Self-compassion : What meaning and role does it play in the lives of women who experience anxiety and depression in the perinatal period

With one in five Australian women suffering from perinatal anxiety and depression, there is a constant need for a greater understanding of the lived experience of motherhood. This research investigated the role and meaning of self-compassion in the lives of women in the perinatal period who experience anxiety, depression and psychological distress. There is a growing body of evidence to support findings that self-compassion is an important source of emotional and psychological well-being, but little evidence on the potential role it plays in the lives of women in the perinatal period. A qualitative approach was chosen to undertake this research and the methodology selected was Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). IPA is widely used in health psychology to gain an understanding of individuals’ lived experiences in times of developmental change; such as motherhood. Four participants were recruited for in-depth interviews to gain an understanding of their motherhood experience. The results of the study revealed an overarching Super-ordinate theme “Casting Shadows over Motherhood” and identified three major ordinate themes that had a negative impact on the experience of motherhood; emotional suffering, unmet expectations and unhelpful views of self. The themes provide an insight into the lack of self-compassion that was evident in all of the participant’s experiences of motherhood and presents an opportunity for further research into prevention and treatment, of perinatal anxiety and depression, through the use of a therapeutic model based on self-compassion

Over-the-counter medication in children: friend or foe?

No Abstract

WAVELENGTH DEPENDENCE IN OPTICAL TWEEZERS

Optical trapping forces are dependent upon the difference between the trap wavelength and the extinction (scattering plus absorption) resonances of a trapped particle. This leads to a wavelength-dependent trapping force, which should allow for the optimization of optical tweezers systems, simply by choosing the best trapping wavelength for a given experiment. Although optical forces due to a near-resonant laser beam have been extensively studied for atoms, the situation for larger particles has not been explored experimentally. The ability to selectively trap certain particles with a given extinction peak may have many practical applications. Here, resonance-based trapping is investigated using nanoshells, particles with a dielectric core and metallic coating that exhibit tunable plasmon resonances, and with silica and polystyrene beads. A measure of the trap strength was realized for single particles trapped in three dimensions, and near-resonant trapping was investigated by measuring the trap strength as a function of trap wavelength. Since the resulting trapping is highly temperature dependent, this necessitated temperature measurements of single optically trapped particles. To make these measurements a new optical tweezer apparatus was designed and constructed; the apparatus has wavelength tunability and was used to study these resonance effects. Optical trap stiffness, which is analogous to the spring constant of a stable trap, is measured for trapped particles that exhibit either single or multiple extinction resonances. The applications of this apparatus are not limited to force spectroscopy. Other measurement systems and techniques could be easily implemented into the custom-built apparatus, allowing for the measurement of various properties of single optically trapped particles as a function of wavelength

Muscle dysmorphia: Current insights

Since 1997, there has been increasing research focused on Muscle Dysmorphia, a condition underpinned by people’s beliefs they have insufficient muscularity, in both the Western and non-western medical and scientific communities. Much of this empirical interest has surveyed nonclinical samples, and there is limited understanding of people with the condition beyond knowledge about their characteristics. Much existing knowledge about people with the condition is unsurprising and inherent in the definition of the disorder, such as dissatisfaction with muscularity and adherence to muscle-building activities. Only recently have investigators started to explore questions beyond these limited tautological findings that may give rise to substantial knowledge advances, such as the examination of masculine and feminine norms. There is limited understanding of additional topics such as etiology, prevalence, nosology, prognosis, and treatment. Further, the evidence is largely based on a small number of unstandardized case reports and descriptive studies (involving small samples), largely confined to Western (North American, British, and Australian) males. Although much research has been undertaken since the term Muscle Dysmorphia entered the psychiatric lexicon in 1997, there remains tremendous scope for knowledge advancement. A primary task in the short term is for investigators to examine the extent that the condition exists among well-defined populations to help determine the justification for research funding relative to other public health issues. A greater variety of research questions and designs may contribute to a broader and more robust knowledge base than currently exists. Future work will help clinicians assist a group of people whose quality of life and health is placed at risk by their muscular preoccupation

Source processes of three aftershocks of the 1983 Goodnow, New York, earthquake: High-resolution images of small, symmetric ruptures

Broadband, large dynamic range GEOS data from four aftershocks (M_L ∼ 2 to 3) of the 1983 Goodnow, New York, earthquake, recorded at hard-rock sites 2 to 7 km away from the epicentral area, are used to study rupture processes of three larger events, with an M_L = 1.6 event as the Green's function event. We analyze the spectra and spectral ratios of ground velocity at frequencies up to 100 Hz, and conclude that (1) there are resolvable P-wave f_(max) (51 and 57 Hz) at two sites; (2) there is abundant information on sources of larger events up to frequencies of 50 to 60 Hz; and (3) there is an unstable, nonlinear instrument resonance at about 90 Hz. We analyze the artifacts of low-pass filters in the deconvolved rupture process, including the limited time resolution and biases in the rise-time measurement. Some extensions of the empirical Green's function (EGF) method are proposed to reduce these artifacts and to precisely estimate the relative locations of events that are close both in time and in space. Applying the EGF method to three aftershocks, we find that these events have ruptures that are simple crack-like, characterized by small fault radii (∼ 70 to 120 m) and static stress drops that vary, depending on the size of the events, between about 5 to 16 bars. We also find that two of the events, with origin times differing by 0.60 sec, are separated by 190 ± 110 meters. Assuming a causal relationship between the two would result in a slow propagation velocity (0.05 ± 0.03 time of the local shear-wave velocity). We therefore interpret the corresponding ruptures as being distinct, the area between the rupturing patches having a characteristic length much smaller than those of the rupturing patches. Comparison of the results of this study with those obtained for the Goodnow main shock and microearthquakes in California and Hawaii suggests that the stress drops of the Goodnow aftershocks decrease considerably (by up to a factor of 25 or more) from those estimated for the main shock, even after the estimated large uncertainty in the latter estimates is considered. This decrease is similar to those reported for the Nahanni earthquakes (m_b = 5.0 to 6.5) in Northwest Territories and for the North Palm Springs earthquake (M_L = 5.9) sequence in California. The stress drops of the simple, crack like microearthquakes are significantly variable (by factors between 3 and 27) within the single source areas. The median of stress drops of the intraplate Goodnow aftershocks is lower (by factors of 2 to 4) than the medians calculated for the other, interplate microearthquake sequences

Beyond The Muscles: Exploring the Meaning and Role of Muscularity in Identity

Muscularity is an ever-growing concern and desire for both men and women in modern society. When we think of muscular desires we are instantly drawn to images of large, lean, attractive physiques. A want for a muscular physique, however, is potentially more complex and may be interpreted and expressed differently by various individuals. To better understand this potential diversity, the purpose of this current thesis was to explore the personal meanings of muscularity in those invested in weight training. The research questions that helped address this aim were: What different muscular projects are the participants invested in? How do the participants frame their muscularity in the context of their lives and identities? How do the participants’ stories of muscular desire develop over time? Three qualitative studies were conducted to answer these questions; an autoethnography, a life-history study, and an ethnography. Across the studies, 22 participants (including myself) were interviewed and shared the narratives that framed their muscular desires. Additionally, I conducted 16 months of participant observations in two weight lifting gyms. Collecting rich qualitative data from myself and others in different weight training subcultures provided an insight into the personal experiences, the different muscular projects, and the identity-related meanings associated with muscularity. The first study presents an autoethnography that shares my relationship with muscularity and how a muscular physique became intertwined with a fluid sense of masculinity that permeated several social identities. A strong muscular physique was engrained in my developing masculine identity. This construction of masculinity was initially guided by my observations and interactions with my father and was further shaped by the social comparisons and experiences I faced in different social fields (e.g., sport and the gym). Building muscle became a resource and form of masculine capital that helped me construct my masculinity and address any related conflicts within multiple contexts, such as a rugby player, gym user, and a personal trainer. The autoethnography provides a personal insight into the development of my muscular desires and their role in constructing and resolving various masculinity-infused identities. The life-history study shares the stories of 10 male weight trainers. The men appeared to frame their muscular desires within a masculine performance narrative. Like my story, within these men’s masculine performances, muscularity was crucial source of masculine capital with which they could construct and act out desired masculine-infused identities (e.g., as men, rugby players, and weight trainers). Additionally, the life-history study presents the different muscular projects that these men invested in, which placed varying emphasis on muscular appearance and functionality. The life-history study also expands on the idea of identity conflicts presented in the autoethnography study and shares 3 realignment narratives that reflected attempts to overcoming threats to masculinity (e.g., injury) and reinstating an overall masculine performances. The life-history study proposes the different narratives men may construct to maintain, protect, and perform their muscular masculine identities The final ethnographical study demonstrates the sociocultural processes that shaped different subcultural muscular projects and facilitated the construction of distinctive training identities epitomised by varying emphases on muscular appearance and functionality. Additionally, the ethnography shared 3 socially dependent narrative themes (internalist, compensator, and promoter) that represented the meanings assigned to muscularity within the participants’ identity performance narratives. The different narrative themes applied to their performance narratives allowed the participants to make sense of their muscular desires in multiple social contexts and draw on muscularity as a form of identity capital. Making sense of their muscularity as a resource for internal strength, compensation, and self-promotion facilitated the construction, mastery, and coherent performance of their multiple identities both inside and outside the weight training environment. The current thesis contributes to the literature by suggesting that muscularity desires consist of different muscular projects, which have many, broader, identity-related meanings than existing research and conceptualisations may portray. The building of muscularity appears to be driven by more than superficial aesthetic reasons and not restricted to atavistic masculine identities, as is apparent in existing muscularity literature. Instead the current thesis findings propose that muscularity is a versatile source of identity capital with which individuals can construct, resolve, and perform multiple identities in various social contexts (e.g., occupational, parental, and gendered). It also apparent that the narratives that frame the participants’ muscular projects and desires are socially constructed over their life course by familial role models (e.g., the father) and the processes within their social fields (e.g., subcultural heroes). The various socially constructed identity narratives and meanings demonstrated in the current studies suggest that people’s relationship with muscularity cannot be generalised, which too often is the goal of existing contemporary muscle research. Instead we could benefit from embracing diversity and understanding the broad narratives that encapsulate the different meanings people assign to a muscular physique

Superconductivity in Co-doped LaFeAsO

Here we report the synthesis and basic characterization of LaFe1-xCoxAsO for several values of x. The parent phase LaFeAsO orders antiferromagnetically (TN ~ 145 K). Replacing Fe with Co is expected to both electron dope the system and introduce disorder in the FeAs layer. For x = 0.05 antiferromagnetic order is destroyed and superconductivity is observed at Tconset = 11.2 K. For x = 0.11 superconductivity is observed at Tc(onset) = 14.3 K, and for x = 0.15 Tc = 6.0 K. Superconductivity is not observed for x = 0.2 and 0.5, but for x = 1, the material appears to be ferromagnetic (Tc ~ 56 K) as judged by magnetization measurements. We conclude that Co is an effective dopant to induce superconductivity. Somewhat surprisingly, the system appears to tolerate considerable disorder in the FeAs planes.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figure