“Who Am I Really?”

Author(s):  
Libby Rose Waite

Abstract This study seeks to deepen the conversation between Jungian individuation and yogic awakening to explore the question ‘Who am I?’ from a psycho-spiritual perspective. Through focusing on yogic experience, the study explores how Jungian therapeutic benefits might be gained through modern yoga practice. Four long-time yoga practitioners took part in the study that involves ten hours’ worth of ethnographic interviews. The transcripts were analysed using Jungian techniques to identify key themes, symbols, and meanings from the archetypal story patterns of the participants’ yoga histories. The resulting themes represent a potential hermeneutic model for recognising Jung’s analytic psychology within the experiences of the four practitioners. Based on these findings, future research is recommended that is conducted over a longer interview period with practitioners of Non-dual Shaiva Tantra. The ethnographic interview process could include physical yoga practices and an explicit dissection of Jungian concepts to widen the conversation between Jung and yoga.

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-245
Author(s):  
Chuku Okorie ◽  
Kola Ajibesin ◽  
Adekunle Sanyaolu ◽  
Adeena Islam ◽  
Selciya Lamech ◽  
...  

Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) is an angiosperm plant that is a member of the Moringaceae family. It is a natural plant that is native to the sub-Himalayan northern regions of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The plant grows abundantly throughout tropical and subtropical areas of the world. For several centuries, many cultures have utilized various parts of the moringa plant as traditional medicine to treat common illnesses and control life-threatening conditions such as hypertension (HTN), diabetes, hyperlipidemia, inflammation, etc. This article reviewed the current literature on the therapeutic benefits of M. oleifera on hypertension, primarily focusing on identifying the plant’s key components and its roles in hindering the common pathophysiological pathways associated with hypertension. The number of people living with HTN has been predicted to increase to 1.56 billion worldwide by 2025 in spite of the myriads of preventive and treatment strategies available today. Therefore, it would be of great value to explore alternative complementary ways of controlling high blood pressure. HTN is commonly defined as blood pressure equal to or higher than 140/90 mm Hg. HTN itself is not a disease condition and does not elicit specific symptoms, however, if left untreated for a long time, it can lead to complicated cardiovascular diseases such as angina, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction as well as stroke and chronic kidney diseases. Primary hypertension is diagnosed when there is no known identifiable underlying cause for the onset of the condition. Secondary hypertension is diagnosed when there is evidence of a disease or disorder triggering the onset of the condition. It is apparent that understanding the role of M. oleifera in the management of hypertension would expand the valuable strategies for the control of this condition.


2021 ◽  
pp. bmjsrh-2020-200962
Author(s):  
Kristina Gemzell-Danielsson ◽  
Ali Kubba ◽  
Cecilia Caetano ◽  
Thomas Faustmann ◽  
Eeva Lukkari-Lax ◽  
...  

Universal access to sexual and reproductive health services is essential to facilitate the empowerment of women and achievement of gender equality. Increasing access to modern methods of contraception can reduce the incidence of unplanned pregnancy and decrease maternal mortality. Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) offer high contraceptive efficacy as well as cost-efficacy, providing benefits for both women and healthcare systems. The levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) first became available in 1990 with the introduction of Mirena (LNG-IUS 20), a highly effective contraceptive which can reduce menstrual blood loss and provide other therapeutic benefits. The impact of the LNG-IUS on society has been wide ranging, including decreasing the need for abortion, reducing the number of surgical sterilisation procedures performed, as well as reducing the number of hysterectomies carried out for issues such as heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB). In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mirena can provide a treatment option for women with gynaecological issues such as HMB without organic pathology, minimising exposure to the hospital environment and reducing waiting times for surgical appointments. Looking to the future, research and development in the field of the LNG-IUS continues to expand our understanding of these contraceptives in clinical practice and offers the potential to further expand the choices available to women, allowing them to select the option that best meets their needs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 772-800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farah Godrej

Can the theory and practice of the yogic tradition serve as a challenge to dominant cultural and political norms in the Western world? In this essay I demonstrate that modern yoga is a creature of fabrication, while arguing that yogic norms can simultaneously reinforce and challenge the norms of contemporary Western neoliberal societies. In its current and most common iteration in the West, yoga practice does stand in danger of reinforcing neoliberal constructions of selfhood. However, yoga does contain ample resources for challenging neoliberal subjectivity, but this requires reading the yogic tradition in a particular way, to emphasize certain philosophical elements over others, while directing its practice toward an inward-oriented detachment from material outcomes and desires. Contemporary claims about yoga’s counterhegemonic status often rely on exaggerated notions of its former “purity” and “authenticity,” which belie its invented and retrospectively reconstructed nature. Rather than engaging in these debates about authenticity, scholars and practitioners may productively turn their energies toward enacting a resistant, anti-neoliberal practice of yoga, while remaining self-conscious about the particularity and partiality of the interpretive position on which such a practice is founded.


2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney Gabel ◽  
Tim Brackenbury ◽  
Farzan Irani

The purpose of this study was to examine societal knowledge of stuttering, access to information sources, and the influence of information sources on knowledge of stuttering. 185 participants from Northwest Ohio were surveyed. Results of the study indicated that the general public varies in their knowledge of stuttering and that majority of participants had not accessed information about stuttering, and the few who had, did so a long time ago. Finally, access to information sources had little influence on knowledge of stuttering. Implications for future research are discussed.


Author(s):  
Tingting Kang

Due to the nature of listening, multiple media tools (e.g., audiocassette players, radio, video, multimedia, and language laboratory) have been utilized in second language (L2) listening instruction for a long time. This chapter recruited the most recently published empirical studies and meta-analyzed available evidence on the effects of different multiple media tools on L2 listening comprehension. The results revealed a medium-to-large effect of multiple media tools on listening comprehension in between-group designs (Cohen's d = .69). The effects of individual multiple media tools have also been statistically synthesized. Further, moderator analysis could help L2 educators and test developers make decisions on applying different multiple media tools in the fields of L2 instruction and assessment. Specifically, subtitles (in the first language/L1) /captions (in the source language/L2), as well as self-regulated listening and slow speed, are recommended to teachers and test developers as a means to improve learners' listening comprehension. In the end, this chapter concludes by identifying potential areas for future research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 414-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zach Zacharia ◽  
Michael Plasch ◽  
Usha Mohan ◽  
Markus Gerschberger

Purpose Increasing environmental uncertainty, more demanding customers, rapid technological growth and rising capital costs have all forced firms to evolve from collaborating with buyers and suppliers to collaborating with their competitors and that is called coopetition. The purpose of this paper is to better understand the antecedents and outcomes associated with coopetition. Design/methodology/approach Building from the existing literature and three theoretical foundations, resource-based theory, resource dependence theory and game theory, the authors develop a model showing the antecedents and outcomes of coopetition and associated propositions of coopetition. Using a semi-structured interview process of 21 industry executives, the authors offer empirical support for the proposed coopetition model and propositions. Findings Firms are increasingly dependent on the knowledge and expertise in external organizations to innovate, solve problems and improve supply chain performance. This research suggests that there is a value for firms to consider coopetition as a part of their inter-firm strategies. Research limitations/implications The semi-structured interview process used in this research provided a wealth of information and executive experiences in coopetition. The interviews, however, only provide a single perspective of collaborative engagements with competitors. Multiple perspectives of each project would add value to this research. Originality/value Collaboration among buyers and suppliers have been well researched; however, there has not been as much research on coopetition. This research provides a new area for future research for academics and offers suggestions for managers to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their coopetition projects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 966-973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinxin Hao ◽  
Yunling Liu ◽  
Xiaoxue Li ◽  
Jingchen Zheng

ABSTRACTObjective:To analyze the development of disaster medicine and to identify the main obstacles to improving disaster medicine research and application.Methods:A topic search strategy was used to search the Web of Science Core Collection database. The 100 articles with the highest local citation scores were selected for bibliometric analysis; summarizing informetric indicators; and preparing a historiography, themes network, and key word co-occurrence map.Results:The 100 articles with the highest local citation scores were published from 1983 to 2013 in 9 countries, mainly in the United States. The most productive authors were Koenig and Rubinson. The lead research institution was Columbia University. The most commonly cited journal was the Annals of Emergency Medicine. The development of disaster medicine could be separated into 3 consecutive periods. All results indicate that the development of disaster medicine faces some obstacles that need to be addressed.Conclusions:Research works have provided a solid foundation for disaster medicine, but its development has been in a slow growth period for a long time. Obstacles to the development of disaster medicine include the lack of scientist communities, transdisciplinary research, innovative research perspectives, and continuous research. Future research should overcome these obstacles so as to make further advances in this field.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 4574
Author(s):  
Elena Rosini ◽  
Paola D’Antona ◽  
Loredano Pollegioni

D-enantiomers of amino acids (D-AAs) are only present in low amounts in nature, frequently at trace levels, and for this reason, their biological function was undervalued for a long time. In the past 25 years, the improvements in analytical methods, such as gas chromatography, HPLC, and capillary electrophoresis, allowed to detect D-AAs in foodstuffs and biological samples and to attribute them specific biological functions in mammals. These methods are time-consuming, expensive, and not suitable for online application; however, life science investigations and industrial applications require rapid and selective determination of D-AAs, as only biosensors can offer. In the present review, we provide a status update concerning biosensors for detecting and quantifying D-AAs and their applications for safety and quality of foods, human health, and neurological research. The review reports the main challenges in the field, such as selectivity, in order to distinguish the different D-AAs present in a solution, the simultaneous assay of both L- and D-AAs, the production of implantable devices, and surface-scanning biosensors. These innovative tools will push future research aimed at investigating the neurological role of D-AAs, a vibrant field that is growing at an accelerating pace.


2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (11) ◽  
pp. 3296-3304
Author(s):  
Hong Zhou ◽  
Klaus von Schwartzenberg

Abstract The class of conjugating green algae, Zygnematophyceae (Conjugatophyceae), is extremely rich in species and has attracted the interest of phycologists for a long time. It is now widely accepted that this class of charophyte algae holds a key position in the phylogenetic tree of streptophytes, where they represent the closest relatives to all land plants (embryophytes). It is increasingly evident that robust model plants that can be easily cultivated and genetically transformed are necessary to better understand the process of terrestrialization and the related molecular, cellular, and physiological adaptations. Living algae collections play an important role, not only for phylogenomic-based taxonomy but also for screening for suitable model organisms. For this review, we screened six major public algae collections for Zygnematophyceae strains and established a cumulative list comprising 738 different taxa (including species, subspecies, varieties, and forms). From the described biodiversity with 8883 registered taxa (AlgaeBase) the cultured Zygnematophyceae taxa worldwide cover only ~8.3%. We review the past research on this clade of algae and discuss it from the perspective of establishing a model organism. We present data on the life cycle of the genera Micrasterias and Spirogyra, representing the orders Desmidiales and Zygnematales, and outline the current status of genetic transformation of Zygnematophyceae algae and future research perspectives.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junmei Wang ◽  
Kirstin Zuzzio ◽  
Chandler L. Walker

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating motor neuron (MN) disease with no cure. Accumulating evidence indicates ALS involves a complex interaction between central glia and the peripheral immune response and neuromuscular interface. Stem cell secretomes contain various beneficial trophic factors and cytokines, and we recently demonstrated that administration of the secretome of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) during early neuromuscular junction (NMJ) denervation in the mutant superoxide dismutase (mSOD1G93A) ALS mouse ameliorated NMJ disruption. In the present study, we hypothesized that administration of dental pulp stem cell secretome in the form of conditioned medium (DPSC-CM) at different stages of disease would promote NMJ innervation, prevent MN loss and extend lifespan. Our findings show that DPSC-CM significantly improved NMJ innervation at postnatal day (PD) 47 compared to vehicle treated mSOD1G93A mice (p < 0.05). During late pre-symptomatic stages (PD70-P91), DPSC-CM significantly increased MN survival (p < 0.01) and NMJ preservation (p < 0.05), while reactive gliosis in the ventral horn remained unaffected. For DPSC-CM treated mSOD1G93A mice beginning at symptom onset, post-onset days of survival as well as overall lifespan was significantly increased compared to vehicle treated mice (p < 0.05). This is the first study to show therapeutic benefits of systemic DPSC secretome in experimental ALS, and establishes a foundation for future research into the treatment effects and mechanistic analyses of DPSC and other stem cell secretome therapies in ALS.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document