scholarly journals Body Representations of Internal Pollution: The Risk Perception of the Circulation of Environmental Contaminants in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women in Spain

Author(s):  
Cristina Larrea-Killinger ◽  
Araceli Muñoz ◽  
Arantza Begueria ◽  
Jaume Mascaró-Pons

In this article, we analyze how pregnant and breastfeeding women perceive the inside of their bodies as well as their thoughts regarding the accumulation and elimination of chemical compounds present in food, and how these are then transmitted to the fetus. We explore different social perceptions of risk regarding the circulation of chemical compounds inside the body using qualitative research based on the technique of body mapping, comprised of women’s figures of their bodies in combination with comments on the figures, food diaries and narratives from in-depth interviews. We examine how these 41 women (21 pregnant and 20 breastfeeding) perceive the body’s internal mechanisms during the stages of pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as the circulation of chemical contaminants within it. The body mapping technique allowed us to analyze participants’ knowledge of internal pollution, a little-understood process in society. Thanks to these pregnant and breastfeeding women, who made an effort to represent and reflect on these new risks, this study shows that scientists and obstetricians need to collaborate with women in order to better understand and publicize the risks of internal pollution.

Author(s):  
Jacqueline de Souza ◽  
Carla Aparecida Arena Ventura ◽  
Jordana Luiza Gouvêa de Oliveira ◽  
Loraine Vivian Gaino ◽  
Juliana Cristina dos Santos Monteiro ◽  
...  

Vulnerable women are considered a priority in public policies and research agendas. It is necessary to understand better the specificities of their daily lives and the meanings they attribute to their experiences, as this undoubtedly contributes to more grounded and culturally appropriate practices. Additionally, innovative techniques in qualitative research are demanded in academia. This narrative research study was carried out with fourteen women from a Brazilian socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhood. We used the body-mapping technique to investigate the experiences of women with mental health disorders or psychosocial distress. The aim was to analyze the self-perception about daily stressors and discuss the feasibility of this technique to facilitate this group’s storytelling. Data collection was performed through focus groups, guided by the body-mapping technique steps, and supplemented with individual interviews. Interpersonal conflicts and violence were the main stressors. These strongly impacted the well-being of these women and their children. Some important personal qualities and resilience were identified. Body-mapping played a fundamental role in facilitating storytelling. It amplified the linguistic possibilities for participants to express their feelings and promoted reflections about the present, past, and glimpses into the future.


2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 772-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grégoire Courtine ◽  
Alessandro Marco De Nunzio ◽  
Micaela Schmid ◽  
Maria Vittoria Beretta ◽  
Marco Schieppati

We performed a whole-body mapping study of the effect of unilateral muscle vibration, eliciting spindle Ia firing, on the control of standing and walking in humans. During quiet stance, vibration applied to various muscles of the trunk-neck system and of the lower limb elicited a significant tilt in whole body postural orientation. The direction of vibration-induced postural tilt was consistent with a response compensatory for the illusory lengthening of the stimulated muscles. During walking, trunk-neck muscle vibration induced ample deviations of the locomotor trajectory toward the side opposite to the stimulation site. In contrast, no significant modifications of the locomotor trajectory could be detected when vibrating various muscles of the lower as well as upper limb. The absence of correlation between the effects of muscle vibration during walking and standing dismisses the possibility that vibration-induced postural changes can account for the observed deviations of the locomotor trajectory during walking. We conclude that the dissimilar effects of trunk-neck and lower limb muscle vibration during walking and standing reflect a general sensory-motor plan, whereby muscle Ia input is processed according to both the performed task and the body segment from which the sensory inflow arises.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 19-27
Author(s):  
Bethuel Sibongiseni Ngcamu

Human Resources (HR) departments in previously disadvantaged higher education institutions (HEI) in South Africa have contributed to the crisis that has led them to be governed by appointed Administrators assigned by the Ministry of Higher Education and Training. The malfunctioning of HR departments persists even in the post-Administrator’s era, with a prevalence of personal, interpersonal and operational challenges. This study aimed at interrogating challenges faced by the HR Department of the university concerned post the appointed Administrator era and its negative effects. This study adopted a qualitative research approach whereby in-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 10 HR Department staff members. Focus group discussions were also carried out with 20 academic and non-academic university leaders. Further data was also collected through ethnographic observation and secondary data was also used. The non-probability purposive sampling was used for qualitative analysis and NVivo was used for organizing and analyzing data gleaned from the in-depth interviews. The study findings consistently revealed unclear roles and responsibilities, outmoded recruitment and selection processes and poor interpersonal relations amongst the HR department staff members as some of the challenges that still persist post the Administrator’s era, all of which have contributed to the paralysis of organizational culture. University leaders can use the study findings as a tool to devise and implement radical change management interventions aiming at re-engineering HR departments that are operating abnormally, as well as for designing a responsive HR Strategic Architect. This study will contribute to the body of knowledge in the HR fraternity as there is a dearth of published studies on the internal challenges faces by HR Departments (both interpersonal and operational), which have the potential to hamper smooth operations of higher education institutions.


Author(s):  
Shubhangi Karanje

 The concept of beauty and cosmetic is as old as mankind and civilization. Cosmetic product for females like sun scream, lipsticks, facial cream, nail paints, deodorants and sindoor are very popular in the market. They are generally the combination of various chemical compounds and some of them are derived from natural sources and others from synthetic method. In females regular external application of cosmetic products to improve beauty and appearance of a person which increases the self confidence. Most of the cosmetic products contains hazardous chemicals like talcum, parabens, coal, tar dye, phthalates, fragrance, tri ethanolamine and use of some heavy metals e.g. lead, mercury etc. Peoples are not aware of adverse effect of regular use of cosmetic products it accumulates in the body can cause contact dermatitis, skin disorders, allergies, hair loss and effect on nails etc. In Ayurveda cosmetic toxicity is compare to cumulative type of toxicity, so the cumulative type of toxicity is similar to Dushi Visha describes in Ayurveda.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 176
Author(s):  
Fanny Thresia Yunus ◽  
Ari Suwondo ◽  
Martini Martini

Indonesian people have long used garlic as traditional medicine because it contains various chemical compounds that are beneficial to the body. In this study identification of garlicin and kuersetin compounds in garlic as an antibacterial. This study requires 500 grams of garlic each in wet preparations consist of fine garlic and garlic extract, and dry preparation consists of garlic powder. In addition, this research requires 2,1 liters of 96% ethanol. Garlic is dried at 400C with TMI Vacuum Oven and extracted at 250C. Garlic powder is made using Krisbow dry cabinet with a temperature of 1000F and a pressure of 10 Pa. Garlisin content was identified by GCMS Shimadzu TQ8030 and FTIR Perkin Elmer Spectrum Two UATR, while identification of quercetin using Shimadzu HPLC type UFLC. The result shows that the compound garlicin (C6H10S2) was found in the three samples with identical similarity levels. In addition, the three samples showed differences in kuersetin content. The highest kuersetin content was 458.729 ppm garlic extract while the lowest kuersetin content was 81.181 ppm fresh garlic. Both of these compounds have potential as antimicrobial compounds.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-25
Author(s):  
Kusnul Fitria ◽  
Yessi Febrianti

The main objective of this research is to reveal the meaning and attitudes of victims of body shaming behavior on social media. Body shaming is the behavior of giving negative comments about a person's physical condition. Instagram is the social media most often used by body-shaming actors to carry out their actions. This research is a digital ethnographic study with primary data collection through digital observation, and in-depth interviews with five informants who were selected purposively. The results of this study, in general, encompass the description of three things which are: a) the awareness and experiences of the victim; b) the attitude of the victim; and c) the two ways interactions between the victim and the followers. The interpretation of the body shamming victims reflects body positivity and self-love form of content on their personal Instagram.


2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aneta Strachecka ◽  
Grzegorz Borsuk ◽  
Jerzy Paleolog ◽  
Krzysztof Olszewski ◽  
Milena Bajda ◽  
...  

Abstract Body-surface chemical compounds were studied in 1-day-old nest workers and foragers both in Buckfast and Caucasian bees. The workers of these two age-castes were sampled twice in each of two consecutive years. Body-surface lipids were determined by means of gas chromatography, with a GCQ mass spectrometer. Protein concentrations and activities on the body surface were examined in bee cuticle rinsings obtained from worker bees according to the methods of Lowry, of Anson, and of Lee and Lin. Protease and protease inhibitor activities were determined. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was performed. Caucasian bees, particularly foragers, had more lipids, but Buckfast bees (two age-castes) had more proteins on their body surfaces. A total of 17 alkane types (C17 - C33), 13 alkene types (C21 - C33), 21 esters (C12 - C32), and a phenol (C14) were detected in both races. Alkene C33 was detected only in Caucasian bees. More alkanes, esters, and phenols were found in Caucasian 1-day-old nest workers and foragers than in these age-castes of Buckfast bees. The protein concentration and protease inhibitor activities were lower in Caucasian bees that had higher protease activities. These values corresponded with specific numbers and widths of the electrophoretic bands.


Author(s):  
Rowland Atkinson ◽  
Sarah Blandy

This chapter considers the meaning and importance of more psychological aspects of the private home. Homeownership has been argued to provide us with a deep sense of security of being in troubled times, when trust in community has been lost. Psychoanalytic and sociological theories of consumption practices are used here to examine the role of psychic development as it occurs within the home. Two functions of the home in particular are examined here, illustrated through fairy stories, fiction and films. First, the home's role as a bridge or mediator to the public world outside the home, meaning that a child's preparation for the outside world is largely dependent on parental perceptions of risk and insecurity. Second, the private (fearful) world inside what Freud termed the unheimlich home, hiding dreadful secrets. The current emphasis on control of outsiders' access to the home, and the developing culture of respecting others' homes as entirely private places, may make the home a domestic prison for its less powerful residents: women and children. Feminist analyses of the development of gender roles in the home and data on domestic violence show the dark underbelly of the sanctified private home. Although some homes are havens, others can be the site of domestic slavery and even more disturbing examples of power and abuse, such as Fred West, and the imprisonment of Fritzl's daughter in Austria and Jaycee Dugard in the US.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine M. Boydell ◽  
Jeffrey Ball ◽  
Jackie Curtis ◽  
Adèle De Jager ◽  
Megan Kalucy ◽  
...  

Estimates indicate the lifespan of individuals with psychotic illness is reduced by approximately 15-20 years. Consequently there is a need to address the physical health of those who live with a mental illness, like psychosis. The Bondi Centre provides an integrated model of care to young people with a first episode of psychosis. The Keeping the Body In Mind program focuses on prevention and early intervention of physical health issues and is offered alongside treatment for mental health and social issues as part of routine care. We used body mapping, an arts-based research method, to explore the complexity of this physical health intervention. Our aim was to develop an in-depth understanding of experiences of young clients of the early intervention centre, with a particular focus on the embodied relationship between physical and mental health. Six young people engaged in creating life-sized body maps depicting their experience of the physical intervention program over four 3-hour sessions, followed by an in-depth interview. Analysis of our body maps drew on thematic analysis and narrative inquiry. The narrative trope was one of recovery, highlighting the importance of the link between body and mind, individual and community, and the balance between light and darkness. There was an emphasis on developing feelings of connectedness (to self and others), hope and optimism for the future, a sense of having an identity, and a sense of meaning and empowerment. Recovery was conceptualised as an ongoing process rather than an end product or fixed state. Involvement in the body mapping process was consistently identified as therapeutic, offering an opportunity for reflection on the journey to recovery with a focus on past, present and imagined storylines of the future. 


2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Knight

In this article, David J. Knight investigates where and when Black and Latino male adolescents engage in self-disclosure—sharing their emotions, thoughts, and social perceptions—with their peers. Building from asset-based research and ecological theories of development, Knight analyzes in-depth interviews and finds that these adolescents may consider context in their decisions regarding whether or not to disclose to peers. Participants who reported disclosing behaviors tended to do so outside of school settings, while those who did not report disclosure discussed how experiences with community violence contributed to their decision not to share their feelings. Knight discusses the implications of this work for practitioners who hope to provide safe educational settings for young men of color.


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