The mechanisms and processes of connection: developing a causal chain model capturing impacts of receiving recorded mental health recovery narratives.

BACKGROUND: Mental health recovery narratives are a core component of recovery-oriented interventions such as peer support and anti-stigma campaigns. A substantial number of recorded recovery narratives are now publicly available online in different modalities and in published books. Whilst the benefits of telling one's story have been investigated, much less is known about how recorded narratives of differing modalities impact on recipients. A previous qualitative study identified connection to the narrator and/or to events in the narrative to be a core mechanism of change. The factors that influence how individuals connect with a recorded narrative are unknown. The aim of the current study was to characterise the immediate effects of receiving recovery narratives presented in a range of modalities (text, video and audio), by establishing the mechanisms of connection and the processes by which connection leads to outcomes. METHOD: A study involving 40 mental health service users in England was conducted. Participants were presented with up to 10 randomly-selected recovery narratives and were interviewed on the immediate impact of each narrative. Thematic analysis was used to identify the mechanisms of connection and how connection leads to outcome. RESULTS: Receiving a recovery narrative led participants to reflect upon their own experiences or those of others, which then led to connection through three mechanisms: comparing oneself with the narrative and narrator; learning about other's experiences; and experiencing empathy. These mechanisms led to outcomes through three processes: the identification of change (through attending to narrative structure); the interpretation of change (through attending to narrative content); and the internalisation of interpretations. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to identify mechanisms and processes of connection with recorded recovery narratives. The empirically-based causal chain model developed in this study describes the immediate effects on recipients. This model can inform selection of narratives for use in interventions, and be used to support peer support workers in recounting their own recovery narratives in ways which are maximally beneficial to others

an introduction to personalized ehealth

Personalized medicine can be defined as the adaptation of medical treatments to the specific characteristics of patients. This approach allows health providers to develop therapies and interventions by taking into account the heterogeneity of illnesses and external factors such as the environment, patients' needs, and lifestyle. Technology could play an important role to achieve this new approach to medicine. An example of technology's utility regards real-time monitoring of individual well-being (subjective and objective), in order to improve disease management through data-driven personalized treatment recommendations. Another important example is an interface designed based on patient's capabilities and preferences. These could improve patient-doctor communication: on one hand, patients have the possibility to improve health decision-making; on the other hand, health providers could coordinate care services more easily, because of continual access to patient's data. This contribution deepens these technologies and related opportunities for health, as well as recommendation for successful development and implementation

Low-temperature recombination luminescence of La-doped Ca2_2SnO4_4

Low-temperature ultraviolet-excited photoluminescence (PL) and recombination luminescence (RL) properties of La-doped Ca$_2$SnO$_4$ have been investigated by luminescence, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and optically-detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) techniques. Two PL and RL bands at 340 nm and 450 nm have been observed. PL excitation spectra measurements with a synchrotron source showed a significant difference between the 450 nm and the 340 nm PL bands. The 450 nm band has a long-lasting hyperbolic decay, while the 350 nm band shows a fast decay. Assuming an excitonic nature of the 340 nm band, the band gap of the Ca$_2$SnO$_4$:La has been estimated to be approximately 5.5 eV. ODMR measurements suggest that the low-temperature RL band at 450 nm is caused by tunnelling recombination of electron trap and hole trap centres, and the recombination energy is transferred to Sn$^{2+}$ luminescence centres

Temperature and impurity concentration effects on upconversion luminescence in LaInO[3] doped with Er{3+}

In this paper a novel method for synthesis of LaInO[3] : Er{3+} is reported and upconversion luminescence properties of the synthesized material at different temperatures (9–300 K) are studied. The samples were prepared by co-precipitation and subsequent heat treatment of lanthanum, indium and erbium hydroxides. It is shown that the excitation at 980 nm leads to a strong green upconversion luminescence in the material. At the concentrations above 0.1 mol % of Er{3+} the energy transfer upconversion mechanism of the luminescence becomes evident. Further increase of Er3+ content in the material leads to higher red-to-green upconversion luminescence intensity ratio. The mechanisms responsible for the observed variation are discussed

Temperature and impurity concentration effects on upconversion luminescence in LaInO₃ doped with Er³⁺

In this paper a novel method for synthesis of LaInO₃:Er³⁺ is reported and upconversion luminescence properties of the synthesized material at different temperatures (9–300 K) are studied. The samples were prepared by co-precipitation and subsequent heat treatment of lanthanum, indium and erbium hydroxides. It is shown that the excitation at 980 nm leads to a strong green upconversion luminescence in the material. At the concentrations above 0.1 mol. % of Er³⁺ the energy transfer upconversion mechanism of the luminescence becomes evident. Further increase of Er³⁺ content in the material leads to higher red-to-green upconversion luminescence intensity ratio. The mechanisms responsible for the observed variation are discussed

Associations of positive affect and negative affect with allostatic load:A Lifelines Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: Allostatic load (AL) reflects the deteriorating influences of stress on the body, and comprises a selection of biological markers. AL is associated with negative life events, stress, and negative affect (NA), as well as poor health outcomes. However, whether AL is also associated with positive affect (PA) is not clear. The present study therefore explores the association between PA and AL, accounting for age, sex, NA, and health behaviors. METHODS: Data of 45,225 individuals from the first wave of the multi-disciplinary prospective population-based cohort study Lifelines were used. AL was operationalized as the sum of twelve inflammatory, cardiovascular, and metabolic markers. The association between PA and AL was tested in a cross-sectional study design using multiple linear regression analysis, adjusting for NA, confounders, and health behaviors. In addition, we explored whether the relation was moderated by age, sex and NA. RESULTS: The AL profile was inversely associated with PA (B = -0.083, p<.001), when adjusted for NA, age, sex. The association between AL and PA remained significant after adjusting for health behaviors (B = -0.076, p<.001). A significant moderating effect was found for sex (PA x sex: B= 0.046, p=.001), indicating that the association between PA and AL was stronger in women than in men. CONCLUSIONS: PA was associated with a more favorable AL profile, especially in women. These results add to the evidence that PA might be of relevance to the etiology of disease

Temperature and impurity concentration effects on upconversion luminescence in LaInO 3

In this paper a novel method for synthesis of LaInO[3] : Er{3+} is reported and upconversion luminescence properties of the synthesized material at different temperatures (9–300 K) are studied. The samples were prepared by co-precipitation and subsequent heat treatment of lanthanum, indium and erbium hydroxides. It is shown that the excitation at 980 nm leads to a strong green upconversion luminescence in the material. At the concentrations above 0.1 mol % of Er{3+} the energy transfer upconversion mechanism of the luminescence becomes evident. Further increase of Er3+ content in the material leads to higher red-to-green upconversion luminescence intensity ratio. The mechanisms responsible for the observed variation are discussed

Acute stress responses after indirect exposure to the MH17 airplane crash

People can experience disasters vicariously (indirectly) via conversation, social media, radio, and television, even when not directly involved in a disaster. This study examined whether vicarious exposure to the MH17-airplane crash in Ukraine, with 196 Dutch victims, elicited affective and somatic responses in Dutch adults about 2,600 km away, who happened to participate in an ongoing diary study. Participants (n = 141) filled out a diary three times a day for 30 days on their smartphones. Within-person changes in positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) and somatic symptoms after the crash were studied. Additionally, we tested whether between-person differences in response could be explained by age, baseline personality (NEO-FFI-3), and media exposure. The MH17 crash elicited a small within-person decrease in PA and an increase in NA and somatic symptoms. This response waned after 3 days and returned to baseline at day four. The decrease in PA was larger in more extraverted participants but smaller in those higher on neuroticism or conscientiousness. The NA response was smaller in elderly. Personality did not seem to moderate the NA and somatic response, and neither did media exposure. Dutch participants showed small acute somatic and affective responses up till 3 days to a disaster that they had not directly witnessed. Vicariously experienced disasters can thus elicit affective-visceral responses indicative of acute stress reactions. Personality and age explained some of the individual differences in this reaction