18 research outputs found
Starvation as self-preservation: the paradoxical nature of anorexia nervosa through the lens of schizoid phenomena
No full textAnorexia nervosa is a disorder that affects millions in the United States and has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, estimated at or above 10%. The majority of sufferers are female, though the number of male cases continues to increase. The current study seeks to explore and interpret the internal experiences of females with anorexia through the lens of British object-relations theories regarding schizoid phenomena. This dissertation offers a review of the current clinical and psychoanalytic literature on female anorexia, as well as current empirical findings. There is also a summary of the theories of Guntrip and Laing on schizoid mechanisms, along with a discussion of psychological aspects of modernity as discussed by Sass and Bordo. This study utilizes published memoirs of women in recovery from anorexia, and through narrative inquiry methodology explores the hypothesis that anorexia is an attempt to alleviate and resolve schizoid concerns. In the analyses, thirteen themes emerge that capture the paradoxical nature of anorexia, in which the sufferer engages in a process of destructive self-preservation. Central to these findings is a self-annihilating narcissism that describes the internal experiences of preoccupation and self-loathing within the sufferer, as well as a desire to become a person without needs and without a body. These are shown to provide a protective boundary between the internal self and the external world. In an attempt to assert a sense of self through starvation, the sufferer exists in a state between being and non-being, which often leads to serious medical complications and sometimes death. Lastly, these paradoxical themes tie into literature on the schizoid condition, which provides insight into the contradictory experiences of anorexia. The splitting that occurs in anorexia between an inner self and a body self appears to parallel the splitting within the schizoid, which protects the person against fears of annihilation, engulfment, implosion, and petrification by the other.Psy. D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Lauren Courtney Dehle
Deconstructing Scholarship: An Analysis of Research Methods Citations in the Organizational Sciences.
No full textUnderstanding the variety of different ways in which citations contribute to scholarly writing is an important part of the tacit knowledge possessed by experienced researchers. There is, however, little published work to help novice researchers develop this aspect of their craft. To address this issue, we present a framework of citation usage derived from inductive analysis of a selection of published articles and emphasize its relevance for research methods topics. This framework provides a template for structuring citation usage in academic research and a useful developmental tool for novice researchers
The long-term impact of cancer: Evaluating psychological distress in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors in Switzerland
No full textObjectives
Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are diagnosed with cancer during a critical life period full of psychosocial challenges. They may experience a significant impact of the cancer diagnosis on their psychological health, also in the long term. We aimed to (a) evaluate psychological distress in AYA cancer survivors and compare levels of distress with controls and (b) describe socio‐demographic and cancer‐related characteristics associated with psychological distress.
Methods
We sent a questionnaire to AYA cancer survivors (aged 16‐25 y at diagnosis, survived ≥5 y) registered in the Cancer Registry Zurich and Zug, Switzerland. Psychological distress was measured using the Brief Symptom Inventory‐18 (BSI‐18) assessing anxiety, depression, and somatization and a global severity index (GSI) (cutoff score indicating psychological distress: T ≥ 57). Distress levels were compared between survivors and controls. We used logistic regression to determine associations of socio‐demographic and cancer‐related characteristics with distress.
Results
Of 160 AYA cancer survivors, 34 (21%) reported being distressed (27% in women, 17% in men; P = 0.129). Compared with controls, survivors did not report higher levels of distress (all P values > 0.05). Survivors with migration background and survivors with late effects reported higher levels on GSI, somatization, and anxiety. Higher levels of depression were associated with being female, not being in a partnership, and having late effects.
Conclusions
A substantial subgroup of AYA cancer survivors reported psychological distress. Systematically screening for distress and providing psychological follow‐up for survivors at risk may help to provide adequate psychological support
Attendance to Follow-Up Care in Survivors of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior.
No full textPURPOSE
The aim was to study follow-up care attendance in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors to investigate: (1) correlates of the intention to attend follow-up care and (2) whether the intention is associated with the actual attendance, applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB).
METHODS
We conducted a questionnaire survey in AYA cancer survivors diagnosed 1990-2005 at age 16-25 years, registered in the Cancer Registry Zurich and Zug, Switzerland, who had survived at least 5 years. Structural equation modeling was applied to investigate TPB-related correlates (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) of intention to attend follow-up care. Logistic regression analysis was used to study the association between intention and actual attendance.
RESULTS
We included 160 AYA cancer survivors in the study (mean age at study: 34.0 years, mean age at diagnosis: 21.6 years, 98 [61.3%] male). Positive attitudes toward follow-up care (coefficient = 0.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.05 to 0.60) and supportive subjective norms (coefficient = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.41 to 0.78) were associated with higher intention to attend follow-up care. Perceived behavioral control was not associated with intention to attend (coefficient = -0.13, 95% CI: -0.36 to 0.10), but with actual attendance (odds ratio [OR] = 4.55, 95% CI: 1.83 to 11.31). Higher intention was associated with actual follow-up care attendance (OR = 14.29, 95% CI: 5.80 to 35.21).
CONCLUSION
Positive attitudes and supportive social norms were associated with higher intention to attend follow-up care, and higher intention was associated with actual follow-up care attendance. Increasing awareness of the importance and benefits of follow-up care not only among survivors but also family, friends and healthcare professionals may help increase follow-up care attendance among AYA cancer survivors
An American crusader: William Temple Hornaday and wildlife protection in America, 1840--1940.
No full textWilliam Temple Hornaday was born on December 1, 1854 in Indiana. He died on March 6, 1937 in Stamford, Connecticut. He is primarily remembered for being an advocate of wildlife conservation and as director of the New York Zoological Park in the Bronx from 1896 to 1926. Historians have tended to view Hornaday in a negative light, believing he was a divisive presence motivated by guilt and a desire for fame. This dissertation argues that Hornaday\u27s career developed in a rational and progressive course from collector of zoological specimens to leader of the preservationist wing of the wildlife protection movement. In between, Hornaday was a pioneering taxidermist, author of numerous books and articles on natural history, director of the New York Zoological Park, and advocate of wildlife protection. The glue that bound these multiple careers together into a single thread was Hornaday\u27s view that the public should have access to the wonderful world of nature. At first, adding specimens to museum shelves and presenting them in a more realistic manner sufficed. Later, core species of animals needed to be protected to insure against extinction. By the 1920s Hornaday realized that hunting presented a real threat to the survivability of animal populations. Hornaday was governed by an ideology of his own making which acted as a compass that directed his conservation activities. He believed that technological advances in hunting technology combined with business interests that profited from killing could drive any species to extinction. At first, he worked with sportsmen to eliminate market hunting. Later, he came to regard hunting as a big business which could make millions of dollars by fostering the killing of game. In addition to lobbying for scores of state and federal laws, Hornaday made two great contributions to the history of wildlife protection. First, he developed a message that stressed man\u27s moral responsibility to protect wildlife. Second, he defined the preservationist wing of the wildlife protection wing, sowing seeds that would be harvested by generations following the end of the Second World War
Health-related quality of life in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors
No full textPurpose: Today, survival rates for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients exceed 80%. However, cancer and treatment leave many patients suffering from chronic conditions. These late effects may impair their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We aimed to (1) compare HRQoL of AYA cancer survivors with the Swiss general population and (2) investigate socio-demographic and cancer-related characteristics associated with poor HRQoL. Methods: AYA cancer survivors (age 16–25 at diagnosis; ≥5 years survival) who had been identified through the Cancer Registry Zurich and Zug, Switzerland, filled out a questionnaire. We assessed HRQoL using the Short-Form 12 (SF-12), producing two scores: Physical Component Summary score (PCS, physical health) and Mental Component Summary score (MCS, mental health). We used multivariable logistic regression analyses to investigate associated characteristics. Results: We compared 155 survivors with 350 controls. Survivors had significantly lower physical health than controls (mean = 52.5 vs. mean = 54.7, p < 0.001). Male survivors reported better mental health than controls (55.2 vs.53.3, p = 0.078) and females slightly worse (49.8 vs. 51.8, p = 0.285). Poor physical health was strongly associated with having a migration background (OR = 4.63, p = 0.008) and unemployment (OR = 7.66, p = 0.005). Poor mental health was associated with female sex (OR = 2.69, p = 0.057), suffering from late effects (OR = 5.91, p < 0.001) and a migration background (OR = 5.82, p = 0.004). Conclusions: Results emphasize the need for individualized support services to improve survivors' HRQoL in vulnerable subgroups. We recommend adapted care for women and migrants, in addition to educational and employment support systems.+ ID der Publikation: unilu_30616 + Sprache: Englisch + Letzte Aktualisierung: 2018-12-18 11:26:3
Activism as a Role in Visual Communication
No full textDesigner as author is now commonplace in the field of Graphic Design. Often design authorship is synonymous with social activism. However, using the origination of authorship is not necessarily activism in that it intentionally seeks out social change. Our project proposes that current methods of design research may not be adequate for the type of interaction that leads to social activism. Designers often use instruction, craft or promotion to incorporate activities of social concern. Our research sought out other disciplines and incorporated these processes and methods of investigation into theories of participatory design. Using the new framework of research and theories from participatory design, students created an interaction that addresses cultural awareness. This presentation is a case study of how designers can use research and participatory design as tools for social activism
Preferences for the organization of long-term follow-up in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors.
No full textPURPOSE
As survival rates of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients increase, a growing number of AYA cancer survivors need follow-up care. However, there is little research on their preferences for follow-up care. We aimed to (1) describe AYA cancer survivors' preferences for the organization and content of follow-up care, (2) describe their preferences for different models of follow-up, and (3) investigate clinical and sociodemographic characteristics associated with preferences for the different models.
METHODS
AYA cancer survivors (diagnosed with cancer at age 16-25 years; ≥5 years after diagnosis) were identified through the Cancer Registry Zurich and Zug. Survivors completed a questionnaire on follow-up attendance, preferences for organizational aspects of follow-up care (what is important during follow-up, what should be included during appointments, what specialists should be involved, location), models of follow-up (telephone/questionnaire, general practitioner (GP), pediatric oncologist, medical oncologist, multidisciplinary team), and sociodemographic characteristics. Information on tumor and treatment was available through the Cancer Registry Zurich and Zug.
RESULTS
Of 389 contacted survivors, 160 (41.1 %) participated and 92 (57.5 %) reported still attending follow-up. Medical aspects of follow-up care were more important than general aspects (p < 0.001). Among different organizational models, follow-up by a medical oncologist was rated higher than all other models (p = 0.002). Non-attenders of follow-up rated GP-led follow-up significantly higher than attenders (p = 0.001).
CONCLUSION
Swiss AYA cancer survivors valued medical content of follow-up and showed a preference for medical oncologist-led follow-up. Implementation of different models of follow-up care might improve accessibility and attendance among AYA cancer survivors
DRONE GAME THAT HIGHLIGHTS ETHICAL AND SUSTAINABILITY IMPLICATIONS OF DESIGN DECISIONS
No full textThis paper reports on the development of a brief scenario-based challenge to prompt engineering students’ reflection about the broader impacts of their design decisions, and thereby increase their ethical sensitivity and motivation. The game scenario asks players to design a drone for ornithologists to study birds, contextualized as part of a university course. Constrained by their budget, players choose a subset from a variety of actions that can advance their drone design. Each action, for example spending a week prototyping in the lab (200€) or making a one-day field trip with the ornithologists (1000€), allows the players to access specific information and make choices to refine their design. Presenting the task as a mechanical engineering design problem, without reference to ethics or sustainability, gives us a window into how students spontaneously include these aspects in their design decisions. This is important, as previous studies have shown that engineers typically interpret their brief as restricted only to their core engineering disciplinary expertise and do not perceive the ethical implications of their design decisions. The feedback that participants receive after submitting their final prototype highlights potential ethical and environmental issues, with a view to increasing both students’ ethical sensitivity (recognising that an ethical concern exists) and ethical motivation (internal drive towards behaviours coherent with ethical values). This paper reports on the scenario development and first implementation as an online game that constitute the semester project of the second author. We share preliminary participant feedback and our plans for a tangible interface with tabletop robots to observe participants’ decision-making processes through haptic functionality and afford opportunities to integrate peer discussions in the activity.AVP-E-LEARNCHIL
Production, characterization and determination of the real catalytic properties of the putative "succinate dehydrogenase" from Wolinella succinogenes
No full textBoth the genomes of the epsilonproteobacteria Wolinella succinogenes and Campylobacter jejuni contain operons (sdhABE) that encode for so far uncharacterized enzyme complexes annotated as ‘non-classical’ succinate:quinone reductases (SQRs). However, the role of such an enzyme ostensibly involved in aerobic respiration in an anaerobic organism such as W. succinogenes has hitherto been unknown. We have established the first genetic system for the manipulation and production of a member of the non-classical succinate:quinone oxidoreductase family. Biochemical characterization of the W. succinogenes enzyme reveals that the putative SQR is in fact a novel methylmenaquinol:fumarate reductase (MFR) with no detectable succinate oxidation activity, clearly indicative of its involvement in anaerobic metabolism. We demonstrate that the hydrophilic subunits of the MFR complex are, in contrast to all other previously characterized members of the superfamily, exported into the periplasm via the twin-arginine translocation (tat)-pathway. Furthermore we show that a single amino acid exchange (Ala86→His) in the flavoprotein of that enzyme complex is the only additional requirement for the covalent binding of the otherwise non-covalently bound FAD. Our results provide an explanation for the previously published puzzling observation that the C. jejuni sdhABE operon is upregulated in an oxygen-limited environment as compared with microaerophilic laboratory conditions
