This essay analyzes the performance of dhikr (the invocation of God through prayer, sons, and movement) in Aleppo, Syria, as an embodied practice mediated by specific repertoires of aesthetic and kinesthetic practices. In dhikr, aesthetic stimuli produce an experience of temporal transformation that participants narrate as "ecstasy." Performing dhikr also conditions a musical self, which in turn allows for the habituation of spiritual states. This suggests the importance of investigating the interface of embodied practices, temporality, and the aesthetics of spiritual practice. (Aesthetics, temporality, music, Islam, Syria).
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The primary taste cortex consists of the insula and operculum. Previous work has indicated that neurons in the primary taste cortex respond solely to sensory input from taste receptors and lingual somatosensory receptors. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we show here that expectancy modulates these neural responses in humans. When subjects were led to believe that a highly aversive bitter taste would be less distasteful than it actually was, they reported it to be less aversive than when they had accurate information about the taste and, moreover, the primary taste cortex was less strongly activated. In addition, the activation of the right insula and operculum tracked online ratings of the aversiveness for each taste. Such expectancy-driven modulation of primary sensory cortex may affect perceptions of external events.
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Western psychotherapy tends to regard the mind and mental distress in terms of differing theoretical models. Mental distress can be also be usefully viewed as the result of erroneous reification—the confusing of symbols and concepts with reality. This paper describes the theory and practice of analytic meditative therapy. Inspired by non-dual Buddhist and other eastern wisdom traditions, it uses meditative and cognitive processes to control anxiety, deconstruct reified symbols and encourage contemplative resting in non-dual mental space, where reality and its appearance are coemergent and coalesced but distinct, and healing occurs naturally without the need for any specific additional effort.
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Importance Concerns exist about the current quality of undergraduate medical education and its effect on students’ well-being.Objective To identify best practices for undergraduate medical education learning environment interventions that are associated with improved emotional well-being of students.
Data Sources Learning environment interventions were identified by searching the biomedical electronic databases Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and ERIC from database inception dates to October 2016. Studies examined any intervention designed to promote medical students’ emotional well-being in the setting of a US academic medical school, with an outcome defined as students’ reports of well-being as assessed by surveys, semistructured interviews, or other quantitative methods.
Data Extraction and Synthesis Two investigators independently reviewed abstracts and full-text articles. Data were extracted into tables to summarize results. Study quality was assessed by the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERQSI), which has a possible range of 5 to 18; higher scores indicate higher design and methods quality and a score of 14 or higher indicates a high-quality study.
Findings Twenty-eight articles including at least 8224 participants met eligibility criteria. Study designs included single-group cross-sectional or posttest only (n = 10), single-group pretest/posttest (n = 2), nonrandomized 2-group (n = 13), and randomized clinical trial (n = 3); 89.2% were conducted at a single site, and the mean MERSQI score for all studies was 10.3 (SD, 2.11; range, 5-13). Studies encompassed a variety of interventions, including those focused on pass/fail grading systems (n = 3; mean MERSQI score, 12.0), mental health programs (n = 4; mean MERSQI score, 11.9), mind-body skills programs (n = 7; mean MERSQI score, 11.3), curriculum structure (n = 3; mean MERSQI score, 9.5), multicomponent program reform (n = 5; mean MERSQI score, 9.4), wellness programs (n = 4; mean MERSQI score, 9.0), and advising/mentoring programs (n = 3; mean MERSQI score, 8.2).
Conclusions and Relevance In this systematic review, limited evidence suggested that some specific learning environment interventions were associated with improved emotional well-being among medical students. However, the overall quality of the evidence was low, highlighting the need for high-quality medical education research.
<p>Mindfulness has been associated with better psychological and physical health; although, the mechanisms of these benefits are poorly understood. We explored the role of mindfulness in stress-health pathways among undergraduates at a large public university. Participants reported on demographic and academic variables and completed data collection at two time points during the academic semester, approximately one month apart. At each collection, measures of mindfulness, perceived stress, and psychological well-being were gathered. Students provided two days of home-based saliva collection for assessment of cortisol. Mean scores were computed for each of the measures, over the two assessments. Hierarchical multiple regressions adjusting for GPA, hours of paid employment per week, minority status, and living situation explored the impact of mindfulness in our stress-health model. Students with higher dispositional mindfulness reported significantly less perceived stress and had lower overall mean diurnal cortisol. Mindfulness was associated with greater psychological well-being. Exploratory analyses suggested that future research should explore the potential mediating or moderating relationships between mindfulness, perceived stress, and cortisol. Findings suggest that mindfulness may help attenuate both psychological and physiological stress responses to college stress.</p>
The therapeutic efficacy of systemic drug delivery vehicles depends on their ability to evade the immune system, cross the biological barriers of the body and localize at target tissues. Leukocytes possess all of these functions and exert their targeting ability through cellular membrane interactions. Here we show that NanoPorous Silicon particles (NPS) can successfully perform all these actions when coated with cellular membranes purified from white blood cells. These hybrid particles called LeukoLike Vectors (LLV) were able to: prevent rapid clearance of phagocytic cells of the immune system; communicate with endothelial cells through receptor-ligand interaction; transport and release a payload across an inflamed reconstructed endothelium. Furthermore, LLV retained their functions when injected in vivo, showing enhanced circulation time and improved accumulation in the tumour.
The importance of emotion in the process of learning interpersonal communication in educational settings has been well documented. We administered the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (Schutte et al., 1998), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1980), and the Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale (Kirk et al., 2008) to 50 undergraduate education students who were enrolled in an elective course on emotional intelligence in education, at commencement and at the end of the course. Results showed an increase in emotional self-efficacy and emotional intelligence, but no increase in empathy. These results support the view that social emotional competence can be enhanced within an academic learning environment, thus providing students of education and perhaps other people-oriented professions with valuable preparation for future careers.
This book synthesizes current thinking about effective social and emotional education of young elementary school children. The book's chapters, by leading national experts, describe the range of programs and perspectives that can be used in elementary schools, focusing on concrete strategies and curricular-based programs that can be integrated into school life. The chapters are: (1) "Social and Emotional Education: Core Concepts and Practices" (Jonathan Cohen); (2) "Development in Context: Imagining the Child at Hand" (Barbara K. Eisold); (3) "School Climate and Social and Emotional Development in the Young Child" (Joy E. Fopiano and Norris M. Haynes); (4) "Helping Emotionally Vulnerable Children: Moving toward an Empathic Orientation in the Classroom" (Deborah Mugno and Donald Rosenblitt); (5) "Creating a Classroom Community Where Social Emotional Learning Thrives: The Case of the 'Cool Girls' List" (Ruth Charney and Roxann Kriete); (6) "Fostering Emotional Intelligence in the Classroom and School: Strategies from the Child Development Project" (Stefan Dasho, Catherine Lewis, and Marilyn Watson); (7) "Reach Out to Schools: A Social Competency Program" (Pamela Seigle); (8) "I Can Problem Solve (ICPS): A Cognitive Approach to the Prevention of Early High-Risk Behaviors" (Myrna B. Shure and Ann-Linn Glaser); (9) "PATHS in Your Classroom: Promoting Emotional Literacy and Alleviating Emotional Distress" (Carol A. Kusche and Mark T. Greenberg); (10) "Improving the Social and Intellectual Climate in Elementary Schools by Addressing Bully-Victim-Bystander Power Struggles" (Stuart W. Twemlow, Peter Fonagy, Frank C. Sacco, Martin L. Gies, and Debora Hess); (11) "Social and Emotional Learning: The Future Is Now" (Ronald J. Areglado); and (12) "Social and Emotional Literacy for All in the Twenty-First Century: A Challenge and a Necessity" (Jonathan Cohen). Each chapter contains references. (KB)
Devotion (bhakti) is the defining religious practice and central theological concept of the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition, and this article is about the catalytic event that is said to instigate bhakti in the non-devoted. I examine how Jlva GosvSmin (c. 1517-1608) and ViSvanatha Cakravartin (fl. 1679-1709), two important theologians in this tradition, argue that the cause of bhakti in the non-devoted is a meeting with a devotee. In this meeting, the non-devoted may develop conviction {Jraddha), which in turn gives him or her the motivation to continue along the path of bhakti, the steps of which were charted in the Bhaktirasamrtasindhu of Rupa Gosvamin (c. 1470-1555). Based on a few key passages from the Gaudiya's primary scriptural source, the Bhagavata Purana, Jiva and Viivanatha argue that this conviction for bhakti is developed spontaneously (yadrcchaya). Since the spontaneous conviction to practice bhakti can only occur in sadhu-sanga, or a meeting with a devotee, what causes that meeting? The devotee always acts freely and independently (like the Lord Krsna himself); thus his or her motivation to meet and inspire conviction in the non-devoted is not reducible to a divine plan, divine grace, the piety (or impiety) of the receiver, special features of the receiver's soul, high birth, or any other designation. Rather, the cause of sadhu-sanga is the bhakti "living in the heart" of a devotee. This bhakti makes the devotee feel compassion (krpa) toward the non-devoted, which leads him or her to provide sadhu-sanga, which then creates conviction (iraddha), which eventually leads to bhakti.
This chapter describes the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) approach to teaching learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) skills that involve intentional manipulation of their own environments in order to help them function more independently. The traditional cognitive terms that encompass these behaviors include inhibition, memory, attention, flexibility, planning, problem solving, and self-management. Using the principles and procedures of ABA, this chapter provides strategies for teaching these skills.
Purpose Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for common mental health problems that affect children, young people and adults. The suitability of CBT for children has been questioned because it requires children to think about their thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The purpose of this paper is to investigate which cognitive and affective capacities predict children?s ability to relate thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Design/methodology/approach A total of 59 typically developing children aged between 8 and 11 years took part in the study. CBT skills were assessed on a story task that required children to relate the character?s thoughts to their feelings and behaviours. Children also completed an assessment of IQ, a feeling-of-knowing metamemory task that assessed metacognition, and a higher-order theory of mind task. Furthermore, parents rated their child?s empathy on the children?s empathy quotient. Findings The findings suggest that CBT is developmentally appropriate for 8?11 year old children; however, young children and children with mental health problems may have impaired metacognition and CBT skills. Metacognition and empathy may moderate the efficacy of child CBT and warrant further investigation in clinical trials. Originality/value This study provides evidence for the cognitive and affective skills that might predict the outcome of CBT in children. Metacognition and empathy predict children?s ability to relate thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and therefore may moderate the efficacy of CBT.
Do you suffer from anxiety, depression, anorexia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or other mental health conditions rooted in out-of-control emotions?Are you looking for a detailed step by step program to combat your problems and don’t want to rely on medications only?
Have you tried everything else and your hopes for the future are not the brightest?
If you answered yes to at least one of the questions above, this guide was directly written for you.
Originally developed for the treatment of depression, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, has quickly become one of the most well-known and most effective treatments for all mental health conditions who are caused by cognitive distortions (depression, anxiety etc).
In 2014, Zhipei ZHU and colleagues from the Shanghai Mental Health Center found evidence that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has major benefits not only for the treatment of general depression, but also for general anxiety disorder.
Even compared to psychoactive medications, review studies have found CBT alone to be as effective for treating less severe forms of depression and anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), tics, substance abuse, eating disorders and borderline personality disorder, but without the potential negative side effects of the drugs.
Calcification rates in stony corals are expected to decline significantly in the near future due to ocean acidification. In this study we provide a global estimate of the decline in calcification of coral reefs as a result of increase in sea surface temperature and partial pressure of CO2. This estimate, unlike previously reported estimates, is based on an empirical rate law developed from field observations for gross community calcification as a function of aragonite degree of saturation (Ωarag), sea surface temperature and live coral cover. Calcification rates were calculated for more than 9,000 reef locations using model values of Ωarag and sea surface temperature at different levels of atmospheric CO2. The maps we produced show that by the time atmospheric partial pressure of CO2 will reach 560 ppm all coral reefs will cease to grow and start to dissolve.
<p>We used multiple methods to examine two questions about emotion and culture: (1) Which facial expressions are recognised cross-culturally; and (2) does the “forced-choice” method lead to spurious findings of universality? Forty participants in the US and 40 in India were shown 14 facial expressions and asked to say what had happened to cause the person to make the face. Analyses of the social situations given and of the affect words spontaneously used showed high levels of recognition for most of the expressions. A subsequent forced-choice task using the same faces confirmed these findings. Analysis of the pattern of magnitude, discreteness, and similarity of responses across cultures and expressions led to the conclusion that there is no neat distinction between cross-culturally recognisable and nonrecognisable expressions. Results are better described as a gradient of recognition.</p>
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Resilience may be viewed as a measure of stress coping ability and, as such, could be an important target of treatment in anxiety, depression, and stress reactions. We describe a new rating scale to assess resilience. The Connor-Davidson Resilience scale (CD-RISC) comprises of 25 items, each rated on a 5-point scale (0-4), with higher scores reflecting greater resilience. The scale was administered to subjects in the following groups: community sample, primary care outpatients, general psychiatric outpatients, clinical trial of generalized anxiety disorder, and two clinical trials of PTSD. The reliability, validity, and factor analytic structure of the scale were evaluated, and reference scores for study samples were calculated. Sensitivity to treatment effects was examined in subjects from the PTSD clinical trials. The scale demonstrated good psychometric properties and factor analysis yielded five factors. A repeated measures ANOVA showed that an increase in CD-RISC score was associated with greater improvement during treatment. Improvement in CD-RISC score was noted in proportion to overall clinical global improvement, with greatest increase noted in subjects with the highest global improvement and deterioration in CD-RISC score in those with minimal or no global improvement. The CD-RISC has sound psychometric properties and distinguishes between those with greater and lesser resilience. The scale demonstrates that resilience is modifiable and can improve with treatment, with greater improvement corresponding to higher levels of global improvement.
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The diffusion dynamics of nanocarriers in the vitreous and the influence of nanocarrier physicochemical properties on these dynamics is an important aspect of the efficacy of intravitreal administered nanomedicines for the treatment of posterior segment eye diseases. Here we use fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to determine liposome diffusion coefficients in the intact vitreous (DVit) of ex vivo porcine eyes using a modified Miyake-Apple technique to minimize the disruption of the vitreous fine structure. We chose to investigate whether the zeta potential of polyethylene glycol functionalized (i.e. PEGylated) liposomes altered liposome in situ diffusion dynamics in the vitreous. Non-PEGylated cationic nanocarriers have previously shown little to no diffusion in the vitreous, whilst neutral and anionic have shown diffusion. The liposomes investigated had diameters below 150nm and zeta potentials ranging from −20 to +12mV. We observed that PEGylated cationic liposomes had significantly lower DVit values (1.14μm2s−1) than PEGylated neutral and anionic liposomes (2.78 and 2.87μm2s−1). However, PEGylated cationic liposomes had a similar biodistribution profile across the vitreous to the other systems. These results show that PEGylated cationic liposomes with limited cationic charge can diffuse across the vitreous and indicate that the vitreous as a barrier to nanocarriers (Ø<500nm) is more complicated than simply an electrostatic barrier as previously suggested.
Assessing the cultural benefits provided by non-market ecosystem services can contribute previously unknown information to supplement conservation decision-making. The concept of sense of place embeds all dimensions of peoples’ perceptions and interpretations of the environment, such as attachment, identity or symbolic meaning, and has the potential to link social and ecological issues. This review contains: (1) an evaluation of the importance of sense of place as an ecosystem service; and (2) comprehensive discussion as to how incorporating sense of place in an evaluation can uncover potential benefits for both biodiversity conservation and human well-being. Sense of place provides physical and psychological benefits to people, and has neglected economic value. The biodiversity-related experiences are essential components of the service that need to be further explored. A conceptual framework was used to explore how the existing knowledge on sense of place derived from other fields can be used to inform conservation decision-making, but further research is needed to fill existing gaps in knowledge. This review contributes to a better understanding of the role biodiversity plays in human well-being, and should inform the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
Grade level: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, e, i, s, t.
Based on the view that social and emotional learning (sel) needs to be an integral part of middle school education, this book provides an overview to social and emotional learning and the development of middle school students, presents a representative range of sel programs and perspectives, and offers reflections on the current status of sel and possible directions to take in creating and improving programs and perspectives. The chapters are: (1) "Social and Emotional Learning Past and Present: a Psychoeducational Dialogue" (Jonathan Cohen); (2) "The Meaning of Development in Middle School" (William Solodow); (3) "Why sel Is the Better Way: The New Haven Social Development Program" (Timothy P. Shriver, Mary Schwab-Stone, and Karol DeFalco); (4) "Creating a
Based on the view that social and emotional learning (SEL) needs to be an integral part of middle school education, this book provides an overview to social and emotional learning and the development of middle school students, presents a representative range of SEL programs and perspectives, and offers reflections on the current status of SEL and possible directions to take in creating and improving programs and perspectives. The chapters are: (1) "Social and Emotional Learning Past and Present: A Psychoeducational Dialogue" (Jonathan Cohen); (2) "The Meaning of Development in Middle School" (William Solodow); (3) "Why SEL Is the Better Way: The New Haven Social Development Program" (Timothy P. Shriver, Mary Schwab-Stone, and Karol DeFalco); (4) "Creating a Positive School Climate: Strategies for Fostering Self-Esteem, Motivation, and Resilience" (Robert B. Brooks); (5) "Social Decision Making and Problem Solving: Essential Skills for Interpersonal and Academic Success" (Maurice Elias and Linda Bruene Butler); (6) "The Development of Responsibility in Early Adolescence: Approaches to Social and Emotional Learning in the Middle School" (Ruth Charney, Linda Crawford, and Chip Wood); (7) "Social and Emotional Learning: A Psychoanalytically Informed Perspective" (Steven Marans and Jonathan Cohen); (8) "Waging Peace in Our Schools: Social and Emotional Learning through Conflict Resolution" (Janet Patti and Linda Lantieri); (9) "Social, Emotional, and Political Learning" (Peggy McIntosh and Emily Style); (10) "The Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral (CEB) Framework for Promoting Acceptance of Diversity" (Norris M. Haynes and Steven Marans); (11) "Successful Implementation of SEL Programs: Lessons from the Thinking Skills Movement" (Ronald S. Brandt); and (12) "Learning about Social and Emotional Learning: Current Themes and Future Directions" (Jonathan Cohen). Each chapter contains references. (KB)
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