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Dr Raymond Palmer | Reducing Chemical Intolerance: Seven Steps to Creating a Clean Air Oasis

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About this episode

We spend more than 90% of our time indoors and often, the air that we breathe indoors is more polluted than that outside. Individuals with chemical intolerance may experience an array of symptoms following exposure to toxicants commonly found inside the home from smoke, cleaning products, fragranced products, and other chemicals. The symptoms of chemical intolerance are varied but include headaches, mood changes, fatigue, “brain fog”, and stomach difficulties. More

Researchers at UT Health San Antonio, USA, have demonstrated that improving indoor air quality reduces the symptoms of chemical intolerance. One of their most important recommendations is to create a clean air oasis in your own home to ensure the air that you breathe is as free as possible from smoke, chemicals, fragrances, and other common indoor pollutants.

The researchers propose seven key steps to creating a clean air oasis in your home.

Step 1: Pick a Room

This should be the room in which you spend most of your time. For many people, this is the bedroom. While you should bring in clean air wherever possible (e.g., by opening windows), you should avoid doing this when pollen, humidity or pollution levels are high.

Step 2: Eliminate Indoor Air Pollutants

You should remove all products that have strong odors including cleaning and laundry products, pesticides, perfume/cologne, scented lotions, deodorants, cosmetics, candles, and air fresheners (even plug-ins and diffusers). You should also avoid aerosol sprays such as hairspray, as their tiny droplets are easily inhaled.

Step 3: Do Not Permit Pets Inside the Oasis

Our pets can trigger asthma, allergies, and other problems, so should not be allowed inside the clean air oasis.

Step 4: Clean Safely

You should only use fragrance-free products for cleaning and doing laundry. It is best to do cleaning and vacuuming when sensitive individuals are not in the immediate area. You should also remember to ventilate during and after cleaning.

Step 5: Avoid Burning Anything Indoors

Smoke and combustion gases can irritate the lungs, so you should not permit smoking, vaping, or burning candles or incense. You should also avoid the use of fireplaces, open-flame gas heaters, and unvented water heaters.

To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, you should never heat your home using a gas stove, gas oven, or Hibachi. Electric stoves and electric heaters, when used properly, are a better health option.

Step 6: Go the Extra Mile

An air purifier with high-efficiency particulate air and charcoal filters can remove some pollutants. You should keep the purifier running while the room is occupied, even overnight, and remember to bring in clean outside air whenever possible. In addition, check and change/clean filters as needed/recommended.

Step 7: Learn More

Finally, many of our choices affect the quality of air that we breathe. So, it is useful to learn how to remove fragrances from fabrics, stop pests without using pesticides, control humidity, and mold, and find safer products for home repair or remodeling. You can find further guidance on this at https://tiltresearch.org/

Contact

For more information, contact Dr. Raymond Palmer at palmerr@uthscsa.edu

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Dr Stella Laletas | How High-conflict Divorce Can Impact Children: Understanding the Perspective of Teachers

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About this episode

As in many countries, divorce is commonplace in Australia. A substantial proportion of divorces involve children under the age of 18, and for 5–25% of children, this comes with the added difficulty of exposure to high levels of parental conflict. Such conflict can include legal disputes and ongoing disagreements over living arrangements. Unfortunately, the negative impacts on the child’s cognitive, emotional, social and psychological development can endure not only throughout their school years but into adulthood.More

Dr Stella Laletas of the Faculty of Education at Monash University in Australia sees that teachers and the school system are critical in identifying and supporting children at risk of not meeting their developmental and academic potential. Through their day-to-day work, teachers are uniquely placed to provide rich insights into each child’s development and overall wellbeing as well as their interactions with other children and their parents.

Nonetheless, there is an important gap in the literature regarding teachers’ experiences of working with children in high-conflict divorce contexts. Dr Laletas sought to address this by exploring the experiences of five primary school teachers working with children exposed to high levels of parental conflict before, during and after divorce/separation using semi-structured interviews.

The responses from the teachers were analysed using a qualitative approach known as Interpretative Phenomenology Analysis, which allows researchers to explore how individuals make sense of their experiences through personal stories.

Dr Laletas and her team uncovered valuable insights into some of the personal and professional challenges experienced by teachers and also their professional concerns about the impact of high-conflict divorce on children. For example, the teachers discussed how differences in approaches to parenting between parents can lead to children being confused and lacking confidence in how they approach activities in the classroom, and other behavioural and social difficulties.

Dr Laletas notes that for children who are ill-equipped to regulate and express their emotions and fears, the teachers reported the confident use of strategies to help children respond more appropriately. This is consistent with an overall increase in focus on social and emotional learning in schoolchildren and an appreciation of the impact of this on academic outcomes and general wellbeing.

But despite the heartfelt compassion and informed strategies offered by the teachers, they also reported feeling not being adequately trained to teach children experiencing these types of difficulties. The personally negative consequences of working with children in these situations included feeling distress, guilt, and at times, even a sense of failure.

The emotional intensity of caring for, and caring about children can be immense. Dr Laletas points out that this can place teachers at risk of burnout and she makes critical recommendations targeting different levels of the school system to better support teachers involved in the education of vulnerable children.

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Dr Daniel Suiter – Dr Brian Forschler | Identifying and Preventing Arthropod Encounters in South-eastern USA Homes

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SciPod · Identifying and Preventing Arthropod Encounters in South-eastern USA Homes

About this episode

Arthropods – a group of invertebrates that includes insects, spiders, centipedes and woodlice – are everywhere, and have inhabited this planet for millions of years. They are found in most habitats on Earth – including our gardens and homes. It is in these built environments that a small number are considered a nuisance when sharing our ‘sacred space’. An even smaller number damage buildings or belongings, eat our food – even feed on us – so we label them… pests! Successful management of pest populations requires an understanding of their specific lifestyles and their requirements for food, water, shelter, breeding sites, and favourable temperatures. A team of entomologists at the University of Georgia recently published a guidebook of more than 100 arthropods found in and around homes in the South-eastern USA. More

The incredible success of insects and other arthropods is rooted in a handful of unique characteristics. They have protective armour – the exoskeleton – which makes them less vulnerable to damage. They reproduce quickly and are small, allowing them to hide easily. Many can fly, which gives them the ability to escape predators and move to new environments. Finally, some arthropod species are now tolerant of many insecticides, as these biocides have been relied upon to reduce their pestiferous activities.

Worldwide, there are millions of arthropod species, representing 80% of all known animals. The astonishing number of species hints at the array of different lifestyles they employ. Some arthropods spend their youth swimming in puddles. Others spend their lives underground. Some build giant nests and live in complex societies that farm other insects or fungi.

With such a remarkable array of arthropod lifestyles, it is little wonder that a few of those millions of species can – and will – attempt to share the human living space. A few species have consequences greater than a mere irritation. Some species may enjoy munching on the wood supporting our homes. Others prefer to eat our woollen jumpers, or cereals stored in our cupboards. Mosquitoes, bed bugs, and mites are examples of arthropods that can give painful or itchy bites, cause allergic reactions, spread diseases or cause mental anguish.

Regardless of why certain arthropods are considered pests, managing them involves a good understanding of their lifestyle habits and life-support requirements, to devise an action plan with appropriate interventions. To provide this information to the residents of South-eastern USA, Daniel Suiter, Brian Forschler, Lisa Ames and Richard Hoebeke at the University of Georgia created a detailed pest guide for the region.

Their guide includes information about each of the arthropod species that may be considered pests in and around homes, including how to recognise signs and symptoms of their presence. They emphasise tips to help residents prevent pests before they move in and begin causing problems.

The authors tell us that pest infestations are associated with one or more conditions that promote survival and reproduction of a particular type of arthropod. Three life-support requirements can be assessed to provide information on why pests may be sharing our homes.

The first one is temperature. Like us, arthropods have a suitable temperature range. If conditions are too hot or too cold, they cannot survive and reproduce successfully. Sufficient food and water are also needed. Arthropods have a wide variety of diets and water requirements, which can be used to predict what pest species may favour particular household environments. For example, the thick wooden joists in houses make a delicious meal for termites and some beetle species. Finally, arthropods need shelter, both to hide in for safety and sometimes for housing their young. Even tiny crevices, cracks and gaps can become havens for arthropods thanks to their diminutive size.

Our homes often provide everything pests need to thrive. When these requirements are readily available and accessible, pest problems are more likely to arise. Therefore, by limiting pest access to food, water and shelter in and around the home, many infestations can be prevented or even eliminated. Although every home is different, some precautionary measures are universal.

The authors suggest keeping human and pet foods in sealed containers, and maintaining a clean environment free from spills and food waste. This could help to prevent attracting several species of cockroach and flies that favour our food products and food waste.

Specific locations in and around the home are more likely to become shelter for arthropods. These preferred locations are usually protected from air currents – which can have a drying effect on arthropods. Crawlspaces and spaces inside walls provide hospitable areas for arthropods to hide. Crevices and gaps inside the home, such as behind appliances or cabinets, behind or inside furniture, or between cluttered belongings, can also provide a safe place for pests. Sealing gaps and clearing clutter could therefore reduce the potential sheltering areas for arthropod pests.

Garden features that provide sheltering spaces – such as paving stones, thick mulch, and dense groundcovers – can also harbour potential pests that may then move into the home. The authors suggest keeping all these garden features away from the foundations of the home, to reduce the likelihood of the pests making the move from outside to inside. They suggest that many of these features unintentionally increase and maintain higher moisture levels close to the home when placed alongside it, further increasing encounters with pests.

Excessive and persistent moisture is an important condition for many types of pest infestations to establish. Persistently damp areas may allow fungi and microbes to flourish, providing an abundant food source for many arthropods. For example, drain flies are often found breeding in toilet tanks and bathroom sink drains that have been unused for a while or not thoroughly cleaned. By remedying leaks, condensation, gaps around windows and clogged gutters, homeowners can deter pest species that favour damp conditions.

The team’s guide provides comprehensive information about pest species and preventing infestations in the home. However, sometimes even our best efforts are unsuccessful. They also include practical advice about managing pests after identifying an infestation, including tips on hiring a professional. This comprehensive guidebook has been helping home and business owners in South-eastern USA take the sting out of pest control since 2019, and could provide an example for the creation of similar guides for other regions.

Original Article Reference

This Audio is a summary of the bulletin ‘Arthropods of the Southeastern Home and Landscape’, in the University of Georgia’s extension publications, extension.uga.edu/publications.html

Contact

For further information, you can connect the authors Dr Daniel Suiter at dsuiter@uga.edu, Dr Brian Forschler at bfor@uga.edu, or Lisa Ames at lames@uga.edu

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Dr Cynthia K. Thompson | Innovation in Promoting the Recovery of Language after Stroke

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SciPod · Dr Cynthia K. Thompson – Innovation in Promoting the Recovery of Language after Stroke

About this episode

Stroke can impair a person’s ability to communicate, resulting in a disorder known as aphasia. To facilitate recovery, scientists must understand how language is processed normally as well as how a stroke may impact the language system in the brain. Dr Cynthia K. Thompson, Ralph and Jean Sundin Professor of Communication Science and Professor of Neurology at Northwestern University, has been researching normal and disordered language for over thirty years. Her focus is on understanding and supporting the recovery of language processes when the brain has been damaged.

Original Article Reference

This SciPod is a summary of https://doi.org/10.33548/SCIENTIA752

Original Article

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Professor George Micajah Phillips | What Early-20th-Century Writers Can Teach Us About Life During Environmental Uncertainty

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SciPod · What Early-20th-Century Writers Can Teach Us About Life During Environmental Uncertainty

About this episode

A new way of reading and engaging with modernist authors such as Virginia Woolf and Karel Čapek might help us to better understand our time of environmental uncertainty. In his recent paper, Professor George Micajah Phillips of Franklin College draws on formalism and material feminism to argue for a new approach in modernist studies, which he terms ‘formalist materialism’. This approach may enable us to engage with early-twentieth-century modernist texts in fascinating new ways, helping us to form fresh understandings of climate change, outside of standard, crisis-oriented narratives. More

Formalism is a critical position, which contends that the aesthetic, visual, and structural features of a work of art are more important than its connection to wider social phenomena or narratives. In the context of literature, this refers to elements such as narrative, genre, and setting.

However, ‘new formalists’ in literary studies have recently identified ways in which aesthetic forms can be interconnected with social forms, such as companies, classrooms, friend groups, and informal networks. This has led to research exploring what happens when different types of forms meet and how they work together to orient and organise how we understand and imagine the world around us.

Nevertheless, little has been done to understand the interplay between aesthetic forms and the natural world, which is especially critical in our current era of climate crisis. Critics of global capitalism tend to view modernist forms as emerging at the same time as ecological degradation and injustice. They also toggle between large, structural narratives, such as capitalism and patriarchy, and the granular details of lived experience without bridging the gaps between these scales.

The necessity of bridging those gaps is one of the key challenges for literary criticism today. Professor Phillips asks: How can we better identify the links between aesthetic and ecological forms so we can learn from them, and ensure that literary studies helps navigate climate change?

First, he argues that it is useful to recognise the close similarities between material conditions and aesthetic forms. Doing so would allow scholars of modernism to reconsider how aesthetic and social forms have framed narratives of lived experience.

Next, Professor Phillips outlines what it might look like in practice to ask formalist questions about ecological objects. He argues that it would involve injecting formalism with the materialist vocabulary of human and nonhuman agency, which refers to the idea that aspects of the natural world have an agency that does not fit into human-centric narratives. This would enable us to recognise the capacity ecological objectives have for co-creation with cultural forms. Professor Phillips calls this ‘formalist materialism’.

This approach is not intended to explore the ontologies of nonhuman matter, nor anthropomorphise ecological objects. It is not, in other words, about imagining what it is like to be a tree, or about personifying nonhumans. Rather, it recognises the complex, multi-faceted role of ecology in shaping stories, mythologies, and figures of speech about the material world.

Professor Phillips draws on Dr Anahid Nersessian’s work to explore the benefits and pitfalls of this approach. Nersessian’s new formalist reading of eighteenth-century literature helps reveal the limits of human understanding at a given historical moment. She argues we should guard against projecting present-day knowledge and anxieties onto the past. Professor Phillips makes a similar argument about early-twentieth century literature. Acknowledging the lack of ecological knowledge in that time helps deepen our appreciation for both the continuities and disparities between their world and ours today.

Professor Phillips also cites Dr Stacy Alaimo’s work on material feminism. Dr Alaimo explores how socio-political powers use binary conceptions of nature to marginalise minorities. She complicates and destabilises typically gendered binaries, such as ‘nature and culture’, ‘body and mind’, and ‘resource and agency’. In doing so, her work explores human and social concerns alongside nonhuman activities. This is useful for Professor Phillips’s work, as it allows us to appreciate the interactions between humans and ecological forms that might otherwise be overlooked.

Professor Philips then turns to two modernist writers, Karel Čapek and Virginia Woolf, to explore how these ideas might work in practice.

On visiting London in 1924, Czech writer Karel Čapek wrote about English parks. His work is part admiration, part lampoon, and was popular with English readers. In one section, he suggests that English parks have become associated with social and political ideas, such as Conservatism, golf, and the House of Lords. He also expresses surprise at seeing a man leaving the path to walk across a lawn. Here, he comments that the man’s feeling entitled to cross the grass suggests a great deal about his character and worldview. Professor Phillips notes how this reflects gendered notions of adventurers, property owners and imperialists.

As a contrast to Čapek’s travel narrative, Professor Phillips draws on a famous scene from Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own in which the female protagonist walks onto an Oxbridge lawn and is immediately reprimanded. She soon realises that she has accidentally flouted an accepted code of conduct: only fellows and scholars are allowed to walk on the grass, while others (including women) must keep to the path. This provides an interesting counterpoint to Čapek’s observations. For Woolf, the lawn reinforces patriarchal structures, while, for Čapek, it reinforces ideals of ‘male liberty and leisure’.

While we don’t have adequate vocabulary to express how experiences in nature are gendered, these texts show us that this has long been imagined in literature. It also invites us to explore further how modernist texts have imagined ecological forms, like parks and trees, to have been active participants in cultural traditions, social structures and power dynamics.

…

How, then, do we go about making formalist-materialist readings of modernist writers? For Professor Phillips, the first step is recognising the implications of ‘nescience’, which Dr Nersessian defines as ‘thinking that is caught between knowing and unknowing’.

This can be applied to modernist works like Čapek’s which seem to connect social and political narratives with ecological forms in prescient ways. For example, in one essay, Čapek discusses the human influence on the geology of the Czech Republic, hinting at the ‘Anthropocene’ long before the term was coined. While the author might have sensed the influence of humans on the natural world, he could not have truly known the extent of it. For Professor Phillips, what Čapek thought about environmental issues of his time is important, but so too are the ecological realities that have come to light since. In other words, Čapek’s historical moment and intent matter, but so too does the way we interpret his works today for what they might mean in our moment of the Anthropocene.

Another element to a formalist-materialist reading is to draw on Dr Stacy Alaimo’s research on the ways in which social structures and nature are used to marginalise minorities. In Woolf’s novel Orlando, the English nobleman protagonist one day wakes up as a woman. As she comes to terms with her new form, she has a nostalgic vision of her English estate. This raises interesting questions about how non-normative gendered experiences shape interactions with the natural world. A formalist-materialist reading would explore how Woolf’s descriptions of ecological forms shape the aesthetic form of the novel, and how modernist texts influence our interpretations of the natural world.

For Professor Phillips, art is vital in our time of frightening environmental uncertainty. It provides a tool for understanding the world we have inherited. In particular, he argues, the key is to consider how present-day interpretations of aesthetic forms, like Čapek’s essays and plays or Woolf’s novels, can today help clarify how ideas from the past continue to shape the way non-scientists imagine issues like climate change today – and how they might be re-imagined as well. Ultimately, these writers invite us to look beyond our doom-filled predictions for the world, and imagine alternative futures, unconsumed by disaster.

Original Article Reference

This SciPod is a summary of the paper ‘Are trees forms? On formalism, material feminism, and historical literature’, in Feminist Modernist Studies. doi.org/10.1080/24692921.2020.1805676

Contact

For further information, you can connect with Professor George Phillips at gphillips@FranklinCollege.edu

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Dr Jozina de Graaf | Improving Outcomes Following Lower Limb Amputation

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SciPod · Improving Outcomes Following Lower Limb Amputation | Dr Jozina de Graaf

About this episode

After the amputation of a lower limb, amputees can learn to walk with an artificial replacement for that limb known as a prosthesis. However, this can be challenging due to the loss of somatosensory information such as the perception of touch and pressure. Dr Jozina de Graaf of Aix-Marseille University in France is working with colleagues to find a solution to this lack of somatosensory feedback and improve approaches to rehabilitation for lower limb amputees. More

Walking is one of the earliest skills that we master but is actually very complex. Walking crucially requires somatosensory feedback about one’s bodily state and its interactions with the environment. After the amputation of a lower limb, individuals can learn to walk again using an artificial limb – often referred to as a prosthesis. Unfortunately, the lack of somatosensory feedback can make this very challenging.

For the majority of amputees, their lost limb can still be perceived through a phenomenon known as phantom limb. Although the phantom limb is generally thought to be painful, in reality, individuals most often feel painless tingling or a warm sensation where the limb used to be. This is considered a natural response to amputation.

A recent study found that following lower limb amputation, at least 65% of individuals reported perceiving their phantom limb when walking. For some individuals, this can be helpful but for others, it causes further difficulties. Interestingly, both local and global stimulation of the residual limb can modulate phantom sensations.

Local stimulation such as static or dynamic pressure, vibration and electrical stimulation when directly applied to specific areas of the skin can modulate the phantom sensations experienced by some amputees. Global stimulation arising from more generalised contact with the prosthetic socket that joins the residual limb to the prosthesis can also influence phantom sensations.

Dr Jozina de Graaf of Aix-Marseille University in France believes that global and local stimulation can be utilised to provide somatosensory feedback and thus facilitate walking in amputees. Working with colleagues, she sought to modify the phantom sensations experienced by a lower limb amputee by manipulating the interface used for the prosthesis.

The researchers studied an individual aged 48 years who had undergone traumatic transfemoral amputation of his left leg 5 years before the study. He wore a prosthesis every day which comprised an adherent semi-rigid socket without a sleeve, and he could already walk long distances.

In the first phase of this study, Dr de Graaf and her colleagues obtained a detailed description of the participant’s non-painful and painful phantom sensations as well as the factors influencing them.

In the second stage, the researchers explored the areas of the participant’s residual limb for which stimulation would modify the phantom sensations. The participant reported experiencing phantom sensations during pressure.

Based on this mapping, in the third phase of the study, the researchers designed and applied a patch to administer pressure on the participant’s skin areas and induce phantom sensations that could potentially be useful for walking. They did this under four different prosthetic interface conditions: a rigid and a semi-rigid socket, each one with and without a focal pressure increase on a specific area of the residual limb.

The phantom sensations reported by the participant during walking differed according to the four interface conditions. Importantly, this confirmed to the researchers that phantom limb sensations during walking could be effectively modulated using a prosthetic interface. They also found that the different types of interfaces had different effects on the participant’s sensations of tingling in the foot, perceptions of the calf and also his gait patterns (although the mechanisms underlying this remain unclear). Overall, the participant expressed a preference for the semi-rigid socket with a patch, which he even asked to keep at the end of the study, confirming the success of the intervention.

As this was a preliminary study of just one participant, the interpretations and conclusions that Dr de Graaf and her colleagues can draw are limited. Certainly, research with larger groups of participants is warranted to further explore the current findings. Nonetheless, this study provides strong support for considering the non-painful phantom sensations experienced by lower limb amputees in the early rehabilitation stage, and in particular, adopting a personalised approach to intervention to maximise patient outcomes. Dr de Graaf and her colleagues are continuing this important work in ongoing studies.

Original Article Reference

This SciPod is a summary of the paper ‘Phantom Sensations Influenced by Global and Local Modifications of the Prosthetic Socket as a Potential Solution for Natural Somatosensory Feedback During Walking: A Preliminary Study of a Single Case’, published in the open access journal Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fresc.2022.803912

Contact

For further information, you can connect with Jozina de Graaf at jozina.de-graaf@univ-amu.fr

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Austina Lee | Gareth Dylan Smith – The Role of Love and Community in American Schools

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SciPod · The Role of Love and Community in American Schools – Austina Lee | Gareth Dylan Smith

About this episode

Capitalism and neoliberalism inform the way in which children in the USA are schooled. Mainstream education prioritises standardisation and conformity, and may not help students develop a sense of themselves, or tools to create good relationships with others. In a recent paper, teachers Austina Lee and Gareth Dylan Smith explore how this can be challenged through ‘punk’ pedagogy. They use the case study of a high-school choir to demonstrate how their ideas can be put into practice. More

Schools in the USA have standardised performance measures that both teachers and students are expected to meet. These tend to focus on intelligence, good grades and getting children ready for the workforce. This approach might impart some useful knowledge and basic intellectual principles, but it does not help students to embrace their individualism, relate to one another, collaborate, or innovate.

This results in an education system structured around the principles of business and attainment, rather than care and community. As such, mainstream education is at odds with the aim of raising young people who engage critically with the world and form good relationships with others.

…

Music education is no different. It normally takes place in large ensembles – such as wind bands, orchestras and choirs – and is rooted in an intense environment of competitiveness and prestige. In music education, there is also a culture of competition, and such pressure leads schools to provide students with the resources to attain rather than what they need for holistic, well-rounded development.

This culture is so normalised that it essentially goes unnoticed. There is no decree that says music education should be conducted in this way or breed a culture of rivalry between students. In fact, the narrative around music education tends to emphasise creativity, authenticity, and community. However, competitive norms are perpetuated in teacher training and, over time, have become a de facto part of music education policy. Attempts to engender change are perceived as disruptive and fraught with controversy.

Studies largely show that intense competitiveness does not benefit students, that it distances them from their teachers, and that it prevents them from building healthy, caring communities. This is especially distressing given research which shows that positive relationships with teachers are correlated with greater engagement with schooling.

…

So, is there an alternative? Lee and Smith look to philosophers such as bell hooks and Marissa Silverman, who advocate for approaches to teaching that are rooted in love. For Silverman, people are motivated to do things because of love. Love creates meaning in our lives when we pursue vocations that bring us joy, in harmony with the people around us. People who do work that gives them purpose, and affirms their sense of self, live more fulfilled lives. These ideas can be used in tandem with hooks’ definition of love as comprising ‘care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect and trust’.

For Lee and Smith, a ‘punk’ pushback to our current schooling system is necessary. For them, punk pedagogy has three central themes: performativity, in which the teacher adopts varying roles; autodidactism, meaning empowering students to learn things themselves; and finally, experience, meaning the understanding that students’ experiences will be at the core of their education.

A mode of education based on the principles of love and a punk ethic would show students care and compassion whilst helping them to grow and develop. It would challenge dominant, dehumanising culture and encourage children to create mutual partnerships. It would also allow them to explore successes and failures in a safe, supportive environment so that they could learn from both. It would teach students how to care for and nurture those around them, as well as enabling them to develop empathy, resilience and self-regulation.

Communities that develop in classrooms are formative, and influence how students relate to others later in life. If our education system could foster environments where children could challenge capitalist, neoliberal norms and learn to love those around them, this could transform their future homes, communities and jobs into ‘places of love’. Music education, in which students play and create together, is ideally suited to fostering this kind of environment.

…

Austina Lee is a teacher and the leader of a high-school choir in a suburban public high school in Colorado Springs. Her pedagogical approach goes against the grain of the current US education system. She is not formally educated in choral music, and this has helped her to find alternative teaching methods that break down the standard classroom hierarchies and processes.

She engages with her students as compassionate, artistic citizens and emphasises their part in the community rather than their soon-to-be role in a ‘capitalist economic machine’. She embraces equity, solidarity, rebellion, love and an ‘ethic of care’, focussing on students’ joy and honouring their humanity and individuality. Her approach recognises students’ individuality and aims to empower them rather than quash their voices.

…

Lee and Smith used a collaborative ethnographic approach to enrich their understanding of this student-focussed learning. In the course of producing their research, they discussed each element, developing their ideas iteratively. In their paper, they use of a range of vignettes of Lee’s work leading the choir.

In one vignette, the students worked on a compilation album of their own songs, often singing about their experiences of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. They felt safe enough within the classroom to be vulnerable, leaning on one another for support, ideas and inspiration. When the album was released, they had a party, listening through the entire album and reflecting on it in conversation.

The second vignette explored the use of words of affirmation. Each student in the class was given a bag to hang on the wall and were all encouraged to write notes to themselves and each other, celebrating their work. The teacher would look through them, putting the notes in the correct bag, allowing her to get to better know, and love, the students. During the pandemic, this became especially important and some students made the effort to write additional notes to those who had received fewer affirmations.

In the third vignette, children returning to school after lockdown made a ‘welcome back’ video for their teacher, in which they had each recorded an individual part of a song and edited it together to create a virtual ensemble. The teacher found this very moving and interpreted it as an expression of love because they knew what it would mean to her.

Together, these stories create a portrait of an environment fostering community and celebration rather than comparison and competition.

…

Through their research, Lee and Smith identify failures of the current education system in the USA. However, they also provide ways in which this can be resisted, demonstrating that classrooms need love and compassion in order to care for and serve their students.

Original Article Reference

This Audio is a summary of the paper ‘Where is the Love, y’all? Punk Pedagogy in High School Choir’, in Research in Education, doi.org/10.1177/00345237231152605

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For further information, you can connect with Austina Frances Lee at aflee@bu.edu or Gareth Dylan Smith at gdsmith@bu.edu

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Professor Alberto Posso | Exploring the Neglected Psychological Consequences of Child Labour

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SciPod · Exploring the Neglected Psychological Consequences of Child Labour | Professor Alberto Posso

About this episode

Child labour is a major social problem that contributes to poor physical health and lower educational achievement. A collaborative research team from Australia, India and the Netherlands conducted a large-scale study of children in rural areas of India. The team’s research confirms the hugely negative mental health impacts of child labour, and opens up important implications for policy, practice and future research. More

Child labour deprives children of their childhood, potential and dignity, and harms their physical and mental development. Despite these negative consequences, recent reports estimate that globally, there are 160 million children engaged in child labour – representing an increase of 8.4 million in the last four years alone.

As such, child labour represents a long-standing and challenging social problem in developing countries. India alone is responsible for 6% of child workers worldwide. Here, child workers typically live in rural areas and undertake agricultural work.

It is likely that child labour is both a symptom and a cause of poverty. Not only do children engaged in labour achieve lower levels of education, but their physical health can also be jeopardised. However, less is known about the psychological and mental health impacts. In particular, previous studies have not been concerned with identifying the impact of child labour on psychological wellbeing, and most research has focused on children living in urban areas.

In a recent study, a team of researchers aimed to identify the effects of child labour on the psychological wellbeing of children in Tamil Nadu – a predominantly rural and agricultural state in southern India. The research team included Professor Alberto Posso at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Professor Simon Feeny from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Dr Ahmed Skali from the University of Groningen, Professor Amalendu Jyotishi from Azim Premji University, Dr Shyam Nath from Amrita University, and Dr P. K. Viswanathan from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham.

The researchers collected data between June and September of 2018. This mid‐to‐late summer period is when children are most likely to be working. The team randomly selected households with children aged between 12 and 18 years old, and on completion, they had collected data on 947 children from 750 households across 20 villages.

Of the surveyed children, 171 were engaged in child labour. This means that they were working in exchange for payment in any form, such as money or food, either as a regular commitment or as an informal arrangement. By taking a questionnaire, the children provided measures of happiness, hope, emotional wellbeing, self‐efficacy, fear and stress, along with demographic details, including age, gender and number of siblings. Adults in each household provided information on wealth and their typical household expenditure, to provide greater insight into the economic context of each child.

The researchers’ analyses confirmed that the children undertaking work reported lower levels of happiness, emotional wellbeing, self‐efficacy and hopefulness than their non-working peers. They were also more stressed, but reported similar levels of fear to non-working children.

Looking more closely at the data, Professor Posso and his collaborators confirmed that child labour was negatively associated with happiness, hopefulness, emotional wellbeing and self‐efficacy. In other words, labour was linked with significantly lower psychological wellbeing across most of the outcomes measured in this study.

The researchers also conducted a variety of more complex statistical analyses to confirm the robustness of their findings and account for potentially confounding factors, such as gender and the village each child lived in. The findings were clear, leaving no doubt that working goes hand in hand with poorer psychological wellbeing. The research team believe that this is a causal relationship, meaning that labour is detrimental to children’s mental health.

Given that poorer childhood mental health is related to other negative outcomes in life, including lower educational achievement, substance abuse, violence and poor reproductive health, these findings point to child labour as an important and necessary target for intervention.

The researchers acknowledge that combatting the psychological consequences of child labour will require policymakers to treat the root causes of child labour. They also acknowledge that this problem is extremely difficult and complex to address from a policy perspective. Unfortunately, banning child labour could have adverse impacts on child wages, which may lead to an increase in child labour to compensate for the reduction in a family’s income.

With this in mind, the researchers have proposed that other types of interventions should be considered. For example, they suggest that family education programmes on how to identify mental health issues in children and adolescents could be developed. Schools could also increase their provision of mental health services, particularly in rural areas.

In addition to these recommendations, the researchers outline the next steps required from a research perspective. In their study, they did not measure how many hours children worked per week, so could not determine how the intensity of labour impacts psychological wellbeing. In addition, it would be useful to explore how different types of labour impact children. For example, the demands of working in agriculture differ in many ways from those involved in domestic labour.

Finally, the team’s study did not assess the long‐term consequences of child labour. As such, future research should take a longitudinal approach to track the impacts on children throughout their development into young adulthood and beyond.

Original Article Reference

This Audio is a summary of the paper, ‘Child labor and psychosocial wellbeing: Findings from India’, in Health Economics, doi.org/10.1002/hec.4224

Contact

For further information, you can connect with Professor Alberto Posso at alberto.posso@rmit.edu.au, or on Twitter @PossoAlb

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Professor Samantha Punch | Benefits of Bridge: The Partnership Mindsport

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Bridge is a popular card game played socially and competitively by millions of people throughout the world. Each game consists of four players divided into two pairs, or ‘partnerships’. They compete against each other to win ‘tricks’ through cooperation, strategic thinking and logical deduction. Professor Samantha Punch at the University of Stirling leads ‘Bridge: A MindSport for All’. This research-led project explores the benefits of bridge amongst the circuit of international players. More

As in other sports, elite players dedicate significant time and effort to the game. While it is known that high-level tournaments differ considerably from recreational bridge played at local or club levels, the social dynamics of the top-level game are not well understood.

What are the motivations and social rewards that drive players to participate in international tournaments? In interviews with 52 elite players, a frequently reported benefit was the personal enrichment that results from the multi-faceted and challenging nature of the game. With a new problem to solve every eight minutes, players also noted the ever-evolving nature of the mindsport as being a specific ‘thrill’.

Professor Punch and Dr Miriam Snellgrove found that the positive outcomes of playing bridge extend even further. The players described how their everyday interactions and life skills were improved and refined through the strategic interactions required to play well. Many of the interviewees talked about the need to be able to communicate effectively with their partner and read the card play of opponents whilst managing their own game plan.

The findings show that preparation and practice are fundamental to gameplay in high-pressure, competitive environments. Steadiness and composure enable players to cultivate a mindset that can handle tough decisions and recover well from setbacks. Elite bridge can lead to assessing situations more effectively and improved real-time decision-making.

A defining characteristic of bridge is that it is always played in partnership. Professor Punch and colleague Dr Zoe Russell examined the complexity of emotional experience in elite-level bridge. Given the complex social and emotional interactions between each player and their partner, and between players and their opponents, bridge offers the opportunity to develop resilience and mental toughness.

The highs and lows of winning and losing present a complex scenario where emotions are shaped by the expectations of the self and others. The management of emotions occurs on an individual level for the players but also as part of the partnership. Elite players develop awareness of their own emotional reactions as well as understanding the emotions of others. This suggests that players can build their emotional intelligence through skills learnt at the bridge table.

From a practical perspective, mindsports offer an important opportunity for individuals to develop life skills. These are beneficial to business, family and social life, in areas such as strategic planning, flexibility in problem-solving, communication, empathy, emotional self-awareness, focus and concentration. The ‘Bridge: A MindSport for All’ project is continuing to explore how bridge can address societal challenges such as well-being, healthy ageing, inclusivity and social connection.

Original Article Reference

Summary of the papers ‘Serious leisure experience in a dyadic pursuit: elite player motivations and participation in tournament bridge’, Leisure Studies, doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2021.1942524, ‘Playing Your Life: Developing Strategies and Managing Impressions in the Game of Bridge’, doi.org/10.1177/1360780420973043, and ‘Playing with Emotions: Emotional Complexity in the Social World of Elite Tournament Bridge’, doi.org/10.1332/263169021X16420048324097

Bridge: A MindSport For All (BAMSA) is grateful to players, clubs, bridge organisations, charitable foundations and the University of Stirling for generously supporting the project. Scottish Charity No. SC011159

Contact

For further information, you can connect with Professor Samantha Punch at s.v.punch@stir.ac.uk

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Dr Philip Norcott | Improving Nuclear Magnetic Resonance with SABRE-DREAM

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Nuclear magnetic resonance, or NMR, is an excellent technique for studying molecules, and is also the process behind hospital MRI machines. NMR works by exposing a sample to a strong, constant magnetic field. Then, a weak, oscillating magnetic field is also applied, and the atomic nuclei in the sample respond by emitting electromagnetic signals. These signals have particular frequencies, which scientists use to identify molecules in the sample. As useful as it is, NMR has weaknesses. Dr Philip Norcott at the Australian National University identifies two fundamental flaws and proposes a technique to overcome them. More

The first weakness is NMR’s low sensitivity. This low sensitivity means you need a large number of detectable atomic nuclei in your sample to generate a coherent signal. This is a problem if you want to study trace amounts of a molecule: for example, identifying impurities in a chemical mixture.

As Dr Norcott explains, this sensitivity problem can be mitigated with hyperpolarisation. This technique increases the proportion of nuclei that respond to the magnetic field, boosting the signals they produce.

The second weakness is that different signals from different atoms can overlap. NMR signals are often very close together, and stronger signals can hide weaker signals. This is a problem if your sample contains a mixture of lots of different molecules.
Dr Norcott explains that there is a partial solution to this problem. A technique called DREAMTIME lets scientists filter the data, so that the signals from unwanted components are removed.

However, this doesn’t solve the problem of low sensitivity. In fact, this technique reduces the signal intensity, worsening the sensitivity problem.

Dr Norcott proposes combining a hyperpolarisation technique called SABRE with DREAMTIME. He calls this approach SABRE-DREAM, which can reduce signal overlap while increasing sensitivity. Essentially, SABRE-DREAM allows individual hyperpolarised components to be visualised independently.

Dr Norcott tested this approach, comparing SABRE-DREAM to each technique in isolation, while monitoring the progress of a chemical reaction. SABRE-DREAM achieved a similar level of signal enhancement to SABRE, but filtered the data to eliminate unwanted signals from the chemical mixture.

This experiment shows that the two major weaknesses of NMR – low sensitivity and signal overlap – can both be mitigated at the same time. This offers scientists new and improved ways to use NMR in their work. SABRE-DREAM could also be useful in medical imaging, for monitoring markers such as glucose levels in people with diabetes.

Original Article Reference

Summary of the paper ‘Selective NMR detection of individual reaction components hyperpolarised by reversible exchange with para-hydrogen’, in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. doi.org/10.1039/d2cp01657e

Dr Norcott gratefully acknowledges an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE210100065)

Contact

For further information, you can connect with Dr Philip Norcott at Philip.Norcott@anu.edu.au

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Dr Delphine Muriaux | Shining New Light on Human Immunodeficiency Virus Assembly Mechanisms

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SciPod · Shining New Light on Human Immunodeficiency Virus Assembly Mechanisms | Dr Delphine Muriaux

About this episode

People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) now have very effective treatment options to allow them to live long lives but the need for new and improved therapeutics remains. Dr Delphine Muriaux from Le Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) in Montpellier, France, researches HIV infection and replication utilising advanced state-of-the-art microscopy. This super-resolution imaging has led to new findings on the importance of the HIV-1 Gag proteins and the cellular host co-factor IRSp53, a membrane curving protein, and how they interact with host cell membranes.

Original Article Reference

This Audio is a summary of https://doi.org/10.33548/SCIENTIA855

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A Summer Opportunity Programme for Aspiring Scientists – with a Digital Twist

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SciPod · A Summer Opportunity Programme for Aspiring Scientists – with a Digital Twist

About this episode

The development of a talent pool in Science Technology Education and Medicine that is as diverse as our population, has been a difficult goal for decades. Increasing the diversity of scientists from underrepresented communities can drive both innovation and creativity within the sciences. The Molecular & Environmental Toxicology Centre at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, has run a summer research opportunity programme since 2011, providing scientific experiences and promoting scientific careers in the environmental health sciences for aspiring young people from backgrounds historically underrepresented in this field.

Original Article Reference

This Audio is a summary of https://doi.org/10.33548/SCIENTIA872

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Professor Victor de Munck | Exploring Different Courtship Styles from an Anthropological Perspective

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SciPod · Exploring Different Courtship Styles from an Anthropological Perspective | Professor Victor de Munck

About this episode

Like other animals, humans have unique ways of approaching a potential mate and securing their affections. The goal of these ‘wooing’ processes is generally to establish a long-term romantic relationship with the person of interest. Victor de Munck, a Professor of Anthropology at Vilnius University, recently carried out a fascinating study exploring the most common patterns of courtship observed in the United States today, and the cultural influences underpinning these patterns. More

Anthropology is the study of humanity, its evolutionary origins, social processes, and other features that set humans apart from other animals. Anthropology research can greatly improve our understanding of human beings, helping us to make better sense of the cultural processes that underly how humans live and relate to each other.

In the 1970s, anthropologist Ben Colby introduced the idea of ‘cultural grammar’, suggesting that human behaviours can occur in sequences, resembling word sequences in sentences. Since then, anthropologists have been trying to ‘uncover’ cultural grammars related to specific social processes, how they are mentally processes by humans, and how they are organised into narratives shared by groups of people with similar cultural backgrounds.

Professor Victor de Munck at Vilnius University recently carried out a study assessing the different courtship styles used by people in the United States from a cognitive anthropological standpoint. Cognitive anthropology focuses on mental processes involved in cultural contexts.
…
Love and romantic relationships have a strong evolutionary basis, as companionship inherently improves the chances of survival and enables reproduction. The courtship process is an essential first step in romantic relationships, guided by the desire to share a life with another human being and form a family.

Courtship has changed significantly over history, as today most people in Western countries perceive marriage as resulting from a romantic interest, rather than a formality imposed by society or families.
…
The first researcher who examined love and marriage from a cognitive anthropology standpoint was Naomi Quinn. She realised that when talking about marriage, people often used common metaphors and outlined two key dimensions that could be combined to form a cultural model of love.
The first of these dimensions entails the articulation of love and marriage, through the assumption that when a human loves another in a romantic way, then they should marry them. Additionally, if two humans are married, they should only romantically love one another, and should end their marriage if this is not the case. The second dimension represents love as a motivation for marriage, suggesting that when someone romantically loves another person, they don’t want to lose this person, they want to spend time with them, and they want to help or support them, as well as receive support from them.

This understanding of love clashes with more traditional perspectives, which are rooted in patriarchal values and thus view marriage as a constrictive union where parties are financially and emotionally dependent on each other, and divorce is unlikely. After the second world war, the role of women in society gradually started to change, and so did the understanding of gender and sexuality. This, in turn, transformed courtship processes and people’s understanding of romantic love and marriage.
…
The key objective of the recent work by Professor de Munck was to understand the ‘cultural grammar’ of courtship in the modern-day United States. To do this, he looked at the most typical series of events that unfold during contemporary courtships. Professor de Munck carried out three distinct studies, each employing a different experimental method rooted in cognitive anthropology.

For the first part of his study, he recruited 30 young adults between the ages of 20 and 36 years, and asked them questions about how they understood the process of falling in love and eventually getting married. These questions covered 15 different events in the courtship process, including dating, finding common interests, getting to know each other, kissing for the first time, having sex for the first time, saying ‘I love you’ to one another, cooperating economically and getting married.

In the second part of his study, Professor de Munck wrote the same relationship events on index cards and asked 63 new participants to place them in a timeline that reflected how courtship typically unfolded for them and their peers. This allowed him to identify a courtship sequence that most participants agreed on.
…
Professor De Munck then outlined the following typical courtship timeline. First, people feel an instant attraction and begin to get to know each other. Subsequently, they find common interests, share a kiss, go on dates, make plans together, and have meaningful conversations. Most participants placed these five events at the beginning of the sequence, yet they were often in a different order, suggesting that they could be nested into a single set of events related to ‘getting to know each other’.

The typical sequence then continued with meeting each other’s friends, developing a friendship in the relationship, having sex and saying ‘I love you’ for the first time, meeting each other’s family, cooperating economically, moving in together and finally getting married.

In addition to this typical sequence, Professor de Munck identified five alternative courtship sequences that reflected different cultural views in the United States. Collectively, these could be seen as ‘cultural grammars’ of courtship.
…
In the third part of the study, he looked at the differences between the typical sequence of courtship and the other courtship sequences he identified. Interestingly, he found that having sex and meeting each other’s parents were the two events with greater variability in terms of the order they were placed in.

While some participants placed having sex at the beginning of the courtship timeline, others placed it towards the end, and the same was found for meeting a partner’s parents. Sequences that presented having sex for the first time at the beginning could be associated with today’s hook-up culture.

On the other hand, sequences that placed meeting each other’s parents at the beginning and having sex later on reflect more traditional models of courtship, where parental approval of one’s mate is still perceived as crucial, and the ultimate goal of courtship remains that of getting married or forming a family.

…
The recent study by Professor de Munck offers interesting new insights into the culturally recognised and contemporary processes of courtship in the United States. His is one of the first cognitive anthropological efforts to understand how love and courtship unfold in modern times.

Original Article Reference

This Audio is a summary of the paper ‘Is there a cultural grammar to courtship: A comparison of different courtship styles in the United States’, in Qualitative Psychology. doi.org/10.1037/qup0000244

This project has received funding from the Research Council of Lithuania, agreement number SMIP 21 47.

Contact

For further information, you can connect with Professor Victor de Munck at viktorde@fsf.vu.lt

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Dr Florian Lau | Creating DNA Nanonetworks for Early Disease Detection and Drug Delivery

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Nanotechnology offers exciting possibilities for the future of healthcare. Because of the tiny size of nano-devices, they are difficult to design and produce. Self-assembly, which involves taking simple structures and allowing them to combine to form larger, more complex structures, could be a solution to this problem. There are many examples of self-assembly in nature, such as the formation of DNA. Dr Florian Lau and his colleagues at the Institute of Telematics in Lübeck, Germany, research how to alter special building blocks of DNA – which they call ‘tiles’ – in such a way that allows them to self-assemble into ‘nanonetworks’. More

The researchers show how such DNA-based nanonetworks can perform a range of mathematical operations, and how they can produce signals in response to markers that indicate the presence of a disease.

Within a nanonetwork, Dr Lau’s team explains ways in which the tiles can connect with each other. Each tile is assigned ‘glues’, which can have different ‘colours’. The more glues a tile has the higher the strength, which translates to the length of a DNA strand.
Together, the strength and colour define the different connections that tiles can form, leading to a self-assembled nanonetwork.
The ‘program’ encoded in the glues allows only specific structures to form, which are called ‘message molecules’. Those messages may only be transmitted to nearby nanobots if the computation that was encoded in the assembly process finishes successfully.

Dr Lau and his colleagues proposed different mathematical operations to solve common medical problems. To do this, they worked out what combinations of tiles are required to carry out a certain operation. For example, a nanonetwork could be designed to release specific tiles when the markers of infection reach a threshold. These released tiles would then be detected by a nanorobot, which would then deliver an antibiotic once it reaches an infection site.

Such nanonetworks could also be used to create ‘smart medication’, or diagnostic tools that can check for multiple parameters to make a correct diagnosis with high certainty, exceeding the capabilities of commonly used tools.

To test these nanonetworks, the team ran computer simulations to see how these tiles would act in reality. It was important for the researchers to consider how errors might form in their nanonetworks, which could lead to misdiagnosis if a tile structure builds incorrectly, or to unpredictable building of a nanonetwork.

The team found low error rates that likely wouldn’t lead to harmful or unpredictable behaviour if it were inside the human body.
Dr Lau’s research offers an exciting step towards creating devices based on DNA nanonetworks, which could revolutionise the future of healthcare.

Original Article Reference

Summary of the paper ‘Efficient in-message computation of prevalent mathematical operations in DNA-based nanonetworks’, doi.org/10.1016/j.nancom.2021.100348

Contact

For further information, you can connect with Dr Florian Lau at lau@itm.uni-luebeck.de

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Robin Davidson-Arnott | Bernard Bauer – Predicting the Impacts of Rising Sea Levels on Sandy Coasts

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For coastal communities, one of the most worrying effects of climate warming is rising sea levels. Even if we halt all greenhouse gas emissions today, the oceans are predicted to rise by more than half a metre by the end of the century, threatening coastal cities, including Manhattan, Vancouver, Lagos, Shanghai and Tokyo. In addition to displacing millions of humans, rising seas will alter natural coastal environments and ecosystems. More

Sandy beach systems are complex because they evolve through the interplay of ocean waves, currents, and tides, and wind action on land. Many beaches are backed by sand dunes that formed when sand was transported from the beach inland by strong winds over many years. But dunes can be quickly eroded by waves during storms, returning some of their sand to the sea in a matter of hours.

However, beaches and dunes will rebuild, as sand in the nearshore is brought back to the beach during normal conditions between storms. Dry sand on the beach surface is readily blown inland by wind, rebuilding the dunes and completing the cycle. The impact of sea-level rise on this cyclic process is difficult to predict, but the answer to this is key to understanding how sandy beach systems will evolve in response to rising sea level.

Since the 1960s, coastal managers and engineers have relied on the Bruun model, which predicts the relationship between sea-level rise and shoreline recession. A critical outcome of the model is that sand is continually moved offshore as the shoreline retreats, giving rise to a loss of sand from the beach. In 2005, Robin Davidson-Arnott of the University of Guelph proposed an alternative model – the RDA model – that envisions sand moving progressively onshore from deep water toward the beach, and then to the dunes. In the RDA model, sandy beach systems will move landward and increase in elevation, keeping pace with sea-level rise.

With his colleague Bernard Bauer of the University of British Columbia, Davidson-Arnott published a paper in 2021 updating the RDA model, taking into account that the evolution of sandy beach systems in response to rising seas is driven by processes controlling the nearshore-beach-dune cycle.

They reviewed studies of sea-level rise in the recent and geological past showing that sand transfers between the nearshore, beach and dunes were rapid compared to the slow rate of sea-level rise. Thus, most beach-dune systems can easily keep pace with sea-level rise and maintain their integrity, as long as there are no obstacles preventing shoreline migration.

Davidson-Arnott and Bauer also investigated which conditions might complicate the applicability of the RDA model. Specifically, the model assumes that sea level rises by a few millimetres each year, as is currently the case. If the annual rate is ten-fold greater, as can be found in areas of coastal subsidence, there is insufficient time for sand transfers to keep pace with the rapid inland migration of the shoreline.

They also note that human infrastructure, such as buildings, roads and seawalls, can constrain the natural migration of the beach-dune system, likely leading to coastal drowning and the loss of sand to other sections of the coast.

A key control on shoreline migration in the RDA model is the slope of the beach following a major storm. Very steep beaches will experience minimal migration whereas very shallow beaches will likely be over-run by the sea eventually. However, for average beach slopes, and even with expected increases in atmospheric carbon, the researchers predict that sandy shorelines will move inland by less than 20 metres by the end of this century. This can be easily accommodated with some planning by coastal managers.

Original Article Reference

Summary of the paper ‘Controls on the geomorphic response of beach-dune systems to water level rise’, in Journal of Great Lakes Research. doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2021.05.006

Contact

For further information, you can connect with Dr Robin Davidson-Arnott at rdarnott@uoguelph.ca

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Dr Daisuke Minakata | Sunshine and Organic Molecules in Water

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SciPod · Daisuke Minakata – SciPod

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Organic molecules dissolved in rivers, lakes, seas and oceans are essential to plant and animal life. Some of these molecules are also degraded and enter a complex cycle of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur containing compounds. Surprisingly, scientists currently have a limited understanding of the fate of these molecules. Dr Daisuke Minakata and his colleagues from Michigan Technological University are involved in an ambitious programme to overcome this critical knowledge gap.

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Organic Molecules in Water

Organic molecules are complex carbon containing structures that are indispensable for the existence of life. ‘Organic material’ is an umbrella term that includes a very wide range of compounds and amino acids – the building blocks of proteins – represent some of the most precious compounds necessary for living organisms. Given the importance of these molecules, it is hardly surprising that NASA is looking for amino acids in the search for evidence of life elsewhere in the universe.

Amino acids and other organic compounds enter natural bodies of water from multiple sources. Bacteria, algae, plants and animals living in the water itself release significant amounts of organic molecules. In addition, agricultural, human and animal waste products also enter waterways in large quantities, contributing to their amino acid and other organic material content.

A Poorly Understood Cycle

The fate of these compounds present in fresh and saltwater environments is poorly understood. Some organic molecules, including amino acids, are taken up and reused by organisms living in the water, but a significant proportion is broken down through chemical and physical processes and these smaller degradation products enter a complex cycle of nitrogen and sulphur containing molecules. The photochemical process is one important degradation pathway … and this is where things get complicated.

Theoretically, the energy from sunshine could degrade certain amino acids, making them unavailable for living creatures. However, there is evidence that dissolved organic molecules generate very short-lived reactive intermediates under sunlight irradiation and these reactive intermediates degrade the amino acids – the photosensitising effect of dissolved organic molecules.

Dr Daisuke Minakata from Michigan Technological University was prompted to develop a theory to explain the loss of critical amino acids from water. He assumed that other organic molecules absorb the energy carried by the rays of sunshine and those reactive intermediates transform amino acids into small pieces. According to his theory, such light-activated compounds could act as catalysts, inducing the indirect breakdown of critical amino acids.

A Need to Simplify Things

As Dr Minakata explains, testing this theory was difficult for two reasons. Firstly, dissolved organic molecules form very poorly defined, large complexes that show considerable variability at different locations. Using such complex mixtures in experiments would make the analysis of the results extremely difficult. The other issue was that are more than 20 different amino acids in nature, and these are very different chemically. Finding the degradation products of all of these would be a Herculean task. Thus, to conduct the experiments, the research team needed to simplify things.

Despite the complexity of the dissolved organic material, scientists had identified the three main mechanisms explaining its catalytic behaviour. Furthermore, they were able to identify smaller single compounds that could mimic this action. Using these mimics in the experiments promised to simplify the analysis of the results.

The next decision Dr Minakata and his colleagues made was that they would initially focus their attention on the study of a single amino acid, methionine, that is typically depleted in water under natural conditions. Methionine is one of only five photochemically degradable amino acids and it contains sulfur-atom, a unique element that contributes to the global cycling of sulfur. Sulfur cycling is not as well understood as carbon and nitrogen cycling.

An Elaborate Experimental Setup

Next, the scientists needed to build the appropriate experimental setup. Firstly, the effects of sunlight were replicated using a high-energy xenon arc light source. The water, containing the mixture of methionine and the tested catalytic mimics, needed to be placed under this light in a container that allowed all the wavelength through. However, illuminating a relatively small volume of solution in the specialised quartz containers resulted in an additional problem: the water became very hot. Thus, scientists had no way of establishing which degradation products were produced by light exposure, and which ones resulted from the heat. Understanding the basic science needed a controlled environment in the laboratory as the first step. This meant they needed to build a cooling system that allowed the team to keep the solution at the desired temperature.

A technique called mass spectrometry was used to detect individual degradation products. After irradiating the samples with the artificial sun, the molecules were exposed to a strong electric field that made them fly along a vacuum tube. Since under these conditions smaller molecules accelerate faster while larger ones move more slowly, measuring the time it takes for a molecule to reach the detector allows its mass to be determined. This allowed the scientists to establish what its chemical structure was likely to be. This may sound complicated – and it certainly was. The group had to resort to the use of some of the most cutting-edge equipment to make these measurements.

The Results Start Coming In

The initial screening experiments identified common methionine degradation products, and a range of compounds that were produced in smaller quantities during light exposure in the presence of mimics acting as catalysts. Knowing the composition of these degradation products allowed the scientists to work out the possible chemical reactions resulting in their emergence. Once the reaction pathways were identified in this relatively simple experimental system, the scientists started to aim higher. Instead of using chemical mimics acting as catalysts, they started to use a more complex naturally occurring dissolved organic molecule mixture, derived from either the Suwannee River or an Elliot Soil sample, typically used as standard organic molecules.

While these mixtures have the same technical name, humic acid, this is a misleading scientific term, as humic acid represents a very complex mixture of decomposed biological material, that is different at the two sites. Not unexpectedly, the degradation of methionine produced in the presence of the two distinct humic acid samples showed marked differences. Firstly, the light-dependent degradation of methionine was faster, particularly in the presence of the Elliot Soil humic acid. The proportion of produced degradation products also showed considerable differences, both between the two humic acid samples, and compared to the results obtained using simple chemical catalytic mimics. However, the results from simple mimics advance scientific understanding of the roles of different sites in complex mixtures of dissolved organic compounds.

Computational Chemistry to the Rescue

As Dr Minakata tells us, testing the mechanisms causing the degradation of the amino acid caused by such complex chemical mixtures is impossible using conventional experimental approaches. In the analysis of such complex reactions, scientists are increasingly relying on the use of computational chemistry.

By the start of the 21st century, scientists had accumulated enough experimental information to enable them to model chemical reactions using computers. By modelling details such as the shape of molecules, their known interactions, the energy needed to introduce changes, or the amount of energy being released during chemical reactions, scientists can predict chemical interactions, including those that have not been studied under experimental conditions.

After entering their experimental data into computer models, Dr Minikata and his colleagues were able to take advantage of this approach to fully understand the fate of methionine in natural water. To a superficial observer, this may sound like a lot of effort to study the fate of a single amino acid. However, deciphering what happens to this vital building block provides is the first step in understanding chemical processes in nature that allow life to flourish in natural bodies of water. Unquestionably, such an understanding is fundamentally important to humanity.

Original Article Reference

Summary of https://doi.org/10.33548/SCIENTIA882

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For further information, you can connect with Dr Daisuke Minakata at dminakat@mtu.edu

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Dr Robert Walsh | Propaganda and Mass Deception Depend Upon the Tribal Mind

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Propaganda is the systemic use of language with the intent to brainwash rather than to persuade. Deceptive communication designed to mislead the masses is commonplace in the Information Age. Dr Robert Walsh of Sisseton Wahpeton College in South Dakota recently examined how propagandists bend language for mass deception. He argued that what makes propaganda insidious is a vestige of our prehistoric past – the Neolithic or Tribal Mind.

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Dr Robert Walsh of Sisseton Wahpeton College in South Dakota recently examined how propagandists bend language for mass deception. He argued that what makes propaganda insidious is a vestige of our prehistoric past – the Neolithic or Tribal Mind.

Language and communication theorists describe the Tribal Mind as an evolutionary survival mechanism. It functions inside a ‘collective ego’ and assists groups to reduce internal dissent and conflict. The Tribal Mind, then, is an instinctual tendency to comply with the beliefs of the majority. It is deeply rooted in ignorance, superstition, and fear.

Herd-type thinking can improve a society’s security, promote social support, and encourage procreation. However, a hivemind dynamic within today’s societies – which are bombarded with information – increases the susceptibility to the tactics of mass manipulation. The Tribal Mind crushes individuality, encouraging members of a group to conform and follow specified norms.

Dr Walsh argues that although individuals now have access to a far wider fund of information and knowledge than ever before, the majority cling to this ‘herd mentality’. In addition, mass communication tends to reinforce mass deception and deflect critical thinking. As the tribal mind is impulsive, Dr Walsh contends that extricating ourselves is an onerous undertaking that requires determination and courage.

Finally, Dr Walsh recounts a ‘flaw’ of human language that is exploited by propagandists. This flaw is the din of incessant ‘chatter’ – a closed-circuit, mind’s-ear dialogue of ceaseless inner speech. Propagandists hijack and even weaponize this chatter. Societal norms are reconstituted and imposed on a massive scale, actuating the Tribal Mind and detracting people from expressing generative ideas.

Dr Walsh contends that to circumvent mass deception, individuals need to excavate their own authentic inner voice from the clattering intrapersonal noise. The need for courage comes when individuating contradicts entrenched collective beliefs.

He explains that the primary function of propaganda is to suppress one’s genuine voice by distorting evidence of reality and thwarting autonomous thought forms. He asserts that the propagandist skilfully diverts whole societies, exacting the Tribal Mind and distracting individual sovereignty.

Original Article Reference

Summary of the paper ‘An Inquisition for Propaganda and Mass Deception: Deposing the Neolithic Mind’ in Frontiers in Communication. doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.636292

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For further information, you can connect with Dr Robert L. Walsh at rwalsh@swcollege.edu

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Debra Klages | Post-traumatic Growth in Health Professionals Who are Mothers of Adult Children with Schizophrenia

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For young people with schizophrenia, their first experience of psychosis is often highly traumatic. Because of the close, nurturing relationships mothers typically have with their children, they too can experience trauma while witnessing their children’s disturbing psychotic episodes. As a result, mothers of adult children with schizophrenia often experience negative impacts on their physical and psychological health. Debra Klages takes a unique perspective by shedding light on how the traumatic experiences of health professionals with dual roles as mothers can lead to personal and professional growth and resilience.

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Core to current theories of post-traumatic growth is the idea that people who have experienced adverse events can develop increased resilience as they find meaning in their experiences. However, some researchers have questioned the validity of findings that negative experiences may lead to positive outcomes.

To explore these conflicting perspectives, Dr Klages and her colleagues at the University of New England studied the lived experiences of 13 health professionals who are also mothers of adult children with schizophrenia. The researchers created a safe space for the participants to discuss their stories through the exchange of information and the development of shared understanding, while seeking to minimise power imbalances.

Thematic analysis allowed Dr Klages and her team to delve systematically into the participants’ experiences, views and perceptions. It was clear that the first episode of psychosis had been highly distressing for the mothers, and this distress continued following the diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Critically, Dr Klages found that this distress became a catalyst for post-traumatic growth, and she identified three themes associated with this process of change.

She named the first theme ‘our hands are tied’, to reflect how the mothers described the experience of disempowerment that accompanied the first episode of psychosis.

The second theme, ‘accepting and adapting’, is a precursor to post-traumatic growth in which the individuals’ environments allowed them to move forward, both as mothers and health professionals.

The third theme, called ‘I could make a difference’, reflects how the mothers used their professional and lived experience to help their colleagues and contemporaries to care for people diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Dr Klages points to the transformative process of growth that can arise from blending professional and scientific knowledge with experiential mothering knowledge.

This growth can increase the compassion and effectiveness of health professionals working with people and their carers who live with schizophrenia. Dr Klages suggests that further research would encourage mental health professionals to integrate the unique research findings into practice.

Original Article Reference

Summary of the paper, ‘Post-traumatic growth: Health professionals as mothers of adult children with schizophrenia,’ in Health Care for Women International, doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2020.1781126

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For further information, you can connect with Debra Klages at klagesdebi@hotmail.com

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Professor Gabi Schierning | Exploring Quantum Properties in Bismuth Telluride Nanoparticles

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SciPod · Exploring Quantum Properties in Bismuth Telluride Nanoparticles | Professor Gabi Schierning

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Particles of the material bismuth telluride have unique properties: the interior of the particle acts as an insulator, but its surface can conduct electricity. In their recent research, Professor Gabi Schierning at Bielefeld University, Germany, and her collaborators at the University of Duisburg-Essen and IFW Dresden, offer fascinating insights into the properties of bismuth telluride particles. The team’s work may pave the way for their use in technological applications. More

In bismuth telluride particles, the interior of each particle can’t conduct electricity – it acts as an insulator. However, the surface of the particle can conduct electricity. This makes bismuth telluride a topological insulator, which describes materials where there is a contrast between the behaviour of the surface and interior of the material. The electrical conductivity on the surfaces of bismuth telluride particles arises due to fast-moving electrons.

These fast-moving surface electrons make this material an exciting possibility for electronics that harness electron spin, or so-called ‘spintronics’. Spintronics devices are more efficient than traditional electronics for storing and transferring data as they utilise both the charge and the spin of the electron, rather than the charge alone. This results in faster devices, with reduced power consumption.

…

However, if the bismuth telluride particles are too large, the volume of the insulating interior is much greater than the surface area. This means, out of all the electrons in the material, only a small fraction of them can carry electricity. Most of the time, the effect of the insulating interior is much greater than that of the conductive outer surface.

To overcome this problem, Professor Schierning and her colleagues use extremely small particles of around 50 nanometres in size. In these bismuth telluride nanoparticles, the surface-area-to-volume ratio is increased, which reduces the dominance of interior electrons.

To produce the nanoparticles, the researchers used a chemical method involving salts in liquid states, known as ionic liquids, as opposed to carbon-based, organic solvents. To analyse the structures of their nanoparticles, the researchers probed them with X-rays.

The team then compressed the nanoparticles into a pellet resembling a very small coin. This allowed them to create a solid material that still shows the conductive properties of all the individual nanoparticle surfaces. This type of material is often called a ‘nanograined’ solid. When nanograined bismuth telluride is exposed to an electric field, charge can flow from particle surface to particle surface, creating networks of electrical current throughout the material.

…

Professor Schierning’s team examined how electric current flows in the nanograined pellet by measuring its resistivity and considering how it is affected by changes in temperature. When they reduced the temperature to minus 268 degrees Celsius, the team found that the resistivity of the material dropped, meaning that it becomes more conductive at these low temperatures.

In bismuth telluride, the electrons can be in various different energy levels, but there are some energy levels that they are ‘forbidden’ from being in. The allowed energy levels of the electrons form ‘bands’ in the researchers’ data, while the forbidden regions form ‘gaps’.

In quantum materials, we can sometimes see these energy levels ‘split’ to give different levels that an electron can be in. This results from the different momentums of the electron. Because an electron spins, it has a momentum associated with this spin. The electron also maps out a circular path around the nucleus, giving it an orbit. When the electron’s spin momentum interacts with its orbit momentum, this is known as spin-orbit coupling, which has an energy level associated with it. This energy alters the electronic structure of the material and affects its properties.

The researchers interpreted this change in the resistivity as a result of the quantum properties of the material. To further investigate the effects of spin-orbit coupling, Professor Schierning’s team looked at the interference between the nanoparticles in their pellet of bismuth telluride. In quantum mechanics, each particle has a wavefunction associated with it. These wavefunctions describe the wave qualities of the particle, such as the path it takes.

Wavefunctions can interfere with each other. When two or more of these wavefunctions ‘collide’, the resulting combined wavefunction defines an interference pattern and quantum features.

The team used a quantum interference formula that considers the various paths the electron can take in the conductive surface layer of a bismuth telluride nanoparticle. This formula gives the quantum associations between particles and their associated wavefunctions, and also considers the strength of the spin-orbit coupling. By comparing this formula to the drop in resistivity seen in the material when within a magnetic field, the researchers determined that spin-orbit coupling was indeed happening.

…

To optimise their nanograined material for use in electronics, the team next created bismuth telluride pellets with different properties. To do so, they compacted the nanoparticles using slightly different processing conditions, to create pellets of different densities.

The team’s investigations showed that the pellet that was enriched with tellurium and also had the lowest density – and therefore the highest porosity – showed the most interesting and unhindered movement of current throughout the material.

…

The work of Professor Schierning’s team highlights how a topological insulator can be created using bismuth telluride nanoparticles. Her team’s unique synthesis process, without organic solvents, minimises defects in the nanoparticles, while maximising the conductive surface area of the resulting nanograined material.

By compressing these nanoparticles into pellets of different densities, the team have created materials with different electrical properties, towards optimising the nanoparticles for different applications.

The team’s method can be scaled up, potentially allowing these materials to be manufactured in an industrial setting. In this way, nanograined bismuth telluride could become an ideal material for spintronics applications, potentially playing an important role in computing technologies of the near future.

Original Article Reference

This SciPod is a summary of the papers ‘Interface-Dominated Topological Transport in Nanograined Bulk Bismuth Telluride’, in Small, doi.org/10.1002/smll.202103281 and ‘Density-dependence of Surface Transport in Tellurium-enriched Nanograined Bulk Bismuth Telluride’, in Small, doi.org/10.1002/smll.202204850

This project gratefully acknowledges the funding it received from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program MATTER.

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For further information, you can connect with Professor Gabi Schierning at gabi.schierning@uni-bielefeld.de

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Understanding Women’s Sexual Pain from a Psychodynamic Standpoint

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SciPod · Understanding Women’s Sexual Pain from a Psychodynamic Standpoint

About this episode

Sexual pain, often referred to as vaginismus and dyspareunia, can be a debilitating condition that prevents many women from having penetrative sexual intercourse. While many studies have investigated this disorder, its psychological underpinnings are not yet fully understood. Dr Thula Koops, Christian Wiessner, Professor Johannes Ehrenthal, and Professor Peer Briken at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf recently explored some of the psychological dimensions of women’s sexual pain. They conducted this research from the standpoint of psychodynamics, which involves exploring links to childhood experiences and unconscious thoughts and feelings. More

Vaginismus is defined as an involuntary tensing of pelvic floor muscles, which can make penetrative sex painful or even impossible, while dyspareunia essentially describes painful sexual intercourse. The International Classification of Diseases, a tool for framing and understanding diseases and health conditions, now classifies vaginismus and dyspareunia together as sexual pain-penetration disorder.

…

While many studies have explored the nature and characteristics of this disorder, the ways in which it develops and evolves over time remains unclear. In addition, very little research has investigated the disorder from a psychodynamic standpoint, or in other words, looking at its links to childhood experiences and unconscious thoughts and feelings.

Psychodynamic Theory, first introduced by Sigmund Freud, is considered to be valuable for the diagnosis and treatment of numerous sexual difficulties. A team of researchers in Germany, led by Dr Thula Koops and Professor Peer Briken, thus set out to examine women’s sexual pain from a psychodynamic standpoint, while also considering the personality functioning – so-called structure – of affected women.

To do so, the research team surveyed 24 women diagnosed with dyspareunia and vaginismus. The anonymous online survey completed by the women touched on a series of psychodynamic and psychological aspects defined by the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis system, while also collecting general information about the women’s backgrounds.

…

Participants were asked questions about their quality of life, physical and psychological health, social relations, environment, and sexual difficulties. They were also asked how often they experienced different psychological symptoms, such as anxiety, deep sadness, feelings of hopelessness, and so on.

The questionnaire then explored different dimensions of personality functioning rooted in psychodynamic theory. One of these dimensions was self-perception, which includes the ability to reflect about oneself, one’s sense of identity, and the ability to distinguish between different emotions. Another was object perception, which describes how one perceives others and oneself in relation to others.

The survey assessed how well the women regulated their own emotions, including their ability to control impulses, tolerate negative emotions, and regulate their own feelings of self-worth. It also looked at how they balanced their interests, how they communicated with themselves internally and with others around them, their attachment styles, and the presence of any psychodynamic conflicts.

Psychodynamic conflicts are different inner and relational conflicts that people can experience throughout their lives. These include the conflict between doing things alone or being dependent on others, being submissive or in control, and needing the care of others or being self-sufficient. They also include conflicts related to self-worth, guilt, and the ‘Oedipal’ conflict, which describes unconscious conflicts around the need for attention, admiration, and recognition.

…

Dr Koops and the team then analysed the responses given by women diagnosed with vaginismus and dyspareunia, and compared them with a matched sample of healthy women from previous studies on psychodynamic conflicts and personality functioning. This allowed them to gain insight into the possible psychological and psychodynamic aspects of sexual pain, as well as other possible influencing factors.

Interestingly, they found significant differences between the groups of women, highlighting some of the potential underpinnings of sexual pain. Overall, women diagnosed with vaginismus and dyspareunia reported some psychological symptoms with greater frequency than the women from the control groups, including over-worrying, and feelings of interpersonal sensitivity.

On average, participants also reported having moderate, but not great, psychological health and social relationships, as well as high satisfaction with their living environment. In terms of sexual difficulties, more than half of respondents with the disorder said that, additionally, they felt distressed by a lack of sexual interest, while approximately half also mentioned that they could not reach orgasm.

…

When looking at the parts of their survey that explored psychodynamic dimensions according to the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis system, the researchers found that women with sexual pain seemed to struggle more in relation to themselves rather than to others.

Compared to the healthy control group, they appeared to have an impaired self-perception and internal dialogue. They also reported difficulties in regulating their emotions and impulses, as well as in realistically interpreting and experiencing emotions.

The women who experienced sexual pain also viewed their body in unrealistic ways, found it harder to have lively bodily experiences, and found it difficult to regulate their feelings of self-worth. These results are aligned with previous research, which found that women with vaginismus have lower self-esteem, which could lead to depression and anxiety.

Finally, the researchers found that women in the sexual pain group were more prone to experience conflicts around guilt, self-worth, the desire for admiration and recognition, and often pondered their level of dependency or independence.

…

The results gathered by this team of researchers offer unique insights into the complex psychological and psychodynamic aspects that can contribute to vaginismus and dyspareunia. While the study design does not confirm that these psychodynamic variables are risk-factors for the development of vaginismus and dyspareunia, the results indicate that the women from the study seem to struggle more with these issues.

Aside from the question of causality, this study could guide the work of psychodynamic therapists, as it highlights several key areas that they could explore during therapy sessions with women whose lives are affected by sexual pain.

Original Article Reference

This SciPod is a summary of the paper ‘Assessing Psychodynamic Conflicts and Level of Personality Functioning in Women Diagnosed With Vaginismus and Dyspareunia’ in Frontiers in Psychology. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.687369

This production was funded by the Hamburg Research Academy and Claussen-Simon foundation

Contact

For further information, you can connect with Dr Thula Koops at t.koops@uke.de

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Dr Thula Koops – Professor Peer Briken | Real Life Stories: What Causes Sexual Pain Amongst Women?

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SciPod · Real Life Stories: What Causes Sexual Pain Amongst Women? | Dr Thula Koops – Professor Peer Briken

About this episode

Limited research has explored the causes of sexual pain and difficulties with intercourse that are experienced by women across the world. Dr Thula Koops and Professor Peer Briken at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf have spoken to women experiencing these difficulties and listened to their real stories and thoughts on the origins of their sexual difficulties. Based on these interviews, two main themes emerged. The first links these difficulties to perceived implications of womanhood, while the second focuses on the separation between body and mind in relation to the cause. More

Despite up to one in five women experiencing sexual pain, women’s sexual pain difficulties remain an under-researched topic. Those who endure persistent or recurring problems in this area are likely to seek professional support and may be diagnosed with dyspareunia, causing vulvovaginal pain, or vaginismus – muscle cramps which prevent vaginal penetration.

There has been much debate between healthcare professionals and researchers around the validity and categorisation of these conditions. Within the last decade, the American Psychiatric Association has merged and reclassified them as genito-pelvic pain penetration disorder. Despite this step forward, a knowledge gap remains around the causes of these sexual issues for women.

There have been quantitative investigations into the possible emotional and cognitive causes, focusing on issues such as fear, disgust sensitivity and catastrophising thoughts. However, social factors are often overlooked within research on individual psychological factors. Statistics have demonstrated some possible social influences on this phenomenon, as women in countries with less gender equality are more likely to experience pain. Qualitative studies have aimed to explore women’s thoughts and feelings in relation to this topic in more depth.

Dr Koops and Professor Briken from the Institute for Sex Research, Sexual Medicine, and Forensic Psychiatry at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf have undertaken a study that aims to investigate individual experiences and psycho-social conditions that may contribute to painful and difficult sexual intercourse amongst women.

…

The team’s research involved interviewing 28 adult women who had sought professional advice in relation to dyspareunia or vaginismus. The interviews took place in either a clinical or home setting, depending on the participants’ preference.

The interviewer asked an opening question and allowed the women to speak about any life experiences that they felt were relevant. They were allowed to talk uninterrupted for as long as they wished to tell their story. The interviewer then followed up with questions around any topics that had not been covered organically within each participant’s open dialogue. Dr Koops and Professor Briken analysed the interviews using Grounded Theory, which involves coding the data into ideas and concepts which can help to form theories.

…

Two overarching themes emerged from the data based on the interviews.

The first main theme was referred to as ‘negotiating womanhood’ because it relates to issues shaping individuals’ experiences as women. Some of the participants directly attributed their problems to being female, describing that if they were male, they would not experience the same problem. A few also referenced that the female body is a source of pain in other areas beyond sex, such as menstruation, bladder infections, childbirth and breast feeding.

Some women even framed themselves as ‘atypical’ because of their difficulties. Others explained how they did not fit into traditional feminine stereotypes of being an agreeable, empathic and caring mother or wife. They also highlighted how women were scrutinised in relation to their bodies, with attractiveness being defined by weight and femininity.

Another key factor relating to womanhood was pregnancy and the concept of being a mother. Sexual difficulties were seen as a direct obstacle to having children, which some of the participants desired. Being able to bear a child was seen as a unique factor of womanhood, and becoming a mother was linked with greater femininity. Some participants were troubled that they were not living up to this ideal due to their sexual issues. For others, the fear of pregnancy was thought to contribute to their issues around sexual intercourse.

Feeling vulnerable was another factor that was intertwined with being a women. Some of the participants explicitly spoke about the fear they felt around being open to attack from men as a member of the ‘weaker sex’. Physical vulnerability had been experienced by a number of women, including issues such as birth trauma leading to fear of further genital damage. Others had issues relating to sexual abuse or coercion which shaped their experiences. Interestingly, several participants assumed that other women had these problems due to past sexual trauma and abuse, despite them never having personally experienced this. Some women had problems around vulnerability due to power imbalances in their relationships.

One major factor mentioned within women’s dialogues was the concept of ‘sexual normality’, as they often felt this was something they were not able to obtain or live up to. Several women admitted to putting pressure on themselves to have what they presumed to be normal sexual desires. Some even questioned whether their partner was ‘the one’ due to their experiences of sexual pain. There was also a fear that low sexual activity could drive their partner to have an affair or leave the relationship.

…

The second overarching theme established by Dr Koops and Professor Briken relates to the body being seen as separate from the ‘self’. Participants differed in terms of whether they thought their sexual difficulties were caused by the mind or the body. Some believed that their sexual problems were because of physical abnormalities, whereas others blamed mental issues such as not being able to ‘switch off’ their thoughts during sex.

While some participants attributed their issues to both mind and body, they generally referred to them as separate entities rather than being linked. Physical issues were seen as a relief for some as these were perceived to be outside of their control and may be more likely to have a straightforward solution.

…

Analysing the narrative and real-life stories around women’s experiences of sexual pain and difficulties with intercourse has yielded new insights around this topic. The study by Dr Koops and Professor Briken emphasises the need to consider psycho-social conditions as well as individual psychological factors. Their results highlight many topics that are important for future research in this field.

The team hopes that understanding more about how women feel in relation to sexual pain and difficulties with intercourse will help medical professionals and psychotherapists to tailor treatment and support programmes to meet their needs.

Original Article Reference

This SciPod is a summary of the paper “A Woman Should Still Be a Woman” – A Grounded Theory of the Origins of Sexual Pain and Difficulties with Intercourse, published in Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy. doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2021.1942348

This production was funded by the Hamburg Research Academy and Claussen-Simon foundation

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For further information, you can connect with Dr Thula Koops at t.koops@uke.de

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Professor Zygmunt Pizlo | How Fundamentals in Physics Can Explain Perception and Cognition

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Psychophysics is the formal study of perception – our sensory experience of the world. Professor Zygmunt Pizlo at the University of California-Irvine explains that while symmetry is fundamental in both physics and mathematics, it is also fundamental to our understanding of vision. He believes there is much to gain in expanding the existing boundaries of psychology, cognitive science and neuroscience by embracing established fundamentals in physics.

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For more information, please contact Professor Manoj Sharma at manoj.sharma@unlv.edu

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Dr Ruth McNair | Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Homelessness in Australia: Risk and Resilience Factors

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SciPod · Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Homelessness in Australia: Risk and Resilience Factors | Dr Ruth McNair

About this episode

There is a strong link between identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) and homelessness. Dr Ruth McNair from the University of Melbourne analysed data investigating risk and resilience factors associated with homelessness according to sexual identity in the Australian population to understand the associations with homelessness and to improve LGB-inclusive homelessness policy and services.

Original Article Reference

This SciPod is a summary of the paper ‘Lesbian, gay and bisexual homelessness in Australia: Risk and resilience factors to consider in policy and practice’ published in Health and Social Care in the Community. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13439

TRANSCRIPT

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

For further information, you can connect with Dr Ruth McNair at r.mcnair@unimelb.edu.au

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Professor Araceli Díaz Perales | Understanding the Key Role of Mould Spores in Allergic Asthma

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SciPod · Understanding the Key Role of Mould Spores in Allergic Asthma | Professor Araceli Díaz Perales

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Professor Araceli Díaz Perales and her colleagues at the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics in Spain have made the discovery that mould spores on straw contribute to the increase in allergic asthma reactions. Their work utilising an experimental mouse model of human asthma has important implications for understanding, preventing and treating this common condition.

Original Article Reference

This SciPod is a summary of the paper ‘Group 1 allergens, transported by mold spores, induce asthma exacerbation in a mouse model’, published in Allergy. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/all.14347

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

For further information, you can connect with Araceli Díaz Perales at araceli.diaz@upm.es

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Daniel Bryant, M.D | Single-Payer Health Care: Financial Implications for a Physician

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SciPod · Single-Payer Health Care: Financial Implications for a Physician

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When considering proposed reforms of the US health care system, some physicians dismiss a single-payer system that would provide health care for all residents, as they believe their incomes would be reduced. In a recent study, Daniel Bryant, M.D., finds that state-based single-payer schemes may actually lead to increased personal incomes for physicians. His work also provides a template for evaluating the financial consequences for physicians within a single-payer health care system.

Original Article Reference

This Audio is a summary of the paper ‘Single-payer Health Care: Financial Implications for a Physician,’ in the International Journal of Health Services, doi.org/10.1177/00207314221096364

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

For further information, you can connect with Daniel Bryant, M.D., at bryantdc57@gmail.com

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The Multi-theory Model of Health Behavior Change: Understanding Meditation, or ‘Dhyana’ | Professor Manoj Sharma

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Meditation is the regular, purposeful practice of becoming aware of one’s bodily sensations, thoughts, or other points of focus. Professor Manoj Sharma, a global health promotion leader and Chair of the Social and Behavioral Health department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, wished to test whether a health behavioral model that he developed could explain why adults begin and maintain a meditation practice. While this multi-theory model – or ‘MTM’ – has been applied to many health-related behaviors, two domains are core to the model: initiation of a health behavior and sustenance of this behavior.

Original Article Reference

Summary of the papers ‘Can the Multi-Theory Model (MTM) of Health Behavior Change Explain the Intent for People to Practice Meditation?’ in Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, doi.org/10.1177/2515690X2110645, and ‘Introspective Meditation before Seeking Pleasurable Activities as a Stress Reduction Tool among College Students: A Multi-Theory Model-Based Pilot Study’ in Healthcare, doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10040614.

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For more information, please contact Professor Manoj Sharma at manoj.sharma@unlv.edu

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Dr Veronica Marconi | Exploring Views About Which Migrants Deserve Anti-Trafficking Assistance in Tuscany, Italy

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SciPod · Exploring Views About Which Migrants Deserve Anti-Trafficking Assistance in Tuscany, Italy

About this episode

Human trafficking is defined as the recruitment and coercion of individuals into labour or other activities that entail their exploitation. While victims of human trafficking can be led to engage in any type of labour or criminal activity, most anti-trafficking efforts primarily focus on people who are exploited in sex work. Dr Veronica Marconi of Oregon State University recently carried out a study aimed at better understanding how anti-trafficking organisations in the Italian region of Tuscany determine which migrants are deserving of their assistance.

Original Article Reference

This SciPod is a summary of the paper ‘Overall Underserving: Narratives of Migrants’ Deservingness of Anti-Trafficking Assistance in Tuscany, Italy’, 2022. https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/downloads/wh2470546

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

For further information, you can connect with Veronica Marconi at marconiveronica2022@gmail.com

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Dr Audrey L. Altstadt – Exploring the Tortuous History of Two Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan

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SciPod · Exploring the Tortuous History of Two Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan

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Human rights defenders Leyla and Arif Yunus played a crucial role in Azerbaijan’s politics and modern history. After being sentenced to 8.5 years in jail by the Azerbaijani government and being released due to health issues, Leyla and Arif Yunus shared the suffering and torture they endured as regime opponents and political prisoners in a book entitled The Price of Freedom. Dr Audrey L. Altstadt, a Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, recently published a short article outlining the dynamics underlying the arrest of the two political activists and the struggle described in their book.

Original Article Reference

This SciPod is a summary of the paper ‘And yet there are defenders’, in Caucasus Survey, 2021.

TRANSCRIPT

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Professor John Moses | Shapeshifting Antibiotics – Overcoming Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria

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Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats currently facing public health. Professor John Moses, based at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, along with a team of international collaborators, has proposed a conceptually unique way to extend the life of clinically used antibiotic drugs.

VISIT CSHL

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Professor Ariane Lambert-Mogiliansky | Quantum Persuasion: Can Targeted Distractions Change Our Viewpoints?

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SciPod · Quantum Persuasion: Can Targeted Distractions Change Our Viewpoints?

About this episode

How our mind frames information, processes it and makes decisions is an active field of research in psychology, neurosciences and behavioural sciences. Recent research aims to quantify our cognitive processes by mapping them to mathematical theories. Professor Ariane Lambert-Mogiliansky’s work at the Paris School of Economics looks at how we can link cognitive processes, such as learning and decision-making, to the mathematics of quantum mechanics. She establishes and tests a quantum version of the persuasion problem, looking at how much one can alter a person’s cognitive state and orient their decisions through the smart use of questions and information. This research follows the steps of Niels Bohr, founding father of Quantum Mechanics, who wrote about essential similarities between Quantum Mechanics and the functioning of the mind.

Original Article Reference

This SciPod is a summary of the papers ‘Targeting in quantum persuasion problem’, doi.org/10.1016/j.jmateco.2018.04.005, and ‘Phishing for (Quantum-Like) Phools—Theory and Experimental Evidence’, https://doi.org/10.3390/sym13020162.

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

ORIGINAL ARTICLE 2

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