A phenomenological exploration into psychotherapists' experiences of their breath awareness in psychotherapy

At a time when the interest in mindfulness continues to rapidly expand, its development as a therapeutic tool appears significant to both therapists and their clients. By ‘going back’ to the experience of breath awareness, this study offered new perspectives. In this study I investigated psychotherapists’ breath awareness in psychotherapy with their clients. My aim was to provide a ‘bottom up’ approach to investigate participants’ experiences by examining the phenomena of breath itself in the context of psychotherapy and mindfulness. Participants were interviewed after a two week period of them paying attention to their breath. The accounts of their lived experiences provided rich data that were analysed by the utilisation of a qualitative methodology, namely interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The six participants were not given any training prior to taking part in the study. However they were guided to observe their experiences of breath awareness that could include the physiological, emotional, cognitive and context while in sessions with their clients. Participants were invited to keep a journal for their private use to record their experiences. The findings revealed several similar experiences across the group that pointed to the usefulness of psychotherapists’ breath awareness such as, experiences of developing self-awareness. Difficulties in breath awareness such as, discomfort in breathing and coping with clients’ distress were also explored. Themes revealed breath awareness related to: physical breath experiences, experiences of being present; developing awareness; regulating self and client as well as discomfort in breath awareness. Further sub-themes offered a detailed exploration into the accounts as expressed by the participants and the interpretation of their meaning making. The findings of this study related to various literature such as, empirical evidence, theory connected to clinical practice and Buddhist ancient perspectives. This study made a contribution as it offered a first of its kind, investigation into psychotherapists’ breath awareness within the context of therapy. It supported breath awareness as a method that can develop mindfulness. However within the context of IPA and qualitative research, limitations included that the findings cannot be related to the overall practice of mindfulness or meditation. The study is also limited by its reliance on the accuracy of participants’ self-reporting outcome

Precision Ephemerides For Gravitational Wave Searches: II. Cyg X-2

Accreting neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) are candidate high-frequency persistent gravitational wave sources. These may be detectable with next generation interferometers such as Advanced LIGO/VIRGO within this decade. However, the search sensitivity is expected to be limited principally by the uncertainty in the binary system parameters. We combine new optical spectroscopy of Cyg X-2 obtained with the Liverpool Telescope (LT) with available historical radial velocity data, which gives us improved orbital parameter uncertainties based on a 44-year baseline. We obtained an improvement of a factor of 2.6 in the orbital period precision and a factor of 2 in the epoch of inferior conjunction T_0. The updated orbital parameters imply a mass function of 0.65 +/- 0.01 M_sun, leading to a primary mass (M_1) of 1.67 +/- 0.22 M_sun (for i=62.5 +/- 4 deg). In addition, we estimate the likely orbital parameter precision through to the expected Advanced LIGO and VIRGO detector observing period and quantify the corresponding improvement in sensitivity via the required number of templates.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication by Ap

ON SITE EFFECTS OF SOIL EROSION IN TEA LANDS IN KANDY DISTRICT . AN ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT·

Soil erosion is a serious problem in many parts of Sri Lanka. It has numerous impacts oncrop productivity. economic growth, income distribution. food production etc. Tea lands inKandy district are highly susceptible to soil erosion due to several factors such as sloppynature. unstable soils. high rainfall and improper land uses. This study focused 011 aneconomic assessment of on site effects of soil erosion in tea lands in Kandy district andbased on secondary data on soil erosion. On site damage due to soil erosion was assessedusing Replacement Cost Approach.This study considered three categories of vegetatively propagated lea (VPTI, VPT2. VPT3).and another three categories of seedling tea (ST I. ST2. ST3) to assess on site damage dueto tea cultivation. According to the assessment on site damage due to lea cultivation inKandy district is Rs. 156X.1million (1.56X I Rs. Billion). Per hectare replacement costs forVPTI. VPT2. VPT3 are Rs. 1010.21016.45654 while for STI. ST2. ST3 are 7030.14322. 12X747 respectively.Net Present Value (NPV) criterion 'was used to examine the economic feasibility of soilconservation measures viz : stone walls. contour and leader drains. and biologicalconservation (SALT) by considering 10 percent discount rate and 5 years planning period.This study reveals that intcrnalisation or on site cost of soil erosion is acceptable if propersoil conservation methods were used under private accounting of conservationprogrammes.

Biology, population dynamics, vector potential and management of Ceratothripoides claratris on tomato in central Thailand

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Gravitational waves from Sco X-1: A comparison of search methods and prospects for detection with advanced detectors

The low-mass X-ray binary Scorpius X-1 (Sco X-1) is potentially the most luminous source of continuous gravitational-wave radiation for interferometers such as LIGO and Virgo. For low-mass X-ray binaries this radiation would be sustained by active accretion of matter from its binary companion. With the Advanced Detector Era fast approaching, work is underway to develop an array of robust tools for maximizing the science and detection potential of Sco X-1. We describe the plans and progress of a project designed to compare the numerous independent search algorithms currently available. We employ a mock-data challenge in which the search pipelines are tested for their relative proficiencies in parameter estimation, computational efficiency, robust- ness, and most importantly, search sensitivity. The mock-data challenge data contains an ensemble of 50 Scorpius X-1 (Sco X-1) type signals, simulated within a frequency band of 50-1500 Hz. Simulated detector noise was generated assuming the expected best strain sensitivity of Advanced LIGO and Advanced VIRGO ($4 \times 10^{-24}$ Hz$^{-1/2}$). A distribution of signal amplitudes was then chosen so as to allow a useful comparison of search methodologies. A factor of 2 in strain separates the quietest detected signal, at $6.8 \times 10^{-26}$ strain, from the torque-balance limit at a spin frequency of 300 Hz, although this limit could range from $1.2 \times 10^{-25}$ (25 Hz) to $2.2 \times 10^{-26}$ (750 Hz) depending on the unknown frequency of Sco X-1. With future improvements to the search algorithms and using advanced detector data, our expectations for probing below the theoretical torque-balance strain limit are optimistic.Comment: 33 pages, 11 figure

Structural and functional responses of xylem in Rhizophora mucronata Lam. seedlings under drought and hypersaline conditions

Water translocation in mangrove seedlings is often affected by water stress conditions such as drought, hyper-salinities and their frequent variations. This study was therefore aimed at studying the wood anatomical responses of xylem tissue and hydraulic conductivity of Rhizophora mucronata Lam., a common species in mangrove planting, under different levels of drought [25%, ~50% and ~100% of water holding capacity (WHC)] and soil salinity [high salinity (35 psu), moderate salinity (15 psu) and freshwater (0 psu)]. As wood anatomical responses, significantly higher vessel density, vessel grouping (P<0.001) along with narrow vessel elements (P<0.001) were observed in plants grown in the 25% and 50% WHCs and high salinity treatments. All these anatomical responses are more directed towards avoidance of vessel cavitation which is commonly found under water deficit conditions. The results showed that R. mucronata plants failed to maintain efficient transportation of water when the field capacity was 50% of WHC or lower and the level of salinity was 35 psu or greater, as evident by the reduction of water conductive areas, vessel areas and hydraulic conductivity (P<0.05). Overall, water use efficiency of R. mucronata seedlings under the imposed water stress conditions has remarkably reduced and it further indicated that such imposed stress conditions directly affect the survival of planted seedlings as depicted by the significantly low survival in 25% and 50% of WHCs and high salinity. Therefore, in-depth study on lagoon hydrology including inundation levels, water depth, salinity and the selection of correct tidal positioning is highly recommended as prerequisites in mangrove planting

Case Studies on Co-management of Artisanal Fisheries of Sri Lanka

Fisheries co-management is essentially the sharing of responsibilities and/or authority between the government and local resource users to manage the fishery resource. This strategy is recognized as a solution to the problems encountered in centralized top-down management approaches. In the 'stake net fishery' of Negombo estuary in Sri Lanka, an effective co-management strategy exists where the traditional practices of sharing fishing dates and sites among four community groups are reinforced by government regulations. In the same estuary, some fishers cultivate mangroves for obtaining twigs and branches for construction of brush parks, a traditional practice useful for mangrove conservation. In the kraal fishery of Madu Ganga estuary of Sri Lanka, traditional community-based management (CBM) system has disappeared in early 1970s due to various socioeconomic and political reasons. Through revitalization of features of CBM, a co-management strategy can be introduced to this fishery. The annual inland fish production of Sri Lanka has declined dramatically after 1990, when state patronage for the development of inland fisheries was discontinued for 4 years in the absence of state-sponsored monitoring procedure in the fishery. Fisheries co-management is therefore an effective means for the management of inland capture fishery of the country. A co-management strategy for the culture-based fisheries in non-perennial reservoirs of Sri Lanka is also suggested

A frog with three sex chromosomes that co-mingle together in nature: Xenopus tropicalis has a degenerate W and a Y that evolved from a Z chromosome

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Furman, B. L. S., Cauret, C. M. S., Knytl, M., Song, X. Y., Premachandra, T., Ofori-Boateng, C., Jordan, D. C., Horb, M. E., & Evans, B. J. (2020). A frog with three sex chromosomes that co-mingle together in nature: Xenopus tropicalis has a degenerate W and a Y that evolved from a Z chromosome. PLoS Genetics, 16(11), e1009121, doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1009121.In many species, sexual differentiation is a vital prelude to reproduction, and disruption of this process can have severe fitness effects, including sterility. It is thus interesting that genetic systems governing sexual differentiation vary among—and even within—species. To understand these systems more, we investigated a rare example of a frog with three sex chromosomes: the Western clawed frog, Xenopus tropicalis. We demonstrate that natural populations from the western and eastern edges of Ghana have a young Y chromosome, and that a male-determining factor on this Y chromosome is in a very similar genomic location as a previously known female-determining factor on the W chromosome. Nucleotide polymorphism of expressed transcripts suggests genetic degeneration on the W chromosome, emergence of a new Y chromosome from an ancestral Z chromosome, and natural co-mingling of the W, Z, and Y chromosomes in the same population. Compared to the rest of the genome, a small sex-associated portion of the sex chromosomes has a 50-fold enrichment of transcripts with male-biased expression during early gonadal differentiation. Additionally, X. tropicalis has sex-differences in the rates and genomic locations of recombination events during gametogenesis that are similar to at least two other Xenopus species, which suggests that sex differences in recombination are genus-wide. These findings are consistent with theoretical expectations associated with recombination suppression on sex chromosomes, demonstrate that several characteristics of old and established sex chromosomes (e.g., nucleotide divergence, sex biased expression) can arise well before sex chromosomes become cytogenetically distinguished, and show how these characteristics can have lingering consequences that are carried forward through sex chromosome turnovers.This work was supported by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN-2017-05770) (BJE), Resource Allocation Competition awards from Compute Canada (BJE), the Whitman Center Fellowship Program at the Marine Biological Laboratory (BJE), the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University (BJE), and National Institutes of Health grants R01-HD084409 (MEH) and P40-OD010997 (MEH). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript