Integration of sexual trauma in a religious narrative: transformation, resolution and growth among contemplative nuns

The psychological consequences of sexual abuse are generally serious and enduring, particularly when the perpetrator is known and trusted by the survivor. This paper explores the experiences of five contemplative nuns who were sexually abused by priests and the spiritual journeys that followed. In the context of an ethnographic study of contemplative practice, participant observation and in-depth interviews were used to examine the ways that the nuns sought to make sense of their experiences through a long process of solitary introspection. The pursuit of meaning was shaped by religious beliefs relating to forgiveness, sacrifice, and salvation. Thus, trauma was transformed into a symbolic religious narrative that shaped their sense of identity. They were able to restructure core beliefs and to manage their current relationships with priests more securely. They described regaining their spiritual well-being in ways that suggest a form of posttraumatic spiritual growth. We conclude by discussing the findings in the light of the existing literature on the interaction of trauma and spirituality

Depression and the medicalization of sadness: conceptualization and recommended help-seeking

Critiques of the validity of the DSM diagnostic criteria for depressive disorder argue that it fails to differentiate between abnormal sadness due to internal dysfunction or depression (sadness without an identifiable cause), and normal sadness (sadness with a clear cause)

Investigating the transformations of polyoxoanions using mass spectrometry and molecular dynamics

The reactions of [γ-SiW10O36]8– represent one of the most important synthetic gateways into a vast array of polyoxotungstate chemistry. Herein, we set about exploring the transformation of the lacunary polyoxoanion [β2-SiW11O39]8– into [γ-SiW10O36]8– using high-resolution electrospray mass spectrometry, density functional theory, and molecular dynamics. We show that the reaction proceeds through an unexpected {SiW9} precursor capable of undertaking a direct β → γ isomerization via a rotational transformation. The remarkably low-energy transition state of this transformation could be identified through theoretical calculations. Moreover, we explore the significant role of the countercations for the first time in such studies. This combination of experimental and the theoretical studies can now be used to understand the complex chemical transformations of oxoanions, leading to the design of reactivity by structural control

Chemical vapour deposited ZnO nanowires for detecting Ethanol and NO2

Randomly oriented ZnO nanowires were grown directly onto alumina substrates having platinum interdigitated screen-printed electrodes via the chemical vapor deposition method using Au as catalyst. Three different Au film thicknesses (i.e., 3, 6 or 12 nm) were used in the growth of nanowires, and their gas sensing properties were studied for ethanol and NO2 as reducing and oxidizing species, respectively. ZnO nanowires grown employing the 6 nm thick layers were the less defective and showed the most stable, repeatable gas sensing properties. Despite ZnO nanowires grown employing the thickest Au layers reached the highest responses under dry conditions, ZnO nanowires grown using the thinnest Au film were more resilient at detecting NO2 in the presence of ambient moisture. The gas sensing results are discussed in light of the defects and the presence of Au impurities in the ZnO nanowires, as revealed by the characterization techniques used, such as X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Promising results were obtained by the implementation of ZnO NWs directly grown over alumina substrates for the detection of ethanol and NO2, substantially ameliorating our previously reported results

Photoluminescence of ZnO Nanowires: A Review

One-dimensional ZnO nanostructures (nanowires/nanorods) are attractive materials for applications such as gas sensors, biosensors, solar cells, and photocatalysts. This is due to the relatively easy production process of these kinds of nanostructures with excellent charge carrier transport properties and high crystalline quality. In this work, we review the photoluminescence (PL) properties of single and collective ZnO nanowires and nanorods. As different growth techniques were obtained for the presented samples, a brief review of two popular growth methods, vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) and hydrothermal, is shown. Then, a discussion of the emission process and characteristics of the near-band edge excitonic emission (NBE) and deep-level emission (DLE) bands is presented. Their respective contribution to the total emission of the nanostructure is discussed using the spatial information distribution obtained by scanning transmission electron microscopy−cathodoluminescence (STEM-CL) measurements. Also, the influence of surface effects on the photoluminescence of ZnO nanowires, as well as the temperature dependence, is briefly discussed for both ultraviolet and visible emissions. Finally, we present a discussion of the size reduction effects of the two main photoluminescent bands of ZnO. For a wide emission (near ultra-violet and visible), which has sometimes been attributed to different origins, we present a summary of the different native point defects or trap centers in ZnO as a cause for the different deep-level emission bands

Role of aluminum and HMTA in the hydrothermal synthesis of two-dimensional n-doped ZnO nanosheets

This work reports the study of the processes behind the growth of two-dimensional (2D) n-doped ZnO nanostructures on an AlN layer. We have demonstrated that AlN undergoes a slow dissociation process due to the basic controlled environment promoted by the hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA). The Al(OH)4- ions created inhibits the growth along the c-axis, effectively promoting the fast formation of a planar geometry selectively grown on top of the AlN layer. With the use of this promoting layer and a standard hydrothermal method, a selective area growth is observed with micrometric resolution. In addition, by using several advanced characterization techniques such as, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS/EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence (PL), we observed a resulting doping with aluminum of the ZnO nanostructures, occupying substitutional and interstitial sites, that could lead to new promising applications. These high-quality n-doped ZnO nanosheets (NSs) exhibit strong ultraviolet emission in the 385-405 nm region without broad deep level emission. The piezoelectric nature of these nanostructures has been demonstrated by using piezoresponse atomic force microscope (PFM) and with the support of a piezoelectric test device. Therefore, this low-cost and fast selective-area synthesis of 2D n-doped ZnO NSs can be applicable to other aluminum based materials and paves the way to new promising applications, such as bioelectronic applications, energy generation or self-powered sensin

Influence of colloidal Au on the growth of ZnO nanostructures

Vapor-liquid-solid processes allow growing high-quality nanowires from a catalyst. An alternative to the conventional use of catalyst thin films, colloidal nanoparticles offer advantages not only in terms of cost, but also in terms of controlling the location, size, density, and morphology of the grown nanowires. In this work, we report on the influence of different parameters of a colloidal Au nanoparticle suspension on the catalyst-assisted growth of ZnO nanostructures by a vapor-transport method. Modifying colloid parameters such as solvent and concentration, and growth parameters such as temperature, pressure, and Ar gas flow, ZnO nanowires, nanosheets, nanotubes and branched-nanowires can be grown over silica on silicon and alumina substrates. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals the high-crystal quality of the ZnO nanostructures obtained. The photoluminescence results show a predominant emission in the ultraviolet range corresponding to the exciton peak, and a very broad emission band in the visible range related to different defect recombination processes. The growth parameters and mechanisms that control the shape of the ZnO nanostructures are here analyzed and discussed. The ZnO-branched nanowires were grown spontaneously through catalyst migration. Furthermore, the substrate is shown to play a significant role in determining the diameters of the ZnO nanowires by affecting the surface mobility of the metal nanoparticles

PdO and PtO doped WS2 boosts NO2 gas sensing characteristics at room temperature

In this work tungsten disulphide nanostructures loaded with platinum-oxide (PtO), or palladium-oxide (PdO) were grown directly onto alumina substrates. This was achieved using a combination of aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AA-CVD) method with atmospheric pressure CVD technique. At first, tungsten oxide nanowires loaded with either PtO or PdO nanoparticles were successfully co-deposited via AA-CVD followed by sulfurization at 900 °C in the next step. The morphological, structural, and chemical characteristics were investigated using FESEM, TEM, XRD, XPS and Raman spectroscopy. The results confirm the presence of PdO and PtO in the WS2 host matrix. Gas sensing attributes of loaded and pristine WS2 sensors were investigated, at room temperature, towards different analytes (NO2, NH3, H2 etc.). Both pristine and metal-oxide loaded WS2 gas sensors show remarkable responses at room temperature towards NO2 detection. Further, the loaded sensors demonstrated stable, reproducible, ultrasensitive, and enhanced gas sensing response, with a detection limit below 25 ppb. Additionally, the effect of ambient humidity on the sensing response of both loaded and pristine sensors was investigated for NO2 gas. The response of PtO loaded sensor considerably decreased in humid environments, while the response for pristine and PdO loaded sensors increased. However, slightly heating (at 100 °C) the sensors, suppresses the influence of humidity. Finally, the long-term stability of different sensors is investigated, and the results demonstrate high stability with repeatable results after 6 weeks of gas sensing tests. This work exploits an attractive pathway to add functionality in the transition metal dichalcogenide host matrix

Failure propagation in GMPLS optical rings: CTMC model and performance analysis

Network reliability and resilience has become a key design parameter for network operators and Internet service providers. These often seek ways to have their networks fully operational for at least 99.999% of the time, regardless of the number and type of failures that may occur in their networks. This article presents a continuous-time Markov chain model to characterise the propagation of failures in optical GMPLS rings. Two types of failures are considered depending on whether they affect only the control plane, or both the control and data planes of the node. Additionally, it is assumed that control failures propagate along the ring infecting neighbouring nodes, as stated by the Susceptible-Infected-Disabled (SID) propagation model taken from epidemic-based propagation models. A few numerical examples are performed to demonstrate that the CTMC model provides a set of guidelines for selecting the appropriate repair rates in order to attain specific availability requirements, both in the control plane and the data plane.This work is partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation project TEC 2009-10724 and by the Generalitat de Catalunya research support programme (SGR-1202). Additionally, the authors would like to thank the support of the T2C2 Spanish project (under code TIN2008-06739-C04-01) and the CAM-UC3M Greencom research grant (under code CCG10-UC3M/TIC-5624) in the development of this work.Publicad