 4 out of 7. However, when the nutrient consumption was evaluated separately, a low percentage of participants met the recommended intake for vitamin D (19%), ɑ-tocopherol (5%), omega-3 (21% of males, 0% of females), zinc (25% of males, 0% of females) and selenium (0%). Veterans had the highest consumption of retinol activity equivalents (RAEs) and vitamin C. After adjusting for confounders, no significant relationship was found between nutrient intake and lung function. Conclusion From the results of this study, it cannot be concluded that there is an association between the intakes of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients with lung function. However, there are conflicting results in the literature and more research is needed in this area

Observing Coherence Effects in an Overdamped Quantum System

It is usually considered that the spectrum of an optical cavity coupled to an atomic medium does not exhibit a normal-mode splitting unless the system satisfies the strong coupling condition, meaning the Rabi frequency of the coherent coupling exceeds the decay rates of atom and cavity excitations. Here we show that this need not be the case, but depends on the way in which the coupled system is probed. Measurements of the reflection of a probe laser from the input mirror of an overdamped cavity reveal an avoided crossing in the spectrum which is not observed when driving the atoms directly and measuring the Purcell-enhanced cavity emission. We understand these observations by noting a formal correspondence with electromagnetically-induced transparency of a three-level atom in free space, where our cavity acts as the absorbing medium and the coupled atoms play the role of the control field

ICP polishing of silicon for high quality optical resonators on a chip

Miniature concave hollows, made by wet etching silicon through a circular mask, can be used as mirror substrates for building optical micro-cavities on a chip. In this paper we investigate how ICP polishing improves both shape and roughness of the mirror substrates. We characterise the evolution of the surfaces during the ICP polishing using white-light optical profilometry and atomic force microscopy. A surface roughness of 1 nm is reached, which reduces to 0.5 nm after coating with a high reflectivity dielectric. With such smooth mirrors, the optical cavity finesse is now limited by the shape of the underlying mirror

Prospects for measuring the electric dipole moment of the electron using electrically trapped polar molecules

Heavy polar molecules can be used to measure the electric dipole moment of the electron, which is a sensitive probe of physics beyond the Standard Model. The value is determined by measuring the precession of the molecule's spin in a plane perpendicular to an applied electric field. The longer this precession evolves coherently, the higher the precision of the measurement. For molecules in a trap, this coherence time could be very long indeed. We evaluate the sensitivity of an experiment where neutral molecules are trapped electrically, and compare this to an equivalent measurement in a molecular beam. We consider the use of a Stark decelerator to load the trap from a supersonic source, and calculate the deceleration efficiency for YbF molecules in both strong-field seeking and weak-field seeking states. With a 1s holding time in the trap, the statistical sensitivity could be ten times higher than it is in the beam experiment, and this could improve by a further factor of five if the trap can be loaded from a source of larger emittance. We study some effects due to field inhomogeneity in the trap and find that rotation of the electric field direction, leading to an inhomogeneous geometric phase shift, is the primary obstacle to a sensitive trap-based measurement.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, prepared for Faraday Discussion 14