Mnemonic textiles: Sustaining life-long attachment

Mnemonic attachment to material artefacts and the subsequent effect upon object longevity is the focus of this research. The relationship between an owner and a mnemonically encoded object relates to self, family and cultural identity. These connections can result in the object’s preservation and care beyond that typically given to more neutral possessions. A greater understanding of the qualities and creation of mnemonic objects, through the lens of textile artefacts, can therefore impart new ways of considering the design of long-lasting and sustainable items. The theory of Emotionally Durable Design developed by Jonathan Chapman (2005) is the key framework for the research and provides context for comparison and a place to expand upon the value of emotional relationships with possessions. Violette Morin’s L'Objet Biographique (1969) and Winnicott’s Transitional Object (1984) offer further background to Western experiences of emotionally driven relationships with material culture. Narrative inquiry underpins an integrated methodological approach: practice-based studio research; a self-reflexivity practice; and an interview program, to convey the story-like mode we instinctively adopt to retell our memories. The first phase of the studio work, Topography of Memory explores the act of embedding personal memory into cloth. The interview series with six Australian textile practitioners investigates personal relationships with mnemonic textiles. The second stage of the studio research, alongside two case studies, offers four recommendations for a mnemonically driven design practice - Engagement and Co-production, Empathy, Physical and Emotional Longevity and Ambiguity and Adaptability. This research has taken place at a time when environmental imperatives invite us to form more enduring and sustainable relationships with our surroundings. The study explores one aspect of this continuity, that of the embodiment of memory through material and the consequences for sustaining both identity and objects. This research argues that existing sustainable design methodologies cannot focus only upon the physical longevity of an object. By incorporating and encouraging mnemonic association through a sustainable design practice, we can decrease the likelihood of object obsolescence and avoidable waste

A model of coerciveness against women

The last decade or so has seen a dramatic increase in both interest and research in the sexual offending area. Thus, the literature of this area is both varied and abundant in its scope and has resulted in the dual problems of proliferation and neglect. To solve these dual problems, Ward and Hudson (1997) proposed their metatheoretical framework for the construction and organisation of theory in the sexual offending area. This framework provides the basis for the theory knitting involved in the coercive model proposed by this thesis; with Marshall and Barbaree's (1990) theory of the etiology of sexual offending and Malamuth, Heavey and Linz' (1993) confluence model of sex1.1al aggression providing the primary material. Marshall and Barbaree's theory and Malamuth et al.'s model are able to be 'knitted' due to their complimentary natures and the significant overlap between the two. The coercive model developed in this thesis also includes additional material which helps to fill several of the explanatory gaps not covered by the knitting of the theory and the model. An evaluation of the coercive model is given as well as suggestions for various avenues of future research

Chest physiotherapy for mechanically ventilated children: a survey of current UK practice

Objectives: Chest physiotherapy is a treatment option for mechanically ventilated children. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding its value and informal discussions suggest variation in practice. This study describes chest physiotherapy practices for mechanically ventilated children in the UK and explores clinical decision making related to its delivery. Design: Cross-sectional study, using an anonymous, electronic survey. Participants: Qualified physiotherapists working in UK NHS paediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Results: The response rate was 61% (72/118), this included physiotherapists from 26/27 (96%) PICUs. All participants reported using manual hyperinflations and position changes ‘always’ or ‘often’. Variation in practice was evident for some techniques, including Metaneb® and percussion. DNase (99%, 71/72) and hypertonic saline (90%, 65/72) were the most frequently used mucoactives: 91% (59/65) of physiotherapists reported only nebulising hypertonic saline and 69% (49/71) use both nebulised and instilled DNase. Use and delivery of N-acetylcysteine was inconsistent (nebulised only 55%, 26/47; instilled only 15%, 7/47; both 30%, 14/47). Chest physiotherapy was most commonly delivered with a nurse (67%, 48/72). Clinical decision making processes were comparable between physiotherapists and encompassed three main elements: individual patient assessment, involvement of the multidisciplinary team, and risk versus benefit analysis. Conclusions: A range of chest physiotherapy treatments and adjuncts were used with ventilated children. Variation was apparent and may be due to individual preferences of those training staff or local policies. Pragmatic, interventional studies are required to determine best practice. Further exploration is necessary to understand the variation in practice and intricacies of decision making

Extending mental practice to sleep: Enhancing motor skills through lucid dreaming

Improving motor performance without physical movements might seem counterintuitive, however, decades of research on mental practice have demonstrated its feasibility. The phenomenon of lucid dreaming – i.e. becoming aware of the current dream state during ongoing sleep – bears some resemblance to mental practice: behaviors such as motor tasks can be intentionally simulated with mental imagery. During lucid dreaming, however, the brain generates a highly immersive, VR-like environment and realistic proprioceptive impressions to match the mental practitioner’s needs. In recent years the hypothesis was thus proposed that lucid dreaming can be used to extend motor practice to the sleeping state, thereby improving motor performance during subsequent wakefulness. Here, we examine this hypothesis by exploring the theoretical foundations and efficacy of this inventive approach in sports science and beyond. Experimental studies show promising performance improvements after lucid dreaming motor practice. Similarities have been observed in brain activity, eye movements, muscle activity, and autonomic responses compared to physical practice support the potential of lucid dreaming practice. Surveys show that athlete populations already implement lucid dreaming practice as part of their training. Potential placebo effects and an increase in motivation after lucid dreaming practice in the post-test should be investigated in future studies. Also, some well-known practical challenges of lucid dream research, such as its rarity, lack of proper training, and lack of control over the dream, need to be addressed. Eliminating these limitations will strengthen the potential of this inventive approach and enable lucid dreaming practice to be incorporated into various disciplines in the future

Using self-reports of pain and other variables to distinguish between older women with back pain due to vertebral fractures and those with back pain due to degenerative changes

SUMMARY: Women with back pain and vertebral fractures describe different pain experiences than women without vertebral fractures, particularly a shorter duration of back pain, crushing pain and pain that improves on lying down. This suggests a questionnaire could be developed to identify older women who may have osteoporotic vertebral fractures. INTRODUCTION: Approximately 12 % of postmenopausal women have vertebral fractures (VFs), but less than a third come to clinical attention. Distinguishing back pain likely to relate to VF from other types of back pain may ensure appropriate diagnostic radiographs, leading to treatment initiation. This study investigated whether characteristics of back pain in women with VF are different from those in women with no VFs. METHODS: A case control study was undertaken with women aged ≥60 years who had undergone thoracic spinal radiograph in the previous 3 months. Cases were defined as those with VFs identified using the algorithm-based qualitative (ABQ) method. Six hundred eighty-three potential participants were approached. Data were collected by self-completed questionnaire including the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Chi-squared tests assessed univariable associations; logistic regression identified independent predictors of VFs. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the ability of the combined independent predictors to differentiate between women with and without VFs via area under the curve (AUC) statistics. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-seven women participated: 64 cases and 133 controls. Radiographs of controls were more likely to show moderate/severe degenerative change than cases (54.1 vs 29.7 %, P = 0.011). Independent predictors of VF were older age, history of previous fracture, shorter duration of back pain, pain described as crushing, pain improving on lying down and pain not spreading down the legs. AUC for combination of these factors was 0.85 (95 % CI 0.79 to 0.92). CONCLUSION: We present the first evidence that back pain experienced by women with osteoporotic VF is different to back pain related solely to degenerative change