Investigation to Uncover the Electrophysiological Correlates of the Mediating Cognitive Factors, Responsible for the Immediate Emotional Enhancement of Memory

Emotional memories are powerful memories that have markedly different phenomenological characteristics, compared to neutral memories. Emotional memories are adaptive and serve to aid survival of organisms. Evidence suggests that emotional events tend to be remembered with a greater depth of sensory and perceptual detail. The phenomenon around such memories has therefore been coined, emotion-enhanced memory (EEM). Much of the research into EEM has focused on the long-term consolidating affects that emotions can have upon memory; with the modulation hypothesis being the predominant theory in the literature. However, it has been noted in the literature that emotional stimuli can also enhance short-term memories, immediately after test. It is suggested that the immediate EEM is driven by changes in the cognitive attributes of emotional stimuli, which facilitates encoding processes; this is known as the cognitive-mediating account of immediate EEM. This research aims to investigate three of the key cognitive mediating factors, implicated in the behavioural literature; distinctiveness, relatedness and attention. Using electrophysiological recordings and event-related potentials, this work aims to further the behavioural research and develop functional accounts of how these cognitive factors can influence the immediate EEM. The results suggest that distinctiveness plays a significant role in the immediate EEM and a functional two-step model is proposed to outline the mechanisms through which it exerts it influence. This works also suggests overt attentional resources play a key role, as part of distinctiveness processing. The results did however find, contrary to the behavioural literature, relatedness is unable to fully account for the immediate EEM. These results are interpreted as supporting a complimentary model of EEM, which involves both the cognitive-mediating account for the immediate EEM and the modulation hypothesis for long-term EEM. These findings are discussed in terms of the real-world implications that emotional memory research can have

Where I Tread

I studied abroad for two semesters during the 2011-2012 academic year; I spent the first semester in Bilbao, Spain and the second in Cork, Ireland. Over the course of this experience, I got to know my host cities, traveled widely, and wrote a lengthy blog about my experience. The blog covers not only my experiences but also observations and historical accounts: I connected what I did with the greater context of the places I was in. Study abroad proved to be transformative, something the blog shows. I have chosen to use the blog as the basis of my thesis because it tracks a coming-of-age story I believe many people share; I illustrate this with a selection of blog posts as well as an essay. I discuss the questions many people ask of themselves and of their cultures while traveling: in so doing, I have shown, in part, why travel is so important

Recovery of the Mersey Estuary from Metal Contamination

Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/596 on 27.03.2017 by CS (TIS)The Mersey Estuary has received significant quantities of industrial wastes and sewage over several decades. Although contaminant loads are reducing and the estuary is showing signs of recovery, the sediment reservoir remains a repository of historical contamination and still contains high concentrations of trace metals and organic compounds. A combination of hydrodynamic, sedimentary and geochemical processes are responsible for maintaining trace metal concentrations at present-day levels. The distributions of trace metals in bed sediments reflect changes in granulometry, differences in POC content and the magnitude of past inputs rather than the locations of point sources in the estuary. The association of contaminant metals with SPM varies not only with axial changes in salinity and particle concentration but also in response to the relative magnitudes of freshwater and tidal inflows and cyclic variations in water and particulate chemistry that occur on intratidal, intertidal and seasonal timescales. The most influential of these arise from axial changes in dissolved oxygen and the delivery of organic carbon from both external and internal sources which modify the relative degree of sorptive control exerted by Fe, Mn and organic C at different locations in the estuary and at different times. These factors, combined with the efficient trapping o f sediments and possible salting out of neutral metal-organic complexes, assist in the retention and internal recycling of particles and associated metals between the bed and water column. Geochemical reactivity is suppressed in Mersey SPM and metal decontamination is not predicted to occur through the loss of particulate metals to the surrounding coastal zone. Rather, it is envisaged that sediment resuspension and the desorption of metals into fresh and low salinity waters, supplemented by the release of metals from tidally stirred diagenetically modified sediments, are more likely to be important long term cleansing mechanisms, with the latter occurring particularly during the summer months when bacterial numbers and the degradation of accumulated organic detritus becomes more pronounced. Future declines in metals from bed sediments have been estimated using two methods and two independent data sets. Resulting values are not only metal-dependent but also vary with sediment location. Losses of Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, Ni and Zn are predicted to take up to 40 years, whilst removal of substantially elevated concentrations of Pb in sediments in the upper estuary could span hundreds of years.UK Environment Agency (North West Region

Context-Dependent Sexual Changes During Women's Midlife Transitions

For women, midlife represents an important stage of transition, including shifts in physiological, social, and sexual experiences. Prior research demonstrates that women’s sexuality is more dynamic and context-dependent than men’s. Most research focused on women’s sexuality in mid- to later-life emphasizes physiological changes, while largely ignoring changes stemming from social, psychological, and relational contexts. The present study examined midlife women’s diverse sexual experiences within the context of their lives. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 27 women, ages 39-57 and used interpretive phenomenological analysis to investigate perceptions and interpretations of midlife sexual experiences and changes. Themes included changes in sexual engagement, unwanted sexual experiences, body image, and sexual healthcare. Participants reported changes in frequency of sex and sexual desire within the context of their diverse social roles and identities, prior intimate relationships, and sexual health. Women contrasted perceptions of their own bodies with societal perceptions of sexiness. Frequently reported negative experiences with sexual healthcare informed a distrust of healthcare systems. The diverse and changing nature of participants’ experiences supports prior evidence of sexual fluidity and context-dependence. By questioning societal expectations around sexuality and body image, participants illustrated the potential of counternarratives to combat dominant beliefs and stereotypes about midlife women’s sexuality. To improve sexual health and education, psychoeducational interventions and improved training for healthcare professionals are needed