All in this together?

Almost daily news reports point to how lockdown, ‘the new normal’ for most, is influencing behaviours relevant to physical health like alcohol consumption and taking physical activity. But how is health behaviour changing, among whom, and will any changes last post-lockdown? We argue that health polarisations are tied with broader social inequalities with implications for whether any lifestyle changes will endure. Psychological and social science research must respond with creative, collaborative and innovative research to guide health policy and practice in the post-lockdown world serving the interests of all citizens

Possibilities and pitfalls? Moderate drinking and alcohol abstinence at home since the COVID-19 lockdown

The global ‘lockdowns’ and social distancing measures triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic have brought about unprecedented social changes, including the sudden, temporary closure of licensed venues and significant modifications to leisure and drinking practices. In this piece, we argue that these changes invite researchers to consider the short and longer-term consequences in terms of continuities and changes to the practices and symbolism of alcohol consumption both within and beyond domestic spaces. We do this by drawing on illustrations from our emergent qualitative research involving internet-mediated semi-structured and focus group interviews with 20 participants from the UK (aged 26-65) concerning experiences of drinking in and beyond ‘lockdown’. In sharing these early findings, we hope to highlight themes relevant to understanding drinking behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic and to stimulate dialogue for immediate research priorities in this area. Key topic areas in our data appear to concern; variability in heavy/moderate/light/non-drinking practices while drinking at home, lockdown as an opportunity to reassess relationships with alcohol, and the symbolic role of alcohol in internet-mediated communications and interactions. Longstanding policymaker and practitioner concerns with managing public drinking and public order may have been unsettled by a growth in home-based drinking, although, as we argue, such changes were in motion before the global pandemic. We propose that a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities the pandemic presents for (re)negotiating relationships with alcohol may offer wider lessons around how individuals and communities might be supported via innovative policy measures to change their relationships with alcohol both during and beyond lockdown

Busy doing nothing: researching the phenomenon of quiet time in a challenge-based wilderness therapy program

Wilderness therapy programs are increasingly regarded as an effective alternative to more traditional forms of therapy for people identified as ‘at risk’ or ‘vulnerable’ (Gass, 1993). Despite substantial evidence to support the use of wilderness and adventure experiences to promote attitudinal and behavioural change, much remains unknown about the process of change and the experiences of participants. The purpose of the research was to generate a grounded theory about participants’ experiences of Quiet Time within a challenge-based wilderness therapy program. The central question to be addressed was: What is the phenomenon of Quiet Time from the participants’ point of view and how do they use this phenomenon in a challenge-based wilderness therapy program? A grounded theory design (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) was chosen as a methodology to guide the collection, analysis and interpretation of data. Sixteen male and two female participants from four Mountain Challenge wilderness therapy programs scheduled between February 2002 and February 2005 participated in the study. All but one of the participants came to the Mountain Challenge as part of ongoing therapy for drug and/or alcohol addiction. This triggered significant and particular ethical concerns that impacted on the design of the study. The exception was a female trainee facilitator who participated as all other participants and had no facilitative responsibilities. Data were collected in the form of interviews, photographs, journals, field notes and standard program documentation. An analytical framework using inductive and deductive categories was selected to analyse the data. Based on the findings a theoretical model of the phenomenon of Quiet Time was deduced and a number of propositions for practice and research advanced. The research findings identify Quiet Time as a ‘sense’ of solitude that, contrary to understandings of solitude as an objective and external condition, is defined by the four co-occurring subjective and internal conditions: a sense of being alone; a positive mind frame; a personal time perspective and focussed attention. Further analysis led to an understanding that Quiet Time was typically brief, participant initiated, and inclusive of experiences of “being alone together.” Participants utilised Quiet Time as an opportunity to focus on nature, reflect, and to engage in authentic and heartfelt conversation. The outcomes of Quiet Time were found to impact positively on participants’ immediate experience and processing of the wilderness therapy program. The study also indicates that the incidence and use of Quiet Time may be facilitated or constrained by a number of conditions including environmental factors, leadership styles, levels of group development and the individual needs, strengths and limitations of the participant. Among a number of outcomes found to extend beyond the duration of the program was, for some, the taking up of a habit of Quiet Time as a deliberate self-help and life enhancing strategy. Unexpected findings included the potential for Quiet Time to arouse feelings that may overwhelm and confuse participants. One of the major contributions of the study is that it identifies Quiet Time as a commonly occurring, and predominately participant initiated phenomenon that has, despite its capacity to impact positively on participants’ attitudes and behaviours, been largely over looked by the wilderness therapy literature. Quiet Time was found to differ from traditional concepts of solitude in wilderness programs in terms of its duration, how it is defined and how it is initiated. Despite its brevity the outcomes of Quiet Time parallel positive outcomes documented elsewhere. The main implication from this research is that the therapeutic potential of challenge-based wilderness therapy programs can be enhanced by promoting the opportunity for participant initiated Quiet Time through the adoption of an unhurried and process oriented approach to the wilderness adventure

A critical perspective on stigma in physiotherapy: the example of weight stigma

"Manipulating practices is the first ever collection of critical physiotherapy studies and comes at a time of unprecedented change in the profession. Written as a collaboration between 20 authors, many members of the Critical Physiotherapy Network (CPN), the book uncovers the growing body of critical thinking now emerging in physiotherapy. From topics as diverse as 21st century education, ethics, evidence-based practice, touch, and equine therapy; and approaches as varied as disability and performance studies, feminism, logic, narrative theory, new materialism, and phenomenology, the book explores ways of thinking ‘otherwise’ about physiotherapy. Over 16 chapters written by authors from six different countries, Manipulating practices offers insights from some of physiotherapy’s most radical thinkers. The book is also an innovative venture into open source publishing, making it entirely free to download and read. In keeping with the objectives of the CPN, the chapters expose a range of concepts, ideas and practices to critical scrutiny, and reflect the profession’s growing interest in critiquing taken-for-granted ways of practicing and thinking. Manipulating practices will be of interest to clinicians, lecturers, policy-makers, researchers and students, and will provide new impetus to help physiotherapists imagine how the profession might grow and develop into the future.""«Manipulating practices» er den første vitenskapelige antologien som samler kritiske studier innen fysioterapi, og lanseres i en tid der profesjonen er preget av store forandringer. Antologien representerer et samarbeidsprosjekt mellom 20 forskere, hvor majoriteten er medlemmer av Critical Physiotherapy Network (CNP) – et internasjonalt nettverk av forskere og klinikere fra hele verden. Antologien synliggjør den økende tendensen til kritisk tenkning som er i ferd med å vokse frem innenfor fysioterapi. Gjennom å fokusere på varierte tema som utdanning, etikk, evidensbasert praksis, berøring og terapiridning, samt en bred tilnærming som inkluderer funksjonshemming, performance-studier, feminisme, logikk, narrativ teori, ny materialisme og fenomenologi, utforsker antologien nye og annerledes tanker om fysioterapi som fag og profesjon. Antologiens 16 kapitler er skrevet av forskere fra seks ulike land og gir innsikt i forskningen til noen av de mest radikale forskerne i det internasjonale fysioterapimiljøet. Boken er også innovativ gjennom at den publiseres som open access, hvilket betyr at den kan lastes ned og leses gratis og dermed gjøres allment tilgjengelig. I tråd med ambisjonen for CPN, utforskes en rekke ulike begreper, ideer og praktiske tilnærminger relatert til kritisk tenkning innenfor fysioterapi. Slik gjenspeiles også profesjonens økende interesse for å kritisere etablerte måter å praktisere og tenke på, som tidligere har vært tatt for gitt. «Manipulating practices» vil være av interesse for forskere, klinikere, forelesere, politikere og studenter. Antologien vil forhåpentligvis bidra med nye impulser med henblikk på hvordan fysioterapiprofesjonen vil vokse og utvikle seg fremover.

Uranium silicate complexes as models for surface immobilised uranium catalysts

Chapter 1 provides an insight into the current areas of research that could provide answers to the global energy problems outlined in Appendix A, namely the reductive functionalisation of carbon oxides and as an extension to this, the activation of other small molecules. The review predominantly concentrates on the chemistry of the 5f elements which already contain examples of reductive functionalisation of carbon oxides, albeit in homogeneous phase. In addition the chapter provides an overview of the current research in surface science and by extension, the development of molecular models that mimic such surfaces. This synopsis provides an insight into the difficulties involved in this area of research and why molecular mimics are of vital importance. Using ligating Si-O bonds to mimic a silica surface, Chapter 2 outlines the research which enabled the development of a series of uranium siloxides, centred on the previously unreported pentakis(triarylsiloxy) uranate(IV) ion. Characterisation data and full analysis are included within this chapter which provided the basis for the investigations discussed in the following chapters. This chapter also presents an interesting UV-Vis analysis of the uranium siloxides which will enable a wider understanding of the f -elements and the role f -orbitals have on the chemistry and geometry of f -element molecules. Chapter 2 develops a deeper understanding of these complexes by investigating the mechanisms of formation and the chemistry of the U(Ph3SiO)5 fragment using ESI techniques in conjunction with NMR analysis. Chapter 3 investigates the reactivities of the uranium siloxides previously developed and discusses a new dioxo species and a rare and novel UV monooxo complex which was synthesised and successfully isolated. An analysis of other dioxo and monooxo complexes is included which allows the reader to develop an appreciation of how few and far between monooxo products are. In addition, previous examples of monooxo’s are lacking characterisation data and are mostly products of oxygen atom donor reactions, not as a result of small molecule activation as is presented here. There is currently one previous example of such a system resulting from small molecule activation which is also discussed in this chapter. Chapter 4 investigates a second ligand system which could be used to mimic a silica surface. Whilst the ligand, tris tertbutoxy has been investigated previously, at the time of this work, the ligand had not been successfully used in relation to a uranium complex. The U3.5 species, [(U(OSi(OtBu)3)3)2(μ-η6:η6-tol))] is presented here alongside the complexes [((tBuO)3SiO)3U]2(μ2-O)3 and U(OSi(OtBu)3)4. During the development of this species, very similar species were published by another group and these syntheses and characterisation data are presented here as a comparison to the species developed as part of this work. Chapter 5 investigates the reactivities of the uranium siloxides developed in Chapter 4 including decomposition analysis and reactions with small molecules such as O2, I2 and CO2 and presents the resulting complexes some of which were developed by a Masters student working in collaboration with the author

A study of two phase detonation as it relates to rocket motor combustion instability

Two-phase detonation in rocket motor combustion instability - production of monodisperse spray

Sea breeze: Induced mesoscale systems and severe weather

Sea-breeze-deep convective interactions over the Florida peninsula were investigated using a cloud/mesoscale numerical model. The objective was to gain a better understanding of sea-breeze and deep convective interactions over the Florida peninsula using a high resolution convectively explicit model and to use these results to evaluate convective parameterization schemes. A 3-D numerical investigation of Florida convection was completed. The Kuo and Fritsch-Chappell parameterization schemes are summarized and evaluated

Letter from the Ritz-Carlton to Robert Goelet

https://digitalcommons.salve.edu/goelet-personal-expenses/1232/thumbnail.jp

Handedness, Health and Cognitive Development: Evidence from Children in the NLSY

Using data from the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, and fitting family fixed-effects models of child health and cognitive development, we test if left-handed children do significantly worse than their right-handed counterparts. The health measures cover both physical and mental health, and the cognitive development test scores span (1) Memory, (2) Vocabulary, (3) Mathematics, (4) Reading and (5) Comprehension. We find that while left-handed children have a significantly higher probability of suffering an injury needing medical attention, there is no difference in their experience of illness or poor mental health. We also find that left-handed children have significantly lower cognitive development test scores than right-handed children for all areas of development with the exception of reading. Moreover, the left-handedness disadvantage is larger for boys than girls, and remains roughly constant as children grow older for most outcomes. We also find that the probability of a child being left-handed is not related to the socioeconomic characteristics of the family, such as income or maternal education. All these results tend to support a difference in brain functioning or neurological explanation for handedness differentials rather than one based on left-handed children living in a right-handed world.handedness, children, health, cognitive development, family fixed-effects

Observed vulnerability of Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf to wind-driven inflow of warm deep water

The average rate of melting at the base of the large Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in the southern Weddell Sea is currently low, but projected to increase dramatically within the next century. In a model study, melt rates increase as changing ice conditions cause a redirection of a coastal current, bringing warm water of open ocean origin through the Filchner Depression and into the Filchner Ice Shelf cavity. Here we present observations from near Filchner Ice Shelf and from the Filchner Depression, which show that pulses of warm water already arrive as far south as the ice front. This southward heat transport follows the eastern flank of the Filchner Depression and is found to be directly linked to the strength of a wind-driven coastal current. Our observations emphasize the potential sensitivity of Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf melt rates to changes in wind forcing