Communicating hope with one breath

The central thesis of this article was that the phenomenon of hope involves states and stages of consciousness development, which can be enhanced through breath control, meditation, prayer and related practices that have formed the essence of various spiritual healing traditions for millennia. In particular, it was argued that breath control can provide a vital foundation for consciousness transformation and the development of hope. Whilst breath control alone may lead to a state of pure, transcendent and/or cosmic consciousness, the practical theological implications are that its effect of enhancing states and stages of consciousness may be anchored and amplified. This process can take place through further contemplative and intercessory meditation, prayer and related behaviour and will differ between people, groups, contexts, religious and/or spiritual traditions. A particular method of breath control called One Breath, which is associated with pure consciousness and the experience of hope was described. Such an experience typically leads to further spiritual practice, healing and transformation. It was concluded that such ongoing spiritual practice is crucial for improving consciousness development, healing and hope for individuals, societies, planet Earth and the cosmos

Breath psychotherapy

Breath psychotherapy is an approach that makes direct use of the breath in healing. There are many forms of breathbased healing: basic breathing and relaxation methods, with or without the practice of psychological skills such as imagery, centring and concentration; expressive physical and emotional techniques; advanced meditation, prayer and other spiritual exercises. Such an approach has been extolled for millennia in the form of various spiritual, wisdom and healing traditions, including ancestor reverence, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, and Islam which have holistically equated breath, consciousness, energy and spirit, as well as viewing breath as the vital link between body and mind. This approach distils into a perennial psychology, which recognizes a pre-reflective unity underlying and interlinking the various traditions and forms of breath-based healing and therapy. Accordingly, breath psychotherapy is based on an understanding and healing of the total psyche in the original, holistic meaning of this term. The present article is an appreciative inquiry into more recent forms of breath psychotherapy as promoted and used by modern authors and practitioners. Key Words: Breath-based, psychotherapy, breath therapy, consciousness, spirituality, healing

An evaluation of a stress management intervention for parents of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the experiences of parents’ participation in a stress management programme for parents with children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It was expected that the programme would lead to improved parent-child relationships and more positive child behaviour. The qualitative, phenomenological approach included thematic content analysis. The stress management group consisted of 8 parents, 5 mothers and three fathers, who met for 9 consecutive weeks. There were nine sessions focusing on stress, education, resources, problem solving skills, cognitive restructuring, communication skills, self care skills, behaviour management and wrap-up respectively. Process evaluation consisted of a session-by-session description of the programme. Summative evaluation consisted of an appreciative inquiry questionnaire. Additional experiential data was obtained from the ADHD children of participants via an interview with the researcher. The results of the study suggested that the programme was effective. Parents experienced the programme as bringing about empowerment, group cohesion, cognitive restructuring, behaviour modification, growth, development and change. Children viewed their parents as having become more relaxed, approachable, inclusive and loving. An independent psychologist evaluated the programme positively in terms of its quality, effectiveness, flexibility, adaptability and comprehensiveness. While widely acknowledged, the difficulties of parents of children with ADHD are seldom the focus of intervention. The inclusion of a stress management counselling component for parents of ADHD children is recommended as a valuable adjunctive strategy in the overall comprehensive management of ADHD. Keywords: Stress management, children with ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, parents - ADH

All plankton sampling systems underestimate abundance: Response to “Continuous plankton recorder underestimates zooplankton abundance” by J.W. Dippner and M. Krause

International audienceIt is axiomatic in plankton research that no plankton sampler, or combination of plankton samplers, can provide a true estimate of abundance for all components of the plankton at anytime. Plankton vary in size from the microbic to large ctenophores and jellyfish, from robust to those extremely fragile and almost impossible to catch without damage. Plankton have extremely diverse behavioural patterns, daily and seasonal vertical migration, and different feeding, reproductive, survival and escape strategies. Even within the crustacean mesozooplankton abundances vary in four dimensions. Consequently, it has been necessary to develop numerous different types of sampling systems, and different mesh sizes have been used, in order to capture or observe the various components of plankton. Wiebe and Benfield (2003) listed more than 200 systems and that is not exhaustive. All systems underestimate parts of or all the plankton leading researchers to choose the system most suited to their study..

Experimental observation of the breaking and recombination of single Cooper pairs

We observe the real-time breaking of single Cooper pairs by monitoring the radio-frequency impedance of a superconducting double quantum dot. The Cooper pair breaking rate in the microscale islands of our device decreases as temperature is reduced, saturating at 2 kHz for temperatures beneath 100 mK. In addition, we measure in real-time the quasiparticle recombination into Cooper pairs. Analysis of the recombination rates shows that, in contrast to bulk lms, a multi-stage recombination pathway is followed.A.J.F. would like to acknowledge the Hitachi Research fellowship, support from Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory and support from the EPSRC grant EP/H016872/1. B.W.L. is supported by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. F.A.P. would like to thank the Leverhulme Trust for fi nancial support.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from APS via http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.14050

Absence of Street Lighting May Prevent Vehicle Crime, but Spatial and Temporal Displacement Remains a Concern

OBJECTIVES: This paper estimates the effect of changes in street lighting at night on levels of crime at street-level. Analyses investigate spatial and temporal displacement of crime into adjacent streets. METHODS: Offense data (burglaries, robberies, theft of and theft from vehicles, and violent crime) were obtained from Thames Valley Police, UK. Street lighting data (switching lights off at midnight, dimming, and white light) were obtained from local authorities. Monthly counts of crime at street-level were analyzed using a conditional fixed-effects Poisson regression model, adjusting for seasonal and temporal variation. Two sets of models analyzed: (1) changes in night-time crimes adjusting for changes in day-time crimes and (2) changes in crimes at all times of the day. RESULTS: Switching lights off at midnight was strongly associated with a reduction in night-time theft from vehicles relative to daytime (rate ratio RR 0.56; 0.41–0.78). Adjusted for changes in daytime, night-time theft from vehicles increased (RR 1.55; 1.14–2.11) in adjacent roads where street lighting remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: Theft from vehicle offenses reduced in streets where street lighting was switched off at midnight but may have been displaced to better-lit adjacent streets. Relative to daytime, night-time theft from vehicle offenses reduced in streets with dimming while theft from vehicles at all times of the day increased, thus suggesting temporal displacement. These findings suggest that the absence of street lighting may prevent theft from vehicles, but there is a danger of offenses being temporally or spatially displaced

Apparent mass of small children: Experimental measurements

A test facility and protocol were developed for measuring the seated, vertical, whole-body vibration response of small children of less than 18 kg in mass over the frequency range from 1 to 45 Hz. The facility and protocol adhered to the human vibration testing guidelines of BS7085 and to current codes of ethics for research involving children. Additional procedures were also developed which are not currently defined in the guidelines, including the integral involvement of the parents and steps taken to maximize child happiness. Eight children were tested at amplitudes of 0.8 and 1.2 m/s2 using band-limited, Gaussian, white noise acceleration signals defined over the frequency interval from 1 to 50 Hz. Driving point apparent mass modulus and phase curves were determined for all eight children at both test amplitudes. All results presented a single, principal, anti-resonance, and were similar to data reported for primates and for adult humans seated in an automotive posture which provided backrest support. The mean frequency of the apparent mass peak was 6.25 Hz for the small children, as compared to values between 6.5 - 8.5 Hz for small primates and values between 6.5 - 8.6 Hz for adults seated with backrest support. The peak value of the mean, normalized, apparent mass was 1.54 for the children, which compares to values from 1.19 to 1.45 reported in the literature for small primates and 1.28 for adults seated with backrest support. ISO standard 5982, which specifies a mean, normalized, apparent mass modulus peak of 1.50 at a frequency of 4.0 Hz for adults seated without backrest support, provides significant differences

Standardisation of Bull's mental skills questionnaire in South Africa and the United Kingdom

The contemporary science of sport and exercise psychology requires the standardisation of mental skills questionnaires to facilitate accurate assessment of and intervention for individuals and groups in various health and sport related contexts. The study presents international research findings regarding the standardisation of a Mental Skills Scale with a sample of university students (N=420) from South Africa (n=211) and the United Kingdom (n=209) respectively. Although further international and national standardisation in both English and other languages is recommended, factor and reliability analyses indicated satisfactory validity and reliability of the current English version of the scale.The University of Zululand and the South African National Research Foundation (NRF).http://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajrshttp://academic.sun.ac.za/sajrsper/am201

Biomedical research in developing countries: Opportunities, methods, and challenges

Health research is essential for improving global health, health equity, and economic development. There are vast differences in the disease burden, research budget allocation, and scientific publications between the developed and the low-middle-income countries, which are the homes of 85% of the world's population. There are multiple challenges, as well as opportunities for health research in developing countries. One of the primary reasons for reduced research output from the developing countries is the lack of research capacity. Many developing countries are striving to build their research capacity. They are trying to understand their needs and goals to solve their fundamental health problems, but the opportunity for research education and training remains low. The first joint research meeting of the Bangladesh Gastroenterology Society and the British Society of Gastroenterology took place in February 2020 at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in Dhaka, Bangladesh, aimed at providing an overview of medical research for young, aspiring medical researchers. This review article provides an outline of the research day and covers a number of useful topics. This review aims to provide a basic guide for early career researchers, both within the field of gastroenterology and, more generally, to all spheres of medical research

Heat Shock Protein 70 family members interact with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and Hazara virus nucleocapsid proteins and perform a functional role in the nairovirus replication cycle

The Nairovirus genus of the Bunyaviridae family contains serious human and animal pathogens classified within multiple serogroups and species. Of these serogroups, the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) serogroup comprises sole members CCHFV and Hazara virus (HAZV). CCHFV is an emerging zoonotic virus that causes often-fatal hemorrhagic fever in infected humans for which preventative or therapeutic strategies are not available. In contrast HAZV is non-pathogenic to humans, and thus represents an excellent model to study aspects of CCHFV biology under more accessible biological containment. The three RNA segments that form the nairovirus genome are encapsidated by the viral nucleocapsid protein (N) to form ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes that are substrates for RNA synthesis and packaging into virus particles. We used quantitative proteomics to identify cellular interaction partners of CCHFV N, and identified robust interactions with cellular chaperones. These interactions were validated using immunological methods, and the specific interaction between native CCHFV N and cellular chaperones of the HSP70 family was confirmed during live CCHFV infection. Using infectious HAZV we showed for the first time that the nairovirus N-HSP70 association was maintained within both infected cells and virus particles, where N is assembled as RNPs. Reduction of active HSP70 levels in cells using small molecule inhibitors significantly reduced HAZV titres, and a model for chaperone function in the context of high genetic variability is proposed. These results suggest chaperones of the HSP70 family are required for nairovirus replication and thus represent a genetically stable cellular therapeutic target for preventing nairovirus-mediated disease