This qualitative exploratory study investigated the embodied experiences and the meanings of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) from the viewer's perspective. ASMR research has been sparse ...and largely quantitative, assuming it to be a predominantly fixed physiological response of "tingles", despite the acronym being rooted in pseudoscience. A qualitative research design was adopted to facilitate the exploratory nature of the study in this under-researched area. In contrast to the mostly survey-based research on ASMR, this study employed semi-structured interviews as a means to understand the lived experience of ASMR and to promote participant agency. Six self-identifying ASMR consumers were recruited using a mixture of snowball and opportunity sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted both in person and using Skype to facilitate transnational data collection. Interview transcripts were analysed using an inductive, data-driven approach to thematic analysis. The analysis suggests that ASMR is felt to provide a social environment of comfort rather than a solely physiological-based experience. Three key themes emerged: who and what defines ASMR? (reflecting the variety of what was classed as ASMR and what content was consumed to produce the response); "real" intimacy tailored to me (reflecting the idiosyncratic perception of intimacy made possible through ASMR); and emotional relief on my terms (reflecting the role of ASMR in self-soothing). The present data reflect a rich, complex experience of the ASMR consumer, pointing to potential wider applications and informing further research.
Current prescribing practices for major depressive disorder (MDD) produce limited treatment success. Although pharmacogenomics may improve outcomes by identifying genetically inappropriate ...medications, studies to date were limited in scope. Outpatients (N = 1167) diagnosed with MDD and with a patient- or clinician-reported inadequate response to at least one antidepressant were enrolled in the Genomics Used to Improve DEpression Decisions (GUIDED) trial – a rater- and patient-blind randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomized to treatment as usual (TAU) or a pharmacogenomics-guided intervention arm in which clinicians had access to a pharmacogenomic test report to inform medication selections (guided-care). Medications were considered congruent (‘use as directed’ or ‘use with caution’ test categories) or incongruent (‘use with increased caution and with more frequent monitoring’ test category) with test results. Unblinding occurred after week 8. Primary outcome was symptom improvement change in 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D17) at week 8; secondary outcomes were response (≥50% decrease in HAM-D17) and remission (HAM-D17 ≤ 7) at week 8. At week 8, symptom improvement for guided-care was not significantly different than TAU (27.2% versus 24.4%, p = 0.107); however, improvements in response (26.0% versus 19.9%, p = 0.013) and remission (15.3% versus 10.1%, p = 0.007) were statistically significant. Patients taking incongruent medications prior to baseline who switched to congruent medications by week 8 experienced greater symptom improvement (33.5% versus 21.1%, p = 0.002), response (28.5% versus 16.7%, p = 0.036), and remission (21.5% versus 8.5%, p = 0.007) compared to those remaining incongruent. Pharmacogenomic testing did not significantly improve mean symptoms but did significantly improve response and remission rates for difficult-to-treat depression patients over standard of care (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02109939).
This qualitative exploratory study investigated the embodied experiences and the meanings of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) from the viewer’s perspective. ASMR research has been sparse ...and largely quantitative, assuming it to be a predominantly fixed physiological response of “tingles”, despite the acronym being rooted in pseudoscience. A qualitative research design was adopted to facilitate the exploratory nature of the study in this under-researched area. In contrast to the mostly survey-based research on ASMR, this study employed semi-structured interviews as a means to understand the lived experience of ASMR and to promote participant agency. Six self-identifying ASMR consumers were recruited using a mixture of snowball and opportunity sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted both in person and using Skype to facilitate transnational data collection. Interview transcripts were analysed using an inductive, data-driven approach to thematic analysis. The analysis suggests that ASMR is felt to provide a social environment of comfort rather than a solely physiological-based experience. Three key themes emerged: who and what defines ASMR? (reflecting the variety of what was classed as ASMR and what content was consumed to produce the response); “real” intimacy tailored to me (reflecting the idiosyncratic perception of intimacy made possible through ASMR); and emotional relief on my terms (reflecting the role of ASMR in self-soothing). The present data reflect a rich, complex experience of the ASMR consumer, pointing to potential wider applications and informing further research.
We announce ChromaStarPy, an integrated general stellar atmospheric modeling and spectrum synthesis code written entirely in python V. 3. ChromaStarPy is a direct port of the ChromaStarServer ...(CSServ) Java modeling code described in earlier papers in this series, and many of the associated JavaScript (JS) post-processing procedures have been ported and incorporated into CSPy so that students have access to ready-made data products. A python integrated development environment (IDE) allows a student in a more advanced course to experiment with the code and to graphically visualize intermediate and final results, ad hoc, as they are running it. CSPy allows students and researchers to compare modeled to observed spectra in the same IDE in which they are processing observational data, while having complete control over the stellar parameters affecting the synthetic spectra. We also take the opportunity to describe improvements that have been made to the related codes, ChromaStar (CS), CSServ, and ChromaStarDB (CSDB), that, where relevant, have also been incorporated into CSPy. The application may be found at the home page of the OpenStars project: http://www.ap.smu.ca/OpenStars/.
Background/aims/objectives
There is a need to update understanding of masculine identity and mental health to better tailor therapeutic services for masculine client preferences.
Methodology/methods
...This exploratory study gathered qualitative information on how four White Scottish male clients who had completed psychological therapy or counselling conceptualised and experienced their own masculinity, in relation to Scottish sociocultural norms, and experiences of therapy.
Results/findings
An IPA analysis identified four superordinate themes: 1) Scottish masculinity as competence, control, and achievement; 2) Scottish masculinity as role in society; 3) Fear of showing weakness or incompetence; and 4) Experiences of therapy.
Discussion/Conclusions
Perceptions of competence and strength were central to participants’ accounts of Scottish masculine identity, and produced anxiety when threatened. However, participants distanced themselves from stereotypes, and successful therapy defused masculine tensions. Implications for practice and research are discussed.
At present, there is only a theoretical understanding of the role of meta-attention in golf and there is no research that studies the real-time cognitive processes that construct meta-attention. ...Therefore, this study sought to explore the real-time meta-attentional processes experienced by golfers within a performance as this would develop a further understanding of concentration during performance. Seven intermediate level golfers (Handicap M = 14.43) performed over 6 holes using Think Aloud (TA) Level 3. Players' verbalisations were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and then were subjected to verbal protocol analysis. Analysis revealed several metacognitions, control strategies and game situation thoughts during performance. Attentional metacognitions varied by the shot, however, consistent control routines were used throughout. The insights into meta-attentional processes captured lend support to the theoretical understanding of meta-attention, and show that golfers tended to externalise their attentional focus during performance, additionally golfers frequently focused their attention towards environmental information related to their game situation. The results allow for a further understanding of the higher-order processes of concentration and can be brought forward to further theoretical understanding and shape attention training given to golfers.
Previous findings showed allocentric and egocentric learning deficits in rats after MDMA treatment from postnatal days (PD) 11–20 but not after treatment from PD 1–10. Shorter treatment periods (PD ...1–5, 6–10, 11–15, or 16–20) resulted in allocentric learning deficits averaged across intervals but not for any interval individually and no egocentric learning deficits individually or collectively. Whether this difference was attributable to treatment length or age at the start of treatment was unclear. In the present experiment rat litters were treated on PD 1–10, 6–15, or 11–20 with 0, 10, or 15 mg/kg MDMA q.i.d. at 2-h intervals. Two male/female pairs/litter received each treatment. One pair/litter received acoustic startle with prepulse inhibition, straight channel swimming, Cincinnati water maze (CWM), and conditioned fear in a latent inhibition paradigm. The other pair/litter received locomotor activity, straight channel swimming, Morris water maze (MWM), and locomotor activity retest with MK-801 challenge. MDMA impaired CWM learning following PD 6–15 or 11–20 exposure. In MWM acquisition, all MDMA-treated groups showed impairment. During reversal and shift, the PD 6–15 and PD 11–20 MDMA-treated groups were significantly impaired. Reductions in locomotor activity were most evident after PD 6–15 treatment while increases in acoustic startle were most evident after PD 1–10 treatment. After MK-801 challenge, MDMA-treated offspring showed less locomotion compared to controls. Region-specific changes in brain monoamines were also observed but were not significantly correlated with behavioural changes. The results show that PD 11–20 exposure to MDMA caused the largest long-term cognitive deficits followed by PD 6–15 exposure with PD 1–10 exposure least affected. Other effects, such as those upon MK-801-stimulated locomotion showed greatest effects after PD 1–10 MDMA exposure. Hence, each effect has a different window of developmental susceptibility.
Abstract Developmental exposure to the dopamine D2/3 receptor agonist quinpirole is reported to induce D2 priming, impair Morris water maze performance, reduce acoustic startle prepulse inhibition ...(PPI), and alter locomotor activity. We treated rats from postnatal days 1–21 with the dose reported to induce these effects, 1.0 mg/kg/day, and two higher doses, 2.0 and 4.0 mg/kg/day, or saline. Offspring were tested in the Morris water maze, PPI, exploratory locomotor activity, activity after quinpirole and (+)-methamphetamine challenge, elevated zero maze, light-dark box, marble burying, straight channel swimming, and Cincinnati water maze. In the Morris water maze, all quinpirole groups had longer latencies on test days 3–5 of acquisition, but no effects on reversal or shifted-reduced platform trials. The quinpirole 4.0 mg/kg group had significantly reduced mean search distances on probe trials when combined across the 3 phases of testing but not separately. The male 4.0 mg/kg quinpirole group showed a greater increase in methamphetamine-stimulated activity during the first 10 min after drug challenge but not in the remainder of the 2 h test. No quinpirole effects were found for light-dark box, marble burying, exploratory locomotor activity, straight channel, Cincinnati water maze, or locomotor activity after quinpirole challenge. No effects were found on most measures in the elevated zero maze however the quinpirole 4.0 mg/kg females had longer latencies to enter an open quadrant. The results partially support prior Morris maze deficits induced by developmental quinpirole treatment but little evidence of dopamine D2/3 priming was found using locomotor activity with quinpirole or methamphetamine challenge or acoustic startle/PPI. The limited comparability to published data using developmental quinpirole exposure may be attributable to differences in experimental procedures or may be the result of quinpirole having limited effects. The data suggest that caution is warranted concerning the developmental efficacy of quinpirole.
This short report focuses on student feedback relating to the use of online group wikis as a means of a summative assessment intended to foster skills in collaborative practice for a large ...interprofessional education (IPE) module. Electronic feedback from 112 (72.2% response rate) students suggested wikis were a key area of the module. Open text comments relating to the wikis were extracted and categorized initially as positive or negative, with sub-themes then identified within these two broad categories. Findings showed that students valued the experience of a novel type of assessment but felt the amount of work required was too great. We concluded that digital capabilities need to be part of the developmental skill set of students. This raises important issues for further research to consider whether wikis themselves as a computer supported collaborative learning tool are appropriate for large scale IPE delivery.
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