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The Hindu View of God (Brahman/Ishvara)
People often call Hindu religion a polytheistic religion, but in fact that is not the case. All the multitudinous Hindu deities are believed to be different aspects of the same truth and reality, called Brahman or Ishvara. Ishvara, to Hindus, is not a being with superpowers located apart from the physical universe. Rather, Ishvara can be found within the physical universe and its natural laws and phenomena.
In many Indian stories, the “gods and goddesses” of Hindu religion are often depicted like separate entities, with human-like feuds and jealousies and quarrels. These are stories, to make a point and should not be confused with the actual Hindu philosophy.
Brahma
Brahma is traditionally accepted as the creator of the universe, and symbolizes the power of creation. He is usually depicted with four heads (symbolizing different aspects of the personality, wisdom, the four directions and the four Vedas), sitting on a swan or a lotus flower. He has four hands in which he holds a water pot, a manuscript of the Vedas, a mala (rosary) and an instrument often used in sacrifices. His consort is Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, symbolizing the necessity of knowledge to a creator.
Vishnu
Vishnu is the maintainer of the universe. He represents the power of sustenance and preservation. His name is derived from the root "Vish", which means "to pervade", as the work of preservation and sustenance pervades the whole universe. He is also called Narayana, which literally translates to "where the water dwells", as water sustains all life. He is usually represented as a four-armed man, either reclining on a large serpent floating in the middle of the ocean or simply standing on the waves. His four hands usually hold a conch-shell, a discus, a mace and a lotus flower. His skin is blue (which in Indian mythos represents the infinite) and his clothes are yellow (symbolizing the earthly), which together represent the bringing of immeasurable and transcendental truths into mundane life. Popular Indian epics and stories describe Vishnu coming down to earth to resolve crises and defend righteousness. Rama and Krishna, heroes of the Indian epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata respectively, are considered to be two of Vishnu's avataras (incarnations). Vishnu's consort is Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and prosperity, which symbolizes the necessity of resources to preservation and sustenance.
Shiva
As Brahma represents creation and Vishnu preservation, Shiva is the god of dissolution. All three of these powers are perpetually ongoing and inseparable from each other. Shiva is usually depicted as an ascetic, with long matted hair and half-closed eyes, sitting cross-legged in a position of meditation. He often has a snake coiled around his neck and carries a three-pronged spear called a trishula. His appearance is supposed to be both austere and fearsome. His consort is Parvati (Shakti, or Uma) who is the goddess of strength, symbolizing the necessity of strength and power for the purposes of dissolution
Rama
Rama, the main character of the Indian epic the Ramayana, is considered the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. His major accomplishment was upholding Dharma (righteousness) by defeating Ravana, the demon-king of Lanka, who kidnapped his wife Sita. Rama is usually depicted alongside Sita and his brother Lakshmana.
Krishna
Lord Krishna is an embodiment of fairness. Krishna, the character in the Indian epic the Mahabharata who delivers the Bhagavad-Gita (a major scripture for Hindus), is considered an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He spent his youth as a cowherd, playing pranks and playing the flute, and is usually portrayed with Radha (his childhood playmate whom he loved). There are many popular stories about his exploits, especially his role as a major player in the great war of the Mahabharata.
Ganesha
Ganesha (literally translating to "lord of all things") is worshipped as the remover of obstacles, and is also known as Ganapati. In Hindu folklore he is considered the son of Shiva and Parvati. He is represented with the head of an elephant. Many stories say that Parvati created him to guard her bedchamber and prevent anyone, including Shiva, from entering. Shiva became angry when stopped by Ganesha, so he chopped Ganesha's head off. This infuriated Parvati, and Shiva made amends by resurrecting Ganesha and giving him an elephant's head to replace his own. Elephant is an animal with the largest head and head is that which contains the intellect. It is also credited with having good memory. Therefore Lord Ganesha can be said to be the Lord of wisdom, memory and intelligence. The trunk is very special. In as much as it can lift heavy object with the trunk, it is said that it can also pick tiny object such a needle just as easily. This ability to pick up smaller than the smallest and larger than largest stands for the capacity of the intellect to discriminate between that which is very subtle as well that which is very large. So the Lord is attributed to discrimination and wisdom.
Saraswati
Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge and the intellect. Her name literally translates to "one who gives the essence of the self." She is depicted sitting on a lotus, holding the scriptures in one hand and a lotus in the other, and playing a veena (an Indian musical instrument) with her other two hands to represent the importance of the fine arts. She is usually dressed in white, to represent purity and discipline. Her consort is Brahma, god of creation, which illustrates how knowledge is necessary for any successful creation. She is commonly worshipped during the last three days of the Navaratri festival and by those engaged in intellectual pursuits.
Lakshmi
Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity. "Wealth" does not refer merely to money and material goods but to all kinds of flourishing, from the intellectual to the emotional to the moral. Lakshmi is depicted dressed in red or pink, standing or sitting on a lotus, with two hands holding lotus blossoms and the other two giving blessings. Her consort is Vishnu, god of preservation, which represents the necessity of wealth for sustenance. She is commonly worshipped during the middle three days of Navaratri, and throughout the year by businessmen and those seeking wealth.
Parvati
Parvati, also known as Uma and Shakti, is the goddess of strength and raw power. Her consort is Shiva, god of dissolution, because strength is necessary to destroy. She is most commonly depicted in the forms of Kali and Durga.
Kali
Kali is a martial form of Parvati, and is meant to be terrifying and disturbing, even more frightening than Durga (another form of Parvati). She represents the destruction of evil and is worshipped by those seeking justice, protection and the strength and fierceness to confront their troubles. She is usually portrayed with a necklace of skulls and her tongue hanging out. She carries weapons and is frequently depicted dancing on a dead body, said to be a demon that symbolizes ignorance.
Durga
Durga is a martial form of Parvati, meant to be impressive and fearsome. She is portrayed as fair-skinned, riding a lion, with multiple arms carrying weapons. Like Kali, another form of Parvati, she represents the fight against evil and ignorance. | http://www.holinewyork.org/hindu-god/ |
, which is combined with other words to form various Mantras.
Goddess Lakshmi is the Goddess of Wealth and the divine consort of Lord Vishnu. She is worshipped widely by everyone since She is the provider of wealth and purity. She protects Her devotees from any money related worries and bad luck. She is also the symbol of beauty, fertility and auspiciousness. Her importance in the Hindu religion is said to be prime as the divine prefix “Shri” (also written as Shri) is written on the top of any document before beginning the writing process.
Goddess Lakshmi is the daughter of Sage Bhrigu and is the symbol of wealth to the Gods. When Gods were sent to exile due to the curse of the Sage, Durvasa that all Gods would lose their power, She took refuge in the ocean. For gaining immortality and defeating the asuras, the gods started churning the ocean in search of a powerful elixir, Amrit which would provide them immortality, glory and immense power. While churning the ocean there were many treasures that surfaced and Goddess Lakshmi was one of them. She took rebirth from the process and came out with a garland which she used to choose Lord Vishnu denoting Him as the divine consort and helping him to maintain the universe’s wealth.
Narration in Vishnu Purana describes that Goddess Lakshmi had to leave Swarga due to the curse of Durvasa and reside in Ksheersagara. The re-emergence of the Goddess after Samudra manthan and Her marriage to Lord Vishnu are depicted in the same manner.
Goddess Lakshmi has also been depicted as a devotee of Lord Shiva, whom She worshipped most reverently. As per some blockures, She has been associated with Lord Indra and Lord Kubera too.
Goddess Lakshmi is seen in many forms from which two of the major forms are – with Lord Vishnu where she is massaging the Lord’s feet and the other form which is widely worshipped by devotees. In this form representation She is depicted as an immensely beautiful woman who has golden complexion representing radiance. She has four hands and is graced on a full bloomed lotus that represents purity. The four hands actually are a denotation of the four ends of life that represent – Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. The rear hands on both sides hold lotus bud to symbolize purity of the soul. The right front hand provides blessings and the left front hand has gold coins falling from it which provides wealth and prosperity to the devotees.
Goddess Lakshmi is always seen in a beautiful red saree that represents activity in the world and has golden embroidery and lining on it that adds up prosperity to the saree. There are two elephants shown standing and spraying water from their trunks. The elephants are a symbol of devotion that doesn’t stop ever and with true dharma, wisdom and purity, one can appease Goddess Lakshmi. Goddess Lakshmi is also called as “Mata”, which means Mother Goddess who provides prosperity to everyone.
Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped by every Hindu and is regarded highly by traders, businessmen and women. She has become a household name when it comes to praying for wealth and prosperity. The Diwali festival has an auspicious meaning to Her worshippers. It is said that on the night of full moon She Herself visits each home and blesses the devotees with wealth and hence the day is called as Lakshmi Pujan day. In the evening of Lakshmi Pujan people keep their homes brightly lit with a lot of lamps and keep the doors open as it is believed that Goddess Lakshmi can walk into any home where She sees lights.
There are a lot many Mantras available to praise the Goddess. Following are few of the most simplest and effective Mantra for quick prayer.
Meaning: This mantra is the root or the most basic mantra to please the Goddess and open your heart towards her for her blessings.
Meaning:This mantra provides salutation towards the Goddess and prays to her, the one who is omnipresent to take away all the fears and evil from life and bless the devotees of prosperity and wealth.
This is a prayer to the Goddess Lakshmi, the wife of Lord Vishnu and the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Please accept the prayers of your devotees and provide them with abundance.
Grab some fresh Flowers and devote in Goddess Lakshmi’s Lotus Feet .
हे महालक्ष्मी आपका स्वागत है , हे महा लक्ष्मी मै आपका आवाहन करता हु , मुझे दर्शन दीजिए , मै अपने आभावो को दरिद्य को नस्ट करने के लिए आपका आवाहन करता हु… Please Come into My Life …. Namah Kamal Vasani Swaha …. | http://www.mohinividya.com/tag/mantra/ |
In the Hindu tradition, there are gods and goddesses associated with each of the chakras. The chakras are major energy centers in the body. Chakra deities embody the characteristics of their respective chakras. This relates to the psychological and emotional patterns for that particular chakra. In addition, their stories and adventures remind us of the role of each chakra.
This article introduces the chakra deities and includes links to detailed articles for individual chakras. To get an overview of all of the chakras, please see the article Chakra Definitions: Keys to Health, Happiness & Spirituality.
Table of Contents
Gods & Goddesses of Hinduism
The gods and goddesses of Hinduism can be viewed as religious parables. They can also be seen as mythology or as legends based on the lives of ancient historical persons. Perhaps the most significant aspect of the process of relating to a god or goddess is the sense of a personal relationship. They do exist at some level whether that be psychological, spiritual or factual.
Every tradition has heroes and heroines that are examples which others can emulate. In some cases, their stories are cautionary tales of pitfalls to avoid. They are like us in many ways. For example, they are often grouped in families. They have consorts and relationships with other divine beings. In addition, their stories are often highly memorable.
There are several ways to develop a deeper understanding of the Hindu deities. You can strengthen your own chakras through this connection:
- Study the stories of the chakra deities in Hinduism to understand the qualities that they possess. These could be yogic siddhis (powers) or admirable personal characteristics such as fearlessness, compassion or loyalty.
- Investigate the iconography or symbolism in depictions of one or more of the gods or goddesses for a chakra. Many gods and goddesses hold symbolic objects in their hands or use their hands in mudras or symbolic gestures.
- Meditate on an image or statue of the chakra deity. Deepen your connection to your own qualities and virtues embodied by that deity.
- Use mantras or chants related to the chosen chakra deity. Mantras help to activate the qualities of the deity within yourself.
Indra Illustration by Rose Karlsen
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Root Chakra Deities
The deities Brahma, Indra and Ganesha are associated with the root chakra. Extensive information about the root chakra can be found in the article Root Chakra Meaning: Establishing Safety and Security. Root chakra deities help to establish a foundation: Brahma is the creative aspect of God, Indra belongs to the heaven above, and Ganesha helps to overcome obstacles here on earth.
Indra is the king of heaven. He is associated with lighting, thunder, storms, rain and rivers. Indra rides on an elephant, symbolizing compassion, intelligence, and ancient wisdom. An elephant with seven trunks is sometimes depicted, representing all seven of the major chakras or energy centers in the body.
Brahma is the Hindu creator god also known as the Self Born, the Lord of Speech, and the creator of the four Vedas. Brahma is the consort of Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. Brahma is traditionally depicted with four faces and four arms.
Each face points to a cardinal direction. His hands hold symbols of knowledge and creation: sacred texts, mala beads symbolizing time, a ladle used to feed a sacrificial fire, and a lotus. Brahma is often depicted with a white beard and a sage-like expression. He sits on a lotus flower, dressed in white, red or pink, often with a swan or goose nearby upon which he can ride.
Ganesha Illustration by Rose Karlsen
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Ganesha is another prominent figure in chakras and deities. Ganesha is often invoked at the beginning of an undertaking or an event. Ganesha is also a patron of writers and learning. Ganesha became a popular deity in the 2nd to 5th centuries AD. He is found in various traditions including Jainism and Buddhism. For this reason, Ganesha is often invoked in the beginning of a practical endeavor.
Ganesha symbolism gives a glimpse into the stories and spiritual meaning of this well-known Hindu god. Accordingly, many of the symbols associated with Ganesha relate to his role as the remover of obstacles and the patron of new beginnings.
Watch a Video: Learn more about Ganesha symbolism in the article and video in What Do Ganesha Symbols Mean?
Learn More: Learn more about the history and stories of Ganesha in our full article on Ganesha Meaning.
Parvati Illustration by Rose Karlsen
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Sacral Chakra Deities
The sacral chakra is associated with deities including Vishnu, his consort Rakini and the goddess Parvati. There are others, but these are three of the main sacral chakra deities. Vishnu is an incarnation of Krishna. In this incarnation, he is the consort of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. More about the sacral chakra can be found at Sacral Chakra Meaning: Healing Relationships.
Vishnu is an incarnation of Krishna. In this incarnation, he is the consort of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Vishnu is known as the preserver. He is one of the three persons of the Hindu trinity: Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver) and Shiva (destroyer).
Rakini is a goddess with two heads representing the duality between the external and internal worlds. This duality is also symbolized in light and dark, male and female, yin and yang, night and day, expansion and contraction and so forth.
Parvati, also known as Uma, is the Hindu goddess of fertility, love and devotion as well as divine strength and power. She is the gentle and nurturing aspect of the goddess energy and the consort of Shiva. Parvati is part of a trinity of Hindu goddesses that also includes Lakshmi and Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and learning.
Watch a Video: Hear a mantra to Parvati and learn more about this goddess in Parvati Mantra: Chant to a Beautiful Goddess.
Lakshmi Illustration by Rose Karlsen
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Solar Plexus Chakra Deities
The solar plexus chakra is associated with the deities Ruhdra, his consort Lakini, and the goddess Lakshmi. The solar plexus is the fire center, often symbolized by the color yellow or a sun-like image. Learn more about the Solar Plexus Chakra.
Rudra is a Hindu god appearing in the Vedas, ancient sacred scriptures. He has both destructive and beneficial aspects. Rudra is the divine archer, shooting arrows of disease and death. He is also a healer and source of remedies for ailments. Rudra is a form of Shiva.
Lakini is a benefactor goddess and the consort of Rudra. Lakini has four arms. Three of her hands hold symbolic items (a thunderbolt, an arrow, and fire). her fourth hand is held in the gesture or mudra of granting wishes and dispelling fears.
Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity. Her name is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning goal, aim or sign. In addition, Lakshmi is usually shown seated or standing on a lotus. The lotus symbolizes creation, beauty, harmony, diversity, stability, and support.
Watch a Video: Hear a mantra to Lakshmi and learn more about this goddess in the article Lakshmi Mantra to the Goddess of Wealth.
Hanuman Illustration by Rose Karlsen
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Heart Chakra Deities
Mantras for the heart chakra emphasize the heart as the seat of love and devotion. The heart expresses charity, compassion, and kindness. The heart is a focus for beauty and culture. The heart brings the awareness of community and compassion for others. Learn more about the heart chakra in Heart Chakra Meaning. One of the main deities associated with the heart in Hinduism is Hanuman, the monkey-faced god.
Hanuman is a key deity in the Hindu tradition associated with the heart chakra. Hanuman is the monkey god, hero of epics and stories in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. Hanuman is the ardent devotee of Lord Rama, and he plays a central role in the epic poem Ramayana.
Hanuman is sometimes depicted as the patron of martial arts, wrestling, and acrobatics. I think of Hanuman as an Eastern superhero, somewhat akin to Superman or Spiderman or Batman. He is also the patron of meditation and scholarship.
Watch Videos: Learn more about the superpowers of Hanuman and watch two mantra videos in the article Hanuman Mantra.
Sadashiva Illustration by Rose Karlsen
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Throat Chakra Deities
The throat chakra is connected to creativity and self-expression as well as the actions of speaking, chanting and singing. Mantras are an ideal tool for supporting the thyroid and related organs. One of the central Hindu deities associated with the throat chakra is Sadashiva.
Sadashiva is the highest form of Shiva, the Hindu god of dissolution, somewhat akin to the Holy Spirit in the Western tradition. Sometimes Sadashiva is depicted with five faces representing five emanations of God or the four directions plus upward movement. Other sources view Sadashiva’s five faces as symbolizing the forces of the universe: creation, preservation, destruction, obscuration and grace.
Sadashiva wears a tiger skin indicating his victory over animal instincts. The snake around his neck represents the endless cycle of birth and death. The trishula held in one hand is a three-in-one symbol representing the divine as a trinity. Learn more about Hindu Deities and their mantras.
Krishna Illustration by Rose Karlsen
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Third Eye Chakra Deities
The third eye is associated with several deities and combined forms of deities. For example, Shiva is often depicted as having three eyes because of his powerful development of this chakra. Other deities associated with the third eye include Vishnu and his incarnations as Krishna and Rama.
Shiva is one of the three persons of the Hindu trinity. Shiva is the aspect of God that strips the devotee of all illusions. Thus, he is the deity of the third eye or spiritual vision. Shiva is said to possess enough power in his third eye to send out a deadly beam at will.
Rama is a god of protection, one of the nine incarnations of Vishnu. Rama is the most popular avatar of Vishnu, a paragon of virtue and chivalry. Rama is the central character in the Hindu epic the Ramayana. He is the consort of Sita. Rama, also known as Ram, and Sita have many adventures and trials together in this ancient story.
Krishna, one of the deities most closely associated with the third eye chakra, is the son of Devaki and her consort Vasudeva, king of the Chandravanshi clan. Devaki’s brother was Kansa, an evil tyrant. He was told that a child of Devaki would kill him, so he set out to murder the young Krishna.
For his own protection, Krishna was sent to live in the country with Nanda and his wife Yasoda. Krishna’s childhood was spent among their cow herds. This is the origin of Krishna’s childhood names, Gopala and Govinda.
Listen to a Krishna Mantra: Listen to the mantra Devakinanadana Gopala on our page with all tracks from the Vocal Medicine album.
Nataraja Illustration by Rose Karlsen
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Crown Chakra Deities
One of the presiding deities for the crown chakra is Shiva— often depicted in a dancing form known as Nataraja—Lord of the Dance. Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, part of the trinity composed of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Shiva is the destroyer of evil, akin to the Holy Spirit in the Christian trinity. Shiva is alternately depicted both as benevolent and fearsome. Shiva is often shown with a serpent around his neck, a crescent moon as an adornment, the river Ganges flowing from his hair or flowing nearby, the trishula as his weapon, and a damaru (drum) nearby.
Nataraja is the dancing form of Shiva, a joyful being spinning and dancing through creation. Learn more about the sounds and seed syllables for the crown chakra in the article Chakra Sounds.
Listen to Nataraja Mantras: Learn more about the cosmic dancer and listen to three Nataraja mantra videos in Nataraja Mantras: Hindu God and Cosmic Dancer.
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Article Summary
This article covers the chakras and deities in the Hindu tradition. Pairing together the functions of the chakras and the personifications of the chakra energies helps to clarify the purpose of particular chakras. Each of the seven major chakras are associated with one or more of the deities in the Hindu pantheon. These deities include Ganesha for the root chakra; Parvati for the sacral chakra; Lakshmi for the solar plexus chakra; Hanuman for the heart chakra; Sadashiva for the throat chakra; Krishna for the third eye chakra and Nataraja for the crown chakra.
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» Click here for Hindu PilgrimageAbout Gods And Goddesses
According to Hinduism, three Gods rule the world. Brahma: the creator; Vishnu: the preserver and Shiva: the destroyer. These three Lords have consorts and they are Hindu goddesses too. Consort of Brahma is Sarasvati; goddess of learning. Vishnu's consort is Lakshmi; goddess of wealth and prosperity. Shiva's consort is Parvati who is worshipped as Kali or Durga.
Besides these there are a number of other Hindu deities. To name a few, there is Hindu deity Ganesh, who has an elephant's head and he is also a son of Shiva and Parvati; Hanuman, who is an ape; Surya Lord of sun; Ganga Ma, Goddess of river Ganges; Samundra, Lord of the sea; Indra, king of the Gods; Prithvi, Goddess of earth; Shakti, Goddess of strength.
Hindu Goddesses And Deities - The Almighty
As Sri Ramakrishna says, there can be as many spiritual paths as there are spiritual aspirants & similarly there can really be as many Gods as there are devotees to suit the moods, feelings, emotions & social background of the devotees. The Hindu scriptures were eloquent while describing the qualities of God. He is all-knowing & all powerful. He is the very personification of justice, love & beauty. He is ever ready to shower His grace, mercy & blessings on His creation. From the Rig Veda, we come to know of the vedic gods eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, twelve Adityas, Indra & Prajapathi, being the Gods of earth, the heavens & the space.
The main Hindu deity names as we accept today can be broadly classified as Saiva Gods (Siva, His consort, His sons, His other forms ), Vaishnava Gods ( Vishnu, His consort, His various avatharams ) & Sakthi (Personifying all energy).
List of Hindu Gods
Brahma - The Lord of Creation with his consort
Saraswathi - Goddess of wisdom
The top among Hindu deities list is Brahma is the Lord of creation & is assisted in this process by his consort Saraswathi, who is the possessor of ultimate knowledge. Brahma was born from the navel of Lord Vishnu at the end of one cycle to begin a fresh creation. He has four heads (originally five), representing the four vedas which are said to have sprung from his heads. His four heads are also said to represent the four yugas. He is bearded & his eyes are closed in meditation. He sits on a lotus & his vahana is the swan. In his four arms he holds the vedas, the kamandalam (water pot), suruva (sacrificial spoon) & a mala. He is a serene soul and is the provider of all sources of knowledge & wisdom.
There are no temples for Brahma (except the ones in Rajasthan & Orissa) as for Siva & Vishnu, for there has been no separate cult for Brahma as the Saiva or Vaishnava cult. According to mythology, he is supposed to have been cursed by Shiva (for his having uttered a lie & for his ego) that he would go without worship. Yet in all Siva & Vishnu temples, there is an image of Lord Brahma on the northern wall & he is one of the important Parivara devata (attendant deity).
One of the Trinities
Vishnu - The Lord of maintenance with his consort
Lakshmi - Goddess of wealth
Hindu deity Vishnu is the Lord of protection & maintenance. His consort (hindu female deities) Lakshmi is the possessor of wealth, which is a necessity for maintenance. Goddess Lakshmi represents not only material wealth, but the wealth of grains, courage, valour, offsprings, success, luxurious life, eternal bliss. Lord Vishnu is also called Nilameghashyamalan - possessing a complexion the colour of the dark clouds. As proof that opposites attract, Vishnu's outer appearance is dark while he is associated with the santha gunam, bringing light & peace to the world.
He rests on the ocean on his bed of Adisesha (serpent with 1,000 heads ). Any time Lord Vishnu sees great trouble, He takes an avataram to rescue the people from evils. He is all merciful, ever rushing to serve his devotees. In the form of Mahavishnu he has four arms wielding the chakra, conch, lotus & the gadha in his four arms. Some of the main avatarams of Vishnu are enumerated as the Dasavataram (10 Incarnations).
One of the Trinities
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Shiva - The Lord of destruction with his consort
Parvathi - Goddess of disintegration
Siva, the last of the Trinities is the God of destruction & he is assisted in this by his consort Parvathi, the Goddess of disintegration. Parvathi represents prakriti, which means perishable matter, in the absence of which true and complete destruction by Siva becomes impossible. ( As we are all aware of today, only bio-degradable matter can be destroyed ). This could possibly be the meaning of the idea that Siva becomes nothing in the absence of Sakthi. Siva is generally worshipped in the form of the phallus (linga) fixed on a pedestal. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed & the Linga symbolises this scientific fact. The Linga denotes the primeval energy of the Creator. At the end of Creation all Gods find their resting place in the Linga - Brahma being absorbed into the right, Vishnu being absorbed into the left & Gayathri Devi being absorbed into the heart of the Linga.
Linga, the emblem of Siva is the main form worshipped in Siva temples. Siva in his human form is worshipped as the Utsava murthi, taken out on processions.
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Saraswathi - Goddess of Wisdom
Goddess Saraswathi is the consort of Lord Brahma (Lord of Creation) and is the Goddess of wisdom and learning. She is considered as the personification of all knowledge - arts, sciences, crafts and all skills. She is seen as a beautiful and elegant presence, pure white in colour, clad in a white sari, seated on a white lotus, representing purity and brilliance. She is depicted with four hands. In one hand she holds a book and in the other a rosary. With her other two hands, she is seen playing the veena. Her vahana is the swan and sometimes a peacock is shown accompanying her. The swan is known for its pecliar characteristic of being capable of separating out water from milk, indicating that we should possess discrimination in separating the bad from the good.
Like Brahma, she is not worshipped much in temples. However, every year the Saraswathi Pooja (Navarathiri ) is celebrated by all - schools, students, workers, craftsmen, businessmen offering their prayers for a successful and fruitful coming year. | http://pilgrimage-india.com/indian-religion/hindu-deity.html |
The holders are made from Capiz shells from the Philippines.
The Lotus is the symbol of darkness to light, of ignorance to knowledge. The lotus also symbolises the 7 energy centres in the human body, called chakras.
The lotus has great significance in Hinduism and Buddhism. The flower symbolises divine birth and purity. The lotus is the attribute of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra. The Hindu god Vishnu is also usually depicted with a lotus flower. Goddesses depicted as benevolent partners of a god often hold a lotus. Deities, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas usually stand or sit on a lotus throne: a pedestal in the form of an open lotus flower. | https://www.hindienbindi.nl/en/product/lotus-mood-light-holder-4/ |
Kancheepuram is called the city of temples and truly to the word the city is bustling with temples in every street of the city. Kanchipuram can be virtually divided into Shiva Kanchi, Vishnu Kanchi and Jain Kanchi based on the idols worshipped in the temples. Based on this division Ulagalanda Perumal temple is located in Vishnu Kanchi.
Ulagalanda Perumal temple is located in Big Kanchipuram and is situated nearby Sri Kamakshi Amman Temple. It is one of the 108 Vishnu temples known as Divya Desams, as depicted by the 12 great Tamil poets, in their work, known as Alwars. There are three Divyadesas within this temple, Tiru Neeragam, Tiru Ooragam, and Tiru Karakam. It is said that except Tiru Ooragam all the other two temples were built elsewhere but bought together later together.
Sri Ulagalanda Perumal Temple, Kancheepuram-631 502.
Opens: From 7.00 a.m. to 12.00 a.m. and from 4.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.
Road: Ulagalanda Perumal temple is less than 1 km from the Kanchipuram central bus stand and Srimatam.
According to Bhagwad Purana, once an Asura king named Mahabali took over the authority of heavens by force and dispelled Indra. Mahabali was the grandson of of Hiranyakshipu, the son of Prahlada. The residents of heaven went to Lord Vishnu to save themselves from wrath of the asura king, it is then Lord Vishnu took the Vamana avatar and descended to save the heaven. The story goes like this, Mahabali was known to be very generous king and had gain immense power through severe austerities and penance, but he was blind with power so much so that he started considering himself the ultimate king of the world which bought his downfall. To bring about his downfall, Lord Vishnu once took Vamana avatar (form of a short priest) carrying a wooden umbrella and went to Mahabali asking for three paces of land. Mahabali consented after which Lord Vishnu took gigantic form and strode form heaven to earth in one step and from earth to netherworld in the second step, no place was left to put the third step of the gigantic Lord, seeing that Mahabali offered his head to keep the third step. Lord Vishnu placed his foot and blessed Mahabali with immortality for netherworld. Vamana in gigantic form is known as Trivikrama.
The main deity of Ulagalanda Perumal temple is known as Trivikrama owing to the gigantic form of Lord Vishnu. The deity is about 30 feet in height, his left leg is seen lifted at a right angle (to the body), parallel to the ground and the right leg can be seen placed on Mahabali’s head. The two fingers in the left hand is stretched out symbolizing the two steps that was taken by the lord covering the whole word, one finger in the right hand of the deity is stretched out symbolizing the question posed to Mahabali by the Lord as to where shall he put his third step. Such as gigantic deity cannot be seen anywhere else in other Divya Desams.
Since the temple is built in the Pallava reign the structure and design has a distinct Pallava style architecture but the inscriptions on it are from the Chola Period. The inscriptions refer to the main deity as Thiru Uragathu Ninru-arulina Swamin. The inscriptions depict various scenarios in Chola periods like a weaver who reclaimed some temple lands, tax-free gift to the temple of the village of Siruchembakkam, Another interesting inscription in the reign of Cholas was the description of the minutes of a meeting of 48,000 residents of Kanchi.
In the Tamil month of Thai (mid of January month to mid of febraury month) a special festival known as Garuda seva is celebrated. Doing Thirumanjanam (divine bath to Perumal) for Ooragathaan is said to cure all sorts of problems. Another important festival is Vaikunda Ekadasi celebrated in the Tamil month of Margazhi (mid of December month to mid of January month). | https://www.kancheepuramonline.in/city-guide/ulagalanda-perumal-temple |
Hindu Symbols Overview
Hinduism is made up of a combination of different religious, cultural, and philosophical practices that find their roots in different parts of India. This religion is brimming with symbolism.
Some people actually believe that there is no other religion that employs the art of symbolism in such an effective manner as Hinduism.
While most of the symbols are invariably saturated with spiritual meaning, others are representative of their gods and goddesses, philosophies, teachings, and cultural traditions.
There are two main categories of the Hindu symbols:
i. Murti – These symbols are inclusive of drawings and icons
ii. Mudra – These symbols re inclusive of hand gestures and positions of the body
The Symbolism of gods and goddesses- Why Do Hindus Worship Different Deities?
Deities and rituals are a huge part of Hinduism; they have great religious significance. All the deities found in Hinduism are symbols of the Supreme Being and point to a particular aspect of the creator (Brahman).
The Hindu Trinity is usually represented by three Hindu gods: Brahman who is the creator, Vishnu who is the protector, and Shiva who is the destroyer.
Among all religions found in East Asia and across the globe, Hindus have the most freedom to worship their “idol” of choice who in turn offers their prayers to the creator. Each and every one of the Hindu gods and goddesses controls a specific force in nature that governs a person’s path of spiritual progress.
In order for a person to achieve all-rounded spiritual perfection, he/she needs to gain favor with different deities who help stir up his/her consciousness to help him develop similar attributes as the gods.
Each Hindu deity has many characteristics such as how they dress or what weapons they carry. These characteristics are represented by symbols which are used to identify the different gods and goddesses. For example, Krishna may be identified by the peacock feather worn on the head, or by the flute that he carries which symbolizes divine music.
Symbols in Hinduism
When looked at on the surface, the symbols used in Hinduism may seem absurd. However, when you get to learn their deeper meaning you will discover so much- their hidden meanings are intriguing.
There are some Hindu symbols such as the conch and the lotus that are similar to Buddhism symbols.
In this list, we’ll have a look at some of the most common and sacred Hindu symbols and the meaning behind them:
1. Hindu symbol Aum ( Pronounced as Om)
In Hinduism, Om is a sacred sound that is considered the greatest of all mantras. Hindus believe that God first created sound frequencies and the universe arose from them.
The Om sound is considered to be a symbol that represents the essence of the universe; its threefold nature represents several important triads:
• The 3 worlds- earth, atmosphere, and heaven
• The 3 main gods- Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva
• The 3 Vedic scriptures- Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda
Om is to Hindus what the cross is to Christians. This root mantra is spoken at the beginning and end of Hindu prayers and meditations. In written form, Om is used to marking the beginning of a text in an inscription or a manuscript.
The Om symbol consists of three curves, a semi-circle, and a dot. The lower curve is the largest and is a symbol of the waking state of consciousness.
Its large size means that this is the most common state of the mind.
The middle curve represents the state between deep sleep and consciousness; also known as the dream state. In this state, one is able to view the world behind closed eyelids.
The upper curve symbolizes the unconscious state. In this state of deep sleep, the person does not get any dream. Overall, the three curves represent the entire physical phenomenon.
The semi-circle in the Om symbol separates the dot from the curves and is a representation of Maya. Maya is believed to prevent us from reaching the highest state of bliss as represented by the upper curve.
The dot on the symbol is used to represent the fourth state of consciousness where a person comes to rest and achieves the ultimate aim of all their spiritual activity. This fourth state is the absolute state that illuminates all the other three states.
Om is the most chanted sound in all of India. In addition to being used in sacred texts, prayers and invocations, the Om sound may also be used as a greeting. In a nutshell, Om is the god in the form of sound- a word of great power. It’s the most important mantra is both Hinduism and Buddhism as well.
2. Sri Chakra or Sri Yantra
This symbol is a complex yet beautiful geometry that has, for the longest time, been used for worship and meditation. The shape is made up of 9 triangles that radiate from a central point and interlock with each other.
Of the 9 triangles, 4 are upright and symbolize the masculine side (Shiva) while the other 5 are inverted and symbolize the feminine side (Shakti).
In totality, the Sri Chakra is used as a symbol of the unity between the masculine and the feminine divinity.
The triangles interlock to form a web of 43 smaller triangles with each one of them housing a particular deity that represents a specific aspect of existence.
The Sri Chakra is quite similar to a mandala; what sets it apart is that the Sri Chakra can either be a 3-dimensional object or a 2-dimensional diagram.
When in the 3-dimensional state, the Sri Chakra is a representation of Mt. Meru which is believed to lie at the axis of the universe. This cosmic mountain is the bond of everything in the cosmos and it’s also regarded as a place of a spiritual journey. The Sri Chakra is mostly used in the Sri Kula tradition in Tantrism.
3. Swastika
The Swastika symbol is widely used in Indian religion specifically Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The term Swastika is derived from the Sanskrit term “svastika” and has two meanings. ‘Sv’ means ‘good’ or ‘higher self, ‘Asti’ means ‘to be’ or ‘being’, and ‘ka’ is a suffix.
The word basically translates to “to be good” or “being with higher self.” This symbol is mostly used as a representation of good fortune and other times it’s also used as a sun symbol.
The figure has right-angled arms which represent the indirect way that Divinity is apprehended by intuition and not by intellect.
The arms are usually right-facing (clockwise) but sometimes may be left-facing in the mirrored form. The anticlockwise Swastika is used as a symbol of magic, night, and the goddess Kali.
The Swastika is in the shape of a cross which has four arms, pointing in all the four directions to describe the four Vedas and to signify the omnipresence eternal nature of the Absolute.
The Swastika symbol may also be used to represent peace, honesty, truth, purity of the soul, and stability. One of the uses of the symbol is to mark the opening of account books, doors, and thresholds.
4. Shiva Linga
This term comes from the combination of two words: “Shiva” and “linga” which translate to auspicious and symbol respectively.
The term is used in reference to the Supreme Being. The Shiva Linga is a symbol of Lord Shiva and represents God Himself in all His three aspects: Creator, Protector, and Destroyer.
It symbolizes the power of fertility and strength. The symbol reminds us of the Omnipotent Lord which is formless.
The symbol is an elongated column that resembles an erect penis, the emblem of the generative power in nature. It symbolizes the cosmic creation which is effected by the male and female powers of nature.
The Shivalinga symbol is also a representation of truth, knowledge, and infinity. Depending on the mobility of the symbol, there are two broad classes of the Shivalangas:
i. Cala – These are made using stones, metal, crystals, or clay and can be moved from one place to another with ease.
ii. Acala – These are built using hard stone or heavy metal and are usually found in temples, fixed to the ground.
5. Nataraja
This symbol depicts Lord Shiva in a dancing pose. The beautiful avatar is intended to put a message across that ignorance can only be overcome by knowledge, music, and dance.
The sculpture is carved in stone or cast in bronze.
Lord Shiva is also referred to as Nataraja which means “Lord of Dancers” or “The King of Dance.”
In Sanskrit, “Nata” means dance while “Raja” means King. The dance pose that is represented in the avatar is blissful and depicts the Hindu god Shiva on an aureole of flames, balancing on one leg upon Apasmara.
The flames represent the creation and destruction of the cosmos in a never-ending cycle of time. Apasmara, on the other hand, is a demon-dwarf that symbolizes darkness and ignorance.
Shiva’s other leg is a representation of liberation from demons and other evils. His right hand, he holds a double-sided drum that makes the first sounds of creation and in his left hand, he holds a fire that will destroy the universe.
6. Shiva’s Nandi
Nandi is Lord Shiva’s mount or Vahana. The Nandi symbol is a huge white bull that has a black tail and kneels at the feet of Lord Shiva. This symbolizes disciplined animality which results in the ideal devotee to Shiva. The symbol is also a representation of Shiva’s strength.
7. Lotus (Padma)
The lotus is the holiest flower in India. It has, over the years, achieved a status that cannot be equaled by any other flower.
It’s used as a symbol both Hinduism and Buddhism and primarily represents untouched beauty and non-attachment. Even though the plant is rooted deep in the mud, the beautiful lotus remains to be clean and continues to float on the water.
This gives clear teaching of how humans should carry themselves throughout their lives, untouched by sin.
The lotus flower is also used as a symbol of etiquette and culture, creation, fertility, and perfection of beauty.
Many Hindu deities like Vishnu, Ganesha, and Parvati are depicted holding the lotus in their hands. In the East Asian cultures, you will find the lotus flower symbol on buildings and cars. Again, the lotus is associated with the chakras.
Here we’ll provide you with a basic overview of a series of chakras where the lotus flower holds special significance. These chakras are an important aspect of different types of meditation:
i. Muladhara: The Root Chakra
This chakra is depicted as a red lotus flower that has four petals.
The root chakra is related to instinct, security, survival, and human potentiality. Physically, it governs sexuality, mentally it governs stability, emotionally it governs sensuality, and spiritually it governs a sense of security.
ii. Swadhisthana: The Sacral Chakra
This chakra is depicted as an orange lotus that has six petals.
The sacral chakra is considered to correspond to the testes or the ovaries that produce the sex hormones during a person’s reproductive cycle.
This chakra is generally believed to physically govern reproduction, mentally govern creativity, emotionally govern joy, and spiritually govern enthusiasm.
iii. Manipura: The Solar Plexus Chakra
This chakra is depicted as a yellow lotus with ten petals.
The solar plexus chakra is associated with the metabolic and digestive systems that convert food matter into energy for the body.
Physically, the Manipura governs digestion, mentally it governs personal power, emotionally it governs expansiveness, and spiritually it governs all matters of growth.
iv. Anahata: The Heart Chakra
This chakra is depicted as a green lotus with twelve petals. The heart chakra is located in the chest area and is related to the thymus which is the site of maturation of the T cells. T cells are responsible for fighting diseases. Physically this chakra governs circulation, emotionally it governs unconditional love, mentally it governs passion, and spiritually it governs devotion.
v. Vishuddha: The Throat Chakra
This chakra is depicted as a blue lotus with sixteen petals. The throat chakra is associated with the thyroid gland which produces the thyroid hormone which regulates growth. Physically, the chakra governs communication, emotionally it governs independence, mentally it governs fluent thought, and spiritually, it governs a sense of security.
vi. Ajna: The Brow Chakra
This chakra is depicted as an indigo lotus with two petals. The brow chakra is associated with the pineal gland which produces the hormone melatonin which regulates sleep. Mentally, this chakra governs visual consciousness, emotionally it governs clarity on an intuitive level.
vii. Sahasrara: The Crown Chakra
This chakra is depicted as a violet lotus with one thousand petals. The crown chakra is described as having a total of 1,000 petals which are arranged in 20 different layers with each one of them having 50 petals.
The Sahasrara is a symbol of detachment from the illusion which is important in helping us to achieve a higher level of consciousness.
8. The Veena
This is a stringed musical instrument found in India that represents arts and learning. The Veena is also used as a symbol of the Hindu goddess Saraswati and the sage Narada.
9. The Conch Shell
The conch is also used as a Buddhist symbol but has a different interpretation. In Hinduism, the conch is a major article of prayer; the horn-trumpet is used to make announcements.
It is used as an attribute of Vishnu (the God of Preservation) who is said to hold a special shell as one of his main emblems.
In East Asian Cultures, the warriors blew the conch to announce battle. In India today, the conch is mainly blown as a part of religious practices such as worship.
In addition, this symbol is used to represent the sound that was used to create the universe.
10. Multiple arms and heads
The idea of multiple heads, arms, and other body parts is used to portray the illusion of “multiple conventions” in religious iconography.
The deities are depicted standing behind each other with their arms in different positions.
The visual effect created shows kinetic energy indicating the ability to be in different places and exist at all these places at once.
This symbol represents the divine omnipresence which means that the Supreme Being is able to control many things simultaneously.
11. Vahana
In Hinduism, the Vahana (meaning vehicle) is a mythical animal that is associated with a particular deity.
In religious iconography, the deity is depicted riding on the mythical animal or at times, standing next to the Vahana.
12. Vishnu
Vishnu is one of the gods that make up the Hindu Triad. He is a protector and a preserver.
The Rig Vedic Vishnu is depicted as the sun in its three main stages – rising, zenith and setting.
In these three stages Vishnu cruises through the three divisions of the universe – the earth, the atmosphere, and the sky. Vishnu is believed to have taken these three steps for the protection, preservation, and benefit of mortals. The zenith is appropriately called Vishnu’s place.
13. The Tilaka
You will often find the tilaka symbol on the foreheads of devoted Hindus.
This symbol comes in different forms and designs depending on the religious ceremony or the custom taking place.
It’s, however, quite different from the bindi that is worn by the women. A U-shaped tilaka is a symbol of a Hindu’s devotion to Lord Vishnu while a horizontal one (Tripundra) is used by Shivites as a symbol of their devotion to Lord Shiva. The Tripundra has 3 horizontal lines which represent the three godly forces: creation, sustenance, and destruction.
14. Bindi
This is one of the most common Hindu symbols. A bindi is a small dot, often in red, that is worn by women on the forehead. The dot is made using sandalwood paste, turmeric, or vermilion and is applied in the area between the eyebrows.
The area where the bindi is placed is considered to be the 6th chakra, Ajna, which is the exit point for kundalini energy. The bindi may sometimes be worn by either gender to offer protection from demons or other bad things. It is also used to show religious affiliation or ethnic affiliation.
Other names that are used to refer to a bindi are:
• Tikli
• Pottu
• Chandlo
• Bottu
• Tilakam
• Tipa
• Teep
Bindis come in a variety of colors, designs, material, shapes, and sizes; some fancy ones are decorated using sequin, glass, or rhinestone.
15. The Rudraksha Tree and Seed
This tree is mainly found in Nepal, Southeast Asia and in the Himalayas. It has blues seeds that symbolize Shiva’s tear that he shed upon seeing how much his people suffered. It is from this tear that the tree grew.
The Rudraksha name is derived from “Rudra” which is another name for Shiva and “Aksha” which means eyes.
The Rudraksha seeds are as prized as the compassionate tears that Lord Shiva shed. They’re used to make necklaces, prayer beads, and rosaries. These are mostly worn by the Shivites and are a symbol of God’s love.
16. Fire altar
The fire altar is also referred to as the Homakunda. It’s a distinct symbol of the ancient Vedic rites.
Hindus made sacrifices and offerings to their gods at the fire altar. The homa fire was used to solemnize the Hindu sacraments.
17. Dhvaja (Flag)
The Dhvaja is a type of banner that is orange in color and is often flown above temples during festivals. The orange color symbolizes the sun’s life-giving glow.
This flag is a symbol of victory.
18. Ganesha
Ganesha is an elephant-headed Hindu god that is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. He is a symbol of the powers that are held within every human being. Ganesha guides our karma by either removing or creating obstacles on our path. Seated upon his throne, Ganesha ensures our success in different endeavors. This means that we ought to seek his permission and blessing in all our undertakings.
The goad that Ganesha holds in his right hand is referred to as the ankusha. He uses it to remove obstacles from our paths. Ganesha’s goad is a symbol of the force through which all wrongful things are repelled from us.
19. The Banyan Tree (Vata)
This tree is one of the most worshipped trees in India and can be found in front of many temples. The Banyan tree can grow and survive through many centuries without drying up.
It represents Hinduism in the sense that it has many roots, branches out in different directions, spreads shade far and wide but only stems from a single trunk.
The bark is believed to represent Lord Vishnu, the roots represent Lord Brahma, and the branches represent Lord Shiva. Underneath the tree sat Rishis for the shade, to seek enlightenment. The tree is also a symbol of fertility and longevity. It is mentioned in the Holy Scripture as a Tree of Immortality.
20. Trishula
The Trishula is a Sanskrit term that translates to “three spears” and refers to a trident spear that is the emblem of Lord Shiva.
The Trishula is a symbol of the empire and the irresistible force of transcendental reality.
Each of the spear’s pong represents Shiva’s three aspects:
• Creator
• Destroyer
• Preserver
The pongs also represent his three powers:
• Desire
• Action
• Wisdom
Generally, the trident is a symbol of the balance created by the three facets of consciousness which are cognition, affection, and conation.
21. The Saffron Color
The saffron color symbolizes different aspects of Hinduism such as the color of fire which is used on the fire altar.
This color has great religious significance as it reflects the Supreme Being.
Fire worship dates back to the Vedic age and today you will find forked saffron flags fluttering atop most Hindu temples. This is to indicate that that’s a place of worship.
Hindu saints also wear robes that are dyed using saffron to symbolize humility and the renunciation of material life.
22. The Yajnopavita (Sacred Thread)
The Yajnopavita is a thin yellow thread that is given to young Hindu males to signify spiritual awakening after they have undergone the Upanayana ritual. Once the young males have undergone the ritual, they are referred to as “twice born.”
The thread usually runs diagonally from the left shoulder to the waist. It is made using either cotton or wool.
This thread represents the acceptance of young males as religious students. They’re not supposed to take the tread off; they should bathe and swim with it on.
The person who has undergone the ritual is supposed to shave his head and wear new clothes. A priest recites the Gayatri mantra during the ritual and afterward, the initiate gives a traditional Dakshina to his teacher.
The sacred thread comprises of three intertwined threads that symbolize the Trimurti. This thread is also a symbol of the three Vedas texts: Rigveda, Samaveda, and Yajurveda.
23. Peacock (Mayil or Mayura)
The peacock is the national bird of India. It symbolizes the cycle of time in Hindu scripts. The proud display of the dancing peacock is a symbol of religion in its full, unfolded glory.
The feathers are also a symbol of good luck and prosperity. The peacock’s shrill cry warns of approaching danger. Sometimes, the bird’s cry is considered to be a herald of the rainy season.
It is believed that this sacred bird was created from one of the feathers of Garuda. Garuda is a legendary bird in Hindu mythology and a carrier of Lord Vishnu.
24. The Bael or Bilva Tree
This tree’s fruits, flowers, and leaves are all significant during Shiva’s liberation at the summit. The Bilva tree is worshipped by Hindus and it’s for this reason that you will often find it planted around homes and temples.
25. Cow or “Go”
Hindus consider the cow to be an ever-giving nourisher. The cow is a symbol of the earth which keeps on providing without making demands. The cow is a sacred animal and Hindus have a special affection for this gentle creature.
26. The Six-Pointed Star
The six-pointed star is also referred to as the Shaktona. It is made up two interlocking triangles. The upper one symbolizes Shiva or the male energy while the lower one symbolizes Shakti or the female power.
The upper and lower triangles also represent fire and water respectively. The union of these two triangles gives birth to Sanatkumara, whose sacred number is six.
27. The Ghanta (Bell)
The bell is used in the puja ritual which engages all senses including hearing.
The ringing of the ghanta summons the gods and stimulates the inner ear to remind us that, like sound, we may perceive the world but not possess it.
28. The Temple Gateways
The temple gateways are also referred to as “Gopura” or “Gopuram.” They are towering gateways made using stones, through which pilgrims enter the South Indian temple.
The gateways are ornamented with a variety of sculptures of the divine pantheon; their tiers are a symbol of the several planes of existence.
29. The Sacred Pot (Kalasha)
The kalasha is a husked coconut that is circled with five leaves on a pot. The pot is used in the puja ritual to represent a god, particularly Lord Ganesha. When a person breaks the coconut in front of his shrine, it represents the shattering of the ego to reveal the sweet fruit inside.
30. The Sacred Sandals (Tiruvadi)
In Hinduism, the sacred sandals are worn by saints, sages, and satgurus. They’re a symbol of the preceptor’s holy feet which are the source of his grace. Hindus prostrate before him and humbly touch his feet to be released from worldliness.
31. The Water Vessel (Kamandalu)
The Hindu monastic carries a Kamandalu as a symbol of his simple, self-contained life, his freedom from worldly needs, his constant ‘sadhana’ and ‘tapas’, and his oath to seek God before anything or anyone else.
32. The Red Rooster
The red rooster is also referred to as the Seval. It is the noble red rooster that heralds every morning at dawn, calling upon to awake and arise. The Seval is a symbol of the imminence of spiritual unfoldment and wisdom.
As a fighting cock, he crows from Lord Skanda’s battle flag.
33. The Moon & Sun – Chandra & Surya
Chandra is the moon and Surya is the sun. The former represents the ruler of the watery realms and emotions while the latter represents the ruler of intellect and the source of truth.
Chandra is white (ida) and lights up the night while Surya is yellow (pingala) and lights up the days.
34. NAGA The Snake
The snake, or sometimes cobra, is a symbol of Kundalini Power which we popularly know as cosmic energy.
Kundalini power is believed to be coiled/looped and “inactive” within a person; once activated, it inspires the person to overcome suffering.
The snake has great symbolic significance in Hinduism. There are special shrines where the male (naga) and female (nagin) snakes are kept and worshiped.
The deity may either be a full serpent or a combination of serpent and human.The shedding of the snake’s skin is symbolic in that it shows rebirth, renewal, and regeneration. Snakes are generally a symbol of energy and healing.
35. Tiger
In East Asia, the tiger gets more recognition than the lion and is referred to as the “King of Beasts.” In Hinduism, tigers are a symbol of strength, courage, and protection.
Thanks to their ferocity, tigers are closely associated with the deities Shiva and Durga.
Shiva is often portrayed sitting on a tiger’s skin or wearing it. On the other hand, the fierce goddess Durga is often portrayed riding a tiger. All these can be attributed to a tiger’s deadly reputation.
36. The Mankolam Design
This design comprises of a paisley design which is modeled after a mango. This design is associated with Lord Ganesha who is sometimes portrayed holding the fruit.
The mango which he holds is fully ripe and symbolizes a state of attainable perfection.
Mangoes are sweet, juicy, and quite a messy handful. They are a symbol of auspiciousness and the happy fulfillment of legitimate worldly desires. In India, the mango is considered to be the “King of Fruits” and plays a huge role in both cultural and religious rituals.
37. The Coconut
The 3 “eyes” that are present on a mature coconut are associated with Lord Shiva who is depicted as having 3 eyes- the 3rd eye is at the middle of his forehead.
Again in Hinduism, the coconut may symbolize a human head. The coconut is smashed against a hard surface as a substitute for a “human sacrifice.”
38. The Star of Lakshmi
This symbol is a complex star figure made up of two squares with the same center at 45° angles. The star of Lakshmi symbolizes Ashtalakshmi- the 8 forms of the goddess Lakshmi.
39. Elephant symbolism (Ganesha)
The Elephant carries a powerful and important symbolism in Hinduism. Ganesh, the son of Shiva and Parvati is often portrayed having the head of an elephant.
This happened when Shiva accidentally cut off his son’s head and resorted to quickly replacing it with that of an elephant.
These creatures can easily cruise through tough terrains. Ganesh assumes this attribute in a spiritual sense and was, therefore, called the “remover of obstacles.”
40. Jackal
Hindus associate the Jackal with the goddess of death and destruction, Kali. The use of jackals to symbolize death stemmed from a relatively straightforward observation of the animal. These animals usually feed on dead bodies and can often be seen visiting graveyards and other locations where there are corpses.
41. Sandalwood
The symbolic meaning of sandalwood comes from its highly fragrant aroma. It is strongly associated with the divine.
While certain religious objects may be curved from sandalwood, it’s also smeared on the body during certain rituals and ceremonies.
Indians use sandalwood as a key ingredient in oils and incense thanks to its pleasant smell.
42. Navaratna
Navarana means “nine gems” in Sanskrit and refers to an ancient Indian astrological system that had 9 gems that are representative of the heavenly bodies. These gems are often used to make jewelry and other adornments.
The pattern in which they’re placed depends on what heavenly body actually represents. Let’s have a deeper look at this:
• Ruby – this represents the sun and is always at the middle
• Diamond – this represents Venus
• Pearl – this represents the moon
• Red Coral – this represents Mars
• Hessonite – this represents the ascending moon
• Blue Sapphire – this represents Saturn
• Cat’s Eye – this represents the descending moon
• Yellow Sapphire – this represents Jupiter
• Emerald – this represents Mercury
43. Prateek
Prateek is a symbol of the “path of bliss”, also known as the Ananda Marga movement. This movement was founded in 1955 and its main emphasis includes social service as well as yoga and meditation.
The symbol is made up of:
• And upward-pointing triangle which represents a person’s external actions
• A downward-pointing triangle which represents a person’s internal work
• A rising sun which represents a person’s spiritual progress
• A swastika which represents the attainment of the ultimate spiritual goal
44. The Standing Oil Lamp
The symbol of the standing oil lamp is referred to as Kuttuvilaku. It symbolizes the dispelling of ignorance and the awakening of the divine light within us.
The can lamp can often be found in temples or shrines where it produces a soft glow that keeps the atmosphere serene.
45. Anjali Gesture
This symbol is a gesture of both hands brought together near the heart. This gesture symbolizes honoring or celebrating something/ someone. The gesture is also used as a greeting.
46. The Mouse – Mushika
Mushika is Lord Ganesha’s mount. Mice reproduce a lot and often bring forth multiple offspring. The symbol is traditionally associated with abundance in family life.
47. Konrai Blossoms
This is a flowering symbol of Shiva’s honeyed grace upon us. Konrai is also associated with Shiva’s shrines and temples all through India.
48. The Vel or Holy Lance
The Vel is a symbol of Lord Murugan’s protective power which is our refuge in adversity. The tip of the vel is wide, long, and sharp representing incisive discrimination and spiritual knowledge, which is broad, deep and penetrating.
49. The Noose or Pasha
The symbol of the noose or tether symbolizes a person’s soul three-fold bondage of ‘anava, karma, and Maya.’ The noose is the all-important force through which God brings souls (pashu) along to the path of truth and enlightenment.
50. The Hamsa or Goose
The Hamsa is Brahma’s vehicle which is represented as a wild goose. This vehicle is a symbol of our soul. | https://east-asian-cultures.com/hindu-symbols/ |
Sri Senkamalavalli Thayar (Sri Mahalakshmi) & Sridevi-Bhudevi (Consorts) Sahitha Sri Satyanarayanaswamy (Vyuha Vasudevan/Maha Vishnu) after Thirumanjana Seva (Sacred Bath) at my Home Thirumaligai (Sanctum) during Panguni Purnima 2013 (after Alangaaram). The accompanying Hymn is rendered by Dr. T.S. Satyavathy, K V Raman, Manasi Prasad, Ganesh Desai and Composed by Layakala Prathibhamani Sri. Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma.
Thirumanjanam or Sacred Bath or Ceremonial Bath is performed on the Deities during special occasion in various Vaishnavaite Temples in South India by consecrating with water and other Substances (Dravyams) of unction. The Dravyams are Turmeric, Sandalwood, Yogurt, Milk, Honey, Scented Oil (Thaila), Fruits, Coconut Water etc. It is an elaborate ritual with Vedic Hymns (Pancha Suktham).
The images and clips used in this Video are of my Home Deities during Prayer Observance (Sanctum). The audio/sound recordings are used where ever necessary without any commercial intentions or monetary benefit according to “Fair Use” and mainly for educating audience into Vaishnavism, Dravida Vedam (Divyaprabandham), Works of Acharyas, Sanskrit Vedic Hymns, Shlokas, Mantras, Carnatic and Devotional music by providing visuals for better appreciation and for listening pleasure & spiritual realization. Most of the Shlokas, Mantras, Vedas and Divyaprabandhams are available in Public Domain and is recited in all Vaishnava Temples & 108 Divyadesams.
My Home Thirumaligai hosts Sriman Narayana with his Consorts Sridevi-Bhudevi, Sri Mahalakshmi , Sri Yoga Narasimha, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha, Sri Dolai Kannan (Bala Krishna), Sri Aandal, Sri Ram Parivar, Sri Ramanuja , Sri Manavalamamuni & Sri Satyanarayanaswamy. All Alangarams, Daily rituals (Thenkalai Nithyanusandhanam Sampradaya) and Kainkariyams are performed for the Lord including all auspicious events. Panchaparva Seva & Thirumanjanam (Holy Bath) is performed on Ekadesi, Amavasya, Purnima and when Revathi Star is in Ascendence.
Apamarjana stotram is a prayer addressed to various forms of Vishnu as well as Sudarshana Chakra to clean our body and mind of various sickness as well as afflictions by evil spirits as well as planets . This occurs in the Vishnu Padma Purana ,. At the beginning of the prayer Saint Dhalabhya requests sage Agasthya for the benefit of all living beings, the method of getting cured of all the sicknesses and afflictions. Sage Agasthya then teaches him this great prayer.
Vishnu (Sanskrit विष्णु Viṣṇu) is the supreme God in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. The Vishnu Sahasranama declares Vishnu as Paramatman (supreme soul) and Parameshwara (supreme God). It describes Vishnu as the All-Pervading essence of all beings, the master of—and beyond—the past, present and future, one who supports, sustains and governs the Universe and originates and develops all elements within. Vishnu governs the aspect of preservation and sustenance of the universe, so he is called “Preserver of the universe”.
In almost all Hindu denominations, Vishnu is either worshipped directly or in the form of his ten Avatara, most famous of whom are Rama, Narasimha and Krishna.
Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण; nārāyaṇa; Kannada: ನಾರಾಯಣ; Telugu: నారాయణుడు; Tamil: நாராயணன்) or Narayan or Naraina is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary vernaculars a common Indian name. Narayana is also identified as the original man, Purusha. The Puranas present divergent views on Narayana. In the Kurma Purana he is identified with Brahman and Krishna-Vishnu. Narayana is another name for Vishnu and appears as the 245th name in the Vishnu Sahasranama.
Vishnu is always to be depicted holding the four attributes associated with him, being:
1.A conch shell or Shankha, named “Panchajanya”, held by the upper left hand, which represents Vishnu’s power to create and maintain the universe.
2.The chakra, a sharp-spinning discus-like weapon, named “Sudarshana”, held by the upper right hand, which symbolizes the purified spiritualized mind.
3.A mace or Gada, named “Kaumodaki”, held by the lower left hand, symbolizes Vishnu’s divine power is the source all spiritual, mental and physical strength.
4.A lotus flower or Padma, held by the lower right hand, represents spiritual liberation, Divine perfection, purity and the unfolding of Spiritual consciousness within the individual. | http://hinduchannel.co.in/sound-of-divinity-14-sanskrit-hymn-on-vishnu-sri-vishnu-apamarjana-sthotram-padma-purana/ |
#Didyouknow that an empire in India from over 1000 years ago known for its vast army of war elephants were also patrons to some of the best sculpture that has ever been produced in the Indian subcontinent? We are talking about the Pala Empire (r. 750-1161 CE). They were an imperial power which originated in the region of Bengal named after its ruling dynasty. The empire was founded with Gopala as the emperor of Gauda in 750 CE by the people to end anarchy, he extended his power to Magadha, which was a major Buddhist centre, rulers of North Odisha were his vassals. His lineage of rulers brought about greatness and prosperity. The Palas ruled over western Bengal and eastern Bihar, which included the major cities of Gauda, Vikrampura, Pataliputra, Monghyr, Somapura, Ramvati, Tamralipta and Jaggadala. The map below shows Gopadri, Kataka, Kanyakubja, Mudgagin among others.
Suggested Read – Sculpting Art: Giving Life to Earth!
As mentioned, their army was noted for its vast war elephant corps. Their navy performed both mercantile and defensive roles in the Bay of Bengal. They built grand temples and monasteries, including the Somapura Mahavihara and Odantapuri. Odantapuri (also called Odantapura or Uddandapura) was a Buddhist Mahavihara in Bihar, India. It is believed to have been established by the Pala ruler Gopala I in the 8th century. Somapura Mahavihara was built by the second Pala king Dharmapala (circa 781–821) of Pala Dynasty. The Palas patronised the great universities of Nalanda and Vikramashila. The empire had diplomatic relations with the Srivijaya Empire, the Tibetan Empire and the Arab Abbasid Caliphate.
Sculpture from the Pala period
The son of Gopala was Dharmapala, his son was Devapala; they were great patrons of art and culture. It is during their regime that the Universities of Nalanda, Vikramshila and Uddandapura flourished and art too got a major fillip. The Buddhist pantheon was richly depicted in sculpture in Bihar and Bengal which had some Gupta period influence and style. The figures of Bihar were heavily set. The depictions included the Buddha, Avalokiteswara Khasarpana, Goddess Tara, Vagiswara, Prajnaparmita and other deities. The Hindu pantheon’s early depictions show Lord Surya attended by Danda and Pingala, Lord Shiva as Uma-Maheswara, Lord Vishnu with personified weapons. The early phase also had huge carefully sculpted images of Lord Vishnu with consorts and images of the Jain Tirthankaras. The images in Bengal came with a difference; they had a feeling of lightness with delicate treatment.
The regime of the Palas was prosperous as already mentioned. During Mahipala’s rule (970 – 1030 AD) a Buddhist mission was sent to Tibet. The Palas made many lakes and water bodies in Bengal and Bihar. There were splendid mansions of merchants along the waterways of Bengal. The last Pala ruler was Iradyumnapala.
The later phase of Pala art showed its own stylistics going away from the Gupta idiom, evident in the weapons of Lord Vishnu not being personified, upper garment of figures shown as wavy lines, the headdresses became more detailed as well. The Pala sculpture was well ornamented. By the 10th century Tantrism influenced Pala sculpture. In the 11th and 12th centuries both Buddhist goddesses like Tara and Hindu goddesses like Saraswati and Ganga were sculpted. The black stone was highly used for sculptural work. It flowered and flourished for nearly 5 centuries in Bihar and Bengal. Nalanda was a great centre during the 9th and 10th centuries. There were monks who were experts in the arts. The Pala art’s influence can be seen in Nepal which provided a sanctuary after Nalanda was ravaged by invaders. The art also influenced Tibet, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Java and Afghanistan as well.
Stone sculpture of Pala times are found at Nalanda, Rajgriha, Bodh Gaya, Kurkihar, Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Bhagalpur and Khiching in Odisha. Let us look at some of their sculptural marvels.
Vishnu with his consorts
A very large stone stele of Hindu god Vishnu with his two consorts is depicted: to his left is Saraswati, the goddess of learning and music; to his right, Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune and wealth. The stele has other gods, demigods, and worshipers as well. Two river goddesses stand at the base of the columns. Beyond them are figures representing the weapons of Vishnu in human form, ie. They are personified; Gadadevi (his mace) and Chakrapurusha (his war discus) in niches. Lord Ganesha occupies the niche at the top left corner; Kartikeya occupies the right corner. The two inner niches depict Lord Shiva on the left and Lord Brahma on the right.
Vishnu riding on Garuda
This is a rare depiction of Lord Vishnu on his vehicle, the man-eagle Garuda, here shown with a human head, wings outstretched, and tail feathers expanding like rays of light behind the head of the god. Garuda is the enemy of serpents, and a snake is tied around his neck. Devotees are seen kneeling in front. Lord Vishnu is shown with his emblems. This sculpture shows Gupta period influence (4th – 6th centuries), like fluidity and gentle modelling.
Durga as Mahishasura mardini
The 11th century image shows a smiling multi-armed Goddess who has vanquished the demon Mahishasura. Her weapons are in her hands and she wears a karandamukuta (headdress). She is bejewelled, wearing a girdle and her garment has been indicated with wavy lines. The figure has been sculpted in phyllite, shown on an ornate pedestal.
Standing Buddha
A very beautiful and pristine figure of the Buddha with two devotees sculpted at the sides. Buddha is in the varadamudra, a gesture of giving, standing under a canopy against an ornate backdrop with an inscription behind. His garment is depicted with wavy lines.
Uma-maheshvara
Uma-maheshvara is a sculpture which depicts the Hindu god and goddess Shiva and Parvati, together called Uma-Maheshvara. Uma is one of the names for Shiva’s wife Parvati, Shiva as ‘Maheshvara’ means ‘Great Lord’. There is an impressive prabhavali or circle of flames behind them. Their son Lord Ganesha is carved on one side of the pedestal they are seated on. There are other figures as well, maybe devotees and Nandi, the bull, Lord Shiva’s vehicle, also the tiger vehicle of Parvathi or Uma.
Goddess Durga
Goddess Durga in black stone shows her standing holding her weapons. A devotee is kneeling by her left side with folded hands. On the right is her vahana or vehicle, the lion. A peaceful depiction of the multi-armed goddess with her lower right hand in varadamudra or gesture of giving. She is adorned with heavy jewellery and a girdle, her garment has been depicted with lines.
Lord Vishnu
Lord Vishnu is depicted with his emblems; mace, conch and discus, and his consorts. He is wearing a karandamukuta. His lower right hand is in varadamudra or gesture of giving. He is standing on a lotus pedestal.
Lord Ganesha
Lord Ganesha has been sculpted in grey schist, multi-armed and depicted with his vehicle mooshaka. A semi divine being is on the top right side. Ganesha is holding ‘laddoos’ in his back left hand and his front right hand is in abhayamudra, a gesture of blessing and fearlessness. The sculpture is broken at places, but it is nevertheless striking.
Lord Surya
Lord Surya in the stone stele is standing and the pedestal shows his seven horses. Three women devotees are depicted and the other two figures flanking him are Danda and Pingala. The background of the sculpture is richly carved as well.
Lokesvara Khasarpana
Lokesvara Khasarpana, a form of Avalokitesvara, is depicted with a half-smile and closed eyes and seated on an ornate floral motif throne. His right hand is in varadamudra, a gesture of giving. In Buddhism, Avalokitesvara is a bodhisattva, an individual on the path to becoming a Buddha, who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars. The deity’s four standard attendants: the goddesses Tara and Bhrikuti to the left and right of the bodhisattva and on the base, Suchimukha, is at the left, and Hayagriva at the right in front are seen.
Standing Buddha
A very striking figure of the Buddha with Buddhas in different mudras or gestures around the main figure in this stone stele. The Standing Buddha is in the abhayadamudra, a gesture of blessing and allaying of fear, standing against an ornate backdrop and a lotus pedestal. His garment is depicted with wavy lines.
Bodhisattva Maitreya
Bodhisattva Maitreya is the ‘Buddha’ of the future who is prophesied to appear on Earth, achieve complete Enlightenment, and teach the Dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya’s teachings will be similar to those of Gautama Buddha. Maitreya, in Buddhist tradition, presently resides in Tushita heaven. Here we seem him sculpted in gilt bronze, crowned and bejewelled and standing on a lotus pedestal. A leafy stalk of flowers rises from the lotus base along his left arm. A small ewer, probably for holding ‘nectar’, the elixir of life, is seen near the top of the bloom to his left.
The sculptural marvels of the Pala period are in India and some museums overseas. Their splendour will continue to increase as time goes by. The scale of their art covers major religions and their work will always be revered. The Pala dynasty sculptures are iconic and have inspired the art of many other countries, so they will always be seen as pioneers in their style and execution both in stone and metal.
References –
- Sivaramamurti, C, Indian Scuptures, Bombay: Allied Publishers, 1961.
- Randhawa, M.S and Randhawa, D.S. Indian Sculptures – the scene, themes and legends, Bombay: Vakils, Feffal and Simons Ltd, 1985. | https://www.caleidoscope.in/art-culture/pala-sculpture-art |
Parvati, respectively.
We now go into some of the most interesting stories of these three Goddesses and what function they played in maintaining the balance of the world, working in tandem with their spouses.
"Om Mahalakshmai Cha Vidmahe
Vishnu Patnyai Cha Dhimahi
Tanno Lakshmihi Prachodayat"
The above is one Gayatri Mantra for Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. Each and every major deity in Hindu mythology has His or Her own Gayatri Mantra. Translated, this hymn means, "Om. May we meditate on the Great Goddess Sri Lakshmi, the consort of Sri Maha Vishnu. May that effulgent Maha Lakshmi Devi inspire and illumine our mind and understanding."
Sri Mahalakshmi or Lakshmi, as the Goddess is also referred to, is the Hindu Goddess of Wealth, auspiciousness, purity, prosperity and generosity. She also embodies charm, beauty and grace. Lakshmi is a very popular and powerful Goddess in Indian mythology. In fact, representations of Lakshmi, or Shri, are found also in Buddhist and Jain monuments. The earliest archeological representations of Devi Shri were found in Buddhist monuments.
The name "Lakshmi" is derived from the Sanskrit elemental form "lakS," meaning to observe or perceive. This is also synonymous with "lakSya," meaning aim, goal or objective. Lakshmi is thus a Goddess who is regarded as the means to achieving several goals, importantly, becoming prosperous.
Lakshmi, the Consort of Sri Maha Vishnu, also incarnates as Sita (during Vishnu's avatar as Rama) and Rukmini and Radha (during Vishnu's manifestation as Krishna). As Lakshmi, She is often depicted as an indescribably beautiful woman, seated on a full-bloomed lotus, holding lotus buds in two of her hands, a pot of gold in the third and benignly blessing all those who come to her for succour. She is flanked by elephants, which symbolizes her royal status. Lakshmi, being the Goddess of Wealth, is also depicted as dressed in rich red silk, fully ornamented from head to toe in gold and precious stones.
Lakshmi's four hands represent four spiritual virtues. The fully bloomed lotus she is seated on, represents the seat of Divine Truth. The aura of joy surrounding her depicts mental and spiritual balance. Peace and prosperity always exist around her.
Sri Mahalakshmi is also depicted as being seated on the Adishesha (bed of snakes), along with her Consort, Vishnu. Vishnu lies in the Ananta Shayan (reclining) position and Lakshmi is seen pressing his feet.
The Adishesha is a huge, gigantic snake, depicted with a massive form that floats coiled in space, or on the universal ocean, to form the bed on which Vishnu lies. According to Hindu Vedic tradition, the Shesha is the king of all the Nagas (or serpents) and is one of the primal beings in creation itself. The Bhagavata Purana quotes him as an avatar of the Supreme God, known as Sankarshan. The Puranas relate how Adishesha (the First Snake) holds all the planets of the Universe on his hundred hoods and always sings the glories of Sri Mahavishnu from all his mouths. The Shesha Naag is sometimes also referred to as "Ananta-Shesha" which means "Endless Shesha".
The Devas (Gods) and Asuras (demons) both sought the immortality that the Devamruta (Divine Nectar) could give them. They decided to join hands to churn the ocean of milk, thereby retreiving the pot of Nectar. This is when Vishnu incarnated as "Kurma" (the Divine Tortoise), on whose back was placed the huge mountain, Mandara. A great venom-spewing serpent, Vasuki, was wrapped around it, in order to churn the ocean.
The churning of the mighty oceans led to the manifestation of many celestial beings. The Devas and the Asuras were to share the spoils jointly. Among the first to appear was Goddess Lakshmi, the daughter of the King of the milky ocean. Among the others were the Chandra (moon), the Kamadhenu (the wish-fulfilling cow) and the Kalpavriksha (the wish-fulfilling tree).
The Amrit or the "nectar of immortality" was the last one to surface on the ocean. This also marked the end of Lord Vishnu's Kurma Avatar. In a bid to retain the Amrit, Vishnu then took up form of the beautiful maiden, Mohini, to distract the raakshasas (demons), took away the pot of Amrit and gave immortality to the Devas. Sri Lakshmi later went on to marry Shri Vishnu. The term "Shri" still continues to be used as an honorofic address and is used till date for males all over India. The equivalent for females is "Srimati", in case she is married.
According to the Vishnu Purana, Lakshmi is born to Bhrigu Muni and Khyaati. She resided in Heaven (Swarga), but due to a curse of the ill-tempered sage, Durvasa, she had to leave Swarga and made Ksheersagara (the ocean of milk) her home. Lakshmi personifies riches, wealth, loveliness, grace, beauty, charm, splendour and lustre in Mahabharata. Strangely, she is also regarded as a wife of Surya, wife of Praja-pati, wife of Dharma and mother of Kama (God of Love), wife of Dattatreya and sister or mother or Dhat and Vidhat. Lakshmi is also said to be one of the Nine Saktis of Vishnu, as a manifestation of Prakriti (Mother Nature).
Mahalakshmi is considered as the presiding deity of the Middle episode of the Devi Mahatmyam. Here, she is depicted as a universal form, as the Divine Shakti. Parvati takes her manifestation as Shakti in order to kill Mahishasura (the half-man-half-bull demon). Her energy is derived from the effulgences of all the gods. The Goddess appears with eighteen arms, bearing string of beads, maze, battle axe, thunderbolt, cudgel, arrow, lotus, bow, water-pot, sword, lance, shield, bell, conch, wine-cup, trident, noose and the discus the Sudarshan Chakra. This manifestation with a stunning countenance and glowing complexion, is shown seated on a lotus. This manifestation is also known as Ashta Dasa Bhuja Mahalakshmi.
The lotus remains completely uncontaminated, even though rooted in the dirtiest, muddiest waters. This teaches us to go beyond the surface of worldly contamination and proceed deep into life, to learn precious spiritual truths from it. The lotus also embodies purity, fertility and the growth of organic life - the lotus also grows from out of Vishnu's navel.
Lakshmi's vahana (vehicle), the Owl (or the Ulooka in Sanskrit) is a bird that signifies wisdom and that sleeps through the day and prowls through the night. This is because it can only see in the dark, and goes blind in the day. This partial blindness in the creature is actually indicative of a sadhaka's (seeker) tendency of going toward the pursuit of secular instead of spiritual wealth.
Sri Mahalakshmi appears in two forms, Bhoodevi and Sridevi, on either side of Sri Venkateshwara or Sri Mahavishnu. Bhudevi denotes the complete representation of the Material World and is an energy called the Aparam Prakriti, Mother Earth Herself. Sridevi, on the other hand, constitutes the Spiritual World or energy called the Param Prakriti. Both Bhoodevi and Sridevi are but two manifestation of a single deity, Sri Lakshmi. In fact, some legends of Sri Lakshmi state that the different goddesses in the Hindu pantheon are but manifestations of Sri Mahalakshmi.
Mahalakshmi also gives devotees darshan along with Lord Sri Venkateswara (at Tirumala). She resides in Vishnu's chest, in His Heart. Lakshmi is the embodiment of Love. She also embodies the Spiritual World or Vaikunta; what is considered as equivalent to Heaven in Vaishnavism. Lakshmi symbolizes God's superior spiritual feminine energy or the Param Prakriti, which purifies, empowers and uplifts the Jeevatma (individual soul) and sends it in pursuit of the Paramatma (Universal Soul).
Goddess
Sri Mahalakshmi many names, such as Padma, Padmavati, Padmamukhi,
Padmapriya, Padmakshi, Padmamaladhara devi, Padmasundari, Kamala,
Ulkavahini and Vishnupriya. Her other names are Indira, Rama, Chakrika,
Manushri, Kamalika, Chanchala, Jalaja, Bhumi Devi, Nandika, Vaishnavi,
Lalima, Rujula, Bhargavi, Sridevi, Narayani and Aishwarya.She is
commonly referred to as the Jaganmata (the Mother of the Universe) in
Shri Mahalakshmi Ashtakam.
The
Ashta Lakshmis are eight manifestations of the goddess Lakshmi and
preside over eight sources of wealth and thus represent the powers of
Sri Mahalakshmi. They are as follows:
Hindus mostly worship Goddess Lakshmi on Diwali, the Festival of Lights. They light small diyas (earthen oil lamps) all around the periphery of and inside their house, in order to welcome her into their homes. In West Bengal, she is worshiped during a full moon night in Autumn, as they believe she showers wealth on this night. It is said that she comes on her mount, the Owl, and takes away the darkness with her, leaving light and joy with her devotees.
In Orissa, Gaja Lakshmi Puja is celebrated with much fervor on a full-moon day in the month of Aswina (September-October). In some provinces, the Puja or prayer sessions go on for as many as 7-10 days, by the business community out there!
The Sri Lakshmi Stuti by Indra and the Sri Sukta are two most famous prayers to Lakshmi Mata. Then there is also the Agastya Lakshmi Stotra. There are several Lakshmi temples all over India. Most famous among them are the Ashta Lakshmi Temple at Chennai, Mahalakshmi Temples at Kolhapur and Mumbai and the Padmavati Temple at Tirupati.
"Sarva Mangala Maangalye, Shive Sarvaartha
Saadhike
Sharanye Tryambake Gaurii, Naaraayanii Namostute"
This hymn means, "Goddess Parvati is the auspiciousness of all that is auspicious. She is the consort of Lord Shiva, who grants every desire of one's heart. I adore such Devi Parvati, who loves all her children. I bow to the great mother, who has given refuge to me".
Parvati devi, in Hindu mythology, is a representation of the ultimate female divinity, the Shakti. In spite of her being a gentle mother goddess, she is known for unleashing her true power and strength in times of crisis. The Shaktas consider her the ultimate Divine Shakti, the embodiment of the total energy in the universe. Parvati, the daughter of Himavan, the king of the Himalayas, is an incarnation of Sati, the first consort of Lord Shiva, and is the mother of Ganesha, the Elephant-Headed Lord and Kartikeya (Muruga or Skanda). The Devi is usually portrayed with two arms, seated on a lion or tiger. Generally benign, this goddess is also known to take on more powerful and fearful aspects such as Kali, Durga, Chandi and the Mahavidyas.
Her other names include Lalita, Gauri, Girija, Girirajaputri and Shailaja. Yet other names include Shyamala (the dark one), Amba, Ambika, Bhairavi, Aparna and Uma. Legend has it that when Shiva teased her about her dark complexion, Parvati took offense and left him to undergo severe penance to acquire Brahma's boon for a fairer skin color.
Though Parvati does not make an appearance in Vedic literature, the Kena Upanishad talks about Uma-Haimavati, who manifests as Shakti, the feminine energy of the Supreme Brahman. She reveals the knowledge of Brahman to the Vedic trinity of Agni, Vayu, and Indra. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata talk of Parvati as Shiva's consort. Kalidasa (5th century) and the Puranas (4th through the 13th centuries) relate in detail stories of Sati-Parvati and Shiva with comprehensive details.
Parvati's earlier incarnation, Sati, self-immolates at her father, Daksha's, Yagna (sacrificial ritual). Daksha not only refuses to accept Shiva as his son-in-law, but also insults Sati when she goes to visit the Yagna against her husband's wishes. Shiva is furious when he learns about Sati's death. Grief-stricken, he loses interest in worldly affairs and undertakes severe penance in the Himalayas. Sati is reborn as Parvati.
Parvati falls for Shiva and wishes to reunite with him. She regularly visits the cave where he sits deep in penance, cleans up the place and offers puja to him everyday. When he does not even open his eyes to glance at her, however, she is terribly saddened and decides to undergo severe penance herself, in order to please him. She sheds her clothes, refuses food and water and proceeds to do penance in the harsh clime of the Himalayas. Shiva is pleased by her devotion to him and agrees to marry her. They move on from there to mount Kailas, Shiva's abode.
Kalidasa's epic, Kumarasambhavam, talks about Parvati's matchless beauty, her devotion to Shiva, their divine union resulting in the birth of Kumara (Muruga) and the eventual resurrection of Kamadeva (the God of Love) who had been killed when he tried to disturb Shiva out of his penance and get him attracted to Parvati.
The Shiva Purana describes Parvati's marriage to Lord Shiva as an allegory illustrating the desire of the Jeevatma to attain the Paramatma. Here, the idea of Lord Shiva represents a state beyond human suffering and Parvati becomes symbolic of the aspirant who wishes to achieve nirvana. Thus, the story becomes much more than just a quaint romantic tale.
The highlight of the Shiva-Parvati union is the Ardhanarishvara concept, wherein Shiva and Parvati fuse to become One Deity. Shiva becomes the right side and Parvati, the left side. Together, they symbolize the power of renunciation and asceticism and the blessings of marital felicity. The Shaktas consider Parvati as the Ultimate Power. The Saundaryalahari, a famous literary work on the goddess by Adi Sankara, relates how Shakti is the source of all power in this universe and how, because of her, Lord Shiva gets all his powers.
Shiva and Parvati perfectly complement each other. Shakti, though a fierce energy herself, is perfectly capable of taming Shiva's famous temper. While Shiva performs his vigorous and destructive Tandava (celestial dance), Parvati performs the Lasya, a much more graceful and lighter version, to slow down the process.
In many
legends, Parvati is actually viewed not as Shiva's complement, but his
rival, tempting him, luring him away from ascetism. Parvati also
subdues Shiva's immense sexual vitality. In this reference, the Shiva
Purana says: "The linga of Shiva, cursed by the sages, fell on the
earth and burnt everything before it like fire. Parvati took the form
of a yoni and calmed it by holding the linga in her yoni".
The Padma Purana tells the story of Parvati assuming the form of yoni
to receive the lingam of Shiva, who was cursed by sage Bhrigu to be the
form of the lingam.
In Tantra Shastra, the Yoni-Lingam union is the most sacred and divine. This depicts the age-old concept of the stone phallus penetrating deep into the Earth's vulva. The Puranic texts explains, "When the upright cylindrical lingam is in union with the double-creased oval yoni, then the Earth shall find peace".
Parvati once wanted to take a bath, and, as none of her attendants were around to guard the pool, she made a figurine from the turmeric paste she used to cleanse her body and infused life into it. Ganesha was born thus. Parvati asked Ganesha not to permit anyone to enter the area till she said so. When Shiva tried to enter the house, Ganesha stopped him. Shiva was infuriated and severed Ganesha's head with his trishula (trident).
Parvati came out and was distressed to see her son's lifeless body. She demanded that Shiva restore Ganesha's life at once. Unfortunately, the bod's head was thown very far away and thus could not be found. Eventually, an elephant's head was attached to Ganesha's body and bringing him back to life. Ganesha was also made head of the celestial armies, and worshipped by everyone before beginning any activity. This is how he came to be worshipped as the Harbinger of Good, as the remover of all obstacles.
Here is a little-known story about Parvati. Legend has it that Parvati had a sakhi (friend) called Sulakshana, who she was particularly fond of. One day, when Parvati had proceeded to take a bath, she realized she had forgotten to take her clothes with her. She requested Sulakshana to retreive them from her room. When Sulakshana stepped into the room, though, she spotted Shiva sitting inside. She tried to hurry back to the pool, but Shiva refused to let her go. Shiva already had an eye on Sulakshana and expressed his desire to be with her for a while. The sakhi was aghast and rebuked him for his infidelity. She also begged of Shiva not to touch her, as she was sure to conceive if a powerful male force like his, united with her. But Shiva was adamant and assured her that she would never get into trouble because of this incident and that the seed would remain inside her till such a time that she got married and wanted to give birth to a child.
Later, when Sulakshana reached the pool, Parvati with her divya-drishti (divine vision), had already known what had taken place inside. She was furious, pushed the sakhi into the pool and cursed that she became a frog. Sulakshana spent the rest of her life in there. She was reborn as Mandodari and went on to marry Ravana, the ten-headed demon king of Lanka. Mandodari still carried the seed sown by Shiva in her womb and gave birth to Indrajit, who is usually known as Ravana's son.
Parvati is referred to as Trigunatmika, that is, having all the three gunas, Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. At the same time, she is also called Nirguna, which means, devoid of any gunas. She is sometimes portrayed as being fully clothed in the richest of silks, decked up with precious stone-studded ornaments. However, most sculptures depict her with bare breasts, wearing a sacred thread. This was considered to be a sign of divinity in ancient India, as clothes symbolize worldly attachments and nudity indicated detachment and divinity.
Lakshmi and Saraswati are propitiated in their original forms, but that is not so in Parvati's case. More popular than Parvati herself, are her other aspects of Durga, Kali, Gauri and so on. There are not many temples where you can see Parvati being worshipped as an idol.
Durga
is universally venerated as the Warrior Goddess, who manifested in
order to destroy the demon, Durg, who appeared in the form of a buffalo
(Skanda Purana). Again, Durga took the form of Mahishasura Mardhini to
kill the terrible demon, Mahisha. Her vahana (vehicle) is either a
tiger or lion. Some cults consider the vahana to be a lioness too.
Tibetans venerated a type of lioness, called Seng-ge-dkar-mi-g.yu-ral-can. The idea of this animal being Parvati's mount probably came up due to overlap between the tribal religions of India and the Tibetan Bon Religion, particularly in the Himalayan region. Some sects such as the Mahagauri sect depict her riding Shiva's mount, the Sacred Bull, Nandi.
Though a calm and serene goddess, the dark side of Parvati is worshipped more often. Though known as a formidable warrior goddess, people also venerate her as the Queen of the Pariyan. Men are actually forbidden from entering the sanctum sanctorum of many of her temples. She is considered to be an ascetic and mystic. During the Chola period, she was often shown as wearing her hair in a severe top knot, much like sanyasis (ascetics).
The
Gauri Festival is celebrated on the seventh, eighth and ninth of
Bhadrapada Shukla. She is worshipped as the goddess of harvest and the
protecting force behind women. This is also why this festival, mainly
observed by women, is also closely related with Ganesh Chaturthi as
well. The Gauri festival is popular both in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
In Rajasthan, Gauri is worshipped during the Gangaur festival, which commences on the first day of Chaitra, just the day following Holi. This festival continues for a period of 18 days. Images of Issar and Gauri are made from clay and worshipped during the festival.
Yet another very popular festival is Navratri, a ten-day festival, during which all of the Devi's menfestations are worshiped for a period nine days. The festival is mostly to celebrate Her warrior appearance as Mother Durga, with her nine forms i.e. Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kashmunda, Skandmata, Katyani, Kalratri, Mahagauri, Siddhidaatri. The 10th day, Vijayadashami, marks her victory over the terrible demon, Mahishasura.
The Gauri tritiya is celebrated from Chaitra shukla third to Vaishakha shukla third. It is said that Parvati spends a month at her parent's home at this time. This festival is popular in Maharashtra, less observed in North India and is virtually unheard of in Bengal. This is a festival mostly conducted by married women and is somewhat similar to the Indian haldi-kumkum ceremony, where girls and women are invited to households and gifted flowers and fruits, coconuts, small gifts and packets of turmeric and saffron.
The most famous temples of Parvati are the 51 Shakti Peeths; the Kamakshi Amman temple at Kanchipuram, Tamilnadu; the Meenakshi temple at Madurai, Tamilnadu, the Akhilandeswari Temple at Thiruvanaikaval, Tamilnadu; the Devipuram temple at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; and the Visalakshi temple at Banaras.
Yaa Kundendu tushaara haaradhavalaa, Yaa
shubhravastraavritha
Yaa veenavara dandamanditakara, Yaa shwetha padmaasana
Yaa brahmaachyutha shankara prabhutibhir Devaisadaa Vanditha
Saa Maam Paatu Saraswatee Bhagavatee Nihshesha jaadyaapahaa
This is a popular prayer to Goddess Saraswati, the meaning of which is as follows:
"May Goddess Saraswati, who is fair like the jasmine-colored moon, and whose pure white garland is like frosty dew drops; who is adorned in radiant white attire, on whose beautiful arm rests the veena, and whose throne is a white lotus; who is surrounded and respected by the Gods, protect me. May you fully remove my lethargy, sluggishness, and ignorance."
Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of learning, knowledge, music and the Arts. Saraswati has also been identified with and likened to the Vedic Saraswati River. She is the consort of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation. Thus, with the goddesses Parvati and Lakshmi, she completes the set of the divine Tridevi (the three goddesses, just like the divine Trinity.
According to Hinduism, Saraswati's offspring are the Vedas. Saraswati is a very popular Indian goddess and is propitiated to attain knowledge and wisdom. Saraswati also prominently features in Mahayana Buddhism, where she initally manifests in the Golden Radiance Sutra of the late 4th or early 5th Century, in a Mahayana Sutra.
Devi Saraswati is often portrayed as a beautiful, white-skinned woman, attired in pure white, seated on a white Nelumbo nucifera lotus. Her vahana or vehicle is the swan, which symbolizes that she is founded in the experience of the Absolute Truth. Thus, she not only has the knowledge but also the experience of the Highest Reality. Saraswati is mostly associated with the color white, which signifies purity of true knowledge. Occasionally, however, she is also associated with the colour yellow, the colour of the flowers of the mustard plant, that bloom at the time of her festival in the spring. Unlike the goddess Lakshmi, Saraswati is not adorned heavily with jewels, gold and heavy silks, but is shown as attired very modestly, maybe symbolizing her preference of knowledge over worldly material pursuits.
Saraswati is generally shown having four arms, which represent the four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness, and ego. Alternatively, these four arms also represent the 4 vedas, the primary sacred books for Hindus. The vedas, in turn, represent the 3 forms of literature: Poetry - the Rigveda containing hymns and representing poetry; Prose - the Yajurveda containing prose; Music - the Samaveda representing music. Prose is represented by the book in one hand, poetry by the rosary of crystals, music by the veena. The pot of sacred water represents purity in all of these three, or their power to purify human thought.
A white swan is often located next to her feet. The sacred swan, if offered a mixture of milk and water, is said to be able to drink the milk alone. The swan thus symbolizes discrimination between the good and the bad or the eternal and the evanescent. Due to her association with the swan, Goddess Saraswati is also referred to as Hamsa-vahini, which means "she who has a swan as her vehicle".
Sometimes a peacock is shown beside the goddess. The peacock represents arrogance and pride over its beauty, and by having a peacock as her mount, the Goddess teaches Hindus not to be concerned with external appearance and to be wise regarding the eternal truth.
The goddess's favorite abode, it is believed, is the state of Kashmir, among the Himalayas. Her favorite fruit is said to be the apple. In Hindu mythology, great significance is attached to offering honey to this goddess, as honey is representative of perfect knowledge.
The
hymns of the Rigveda (the first of the four vedas. The others are
Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvana veda) on Saraswati, liken her to a
giant river with purifying, nourishing, fertile and creative
properties. This theory propounds that the river Saraswati was created
from the present headwaters of the Yamuna River. In the times of yore,
the waters of the Yamuna, after leaving the Himalayan foothills, turned
west instead of east and emerged as Paonta Saheb.
This Saraswati river also flowed southwest across Punjab and Haryana, following the course of the now Ghaggar-Hakra River in a pathway, roughly parallel to the smaller Indus River to its west. Furthermore, the Sutlej, then, is said to have flowed further east than it does today, and merged into the Saraswati somewhere near Bahawalpur. Eventually, the giant Mother river, with all her tributaries, joined into the Rann of Kutch, which, then, was a more integral part of the Arabian Sea.
It is also said that the Harappan Civilization developed along the course of this very Saraswati river. Now that waterway remains dried up. According to some scholars, goddess Saraswati personified communication and the giver of knowledge due to the role of the Saraswati River in the development of written language in ancient India.
A high degree of seismic activity from the period of 2000 B.C. to 1700 B.C. forced the massive river's two main tributaries to change course. The Sutlej moved westward and joined the Indus River. The Yamuna, on the other hand, proceeded eastward and joined the sacred Ganges. The loss of water which resulted from these movements caused the once mighty river to dry up in the Thar Desert without having a chance to reach the sea. Without any water for irrigation or transportation, the dense population that had settled on the river basin shifted east, along the banks of the river Yamuna to the Ganges River valley. Late Vedic texts record the river as literally "disappearing" at Vinasana, then quietly merging into the Yamuna and Ganges, as the invisible river. Some claim that the sanctity of the modern Ganges is directly related to its assumption of the sacred, nourishing waters of the ancient river Saraswati.
Satellite
mapping still shows images of the once mighty river, still flowing as a
small channel, near Kurukshetra. Further, a signboard on the main
highway (the GT road) marks the former path of the once great ancient
river Saraswati.
As a river/water goddess, Saraswati especially embodies creative communication in literary and verbal skills. In the post-Vedic age, She began to lose her status as a river goddess and became increasingly associated with literature, arts, music, etc. Interestingly, Saraswati's name literally means "the one who flows", which surely must have been applied to thoughts, words, or the flow of a river (in Sanskrit, the "dhaara-pravaah").
Veda's pada paatha (etymology ) explains the compound word Saraswati as "Saaram vaati iti saraswati" - "She who flows towards the absolute is Saraswati" - thus edifying the ability of knowledge and communication to steer one towards spiritual absolutes.
Sri Maha Saraswati, in Indian mythology, is the presiding Goddess of the Final episode of Devi Mahatmya. Here she features as part of the trinity of Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati. She is also depicted in a way she is never otherwise shown, with eight arms. Legend has it that Sri Maha Saraswati is born from the body of Devi Gauri (one of Parvati's forms) and manifests in order to destroy Sumbha and other demons. In Tantrasara, she is also worshipped as Mahavidya Nila Saraswati.
Though we know Saraswati as a peaceful, benevolent deity, there is also another forceful, powerful aspect of the Devi which is lesser known. The RigVeda talks about Saraswati, manifesting in association with Indra, to destroy Vritraasura, the Serpentine One, a demon who hoarded all of the earth's water, bringing on severe drought and famine. She is also commonly associated with and seen as equivalent to other powerful Vedic goddesses such as Vak, Savitri, and Gayatri. Saraswati represents intelligence, cosmic knowledge, consciousness, creativity, enlightenment, education, music and the Arts. She is not only worshipped for secular knowledge, but also for the true divine knowledge essential to achieve moksha or liberation. She is additionally referred to as Shonapunya, meaning 'the One purified of blood'.
In the Skanda Purana, she is associated with Lord Shiva and, in some Tantras, with Ganesha, the Elephant-Headed Lord.
The Brahma Vaivarta Purana talks about how Vishnu had three wives, who used to quarrel constantly with each other. He eventually tired of the situation and kept only Lakshmi, giving Ganga to Shiva and Saraswati to Brahma.
According to Vedanta, goddess Saraswati is revered as the feminine energy and knowledge aspect (shakti) of the Ultimate Brahman, as one of many aspects of Adi Shakti.
Accompanied by Goddess Lakshmi and other associates, the catur-vyuha expansions headed by Lord Vasudeva (an aspect of Vishnu) are manifest in the eight directions, beginning with the east. In the directions beginning with the southeast, the palaces of Lakshmi, Saraswati, Rati (Kamadeva's consort), and Kanti respectively are situated.
The
Saraswati Puja is performed on the 5th day of the Magha Month of the
Hindu Almanac. This is also commonly known as Basant Panchami.
In many provinces of India, especially in the South, Saraswati Puja is conducted on the 9th day of Navratri, a 10-day festival that celebrates the power of the Sacred Feminine. The last three days of Navaratri, beginning from the Mahalaya Amavasya (or the New Moon day), are dedicated to the worship of this goddess. Further, south Indians refrain from learning anything new on this day, as it is believed that the Saraswati Puja day has to be spent in complete contemplation of the Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom.
Books, musical instruments, ghungroos (dancing bells) are placed before the deity on this blessed day of Mahanavami and are taken out only on the Vijayadashami or the Vidyarambham (literally, the "start of learning anew") Day (the 10th and final day of the festival). On Vijayadashami day, students seek the blessings of their teachers, considering them to be the embodiments of Devi Saraswati herself.
Saraswati temples are rare to find, but there are major temples for the goddess in Pushkar (Rajastan), Dasera Tekri Navsari (Gujarat), Shringeri (Karnataka), Basara Town (Andhra Pradesh), South Paravoor (Kerala), Bharathi temple (known as Kollam Bharathi locally) near Atmakur, Panachikkad (Kerala), Kumbakonam and Koothanur (Tamilnadu) and Kurnool District in Andhra.
This article was written by: | https://www.dollsofindia.com/library/devis/ |
Hindu Creation Myths
Hindu myths, which describe the creation of this world, have intrigued many. These myths wrote our future, in the long forgotten pasts. Hinduism has given many a way of living rather than the rules of living.
Mukta Gaikwad
The world's oldest and third largest religion, Hinduism, has endless followers from all over the world. Hinduism is characterized by a million deities. Buddhism and Sikhism stem from similar philosophy as Hinduism. 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharata' are the two of the most-read Hindu epics, by people across continents. The 'Bhagavad Geeta' is the holy text of the Hindus, which is believed to have all the answers to the questions posed by the universe.
More than being a religion, Hinduism gives its followers, a culture and a way of life. Yoga, is a discipline preached by Hinduism to attain the perfect balance between the mental and the physical being. 'Brahma', 'Vishnu' and 'Shiva' are the most venerated gods of this culture. 'Brahma' symbolizing creation, 'Vishnu' sustaining this creation and 'Shiva' the destroyer of the evil.
The Hindus believe that a cobra was asleep in the ocean which had drowned the world. The serpent was guarding Vishnu under its coiled body, who lay asleep undisturbed by the silence. While the Lord was resting, he heard the resonance of 'Om', which woke him up. A purple lotus bloomed from Vishnu's navel which became Brahma's seat. A school of thought also believes that it was 'Dattatreya' who created the divine trinity of Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
'Narad' praised the loyalty of 'Anusuya' towards her husband 'Atri' in front of the wives of the Brahma Vishnu and Shiva. Jealous, the wives asked the gods to challenge her loyalty. So the worshiped trio asked her to dress down and serve food. She agreed and won the challenge. The gods then transformed themselves into babies to be born and raised by the faithful Anusuya.
The world was formed as the divine trinity transcended into 'Avatars' or forms of being. Among the famous avatars known to the Hindu mythology, Vishnu is believed to have ten forms in 'Garuda Purana' and another ten forms in 'Bhagavata Purana'. 'Garuda Purana' is an epilogue of Vishnu's instructions, which he delivered to his carrier 'Garuda',who was the king of birds.
The world came into being through gradual stages, says the Hindu philosophy of 'Yugas' or eras. There are four stages that the cosmos will go through. The first 'Yug' was the 'Satya Yug', wherein the whole world was governed by the Gods, in absolute truth. The world was then an ideal manifestation of mankind. The Satya Yug lasted for 100, 000 years. This era saw the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. The first form of Vishnu was 'Matsya', the fish, then 'Kruma', the tortoise, then 'Varaha' the boar and the last in this era was the 'Narasimha' who was half man and half lion. A bull named 'Dharma'- which literally means 'the righteous duty' one is born for- stood on four legs in Satya Yug. The next era was the 'Treta Yug' which symbolized perfect morality. This epoch making event in Hindu mythology saw the Vishnu's avatars in 'Vamana', the dwarf, 'Parashurama', Rama with an ax and 'Rama', the King of Ayodhya. The greatest epic of Ramayana was etched in the 'Treta Yug'. The bull, Dharma is shown to be standing on three legs in this era. The third cycle of the universe was the 'Dwapara Yug'. This age was symbolized by the bull standing on its two feet. It is believed that this Yug saw its end when Lord Krishna returned to his eternal home at 'Vaikuntha'. Bhagvan Vishnu took the avatars of 'Balarama' along with his brother 'Krishna'. The fourth 'Yug' known as 'Kali Yug' which translates to the age of vice. According to Hindus the world is presently in the 'Kali Yug'. The death of Krishna marked the beginning of this age. Followers of Hinduism believe that this stage of evolution will degenerate the world spiritually as people are moving away from the God in their mental make up. Thus the bull of morality, Dharma now stands on one leg.
Hindus believe in 'rebirth' or 'punarjanma' as there is an 'atman' or an eternal soul which transcends to another form, in the next life. As per the Hindus only the body dies and decays. The soul lives on forever, in some form or the other. Apparently, the idea of heaven or 'Swarga' and hell 'Narka' originated in the Hindu culture as a result of Western influence.
The Hindu philosophy believes that the universe was born out of 'Hiranyagarbha', the golden womb. The 'Upanishads', vedic scriptures, maintain that 'Hiranyagarbha' floated in an anti-matter before breaking into two-halves 'Prithvi', the Earth and 'Swarga', the Heaven. Hinduism acknowledged fourteen worlds of which seven were the higher worlds (heaven) and the remaining seven lower worlds (hells).
The Hindu mythology has been written in Sanskrit in the form of 'Puranas' and 'Vedas'. The Vedas, which are hymns of Rigveda contain the Hindu mythology. The epics of 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharata' have been scripted in Sanskrit too. The dialog between 'Lord Krishna' and 'Arjun' on the battlefield of 'Kurukshetra' has been compiled into the most revered document of Hindus known as 'Shrimad Bhagwad Gita'.
The caste system, a peculiarity of Hinduism is thought to have emerged after the deities sent the 'Deluge', which is a relentless flood in many cultures. 'Manu', a progenitor of mankind, was informed about it by 'Matsya' the 'avatar' of Lord Vishnu. 'Manu' then wrote a treatise of why the flood occurred. He believed that, as the civilizations had become depraved, they needed to be segregated into castes. Thus, the much debated caste system amongst the Hindus came into existence.
It can be seen how the present Hindu culture and the world in totality, has its roots in Hinduism. The age of Kali Yug, is very much a reality than a myth. The world has become a degenerated place as the Kali Yug explained it to be. The cosmos is reeling under the pressures of war of mankind, moral disarmament, unethical values and social corruption. Then there are dangers like global warming. It wouldn't be a surprise if the mythological 'Deluge' came true for us!
If the Hindu texts - the so-called 'mythology' has predicted our future and the dire consequences of our unruliness, so accurately, then why should it be called 'mythology'? To conclude the long story, there is 'G' for generation, which needs 'O' for organization and if this is not done then 'D' exists for destruction. Now, whether to call it GOD or 'Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva' it's a choice left to us. But tampering with GOD's formula would surely send apocalypse our way! | https://spiritualray.com/hindu-creation-myths |
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Vishnu is said to take forms of an avatar at various periods in history to take the necessary actions responsible for sustaining the universe. Evolution of life, has been a controversial topic among scientists and religious communities. Charles Darwin tossed the idea of evolution of species, which explains that all species of life have descended from common ancestors, and it occurred by a process called natural selection, in which the struggle for existence allows organisms to become more adapted the environment.
Hinduism is well known for their use of statues/deities for representation of planets & energies.
There are numerous stories in Hindu verdict texts often with deep meanings that cannot be understood by ordinary minds and most of them have been ignored as their literal meaning do not make any sense.
According to Hindu religion, there are three main deities: Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Brahma is a deity who represents the cosmic function of creation, while Shiva represents the cosmic function of destruction. Vishnu represents the cosmic functions of maintaining & preserving===said by Charles Darwin
Now , we will see His role in his dasavtaras in correlation to evolution of life .here is the list of LORD’S various incarnations with very precise description of evolution of life from the very basic principal of a unicellular body ---
1==The first incarnation of Vishnu took place as a fish – the Matsya Avatar. Before the creation of the present universe the four Vedas - Hindu philosophical texts which contain all the AS. It thus indicates, in some manner, the existence of extremely long cycles in the process of creation
and possible early civilizations of which little is known today. In a way, the Matsya incarnation symbolizes the formation of the earliest of life forms - the protoplasm and invertebrates.
2==Kurma, or the tortoise, was Vishnu's second incarnation. It is believed that during the great deluge at the beginning of the current epoch of four Yugas, The Kurma Avatar represents the
Formation of the amphibian (Life forms which can survive on both land and water) form in the
Evolution of living beings on this planet.
3==The third incarnation was that of Varaha, the Boar. To kill the demon Hiranyakshayap .
Varaha, the boar symbolizes the emergence of mammals on the planet.
4==Vishnu appeared as Narasimha in his fourth Incarnation to kill the tyrant king Hiranyakashipu who had obtained boon from Brahma
.Narasimha represents the emergence of hands and fingers in animals - another step in theevolution of the human form from animals.
5==The fifth incarnation, the first in the Treta Yuga, was that of sage Vamana - a dwarf, this time to subdue King Bali - the demon king .though Brahamans ( vidhvaan )were greatly revered in those days also . so , Lord appeared as dwarf Brahmin and asked for only that much of land he could cover only by 3-steps . But soon Bali realised his mistake and surrendered his ego at the lotus feet of Lord and sought his forgiveness and well he got the boon also.
The dwarf incarnation of Vishnu represents the initial stages of development of Man.
6==Parashurama was the sixth incarnation of Vishnu -the first who was fully human. Parashurama was aBrahaman by caste and the son of sage Jamadagni and his wife Renuka. Vishnu incarnated himself at this time to rid the world of the tyrant and corrupt kings (kings were always Kshatriya by caste). At that time the Kshatriyas were indulging in all sorts of sinsand had unleashed terror and autocratic behaviour all around.
The Parashurama incarnation of Vishnu symbolizes the Stone Age in the
evolution of human civilization where the axe symbolizes the start of the use of metal by mankind.
7==The seventh incarnation of Vishnu was in the form of a king -Lord Rama, the main protagonist in the Hindu epic, Ramayana.Lord Rama is the personification of righteousness and human values. He is also revered as Maryada purushottam . He is worshipped as the perfect man and Hindus have given him the status of a god.
Lord Rama appears not for a single mission but rather to teach mankind the importance of sticking to the concepts of righteousness, justice, truth and strength of character. In battle or in peace, Rama never let go of his ideals
Lord Rama represents the time in the evolution of human civilization when mankind
had begun to live as a cohesive society and have laws of administration and justice.
8==Lord Krishna is the eighth incarnation of Vishnu and the only incarnation of the third Yuga - the Dwapar Yuga. He was the main protagonist in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. He too, like
Rama, has been accorded the status of a god in Hindu religion.However, unlike Rama, Krishna is seen as more endearing and reachable -
. It was during this battle of Kurukshetra where Lord Krishna expounded upon the various philosophies that guide the values of righteousness, duty and justice and how all existence is only a tool in God's hands and it is He who defines all that was done, is being done and will be ever done. Hismessages that he preached to Arjuna - one of the Pandava brothers and Krishna's favourite -comprised the Bhagwad Gita which is one of the most revered texts of Hindu philosophy. It was during this preaching that Krishna showed Arjuna the Vishwaroop - the representation of the cosmos and its functions through himself. As has been earlier mentioned, Vishnu too is often depicted in the Vishwaroop form, strengthening the argument that Krishna and Vishnu are one and the same rather than Krishna being an incarnation of Vishnu.
His death is believed to have marked the beginning of the Kali Yuga. Krishna has been depicted as being a great politician anda master of all sixty four arts that existed at the time. Krishna therefore reflects the development of the sciences in the history of evolution of humans.
9==The ninth Avatar is that of Gautam Buddha - thefounder of Buddhism. He appeared in the Kali Yuga.However there is another school of thought that says that Balarama -foster brother of Krishna was the ninth Avatar of Vishnu.
He then spread the message of the necessity of practicing Ahimsa (non-violence) and detachment from worldly pleasures and desires, for the purpose of inner-peace and true knowledge. His teachings formed the basis of the Buddhism religion.
At a time when people were losing faith in humanity and religion and sinning was commonplace as was violence and greed, Buddha brought with him peace and faith for mankind.
This incarnation reflects the intellectual and spiritual progress of human civilization.
Whenever righteousness wanes and unrighteousness increases I send myself forth.
For the protection of the good and for the destruction of evil,
and for the establishment of righteousness,
I come into being age after age. ( holy Gita )10==The tenth and last incarnation of Vishnu is yet to appear. It is believed that this appearance will takeplace towards the end of Kali Yuga, named as Kalki on a white horse with a shimmering / flaming sword with which he will strike down all evil and after which the Krita Yuga will again begin where purity of mind.
Now ,here let us rethink and look at the whole scenario world wide . in east people are basically fed up with all the corrupt practices war and unrest . Both rich and poor are equally restless . No peace of mind . Many people are now taking to prayers and meditation as a means to peace of mind and growth of the soul .
In west the belief is gaining support that it is an era of INDIGO children who are spiritually evolved souls and are going to change the world for better . They collectively will usher a new era where the law of justice will prevail and all would be able to live in peace and harmony.
Now the white horse of dasham avatar of kalaki symbolises purity ; purity of thought and mind . the dream interpretation of riding a white horse means ==spiritual evolution to the higher planes .
Well , as most of us have read and heard that in sat yuga rishis and sages used to do tapasya for years together but in this Kaliyuga if one is a sincere and true devotee one can get the awakening much –much faster than those days . so , still not late . right time to ponder deep with in self .
So it the time to be sincere with your respective faiths to be truly devoted to your higher self ==the Atma as part of Paramatma in you and be able to slay the evil within and in the outer world with the sword shimmering with blazing fire of truth and righteousness . | http://www.speakingtree.in/blog/vishnus-dashavtaras-in-correlation-to-human-evolution |
Brahma (written Brahmā in IAST) (Devanagari ब्रह्मा, pronounced as /brəhmɑː/) is the Hindu creator god, and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva.
From this golden egg, Brahma the creator was born, as Hiranyagarbha.
Regular pujas are held for Brahma and during Navrathris, this temple comes to life with colourful festivities.
Brahma, eternal and perpetually undecaying, sprang from the ether; from him was descended Marichi; the son of Marichi was Kasyapa.
Brahma was the father of Daksha, who is said to have sprung from his thumb, and he was present at the sacrifice of that patriarch, which was rudely disturbed by Rudra.
The heaven of Brahma, on the summit of Mount Meru, and enclosed by the river Ganga.
Brahma (a masculine form not to be confused with Brahman, the neuter gender denoting the spiritual splendor of the Lord's body) is a title for the secondary creator of the universe (vaikrta phase of creation) and the progenitor of the living beings, Prajapati.
Brahma, also known as Aja ("Unborn"), Padma-ja ("Lotus-born"), Svayambhu ("Self-existent"), or Caturmukha ("Four-faced"), is said to have been born from a golden egg and in turn to have created the earth and all things on it.
Brahma is usually depicted as having four faces (Brahmas in other universes have more heads) and four arms, holding sacrificial instruments, prayer beads, and a book, and either seated or standing on a lotus throne or on his mount, the hamsa (swan).
The Trimurti or Hindu triad of gods:; Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
Brahma combines with Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer of evil, to make up the Trimurti, the three aspects of Brahman, the supreme being, acting in the world.
Although Brahma is the creator aspect, he is depicted in some stories as being born from a lotus flower growing from Vishnu's navel.
A slightly different version is told in the Shiva Purana: in the Śiva Purana, Śiva promises Brahma that an aspect of his, Rudra, will be born and this aspect is identical to Him.
Lord Shiva is the God of all and is worshipped by all, from Devas such as Brahma, Indra, by Asuras like Bana, Ravana, by humans like Adi Shankara, Nayanars, by creatures such as Jatayu, an eagle, Vali, a monkey, and the list goes on and on.
Brahma bade Śiva to replace with the first head he could find, which happened to be that of an elephant.
Brahma was assigned the work of creating the universe by Brahman, the Supreme Being to assist him in this endeavor, Brahma created 10 Prajapatis, who are believed to be the fathers of the human race.
Brahma's abode is known as Brahmaloka, which is said to contain all the splendors of earth and of the heavens of the other gods.
According to the Puranas, Brahma is said to be the son of the Supreme Being and his female energy, Maya.
The word sūtra means thread, and the Brahma sūtras literally stitch together the various teachings of the Upanishads and the Gītā into a logical and self-consistent whole.
Indian tradition identifies Badarayana, the author of the Brahma Sutra, with Vyasa, the compiler of the Vedas.
Furthermore, it is notable that the Brahma Sutras refute the heterodox Indian religions of Buddhism, Jainism, Yoga, Nyāya, Vaisheshika, Shaiva, Shakta, Atheism, and Sankhya philosophy.
According to the Puranas, Brahma is said to be the son of the Supreme Being and his female energy, Maya –; the cosmic illusion which keeps all life under a veil of separation from the Supreme One.
Brahma and Vishnu threw each other a challenge of superiority in which one of the ends had to be reached.
Brahma will, of course, exert his powers during the creation of a new universe after this one is destroyed and to that extent, his role as the master creator and the originator of all knowledge will always remain in the minds of all Hindus.
Brahma, who is depicted as emerging from the navel lotus of Narayana, is a metaphor for all of creation: its laws, its inherent intelligence, and its consciously manifested potencies which operate as sages, saints, rishis, devas, celestials, and divine beings of all kinds of nature, temperament and description.
Brahma is the name for the principle which creates all of the manifest realms.
Brahma was endowed with his "spouse" (Saraswati) and consciousness at the time of creation.
Brahma is one of the three principal gods of the Hindu pantheon.
Brahma's vehicle is the swan or goose, the symbol of knowledge, which is portrayed below the lotus throne.
The elaborate rendering of Brahma's ornaments and the lotus petals of his throne are characteristic of sculptures produced by the Palas in the eleventh century.
Brahma's mind born sons are the seers Marici, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratuj, Pracetas, Vashishta, Bhrgu and Narada.
One half was woman and the other half was man. Brahma called the woman Gayatri, but she also became known by many other names such as Saraswati.
The tremendous tapas that Brahma had practiced for the purpose of creation was entirely annihilated through his desire to unite with his daughter.
Brahma is the creator of the universe who was born from Hiranyagarbha (the golden nucleus).
While Brahma expresses himself in the abundant forms of life in the natural world, he is rarely seen himself.
Brahma holds the Vedas, a ‘kalamandulu’ (a jug of water) and a string of meditative beads in his hands.
The study of Brahma Sutras is a synthetic study of the Upanishads.
The Bhashya of Sri Sankara on Brahma Sutras is known as Sareeraka Bhashya.
Upon his emergence from the lotus, Brahma begins- the act of cosmic creation but, seeing only darkness about, is bewildered in the performance of his duty.
Some, for instance, whose conception of transcendence is determined by a certain logical fallacy based on the arbitrary assumption that spirit is the literal opposite of matter (and thus that because matter has form and variety, spirit must necessarily be formless and unvariegated), conceive of ultimate reality as some sort of divine emptiness.
Brahma's vision of the spiritual realm is not his alone.
Brahma creates, operates in the form of this universe for trillions of years, then dissolves back into Narayana.
Since the term "Brahma" does not appear in the Vedas, its creation stems from the Sanskrit work "Brih" which means "'to grow" or "to expand." In this way, it became synonymous with Hiranyagharba: The Golden Egg of Creation.
To further understand the concept of Brahma and his relation to the universe as we know it, it is helpful to view the cosmos through the lens of the Vedic descriptions of the life of the universe as interpreted in human years.
Brahma was also considered the reincarnation of their ancient ancestor, Purusha and was known under that name as well as Prajapati.
Brahma watched as Shiva and Thor clashed over egos and refused to get involved, but Shiva, sensing how passionate Thor was to his cause, changed his vote and donated the life energies.
Brahma was present at this meeting, in which Thor was judged as having failed the test.
Brahmas are an asiatic breed of fowls that originated in the Brahmaputra district of India where they were also known as 'Gray Chittagongs'.
At that time, Brahmas were known for their excellent laying characteristics, however, subsequent breeding to develop the modern color patterns have diminished its economic qualities.
These are virtually identical to the Light Brahma with the exception of a buff coloration instead of white.
Brahma is the god of creation and he is traditionally accepted as the Creator of the entire universe.
To indicate this Brahma the creator is described as being born from the navel of Vishnu as he is lying on the great serpent, Ananta in the milky ocean.
Brahma sitting on the lotus indicates that he is ever-rooted in the infinite Reality.
Mythology describes Brahma as springing from Kamala (lotus), from the nabhi (navel) of Vishnu.
As per Hindu mythology, Brahma was born from a (kamala) lotus springing from Vishnu's navel and created the world through his daughter SaraswatL According to Manu Smriti, the self- existent Lord manifested to dispel the darkness enveloping universe.
Brahma is also shown riding a chariot drawn by seven swans, representing the seven worlds.
Brahma Sutras along with Upanishads (Sruti Prasthana) and Bhagwad Gita (Smriti Prasthana) constitutes the ‘Prasthan trayi’ or the ‘three canons’ of Vedantic scriptures, which are the pristine springs of Vedantic metaphysics.
Brahma Sutra is called the Nyaya or Yukti Prasthan, because it logically reconciles and explains the various questions and doubts which may possibly come while going through the Upanishads, the basic pramana granthas.
Brahma Sutras should best be studied after completing the study of all Upanishads and that also through a proper teacher.
Brahma, the first member of the Hindu trinity though much less important than the other two, namely Vishnu and Mahesh, is manifested as the active creator of this universe.
Brahma has four arms and in his hands he holds a lotus flower, his scepter, spoon, a string of beads, a bowl containing the holy water and the Vedas.
According to Shiva Purana, from the incestual union of Brahma and Satrupa was born SUAYAMBHUVA MANU, the progenitor of man, and from him in turn all creatures.
As for Brahma's fifth head, according to one version Brahma claimed that he was superior to Shiva, who thereupon cut off the head with his nail.
The fourth account says that Brahma wanted Shiva to be born as a son to him and that Shiva, though he had promised Brahma that he would grant him any boon, kept his promise but punished him for his insolence by pronouncing a curse which deprived him of one head.
Apart from being the progenitor of the human race in general, Brahma was the father of Daksha, who was born from his thumb.
In Hinduism, Brahma is the senior member of the triad of great gods, which also includes Vishnu and Shiva.
Brahma kept pursuing her, taking the form of the corresponding male - a bull, a horse, a gander, a buck.
Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma are the major gods of Hinduism, and their functions are often interchangeable.
An ancient god whose authority was derived from the Vedas (the scriptures of the ancient Aryans), Brahma retained his importance as the creator in Hinduism, although no cult comparable in size to those of Vishnu and Shiva developed around him.
Looking at the four directions, the four faces of Brahma symbolize the four Vedas as well as the cardinal points of the compass.
The Hindu triad (Trimurti) consists of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva;.
The new Brahma Mark III series subwoofers were the result of years of intensive research reaching back to fundamental questions about dynamic loudspeaker performance.
Benefiting from Adire's proprietary Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools and years of design expertise, the Brahma was designed from the ground up for the unique ability to combine of amazing sound quality and heart-stopping SPL capabilities.
Brahma series subwoofers have flexible parameters designed to operate in compact sealed and ported enclosures. | http://www.factbites.com/topics/Brahma |
SHIVA AND PARVATI ON ELEPHANT
This beautiful and intricately hand carved vertical wooden panel has Shiva and Parvati on an Elephant on the top and Lord Vishnu on his mount Garuda along with Brahma at the bottom half . This vintage panel is believed to be from Kerala. This panel has the complete Hindu Trinity on it – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
The top portion of the panel depicts God Shiva and Goddess Parvati atop an Elephant. Shiva, the most popular Hindu deity is the destroyer of evil and the transformer. Shiva is depicted in both benevolent and fierce forms. In his benevolent form, he is either a hermit or living with Parvati on Mount Kailash. In his fierce form, he is depicted as slaying demons and performing Rudra tandava.
The bottom half of the panel has Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu – Creator and Preserver of the universe respectively and the two principal deities of Hindu Trinity. Here, Vishnu is also seen on his mount, Garuda. As per Hindu iconography Lord Brahma has four faces, holding a lotus, Vedas and kamandalu.
This decorated wooden panel will add devotional and ethnic charm to your décor. | https://theantiquestory.com/collections/wall-decor/products/brahma-vishnu-and-maheshwara-1 |
He is the supreme deity of Hindus also known as Paramatma ( supreme soul).Lord Vishnu is one of the trimurti who is worshipped by Vaishnavism and Hindus. Lord Vishnu is the supreme God whose sole purpose was to commence creation. Lord Brahma emerged from the navel of Lord Vishnu during his deep penance. Lord Vishnu is the preserver of universe as he pervades in all beings.
The glorifying triads: Lord Brahma is the creator of the world, Lord Vishnu is the one who supports, governs and sustains the universe while Shiva is the destructor of then creation.It is well known that in Hindu mythology many scriptures are available depicting existence of Vishnu and Shiva, as vish and shiv are the two sides of same coin. Vishnu is also known as Hari and Narayan.
Although Vishnu’s incarnation has been portrayed in Rig-Veda and his famous Vishnu purana illustrates Vishnu’s various avatars. You can see here Vishnu’s images with his myriads of avatars.
According to Hinduism lord Vishnu has innumerable avatars but significantly ten avatars are mentioned in Vishnu Purana.
1.Matsya:After initiation of Satya yug Vishnu incarnated as matsya or the form of fish to save a progenitor of humanity and also to save seven sages from inundation of evil.
2. Kurma : Amrit a nectar is a potion which when consumed gives immortal life. Hence to extract amrit from the ocean of milk the deva and demons started churning the mountain mandara and he became churner staff to bore the weight of mountain.
3. Varaha : The demon known as Hiranyaksha took the earth at the bottom of cosmic ocean hence in order to defeat this evil demon Lord took the avatar of boar the varaha.
4. Narsimha: Hiranyakashap the brother of Hiranyaksav was blessed by Brahma that he cannot be killed by man or animal, inside or out day or night on earth nor in sky with weapons nor with any animate or inanimate. with such power he took cruelty in the world and harassed people by ruing over them hence Vishnu himself took this magnificent avatar of half man and half lion and killed him at dusk on his lap with his nails.
5. Vaman : During treta yug “Bali” defeated Lord Indra and started ruling the all three spheres of world. Vaaman being dwarf asked Bali for land on these three places of the universe and he step his first stride on heaven second in nether world and third on Bails head.
6. Parshuram: The Kshatriya Brahmin known to be immortal has killed entire clan of kshatriya and the king who reign the yuga. It was a vengeance that Parshuram took as the king had killed his father.
7. Rama: The Ikshvaku dynasty had Lord Vishnu 7th avatar as Lord Rama. He was an ideal man and ruler of Ayodhya whose story as Ramayana is depicted in Hindu scriptures.
8. Krishna : Krishna is widely worshipped by Hindus and his tale is also mentioned in Hindu Vedas. Krishna also helped Pandavas to win the war agaianst Kauravas.
9. Gautama Buddha : He attained enlightenment and founded religion Buddhism. He helped people to liberate themselves from suffering of pain, and cycle of birth and death.
10. Kalki : He is believed to be tenth avatar of Vishnu who will emerge at the end of Kalyuga. He is suppose to be the destroyer of filth and will destruct evil at end of kaliyug.
God Vishnu Image where Vishnu is portrayed in two forms one where he stands in the divine clouds with four hand, one hand holds a lotus, mace, shankh(conch), sudarshan chakra. Another form is where he sleeps deep inside the ocean with Laksmi sitting at his lap and sheshnag protecting him. | https://humhindi.in/god-vishnu-image/ |
Here, Lord Vishnu relaxes in the coils of the seven headed serpent. From his navel emerges the flowering lotus and from the petals is shown the emergence of Lord Brahma. Vishnu in his incarnation as guide and savior first appears in the world in a form which is linked with creation myths. The four hands hold the key attributes associated with Vishnu. The conch represents the creative spiral, the discus symbolizes the power of the mind, the lotus symbolizes the egg of nescience and the mace is said to symbolize the power of knowledge.
Caressing Vishnu's feet is his consort Lakshmi. She represents prosperity and bounty, and is worshipped to ensure blessings and affluence. On the right side corner of the painting can be seen Garuda, Vishnu's vahana. Garuda has wings and a birdlike human head with a curved beak. Due to his flight across the heavens, Garuda is regarded as a solar symbol. The figures of gods and the goddess are depicted in bright and eye-catching colours. The grayish blue of the waters and the grey serpent skin are almost identical. The curling clouds in the background are also shown in grey thereby distinctly dividing the colour zones.
This description by Kiranjyot. | https://www.exoticindiaart.com/product/paintings/seshasyai-vishnu-PC81/ |
Hw: Ganesha 1. Watch the following youtube video – Birth of Ganesha: – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnUuLSuDXI&feature=related 2. Type a summary of the video (at least 1 paragraph) Many Rivers One ocean Many rivers one ocean •“There is only one God, but endless are his aspects and endless are his names. •Call him by any name and worship him in any aspect that pleases you, you are sure to see him.” Monism • Most, though not all, Hindus believe in monism- only-oneism • Eastern traditions • The doctrine that all reality is one • Monists believe that similarly all forms of reality- gods and goddesses, plants and animals, the material universe, and humans- share a common essence. • Hindus call this essence Brahman Brahman – Abstract= gods/goddesses •Infinite and eternal •The ground of existence, the eternal essence of reality, and the source of the universe •Beyond the reach of human perception and thought •Brahman is impersonal, without characteristics that can be seen heard, or even intelligibly thought about. Atman • The notion of Atman is related to Brahman • Atman is translated as self or soul – But it is different from the notion of an individual soul • In Hindu belief, each person has an individual soul (jiva) and the individual soul confers uniqueness and personality – Jiva is not the same as Atman Svetaketu and Uddalaka • How does this story help us understand what is Brahman? The Big Three Trimurti • Trimurti means triple form • Brahma- the Creator • Vishnu- the Sustainer • Shiva- the Destructor • The Hindu Trinity is an old tradition (Vedas) that is not necessarily widely practiced today. Brahma Creator •Represents the creative force that made the universe •It is depicted as ancient/old, thoughtful king sitting on a throne •It has four faces- each looking in one of the four directions •Eight arms- each holding symbols of power •In his hands are the Vedas Brahma • Often pictured seated on a lotus blossom growing out of the bellybutton of Vishnu. • Brahma’s companion animal is a white goose • Brahman is NOT the same as Brahma Vishnu - Sustainer • Represents the force of preservation in the universe. • He has four arms which hold symbols of power. • Carries a conch, a mace, a discus, and a lotus. • Is often pictured seated on the coils of the snake god, Adisesha. • Vishnu’s companion animal is a great eaglelike bird, called Garuda, on whom he flies through the universe. Shiva: the god of destruction • The third of the Trimurti • Most complicated of the gods • The god of destruction • Destruction is a type of recycling, the necessary loss of form, which occurs so that new forms may appear; and death is always thought of as leading to new life. • Shiva is also associated with recreation • The destructive side of Shiva is portrayed in the bronze statues called Shiva Nataraja= ruler of the dance/ Lord of the dance • As he dances, he is surrounded by a ring of fire – symbolic of destructive and transformative power • His long yogi’s hair flies in the air • He has four arms • In his upper right arm is a drum- symbolizing creation and the beginning of time • In the upper left arm is a flamesymbolizing destruction • His lower left arm is pointing to his upraised foot- suggesting that everyone should join him in his dance. • His lower right arm is extended in blessing- in a symbolic way says “don’t be afraid.” • He dances on a dwarf-demon – representing ignorance of all those who do not understand that death is part of the divine process. • Often pictured in meditation or dancing. • The moon is in his hair, and the Ganges river flows from it, • and has a third eye Shiva The aspect of Shiva that brings re-creation is represented by sexually suggestive forms. It is important to keep in mind that in nonindustrial societies the bearing of children is crucial- both for the economic survival of the family and for the care of the parents in their old age. Parents pray to have many healthy children. Shiva •A frequent representation of Shiva is a columnar lingamoften black •The lingam usually rests on a yoni- a circular base that is the female complement to the lingam. •The lingam may be a large, natural stone worshiped outdoors, or a metal object small enough to be worn around the neck or a wooden piece of an appropriate size for worship in the home. •Shaivites (devotees of Shiva) pour various liquids: over the lingam in an act of devotion milk, rosewater Nandi •Fertility is further emphasized by Shiva’s companion animal Nandi- a bull • and by Ganesha- the elephant-headed son of Shiva •A symbol of strength and abundance. | https://studyres.com/doc/423244/trimurti |
Brahmā (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मा; IAST: Brahmā) is the Hindu god (deva) of creation and one of the Trimūrti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahmā Purāņa, he is the father of Manu, and from Manu all human beings are descended. In the Rāmāyaņa and the Mahābhārata, he is often referred to as the progenitor or great grandsire of all human beings. He is not to be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit in Hindu Vedānta philosophy known as Brahman, which is genderless. In Hindu tradition, the creation of Vedas is credited to Brahma. Brahmā's wife is Saraswati. Saraswati is also known by names such as Sāvitri and Gāyatri, and has taken different forms throughout history. Brahmā is often identified with Prajāpati, a Vedic deity. Being the husband of Saraswati or Vaac Devi (the Goddess of Speech), Brahma is also known as "Vaagish," meaning "Lord of Speech and Sound."
In Sanskrit grammar, the noun stem brahman forms two distinct nouns; one is a neuter noun bráhman, whose nominative singular form is brahma ब्रह्म; this noun has a generalized and abstract meaning.
Contrasted to the neuter noun is the masculine noun brahmán, whose nominative singular form is brahmā ब्रह्मा. This noun is used to refer to a person, and as the proper name of a deity Brahma it is the subject matter of the present article.
Variations of the god's name include the following:
According to Shri Madha Bhagawata Mahapurana, Brahmā was born through Vishnu's navel, Vishnu is the main source of whatsoever exists in the world; that is created by him of a part of his own body materials in this universe,;later he was wondered about the establishment of Mankind in the planet, hence at first he has created a lotus from his navel and from lotus Brahmā origin. According to the Purāņas, Brahmā is self-born in the lotus flower. Another legend says that Brahmā was born in water, or from a seed that later became the golden egg. From this golden egg, Brahmā, the creator was born, as Hiranyagarbha. The remaining materials of this golden egg expanded into the Brahmānḍa or Universe. Being born in water, Brahmā is also called as Kanja (born in water). There is a story for Sharsa brahma hence the concept of multiple universe as every Brahmā creates his Bhramand (universe) for one Brahmā year.
At the beginning of the process of creation, Brahmā creates the four Kumāras or the Caturṣaņa. However, they refuse his order to procreate and instead devote themselves to God[vague and celibacy.
He then proceeds to create from his mind ten sons or Prajāpatis (used in another[which? sense), who are believed to be the fathers of the human race. But since all these sons were born out of his mind rather than body, they are called Mānas Putras or mind-sons or spirits. The Manusmŗti and Bhāgavat Purāņa enumerate them as:
Brahmā had ten sons and one daughter (Named Shatrupa- one who can take hundred forms) born from various parts of his body:
Within Vedic and Purāņic scripture Brahmā is described as only occasionally interfering in the affairs of the other devas (gods), and even more rarely in mortal affairs. He did force Soma to give Tara back to her husband, Bŗhaspati. Among the offspring from his body are Dharma and Adharma, Krodha, Lobha, and others.
He is clad in red clothes. Brahmā is traditionally depicted with four heads, four faces, and four arms. With each head, He continually recites one of the four Vedas. He is often depicted with a white beard (especially in North India), indicating the nearly eternal nature of his existence. Unlike most other Hindu gods, Brahmā holds no weapons. One of his hands holds a scepter. Another of his hands holds a book. Brahmā also holds a string of prayer beads called the 'akṣamālā' (literally "garland of eyes"), which He uses to keep track of the Universe's time. He is also shown holding the Vedas.
There are many other stories in the Purāņas about the gradual decrease in Lord Brahmā's importance. Followers of Hinduism believe that Humans cannot afford to lose the blessings of Brahmā and Sarasvati, without whom the populace would lack creativity, knowledge to solve mankind's woes. There is a story of a fifth head. This head came when Shatrupa started flying away from him upwards and the head came on top of the four heads - symbolizing lust and ego. the head was decapitated by Shiva returning Brahmā to his four head avatar which gave birth to the Vedas. The fifth head stayed with Shiva hence Shiva got the name Kapali.
symbols The Four Faces – The four Vedas (Rig, Sāma, Yajur and Atharva).
The Four Hands – Brahmā's four arms represent the four cardinal directions: east, south, west, and north. The back right hand represents mind, the back left hand represents intellect, the front right hand is ego, and the front left hand is self-confidence.
The Prayer beads – Symbolize the substances used in the process of creation.
The Book – The book symbolizes knowledge.
The Gold – Gold symbolizes activity; the golden face of Brahmā indicates that He is actively involved in the process of creating the Universe.
The Swan – The swan is the symbol of grace and discernment. Brahmā uses the swan as his vāhana, or his carrier or vehicle.
The Crown – Lord Brahmā's crown indicates His supreme authority.
The Lotus – The lotus symbolizes nature and the living essence of all things and beings in the Universe.
The Beard – Brahmā's black or white beard denotes wisdom and the eternal process of creation.
Brahmā's vehicle or vāhana is the hansa, a swan or a goose.
Though almost all Hindu religious rites involve prayer to Brahmā, very few temples are dedicated to His worship. Among the most prominent is the Brahmā temple at Pushkar. Once a year, on Kartik Poornima, the full moon night of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik (October – November), a religious festival is held in Brahmā's honour. Thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the holy Pushkar Lake adjacent to the temple.
Temples to Brahmā also exist in Thirunavaya in Kerala; in the temple town of Kumbakonam in the Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu; in Kodumudi in Tamil Nadu; in Asotra village in Balotra taluka of Rajasthan's Barmer district which is known as Kheteshwar Brahmadham Tirtha. In the coastal state of Goa, a shrine belonging to 5th century AD, in the small and remote village of Carambolim in the Sattari Taluka in the northeast region of the state is found. Regular pujas are held for Lord Brahmā at the temple in Thirunavaya, and during Navrathris, this temple comes to life with multi-varied festivities. There is also a shrine for Brahmā within the Brahmapureeswarar Temple in Thirukkadaiyur, and a famous murti of Brahmā exists at Mangalwedha, 52 km from the Solapur district of Maharashtra. Statues of Brahmā may be found in Khedbrahma, Gujarat, and in Sopara near Mumbai. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Brahmā in the temple town of Sri Kalahasti near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. The Trimurti temple and the temple dedicated to Lord Brahma accompanied by Lord Ganesh, located outside Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, is also famous. The largest and most famous shrine to Lord Brahmā may be found in Cambodia's Angkor Wat. 7 feet height of Chatrumukha(Four Faces ) BRAHMA temple at Bangalore(Karnataka, India).
In Java, Indonesia, the 9th century Prambanan Trimurti temple mainly is dedicated to Śiva, however Brahmā and Viṣņu also venerated in separate large shrines inside the temple compound, a single large shrine dedicated to Brahmā on southern side of Śiva temple. There is a statue of Brahmā at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok. The golden dome of the Government House of Thailand also contains a statue of Phra Phrom (Thai representation of Brahmā).
Today, India has very few temples dedicated to Brahmā.
Satyaloka is by 120,000,000 yojanas above Tapoloka. Thus the distance from the Sun to Satyaloka is 233,800,000 yojanas, or 1,870,400,000 miles. The Vaikuṇṭha planets begin 26,200,000 yojanas (209,600,000 miles) above Satyaloka. "In the Padma Purāņam it has been definitely stated that on the four sides of the spiritual sky there are four different transcendental abodes occupied by Vāsudeva, Sankarṣaņa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha respectively. So also in the material sky also they are similarly placed on all the four sides. The Vaikuṇṭha sphere which is covered with spiritual water is inhabited by Vāsudeva and this Vaikuṇṭha is known as Devavatipur. Above the Satyaloka there is Viṣņuloka where Sankarṣaņa resides. In the middle of the Ocean of Milk there is an island called Śvetadvipa which is resided in by Aniruddha lying on the bed of Ananta."(Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter 5 [Handwritten])
"Lord Brahmā's day & night, each consists of his 14 hours or 4.32 billion human years. "Brahma has four heads" (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.8.2–5).
Brahmā has his own sampradāya. Brahmā appeared on a lotus flower which sprouted from the navel of Garbhodakṣāyi Viṣņu. After meditation Brahmā created 14 planetary systems and many living beings came there in 8400000 kinds of material bodies according to their past desires. Brahmā received Vedas from Vishnu, and this Brahmā-sampradāya is transmitting knowledge from Vishnu Himself to Earth. As our Brahmā is devotee of Krishna just like other Brahmās in other material universes, we have this Brahmā sampradāya. | http://silambam.asia/god-brahma.html |
Lord Vishnu is the all-pervasive Lord who expands into everything. He is the maintainer of the universe and the complete cosmic creation. He is called Vishnu because He overcomes all.1 He represents sattva-guna, or the mode of goodness by which everything is sustained. He is also called Narayana, which means the shelter, resting place or ultimate goal of all living entities. It also means the one whose abode is the causal waters (Karana Ocean), and one who lives in the hearts of all living beings. It is this sattva nature which gives the living beings the tendency to grow toward a higher truth, the light, a more cohesive and intense reality. In this sense, Lord Vishnu is also called Hari, or one who removes the darkness of illusion. This illusion ultimately means the idea that the living beings live separate from, or without connection to, the Lord.
Lord Vishnu is often portrayed resting on the huge serpent of Sesha. We see that the thousand heads of Sesha are all turned inward, representing a tranquil mind, and looking toward the Absolute Truth of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu is also seen in the yogic sleep called yoga-nidra. The yoga-nidra (yoga or the root yuj meaning to connect or join) is a cosmic sleep wherein the Lord is focused on the Infinite Reality of His own identity.
Lord Vishnu is also seen standing on the whirl of a lotus flower with four hands, which represent the four directions and indicates His absolute power in the four corners of the universe. Each hand holds an item, such as a disc, lotus, conch, and mace. Of the four items, the conch represents the five universal elements. When the conch is blown, it is said to produce a sound related to the original vibration of universal creation. The Lord also blows His conch in calling everyone to turn to the higher reality rather than remaining in the darkness of material existence. This calling is the inner voice which nudges all beings of conscience to seek the Absolute Truth. If man does not heed the call, then the Lord may still use His conch to cut asunder the ego and material attachments of those who do not turn toward the spiritual path.
The disc or chakra signifies the universal mind or awareness.3 It rids all darkness wherever it appears, and thus shows the path to higher awareness. The disc is called Sudarshan, the limitless power and light that destroys all forms of ignorance. Thus, Lord Vishnu allows it to cut off the heads of envious demons. It has six spokes and shows the revolving nature of the universe (maya) around an unmoving and changeless center. The Sudarshana Chakra, when shown alone, is often viewed as a person with four, eight, or sixteen arms, holding such items as a bow, arrow, trident, noose, and a poker. These are said to represent the will and power of the Lord to not only create but to also destroy the universe.
The mace represents the cosmic intellect or knowledge. It is called Kaumodaki, meaning that which captivates the mind. It is also associated with time, which destroys all, and is thus also related to Kali, the power of time.4 When pictured as a deity, it is viewed as a female with two hands, positioned in respect. The lotus being twirled in His hand shows the revolving or changing nature of the universe.5 It also indicates the real purpose of human existence, which the Lord invites all to follow.
The Vaijayanti garland (garland of victory) with five rows of flowers that the Lord wears indicates the five senses and the Lord’s illusory power which affect the senses.6 Its fragrance represents the subtle elements found within the material manifestation. All this reflects the Lord’s mastery of the whole universe, which is created out of the mixing or revolving of the five elements and the universal mind and intellect. The Srivatsa or lock of hair on the Lord’s chest, which indicates the Goddess of Fortune, represents the products of the material creation, or the objects of enjoyment for which all living beings seek.7 And the gem, called Kaustubha (Treasure of the Ocean) represents the one who enjoys these products. Thus, this world of the enjoyer and the enjoyed is but a piece of decoration for the Lord, a spark of His energy.
Lord Vishnu is also sometimes seen with additional items, such as a bow, called Sharnga. This represents the darker form of false-ego that makes one think he is nothing but the material body, not connected to the Lord. The arrows are the activities of the intellect, which can cut through false-ego when used properly. His fish shaped earrings represent the two processes of knowledge, such as through the sankhya (intellectual) and yoga (intuitive) methods. His armlets represent the three goals of worldly life, namely dharma (righteousness), artha (economic success) and kama (pleasure). Lord Vishnu’s crown represents the highest and incomprehensible reality. The yellow cloth that He wears (Pitambara) is said to indicate the Vedas. Through the Vedic hymns the divine reality is revealed, just as the Lord’s dark color can be seen through the cloth that He wears. And His sacred string, made of three threads, is said to indicate the three letters of the hallowed word AUM.
The various forms of Lord Vishnu are composed of the different arrangements of the four symbols He holds in His four hands. For example, in one form He holds the conch in His lower right hand, the disc in His upper right, the mace in His upper left, and lotus in the lower left. In this form He has the name of Keshava, meaning the Lord with long hair, according to the Padma Purana (Book Four, Chapter 79). In other forms, in which case He holds the items in different hands, He has the names that include, Narayana (the universal shelter), Govinda (saver of the Earth and protector of cows), Madhava (Lord of knowledge), Madhusudana (the destroyer of the demon Madhu), Trivikrama (the one who conquered the three planetary systems), Vamana (the dwarf incarnation), Shridhara (the possessor of fortune), Hrishikesha (Lord of the senses), Padmanabha (whose navel produced the universal lotus), Damodara (who is self-restrained), Sankarshana (who reabsorbs), Vasudeva (one who dwells within), Pradyumna (who has the most wealth), Aniruddha (who no one can oppose), Purushottama (best of all men), Adhoksaja (the expanse of the universe), Nrisimha (the half-man and half-lion form), Achyuta (the inconceivable), Krishna (the dark and all-attractive one), Hari (He who removes obstacles or sorrow), Janardana (He who gives rewards), and Upendra (the brother of Indra). Many other names of Lord Vishnu are found in the Vishnu-sahasranam, the Thousand Names of Vishnu, located in the Anushasan Parva (149.14-120) of the Mahabharata.
Lord Vishnu is also called Nilameghashyama for having a dark blue complexion. This represents a number of things, including pure consciousness, the infinite, and the all-pervading power.
At other times Lord Vishnu is seen resting on the coils of the serpent Shesha, also called Ananta. Sheshanaga is the expansion of Lord Balarama, Lord Krishna’s brother, and serves the Lord in this way as the Lord’s support and paraphernalia. Shesha has a thousand heads swinging to and fro over the form of Lord Vishnu, creating a shelter and couch for the Lord. Ananta means endless, and Ananta is endlessly singing the praises and glories of the Lord from His thousand hoods without ever reaching the end. His hoods are also supporting the many planetary systems in the cosmic creation that are orbiting throughout the universe above His heads. Ananta also means endless in terms of the endlessness of cosmic time. This is also represented by His thousand hoods as divisions of time. The material worlds are created within the element of time, and are thus sustained by time. During the process of the universal annihilation, time ceases to exist, in which case the material planets are also forced into obliteration.
Lord Shesha is often seen floating on the causal waters of the Garbhodaka Ocean, which exists on the bottom of the universe. Lord Vishnu is thus resting on Sheshanaga as They float on the ocean. At other times, They are viewed floating on the Kshiramudra, or an ocean of white milk. This represents the Prakriti or the ingredients of the unmanifest material nature in its purest form.
Sometimes, Lord Vishnu is also seen riding on his carrier bird, Garuda. This is a half-man and half-eagle bird, whose name means “Wings of Speech.” It is described that he is huge and has a fierce expression. His color is that of molten gold. He has the head of an eagle with a red beak and feathered wings, and two arms like a man.8 Different divisions of the Vedas are parts of the body of Garuda. The sound of his wings reflect the utterances of the Vedic hymns, which can carry a person to another world with the speed of light and power of lightning. Thus, it is also the sound of the Veda that carries Lord Vishnu, and which can also transport Him into the hearts and minds of people.
According to the Puranas, Garuda is a son of Kashyapa and Vinata, who was a daughter of Daksha.9 He is also the younger brother of Aruna. Garuda is known for his dislike of snakes, which he will eat. One reason for this is explained in the Mahabharata (1.20-35). Vinata once quarreled with her co-wife, Kadru, who was the mother of the serpent species known as nagas. It was from her that he inherited this hostility toward snakes. Then Garuda, with his wife Unnati, produced six sons, from whom descended all the bird species that eat snakes.
Many people think that Lord Vishnu is the source of all other incarnations of God. This is true, but not in the case of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna is actually the source of Lord Vishnu. When Lord Krishna descends into this world, He appears as Himself and not as an expansion of Lord Vishnu. To verify this, let me present the following details.
Before the mahat-tattva, however, there is the pradhana, which is the sum total of all material energy in its subtle and undifferentiated stage. Material nature is always existing in its subtle form as the energy of the Lord. Sometimes, under the direction of the Supreme, it manifests its temporary existence in the form of the material cosmos.
In spite of the fact that everything comes from the Supreme Being, He is still aloof from it all. He does not disengage Himself from His eternal pleasure pastimes with His devotees in the spiritual realm. So in the process of creating the material worlds, the Supreme expands Himself into various forms, which are His plenary parts. Krishna is the primeval Lord, the original Personality of Godhead, so He can expand Himself into unlimited forms with all potencies. They are no different from Him, but may exhibit differences in form.
It is explained that Lord Krishna first expands Himself into Baladeva, or Balarama, who is considered Krishna’s second body and brother. Balarama assists in Lord Krishna’s innumerable spiritual pastimes in both the spiritual and material realms.
All expansions of the Lord begin with Sri Krishna. For His pastimes in one of the highest levels of the spiritual realm, called Dvaraka, Sri Krishna expands Himself into Balarama, who then expands Himself into Pradyumna and Aniruddha. These four (Krishna, Balarama, Pradyumna and Aniruddha) expand into a second quadruple which is present in the unlimited Vaikuntha planets of the spiritual sky. The second quadruple is known as Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. They are changeless, transcendental expansions of the Supreme Lord, Krishna. In this second quadruple, Vasudeva is an expansion of Krishna, and Sankarshana is a representation of Balarama.
At the time of creation, after the Supreme has been sleeping for some time, the first emanations from the breathing of Lord Maha-Vishnu are the personified Vedas who serve Him by waking Him from His mystic sleep. They begin to enthusiastically sing His glories, pastimes, and praises, just as a King is awoken in the morning by poets who recite his heroic deeds.24 This shows the eternal nature of the Vedic literature. They are not merely the writings of men, but they are spiritual vibrations that exist before and after the material creation, and which emanate from the Supreme Lord.
Once the Lord is awoken, He : casts His glance upon the material energy of maya. This glance is how the Supreme impregnates material nature with all the original seeds of the living beings. Thus, the Lord does not personally touch the material energy, but by His functional expansion He places the living entities into the material nature by His glance. Then maya, the material nature, becomes agitated.25 This functional expansion of the Lord takes the form as Shiva, known in this activity as Shambhu. It is Shambhu who carries the living entities in the glance of the Lord into the material energy.
The Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.9.16-18) relates that the Lord of the universe, Narayana, Maha-Vishnu, is the worshipable Lord of all beings. With no other assistance, the Lord creates the universe by His own potency, and at the time of annihilation He destroys the universe through His expansion of time. He withdraws the complete universe and all materially conditioned living beings into Himself. In this way, His unlimited Self is the shelter and reservoir of all potencies. The Lord stands alone after the universal annihilation. He is the supreme worshipable object for all beings, such as liberated souls, demigods, and ordinary conditioned souls. He is eternally free from the material energy and constitutes the totality of spiritual bliss, which one can experience by seeing the Lord’s spiritual form. Thus the Lord exhibits the full meaning of liberation.
The countless souls that appear within the material energy in the variegated species of life are all spiritual in nature, they are all spiritual beings. However, they can also become deluded by material energy. When they are thus deluded, they hanker for material activities and attractions. In order to accommodate this, the Supreme provides this material world as a playground in which they can work out their material desires. This means that regardless of species, whether it is Lord Brahma, or humans, animals, birds, or even tiny insects, material nature is the mother and the Supreme Lord is the seed-giving, universal Father.
After agitating material nature into three qualities, which are the modes of nature in the form of passion, goodness and ignorance, they become active and material nature begins to give birth to the total material energy known as the hiranya-mahat-tattva. This is the sum total of cosmic intelligence. Thus, material nature becomes agitated by the destinations of the conditioned souls as determined by the influence of the modes of nature.29 Simply by the glance of Maha-Vishnu consciousness is created, which is known as the mahat-tattva. The predominating Deity of the mahat-tattva is Lord Vasudeva, another expansion of Lord Krishna. This explains how the material energy is like the mother of the living beings while the Lord is the Supreme Father of everyone. Just as a woman cannot give birth without the contact of a man, or at least his seed, so material nature cannot create without the contact of the Supreme Being.
Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, who is known within the universe as Hiranyagarbha and Antaryami, the Supersoul, is glorified in the Vedic hymns. He is the master of each and every universe and shelter of the external or material energy. However, being transcendental, He is completely beyond the touch of the external energy.
On that water He creates his own residence as an expansion of Vaikuntha and rests in the waters on the bed of the great serpent, Lord Ananta, Seshanaga.36 Although He appears to be in slumber, enjoying transcendental bliss in his internal potency, His eyes are slightly open. When He is ready to begin the act of creation, a golden lotus springs from his navel that becomes the birthplace of Lord Brahma. Within the stem of that lotus are the fourteen planetary systems.37 Then Lord Brahma is manifested as described in the previous chapter.
Not only do the creations and annihilations of the cosmos go on continually, but the maintenance of the universe also takes constant supervision. It is explained that as long as the Supreme Being as Maha-Vishnu continues to glance upon nature, the material world continues to exist. Thus, the variegated flow of universal creation perpetually manifests through procreation.38 So, we can see that time and nature have no power to act independently, but are under the supervision of the Supreme.
However, it is also described that it is not only the material nature that is maintained, everyone in it is also given the ability to act and function through the power of the Supreme in His form as the Supersoul. He creates the entire variegated universe and then enters into it as the Supersoul. Through this means He provides the life force and consciousness of everyone, and, thus, maintains the creation. As Sri Krishna further explains, “As the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, always rests in ethereal space, know that in the same manner all beings rest in Me.”39 As the Supersoul, He also enters into each planet, and by His energy they maintain their orbits.40 Thus, the Lord’s energy enters each planet, every living being, and : even each atom, by which everything is appropriately manifested and maintained. Without this, everything would revert back to chaos and deterioration.
So because of the benediction and power given by the Supreme to the demigods, they can provide the living beings with all necessities. However, Lord Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-gita (3.14-15) that all living entities subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains, which is manifest through the performance of spiritual activities prescribed in the spiritual writings of the Vedic scripture and the teachings of the Lord and great sages. Consequently, the all-pervading Transcendence is eternally situated in acts of sacrifice.
This is all a part of the process of how the Lord and His expansions of Vishnu maintain the world. As mankind engages in acts of sacrifice or spirituality, which simply means the worship of the Supreme, the Lord and the demigods are automatically satisfied to supply everyone with all necessities of life. In this way, there can be proper cooperation between man, nature and God so that everyone can be peaceful and content with the facilities for living in this world.
14. Ibid., Adi-lila, 5.41 & pur.
15. Ibid., Adi-lila, 2.56, pur.
18. Ibid., Adi-lila, 2.36, pur. | http://stephenknapp.info/lord_vishnu.htm |
Child bullying victims still suffering at 50 – study
Children who are bullied can still experience negative effects on their physical and mental health more than 40 years later, say researchers from King’s College London.
Their study tracked 7,771 children born in 1958 from the age of seven until 50.
Those bullied frequently as children were at an increased risk of depression and anxiety, and more likely to report a lower quality of life at 50.
Anti-bullying groups said people needed long-term support after being bullied.
A previous study, from Warwick University, tracked more than 1,400 people between the ages of nine and 26 and found that bullying had long-term negative consequences for health, job prospects and relationships.
This study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, suggests that the impact of bullying could be longer-lasting – into middle age.
Although the risk of poor health, and social and economic consequences 40 years after exposure to bullying was small – about 1.5 times the norm – the study said it was similar to that faced by children in care.
‘Poorer mental health’
To collect their data, researchers asked parents if their child had been exposed to bullying, at ages seven and 11. More than a quarter said they had been bullied occasionally and 15% bullied frequently.
Over the years, researchers then carried out tests to see if the known effects of bullying persisted into adulthood.
Individuals were tested for psychological distress and general health at the ages of 23 and 50, for psychiatric problems at 45 and cognitive functioning, social relationships and well-being at 50.
The study found that those who were bullied in childhood were more likely to have poorer physical and mental health and cognitive functioning at 50.
Those who were bullied frequently were more likely to be depressed and have suicidal thoughts.
There were also social and economic consequences to childhood bullying.
Those bullied as children were more likely to be less educated, with men who were bullied more likely to be unemployed and earn less.
Social relationships were also affected with bullied individuals less likely to be in a relationship and to have good support from friends and family at 50.
‘Early intervention’
Prof Louise Arseneault, senior study author, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London, said: “We need to move away from any perception that bullying is just an inevitable part of growing up. Teachers, parents and policy-makers should be aware that what happens in the school playground can have long-term repercussions for children.
The study said the harmful effect of bullying remained even when other factors including childhood IQ, emotional and behavioural problems and parents’ socioeconomic status were taken into account.
Prof Arseneault added: “Forty years is a long time, so there will no doubt be additional experiences during the course of these young people’s lives which may either protect them against the effects of bullying, or make things worse. Our next step is to investigate what these are.”
Lucie Russell, director of campaigns and media at Young Minds, said the research highlighted that the effects of bullying are not just temporary.
“Bullying is traumatic and painful for every young person who experiences it and its long-term impact can lead to psychological damage for many years to come as this important study has shown.
“Responding to bullying must therefore take on board this impact with long-term, follow-up support to minimise the pain and suffering many victims experience throughout their lives.”
Martha Evans, acting national co-ordinator for the Anti-Bullying Alliance said: “Parents/carers, teachers and children and young people all have a part to play in working together to create a society where bullying is not tolerated and where we all respond to bullying quickly and appropriately.”
Emma-Jane Cross, CEO and founder of BeatBullying, said young people now faced even greater threats from cyberbullying and trolling, and called for more action.
“We can only assume that the consequences of bullying could be even more damaging for future generations. | http://www.schools-out.org.uk/?news=child-bullying-victims-still-suffering-at-50-study |
Development of a model to facilitate effective psychological services for offenders in long-term incarceration in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa
Mushwana, Mercy Dotty
URI:
http://hdl.handle.net/11602/1243
Date:
2018-09-21
Abstract:
The rate of incarceration is historically high. Increasingly, research points to the negative effects of incarceration among offenders, particularly in adult facilities. Literature published since 2000 suggests that incarceration fails to meet the developmental and criminogenic needs of offenders and is limited in its ability to provide appropriate rehabilitation. Incarceration often results in negative behavioural and mental health consequences such as suicidal thoughts and attempts. Suicide is often the single most common cause of death in correctional settings. The psychological impact of incarceration and its implications for post-prison, free world adjustments are substantial. The severe behavioural problems of offenders are a result of complex and interactive individual and environmental factors which elicit and maintain offending behaviour. The study sought to develop a model to facilitate effective psychological services among offenders in long-term incarceration correctional services. The study consisted of two phases, namely the empirical phase and conceptualisation phase. In phase one, which was the empirical phase, a qualitative approach was employed. The study utilised phenomenological, explorative, and contextual designs. The study population comprised of male offenders who were serving their long-term incarceration in the Vhembe District at Limpopo Province. Thirty offenders and one clinical psychologist were purposively selected. Data were collected from participants using semi-structured interviews. In-depth information about their experiences physical and mental risks of being incarcerated, as well as the coping mechanisms they used during incarceration was collected. Unstructured interviews were used to collect information about psychological services that are being rendered at correctional centres and their effectives from the only psychologist who participated in the study. Field notes as well as observations were also used methods of data collection. Data analysis was done using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and Thematic data analysis. Relevant ethical principles were adhered to. Informed consent was sought from participants prior to the commencement of the study. The study further maintained the aspect of confidentiality and privacy since it was dealing with human subjects and sensitive issues. Issues of trustworthiness; credibility, dependability, transferability and conformability were ensured. The study findings revealed that most of the offenders were not very happy with the kind of mental health services they received from the correctional centres. They reported that correctional centres had a potential to make one totally insane. However, for one to make sense of what is happening at the correctional centres, one would need to receive mental vi health services. Furthermore, the study also discovered that one of the correctional centres is not providing offenders with mental health services and this makes it difficult for offenders to cope with their long-term incarceration since rehabilitation is not taking place. Findings also showed that offenders in one of the two centres were at a greater risk of contracting communicable diseases at the correctional centre due to overcrowding, poor health care system and poor hygiene. Concept analysis was done using Dickoff, James and Wiedenbach, (1968) guidelines. The framework adopted six guidelines that were used in theory development. A model was developed using the Walker and Avant (1995) framework to enhance the effectiveness of facilitation of psychological services at Thohoyandou correctional services and Kutama-Sinthumule Maximum correctional centre. The researcher recommends that mental health policies should be implemented to enhance and scale up mental health services in both correctional centres.
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PhD (Health Sciences )
Department of Psychology
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(RxWiki News) Were you glued to the TV in the days after 9/11? If you found it hard to tear yourself away from the grim, upsetting images, they might have had a long-term impact on your health.
A recent study has found that the violent images repeatedly shown on TV are linked to higher rates of physical and mental health problems in the U.S.
"Turn off the news - go for a walk."
The study, led by Roxane Cohen Silver, PhD, a professor of psychology and social behavior at the University of California at Irvine, focused on the images that came out of 9/11 and the Iraq War.
Silver and colleagues gave 2,189 U.S. participants a web-based survey one to three weeks after 9/11.
Then, 1,322 of these participants took a similar survey during the 10 days after the start of the Iraq War.
The surveys asked about how much television and other media the participants watched and about mental health and stress symptoms. It also asked about their mental and physical health before 9/11.
The researchers continued to assess these participants physical and mental health for the next three years. They especially looked for signs of acute stress and post traumatic stress.
Acute stress occurs in the several weeks immediately following an event, and post traumatic stress refers to symptoms a month after the event or later.
About 12 percent of the 1,322 who took both surveys felt high levels of acute stress in the days following 9/11, and 7 percent of them felt high stress levels in the days after the Iraq War began.
The researchers found that people who had watched more television related to both 9/11 and the Iraq War were more likely to have higher levels of both acute and post traumatic stress — even two to three years after 9/11.
This higher rate even existed after the researchers took into account the participants demographics, mental health before the events and their exposure to traumatic events over their lifetime.
If the participants had watched more than four hours a day of 9/11 footage in the days following the event, they had more physical health problems two to three years later as well.
Dr. Silver and her colleagues found that the Iraq War images that seemed to have the most negative impact on participants were those showing soldiers engaged in battle and those of dead U.S. and Allied soldiers.
The authors concluded that "Exposure to graphic media images may result in physical and psychological effects previously assumed to require direct trauma exposure."
LuAnn Pierce, a clinical social worker in Colorado, said this phenomenon is well-known in her line of work.
"It is fairly common in the field of mental health to see people in therapy who develop anxiety and specific phobias after viewing violent images," Pierce said. "Secondary trauma, also known as vicarious trauma, occurs when someone witnesses a traumatic event as a third party."
She said that counselors and first responders are at especially high risk for secondary trauma.
"Likewise, those who relive traumatic events like 9-11 on televisions and other media are also at-risk - particularly children," she added. "This is also true of kids who witness domestic violence, whether they see it firsthand or hear it from another room."
Pierce described cases she has treated where children developed phobias based on images they had seen. One girl became afraid of going to school because of a news segment in which another girl's parents were murdered while she was at school. Another child developed panic attacks from seeing red polka dots because of seeing a newscast showing drops of blood on a sidewalk after a child's death.
"These cases may have resulted in more extreme reactions, but they are examples of what can happen," she said. "While we can't ignore reality, we have choices about what we pay attention to and allow children to watch — exercise caution to protect your mental health and that of those you love."
Dr. Silver said the study should not be interpreted to support censorship, but it offers people awareness of how they may be affected.
"I would not advocate restricting nor censoring war images for the psychological well-being of the public," she said. "Instead, I think it's important for people to be aware that there is no psychological benefit to repeated exposure to graphic images of horror."
The authors noted in their conclusion that the current ability to watch images pretty much anywhere should be taken into account as well.
"Vivid images now reach a larger audience than ever before with the ongoing widespread availability of graphic streaming video on the Internet, YouTube, social media, and smart phones," they wrote.
"Television is no longer the only way to spread this vivid content," they continued. "Media outlets, policy makers, parents, psychologists and other health care professionals must be sensitive to the potential negative consequences of a steady diet or sudden influx of this material. "
The study will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Psychological Science. It was funded by the National Science Foundation. | https://www.rxwiki.com/news-article/stress-levels-resulted-more-viewing-september-11-and-iraq-war-news |
"What Were You Before the War?" Repurposing Psychiatry During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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"What Were You Before the War?"
Repurposing Psychiatry During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Back home, when I’ d tell people what I do for a living, they’ d think, "Well, now, that figures." But over here, it’s a big, big mystery. So, I guess I’ ve changed some.
COVID-19, a Health Care Challenge Without Precedent in Modern Times
We are in the midst of one of the most disruptive public health events of all time. The rapidity of viral contagion, severity of illness presentation, and lack of effective means to vaccinate against or treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have forced governments and institutions to refocus priorities. Social distancing and case identification have quickly shifted toward suppression, but nonpharmacologic interventions are no longer sufficient to stem the tide.1 First responders and health care workers are now themselves succumbing to the illness. The uncertainty has led to an avalanche of economic consequences and reactive social behaviors unlike anything seen since World War II.
The pipeline from treatment discovery to implementation in clinical practice takes years, if not decades.2 Under normal circumstances, we have the luxury of years to plan and conduct treatment research. However, the game changes considerably in the context of a pandemic. Most of us are scrambling to respond to increasingly restrictive university policies on allowable research activities that consider psychiatric research "nonessential." During wartime, though, repurposing of both physical and human resources is necessary.
This is our war too as psychiatrists; those thinking that their role in the pandemic will be limited are mistaken. Our skillset as clinicians and researchers is needed, both in helping to identify and manage the negative mental health consequences of the pandemic and in battling the virus itself. Much like Captain Miller, a character played by Tom Hanks in the film Saving Private Ryan, we must repurpose our skills and resources—adapting to support the war effort. And the resources we bring to bear are needed now more than ever in the fight against COVID-19.
Adapting and Continuing Our Mental Health Research: Digital Tools for Fully Remote Studies
The pandemic calls for minimizing face-to-face contact, so mental health, including clinical research, needs to quickly adapt to "action at a distance." We need to immediately reassess our ongoing studies: can they still recruit, and can they still assess and safely treat existing participants? For most mental health research, the answer is yes. Psychiatry was among the first specialties to adopt telemedicine as a viable part of our care delivery system in the 1950s, out of pragmatism to address workforce shortages in clinical care as well as in medical education.3 Digital tools are increasingly used in psychiatric clinical trials to screen and consent participants, collect data, and, in many cases, intervene remotely.4 These tools minimize face-to-face contact with vulnerable populations, without compromising care or methodological rigor. And psychiatry has important knowledge and infrastructure to contribute to pandemic efforts. Implementing digital strategies commonly used in psychiatric care and research across COVID-19 research efforts will help keep participants and staff safe, but also could importantly expedite real-world testing of promising treatments.
Repurposing Clinical Skills: Clinicians and Clinical Researchers as a Lifeline
As noted above, institutions may deem mental health clinicians and psychiatric research functions as nonessential during a pandemic. Yet just the opposite is the case: clinicians, highly developed clinical research infrastructure, and skilled research staff all present an opportunity for moving innovative clinical approaches into service. We have an obligation to address the mental health impact of suppression efforts, economic hardship, and limited access to basic human needs during this time. Our patients may be most vulnerable to both the negative health effects of COVID-19 and the mental health impact of public health efforts to contain its spread. Living with a mental illness increases the odds of having comorbid medical conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, elevating the risk for serious complications from COVID-19. But no one will escape the emotional toll of suppression efforts.
The effects of social isolation on mental and physical health outcomes, especially in vulnerable populations like older adults and children, are well established.5 In fact, one of the most important contributors to all-cause mortality in older adults is social isolation.6 As well, prolonged exposure to an environment of uncertainty and fear has lasting negative effects on mental health across the lifespan. For example, posttraumatic stress scores in children who were quarantined during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak were 4 times higher than in those who were not quarantined.7 Providing simple interventions like rapid, patient-focused communication and encouraging voluntary preventive efforts to limit contagion can reduce the long-term psychological effects of social isolation.8
As healer-scientists with a unique understanding of how stress and isolation compromise immune functioning, we can help. Clinical research funding affords the opportunity, and therefore the responsibility, to connect with patients in unconventional ways—whether or not they are currently participants in our studies. Rapid procedural modifications during a pandemic allow for immediate implementation and testing of creative alternatives to traditional in-person visits. As a result, we’ re able to intervene now in ways that are not currently reimbursable in the existing fee-for-service structure of our health care system. For example, a phone contact to conduct a routine clinical research assessment provides an opportunity not only for connection but also for conducting critical problem-solving, treatment planning, and linkage to resources.
Telling Our Patients’ Stories: Research Opportunities
We have an obligation to chronicle this extraordinary threat and its effects on mental health. If we do not measure the impacts of COVID-19 on mental health, it will be an unconscionable missed opportunity. How are people with mental illness coping? What is their reaction to isolation, uncertainty, and lack of access to needed care? What strategies are working? We need to embed these quantitative and qualitative questions into our ongoing research—now.
We also have an unprecedented opportunity to extend our reach into the communities in which we live and work, moving from the role of neutral observer to one of engaged contributor. Supporting our participants and their health care providers in this way is the right thing to do and strengthens community partnerships to the benefit of future research efforts. Doing so eases the impact of public health disasters like pandemics while we study them.
Repurposing Treatments: Psychiatric Drugs as Antiviral Therapies and Psychiatrists as Virus-Fighters
Drug repositioning is a relatively recent strategy for facilitating, and reducing costs of, drug discovery and development.9 In the field of psychiatry, however, psychopharmacology owes its entire existence to biochemical repurposing efforts beginning in the late 1800s.10 In fact, the subsequent reconceptualization of mental disorders as biological conditions in the 1940s and 1950s11 can be linked to the discovery of the antitubercular effects of hydrazine derivatives, which were also observed to have mood-elevating properties.12
Psychiatric drugs may have important antiviral and immune modulatory effects.13 With rapid testing, we may be able to repurpose some of these therapies that are inexpensive and already have known safety profiles. With no time to lose in the pandemic, the repurposing of known drugs is the most expeditious path toward treatments to reduce the death toll. Accordingly, the World Health Organization has launched SOLIDARITY, a global megatrial to test effectiveness of existing treatments with the most promising antiviral effects.14 Meanwhile, a recent COVID-19 protein-pathway study reported 69 US Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs targeting those pathways as potential therapies, several of which are commonly used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.13
For example, mounting evidence attributes COVID-19-related pulmonary and cardiac injury to cytokine storm syndrome,15 suggesting treatment targets that minimize immune response. Many commonly used antidepressant medications have activity at the sigma-1 receptor (S1R). Mechanistically, S1R activation dampens cellular stress (through inhibiting activity of the endoplasmic reticulum stress sensor, IRE1) and restricts cytokine expression without inhibiting classical inflammatory signaling pathways.16 S1R agonists have cardioprotective effects in rodents17 and modulate inflammatory response, enhancing survival in preclinical models of sepsis.16 Since IRE1 activity induces autophagy during coronavirus infection,18 inhibition of IRE1 activity by S1R may also have potential to interfere directly with virus activity. Similar considerations pertain to other commonly used psychotropic drugs with other relevant mechanisms of action.
A recent JAMA editorial recommended the repurposing of clinical researchers to find treatments for COVID-19.19 We have learned from previous experience that the time to start randomized clinical trials is during the outbreak, not after.20 There are currently almost 500 ongoing trials of drugs, but thousands are needed, and in short order. Across the United States (and the world), there are highly expert clinical trial teams led by psychiatrists with skills and infrastructure to rapidly trial treatments. While our critical care skills may be lacking, our abilities to recruit, screen, manage, and provide drug and psychosocial interventions to patients are as good as in any field. Given the restrictions on face-to-face contact, these trials must be as pragmatic and fully remote as possible, another skill set psychiatric researchers can contribute. Our extensive knowledge of psychopharmacology—of both therapeutic effects and safety and tolerability profiles—as well as comfort in prescribing these agents to patients will be needed. Finally, reports of neurologic sequelae from COVID-19 infection suggest that the virus can enter the central nervous system, having acute effects on smell and taste.21 These and other neuropsychiatric symptoms may be early warning signs of centrally mediated cardiorespiratory compromise.22 For these reasons, psychiatric researchers will need to be engaged in studying both the acute and long-term neuropsychiatric effects of the infection.
Slowly, we are beginning to see examples of repurposing of infrastructure for much-needed medical equipment. Yesterday, General Motors workers were making cars, and Dyson was making vacuum cleaners. Today, they are making ventilators. Clinical research must do the same. We can’ t expect successful COVID-19 treatment research without repurposing existing clinical trial infrastructure. In other words, we won’ t just be repurposing drugs to fight COVID-19, we will also need to repurpose the field of clinical research in psychiatry.
Recommendations During the COVID-19 Outbreak
- Implement technology to reduce risk. Researchers can minimize face-to-face contact with participants by utilizing digital tools, such as shifting to electronic informed consent23 and digital HIPAA-compliant tools like e-mailed surveys or telehealth assessments. Virtual study visits, borrowing from telepsychiatry methods, will allow for better observation and care of infected individuals while protecting care providers and researchers.
- Shift unused research platforms to support COVID-19 research. We can rapidly engage colleagues conducting treatment research, repurpose existing remote networks and research platforms, and reassign staff currently sidelined from current work due to the pandemic.
- Repurpose our skills for recruiting, enrolling, and evaluating study participants. Psychiatric researchers can do more than observe. We are uniquely positioned not just to study the psychosocial and psychiatric health impacts of this pandemic but also to evaluate the short- and long-term neuropsychiatric effects of the illness.
- Repurpose our drugs as potential treatments. Several potential treatments for COVID-19 are psychiatric drugs, and psychiatrists and their research teams should be part of the trialing of these drugs, particularly in outpatient settings.
The Goal: A Clinical Research Workforce With Immediate and Long-Term Impact
COVID-19 will not be the last disruption that affects quotidian life, and we need to learn from it.24 Clinical research can adapt and ultimately improve by implementing technology and creatively repurposing existing resources. These adaptations will not only allow critical research to continue but also expand it to measure effects of COVID-19, to inform future public health events like pandemics, all while providing timely patient-focused impact for our participants. National Institutes of Health and other funders should provide administrative supplements and notifications that encourage researchers to (1) go fully remote; (2) assess the mental health impact of COVID-19; (3) prioritize repurposing of psychiatric human and pharmacologic resources for COVID-19 research efforts; and (4) continue working, leveraging the unique clinical research resources in psychiatry to help as many people as possible through the crisis.
We arrived at these ideas from a rapid, informal sharing of information and ideas with US and Canadian colleagues. We acknowledge and thank these colleagues, and we invite all to participate in new forums for discussing how psychiatric expertise can be optimally used in COVID-19 research efforts. Please share ideas at our websites, www.mhealth.wustl.edu and https://www.healthtech.pitt.edu/index.php, so that we can all apply best practices for repurposing resources in these disruptive times.
Received: March 30, 2020.
Published online: April 7, 2020.
Potential conflicts of interest: Dr Nicol has received research funding from Alkermes and Otsuka America, Inc. and has served as a consultant for Sunovion, Alkermes, and Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Dr Karp has received medication supplies from Pfizer and Indivior for investigator-initiated trials > 12 months ago, has received an honorarium from Otsuka for a disease-state (not product) educational webinar, and has received compensation from Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry for editorial work. Dr Zorumski serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board and is a shareholder of Sage Therapeutics. Dr Lenze has received research support from MagStim, Aptinyx, Takeda, and Lundbeck and has served as a consultant for Janssen and Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Dr Reiersen has no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Funding/support: None.
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aDepartment of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
bDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
*Corresponding author: Ginger E. Nicol, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Healthy Mind Laboratory, Washington University School of Medicine, 600 S. Taylor Ave, Ste 121, St Louis, MO 63110 ([email protected]).
J Clin Psychiatry 2020;81(3):20com13373
To cite: Nicol GE, Karp JF, Reiersen AM, et al. "What were you before the war?" repurposing psychiatry during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Clin Psychiatry. 2020;81(3):20com13373.
To share: https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.20com13373
© Copyright 2020 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc. | https://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/covid-19/repurposing-psychiatry-during-covid/ |
Long-standing COVID patients may experience many of the negative effects on their physical, mental and social well-being that people with other non-COVID diseases experience, new research suggests.
The findings will be published in the peer-reviewed journal on December 1, 2022. JAMA Network OpenBased on comparison between people known to be infected with COVID-19 and people with similar symptoms who test negative for COVID-19. The researchers found that 40% of the COVID-positive group and 54% of the COVID-negative group reported moderate to severe residual symptoms three months after enrollment in the study.
“Many diseases, including COVID, can cause symptoms that negatively affect a person’s well-being months after the initial infection, which is what we’ve seen here,” said Lauren Wisk, assistant professor of medicine in the department of general internal medicine. and healthcare research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “As these changes appear similar for COVID and COVID+ participants, this suggests that the experience of the pandemic and the stress associated with it may play a role in slowing people’s recovery from any illness.”
Wisk noted that the study included both people with and without acute COVID (but with another illness) to examine the impact of COVID on a person’s well-being, again compared to the general population.
“When it comes to well-being, we found that the COVID-positive and COVID-negative groups looked more similar than different, but both had worse health scores than the general population.”
The multisite study was conducted in English and Spanish under the umbrella of INSPIRE (Innovative Support for Patients with a Registry of SARS-CoV-2 Infections), a project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Participating sites include the University of California, Los Angeles; Rush University Medical Center in Chicago; University of California, San Francisco; University of Washington in Seattle; Yale University; UTHalth Houston; University of Southwest Texas; and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
The study’s 1,000 participants were 18 years of age or older, and they were:
- Tested for COVID-19 within 42 days of study enrollment with positive or negative test results and no previous diagnosis of COVID-19;
- Having symptoms known to be associated with COVID-19 at the time of testing, such as cough, fever, headache or fatigue;
- had access to an internet-connected device such as a smartphone, tablet or computer to complete online surveys; and
- She completed an initial questionnaire at enrollment and a follow-up questionnaire three months later asking questions about their physical functioning, anxiety, depression, fatigue, social participation, sleep disturbances, pain interaction, and cognitive function.
Of these participants, 722 (72%) tested positive for COVID and 278 (28%) tested negative.
Overall, those who tested positive for COVID had self-reported physical and mental health symptoms three months after infection, similar to those who contracted other non-COVID diseases during the pandemic. However, the COVID-positive group experienced better improvements in their social well-being than the COVID-negative group.
The study may be limited by the possibility that some of the sickest patients at highest risk for long-term COVID were unable or unwilling to participate; the lack of clarity as to what conditions some symptomatic COVID-negative participants suffered at enrollment, such as bacterial pneumonia or respiratory syncytial virus, makes it difficult to determine whether these individuals would have had more or less severe self-reported outcomes; the fact that participants were recruited from December 2020 to September 2021 makes the findings potentially unapplicable for subsequent COVID variants; and that COVID-19 tests are sometimes inaccurate. Finally, the health status of the participants was evaluated 3 months after their first illness; Many diseases take time to heal, and comparing improvements in symptoms over a longer period of time will be essential for a meaningful understanding of the long COVID.
Still, the findings highlight the importance of comparing COVID-positive and COVID-negative people to assess the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the population. D., co-senior author of the paper and professor of medicine in the research division of general internal medicine and health care at the David Geffen School. “Most other studies on long-term COVID do not have such a control group,” said Joann Elmore. Medicine at UCLA.
“Researchers and doctors now better understand the well-being implications for COVID-19 as a result of this study,” said Elmore, who is also principal investigator at the UCLA site. “The findings highlight the potential widespread impact of the pandemic on our overall health, including the highly recognized physical effects as well as the emotional, social and mental aspects that are less followed.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (75D30120C08008) funded this research.
UCLA researchers Lauren Wisk (first author) and Dr. In addition to Joann Elmore (senior author), additional study authors on this article are co-senior author Dr. Graham Nichol, Dr. Kelli O’Laughlin, Dr. It’s Nicole. Gentile and Jill Anderson of the University of Washington; Rush University’s Dr. Michael Gottlieb, Katherine Koo and Dr. Robert Weinstein; Yale University’s Dr. Erica Spatz, Huihui Yu, Zhenqiu Lin, and Dr. Arjun Venkatesh; UC San Francisco’s Dr. Ralph Wang and Dr. Juan Carlos Montoy; Thomas Jefferson University’s Dr. Benjamin Slovis and Dr. Anna-Marie Chang; Sharon Saydah, Ian Plumb, and Jin-Mann Lin of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; At the University of Southwest Texas, Dr. Samuel McDonald and Dr. Ahamed Idris; University of Texas Houston’s Dr. Ryan Huebinger and Mandy Hill; and Tendo Systems’ Dr. Bala Hota. | https://nayemleon.com/researchers-say-pandemic-related-stress-and-depression-slows-recovery-from-long-term-covid-among-other-illnesses-sciencedaily/ |
Depression, fatigue, and reduced physical quality of life are among the factors that limit young cancer survivors’ ability to work, according to a Norwegian study.
Side effects of treatment can last for months or years, making the challenge of working more daunting, researchers said. They also reported that Non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivors were more likely to find it difficult to work than melanoma survivors.
Researchers presented their findings at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Madrid, Spain, Sept. 8-12. The presentation was titled “Factors associated with reduced work ability in a nationwide cohort of long-term cancer survivors treated in young adulthood (19-39 years) — the NOR-CAYACS study.”
The NOR-CAYACS study dealt with the challenges that people 19 to 39 years old face when trying to work after surviving cancer. It covered people in the Cancer Registry of Norway who were diagnosed between 1985 and 2009 and who were alive in September 2015. Their cancers included melanoma, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia.
Researchers asked the 1,198 participants to complete a survey aimed at discovering associations between patients’ treatment and ability to work. The survey was the international Work Ability Index. On each question, participants were asked to score their ability to work on a scale of zero to 10, with zero being unable to work and 10 having a very high ability to work.
The lowest scores were associated with lymphedema, fatigue, or depression, poorer overall health, reduced physical quality of life, lower levels of education, and gender: More woman were represented in the lowest-scores category. Lymphedema, a condition characterized by swelling in the arms or legs, is usually a consequence of removing or damaging lymph nodes.
Sixty percent of the participants had full-time jobs. Their average age was 49, and on average, 13 years had passed since their cancer treatment.
“Around 80% of young people with cancer can be cured, but the treatments are intensive and two-thirds of survivors have long-term physical and psychological consequences,” Gilles Vassal, past president of the European Society for Pediatric Oncology, said in a press release. “This study shows that the psychological and somatic [physical] effects of treatment are associated with reduced work ability, rather than the cancer itself.
“Young cancer survivors should be informed about potential toxicities and monitored to minimize the severity of long-term” effects, he added. “Prospective clinical trials are needed to find treatments that lower the risk of late toxicity without jeopardizing the probability of cure.”
In related findings, another presentation at the Madrid conference revealed that 67 percent of healthcare providers treating adolescents and young adults with cancer in Europe have no access to specialized centers. This means that the patients have limited to no access to professional psychological support.
“These patients have specific needs that are not covered by pediatric or general oncology [cancer] centers or classical medical oncology centers, and this survey shows that most do not have access to the recommended special care,” Vassal said. “Countries without these services can look at existing examples – such as in the UK and France – to build teams equipped to improve survival and survivorship for adolescents and young adults with cancer.”
Researchers published the study’s finding in ESMO Open under the title “The care of adolescents and young adults with cancer: results of the ESMO/SIOPE survey.” Because ESMO Open is an open-access journal, anyone interested in reading the article can access it by clicking on the title link.
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A new study in the Lancet journal examining suicides during the early phase of the Covid-19 outbreak in multiple countries has found that numbers largely remained unchanged or declined in the pandemic’s early months.
The authors, including UCC Professor of Public Mental Health and Chief Scientist with the National Suicide Research Foundation, Ella Arensman, note that – while this study provides the best available evidence on the pandemic’s effects on suicide so far – it only provides a snapshot of the first few months of the pandemic and effects on suicide might not necessarily occur immediately.
Lead author, Professor Jane Pirkis, Director of the Centre for Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, Australia, says we need to continue to monitor the data and be alert to any increases in suicide, particularly as the pandemic’s full economic consequences emerge.
“Policymakers should recognise the importance of high-quality, timely data to support suicide prevention efforts, and should work to mitigate suicide risk factors associated with COVID-19, such as the heightened levels of stress and financial difficulties that some people may experience as a result of the pandemic. Increasing mental health services and suicide prevention programmes, and providing financial safety nets may help to prevent the possible longer-term detrimental effects of the pandemic on suicide.”
Remain vigilant
Prof Arensman said this study underlines the importance of prioritising access to real-time suicide mortality data at national level in Ireland.
She said whilst in most of the countries in this study there were no indications of an increase in suicide during COVID-19 wave 1, we have to remain vigilant.
Evidence from previous epidemics and pandemics has shown long-term negative impacts on mental health and suicidal behaviour,
“Evidence from previous epidemics and pandemics has shown long-term negative impacts on mental health and suicidal behaviour," she said.
Professor Arensman says it is likely that mental health effects of the pandemic will vary between and within countries, and over time, depending on factors such as the extent of the pandemic, the public health measures used to control it, the capacity of existing mental health services, and the strength of the economy to support those whose livelihoods are affected by the pandemic.
Few studies have examined the effects of any widespread infectious disease outbreaks on suicide.
30 countries
The new study included around 70 authors from 30 countries who are members of the International Covid-19 Suicide Prevention Research Collaboration (ICSPRC), which was created to share knowledge about the impact of the pandemic on suicide and suicidal behaviour, and advise on ways to mitigate any risks.
The study used real-time suicide data obtained from official government sources to determine whether trends in monthly suicide counts changed after the pandemic began.
They compared numbers of monthly suicides before Covid-19 (estimated using modelling of available data from at least January 1st 2019 to March 31st 2020, and in some cases ranging from January 1st 2016) with numbers observed in the early months of the pandemic (from April 1st 2020 to July 31st 2020) to determine how suicide trends changed during the pandemic.
The study included 21 countries and regions (16 high-income, and 5 upper-middle-income), including whole-country data in 10 countries and data for 25 specific areas in 11 countries.
Decrease
The authors found no evidence of an increase in suicide numbers in the early months of the pandemic in any of the countries included. In 12 areas there was evidence of a decrease in suicide, compared to the expected numbers.
The authors note that their findings could be explained by some of the steps that governments took in the various countries.
For example, in many countries mental health services were increased or adapted to mitigate the potential impact of lockdown measures on mental health and suicide.
Similarly, fiscal measures were put in place to buffer the financial hardship experienced by people who lost jobs or had to close their businesses as a result of stay at home orders.
They also note that the pandemic might have heightened some factors that are known to protect against suicide (such as community support of vulnerable individuals, new ways of connecting with others online, and strengthened relationships through households spending more time together), a beneficial collective feeling of ‘being in it together’, as well as a reduction in everyday stresses for some people.
Professor Pirkis says many countries in the study put in place additional mental health supports and financial safety nets, both of which might have buffered any early adverse effects of the pandemic. “There is a need to ensure that efforts that might have kept suicide rates down until now are continued, and to remain vigilant as the longer-term mental health and economic consequences of the pandemic unfold. The effect of the pandemic on suicide might vary over time and be different for different groups in the population.”
The authors note that their study did not include low or lower-middle-income countries, which account for 46% of the world’s suicides and might have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic.
Lower income countries
They say that there are some concerning signs that the pandemic might be adversely affecting suicide rates in these countries, but that it is difficult to verify as very few of these countries have good quality death registration systems and fewer collect real-time suicide data.
In addition, they note that data quality for all countries may have been less reliable if the pandemic disrupted data collection processes, but that sensitivity analyses to test for this in their study yielded similar results.
They also highlight that their data does not explore the association between the pandemic and suicide in different age groups, for males versus females, or for people of different ethnicities.
It also does not explore the effects of various public health measures to contain the pandemic or economic support packages on suicide patterns. The authors have plans to study this in future research.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can freephone the Samaritans 24 hours a day for confidential support at 116 123 or email [email protected].
You can also freephone the national Bereavement Support Line run by the HSE and Irish Hospice Foundation at 1800 80 70 77 (Monday-Friday 10am-1pm), and the contact information for a range of mental health supports is available at https://www.mentalhealthireland.ie/get-support/.
In the case of an emergency, or if you or someone you know is at risk of suicide or self-harm, dial 999/112. | https://www.echolive.ie/test-rss-echo/arid-40265342.html |
Half a century ago it was typical when people, having completed their education, worked at one factory/company/public institution their entire life. In today’s world, however, jobs quickly disappear in entire fields or occupations, while the knowledge and skills that will be demanded in the future are difficult to predict.
Any of us may become unemployed. However, young people who rarely have much experience and savings – “a cushion” to survive during hard times – are one of the most vulnerable groups of population heavily affected by unemployment.
In 2015, the level of unemployment among young people aged 15-29 in Ukraine accounted for 15.5% compared to 9.1% among the entire population (diagram 1). The global economic crisis which started in 2008 had stimulated further increases in youth unemployment: in some European countries, such as Spain and Greece, the level of youth unemployment reached 55-60% (diagram 2).
Loss of employment or inability to get a permanent full-time job creates a number of short-term problems – stress, income loss, loss of habitual social status, and, as a consequence, deterioration of mental and physical health and well-being. Thus, Diagram 3 shows that the proportion of unhappy people is higher among the unemployed than among those employed: the ratio is 1.5 in Ukraine compared to 2 in the EU.
Why Countries Fear Unemployment
Unemployment is not someone else’s problem; it bears a negative impact on all members of the society. For example, long periods characterized by high level of unemployment have significant negative consequences for the economy and the society in general. It is clear that unemployed people have lower income which they spend on the necessities only, which stifles business development and slows down the country’s economic growth. Moreover, faced with the overall high unemployment rate, even those employed spend less, since they fear losing their job at any time and want to save money for the rainy day. Not so direct, yet no less important consequences are connected with the growth of crime rate, divorce, social orphanhood, suicides, as well as a decrease in public trust or even outbreak of political crises and social upheavals.
Wider Research
Are there any conditions which mitigate or exacerbate the negative impact of unemployment on individuals? Are these consequences long-term or short-term? Do they disappear in good times or after the problems with unemployment are settled?
The answers to these questions can determine design of governmental policies or programs which may help not only to prevent unemployment and create conditions for a rapid transition to employment, but also to mitigate its consequences for the people who lost their jobs.
The international project EXCEPT implemented by the consortium uniting ten research institutions from nine European countries, among which Kyiv Economic Institute (at KSE) studies the situation of the youth in the job market and the risks of social exclusion. The project combines quantitative and qualitative methods of research to identify general patterns, understand why young people are vulnerable in the job market, and analyze effectiveness of available policies and individual strategies of overcoming hardships in the job market.
Among other things, EXCEPT focuses on the impact of employment on health and well-being, transition to independence from one’s parents, and the risks of poverty.
The consequences of unemployment receive extensive coverage in the economic and sociological literature. However, little is known about the situation when a person loses his/her job at a young age or becomes unemployed immediately after finishing his/her education, without any work experience whatsoever. Transition from education to employment is an important stage of personal development from the viewpoint of developmental psychology, and for many it is also a step towards financial independence (Winefield et al. 1993). Therefore, unemployment during this period might have considerable long-lasting negative consequences. Young people who are unemployed have a greater risk of unemployment at an older age, as well (Gregg P. 2001). Moreover, it is harder for young people to find a job if they have no work experience or connections acquired throughout their career. And young people typically have less resources to cope with the consequences of unemployment.
The researchers of the EXCEPT project study the impact of unemployment on one’s entire life in order to differentiate short- and long-term consequences. The idea of this research is based on the concept of latent functions of employment (Jahoda 1981): apart from direct income, employment provides status, self-identification, regular activity, and participation in collective purposes. Therefore, unemployment not only reduces income, but also bears a negative impact on health, satisfaction with life, etc. This helps to answer the question of whether unemployment is an ordinary aspect of life which one can overcome easily and quickly or does it really leave its imprint for a long time or even for an entire life?
Unemployment is Bad for Your Health
The results of the research show that in Ukraine and most EU countries the level of health and well-being among the unemployed youth is lower compared to their employed peers. The immediate impact is significant: unemployment reduces the level of happiness and satisfaction with life and bears a negative impact on health. Permanent growth of unemployment and slow macroeconomic development (or recession) exacerbates the negative impact of personal experience of unemployment on health, while the short-term economic downturns have little consequences. Education is an important factor in mitigating the effects of unemployment: the effect on well-being becomes less negative in countries with a less stratified education system, higher proportion of people with higher education, and wider opportunities for a “second chance” in obtaining higher education.
Research of the long-term impact of unemployment based on the European data shows that unemployment experienced at a young age continues to bear a negative impact on one’s health and well-being even after 20-35 years. Both short- and long-term effects are greater for men. The model of a man as a family provider is still valid, as proved by the research of both those aged 50+ and younger cohorts. At the same time, husband’s unemployment has a negative impact equivalent to the loss of 2,5 years of life on the health of not only the unemployed man himself, but also on that of his wife. The impact is one-way only: the wife’s unemployment bears no impact on her husband’s health.
The negative impact of unemployment on the level of happiness depends on the place of work on the scale of human values. If employment occupies an important place among the life priorities, the negative effect increases by 60%. In this case, the impact of unemployment on the level of happiness is close in scale to the impact of a serious illness of one of the family members.
The negative impact of unemployment can have a number of channels. One of them is behavioral change which affects health. The study, conducted on the basis of the Ukrainian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey for 2003, 2004 and 2007, has focused on the loss of employment due to economic hardships and mass restructuring of the economy in the 1990s. The effect was measured in 10-15 years after the actual loss of employment. The results indicate that job loss at any age affects the dynamics of health in men – in middle age they are less healthy than those who did not lose their jobs, and they are also more likely to start smoking, which is directly connected with the cardio-vascular diseases – the leading cause of death in Ukraine. Moreover, if a person loses his/her job at a young age (14-35), this leads to a greater consumption of alcohol with age among men, while women become less physically active.
Young People with Employment Issues in Ukraine
Forty in-depth interviews with the young people who have troubles with unemployment were conducted in 2016 within the EXCEPT project (the data has not been published yet). The results of the survey prove that instability in the job market bears a negative impact on the health of youth.
Financial insecurity encourages young people to take up jobs with poor working conditions, which negatively affects their physical health (fatigue, injuries, exacerbation of chronic diseases). In addition, a lack of (decent) work, precarious employment (informal, part-time or seasonal work), financial insecurity, “moonlighting” on low-skilled positions create psychological preconditions for alcohol abuse. Finally, poverty, which is also linked to unemployment, creates obstacles to health improvement, even for those not prone to bad habits. Unemployment, unstable situation in the labor market, economic insecurity, and low wages are also the reasons why some young families delay having children.
The participants of the survey were more eager to blame “the state”, “the economy” or other persons for their difficulties with employment. They are frustrated and disheartened. Many of them do not know what they want to do with their life, while those who know lack courage, will, and decisiveness to make the first step towards their goal.
So Is Unemployment a Permanent Scar or a Temporary Blemish for a Young Person?
The research results show that youth unemployment is not a minor issue and has real short- and long-term negative consequences. Accordingly, it requires close attention on the part of the authorities responsible for the formation and implementation of youth policy, including the policy of employment. An effective governmental employment policy is one of the key strategies to overcome the negative effects of unemployment and precarious employment among young people in Ukraine.
The EXCEPT team has presented and discussed the results of the research in the higher education establishments of Mykolayiv, Cherkasy and Kyiv. The students who took part in the discussions said that they would like the government to take the following action:
- to provide consultations and psychological support, in particular, through sharing the “success stories”;
- to upgrade governmental employment centers;
- to provide more information about the vacancies (e.g. to merge the databases of the local employment centers into an all-Ukrainian vacancy database);
- to improve financial and legal competencies;
- to provide more opportunities for professional training and combination of education and employment (in particular, by introducing flexible schedule of studies).
The young people suggested optimizing the work of the employment centers, in particular, through cooperation with private businesses, not only state-owned enterprises, and to launch a system of employment of young people for a fixed period of time after graduating from the university to gain work experience.
However, the students noted that the results largely depend on their own efforts. Another important factor in the overcoming of the negative consequences of youth instability and insecurity in the labor market – apart from public policy – is personal initiative and community support. Young people named the following tools for fighting unemployment and its consequences: greater geographic and job mobility, entrepreneurial initiative, volunteering, and personal development. It is important not to despair and to seek support from friends. Young people would like their families to encourage their independence and to support their personal choice.
Transition from education to employment is an important stage in human formation. Unemployment of young people during this period is not a minor issue; it has long-term consequences for health and well-being and may bring deep scars for life. The unemployed youth should be supported by their families, communities, and government, as it helps to prevent disappointment and waste of the potential of young people who found themselves in difficult circumstances. | https://voxukraine.org/en/youth-unemployment-small-matter-or-verdict/ |
The ongoing coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic hails plenty of containment measures, such as lockdown, physical distancing, quarantine, and isolation. Together, these measures in general have been exerting a detrimental impact on global mental health. Thus, tackling this psychological impact is a top priority. To date, since December 2019, many studies in different countries have been conducted to mount these impacts, including acute stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorders. We reviewed current literature on COVID-19 to evaluate its impact on mental health according to age, physical condition (i.e., pregnancy, prior chronic disorders, previous mental disorders), period, social stigma. Particularly, we put a special focus on the psychological reactions during the stages of this pandemic among the general and affected population. Perceiving the pathophysiology of mental health impacts of COVID-19, their risk factors, and their outcomes in society (e.g., suicide, domestic violence, and subsequent mental health problems) will have tremendous value to direct the management strategy and tailor interventions.
Keywords
COVID-19; Global mental health; Frontline workers; Lockdown; Anxiety; Suicide; Domestic violence
COVID-19 articles; Global mental health articles; Frontline workers articles; Lockdown articles; Anxiety articles; Suicide articles; Domestic violence articles
Article Details
Categories:
Psychiatry; Psychology; Public Health
1. Introduction
The SARS-CoV-2, also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, had its first outbreak in Wuhan, China in December, 2019 and has rapidly spread throughout the entire world. In March 2020, the World Health Organization called this outbreak a pandemic, and the United States (US) declared the outbreak as a national emergency, with New York City as its epicenter . This tragic occurrence and such immense loss of valuable lives have definitely created fear and anxiety among the general population. As a result, multiple regulations and rules have been implemented to protect the nations from the contagious coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).
The imposed rules were majorly recommendations for all individuals to follow in their daily life, which brought about a tremendous psychosocial impact and added more to the pre-existing stress. Measures such as lockdown, limited gathering, social distancing, and wearing masks almost all the time in public have changed the entire infrastructure of many nations . Some individuals are essential workers and have had to manage the risk of being infected with COVID-19, while others have had to work from home. Moreover, many people have also lost their jobs due to economic loss and shut down of several industries and facilities.
It has been nearly 6 months, dealing with COVID-19 and its physical, social, and mental effects. Some of its consequences and issues have been addressed, while many problems are presently dealt with through trial and error and others are still evolving . While people are coping up with the new norm, many research studies have been conducted on the impacts of COVID-19 on mental health and its psychosocial effects on various societies, essential workers, and different age groups in different countries . In our study, we have reviewed the current literature on COVID-19 with a special focus on the most common psychological effects of COVID-19 which are still prevailing to date. The findings of our study would provide future researchers with insights into mental health challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Background
The COVID-19 outbreak has warranted a significant influence on our mental health. Hence, monitoring and tackling this issue is a top priority. It is essential to protect our mental health and develop appropriate interventions to preserve our psychological health during this global pandemic crisis. Along with different measures to contain the rapid spread of COVID-19, immediate attention to taking care of mental health is our urgent call now. Our study is aimed to analyze the existing literature on COVID-19 and to outline the psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Epidemiology
SARS-CoV-2 is the third zoonotic coronavirus, after Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), that seems to have major pandemic potential. At the end of 2019, a cluster of pneumonia cases caused by unknown origin was divulged at Wuhan City of Hubei Province in China. After Wuhan, the disease rapidly spreads throughout the whole of China and later to other parts of the world. People contracting COVID-19 have been experiencing a wide variety of mental issues starting from unusual acute stress, generalized anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, panic attack, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to a wide spectrum of emotional disturbance. In addition to social and demographic attributes, pre-morbid physical and mental health conditions, and access to health communication, different coping mechanisms and top of that psychosocial support are closely related to it .
4. Pathophysiology
To this date, various pathological entities have been explored by researchers to explain the psychiatric effects of COVID-19. These effects are being compared to previous psychiatric effects experienced by SARS or MERS patients . Several studies conducted on patients affected by the acute phase of SARS and MERS infection showed increased stress levels with signs of major depressive disorder, anxiety, PTSD, and psychoses with suicidal behavior. Long-term follow up on SARS patients also demonstrated persistence of memory impairment, sleep disturbance with stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD . Yet, few studies have been carried out to assess the long-term affliction on the mental health status of COVID-19 affected patients. Nevertheless, several factors have been reported to affect the mental health status of COVID-19 patients. These factors include, 1) close involvement with health care, 2) family history or previous history of psychiatric illness, 3) Little to no social support, 4) elderly, 5) isolation due to COVID-19, and 6) use of high-dose steroids .
McCray et al. reported that significant levels of proinflammatory cytokines, particularly IL-1, IL-6, and IFN-γ, affect the CNS of K18-hACE2 transgenic mice infected by SARS-CoV. Cheng et al. , in a case series study conducted in China, proposed that a key mechanism affecting the mental health of the patients is the “Cytokine Storm,” which results in elevated levels of IL-1, IL-6, and IFN-γ through down-regulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2). Down-regulation of ACE2 leads to dysregulation of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system, thus reducing Mas receptors and activating bradykinin and complement levels, including C5-C9 components [10, 11]. In a meta-analysis of 18 studies, Raony et al. have depicted the involvement of intricate neurohormonal networks in developing severe psychiatric disorders. Proinflammatory cytokines that are soluble have been shown to reach the brain and influence the level of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Alteration of these neurotransmitters levels is responsible for several psychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and PTSD . Multiple studies have shown cytokines to be responsible for causing memory deficits , behavioral deficits, and psychological impairment. Individuals with specific biological characteristics, such as obesity, pregnancy, aging, poor nutrition, and sedentary lifestyles, are hypothesized to be more affected by COVID-19 [8, 14, 15]. The effect of down-regulation of hypothalamic ACE-2 levels has also been considered a potential mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 cause hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, leading to increased glucocorticoid production and consequently causing increased stress and psychiatric disturbances .
5. Discussion
COVID-19 has significant impacts on the global population, including the general public, patients and their families, and health-care workers. In this section, we discuss the mental health effect and outcomes of COVID-19 in society. We demonstrate the mental health effects of COVID-19 on the general population according to different age groups (who are affected or not affected by COVID-19), health status, and the duration of effect (long term and short term). Additionally, we shed light on the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of health-care workers. The overall effect upon society also grabs attention in our discussion.
5.1 Mental health effects of COVID-19
5.1.1 Mental health effects on the general population according to different age group
5.1.1.1 On adult (>19 years)
i) Adults who are not infected by COVID-19: Many mental issues and significant consequences regarding mental wellness, including stress, anxiety, depression, frustration, and uncertainty, developed progressively during the outbreak [4, 2]. Generalized fear and pervasive community anxiety are typically associated with the outbreak and expanded with heightening of new cases. Mass quarantine and inadequate, anxiety-provoking information provided by the media have played a key role in developing such fear and anxiety . Studies reported a higher incidence of various psychological symptoms as psychological responses to quarantine, social isolation, financial security, and being at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 [4, 2, 17, 18]. The reported psychological symptoms involve emotional disturbance, mood alterations, irritability, post-traumatic stress symptoms, anger, fear, insomnia, confusion, grief, and numbness. A recent review by Luo et al. showed that social distancing and loneliness are strongly correlated with depression and stress. Also, populations with worse health or social inequality are more vulnerable to the psychological distress of COVID-19 . Ustun , in a cross-sectional study in Turkey, found that depression levels in female participants (aged 18–29 years, single, student, and had income lower than their expenses) were higher than others. Moreover, participants who had to change their place of residence during the COVID-19 quarantine suffered from loneliness, death anxiety, hopelessness, and sleep disturbances, felt useless and worthless, started to smoke and drink alcohol, and experienced depression at moderate levels (Table.1). An online survey performed during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia also proved the association between these psychological symptoms and the COVID-19 measures (Table.1). In India, Verma and Mishra , in their cross-sectional survey, revealed that the average score of DASS-21 (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21) was 8.39 for depression subscale, 6.53 for anxiety subscale, and 8.83 for stress subscale . Almost one-fourth (25.1%) of the participants were depressed, 99 participants (28%) were anxious, and 41 (11.6%) were stressed over the period (Table.1). Vindegaard and Benros found that the overall general population had lower mental prosperity and higher levels of anxiety and depression as compared to before the outbreak. There was, however, no change in these manifestations after a month from the initial phase of the outbreak. In the study of Wang et al. , respondents reported higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Nonetheless, Wang et al. argued that accurate COVID-19 information and preventative measures such as wearing masks, regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms, were correlated with decreased levels of anxiety and depression (Table.1).
ii) Adults who are infected by COVID-19: Luo et al. conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on studies evaluating the psychological and mental impact of COVID-19 from November 1, 2019, to May 25, 2020, as well as WHO COVID-19 database to evaluate the psychological impacts of COVID-19 . Their findings showed that the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms/disorders among patients with COVID-19 was the higher than that reported in health-care workers and the general public (prevalence ranged 3% [2%-4%] to 16% [15%-17%]) . The Italian “COVID-IT-mental health trial,” conducted by Giallonardo et al. , reflected that the effects of COVID-19 on the emotional wellbeing of isolated patients (directly or indirectly exposed to SARS-CoV-2) have been mostly neglected during the acute emergency phase. This has been attributed to the fact that COVID-19 is potentially life-threatening, which has been supported by the increased number of patients admitted to intensive care units. The experience of being isolated in the hospital, the perceived danger, uncertainty about own physical conditions, and the fear of dying alone can be considered risk factors for the advancement of post-traumatic, anxiety, and depressive symptoms . In China, a survey over 285 residents in Wuhan, China revealed the COVID-19 pandemic has had a high commonness of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in COVID-19 positive patients which were 7% . Most importantly, females were commonly experiencing alteration in cognition, mood, and hyper-arousal agitation . Further, Vindegaard and Benros found that COVID-19 patients had high levels of PTSS (96.2%) and depressive symptoms.
5.1.1.2 On children (<18 years) and pregnant women
During the acute phase of the outbreak, there has been an increase in children’s depressive symptoms probably because of serious infections, social distancing measures, reduced access to support services, financial downturn, consequences of anxiety, stress, and violence exposure [25, 26]. Loades et al. reviewed 63 studies with 51, 576 participants (children, adolescents, and young adults) and discovered a reasonable association between loneliness and psychological wellness issues in kids and youths. Loneliness has been also associated with future mental health problems up to nine years later. Loades et al. also explained that loneliness was associated with elevated depression in girls and elevated social anxiety in boys. The length of loneliness is a significant predictor since the period that schools should remain closed is expected to be long and the social distancing within schools would last for extended periods of time . The pilot data shared by the London Hospital suggest that maternal levels of anxiety at the tail end of the pandemic in the UK appear low, with depression levels following a similar pattern. This is likely to be due to increased available information and reassurance through social media, health-care professionals, and primary care [28, 29].
5.1.2 Effect on adults with other chronic disorders
The older adults and those with multimorbidities, poor health status, and no formal education experienced a psychological impact of the outbreak and more significant levels of stress, anxiety, and depression . Social isolation, loneliness, end of life care, and bereavement may be exacerbated in this patient population because of their pre-existing comorbidities [1, 18].
Table 1: Several studies have examined the psychological effect among subjects during the COVID-19 pandemic. The table illustrates a summary of these studies.
5.1.3 COVID-19 effect on individuals with pre-existing mental disorders
In China, during the initial phase of the pandemic, people with mental health disorders were generally more prone to infections for several reasons. First, cognitive impairment, little awareness of risk, diminished efforts regarding personal protection in patients, and confined conditions have increased the risk of infections including pneumonia. Second, once people with mental disorders contracted COVID-19, they could be exposed to more barriers associated with mental ill-health in health-care settings and outpatient visits due to nationwide regulations on travel and quarantine . This hampers accessing timely health services and the comorbidities to COVID-19 make the treatment more challenging for these patients. Third, as people with mental health conditions are highly susceptible to stress than the general population, they could be more substantially influenced by the emotional responses (e.g., fear, anxiety, and depression) brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. These findings indicate relapsing or worsening of an already existing mental health condition [1, 4, 22, 31].
5.1.4 Effect on health-care workers
Health-care workers are more prone to psychiatric morbidities because of dread of getting infected with the virus, having increased risk of exposure and transmission of COVID to their families resulting in isolation [1, 32]. The review found that female nurses have had higher psychological distress compared to men because they are more vulnerable to stress. In China, a cross-sectional study of 1257 health-care workers in 34 hospitals and a review of articles concerning mental health related to COVID-19 found that clinical workers in their fight against COVID-19 have been managing intense pressure due to the high risk of infection and insufficient protection against contamination as well as overwork, frustration, discrimination, isolation, patients with negative, and lack of contact with their families and exhaustion. This enormous pressure has resulted in stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, insomnia, denial, anger, and fear [14, 17]. A study conducted upon a total of 120 surgical medical staff of Baoshan Branch of Shanghai Shuguang Hospital found that the anxiety score of the surgical staff during the outbreak period was significantly higher than that of the surgical staff during the non-outbreak period (t = 6.432, P <0.001) . The depression score of surgical staff during the outbreak was higher than that during the non-outbreak (t = 4.531, P <0.001). At the same time, the dream anxiety score and SF-36 of the surgical staff during the outbreak were significantly higher than that during the non-outbreak (t = 17.365, P <0.001; t = 1.974, P <0.001) . Another study conducted upon health-care workers from two major tertiary institutions in Singapore showed that overall mean DASS-21 and IES-R scores among medical workers were lower than those in the published literature from previous disease outbreaks. The frontline nurses had fundamentally lower vicarious traumatization scores than non-frontline nurses and the general public. There has been a higher prevalence of anxiety among nonmedical health-care workers probably due to insufficient knowledge regarding personal protective equipment and contamination control measures .
5.1.5 Mental health effects of COVID-19 according to duration
Short term effect of COVID-19
A large study of 40,469 patients diagnosed with the COVID-19 infection showed that 22.5% of them expressed neuropsychiatric symptoms, including headache (3.7%), insomnia (3.4%), encephalopathy (2.3%), and depression (3.8%). There were case reports of first-episode psychosis in people with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although the etiology is related to the virus itself, to the stress related to the pandemic, or to the treatment with corticosteroids or hydroxychloroquine, unfavorable mental health outcomes were reported as one of the first signs of the novel coronavirus infection in patients with acute manic episodes. Another paper showed four cases of delirium in older patients, as the only clinical manifestation of the COVID-19 .
The long-term effect of COVID-19
A significant adverse outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic is probably social detachment and loneliness which are firmly connected with long haul mental impact, persistence of memory impairment, sleep disturbance with stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD . Among the health-care workers, these psychological issues not only influence attention, comprehension, and decision-making capacity but also could affect their long-term wellbeing . Long-term behavioral changes such as vigilant handwashing, avoidance of crowds, and the delayed return to normality even after the quarantine were additionally reported .
Our knowledge of biology and long-term clinical outcomes of the SARS-CoV-2 infection is largely limited. Therefore, approaching the pandemic based on lessons learned from previous outbreaks of infectious diseases and biology of other coronaviruses could provide the only available grounds for developing public mental health strategies. Longitudinal studies would also be the basis for further insights into the potential consequences of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 .
6. Outcomes in Society
Psychological responses ranging from panic behavior or collective hysteria to pervasive feelings of hopelessness and desperation are associated with negative consequences in the society including self-harm and suicidal behavior . The risk of suicide may also increase secondary to social distancing, economic stress, barriers to mental health treatment, illness, and medical complications related to COVID-19 . For example, in India, 72 suicide cases from 69 newspaper reports from March 2020 to May 2020 showed most of the suicide cases were males in the age range 19–65 years. Most causal factors reported include COVID-19 infection has been followed by financial crisis, loneliness, COVID-19 work-related stress, social boycott, pressure to be quarantined, lockdown, and unavailability of alcohol [5, 37]. In the UK, the closure of pubs and restaurants due to the pandemic provoked alcohol dependency which is strongly associated with domestic violence. An early feature during the quarantine was an increase in calls to domestic violence charities .
7. Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is an increasing worldwide concern since December 2019. SARS-CoV-2 has a noteworthy psychological impact on the general population. Moreover, it impacts patients with chronic illnesses, mental disorders (especially those with serious mental illness and psychological impedance), and health-care workers. The most common mental issues caused by COVID-19 include anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other findings that were generally consistent with severity. The inconsistency of prevalence of different psychological responses could be due to different methodologies and variations in the study population, profession, disease positivity, female gender, youthful age, and homelessness. Although many of these psychological reactions need further investigation and explanation, a body of evidence supports the connection between psychological instability and the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown, and its financial effect. Researchers are recommended to explore the mental outcomes that influence individuals confronting the COVID-19. Further research should be committed to the improvement of protective, management, rehabilitation strategies to tackle the global wellbeing crisis associated with this pandemic.
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- Thapa SB, Mainali A, Schwank SE, et al. Maternal mental health in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 99 (2020): 817-818.
- Fitzpatrick KM, Harris C, Drawve G. Fear of COVID-19 and the mental health consequences in America. Psychol Trauma 12 (2020): S17-S21.
- Yao H, Chen JH, Xu YF. Patients with mental health disorders in the COVID-19 epidemic. Lancet Psychiatry 7 (2020): e21.
- Tsamakis K, Triantafyllis AS, Tsiptsios D, et al. COVID-19 related stress exacerbates common physical and mental pathologies and affects treatment (Review). Exp Ther Med 20 (2020): 159-162.
- Xu J, Xu QH, Wang CM, et al. Psychological status of surgical staff during the COVID-19 outbreak. Psychiatry Res 288 (2020): 112955.
- Tan BYQ, Chew NWS, Lee GKH, et al. Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers in Singapore. Ann Intern Med 173 (2020): 317-320.
- Szczesniak D, Gladka A, Misiak B, et al. The SARS-CoV-2 and mental health: From biological mechanisms to social consequences. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 104 (2020): 110046.
- Reger MA, Stanley IH, Joiner TE. Suicide mortality and Coronavirus Disease 2019-A perfect storm? JAMA Psychiatry (2020).
- Gunnell D, Appleby L, Arensman E, et al. Suicide risk and prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lancet Psychiatry 7 (2020): 468-471.
- Finlay I, Gilmore I. Covid-19 and alcohol-a dangerous cocktail. BMJ 369 (2020): m1987. | https://www.fortunejournals.com/articles/covid19-embracing-mental-health-upshot-from-the-coronavirus-pandemic-crisis.html |
Sign in: Staff/Students
The first phase of a new University of Liverpool research study to help assess the impact of COVID19 on mental health and wellbeing in the UK has seen more than 600 people respond to the request for participants.
Researchers, based at the University’s Institute of Life and Human Sciences, launched the study to explore the behavioural and emotional consequences that the COVID19 outbreak, and the associated restrictions on people’s social interactions, are having on adults living in the UK.
Participants completed an online survey. The research team aims to track changes across time by giving participants the opportunity to take part in an additional round of data collection due to commence in the coming weeks.
Promoting better understanding
It is anticipated that this research will help to promote better understanding of the impact that pandemics, and nationwide responses to pandemics, can have on mental health and wellbeing during and after the crisis. This will be helpful for government departments, clinical services and community-based sources of support in planning how best to support the population during future pandemics.
The study will also contribute to efforts aimed at promoting understanding amongst the public about what factors can be protective in mitigating the mental health and wellbeing impacts of public health emergencies.
Psychosocial impact
Dr Ross White, said: “With all of the uncertainty and upheaval that the COVID19 outbreak has brought, there is a need for research to be conducted to understand the impact that the outbreak is having on people’s mental health and wellbeing. Our study is part of a wider programme of important research being undertaken into COVID19 by researchers based at the University of Liverpool.”
Catharina van der Boor, said: “As the COVID19 pandemic continues to spread, it is important to consider what the long-term mental and psychosocial impact will be. The research we are conducting will help shed light on the impact of this public health emergency over time and will develop our understanding of important protective factors for well-being.”
The findings of the first round of data collection are being prepared for publication in academic journals.
At this time no further participants are required for the study.
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We're thrilled to announce the launch of the world's first Masters in The Beatles, Music Industry and Heritage. 👏🎵
Find out more here ➡️ https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2021/02/24/world-first-masters-in-the-beatles-music-industry-and-heritage-launched/
Research by @livuniplanning into housing needs in Scotland has resulted in the investment of £3.4billion into affordable new homes by the Scottish Government ➡️https://bit.ly/3bynB5H
The #COVID19 pandemic has had negative impacts on many, including women in research. Sarah Arrowsmith, Postdoctoral Research Associate at @livuniITM, writes about the struggles of juggling being an academic and parent, and what's being done to help. | https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2020/04/21/over-600-people-help-with-new-university-covid-19-mental-health-study/ |
Homeowners can suffer ruinous financial damage when their home or businesses undergoes massive property damage during a hurricane. However, a recent study reveals that the harm often extends beyond property damage. The “Sandy Child and Family Health Study,” which was released in late July, 2015 examined mental health consequences suffered by homeowners struggling with insurance claims following Superstorm Sandy. The authors of the study reveal that property owners with pending disputed claims, recurrent mold problems, and uncompleted repairs exhibit post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD), depression, and other forms of mental health distress at higher than typical rates.
The researchers analyzed data involving New Jersey homeowners whose primary residences were badly damaged during Superstorm Sandy. The report indicates that 27 percent of the storm survivors suffer from moderate to severe mental health issues even though over 2.5 years have passed. Similarly, approximately 14 percent of policyholders in the study continue to experience telltale symptoms of PTSD.
The study reported in a recent edition of the Insurance Journal constitutes a collaboration among researchers from four universities: Colorado University, Columbia University, New York University, and Rutgers University. The research team deployed dozens of interviewers to conduct surveys. The representative population of the study involved a million New Jersey homeowners in the heart of the devastating storm. The results were obtained by conducting surveys of 1,000 random homeowners who have unresolved claims or pending work to be performed. Policyholders selected for participation were taken from the nine counties within the “disaster footprint” that were hardest hit by Sandy.
The long-term impact of these claims on the financial status, mental health, and physical well-being of survey participants includes the following:
- Many families with homes that were decimated lacked sufficient funds to cover basic necessities, including rent or mortgage, utility payments, food, and transportation.
- Public officials urged homeowners to evacuate prior to Sandy, but only one in three residents heeded the warning.
- Kids in homes damaged by Sandy exhibited a higher risk for mental health disorders than children living in homes unaffected by the storm.
- The study found a high correlation between lingering mold damage and asthma accompanied by “mental health distress.”
- Children living in mildly damaged homes suffered more severe mental health consequences than those unaffected by the storm, including the following: (1) eight times greater risk of insomnia; (2) five times greater risk of suffering from depression or chronic sadness; and five times as likely to experience nervousness.
It might be tempting to assume the impact of Sandy on policyholders’ psychological wellness is entirely linked to stress about the storm rather than the lack of progress in resolving insurance claims. However, a particular finding related to children involved in the survey suggests that the lack of progress is responsible for the mental health consequences on study participants. The relevant counter-intuitive finding was that children in homes, which suffered only minor damage, were much more likely to suffer negative mental health conditions than those in homes that experienced major damage. The researchers posit that the explanation for this anomaly is that homes that are destroyed or badly damaged are more likely to have repairs performed promptly than those with homes that only have cosmetic or other minor damage.
The objective of the study was to assess the relationship between property damage in mass disasters and related unresolved insurance claims as a trigger for mental health disorders or conditions. The assumption is that a better understanding of such a relationship will permit government entities to more effectively plan and meet the needs of disaster victims. As a result of the study, the New Jersey Department of Health recently extended programs for behavioral health assistance.
The Sandy study reinforces findings about the mental health needs of individuals and families from a similar five year study involving policyholders impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The leading researcher involved in the Sandy study explained, “The similarities between Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy are quite disturbing. Many adults and children are still experiencing emotional and psychological effects long after the storms have passed. In a significant number of instances, housing damage is at the heart of the problem, and it’s concerning to hear that so many of the federally-financed programs have ended even though the needs still clearly persist.”
Many policyholders whose homes are badly damaged by catastrophes never consider the impact on their emotional health or their need for mental health services as a legitimate form of loss. However, this is a genuine type of loss that accompanies damage to a policyholder’s home. If insurance companies drag their feet during the process of investigating and paying claims, the mental health impact of dealing with an unresolved claim and unrepaired damage can be intensified.
You can reach Miami Insurance Claims Lawyer J.P. Gonzalez-Sirgo by dialing his direct number at (786) 272-5841, calling the main office at (305) 461-1095, or Toll Free at 1 (866) 71-CLAIM or email Attorney Gonzalez-Sirgo directly at [email protected]. | https://www.jpgonzalez-sirgo.com/blog/insurance-carrier-s-handling-of-hurricane-damage-can-cause-mental-health-problems.cfm |
Authors:
Emma Gorman, Colm Harmon, Silvia Mendolia, Anita Staneva, and Ian Walker.
Non-Technical Summary:
Bullying is widespread in schools, and is an important policy issue because of concern that being bullied may lead to long-lasting problems: low self-esteem, mental health conditions and poorer job prospects. Many studies document a negative correlation between bullying and later outcomes. However, there is little evidence available on whether being bullied causes poorer outcomes, and if so, how bad the impacts are. Similarly, there is little evidence about the effects of different types and frequencies of bullying. This study fills this gap by providing new evidence on the consequences of being bullied in high schools in England.
The researchers used confidential data on over 7,000 school pupils from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, aged between 14 and 16 years. The data contained information on how frequently the children were bullied, and what type of bullying they experienced. Examples include being called names, being excluded from social groups, being threatened with violence, experiencing violence, and having their possessions taken off them. This information was reported by both the child and parent, so the researchers could gain a detailed picture of the patterns of bullying. To specifically isolate the effects of being bullied on later outcomes, rather than other factors, the researchers compared the outcomes from young people who had the same background characteristics, including performance in test scores in primary school, social background, demographics, and parental attributes.
The key findings of this study show that bullying is common in schools, with about 50% of pupils reporting experiencing any type of bullying between ages 14 and 16 years. Further, experiencing bullying of any kind has negative consequences for academic achievement in schools, with findings suggesting that being bullied reduced the probability of success in age 16 high stakes exam by about 10% and reduced the probability of staying in education past 16 years old by 10%. Importantly, these negative effects are persistent, having negative impact on outcomes measured at age 25 years. Indeed, being bullied in school increased the probability of being unemployed at age 25 years by about 30%; reduced income by about 2%; and had a large negative impact on mental health. The researchers also found suggestive evidence showing that, while all types of bullying have negative consequences, persistent bullying and violent bullying had greater negative impacts than less frequent or non-violent bullying.
Overall, these findings suggest that being bullied in school has negative impact on important academic and long-term outcomes, especially unemployment, income and mental ill-health. These effects are more pronounced among the pupils experiencing persistent bullying, or violent types of bullying. The findings suggest that a targeted approach to reduce more extreme forms of bullying may be warranted. | https://www.lifecoursecentre.org.au/research/journal-articles/working-paper-series/the-causal-effects-of-adolescent-school-bullying-victimisation-on-later-life-outcomes/ |
The authors found that Latino offenders’ social networks are small, consisting primarily of family and professionals such as treatment providers and probation officers, and that supportive relationships with nonprofessionals and treatment providers was related to lower likelihood of missing treatment appointments.
Gender Matters: An Introduction to the Special Issues on Women and Girls
- Law
- 2016
Abstract Girls and women represent a minority of forensic mental health and prison populations. However, studies worldwide suggest that there has been a steady increase in the number of girls and…
Expanding the Feminist Pathways Perspective beyond the United States: A Profile of Federal Women Prisoners in Argentina
- Law
- 2018
A large body of knowledge within the criminological discipline has demonstrated that women and girls have distinct social and psychological risk factors that contribute to both their initial onset,…
Female offending and the question of gender specificity
- Psychology
- 2014
This thesis aims to present an examination of the issue of gender specificity and how it applies to understanding female offending. For several decades, a debate has existed in the literature between…
Women Who Commit Sexual Offences and Their Trauma-Informed Care
- PsychologySexual Crime and Trauma
- 2020
Knowledge about women who have committed sexual offences is developing and attitudes continue to change. There is a growing recognition of the prevalence of trauma in the lives of women in…
“The Traps Started During My Childhood”: The Role of Substance Abuse in Women’s Responses to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
- PsychologyJournal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma
- 2019
ABSTRACT The gendered pathways perspective seeks to identify the biological, psychological, and social realities that lead to women’s law-breaking behavior. Prior research in this area demonstrates…
Does Polyvictimization Affect Incarcerated and Non-Incarcerated Adult Women Differently? An Exploration Into Internalizing Problems
- Psychology, LawJournal of interpersonal violence
- 2017
Results indicate that incarcerated women experience significantly more victimization than non-incarcerated women, and while polyvictimization was associated with a higher likelihood of alcohol problems, drug problems, and attempted suicide among non-INC incarcerated women, it was only marginally associated with an increased likelihood ofalcohol problems among incarcerated women.
Music therapy for improving mental health problems of offenders in correctional settings: systematic review and meta-analysis
- Psychology, Medicine
- 2016
Music therapy may be helpful for offenders to improve mental health and future studies should consider including offenders of both genders, using larger sample sizes, and examining long-term effects.
Comparison of Mindfulness With and Without Practice Among Women in Custody
- Psychology
- 2020
This study aimed to explore the effects of standardized mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and MBCT training without practice on the negative mood of women in custody. Eighty participants…
The Nexus Between Females Who Kill and HIV/AIDS: Exploring the Contributing Factors to This Complex Phenomenon
- PsychologyJournal of Asian and African Studies
- 2022
This qualitative, phenomenological study explored four incarcerated adult females’ experiences that contributed to their human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) status and acts of murder. The…
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Comparative analysis of the relative victimization of 1,030 adult male prisoners and 500 adult female prisoners in Texas reveals significant gender differences in childhood and adult maltreatment and…
Offenders’ experiences of violence: A comparison of male and female inmates as victims
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Criminologists emphasize the role of violent victimization as both cause and consequence of female crime; this seems less true in research on male offenders. Few gender comparisons of offenders’…
Childhood trauma and women's health outcomes in a California prison population.
- Medicine, PsychologyAmerican journal of public health
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There is a need for early prevention and intervention, and appropriate trauma treatment, within correctional treatment settings, for incarcerated women in substance abuse treatment.
Childhood Adverse Events and Current Traumatic Distress
- Psychology, Medicine
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The impact of CAEs on traumatic distress was strong and cumulative for both men and women and indicate the need for early prevention and intervention as well as trauma-based treatment within the correctional setting.
Exploring the Relationship Between Alcohol Use, Childhood Maltreatment, and Treatment Needs Among Female Prisoners
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The findings emphasize that childhood neglect is related to long-term negative consequences in the form of alcohol use related problems in adulthood, and strongly point to the need for improved screening, assessment procedures, and programming for women prisoners.
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Gendered Pathways
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Childhood Adverse Events and Health Outcomes Among Methamphetamine-Dependent Men and Women
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Regressions showed the impact of CAEs on health is strong for both men and women, and substance abuse treatment programs should prioritize individual treatment plans and enhance multi-agency collaborations to provide referrals and community networks that offer clients appropriate trauma-based psychiatric and/or medical treatment. | https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Social-Functioning%2C-Victimization%2C-and-Mental-among-Anumba-DeMatteo/2b8661fe290d696b0c0c3aafd82b4127fa6f52d9 |
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the greatest public health challenges of this millennium. Quarantine measures, changes to society and lifestyle, and uncertainty about the future have led COVID-19 to have a significant psychosocial impact similar to previous pandemics. Worry about health has increased during the past H1N1 Influenza and Ebola virus pandemic. The greater access to the internet, along with constant changing or conflicting information from various sources during the current pandemic, has led to even greater stress downstream effects.
Previous research on expectations and health outcomes has indicated that changes in expectations can be associated with changes in disability, pain, clinical symptoms, and other health outcomes. Studies have reported that positive expectations are associated with better health outcomes while negative expectations are associated with worse health outcomes, per the nocebo phenomenon. Nocebo effects can be defined as adverse health symptoms or events that occur due to negative expectations and contextual factors. The current pandemic also leads to worries and health anxiety, which can lead to adverse health effects or nocebo effects.
A few studies on the experience of adverse effects and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy have also reported that negative expectations and fear can lead to adverse effects in vaccine trials. Therefore, it is important to understand how worry and expectations can impact the experience of COVID-19 symptoms as well as other psychological and clinical health outcomes during the current pandemic. This is more important for vulnerable populations such as those with long-term chronic conditions or mental health conditions.
A new study posted on the pre-print server medRxiv* aimed to analyze the association between COVID-19 symptoms and worry during the pandemic.
About the study
The study was carried out online and involved the recruitment of participants through emails, postings on listservs, social media ads, flyers, clinicaltrial.gov, as well as word of mouth. The enrolment of participants took place from 4th April to 1st November 2020. All participants were followed up for six months. Participants who tested positive at any time during the study were excluded.
Each participant was required to fill out enrolment survey measures that included the DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure- Adult, demographics, and mental and clinical health history questionnaires. They also had to complete the Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 survey (COVID-19 survey) that included the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale and several COVID-19-related outcomes. They had to complete several online surveys, including the COVID-19 survey every two weeks from their enrolment time point until the follow-up period.
At the end of the study period, participants also had to complete several additional measures, including a Chronic Pain Graded Scale (CPGS). Worry measures were categorized into “general worry” and “personal worry.” Participants had to report how worried they were on a scale of 1 (not at all worried) to 10 (extremely worried). They also had to report whether they experienced any of the common COVID-19 symptoms, following which calculation of an average proportion of symptoms during the study period was done. Information on previous comorbidities was collected from participants, and a positive response to any of these conditions was given a score of 1. A machine-learning-derived Patient Probability Score (PPS) was used to determine the presence of a mental health diagnosis.
Study findings
The results indicated that 3,027 eligible participants were included in the study, out of which 518 were men, 2,487 were women, and 1 percent did not report their biological sex. Most of the participants were Caucasian with a mean age of 47.17. Participants who reported greater general worry were observed to have more symptoms on average. Younger participants and females were reported to show more symptoms. Moreover, participants with greater mental health burdens or comorbidities were also reported to show greater COVID-19 symptoms. Similar results were also observed for participants with greater personal worry.
Personal worry was observed to be a significant mediator of the association between COVID-19 symptoms and general worry. Mean general worry and mean personal worry was observed to be associated with the average proportion of symptoms reported. However, no association was observed between mean general and personal worry on subsequent symptoms.
Therefore, the current study demonstrated that increased worries during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with greater symptoms. Further research is required with isolated populations or populations with confirmed negative COVID-19 tests to understand the impact of true nocebo effects during the pandemic and prevent the worsening of health outcomes.
Limitations
The study has certain limitations. First, access to COVID-19 testing was limited during the early stages of the pandemic. Second, pure nocebo effects could not be detected since the daily sampling of participants did not take place.
*Important notice
medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
- Akintola, T. et al. (2023). The Effects of Expectations and Worries on the Experience of COVID-19 Symptoms. medRxiv. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.01.26.2328491. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.26.23284911v1.
Posted in: Medical Science News | Medical Research News | Disease/Infection News
Tags: Anxiety, Chronic, Chronic Pain, Coronavirus, Coronavirus Disease COVID-19, covid-19, Disability, H1N1, Influenza, Mental Health, Pain, Pandemic, Public Health, Research, Stress, Vaccine, Virus
Written by
Suchandrima Bhowmik
Suchandrima has a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Microbiology and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Microbiology from the University of Calcutta, India. The study of health and diseases was always very important to her. In addition to Microbiology, she also gained extensive knowledge in Biochemistry, Immunology, Medical Microbiology, Metabolism, and Biotechnology as part of her master's degree. | https://fitnessblogger.info/health-news/what-is-the-impact-of-worries-and-expectations-on-covid-19-symptoms/ |
Published:
COVID-19: TILDA project to survey and protect older people in Ireland
Lead Researchers: Professor Rose Anne Kenny, Dr Mark Ward, Dr Nollaig Bourke. Funded by: Irish Research Council and Health Research Board. Funding amount for both projects: €375,197.
In summary
Death rates from COVID-19 in older adults are devastating, and the consequences of the pandemic on the physical, mental and emotional well-being of surviving older adults will be dramatic and long-lasting. The Irish Longitundal Study on Ageing (TILDA) is an ongoing research project looking at the health and wellbeing of a nationally representative group of more than 8,000 people aged over 50 in Ireland.
With funding from the Health Research Board and Irish Research Council, TILDA will gather information about who has been exposed to the virus and the risk factors for developing COVID-19 in that age-group. TILDA researchers will also survey 6,000 TILDA participants about how their health, behaviours and attitudes have changed in the pandemic. Together, the studies will help policymakers and health systems to optimise the national response to COVID-19 in the longer-term.
The problem
Older people are suffering severe consequences more than anybody else. We need more information about the association between COVID-19 and the much more likely consequences of the infection older people in Ireland, and we need to plan to support older people as they recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The projects
One project, led by Dr Nollaig Bourke at Trinity College Dublin, will look for important information relating to COVID-19 in the TILDA participation group of more than 8,000 people aged over 50 in Ireland. That study will examine blood samples from TILDA participants to see if they have been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 and explore risk factors. Another project will invite TILDA participants to take part in a survey about their health and wellbeing and behaviour and their experience of COVID-19.
The outcomes
- We will be in a better position to estimate how adults over the of 50 in Ireland are likely to have been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19, even if they haven’t shown symptoms.
- The findings will inform future vaccination measures, and help us to achieve maximum protection for older people.
- We will have a better picture of what factors in older people in Ireland could be linked to more severe disease, and this will help identify people at risk.
- We will know more about the experience, attitudes, health and behaviour changes among older people that have arisen from the pandemic, and we can plan to support their long-term safety and wellbeing.
Professor Rose Anne Kenny, Principal Investigator and founder of TILDA and Professor of Medical Gerontology at Trinity College Dublin, says:
‘Older persons are most likely to experience severe and critical consequences of COVID-19 including death. The majority of deaths across Europe have been in older persons. The ability to mount an immune response declines with age. Understanding immunosenescence, its relationship to COVID-19 and therefore its impact on future vaccination responsiveness is a priority. Because TILDA has comprehensive data collected at regular periods for the past 10 years we can explore how immune profiles and other biological and social factors change over time and which changes enhance an individual’s vulnerability to infection.
The measures which have been introduced as a result of COVID-19 have particularly impacted on the lives of people over 70. The research will further enquire about the impact of these policies on mental and physical health and hear the voice and views of those most affected. This is important if we are to understand and manage the collateral damage from COVID-19'.
Professor Kenny speaks about the project on the HRB You Tube channel.
Dr Bourke speaks about the project on the HRB You Tube channel. | https://www.hrb.ie/news/covid-19-coronavirus/coronavirus-news/article/covid-19-tilda-project-to-survey-and-protect-older-people-in-ireland/ |
Chronic marijuana use is about as bad for your health as not flossing, researchers find
After controlling for other factors known to affect health, especially tobacco use and socioeconomic status, marijuana use had no negative effect on any measure of health, except for dental health. People who smoked more weed had a higher incidence of gum disease.
It’s also worth pointing out that this particular study looked at the impact of long-term marijuana use on physical health, but not on mental health. Meier has in fact used this same data set to explore questions of mental health effects, famously finding evidence of declining IQ among persistent marijuana users. But a number of follow-up studies by other researchers found no similar evidence of cognitive decline related to marijuana use. As with any research of this nature, a single paper is unlikely to be the final word on any particular subject. Still, Meier’s latest study marshals up some convincing evidence that marijuana’s toll on physical health may be far less than once feared.
Original Article (Washington Post): | https://ecfes.net/science/chronic-marijuana-use-is-about-as-bad-for-your-health-as-not-flossing-researchers-find/ |
Lecture #1 - Ecology and Evolution What do you remember about ecology or evolution? REVIEWING TOPICS FOR SUCCESS!
Reviewing Ecology vocabulary VOCABULARY: • Ecology is the study of the parts of the environment living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) and how they interact with each other • An Ecosystem is a particular region of the ecology to be studied. • An Ecosystem is defined by all the various plants and animals living in the region and the habitat conditions that exist. • A Biome is a set of environmental conditions – rainfall and temperature that define certain ecosystems
Defining Organism Relationships in an Ecosystem • All organisms are linked together by their feeding relationships. • If organisms are linked together (one eats another directly) their relationship is a food chain. • If organisms are linked together indirectly (where one organism is the food or the predator of other species that are linked by different food chains) by a large network, the complex pattern is a food web.
Sample Food Chain and Food Web Food Chain Food Web
Defining Trophic Levels • Trophic levels are feeding levels of a food chain or web • At each level only 10% of the energy is passed (Rest is lost!) • Producers are the bottom or starting level of a feeding chain or web. • Producers make their own food by using chemicals or sunlight supplied in the environment • Consumers are organisms that consume producers or other consumers in a food chain. • Primary consumers consume producers. • Secondary consumers eat primary consumers • Tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers (etc.) • Decomposers are organisms that consume the organic mater of producers and consumers when they are dead or dying. • Decomposers consume all trophic levels to recycle organic materials
Trophic Levels in a Food Web Trophic Levels Tertiary consumer (4) Decomposer (5) (0.1% original energy passed) (4) (3) (worm) Secondary consumer (3) (4) (1 % of original energy passed) Primary consumers(2) (10% of orginal energy passed) (2) (2) Producer (1) (100% of original energy) (1)
Defining Niche and Organisms Relationships • A Niche is the function an organism serves in the environment • Example: a worm’s job is to decompose dead organism NOTE: ONLY ONE SPECIES CAN SURVIVE ONE HABITAT OCCUPYING ONE NICHE (competition will select one species and others will die off!) • APredator-Prey relationshipis the relationship between an animal that eats another and the animal that is eaten • Example: a lion hunts an antelope as a predator. The antelope is prey trying to stay alive • Competition is the head-to-head struggle between different species or organisms of the same species for resources from the habitat when two organisms of the same niche • Example: Gray vs Red squirrels cannot occupy the same habitat, because they occupy the same niche. They will compete for resources until only one species survives
Reviewing Evolution Concepts • Evolution is a theory of change in organisms in the environment over time as stated by Darwin as a four part theory Darwin studied organism in England and the Americas as he developed his theory on change Darwin’s most comprehensive evidence was studying Galopagos finches (birds) with different beaks adapted to different food sources on different islands. | https://fr.slideserve.com/gaetan/lecture-1-ecology-and-evolution |
Experts Describe How 17 Acres in the Onondaga Lake Watershed Will Undergo Transformation to Productive Habitat for Wildlife
Work has begun at Geddes Brook to transform 17 acres of land in the Onondaga Lake watershed into a diverse new habitat for wildlife. The remediated Geddes Brook will become part of a green corridor connecting habitat from Onondaga Lake to upland sites.
The yearlong project will involve the removal of contaminated soil and invasive plants, and the planting of 50,000 native shrubs, flowers, and trees, which are critical to protecting and enhancing habitat for wildlife such as fish, birds, frogs, and turtles. By planting native species, re-establishing the wetlands, and improving habitat, the project will improve the ecosystem and play a significant role in creating a productive, healthy Onondaga Lake watershed.
The remediation will be performed under the oversight of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Department of Health, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Honeywell also is working with national and local experts, including researchers and scientists from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF); Exponent; Terrestrial Environmental Specialists, Inc.; and Anchor QEA. This team represents several hundred years of collective experience in areas of wetland ecology, biology, restoration ecology, and fisheries biology, as well as the study of landforms and the processes that shape them.
Habitat and Wetlands Specialists in Their Own Words:
Dr. Ryan Davis, Principal Scientist, Anchor QEA
How is Geddes Brook connected to the LCP wetlands, Nine Mile Creek, and Onondaga Lake?
Geddes Brook connects the already re-established LCP wetlands (near the former Linden Chemical and Plastics site) with Nine Mile Creek and ultimately Onondaga Lake. Many of the same wetland habitats that were re-established at LCP will be constructed in Geddes Brook to create a more continuous green corridor through Nine Mile Creek to Onondaga Lake. These re-established areas will provide shelter, cover, and food to support movement of fish and wildlife.
Honeywell plans to remove 84,000 cubic yards of soil – the equivalent of a 14-foot-deep soccer field – and replace it with 57,000 cubic yards of clean soil. By restoring Geddes Brook to a more natural, sinuous, meandering channel, water will flow over the channel banks into the wetlands during wet seasons, something that rarely occurs now. This project will create more diverse, native wetland habitats in the floodplains than those that currently exist.
Why is it important to create diverse, productive habitat?
Someone once described habitat as a neighborhood. Essentially, habitat is the physical and biological surroundings that make up the natural environment where plants and animals live, grow, feed, and reproduce. Habitat provides fish, birds, mammals, and other organisms with the necessary elements for life, such as space, food, water, and shelter. Habitat re-establishment is an integral component of the Onondaga Lake remedy and, in fact, is one of the cleanup’s most significant elements.
Following remediation, Geddes Brook and its surrounding wetlands will support a diversity of habitats, including floodplain forest, hardwood swamp, and emergent wetlands. Geddes Brook itself will be longer and also have greater connectivity with the wetlands.
Dr. Donald J. Leopold, Distinguished Teaching Professor and Chair (Department of Environmental and Forest Biology) at SUNY-ESF
Why is it important to plant native species? What species will be planted at Geddes Brook?
Native plants are very well-adapted to local conditions. They produce a beautiful progression of blooms and textures throughout the year, attract a variety of wildlife, and can control and filter stormwater runoff better and more sustainably than mechanical systems. Hundreds of native plant species are found throughout Central New York in distinct natural communities and thrive in a great variety of local conditions.
Fifty thousand native trees, shrubs, and plants will be the foundation of the re-established habitat in the Geddes Brook wetlands. Examples of native species include red maple, sycamore, pussy willow, dogwoods, witch-hazel, sedges, bulrushes, and many others. These species were selected to re-establish specific plant communities including floodplain forest, hardwood swamp, and emergent wetlands.
Several of the targeted species are part of natural communities that have historical or cultural importance. For example, northern white-cedar, and eastern white pine are among many species being planted in the western part of the Geddes Brook floodplain as part of an effort to re-establish a cedar swamp that was historically present around Onondaga Lake and along Onondaga Creek.
Joseph McMullen, Principal Environmental Scientist at Terrestrial Environmental Specialists, Inc.
Why are wetlands important?
Historically, wetlands were considered unusable land with little value. About three decades ago, scientists and conservationists began to recognize the importance of wetlands and state and federal laws were passed to protect wetland resources.
Wetlands are often referred to as the kidneys of the ecosystem because of their ability to filter water and improve water quality. Wetlands also provide a diverse ecosystem that supports habitats for plants, birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and other organisms.
Wetlands are great environmental filters because they help to reduce flooding and filter water that flows downstream. The existing Geddes Brook wetlands are not connected to Geddes Brook because of berms previously built to allow storm water to flow quickly. The Geddes Brook wetlands are not diverse and have little habitat. The wetlands are designed to receive and treat water from Geddes Brook and support diverse plant and animal populations.
How successful are the wetlands near the former LCP site?
The re-establishment of the LCP wetlands has been a tremendous success. This former low-quality wetland, which was dominated almost solely by the invasive common reed grass (Phragmites) and had very little habitat diversity, is now a wetland complex of varying habitat types supporting many plant and animal species.
Deep wetlands were created to support floating leaved plants, such as water lilies. Still deeper areas support important submerged aquatic plants, such as pondweeds and coontail. About 12,000 native plants were planted in the appropriate water depth zone and wetland edges.
Yearly monitoring of the wetland is required. Last year, the third year of monitoring, more than 100 plant species were recorded – a vast improvement over the handful of species that occurred when Phragmites dominated the formerly contaminated wetland.
There also is a significant increase in the wildlife in the area. Several species of frogs, turtles, a vast array of waterfowl and other birds, aquatic mammals (such as muskrats), fish, and other aquatic organisms now call the wetland home. Habitat for most of these species did not exist in the former wetland.
In addition to the increase in the many common plant and animal species, a couple of rare species, such as a state-listed threatened bird species called pied-billed grebe were seen. This species has nested and raised young in the restored wetland in each of the last two years. Habitat for this species did not exist in the former wetland. Another is a state-endangered plant species called saltmarsh bulrush (Bolboschoenus maritimus var. paludosus), which was found in the area.
For the full Geddes Brook wetlands plant list, click here.
For more information on the Onondaga Lake cleanup, please visit: www.onondaga-lake-initiatives.com. | http://www.lakecleanup.com/onondaga-lake-cleanup-progress-continues-as-geddes-brook-remediation-begins/ |
|The President’s Hoot|
by Richard H. Baker, Ph.D.
March 2010
Most folks know little about the most diverse group of organisms ever to evolve on our planet. And if they do, it is usually regarding a negative experience with mosquitoes, no-see-ums, cockroaches, wasps, termites, fire ants, or crop eating caterpillars. Usually the solution is to hire a pest control firm to try to eradicate them. These pesky insects actually are just a small percentage of the more than 920,000 described insects species found in the world. Thousands more are described yearly, and some researchers estimate that there are 15 to 30 million insect species still not described. Insects have been here a long time beginning about 350 million years ago, while humans first appeared about 100,000 years ago.
Insects represent 85 percent of all animal species (Mammals 4,000, Birds 9,000, Reptiles and Amphibians 5,500, and Fishes 18,000). There are more species of dragonflies than mammals and almost twice as many butterflies as birds. Insects play a vital role, as they are critical food sources low on the food chain for many species.
Plants are essential to life on this planet. With few exceptions, neither we nor anything else can live without them. They provide the oxygen we breathe, capture the sun’s energy, which though photosynthesis turns this energy into food. Plants often are referred to as a primary producer of the “food web,” and they provide animals, including humans with shelter.
Worldwide, 37 percent of animal species are plant-eating insects. These species convert plant tissue to insect tissue that provides food in the form of themselves for other species. As E. O. Wilson points out: “a land without insects is a land without most forms of higher life.” Nearly all (96%) terrestrial bird species in North America rely on insects and other arthropods to feed their young. In other words, insects provide energy to animals that can’t eat plants. Part of the nearly 50% population reduction in many of our bird species, within the space of 50 years, is the result of the loss of native plants that serve as food for insects that birds require to rear their young.
For the last 100 years we have created our gardens with one thing in mind: aesthetics. A new book entitled Bringing Nature Home-How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by Douglas W. Tallamy points out: “All plants are not created equal, particularly in their ability to support wildlife.” Tallamy, an entomologist, noticed that many showy alien plants do not have insect damage compared to natives. Our native insects have adapted to our native plants for food, but unfortunately most native insects are not able to eat or to survive on alien plant species. Alien plants have different chemicals that are unrecognizable, poisonous or can’t be digested by our native insects. With the continued habitat destruction on our planet and the resulting loss of species, this book redefines what gardens need to be like to preserve our native flora and fauna and maintain biodiversity. Most plant eating insects (90%) are specialists feeding only on one species of plant, and10% are generalist feeding on more than one, thus we need a variety of plants to support numerous insects to support varied wildlife. Yards with large areas of grass are thus what are termed a “monoculture” meaning there is one plant species instead of a variety needed to support diverse insects.
Tallamy suggests that we fundamentally need to change the way we think about our gardens and their role in the larger landscape. Moreover, gardens with natives could be extremely important in preserving our ecosystems. He points out: “Like it or not, gardeners have become important players in the management of our nation’s wildlife.” They can provide the biodiversity needed to support our native plants and animals and the ecosystems that sustain them. “Gardening with natives is no longer just a peripheral …It is an important part of a paradigm shift in our shaky relationship with the planet that sustains us.”
In one study, native plants produced over 4 times more herbivore biomass than did alien species and supported 3.2 times as many herbivore species. Native plants in the study supported a whopping 35 times more caterpillar biomass than the aliens: moths, butterflies, and sawfly caterpillars were the largest diet component of insectivorous birds. Alien plants occupy space and use resources (light, water, and soil nutrients) that would otherwise have been available for a native plant, but do not pass the energy it harnesses from the sun up the food web as the insects will not be feeding on them. Interestingly, the alien buddleias or butterfly bush attract nectar-seeking butterflies and are common in many butterfly gardens, but no larvae can live on the plant! Thus adults do not lay their eggs on such plants, but only come for the nectar.
Today over 5,000 species of alien species have invaded the natural areas of North America. They become pests themselves, and they can bring in as hitchhikers, serious pests and diseases into the country. In Indian River County we have 3 recent examples:
- Laurel wilt, a new disease of redbay (Persea borbonia) and other plant species in the family Lauraceae, is causing widespread mortality in the coastal regions of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. The disease is caused by an exotic fungus (Raffaelea species) that was is introduced n 2002 by an exotic insect, the redbay ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus), which is native to Asia and is the 12th new species of ambrosia beetle introduced into the U.S. since 1990.
- A weevil, (Metamasius callizona), a native to southern Mexico and Central America, was detected in Broward County in 1989 attacks and kills our large native Tillandsia bromeliads and also Catopsis and Guzmania genera.
- In Florida, we have a bacterium (Candidatus liberibacter) that causes greening disease in citrus also an alien, considered to be the worst citrus disease in the world. First seen in August 2005, it has spread to all citrus producing counties in Florida by the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri), a tiny homopteran insect that arrived on infested orange jasmine, an ornamental plant that is shipped by the thousands throughout the state by discount stores. Robert Adair, Director of the Florida Research Center, states that our famous citrus groves will be dramatically reduced in Indian River County and the State of Florida in the next 3 to 5 years due to this deadly disease unless a cure is found. Some ‘alien’ plants like avocado or mangoes feed people, squirrels, raccoons, … and are pecked upon by birds.
There is no debate that we should close our borders to carriers of human diseases like SARS, mad cow disease, and avian flu virus. Why are the native plants that sustain us and our native animals less worthy of protection? We can all do a better job supporting the natural world, which is both beautiful and full of life. Why can’t our yards reflect this? What if every homeowner with a yard, began planting more diverse native plants, replacing our monocultures? Native plants are more likely to survive frosts, use less water, pesticides, and fertilizer thus saving us money and reducing pollution. However, native plants put in the wrong habitat may require water or fertilizer, and therefore the ‘right’ native plant needs to be put in the right place.
Life began in Florida with native plants, but may end with aliens…unless we act together now. | https://pelicanislandaudubon.org/2019/05/21/where-have-all-the-insects-gone-long-time-passing-when-will-they-ever-return-a-case-for-native-gardens/ |
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Populations are also studied and modeled according to the metapopulation concept. The metapopulation concept was introduced in 1969: "as a population of populations which go extinct locally and recolonize.":105 Metapopulation ecology is another statistical approach that is often used in conservation research. Metapopulation research simplifies the landscape into patches of varying levels of quality. Metapopulations are linked by the migratory behaviours of organisms. Animal migration is set apart from other kinds of movement because it involves the seasonal departure and return of individuals from one habitat to another. Migration is also a population level phenomenon, such as the migration routes followed by plants as they occupied northern post-glacial environments. Plant ecologists rely on pollen records that accumulate and stratify in wetlands to reconstruct the timing of plant migration and dispersal relative to historic and contemporary climates. These migration routes involved an expansion of the range as plant populations expanded from one area to another. There is a larger taxonomy of movement, such as commuting, foraging, territorial behaviour, stasis, and ranging. Dispersal is usually distinguished from migration because it involves the one way permanent movement of individuals from their birth population into another population.
In metapopulation terminology there are emigrants (individuals that leave a patch), immigrants (individuals that move into a patch) and sites are classed either as sources or sinks. A site is a generic term that refers to places where ecologists sample populations, such as ponds or defined sampling areas in a forest. Source patches are productive sites that generate a seasonal supply of juveniles that migrate to other patch locations. Sink patches are unproductive sites that only receive migrants and will go extinct unless rescued by an adjacent source patch or environmental conditions become more favorable. Metapopulation models examine patch dynamics over time to answer questions about spatial and demographic ecology. The ecology of metapopulations is a dynamic process of extinction and colonization. Small patches of lower quality (i.e., sinks) are maintained or rescued by a seasonal influx of new immigrants. A dynamic metapopulation structure evolves from year to year, where some patches are sinks in dry years and become sources when conditions are more favorable. Ecologists use a mixture of computer models and field studies to explain metapopulation structure.
Community ecology
Interspecific interactions such as predation are a key aspect of community ecology.
Community ecology examines how interactions among species and their environment affect the abundance, distribution and diversity of species within communities.
Community ecology is the study of the interactions among a collection of interdependent species that cohabitate the same geographic area. An example of a study in community ecology might measure primary production in a wetland in relation to decomposition and consumption rates. This requires an understanding of the community connections between plants (i.e., primary producers) and the decomposers (e.g., fungi and bacteria). or the analysis of predator-prey dynamics affecting amphibian biomass. Food webs and trophic levels are two widely employed conceptual models used to explain the linkages among species.
Ecosystem ecology
These ecosystems, as we may call them, are of the most various kinds and sizes. They form one category of the multitudinous physical systems of the universe, which range from the universe as a whole down to the atom.
Figure 1. A riparian forest in the White Mountains, New Hampshire (USA), an example of ecosystem ecology
The concept of the ecosystem was fully synthesized in 1935 to describe habitats within biomes that form an integrated whole and a dynamically responsive system having both physical and biological complexes. However, the underlying concept can be traced back to 1864 in the published work of George Perkins Marsh ("Man and Nature"). Within an ecosystem there are inseparable ties that link organisms to the physical and biological components of their environment to which they are adapted. Ecosystems are complex adaptive systems where the interaction of life processes form self-organizing patterns across different scales of time and space. terrestrial, freshwater, atmospheric, and marine ecosystems very broadly cover the major types. Differences stem from the nature of the unique physical environments that shapes the biodiversity within each. A more recent addition to ecosystem ecology are the novel technoecosystems of the anthropocene.
Food webs
A food web is the archetypal ecological network. Plants capture and convert solar energy into the biomolecular bonds of simple sugars during photosynthesis. This food energy is transferred through a series of organisms starting with those that feed on plants and are themselves consumed. The simplified linear feeding pathways that move from a basal trophic species to a top consumer is called the food chain. The larger interlocking pattern of food chains in an ecological community creates a complex food web. Food webs are a type of concept map or a heuristic device that is used illustrate and study pathways of energy and material flows.
Generalized food web of waterbirds from Chesapeake Bay
Food webs are often limited relative to the real world. Complete empirical measurements are generally restricted to a specific habitat, such as a cave or a pond. Principles gleaned from food web microcosm studies are used to extrapolate smaller dynamic concepts to larger systems. Feeding relations require extensive investigations into the gut contents of organisms, which can be very difficult to decipher, or (more recently) stable isotopes can be used to trace the flow of nutrient diets and energy through a food web. While food webs often give an incomplete measure of ecosystems, they are nonetheless a valuable tool in understanding community ecosystems.
Food-webs exhibit principals of ecological emergence through the nature of trophic entanglement, where some species have many weak feeding links (e.g., omnivores) while some are more specialized with fewer stronger feeding links (e.g., primary predators). Theoretical and empirical studies identify non-random emergent patterns of few strong and many weak linkages that serve to explain how ecological communities remain stable over time. Food-webs have compartments, where the many strong interactions create subgroups among some members in a community and the few weak interactions occur between these subgroups. These compartments increase the stability of food-webs. As plants grow, they accumulate carbohydrates and are eaten by grazing herbivores. Step by step lines or relations are drawn until a web of life is illustrated. | https://doclecture.net/1-49625.html |
Invasive plants have an impact on water quality, biodiversity, fish and wildlife habitat, tree cover, fire risk and costs.
When invasive plants like ivy or clematis dominate the groundcover, there is very little root structure to bind the soils. That’s why large areas dominated by invasive plants are more likely to erode during flood events than areas with a diverse understory of trees and shrubs, which provide more root structure diversity.
Native plant roots extend deep into the soil, and many species have wide, branching fibrous root structures that bind the soils and reduce erosion. Erosion releases sediment to streams, increases stream turbidity, and impairs water quality.
Invasive plants provide less streamside cover and shade, which increases stream temperatures. Invasive plants, such as Japanese knotweed or Himalayan blackberry, form monocultures (areas entirely dominated by one species) next to streams, which prevent tree establishment.
Habitat loss and invasive plants are the leading cause of native biodiversity loss. Invasive plant species spread quickly and can displace native plants, prevent native plant growth, and create monocultures. A healthy plant community has a variety of herbs, shrubs, and trees. Invasive plants cause biological pollution by reducing plant species diversity. Changes in plant community diversity reduce the quality and quantity of fish and wildlife habitat.
Invasive plants are a leading cause of declines in native plant and animal numbers, and are a factor in Endangered Species Act listings. Invasive plants outcompete and displace native plants that many native wildlife species depend on for food and cover. For example, the Fender’s blue butterfly depends on Kincaid’s lupine as a host plant for the butterfly larvae. Fender’s blue butterfly is listed as endangered and Kincaid’s lupine is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act due to habitat loss, changes in land use, and habitat encroachment by invasive species such as Himalayan blackberry and tall oatgrass.
A variety of food and cover fosters more animal species and larger populations. In addition to displacing native species, invasive plant monocultures and simplified habitat often provide habitat for non-native wildlife. Non-native song sparrows, for example, often nest in Himalayan blackberry patches. Non-native wildlife species can also displace similar native species because of overlap in habitat needs.
Invasive plants can reduce the amount of tree cover by preventing trees from becoming established, causing them to fall down prematurely, or reducing their growth rate. A Harvard University study showed that garlic mustard reduces soil fungi and inhibits the establishment of tree seedlings.
Dense cover by Himalayan blackberry can prevent sunlight from reaching seedlings or saplings. Dense ivy or clematis in the tree canopy can weight down trees making them more susceptible to blow downs and decreasing their growth rates by shading the leaves.
Monocultures of invasive plants create fuel for wildlfires. Ivy or clematis vines climb trees and can become a conduit for fire to reach the tree canopy, where it is more difficult to control and more likely to threaten nearby structures.
Invasive species monocultures can increase the frequency of wildfires. Cheatgrass, for example, is an annual grass that grows in early spring. By summer, cheatgrass is dry and ecosystems dominated by cheatgrass are more likely to catch fire.
Invasive plants aren't just a Portland problem. There are regional, state and federal efforts to combat invasive vegetation. The Oregon Invasive Species Council estimates that invasive plants cost the U.S. economy $120 billion dollars annually in lost crop and livestock production, control efforts, property value damage, and reduced export potential.
These costs are passed on to consumers through higher prices for agricultural products. For example, money a farmer spends for star thistle control in pastures is reflected in the price of your steak. The Oregon Department of Agriculture estimates that 21 invasive plant species in Oregon reduce personal income by $83 million per year.
Increasing efforts to prevent and control invasions is the most cost effective and ecologically successful approach. The U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment reports that a dollar spent on early weed control prevents $17 spent in future control efforts. If early intervention is not implemented and a species becomes widespread, eradication may not be feasible so the damages are permanent and money is still spent to control the future spread and contain the population.
Click on these links to learn more about invasive plants.
The following organizations host volunteer work parties to remove invasive plants and restore native vegetation to natural areas. | https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/article/330681 |
A biome is defined as a biotic group of interacting particular plants and animal species. They live under the same climatic conditions provided by the region and must adapt to it since it is a prevalent factor for the community.
Example: the jungle biome
Jungles are characterized by their large trees that cover up most of the area. They belong to the wet climate group of biomes due to their constant rainfall during their almost year-long season of rain. The large variety of animals found in a jungle vary from all the way to very small animals such as bats all the way to tigers.
Define: Habitat
An animal, plant or other organism's natural home or environment is called a habitat.
Example: A tiger's habitat is usually a jungle, though they can also be found near swamps and in grasslands. Their habitat requires a large area of plants and pasture where they can hide, plus a good population of prey.
Describe: Population
Population refers to a section or group of people or animals that live in an area or country and are considered to be the inhabitants of that specific area.
Example: The Linn's sloth occupies a portion of the jungle area, iIt has a white/tan face and the fur is black/dark brown.
An animal that partakes in their environment by feeding on plants.
Example: A tapir is the largest rodent in the world. They feed from grazing mainly on aquatic plants, grasses, as well as tree bark and fruit.
Define: Carnivore
A carnivore is mainly an animal that feeds off flesh and meat. Carnivores have to hunt down and kill other animals they require a large amount of calories.
Example: All snakes have one thing in common, they all eat meat. Snakes rely on other species of animals to keep them alive.
Jungle Food Web
Gioia de la Feld
Python
Define: Scavenger
A scavenger is considered to be an animal that feeds on carrion (the decaying flesh of dead animals) and also dead plant material.
Example: An example of a scavenger found in the jungle is a vulture. They don't hunt, instead they eat decaying matter of other animals and feed off from scraps left by predators.
Define: Autotrogh
An organism that is able to produce its own food from chemical or light energy. Green plants, bacteria, protists (one-celled organisms like slime molds) are considered to be autotrophs.
Example: In the jungle, as many other biomes around the world, plants are considered to be autotrophs since they are able to synthesize their own food from inorganic substances,
Define: Decomposer
A decomposer is an organism that plays an important role in an ecosystem, it breaks down dead plants and animals as well as other organism's waste.
Example: An example of a decomposer is a cockroach, it feeds off dead and decaying plants and animals. After the scavenger has done his work, the decomposer takes over and finishes the job.
Brown Banded Cockroach
Jungle Food Web
Orchid
Producer
Producer
Producer
Producer
Producer
Banana Tree
Vines
Ferns
Bromeliad
Primary Consumer
Primary Consumer
Primary Consumer
Primary Consumer
Tapir
Beetle
Grasshopper
Howler Monkey
Secondary Consumer
Secondary Consumer
and Tertiary
Secondary Consumer
Squirrel
Anaconda
Amazon Horned Frog
Tertiary Consumer
Black Collared Hawk
Tertiary Consumer
Caiman
Decomposer
Decomposer
Leaf-Cutter Ants
Slugs
conclusion
If one of your primary consumers became extinct, analyze how three other biotic factors/species would be affected. For example would the populations of these species increase or decrease as a result of the extinction? Explain your response.
For example if one primary consumer; for example the grasshopper would become extinct the following consumers would definitely be affected. The grasshopper provides nutrients and energy for many different species, among them there are frogs, birds and spiders. With the extinction of grasshoppers these animals would need to rely on other primary consumers to enrich them with the energy and nutrients they extract from plants. This might end up in a chaos within the food chain making it unstable and eventually reduce the population.
Explain how your food web would be affected if there were no decomposers involved in it?
An ecosystem's food chain mainly shows the physical transfer of matter and of energy from one organism to another. Decomposers are often categorized as non-important or simply forgotten, yet they are one of the most important organisms that play an immensely significant role in the food web. As they break down the "leftovers" they intake the last energy left from the chain. With what they intake they are able to release nutrients into the air, soil or water which is later taken in by the plants and all those considered to be producers, regenerating the food chain. Without the assistance of the decomposers, all of the remaining energy and nutrients would remain inside the animal's or plant's dead "body" not being able to give it to the following organisms that allow the process to re-create. We could consider them to be the bridge of interaction between living and non-living organisms in a food web. Given this information, it is clear that a food web without decomposers would end up disintegrating the sequence of development of each of the organisms that partake in the web.
Explain why there are normally more producers in a food web than tertiary consumers? ii) In your Prezi, create and label a pyramid of energy from one food chain found in your food web.
Producers are organisms that are considered to be autotrophs, meaning that they produce their own food for chemical or light energy. Mainly their job in the food web is to provide all of the rest with energy and nutrients allowing the chain to continue. There are so many of these types of organisms since they are the physical source for any other living thing which is why they are located at the bottom of the food chain; showing that they are what starts it all. By having a larger amount of tertiary consumers in a food web, it would all subside. This is because consumers don't have the ability of providing organisms prior to themselves with nutrients and energy they need. This would end up in no form of renewing the food chain having it start again as it would with a large amount of producers forming part of it.
Identify one organism in your food web that is both a primary and secondary consumer.
After doing a bit of research, an organism that can be considered both primary and secondary consumer is the beetle. There are many different species of beetle, some are herbivores due to the fact that they eat plants and vines living in a jungle environment. But, not all belong to the primary consumer group, but as well as the secondary consumers group. To be categorized as a secondary consumer the organism should ingest primary consumers meaning that they are considered carnivores. An example of a carnivorous beetle belongs to the Family Histeridae and consumes small arthropods, earthworms and snails. In conclusion, we can see that beetles can fit both categories since in their vast variety of species there are both herbivores and carnivores.
Explain how two named abiotic factors in a rainforest ecosystem function to support it’s wide variety of life.
In a rainforest ecosystem two named abiotic factors that are significantly important to the ecosystem's function are water and sun. Light provided from the sun allows the process of photosynthesis to occur. What this process consists of is the sun providing the plant/receiver with the sufficient amount of energy and vitamins to produce it's own food using the energy of the sun. Later, the consumers who eat the plants and producers intake that energy and those stored vitamins from the plants. Water also provides the plant with nutrients for its development and its fundamental role in a food web. Beneath and between the rainforest/jungle soil there is water. The roots extract the nutrients as they absorb the underground water, this moisture and nutrients are then conveyed through the leaves and stem providing the plant with food,
Find an example of parasitism that occurs in rainforest ecosystems and describe it briefly below. Be sure to identify both the parasite and host organism in this biotic interaction.
Parasitism is basically the relationship between two organisms where one benefits and the other is harmed. An example of a parasite is a leech. They are commonly found in freshwater, though some are also found in terrestrial areas and marine environments. They live by feeding on blood from invertebrate or vertebrate animals by clinging onto them. It is clear that these parasites benefit from the extraction of blood they go through to receive the nutrients and energy they need. The hosts are mainly mammals, though leeches can feed off from any organism big enough that provides them with what they need.
Source
Define: Herbivore
Producer
Bromeliad
100o kcal
Primary Consumer
Tapir
100 kcal
Secondary Consumer
Anaconda
10 kcal
Tertiary Consumer
Caiman
1 kcal
Decomposer
Termites
Sun
Sources
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h
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http://animallist.weebly.com/amazon-horned-frog.html
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http://mrscwhite.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/nsp7sb044.pdf
http://www.makingtrackschallenge.com/inquiry-based_detail.php?reference=34
http://www.bubblews.com/news/302536-sun-facts
http://www.ehow.com/list_7826455_abiotic-factors-rain-forest.html
http://www.ehow.co.uk/facts_5829205_do-need-water-sunlight-grow_.html
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Jungle Food Web
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Gioia de la Feldon 21 September 2013
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Please log in to add your comment. | https://prezi.com/cd433qijuvwh/jungle-food-web/ |
All living things are connected, particularly when it comes to eating and being eaten. Food chains and food webs are ways of showing the food relationships between organisms in any given environment, from African Savannah to the coral reef. If one plant or animal is affected, all the others in the food web will be affected eventually.
A food chain depicts a single path as animals of a single habitat eat each other. Arrows are used to show how the relationship progresses. For example, at the bottom of a backyard food chain would be sunflower seeds, which would be eaten by a bird, which, in turn, would be eaten by a cat. A food chain begins with a producer or an organism which makes its own food. A plant or an animal can be in more than one food chain.
Food webs, on the other hand, show how many food chains are related. it is a more complex depiction of how the plants and animals in an ecosystem relate. A food web may begin with prairie grass, which would be eaten by insects, mice or rabbits, which would be eaten by different predators. More species are included in a food web, which uses a series of arrows to describe relationships.
Food chains and food webs comprise different types of consumers. A producer and its seeds or fruit are always at lowest level, followed by primary consumers, secondary consumers and tertiary consumers. Trees and grass are producers. Examples of primary consumers, which eat producers, are insects and mice. Secondary consumers eat primary consumers. Examples are toads and snakes. Tertiary consumers like red tail hawks or other raptors, eat secondary consumers. | https://www.assignmentexpert.com/homework-answers/biology/ecology/question-114082 |
Tropical river and estuarine food webs sustain diverse biodiversity values and are important sources of nutrients and energy for connected aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. High-order predators, such as euryhaline elasmobranchs, play critical roles in these food webs, but a lack of detailed information on food web structure limits our ability to manage these species within their ecosystems. We analysed stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes (SI) and fatty acid (FA) biochemical tracers from putative prey species in the estuary of the South Alligator River, northern Australia. These were compared with existing data on four species of elasmobranch from the system to examine food web structure and infer dietary linkages over wet and dry seasons along an environmental gradient of sites. Layman’s SI community metrics indicated that upstream food webs had the greatest trophic diversity, and analyses of FAs revealed distinct prey habitat associations that changed seasonally. Mixing models of SI indicated that most Glyphis glyphis and Glyphis garricki had similar freshwater and mid-river diets whilst Carcharhinus leucas and Rhizoprionodon taylori had largely marine signatures. Multivariate analyses of FA revealed some intraspecific differences, although specialisation indices suggested that the four shark species are trophic generalists. Our results show that riverine food webs can display complex spatiotemporal variations in trophic structure and that coastal and euryhaline mobile elasmobranchs forage in a range of coastal and freshwater habitats, demonstrating their influence on these food webs. | https://researchers.cdu.edu.au/en/publications/a-seasonally-dynamic-estuarine-ecosystem-provides-a-diverse-prey- |
If you are new to duck rearing, you might be wondering what kind of foods ducks will eat. Do they eat plant matter, do they eat animal matter, or do they eat both? Not to worry, we have the answer.
The question is, are ducks carnivores, omnivores, or herbivores?
Ducks are omnivores. Ducks are waterfowl, and like other waterfowl, they eat both plant and animal matter.
Although they are all omnivores, some breeds are more inclined to eat plant matter, while some prefer animal matter.
Their inclination to eat plant or animal matter is also influenced by the seasons.
We will shed more light on your queries about the types of food ducks can eat in the subsequent paragraphs.
What Is the Difference Between a Carnivore, Omnivore, and Herbivore?
Animals differ in many obvious ways, and that includes their diets. Depending on what they eat, animals can be grouped into one of 3 classes. They can either be omnivores, herbivores, or carnivores.
The following table highlights the differences between these 3 classes of animals:
Which Category Do Ducks Fall Into?
Going by the table above, ducks are omnivores. They eat both plant and animal matter, they have a simple stomach, and they have medium-length digestive tracts.
Ducks also have digestive enzymes in their saliva, one of which is amylase. Their stomach pH ranges from around 2 to 4.
While ducks do not have teeth like other animals, they have various adaptations that play the role of teeth.
Some of these adaptations include lamellae, a bill nail, and grin patch that aids in filtering aquatic diets.
What Do Ducks Eat?
Ducks eat various types of foods. Some of them include the following:
Animal Matter Ducks Eat
- Fish eggs
- Small fish
- Worms
- Snails
- Insects
- Small crustaceans
- Frogs
- Slugs
- Tadpoles
- Mollusks
- Salamanders and other small amphibians
Plant Matter Ducks Eat
- Leaves
- Grass
- Weeds
- Seeds
- Algae
- Grains – whole grains are the healthier choice for ducks
- Aquatic plants
- Tree roots
- Small berries
- Fruits
Ducks also eat pebbles, gravel, sand, and small shells. These substances provide them with grit, which facilitates their digestion.
Grit also provides nutrients like calcium, which forms part of a healthy diet and egg shell production.
Factors That Affect What Ducks Eat
Sometimes, ducks try out other types of foods they come across. The diet any duck follows is dependent on various factors, some of which include:
The Species of the Duck
Some species of ducks are designed for certain types of foods. For instance, the Mergansers have thin, toothed bills specialized mainly for eating fish.
Ducks, like the Northern Shoveler, which have spatulate-shaped bills, predominantly feed on aquatic insects and algae because their bills are designed for filter feeding.
Change in Seasons
Some ducks prefer to eat animal matter during certain seasons, and plant matter in others. This preference varies across species and across seasons, not to mention the locations the ducks are in at the time.
The Duck’s Range
Ducks that live in fields tend to eat more plants and grains. Those that spend most of their time on water will eat more crustaceans, amphibians, and fishes.
When a duck migrates, its range changes, and consequently, its diet changes too.
In times when a certain type of food is scarce, ducks will increase their range to find other sources of food.
The Duck’s Habitat
The habitat of a duck will determine the type of food that makes up the majority of its diet. For example, ducks that stay in marsh habitats will have amphibians and small fish making up the bulk of their diet.
On the other hand, those that live in forests will have more fruits and nuts in their diets.
Feeding Style
The feeding style of the duck plays a big role in its diet. Diving ducks will go deep into the water in search of fish and crabs. Dabbling ducks, on the other hand, feed on the surface and eat more plants and insects.
Some Food Items That Should Not Be in a Duck’s Diet
While you may give ducks some bread as treats, you should not make it a mainstay. Bread is undesirable for ducks because of its low nutritional value and indigestibility.
A diet that consists mainly of bread or products similar to bread is likely to cause health problems such as malnutrition and poor development.
Besides bread, another substance that should be precluded from a ducks’ diet is lead. Lead may be found in sinkers from abandoned fishing lines. It usually looks like a nut or seed to a foraging duck. So, sometimes, they eat it.
The toxic effect from the lead can remain in the body of the duck for a long time, eventually causing illness and sometimes death.
Can Ducks Be Vegetarians?
There are many duck species all over the world living in different environments. This means they have to eat whatever is made available to them by their environment.
Domestic ducks will usually have a variety of food to choose from and can change their diet. They can switch from small insects to shells that provide them with the necessary calcium, depending on the time of year.
Some ducks do not have access to the range of food available to domestic ducks and may be restricted to eating plants, seeds, grains, and water plants. Such ducks may end up becoming vegetarian.
Can Ducks Eat Meat?
Besides eating insects, fish, and similar animal matter, ducks also eat meat. One of the advantages of giving ducks meat is that it can supply their body with protein that can make their eggs healthier.
Although ducks can eat meat, its consumption should be limited. You should avoid giving ducks processed meats, such as deli meats; they may contain harmful additives.
You should also ensure that you do not give them fatty or salty meat.
Final Thoughts
Ducks are omnivores, with a diet that varies depending on the species of duck, the season, and their environment. But this does not mean they can eat just any plant or animal matter. Before feeding your domestic ducks, or those wild ducks in the park, confirm that it is safe for them. | https://farmhouseguide.com/are-ducks-carnivores-omnivores-or-herbivores/ |
The interested reader will find further descriptions and pictures of the fauna and flora of these habitats by following the links and descriptions from the Florida Museum given below for each habitat, as well as the. Within the Everglades, cypress swamps are restricted to Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and east of Shark River Slough and into Taylor Slough in the southern Everglades. Predators at the top of the food chain need to eat lots and lots of smaller animals to get the energy and matter they need to survive. Human environment interactions in South Florida 's Everglades region: Systems of ecological degradation and restoration. The surrounding vegetation was described. Herbivores, like the eastern mud turtle remain healthy for reproduction when aquatic and terrestrial plants thrive.
When these animals eat these plant products, food energy and organic compounds are transferred from the plants to the animals. Frogs like the southern leopard frog and fish like the grass carp and even small birds can sustain themselves and their newborns when they have access to mosquitos they can feed on. We must do all we can to preserve this relationship to ensure the survival of all our native species for years to come. These are some of the types of organism, plants and animals in our Everglade Ecosystem. Alligators are in the reptile family, cold-blooded. The activities take 30 to 45 minutes to complete, and are targeted mainly at kindergarten to third grade students.
What Is a Food Web? Pollution and fire caused by human activities grossly impact the structure of the ecosystem. Food Web Example in the Florida Everglades We could describe a food web just about anywhere in the world, but have you ever been to the Florida Everglades, or met an alligator? A complex mixture of algae, bacteria, microbes, and detritus that is attached to submerged surfaces, periphyton serves as an important food source for invertebrates, tadpoles, and some fish. The modern societal use of motorized boats during recreation scares and kills the manatees cruising near the surface of the water. List the 4 main components of the food chain and explain the function of each. Instead, 13C appears to better reflect food web base e. Everglades surrounded by high industrialized and high-populated human settlements send high concentrations of airborne pollutants through air are deposited by rain on park soil and water. There is an increase of grasshoppers because with a large amount of alligators there is a larger need for fish to feed all the alligators.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Decomposers play a very important role in this world because they take care of breaking. There are also many tertiary consumers in the Everglades ecosystem like the bald eagle and the Florida black bear. For these sites, 15Ncan potentially be used to investigate MeHg bioaccumulationpathways through the food web. Come jump in an airboat and explore a marvelous place! Also, I always ask permission from a land owner before exploring on their property, and you should do the same. Draining of water to form dry land for human settlement conflict with the water dependent species of Everglades and that threatened the ecosystem.
Increased population densities in the 1900s required construction of drainage activities to convert the wet-land for cultivation, agricultural expansion, and coastal railroad construction along with other economic activities, which altered the dynamics of the natural Everglades ecosystem Solecki et al. The reason that I interact with wildlife is to produce these educational videos, and I am confident in my abilities to handle creatures such as a python because I have years of zoology experience under my belt. The Florida Everglades is host to a diverse ecosystem of tropical and subtropical plants, reptiles, mammals, and aquatic species as well Everglades, 2012. The bald eagle can be found in virtually any kind of American wetland habitat including seacoasts, rivers, large lakes or marshes and other large open bodies of water. Can you guess who would eat the white-tailed deer? Black bears adapt to the ecosystem by using a variety of plants and animals to obtain their sustenance and protein.
Monitoring shorterlivedspecies that do not migrate into and out of a given collectionsite may be a more effective approach toward assessing the successof Everglades restoration. What happens to the alligator, panther or bear if nothing eats them, and where does the energy go? While the study does help shine light on its possible effects on small mammals, McCleery is careful not to say the results show pythons are behind the decline of all other small mammals in the park. . The marl allows slow seepage of the water but not rapid drainage. The Everglades food web is an intricate, balanced relationship that allows every living thing in the area to thrive. They usually consist of a producer, a consumer and a predator, with the predator being the top of the food chain.
Food Web Structure and Everglades Restoration Improving the water quality in the Everglades is a critical goalof restoration efforts in this ecosystem. Observations of fourteen species and their food sources were recorded in the chart below. In addition, food chains and food webs of numerous complexity describe the complicated feeding relationships between the members of a community in an ecosystem and a variety of them exists. Friars Hill Pond, was met. Disrupting a food web can be a disaster! These traditional uses of Yellowstone lands continued until a little over 200 years ago when the first people of European descent found their way into the park. As they forage in regions withdifferent biogeochemical reactions, their tissues begin to acquirethe isotopic values of their new diet.
If you would like to help me get new gear for my channel, please contribute to my GoFundMe: www. Additional Resources Vocabulary Food chain, producers, consumer, everglades wildlife, ecosystem. Plants change the sun's energy into stored energy, which is food for things that eat plant. Florida Everglades Food Chain Florida Everglades Many different plants and animals live there Tropical habitat National Park One example of a food chain What is a food chain? Urban Ecosystems, 3 , 305-343. A vigorous and concentrated initiative for environmental protection is necessary to preserve the remaining Everglades and its natural habitat.
Both species are part of the same family, crocodilian. So who does eat it? For example, pollutants like mercury emit from power plants and waste incinerators enter the food chain as top predators feed on contaminated prey and cause biological degradation of ecosystems National Park Service, 2013. A series of other sloughs that flow through the Big Cypress Swamp supply freshwater to western Florida Bay and the Ten Thousand Islands. It instructs your mouth and stomach to make chemicals that help digest food. Then there are the Primary Consumers Florida Apple Snails, White Tail Deers, Mosquitofish and Green Sea Turtles. The sun provides all our local plant life, such as the butterfly orchid and the bladderwort plant to thrive. Neither you, nor the coeditors you shared it with will be able to recover it again.
Major threats to the species in the Everglades comes from direct utilization of resources by the community, for example, hunting, fishing, harvesting, and recreational activities that interfere with the natural habitat of swamp species. They use the model to establish a relationship between the individual or groups to their environment and illnesses. Neither you, nor the coeditors you shared it with will be able to recover it again. Obviously, that conclusion is unrealistic. So, we can say that all the food chains begin with a green plant or grass which is the original source of all food. Alligator and Wading Bird in the Everglades Who Else Eats Who? The implications of this effect arethat monitoring mercury concentrations in large sport fish likelargemouth bass may not be an accurate measure of mercuryresponses to restoration efforts at that site. | http://bestbetasia.com/everglades-food-chain.html |
A keystone in architecture is a wedge-shaped stone at the center of an archway or vault that stabilizes all the other stones into position, allowing the archway to bear weight above it. Without the keystone, the building would crumble.
Our sacrum has a similar feeling of being a central support structure in the human skeleton – a keystone bone supporting the spine and pelvis.
In nature, a keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment and the other organisms and animals living around it. These keystone species create habitats and living conditions for other species. Examples of keystone species are beavers, hummingbirds, sea otters, starfish, prairie dogs, gray wolves, grizzly bears, and sharks.
If you remove a keystone species, the ecosystem degrades and slowly unravels. As habitats disappear, so do the species that relied on food sources or shelter the habitat provided, and a complete rearrangement of the food web occurs.
Think of a keystone species as the glue that holds an ecosystem together.
You may have heard the iconic story about the reintroduction of gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park back in 1995? It goes like this:
Wolves in the park had been completely killed off but their reintroduction triggered a trophic cascade (when one species impacts the ecosystem from the top down) that ultimately restored balance across the entire ecosystem:
In the wolves’ absence, deer and elk proliferated and overgrazed all of the vegetation in the park, and with it, the habitats of many animals vanished, despite humans trying to control the size of the herd.
When wolves were reintroduced in 1995, they didn’t hunt the deer and elk to decrease their numbers – it was simply their presence that caused the herd to be on the move (rather than linger in areas where they could get trapped and hunted by the wolves). This presence and movement is what allowed the trophic cascade.
As a result, the park’s vegetation and other ecosystems regenerated, bringing back diverse species of plants, birds, and mammals.
Believe it or not, humans are supposed to be a keystone species, but we’ve become so disconnected from nature that we no longer can hold that title – not with any dignity anyway.
In fact, according to Lyla June Johnston, a scholar of the Navajo and Cheyenne lineage, “Indigenous people are trying to bring the human being back into the role of the keystone species, where our presence on the land nourishes the land and its inhabitants.”
What if humans could become a beneficial keystone species again?
To halt the devastating climate crisis, widespread focus on regeneration must take center stage, and humans are smart enough to create trophic cascades in the diverse ecosystems on the planet that bring habitats back to thriving.
Here are some ways you can be a helpful member of the human keystone species:
- Support your local beyond-organic farms, particularly the biodynamic, regenerative organic farms. Join their CSAs, shop their booths at the farmer’s market, and tell all your friends about them. These farms are keenly aware of how to build and regenerate healthy soil which leads to healthy food, plants, and species diversity.
- Donate to The Rodale Institute, an organization devoted to growing the regenerative organic movement through research, farmer training, and consumer education.
- Rewild your garden by reading these helpful guidelines by Mary Reynolds, a landscaper and garden designer from Wexford, Ireland.
- Donate to organizations working to preserve other keystone species, such as:
- Build healthy soil by composting at home! Read this article to get started. | https://teach.yoga/whats-a-keystone-species-and-why-is-it-important-for-you-to-be-one/ |
Mapping ecosystems Plant organisation . The feeding relationships between these groups can be shown in food . An example of an ectoparasite is the fungus that causes tinea or athlete's Proposed idea that weight gained. Discusses parasitic and mutualistic relationships of fungi. Do all fungi feed only on dead organisms? Not all. This fungus is a lichen. The idea of the web of life is shown by the interdependence within an ecosystem. Animals and plants depend on a complex system of food for survival. When an animal dies, it is decomposed by worms, fungi and bacteria action and Have students map the area by observing and identifying animals (insects, birds, signs) .
Students will understand that interrelating communities are components of an ecosystem. Activities Demonstrate the concept of interdependence to students by setting up a row of dominos with enough space between one section that will allow a chain reaction to stop at that point after the first has been pushed.
Every block removed causes a change in the structure--some reactions are more severe than others; for instance, if a bottom or center block are pulled, the system collapses. Go outside and mark off a large area.
A field with diverse vegetation is best. Divide the area into sections using a measuring tape. Have students map the area by observing and identifying animals insects, birds, signs and noting their location. Compare the different animals by their locations.
Lesson 4: Food Chains
Group students into teams. Go outside and identify distinctly different vegetative areas, such as a lawn, woods, and open field, marsh, or a pond. Assign a team to each area or ecosystem.
Using sweep nets, dip nets, magnifying lenses, egg cartons, trowels, pans and plastic bags, collect plant and insect specimens from each area.
Minimize the impact by keeping animals live and taking only parts of plants, such as a leaf. Record or draw pictures of plants or animals that are not collectible. After collecting samples and data, regroup for comparison of the areas. A food web depicts a collection of polyphagous heterotrophic consumers that network and cycle the flow of energy and nutrients from a productive base of self-feeding autotrophs.
Feeding connections in the web are called trophic links. The number of trophic links per consumer is a measure of food web connectance. Food chains are nested within the trophic links of food webs. Food chains are linear noncyclic feeding pathways that trace monophagous consumers from a base species up to the top consumerwhich is usually a larger predatory carnivore.
Trophic species are functional groups that have the same predators and prey in a food web. Common examples of an aggregated node in a food web might include parasitesmicrobes, decomposerssaprotrophsconsumersor predatorseach containing many species in a web that can otherwise be connected to other trophic species. Trophic level A trophic pyramid a and a simplified community food web b illustrating ecological relations among creatures that are typical of a northern Boreal terrestrial ecosystem.
The trophic pyramid roughly represents the biomass usually measured as total dry-weight at each level. Plants generally have the greatest biomass.
Names of trophic categories are shown to the right of the pyramid. Some ecosystems, such as many wetlands, do not organize as a strict pyramid, because aquatic plants are not as productive as long-lived terrestrial plants such as trees.
Ecological trophic pyramids are typically one of three kinds: Basal species, such as plants, form the first level and are the resource limited species that feed on no other living creature in the web. Basal species can be autotrophs or detritivoresincluding "decomposing organic material and its associated microorganisms which we defined as detritus, micro-inorganic material and associated microorganisms MIPand vascular plant material.
The top level has top or apex predators which no other species kills directly for its food resource needs. The intermediate levels are filled with omnivores that feed on more than one trophic level and cause energy to flow through a number of food pathways starting from a basal species.
The trophic level is equal to one more than the chain length, which is the number of links connecting to the base. The base of the food chain primary producers or detritivores is set at zero.
The technique has been improved through the use of stable isotopes to better trace energy flow through the web. This realization has made trophic classifications more complex. The basis of trophic dynamics is the transfer of energy from one part of the ecosystem to another. Omnivores, for example, are not restricted to any single level. Nonetheless, recent research has found that discrete trophic levels do exist, but "above the herbivore trophic level, food webs are better characterized as a tangled web of omnivores.
Ecologists use simplified one trophic position food chain models producer, carnivore, decomposer.
Using these models, ecologists have tested various types of ecological control mechanisms. For example, herbivores generally have an abundance of vegetative resources, which meant that their populations were largely controlled or regulated by predators.
Natural Resources, the Environment and Ecosystems
This is known as the top-down hypothesis or 'green-world' hypothesis. Alternatively to the top-down hypothesis, not all plant material is edible and the nutritional quality or antiherbivore defenses of plants structural and chemical suggests a bottom-up form of regulation or control.
Links in a food-web illustrate direct trophic relations among species, but there are also indirect effects that can alter the abundance, distribution, or biomass in the trophic levels. For example, predators eating herbivores indirectly influence the control and regulation of primary production in plants.
Although the predators do not eat the plants directly, they regulate the population of herbivores that are directly linked to plant trophism. The net effect of direct and indirect relations is called trophic cascades. Trophic cascades are separated into species-level cascades, where only a subset of the food-web dynamic is impacted by a change in population numbers, and community-level cascades, where a change in population numbers has a dramatic effect on the entire food-web, such as the distribution of plant biomass.
The Web of Life
Ecological efficiency The Law of Conservation of Mass dates from Antoine Lavoisier's discovery that mass is neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions. In other words, the mass of any one element at the beginning of a reaction will equal the mass of that element at the end of the reaction. Keep going through the chain until you get to the top consumers. The string will be a tangled web in the middle of the circle.
Food chains are complicated, and the balance they create is essential. For example, the impact of overhunting will cause the lions to drop their strings. Possible Questions Do you know why there are more herbivores than carnivores? What if one animal from the food chain disappeared?
What about one level of the food chain? How do humans fit in the food chain? What could happen if an animal not native to an area is brought into the local food chain? What could happen if you remove an animal from the food chain? How can sun and rain affect the food chain? Why is a food web a more accurate depiction of nature than a food chain or pyramid? Food Chain Tag This activity requires a large open area.
In a class of 25 to 40 students, choose three to five to be predators and seven to ten to be plant-eaters. The remainder will be plants. This represents a balanced system where plants are more plentiful than plant-eaters, plant-eaters more plentiful than predators, and predators are the least plentiful. | https://fabula-fantasia.info/and-relationship/interdependence-and-feeding-relationship-of-fungus-concept-maps.php |
Orchid Care Tips
Many of the most important plant species grown for human consumption are in the grass family, which includes rice, corn (maize), wheat, rye, barley, teff, millet, and other species. Many species of the grass family are also grown for animal consumption or as lawn grasses; examples include timothy, fescue, and bluegrass. Another group of great economic importance is the palm family, which includes coconuts, dates, and the oil palm. In addition to these foods, the palm family provides construction materials for housing, thatching, and a variety of tools and implements in many parts of the world. The largest family of monocots, in terms of number of species, is the orchid family. Although orchids are widely grown as ornamentals, only one species, the vanilla orchid, is grown as a food plant. The flavoring agent vanilla is extracted from the podlike fruits of this species.
Apart from their obvious economic importance as sources of foods and other materials of use to humanity, various monocots are of great significance as dominant elements in a variety of habitats, such as prairies (many grasses), marshes, bogs, and other wetlands (many members of the sedge family, or Cyperaceae), and ponds and streams (various members of the frog's-bit family, Hydrocharitaceae, and related aquatic families). Members of the orchid family and the pineapple family (Bromeliaceae) are important epiphytes plants that epiphytes in tropical forests, where they provide food to pollinating insects grow on other p|ants and birds and habitat for insects, fungi, and other kinds of organisms in the forest canopy.
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Learning About 10 Ways Fight Off Cancer Can Have Amazing Benefits For Your Life The Best Tips On How To Keep This Killer At Bay Discovering that you or a loved one has cancer can be utterly terrifying. All the same, once you comprehend the causes of cancer and learn how to reverse those causes, you or your loved one may have more than a fighting chance of beating out cancer. | https://www.medicinalplantsarchive.us/plant-sciences-3/economic-and-ecologic-importance.html |
The ReSource Project is a large-scale, interdisciplinary study on the effects of mental training on the brain, subjective experience, health, and behavior. Over an eleven-month period, participants practice a variety of mental exercises aimed at cultivating attention, interoceptive awareness, perspective-taking on self and others, meta-cognition, compassion, empathy, and prosocial motivation. These exercises include meditative techniques as well as dyadic interactions. The training is divided into three modules that focus on: a) attention and mindfulness, b) socio-affective abilities (e.g., empathy and compassion), and c) socio-cognitive abilities (e.g., cognitive perspective-taking). We assessed the effects of these modules with more than 90 measures across multiple levels including neural structure and function, autonomic and hormonal responses, behavior, and subjective experience. Over the course of this talk I will highlight features of the training that pertain most directly to fear and trust. More specifically, I will discuss first results regarding the effects of the training on trusting behavior in economic games and on subjective and physiological responses to threat in a virtual environment. | https://www.mindandlife.org/session/the-resource-project-fear-trust-and-the-effects-of-mental-training/ |
Cognitive therapy deals with thoughts and perceptions, and how these can affect feelings and behaviour.
Behavioural therapy focuses on an individual's learnt, or conditioned, behaviour and how this can be changed.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) combines cognitive and behavioural therapies.
We have not identified any risks associated with cognitive and behavioural therapies other than those found in other psychological therapies.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (also known as CBT, Cognitive Behavioural Modification or CBM) is a type of psychological intervention used to change how people think and behave.
CBT is based on the idea that how we think, how we feel, and how we act, affect each other. For example, a person who thinks that an increased heart rate is the sign of a heart attack is more likely to panic than a person who thinks that it is just a normal variation in heart rate.
CBT uses a variety of techniques to help people become more aware of how they think, so that they can change how they think and therefore how they behave.
Mindfulness is a mind-body based approach that helps people change the way they think and feel about their experiences, especially stressful experiences.
Mindfulness training (also known as mindfulness exercises, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy or MBCT) is a type of psychological intervention used to teach people how to pay attention to the present moment, using techniques like meditation, breathing and yoga.
Mindfulness training is designed to help people become more aware of their thoughts and feelings so that instead of being overwhelmed by them, they are better able to manage them.
Please see the section on Behavioural Interventions for more information about behavioural interventions based on the principles of applied behaviour analysis. | http://www.researchautism.net/autism-interventions/types/psychological-interventions/cognitive-and-behavioural-therapies?print=1 |
Treating Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating explains how cognitive therapy can be used to treat those suffering from bulimia nervosa. The manual provides a step-by-step treatment guide, incorporating a number of case examples offering detailed explanations of the treatment process, questionnaires, worksheets and practical exercises for the client, which will provide a framework and focus for therapy. The authors use existing techniques, as well as new integrated cognitive and metacognitive methods developed from their recent research, to take the therapist from initial assessment to the end of treatment and beyond, with chapters covering:
- engagement and motivation
- case formulation and socialisation
- detached mindfulness strategies
- positive and negative beliefs.
This practical guide will allow those treating patients with bulimia nervosa to take advantage of recent developments in the field and will be an essential tool for all therapists working with this eating disorder.
Table of Contents
Introduction to the Book, a Case Example and an Overview of Treatment. Diagnosis and Assessment. Treatment of Bulimia Nervosa. A New Cognitive Model of Bulimia Nervosa. Engagement and Motivation. Case Formulation and Socialisation. Detached Mindfulness Strategies. Negative Beliefs about Eating: Uncontrollability and Consequences. Positive Beliefs about Eating. Negative Self Beliefs. Ending Therapy. Therapist Resources.
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Author(s)
Biography
Myra Cooper is senior research tutor at the Oxford Doctoral Course in Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford.
Gillian Todd is based in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge.
Adrian Wells is Professor of Clinical and Experimental Psychopathology at the University of Manchester.
Reviews
"Every clinician working with the eating disorders will know a bulimia nervosa sufferer like Jessica, Angela or Bethany. This book gives practical advice about how to work with such patients, incorporating existing methods and building on them with new methods from the authors' clinical research and experience. It should be in the collection of every psychological therapist working with bulimia nervosa." - Glenn Waller, Visiting Professor of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, & Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Vincent Square Eating Disorders Service, CNWL NHS Foundation Trust, UK
"Underpinned by a strong and evidence-based model, this therapist guide is brimming with solid practical advice and detailed guidance on how to implement particular therapeutic strategies and deal with hurdles and challenges along the way. Accompanying worksheets and therapeutic aide-memoirs are excellent. Both new and expert therapists will find this book highly useful." - Ulrike Schmidt, Professor of Eating Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, UK
"Treating Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating is an excellent, practical handbook for clinicians in helping their patients overcome bulimia nervosa. The authors - Myra Cooper, Gillian Todd, and Adrian Wells - provide an innovative, powerful new approach - metacognitive therapy that can help patients disentangle themselves from their problematic thoughts and urges. This book is filled with clinical vignettes, behavioral experiments, metacognitive exercises, treatment tips, self report forms and informative schematics that will be immensely valuable in the real-world setting that clinicians encounter. This is an important contribution to helping us overcome a difficult clinical problem. The authors should be congratulated for providing us with a break-through in how to conceptualize and treat this problem." - Robert L. Leahy, Director, American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, USA
Support Material
Ancillaries
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E-Resources
Appendices:
Companion Website
Please visit our companion website for additional support materials. | https://www.routledge.com/Treating-Bulimia-Nervosa-and-Binge-Eating-An-Integrated-Metacognitive-and/Cooper-Todd-Wells/p/book/9781583919453 |
Albin Hamard has been studying, researching and practicing meditation and body-mind awareness techniques for 15 years. He received a Ph.D. with honours for his work on the adaptation of Eastern meditation practices into Western culture, and has been teaching mindfulness and meditation at university level since 2006.
Albin’s approach combines scientifically-backed theory with practical exercises that help learners easily grasp the basics of mindfulness, so they are able to practice it in their daily lives and get results.
Sports trainer and coach
Albin also works with professional athletes in France and Thailand as a body-mind coach. His focus is on mindfulness and relaxation as a means to perform more efficiently and compete more successfully.
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
Albin has been co-facilitating corporate mind training programs since 2015, helping managers and employees to reduce stress, improve their productivity and have a more positive mindset. He has worked with several companies across multiple sectors, including PwC, Faurecia, Aktan, Gaeris and Premanys.
He also co-authors and publishes papers on the topic of mind-body ecology and has been invited to present his work at symposiums and workshops in Shanghai, Bangkok, Paris and San Francisco.
ACADEMIC TRAINING
Business and scientific training
Ph.D. in Cognitive Anthropology - University of Orléans, France
Master in Ergonomics and Innovation in Services - University of Orléans, France
Mindfulness and body awareness techniques
Bachelor of Sciences and Technology of Physical and Sports Activities - University of Orléans, France
MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) - Orléans, France
10+ years of training in contemplative practices with highly recognized teachers across Australia, Canada, France, Nepal, Spain and Portugal
Albin works in English and French. | http://mindfieldtraining.com/en/albin-hamard |
- Това събитие е минало събитие.
EAP: Mental Talks: Mindfulness & Mental Fitness
юни 28 @ 17:00 - 18:00Безплатно
EAP: Mental Talks: Mindfulness & Mental Fitness
Aim:
To give information about the concepts of “ Mindfulness” and “Mental Fitness”, the consequences on our health and wellbeing
In our lives we often live on autopilot – we do several things at once and act on several tasks at the same time. It is very hard to balance work, home, finances and other urgent tasks. We loose the sense of the present moment and our thoughts are jumping chaotically.
In fact, if we look at our daily routine, we rarely “attend” to our lives. Very often we have no time to notice the good things and fail to experience the moment.
One of the techniques that gives undoughted results is called ” “Mindfulness”. It gives you the possibility to train yourself how to pay attention to the world and how to experience it in the present moment.
There are many possible benefits of mindfulness including lowering stress, improving emotional regulation, boosting cognitive abilities, and strengthening relationships. Research has also shown that mindfulness can lead to changes in the structure and function of the brain.
Mental fitness model is the other method to keeping your brain and emotional health in good shape. It doesn’t mean acing a test or practicing memory games or thinking puzzles, but rather exercises that keep you mentally well and build up your resilience to stress.
As with physical fitness, mental fitness has far-reaching benefits.
Tasks:
- To define what is “Loosing the focus”
- What means to be more aware of yourself, your body and your environment.
- How to deal with your thoughts and emotions.
- To be able to see what is going on “around and with” you here and now.
Tools:
- Up-to-date presentation of information and research in the field
- Discussion about the role of awareness
- Strategies for developing concentration and knowledge how to abstract from the environment around you
- Self-reflecting exercises
Target: | https://www.somenso.com/event/eap-mental-talks-benefits-of-mindfulness/ |
Parenthood brings joy, but can also bring a new level of stress and worry. Learning how to manage your stress more effectively is the key to improving your quality of life and your enjoyment of this new stage.
This class will teach you coping strategies for managing stress related to parenting, including: understanding the physiological effects of stress, daily self-care to reduce the impact of stress, mindfulness techniques and communication skills. This class includes mindfulness exercises such as breath work, relaxation and cognitive strategies.
You can attend alone or with a partner, although couples who attend together may discover new ways to strengthen their relationship. Registration is $75/person. This class will take place in the Mindful Families group room. | https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stress-management-for-parenting-survival-strategies-tickets-59132356470?aff=ebdssbcitybrowse |
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a cognitive therapeutic treatment which incorporates mindfulness techniques to reduce levels of emotional distress.
Initially conceived to help people with chronic depression, or suffering depression as a side-effect to severe physical illness, the treatment uses approaches like meditation, breathing and other relaxation exercises to break negative thought patterns before they take hold.
Mindfulness helps the individual to step back from the negative thoughts and feelings and reduce their effect, and in this way, they are able to take back control. It serves to teach sufferers to change their relationship with their emotions and thoughts. | https://themindfulhub.com.au/mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy/ |
Cognitive behaviour therapies cover a broad spectrum of approaches based on social learning theory and sharing a common focus on thoughts, beliefs and behaviour as the primary vehicle for change. CBT has been applied to specific physical and psychological problems experienced by the person with cancer, such as pain, conditioned nausea, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and depression, as well as to the broader issues of adjustment and coping. Therapies have been delivered as simple behavioural interventions, psychoeducational programmes and more complex cognitive behavioural therapies planned around a case formulation of the person's problems. These approaches continue to be researched and the body of literature supporting the evidence for CBT in cancer is growing. The presentation will review the current evidence and consider 2 main themes: firstly, how recent developments of CBT can be incorporated into work with people with cancer, and secondly, how CBT can be most effectively delivered in oncology and palliative care settings. Cognitive behavioural approaches developed in the last 10 years can make important contributions to working with worry and ruminations in people with cancer (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy; Metacognitive Therapy), helping people step outside the need to "fix" their problems. These more acceptance based approaches and the related Compassionate Mind Therapy can all be integrated into more standard CBT. Novel ways of delivering CBT techniques through training nurses and other health practitioners, using telephone and online therapy and developing very brief, focused interventions can also give more patients access to treatment. | http://cosa-ipos-2012.m.asnevents.com.au/schedule/session/582/abstract/3326 |
You’re probably aware of how people use meditation for religious purposes and for stress relief. But, there are many other benefits of incorporating meditation into your lifestyle, and I’ll share a few of them below.
5 Fascinating Facts About Meditation in More of A Physical Sense:
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It can help students get better grades (especially freshmen).
Research from George Mason University showed that meditating before class helped college students focus better and retain information, and score better on a test. In the study, a randomly selected group of students did six minutes of meditation exercises before the class lecture and scored better on the following quiz that students who did not meditate. In one case, meditation predicted who would pass the quiz and who would fail.
The positive effects of meditation were strongest in freshman classes. Researchers theorize that meditation may give the most help to students having trouble paying attention or focusing on the lecture. Students who have trouble with such “self-regulation” are more likely to drop out. So, meditation may be particularly powerful in freshmen courses and institutions suffering from high attrition rates.
(Jared T. Ramsburg, Robert J. Youmans. Meditation in the Higher-Education Classroom: Meditation Training Improves Student Knowledge Retention during Lectures. Mindfulness, 2013; DOI: 10.1007/s12671-013-0199-5)
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It changes our DNA (for the better).
A review of more than a decade of research shows how, by changing DNA, meditation can benefit our physical and mental health. Published in the Journal Frontiers in Immunology, the review focused on studies of gene expression as a result of meditation, yoga, and Tai Chi (termed Mind-body interventions, or MBIs). “Gene expression” is how genes activate and produce proteins that impact the body, brain, and immune system, particularly under stress.
When a person is subjected to a stressful event, the fight-or-flight response is triggered. Genes are activated to produce proteins called cytokines that cause inflammation of the cells. This is useful for the short fight-or-flight reaction, but if the inflammation persists, there is a higher risk of cancer, quicker aging, depression, or other psychiatric conditions.
This fight-or-flight response was important for our hunter-gather ancestors, but not so much today. Stress lasts longer and is more psychological, so the inflammatory gene expression can persist, causing medical and psychological problems.
But those practicing the MBIs showed the opposite gene expression. There was a decrease in the production of cytokines, a reduction of cellular inflammation, and decreased risk of those inflammation-related diseases and conditions.
(Ivana Buric, Miguel Farias, Jonathan Jong, Christopher Mee, Inti A. Brazil. What Is the Molecular Signature of Mind-Body Interventions? A Systematic Review of Gene Expression Changes Induced by Meditation and Related Practices. Frontiers in Immunology, 2017; 8 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00670)
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It may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
A pilot study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggests that meditation may change the brain and slow the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. A group of adults with mild cognitive impairment was divided into two groups, one of which received Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) using meditation and yoga. This group met weekly, attended a day-long mindfulness retreat, and were encouraged to meditate at home 15-30 minutes per day. All groups had functional MRIs before the study and again after eight weeks.
Researchers were interested in looking at two key areas: the default mode network and the hippocampus. The default mode network is the brain system engaged when people remember past events or think about the future. The hippocampus is the part of the brain responsible for emotions, learning, and memory, and is known to atrophy as people develop mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Previous studies have shown that the hippocampus activates during meditation, and meditators have more hippocampal gray matter concentration.
After eight weeks, the meditating group showed significantly improved functionality in the default mode network, and while they did experience atrophy of the hippocampus, they had less atrophy than the group who did not meditate. More work is needed, but the researchers noted that MBSR is a simple intervention, with a very little downside, and if it delays Alzheimer’s even a little, it can improve the quality of life of those with cognitive decline.
(Rebecca Erwin Wells, Gloria Y. Yeh, Catherine E. Kerr, Jennifer Wolkin, Roger B. Davis, Ying Tan, Rosa Spaeth, Robert B. Wall, Jacquelyn Walsh, Ted J. Kaptchuk, Daniel Press, Russell S. Phillips, Jian Kong. Meditation’s impact on default mode network and hippocampus in mild cognitive impairment: A pilot study. Neuroscience Letters, 2013; 556: 15 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.10.001)
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It can make better employees.
Management in large organizations often views meditation and mindfulness as something religious (to be avoided in the workplace) or some touchy-feely new age fad. But others feel mindfulness can improve the whole corporate culture, and help employees work together. Research supports this latter view.
A review of mindfulness research by a management scientist at Case Western Reserve University shows how mindfulness training through meditation supports a range of workplace functions:
- Mindfulness improves attention, cognition, emotions, and behavior.
- Mindfulness has been shown to improve the stability, control, and efficiency of attention. It’s been estimated that our minds wander about half the time we are awake. Mindfulness keeps our attention in the present.
- Initial evidence suggests that mindfulness improves interpersonal behavior and workgroup relationships.
- Relationships may be improved because mindfulness gives each practitioner more empathy and compassion.
Recognition of mindfulness is increasing in the corporate world, with Google, Aetna, Mayo Clinic, and the United States Marine Corps already implementing mindfulness training. And so is Britain, under the Mindful Nation UK initiative.
(J. Good, C. J. Lyddy, T. M. Glomb, J. E. Bono, K. W. Brown, M. K. Duffy, R. A. Baer, J. A. Brewer, S. W. Lazar. Contemplating Mindfulness at Work: An Integrative Review. Journal of Management, 2015; 42 (1): 114 DOI: 10.1177/0149206315617003)
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It helps you make better decisions.
Why do people make bad decisions, and continue to make bad decisions? They stay in bad relationships, hold on to plummeting stocks, and keep trying to fix up that old junker instead of buying a good car. They continue to “throw good money after bad” because of something called the sunk-cost bias. We don’t like to think we were wasteful or that our initial investment (in a relationship, stock, or car) is a loss.
A series of studies by INSEAD and The Wharton School have found that mindful meditation can help overcome this bias, so people can make more rational decisions. Meditation clears the mind and fosters awareness of the present. You’ll focus on the information available in the present moment, and ignore some of the histories that worsens the sunk-cost bias.
In the studies, better decision-making came with a 15-minute focused breathing meditation; meditation that repeatedly told participants to focus on the sensations of breathing. Afterward, they showed more ability to ignore to sunk-costs. Researchers suggest a two-step process. Mediation focused participants on the present and less on the past and future, which led to less negative emotion. Less negative emotion helped them let go of sunk-costs. | http://blog.thewellnessuniverse.com/5-fascinating-facts-meditation/ |
“There is only one thing that will really train the human mind, and that is the voluntary use of the mind by the man himself. You may aid him, you may guide him, you may suggest to him, and, above all else, you may inspire him. But the only thing worth having is that which he gets by his own exertions, and what he gets in direct proportion to what he puts into it” -Albert L. Lowel
NOW School is a concept that embodies the attitude of learning in the present to prepare for the future; not just in school, but wherever you are in everyday life. The NOW School “Youth Scholars” Curriculum covers a wide range of subject matter, both traditional and non-traditional, that stimulates thoughts, ideas, reasoning and analysis of every subject and discipline discussed.
In NOW School, students learn how to apply ancient wisdom or “old school” principles to their current “new school” life and professional career aspirations. This curriculum and program supplements the traditional curriculums taught throughout most educational systems. However, this system and methodology introduces a new holistic approach to life and career choices called, Neuro-Holistic Learning ©. The Neuro-Holistic Learning © paradigm addresses the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of students, as well as their academic and professional career needs within a cultural context necessary for effective learning.
Neuro-Holistic Learning © is the application of the knowledge of the relationship between the Mind, Brain and Body connection for use in teaching and learning. This teaching methodology and course design incorporates An Integrated Kinesthetic Approach to Cognitive Learning and the inter-related principles of the mind, brain and body connection that is delivered and demonstrated via a Collaborative Interactive Thought Exchange © process conducted in a blended learning environment.
An Integrated Kinesthetic Approach to Cognitive Learning © is the use of a combination of specific tools, techniques, technologies and exercises that contain parallel principles across five kinesthetic systems of health and wellness used within the Neuro-Holistic Learning © paradigm. This teaching methodology integrates and combines various disciplines across all domains of learning by incorporating both traditional and nontraditional cross-pollination of course content and cultural contexts which allows for the creation and cultivation of student-centered learning environments.
The Collaborative Interactive Thought Exchange © (C.I.T.E.) process is a dialogue that focuses on finding the underlying principles of a subject or topic in relation to the mind, brain and body. Concept Cognition believes that this holistic approach to teaching and learning will stimulate and evoke the student’s innate and intrinsic abilities, skills, gifts, and talents to help produce within each student innovative idea generation, constructive choice and decision-making, creative problem-solving, mental fortitude (the ability to handle stress and peer-pressure) and a commitment of excellence to themselves, their families, their community and the world beyond their high school and college learning experiences. | http://classwombcortex.com/Home/About |
The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness, by J. Mark G. Williams, John D. Teasdale, Zindel V. Segal, and Jon Kabat-Zinn, Guildford Publications, 2007, 273 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1593851286, UK £12.99.
Reviewed by Dr. Paramabandhu Groves
As a health intervention, mindfulness has enjoyed an explosion of interest in the UK over the last few years. In the 1970s, Jon Kabat-Zinn set up the Stress Reduction Clinic in Massachusetts and pioneered the use of mindfulness meditation for people in chronic pain, as well as those suffering from stress and anxiety. He focused on people whose pain could not be further alleviated using orthodox medicine, and his studies showed that they benefited from the eight-week, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course. One study showed that four years later people were still benefiting from the course. MBSR came to be taught widely within the United States, no doubt aided by the popularity of Kabat-Zinn’s book Full Catastrophe Living, which explains MBSR in an easily digestible form.i
In the 1990s, three clinical scientists, Segal, Williams, and Teasdale, came together to develop a maintenance form of cognitive therapy that would help people remain well after they had suffered from depression. Depression is a widespread disorder with a high relapse rate – up to an 80% recurrence after two episodes. While cognitive therapy has been shown to be effective in treating depression, there are insufficient numbers of trained therapists to meet the level of need. Antidepressants are also sometimes effective, but people tend to relapse once they stop taking them. Ideally, a maintenance form of cognitive therapy would be delivered in a group format, require fewer sessions than standard cognitive therapy, and help people to stay well regardless of whether their initial treatment was psychological or pharmaceutical.
Segal et al became interested in Jon Kabat-Zinn’s work. Initially, they envisaged incorporating some mindfulness techniques into a cognitive therapy approach, but ended up with a predominantly mindfulness-oriented meditation course, incorporating some elements of cognitive therapy. Their major study showed that this approach, known as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), was effective in halving the relapse rate in people who had experienced more than two episodes of depression (and so are at the greatest risk of relapse). They described the evolution and structure of the course in their seminal book, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression.ii MBCT has now been included in the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for treatment of recurrent depression and has spawned widespread interest in mindfulness approaches in the UK.
While Segal et al’s book on MBCT is clear and accessible, it was written for clinicians who might teach MBCT. What was obviously called for was a version for people who suffer from depression. The original authors joined forces with Kabat-Zinn to produce The Mindful Way through Depression (MWD), which serves this purpose well. The book is divided into four sections. The first gives a clear account of depression, how it is perpetuated, and how mindfulness can help to break the cycle. Part two introduces mindfulness practices, especially those focusing on the breath. There is an emphasis on the acceptance of mental distractions – or ‘mind waves’ as they are referred to – as natural and inevitable. Moreover, distractions are presented as ideal learning opportunities; when one is caught up in something, one can learn how to disengage, and so become more familiar with the experience of not being caught up. This section also teaches how mindfulness can offer an alternative to unhelpful rumination, which plays a key part in exacerbating depression.
Part three focuses on feelings, emotions, thoughts, and on practising mindfulness in everyday life. I found the description of awareness of feelings – in the sense of vedanā – as an internal barometer to be a useful metaphor. Awareness of feelings is part of the course in the original MBCT book, but is not so well explained there. Vedanā can be difficult to separate from the emotional responses that usually follow on from it. In MWD, the authors describe how initially there may be just a sense of a ‘fused whole’ that in time may be teased apart to reveal feelings and related emotional reactions. The book also gives a fuller description of ways of working with difficult emotions. I found the emphasis on such emotions being already present helpful, because this may help patients to face up to what is happening, rather than engage in fruitless longing for things to be different. Kabat-Zinn’s early work showed that people benefited from MBSR best if they continued to use mindfulness practices, not just sitting meditation but informal methods too. One such practice is the ‘breathing space’ – a very brief mindfulness meditation that can be done at any time. Helpfully, MWD gives a full chapter to this. The final section of the book brings the different elements together and describes the eight-week course. There is also a CD of meditation exercises guided by Kabat-Zinn.
Some Buddhists may feel concerned that aspects of the teachings are being taken out of context, since this may misrepresent or limit the full breadth of the Dharma. There is also a debate about the use of the term mindfulness. Following the contemporary Vipassana tradition, this book defines mindfulness as a particular type of awareness which incorporates attention to purpose, and to the present moment, and the adoption of a non-judgemental attitude to things as they are. This contrasts with a view of mindfulness in the Indo-Tibetan tradition which is more concerned with concentration, removing distractions, and discriminating between wholesome and unwholesome mental states. The importance of this debate for Buddhist practitioners is not so much in the definitions as the underlying issue of what is needed for irreversible liberative insight (for a fuller discussion see, for example, Wallaceiii). However, for alleviation from depression this debate may not matter.
Teaching MBCT at an urban centre, I have found that the course helps many people, regardless of their religious background (or lack of it), while for a few it can become a gateway into a deeper engagement with Buddhism. This book will help both teachers and people undertaking the course. Attending a course is certainly preferable to learning meditation from a book and CD, but for those who don’t have this option this book is a very helpful alternative.
Dr Paramabandhu Groves is a consultant psychiatrist specialising in substance misuse. He is also Chair of the London Buddhist Centre, where he has been teaching MBCT for depression since 2004. He has adapted MBCT to develop mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) for addictive disorders.
i Kabat-Zinn, Jon. 1990. Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness, Delta.
ii Segal, Zindel, Williams, Mark, and Teasdale, John. 2002. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse, Guilford Press.
iii Wallace, B. Alan. 2006. The Attention Revolution, Wisdom Publications. | http://westernbuddhistreview.com/vol5/mindful-way-through-depression.html |
Target Audience: preK-12 teachers and administrators are encouraged to attend.
Session #1 - December 6
In this practical session participants will use the new Benchmarks 2.0 to assess English language proficiency competencies Vocabulary, Sentence Structure and Cohesive Devices in Writing, Reading and Speaking and Listening.
Session#2 December 13
Following learning how to assess using Benchmarks 2.0, participants will learn how to use the supporting competencies to further understand other aspects of proficiency for students acquiring English as an Additional language to inform instruction. Next participants will use the Benchmarks to consider programming implications by proficiency as well as reporting and communicating language proficiency to students and parents.
Kathy Salmonwas one of the principle writers for Benchmarks 2.0 and Benchmarks 1.0. She recently completed a two-year secondment at Alberta Education where she and her team partner developed Benchmarks 2.0. As a school principal supporting a diverse learning community of 77% EAL learners, Kathy recognizes the importance of understanding how English language proficiency connects to curricular content learning. Kathy has her M. Ed TESL and is currently in the final stages of Education Doctorate degree with a focus on Effective Teaching for EAL learners.
Fee: $30.00
Registration Notes:
This series will be recorded and available to all registrants for 30 days after the session occurs.
All session times are Mountain Time.
Optional: For session 1 and 2 participants can consider using a writing sample, reading assessment, speaking transcript and/or observational notes to assess using Benchmarks 2.0. If not writing samples, speaking samples and reading assessments on the Supporting English Language Learners site on Learn Alberta will be used.
Optional: For session 2 participants can consider the content and concepts of an upcoming unit of study to identify language and determine instructional implications for task design and proficiency of learners. | https://crcpd.ab.ca/program/9861 |
Keyword: Teacher training
This study investigates the changes in self-efficacy perceptions, professional self-esteem, and attitudes towards the teaching profession of pre-service information technology teachers in accordance with their academic achievement and career choices. A longitudinal research was conducted over a four-year time period with participation of 40 pre-service teachers. The data were collected through three separate scales at five different data collection points (entrance, freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years) corresponding to their initial states and their states at the end of each academic year. Findings indicated an improvement in terms of attitude towards the teaching profession and teaching self-efficacy through the time period. However, change in professional self-esteem did not follow such a clear pattern. While grade point averages (GPA) did not show significant relationships with attitude, self-efficacy or self-esteem in earlier states, as the participants gained experience, significant relationships arose among GPA, attitude and self-efficacy. Career choices of pre-service teachers were examined under three categories: teaching, coding and design. Preference for teaching was relatively high at the initial state and continuously increased over time. As the participants progressed in the program, their preference for coding and design increased as well. The increase in career choices of pre-service teachers accords with the courses in the program.
Keywords: Teacher training, Information technology education, Self-efficacy, Attitude, Self-esteem, Longitidunal study
Lack of technology leadership and technology integration plans are important obstacles for using technology effectively in schools. We carried out a large-scale study to be able to design a technology integration plan for one of the pilot provinces that Fatih Project was initiated. The purpose of this research is to examine the perceived challenges and needs of K12 teachers when integrating technology into their classes, which would be used as the needs analysis data of the technology integration plan. A mixed design was used and 844 teachers participated in the study. An online survey was used to gather both the quantitative and qualitative data. The findings showed that there are three major issues for teachers to integrate technology into their instruction: Executive, infrastructural, and instructional. Executive issues are mostly related to managerial and financial challenges, Infrastructural issues include technological and physical challenges, and instructional issues consist of challenges related with instructional materials, students’ readiness, and teacher competencies.
Keywords: FATİH project, Technology integration plan, Needs analysis, Teacher training, Change management
Teachers are faced with many barriers during their first few years of teaching, and they desire support to help them through this challenging time. Unfortunately, many beginning teachers rarely receive this assistance. Lack of support can create barriers that grow into to overall job dissatisfaction and lead to the failure of teacher retention. In the past, state departments of education and school administrators have focused on the use of mentoring programs to help address these concerns. However, much inconsistency exists among these programs’ duration, structure, and intensity, with many beginning teachers changing schools or leaving the profession all together. The purposes of this paper are to discuss key problems and concerns faced by beginning educators, to explore current professional development practices created for assisting beginning teachers, and to examine new ways to support beginning teachers through the use of educational technologies. Specifically, this article proposes principles to guide the design and improvement of beginning teacher induction programs through the incorporation of distance education technologies
Keywords: Beginning teacher induction, Distance education, Barriers to teaching, Guidelines for the use educational technology in teacher training
The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate how well initial teacher training in ICT prepare pre-service teachers to teaching profession. Eight pre-service teachers attending to the “School Experience” course from the Computer Education and Instructional Technology Department at the Middle East Technical University took part in this case study. Observation and interview methods were employed to gather data. Moreover, pre-service teachers’ lesson plans prepared for teaching activity were analyzed. The results showed that initial teacher training courses provided several affective teaching skills such as developing awareness about the importance of being well-prepared for each class, being calm for unexpected situations, and understanding the reasons of students’ misbehaviors in the class. However, according to ICT pre-service teachers, practical aspect of these courses was not enough. Most of them stated that they could not apply different strategies in different contexts. In addition, due to the lack of experience on classroom management they had difficulty in completing subjects although they left extra time for each activity in their lesson plans.
Keywords: Teaching practice, Initial teacher training, Case study, ICT pre-service teachers.
A recent survey study with 2515 pre-service teachers suggested an underlying structure to shelter ICT integration indicators. Eleven indicators were extracted, which were Teaching-Learning Methods, E-learning, E-interaction, Learning Communities, Infrastructure, Access, Ease of Use, Technical Assistance, Policy, Special Education and Health. In addition, the study provided interrelationships among variables which could lead to an ICT integration model for teacher training institutions. The current study administered the survey to 255 pre-service teachers to confirm the suggested factor structure. Based on the relationships among constructs that were provided in the previous study, second-order analyses were conducted revealing a potential pathway to an ICT integration model. The model indicated that the Policy of the institutions was at the center predicting Infrastructure, Special Education, Health and Teaching-Learning Methods. Infrastructure predicted Access, Ease of Use and Technical Assistance; whereas Teaching-Learning Methods predicted E-interaction, E-learning and Learning Communities. Implications and recommendations for further research are provided.
Keywords: Country-specific developments, Post-secondary education, Teacher training, ICT integration, Structural equation modeling
This study examined the effectiveness of a professionally developed comprehensive reading comprehension strategies program when compared to traditional reading comprehension instruction presented to 865 fourth and fifth graders (682 with full data sets) in 34 classrooms in the United States. The treatment included a strong, technology-based teacher training component as well as highly motivational materials for 53 classroom-delivered student lessons. The research design was a randomized trial at the classroom level, with classes randomly assigned to either the treatment (classroom n=17) or control (classroom n=17) conditions. Hierarchical Linear Modeling was performed on student achievement data, nested within classrooms within treatment conditions, for the intact classes. HLM analyses using experimenter-designed achievement tests as the outcome variable showed a significant effect for condition, with students in the treatment condition scoring higher than students in the control condition across all the different student groups (gender, ethnicity, and English Language proficiency). | https://www.cedtech.net/keyword/Teacher%20training |
Following is a question by the Hon Michael Tien and a reply by the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, in the Legislative Council today (December 10):
Question:
Since the 2002/03 school year, the Education Bureau has implemented the Native-speaking English Teacher (NET) Scheme to provide each eligible primary school with a NET. One of the objectives of the Scheme is to provide an authentic environment for students to learn English. However, at a meeting of the Panel on Education of this Council held last month, the Secretary for Education advised that the main duty of NETs is to act as resource teachers in order to provide support and exchange opportunities for local English teachers, instead of teaching in classrooms. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that the Territory-wide System Assessment Reports have indicated that the Basic Competency attainment rate (attainment rate) of Primary 3 students in English Language increased by just 4.4 percentage points over the past decade, while the attainment rate of Primary 6 students in roughly the same period increased merely by 1.9 percentage points, whether the authorities have assessed the effectiveness of the NET Scheme in improving students' basic competency in English Language, and whether such effectiveness was reflected in the attainment rates concerned; if it was reflected, whether it is evident from the insignificant increases in the attainment rates concerned that the NET Scheme is ineffective; if the NET Scheme is not ineffective, of the justifications for that;
(2) whether it has assessed if the NET Scheme can provide students with an authentic and comprehensive environment to learn English given that each school has only one NET whose main duty is to act as a resource teacher; if the assessment outcome is in the affirmative, of the justifications for that; if the assessment outcome is in the negative, whether the authorities have specific plans to increase the number of NETs in each primary school, and to require that all Primary 1 English lessons be taught solely by NETs, so as to provide students with a comprehensive environment for learning English; if they have such plans, of the implementation timetable; and
(3) whether it knows the respective numbers of NETs who completed their agreements and those who departed from service prematurely, in each of the past five years, as well as the reasons for their departure?
Reply:
President,
Our reply to the three questions raised by Hon Tien is as follows:
(1) As regards the evaluation of the impact of the NET Scheme in Primary Schools (PNET Scheme), the Education Bureau (EDB) commissioned the University of Melbourne to conduct a three-year territory-wide longitudinal study during the period between 2004 and 2006. The Evaluation Report indicated that NETs were generally more involved in teaching at P1 and P2 and, as reflected in the assessment of students' language proficiency in the study, there was a noticeable improvement achieved over time, especially at P1 and P2.
In the 2013/14 school year the EDB conducted a territory-wide survey to learn about the views of public sector primary schools on the PNET Scheme. The findings indicated that about 90% of the schools considered that English lessons co-taught by the NET and a local English teacher could enrich students' language exposure and development.
While expecting our students to be making continuous improvement, we should also show recognition of the good effort made by different stakeholders, including school leaders, teachers, parents and students themselves. The implementation of the NET Scheme is not the only contributing factor to student performance. To keep enhancing students' interest in, and the effectiveness of, their English learning, we commit ourselves to various areas of work, including the improvement of the curriculum design, the betterment of the learning environment, the promotion of effective learning and teaching strategies, the strengthening of our support for low achievers and the development of teachers' professional learning communities.
(2) I need to emphasise that the prime role of NETs is to serve as a resource teacher. As far as classroom teaching is concerned, direct teaching of students makes an important part of NETs' professional exchange with local English teachers. It is our expectation that NETs collaborate with local English teachers to develop and implement the school-based curriculum. Among their major duties, NETs co-teach with local teachers to provide an authentic and interactive language learning environment and to strengthen support for students with diverse needs. They also design and conduct English co-curricular activities, such as drama, story-telling and debating, to provide a language-rich environment, and to arouse and enhance students' interest in English learning. Aligned with the Scheme objectives, NETs' other duties include supporting local English teachers' professional development. Through collaboration, they help develop innovative learning and teaching strategies and design diversified learning materials and activities to implement the school-based English Language curriculum.
The territory-wide longitudinal study conducted by the University of Melbourne indicates that the above-mentioned professional collaboration was the key to the effectiveness of the PNET Scheme. In the Evaluation Report, it is pointed out that apart from enhancing students' exposure to English inside and outside the classroom, the implementation of the Scheme also contributed to a conducive environment that enabled local English teachers to use English more effectively for daily exchange and collaboration, which in turn supported their professional development.
At this stage the EDB has no plans to increase the number of NETs for each primary school. A preliminary discussion of the suggestion was recently conducted in the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research, and it was proposed that further attempts be made to explore how to make the best possible use of the existing resources. The EDB has also commissioned experts and academics to conduct another evaluation study of the PNET Scheme in the latter half of the current school year. We will make reference to the evaluation findings and recommendations and set plans for the future development of the Scheme.
With respect to the assignment of teaching duties, if each school were to deploy their NET only to teach all P1 classes by himself or herself, it would result in much fewer opportunities for the NET to collaborate with local English teachers. According to the territory-wide survey conducted by the NET Section in the 2013/14 school year, only one school indicated that the NET should be deployed to teach only P1 classes. The majority of the school respondents considered that the NET should teach at different year levels, especially in Key Stage 1. Should NETs be deployed to teach at P1 only, such an arrangement would impact negatively on their understanding of the development of the local English Language curriculum and hence affect the quality of the collaborative work and professional development activities they conduct with and for local English teachers.
Apart from implementing the NET Scheme, the EDB uses a range of support measures and resources, including the provision of curriculum leadership courses and teachers' professional development programmes, school-based support services, learning and teaching resources, and the use of the Language Fund to establish a Task Force of teaching consultants to build regional supporting networks to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness.
(3) In the past 5 school years (i.e. from 2009/10 to 2013/14), there were 200-plus NETs in primary schools who completed their contracts and roughly between 8 and 17 NETs who had an early termination of their contracts annually. I must emphasise that the completion of contract may mean renewing contract or taking up a teaching post in another school, and not necessarily departing from Hong Kong. Our focus is on the renewal of each contract which normally lasts for two years. Details are as follows:
Number of NETs in Primary Schools
---------------------------------
School Completion of Early Termination
year Contract (Note) of Contract
------ --------------- -----------------
2009/10 227 10
2010/11 250 12
2011/12 215 10
2012/13 243 8
2013/14 218 17
Note: The period of each contract for a NET is usually of two years.
The reasons for the NETs to leave their jobs are personal data reported on a voluntary basis. According to the information captured by the EDB, the reasons for them to leave the jobs include such personal considerations as returning to their home countries, taking up a teaching post in another school, health and family issues, etc. | https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201412/10/P201412100473.htm |
Definition: Educational Research is the study of the content and effectiveness of educational interventions pertinent to medical students, residents, faculty, practicing physicians interdisciplinary care teams and includes a rigorous evaluation process. Learn more…
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This presentation is the actualization of a novel way to apprehend the interrelationships between creativity and teacher education in CALL. Working with(in) Deleuze and Guattari’s views on language (1987), and the associated concept of Teacher Becoming in CALL (Bangou, forthcoming), this presentation will report data collected as part of a study focused on the design of a new online graduate course in CALL. Through the rhizoanalysis (Masny, 2016) of multimedia posters and reflective logs, we will show how teacher education in CALL is a creation that emerges within mixtures of matter and functions (Deleuze & Guattari, 2007; St-Pierre, 2016).
The purpose of this project is to present the outcomes of a study where Arabic speaking immigrants to Sweden learned Swedish by means of smartphones. Many migrants have smartphones, which can be used for learning and integration purposes from the very beginning when moving into a new society. The technology was a combination of language learning applications developed with migrants, based on social media. Methods used in our analysis were ethnographically driven observations and interviews. Results show how mobile technology plays a crucial role as a mediating tool for learning a new language, enabling interaction with other people and cultures.
My study brings together data-driven learning (DDL) and instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) research by exploring the effectiveness of two DDL methods for developing L2 vocabulary knowledge. In the paper-based method, US university students worked with corpus printouts prepared by the teacher, whereas in the computer-based method, they worked with corpora directly to explore and learn German verb-noun collocations. The results show that both teaching methods are effective yet to a different extent depending on the aspect of vocabulary knowledge. In practical terms, the study shows that computer-based DDL that fosters learner autonomy is feasible for high-intermediate language learners.
This presentation reports on a study investigating student interaction during, and perception of, an augmented reality place based game for university ESL students. During this scavenger hunt game created in ARIS, teams of students navigated to various campus locations and interacted with Native speakers of English. Data sources include individual interviews, small group discussion and whole group debriefing after playing the game, and video and audio data gathered during game play via body mounted action cams. Students generally enjoyed playing the game, and felt that the interactions with native speakers, in particular, could help improve their English.
This study employs a 3D virtual environment to investigate whether FL learners’ metalinguistic and grammatical knowledge affects their proneness to use the L2 in an authentic, situated CALL context of learning. The participants were 82 FL learners of Spanish at the intermediate and advanced levels of instruction. The mixed-effects regression analyses utilize learner interactions tracked in the virtual environment via script-based tracking technologies, as well as two instruments measuring the learners’ metalinguistic and general grammatical knowledge. The discussion focuses on the non-linear relationship between learners’ linguistic knowledge, their L2 language use and their autonomous learning.
This exploratory study investigates learner-learner interactions when engaged in digital social reading in a second semester, college-level L2 Chinese language course. It illustrates and analyzes the ways in which learners co-construct meaning when engaged in social reading via a digital annotation tool. The benefits and challenges of digital social reading for learners are highlighted along with a number of pedagogical implications.
One barrier to increasing student usage of multiple online activities is the need for the instructor to log onto each site to monitor progress. Without regular check-ups, student usage will often grind to a stop. Viewprog.com is a free site that provides a simple class page with progress in selectable aspects of multiple sites in a columnar view. A click of a button causes data from all registered sites to be updated. Each cooperating site includes a tailor-made API, provided by viewprog. Moodle, MReader, EnglishCentral.com and WordEngine.jp are among those that will be online by April 2017.
The presenters will discuss the development of an online mentoring program for K-16 language teachers who are new or less experienced in the online environment. The mentoring program results from a collaboration between ACTFL and the NFLRC, and is to be piloted in the Spring of 2017. Attendees will have the opportunity to offer feedback and suggestions to incorporate into the program before final implementation. In addition, they will learn how they can become involved in this project and/or serve as an online mentor.
Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) situates the learning of language and culture within an active exploration of real-world challenges. It is learner-centered, entails collaboration, and promotes the use of critical thinking. Cultura, a model for intercultural telecollaboration, brings together groups of students from different cultures who negotiate, via online forums, the cultural spaces between them, and develop intercultural understanding. Both approaches share essential principles: sustained inquiry, authenticity, and student voice. This presentation will look at how a group of educators successfully incorporated interculturality into PBLL project designs during a week-long institute held at the University of Hawaii in summer 2016.
This presentation asks how well Arabic as a Foreign Language (AFL) textbook vocabulary covers authentic texts from a wide variety of registers and topics using a corpus-based approach. Primary AFL textbook chapter vocabulary lists will be compared to Preparatory level vocabulary culled from A Frequency Dictionary of Arabic (Buckwalter and Parkinson, 2011). Text coverage rates for frequent and non-frequent textbook vocabulary will be determined using corpus-derived texts from A Corpus of Contemporary Arabic (Al-Sulaiti, 2009) and AntWordProfiler (Anthony, 2014). Recommendations are made for focusing on frequency in selecting and developing pedagogical materials.
In order to identify learning opportunities that occur during interactions among players in games, this study looks at the discourse of three gamers – two native English speakers and one non-native English speaker. Specifically, two of these players are experienced, with over 200 hours in the game Rust, with the third new to the game. The language functions and choices the players use within the discourse develops an arch of communication and a gaming environment of solidarity. Examination of the choices these players use to communicate to teach a newcomer give valuable insight into instruction and game design.
This case study explores whether digital storytelling can better engage adult ESL learners in writing a narrative essay. Using Mishra and Koeler’s TPCK conceptual framework, a digital storytelling assignment was designed and implemented in the high-intermediate-level writing class. Students wrote about a home remedy from their country. Four students with lower scores on the placement test volunteered to participate. Oral feedback and essay drafts were examined for language style, organization, grammar and vocabulary. All four participants affirmed that they were more engaged while writing the narrative for their digital story, and there was improvement across the drafts.
Dialogue-based computer-assisted language learning (CALL) systems allow a learner to practice meaningfully a foreign language (L2) with an automated agent, whether orally or through text chat. With the aim of establishing the impact of such systems on L2 proficiency development, we conducted a meta-analysis of empirical research on dialogue-based CALL. Twenty-nine effect sizes from effectiveness studies on various systems were included into a multilevel model, with moderator variables allowing for fine-grained analysis. Our findings establish a significant effect (d = .64) of dialogue-based CALL on general proficiency development. The comparisons of system characteristics, testing conditions and language learning outcome measurements allow to draw conclusions and recommendations for future system and research design on the topic.
What Can CALL Bring to the SLA Table?
This is a SLAT SIG sponsored session.
CALL/TELL/ICT research not only borrows from and builds upon, but also contributes to research on instructed second language acquisition theory (SLA). This panel will explore some of the current questions from current ‘non-CALL’ SLA, which are being investigated in CALL environments. The panel will illustrate some of the ways that CALL research is contributing to and forwarding SLA research by discussing specific current CALL studies across various theoretical perspectives.
Project-based language learning (PBLL) is often applied as part of formal education in which performance is usually graded, but what happens when it is used for non-formal learning where there are no marks? This pilot study explores this question by bringing together seven tertiary learners from across Indonesia in a month-long online PBLL. Participants in their free time created the content of a website aimed at children wanting to learn English. The presentation will focus on learners’ perceived benefits and challenges in completing the project. Additionally I will share my reflections as the teacher researcher in the study.
This presentation reports on qualitative and quantitative research on digital textbooks and mobile learning. Data collection included think aloud protocols, reflective journals, and engagement surveys and took place within a freshman-level Business English writing course at a US university. After an overview of the study, this presentation will focus on pedagogical implications in the areas of mobile learning materials development, students’ learning strategies in mobile environments, and student training for learning in mobile environments. The Framework for Learning with Digital Devices developed from the data analysis will be shared and future research opportunities discussed.
This presentation reports on a two-part study exploring the effects of peer-collaboration on L2 students’ written products via Google Docs. Adopting a mixed-methods approach the following data were collected: an analysis of students’ collaborative interactions via Google Docs, interviews with the instructors, and a survey of students’ perceptions of Google Docs and collaboration. Two primary findings from the data revealed that synchronous collaboration is non-intuitive and instructor familiarity and comfort with technology in the classroom considerably influences student engagement. Based on these findings, I make suggestions for scaffolding new digital literacies and collaborative writing into the L2 writing classroom.
Web 2.0 social reading platforms are not only changing what it means to read but also to annotate texts through tags, links, and comments. What this is, is a new literacy practice called Digital Social Reading. This study investigates how L2 French intermediate learners participated and interacted when collaboratively engaging in textual meaning creation using Hypothes.is and how they perceived their experience with this tool. Findings show that the affordances of Hypothes.is supported literacy development through a community of practice, that learners overall viewed Hypothes.is as beneficial for textual interpretation, but that challenges and limitations exist.
In this presentation, we report the results of two empirical studies that investigate the use of mobile text-to-speech synthesizers and automatic speech recognition as tools to promote the development of pronunciation in L2 French, emphasizing users’ perceptions and attitudes toward the technologies. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the study examines the acquisition of segmental and suprasegmental features (vowel /y/ as in “tu”; across-word resyllabification/liaison observed in “petit enfant”), and learners’ perceptions of the tools and their overall learning experience. It adopts a pre/post/delayed-posttest design using a variety of measures to assess pronunciation development in production (speaking) and perception (listening), and users’ perceptions and attitudes (via surveys and interviews).
Tasks that comply with TBLT criteria do not necessarily create acceptance and willingness in the learner’s mind. Building on the CALL 2015 conference on Task Design and laying the foundation for the Erasmus+ TECOLA project, we developed a methodological framework for task design based on four criteria: a) tasks should be formulated as hypotheses; b) task design is not a product but a process; c) task design should focus on meaningfulness and usefulness; and d) tasks should focus on the required skills. In this presentation, the presenters will explain in more detail what this means for the role of technology in the language learning environment.
This study investigated students’ use of strategies and digital tools while learning Arabic. Using journal entries each student was asked to write in English to reflect on their learning every two weeks, data show that students used different types of tools to learn Arabic, including flash cards, practice with tutors, instructor-created digital tools, YouTube, and other types of software.
CALL and CLIL- Do They Work in Tandem?
Recent studies looking into content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and computer assisted language learning (CALL) have found many commonalities between the two. This paper takes both CLIL and CALL into account, focusing on Swedish CLIL and non-CLIL high school students’ extramural use of English. In particular, it describes their CALL activities which are correlated with various types of L2 English proficiency measures obtained throughout the three-year period of the research project, such as receptive and productive vocabulary, fluency and accuracy in written production, and final grades. Comparisons are made between CLIL and non-CLIL students, and female and male students.
This presentation evaluates the contribution of CALL to bridging the gap from intermediate to advanced-level foreign language competence, with particular reference to the situation in American colleges and universities. Over the past thirty-five years, though relatively few in number, attempts have been made to exploit instructional technology to teach foreign languages at advanced levels, in the US and indeed worldwide. The advanced-level second-language CALL research (AL2 CALL) stemming from these attempts forms the focus of this study. In analyzing these publications, attention is paid the alignment between student competency levels, the appropriateness of assigned task difficulty and learning outcome results.
In preparation for a grant from the Mellon Foundation, the University of Chicago Language Center seeks to assess its language instructors’ readiness for teaching in diverse online contexts. Compton (2009) proposed a comprehensive framework for online language teaching skills in terms of technology, pedagogy, and evaluation, with three different levels across a continuum of expertise. This project uses Compton’s (2009) framework as a base to design and develop a new self-assessment tool for in-service and pre-service instructors. This presentation details the development of the tool, findings from participant responses, underlying factors from follow-up interviews, and integration of results into a new training program.
This presentation describes a multi-institution simulation project developed by the Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. The goal of this project is to immerse language learners in community-of-practice project-based business situations. The project will be launched in Spring 2017 with a group of intermediate to advanced level Chinese students in two or three Chinese Flagship programs at peer institutions. We will demonstrate and discuss the development of the Green Ideas, Inc. website and the simulation process, and share the evaluation report, including best practices that contribute to satisfactory outcomes.
The exploration of complex issues connected to social justice is of fundamental importance in language learning. Digital games and augmented reality experiences offer unique affordances for classroom exploration and the delivery of critical learning resources to those in need. This panel explores the results of three digital projects with social justice at their core: (1) a high school Chinese course using augmented reality to facilitate learners’ exploration of critical issues in their local community and the Chinese-speaking world, (2) a virtual reality project for refugees learning German, and (3) the use of augmented reality in language revitalization contexts.
Driven by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and the notion of the zone of proximal development (ZPD), and Long’s interaction hypothesis, the study investigated how intermediate-level international ESL students at an urban U.S. Mid-South university interacted in wiki-based collaborative writing. Students’ perspectives toward the integration of wikis in writing assignments and why they hold such perspectives were also objectives of the study.
Despite a surge of interest in the use of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) for language learning, there has been limited research on how L2 learners, who have distinct backgrounds in gaming and L2 capacities, appropriate language learning opportunities in these gaming spaces. This qualitative study examines the language use practices of two ESL learners in an MMOG. Using data culled from participant observation, interviews, questionnaires, and artifacts, I describe how the design of the game, the students’ gaming strategies, and their L2 skills interact to afford distinct learning opportunities for the two learners.
The present study investigated whether type of medium (Teletandem vs. FTF) had an effect on L2 learners’ complexity, lexical accuracy, and grammatical accuracy. Two oral production assessment tasks were employed in a pretest-treatment-posttest design. Results revealed that interaction in both media had a positive effect on complexity, with no significant difference between the two groups. With regard to accuracy, while the results indicated that there was no difference between the two groups in grammatical accuracy, there was a significant advantage for the Teletandem group in terms of the L2 development of lexical accuracy.
This study explores the learning experience, benefits, and challenges in a flipped Spanish class. The flipped class combines online preparatory work outside the classroom (input-based grammar, vocabulary, and cultural awareness tasks), and face-to-face class sessions (authentic interactive communicative tasks). Data from a survey on the flipped format and online activities logs will elucidate learners’ experiences in the flipped class, benefits, and challenges. This study aims to contribute to our understanding of the complexities of language education and the field of computer-assisted language learning with a pedagogical approach.
Interaction is a critical component of language learning in face-to-face classrooms, but systematic investigations into interactions in online and hybrid language learning remain few. Drawn from the framework of Moore’s (1989) three types of interaction (learner-learner, learner-teacher, learner-content), this action research examined language learners’ interactions in an undergraduate summer conversational Chinese course, which offered both a fully online track and a hybrid track (i.e., face-to-face instruction and synchronous sessions). The results confirmed the connection between interactions and students’ satisfaction and perceived outcome, and revealed useful instructional design principals for effective online/hybrid language teaching.
This presentation will describe an action research project with beginner Spanish learners using the #InstagramELE challenge as a vehicle for the acquisition of new vocabulary outside of the classroom. The challenge takes place on Instagram, a social network that involves sharing photos and videos that lend themselves to the development of descriptive language. Discussion of the findings will focus on the benefits and challenges of Instagram as an autonomous tool to learn vocabulary and increase students’ motivation towards L2 language learning, and some ideas for classroom implementation.
Informed by sociocultural theory, this study examined factors that mediated 12 adult Asian-background learners of English in achieving their goals while collaboratively writing a summary using Google Docs and text/voice chat in the context of a debate club. The writing activities were screen-recorded and transcribed to document participants’ online interaction and writing processes. Preliminary analyses suggest that mode of communication, interaction patterns, task representations, and language proficiency influenced the quality of participants’ collaborations. These findings suggest possible explanations for the success (or not) of collaborative activities and give insights which may guide teachers in designing web-based collaborative writing activities.
This study examines the impact of sound effects and pronunciation in multimedia presentation modes in explicit foreign language vocabulary learning. This within-subjects quantitative study exposed 180 subjects to new L2 vocabulary. The words were presented in the following conditions: sound effects, pronunciation, sound effects plus pronunciation, and a control condition with no audio at all. The results revealed significantly higher scores for vocabulary presented with sound effects, while pronunciation alone demonstrated no significant difference compared with the control condition with no audio. Overall, the study provides new evidence on the types of audio enhancements that are most beneficial to vocabulary learning.
This multiple-case study investigates English as a second language (ESL) students’ digital literacies in a community college second language course from an ecological perspective. Five students in a community college ESL course in the northeastern part of the USA participated in the study. The data sources included interviews, observations, e-journals, and artifacts. Thorough within-case and cross-case analysis of data revealed a number of digital literacies processes the participants engaged in when working in digital media. The findings and discussion of the study include suggestions for further research and implications for practice.
This presentation examines the relationship between pre-task planning and learners’ production, and explores the affordances offered by SCMC to further investigate how and what learners may (or may not) be planning during planning time. Intermediate ESL learner dyads completed three (counter-balanced) picture narrative tasks with pre-task planning times of three minutes, one minute, and no planning time. The resulting corpus of chat scripts was analyzed for complexity, accuracy, and fluency. Findings suggest differences in learners’ performance based on pre-task planning time, and will be discussed in terms of the theoretical and pedagogical implications for the blended or online classroom.
Web-based platforms for autonomous CALL practice such as DuoLingo typically track learner behavior, which allows close monitoring both for pedagogical and research purposes. In CALL research, however, such logs have not yet been used to understand the phenomenon of dropout in autonomous learning. This talk reports on an experimental study in which learners (N = 126) practiced English grammar by means of mini-games both in the classroom and at home, and in which participant attrition was quite high. To explain why learners dropped out of practice, we use survival analysis, taking into account characteristics of the learners and their environment.
This study provides insights into the relative benefits of two types of input-oriented pragmatic instruction in a virtual environment (VE) relating to requests. Third-year learners of Spanish (N=98) explored a VE by approaching avatars to request various objects (e.g., a map) or favors (e.g., a ride) essential to solving a task. One instructional group learned requests within a Processing Instruction approach (e.g., VanPatten & Cadierno, 1993), and the other within a consciousness raising approach (e.g., Fotos & Ellis, 1994). The results indicated that both approaches were beneficial. Discussion focuses on pedagogical and VE design recommendations.
Three presenters for the Teacher Education SIG panel discuss new ways of looking at teacher education and technology – teaching them about technology and using technology to further their education. The three presentations are “Design and Implementation of a Small Scale Intro to CALL Certificate Program” (Robinson), “Engaging English Language Teacher Candidates in the Participatory Culture through Digital Social Reading” (Solmaz), and “What if we were thinking about teacher education in CALL differently?” (Bangou).
One of the biggest challenges for educators helping students make the connection between their language study and their daily lives is creating effective activities that reflect best practices on using their language outside of the classroom. Consequently, educators do not implement place-based education in their curriculum, or are not aware of the useful resources that educators have already created. In an effort to introduce educators to the affordances of place-based education, we will share two resources with the attendees: Games2Teach, a website that supports the integration of digital games in the language classroom, and PEBLL, a curated place-based education database.
Most of research studies that are related to educational technology are concerned with how teachers can make effective use of technology to foster ESL/EFL language development; however, very few studies explored and investigated how teachers adopted technology that they have already used, the type of characteristics that are associated with teachers who frequently have used technology, and why in certain contexts, can teachers be persuaded to use technology, while in others they cannot. This study concludes with an effective strategy for diffusing educational technology among in-service teacher.
Use of ePortfolios is widespread in first and second language communication courses. Research notes that ePortfolios require self-reflection, thus honing student responsibility for learning. To evaluate students’ reflections about ePortfolios, this study examines undergraduate ESL students’ reflective blog posts from a systemic functional (SFL) approach by employing Martin and White’s (2005) appraisal theory. Chosen for its ability to reveal the attitudinal features of students’ discourse (e.g., positive and negative affect, judgment, and appreciation), appraisal theory illuminates the social, emotional, and evaluative meanings of linguistic patterns. The study’s results provide insight into the affordances of ePortfolios as teaching, learning, and assessment tools.
This study explores a corpus of synchronous chat sessions in which learners of French engaged in different types of tasks (e.g., semi-guided discussion, grammar-centered problem-solving) as part of a concept-driven learning module on French auxiliary verb choice. This presentation focuses on the use of technology as a methodological and theoretical enhancement for a study conducted within the Vygotskian-inspired framework of Concept-Based Instruction, which relies heavily on the activity of verbalization. In the past, learners’ verbalizations have typically been audio-recorded; however, this presentation will highlight the advantages–for learners and researchers–of using technology to enhance data triangulation.
This presentation seeks to highlight how the microblogging tool Twitter facilitates the comprehension of crosscultural pragmatics and expand digital literacy skills in L2 acquisition. Data collection materials included a questionnaire task which guided the L2 French participants through the analysis of authentic French tweets regarding the 2016 U.S. presidential election produced by well-known native French-speaking news sources. Results reveal that while intermediate L2 French learners are able to reliably interpret markers of register and tweeter mood, they are markedly less proficient at making sense of insults and politeness, for reasons that are both cultural and pragmatic in nature.
The Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning (COERLL) at the University of Texas at Austin provides free, high-quality open educational resources (OER) for the teaching and learning of foreign languages. Participants in this session will learn about the Open Education movement and the ethos of participation and sharing that has driven its success and sustainability over the past decade. I will also demonstrate a variety of websites, online repositories, and collections that feature a wide range of OER that can be freely used in or adapted to a classroom setting.
In order to gain a better understanding of the dynamics and educational value of online synchronous text chat in language and culture learning, the current study examined an inter-cultural online exchange project between Chinese English learners and American Chinese learners regarding participants’ use of questions. Although participants seemed to self-generate more lower-order than higher-order thinking questions, higher-order thinking questions were indeed frequently used in the process of online discussion to engage learners from both sides in critical inquiry and self-reflection. Differences in the use of questions were found across dyads, languages, and groups of participants.
The MLA has suggested that language programs increase their use of and training in technology tools for educational purposes, and this study examines how language programs have embraced the challenges of these mandates. Data come from a survey distributed to faculty, administrators and students; for this presentation we focus on the questions related to technology integration and use. Responses from over 300 surveys are analyzed to discern trends in technology use in hybrid, online and face-to-face classes, along with attitudes towards technology. Our session reports on these findings, and contextualizes them within current approaches to language curricula and program design.
In this presentation I describe and compare results of the first 3 years of Basic Online Language Design and Delivery (BOLDD) Survey. The survey covers a broad scope of online language instructional issues at the post-secondary level. The data collected includes institution types, enrollments and languages, design issues, delivery, assessment of students and courses, and teacher and student preparation. Working with a statistician, we have found some interesting and statistically valid correlations.
This presentation will report on preliminary findings from a sample analysis of data collected as part of the researcher’s dissertation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which learning affordances of space facilitate English as a Second Language Academic (ESLA) students’ achievement of learning outcomes related to content, language, and meta-cognition. The presentation will include a description of two innovative learning spaces, an overview of general learning theories related to the space, and the design of this integrated methods study. Preliminary findings from recorded observations in a 3DVLE and student achievement outcomes will conclude the talk.
This study examines users’ attitudes to Linguatorium, a web-based vocabulary learning system, and its effectiveness for vocabulary retention. Data collected include users’ responses to questionnaires and interview questions, and students’ computer logs and vocabulary test scores. To examine users’ attitudes to Linguatorium, participants’ questionnaire responses are analyzed with an item response theory model while the interview data are analyzed qualitatively. To address the effects of Linguatorium use on vocabulary retention, learners’ test performance is compared with their initial responses to Linguatorium quizzes and fitted in a regression model with their computer logs. The findings provide evidence for the use of Linguatorium in EFL/ESL classes.
This task-based SCMC study investigates how online cultural interactions can benefit L2 adult Chinese language learning. Specifically, the study asks whether interactions of SCMC in a culture-based course can develop a learner’s survival communicative and cultural competence for studying abroad and internship purposes. The study comprises student-student and student-teacher interactions via SCMC and examines the instances of noticing, self-repair and corrective feedback in a telecollaborative online environment. Findings suggest that in a culture-based course, L2 adult Chinese learners’ communicative skills develop together with an increased cultural awareness through SCMC.
Recent years have witnessed growing concerns about assessment practices in online language learning environments, particularly the lack of empirical evidence regarding online language learning and teaching. CALICO’s 2018 volume of Advances in CALL Research and Practice Book Series, Assessment Across Online Language Education, aims to explore and discuss some of the issues in four sections: the assessment of learners, teachers, online tools, and the development of assessments for online language learning. This panel presentation focuses on assessment of learners. Each presenter will describe an empirical study, outline an assessment effort, and discuss the implications for assessing online language learning.
The current research explores the factors that might mediate the noticing of recasts by examining the relationships between task modality, saliency, and contingency of recasts in task-based face-to-face (FTF), video chat, and written text chat environments. Thirty intermediate ESL learners completed three (counter-balanced) information-gap tasks with a researcher in FTF, video and text chat conditions. The resulting corpora were then coded for error type, modified output, and contingency of recasts. Stimulated recall protocols were used to assess saliency and learners’ noticing of recasts. Findings will be discussed in terms of theoretical and pedagogical implications.
AWE systems are known to help student writers improve their grammatical accuracy across drafts of the same assignment, but recent research has shown AWE tools to misidentify or fail to identify large numbers of attested errors. How much value does use of a commercial AWE tool actually add above and beyond the native proofing tools in MS Word? We investigated this question by having 20 English for Academic Purpose (EAP) student writers compose two timed writing assignments, one while using Word’s built-in spell and grammar checker and the other while using a plug-in for Grammarly, a popular AWE service.
This research seeks to better understand the interactional dynamics associated with collaborative problem-solving game-based tasks for beginner students, the ways in which they may enrich learning experiences, bolster motivation, and whether there are any benefits in the type of configuration (individual game play versus dyad game play) that result in improved learning outcomes.
language learners across geographical distances. Correspondingly, telecollaboration initiatives, requiring considerable technological infrastructure, dominate research on such exchanges. In response, this presentation advocates for local, face-to-face intercultural exchanges (whenever possible), enhanced by the use of affordable “low-tech” tools. To illustrate this, we describe an intercultural exchange project conducted in Monterey County, California, connecting Spanish and English learners. Inspired by the Growing Participator Approach (GPA) (Thomson, 2012), learners used their cellphones to record cultural stories, supported arguments, or scripts of life, while attending to novel language structures. | https://calico.org/calico-conference/conferences-from-previous-years/2017-flagstaff-arizona/thursday-may-18/ |
Guest Contribution: Thanks to Gunner Argo, Neural Education Champion and Educator, for commentary and teacher perspective contribution to the discussion about Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve based on Dr. O’Mahony’s publication (International Conference on E-Learning in the Workplace -ICELW, Columbia University Teachers College, 2019)
12-0-26. Over twenty-five years later, I can still remember my middle school locker combination.
For some odd reason, that series of numbers has been encoded into my long-term memory and has lingered, unused, for a quarter of a century. I can’t tell you what locker number it was, or who was in the lockers next to me, but I do remember the combination.
Memory is a tricky thing. What stays? What goes? And, is there a way to make sure that we actually remember the stuff we want to remember?
One of the most widely referenced theories on memory is German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus’ “forgetting curve.” Here’s how it works.
What is the Forgetting Curve?
The basic premise of Ebbinghaus’ theory comes from a series of experiments that he performed on his own self to answer the question: how much can we really remember?
To find out, he studied nonsense syllables, then measured how many he could remember at different intervals of time. Using the data he collected, he came up with an equation to calculate how much data could be retained over a given period of time without any attempt to practice or recollect it.
According to his theory, a certain percentage of newly learned items would be forgotten over time, with 90% being lost within 30 days. But, this isn’t always the case, is it?
Sometimes information stays much longer in our memory, and other times it is forgotten almost immediately. Different types of memories and pieces of information have better chances for retention than others, and not all thinking is the same.
Ebbinghaus deliberately chose nonsense words for his study. Specifically, three letter syllables with two consonants and a vowel in the middle or three consonants. For example, WSP, LXK, or SEH. Ebbinghaus did this so that he could claim no association with the items being memorized that would affect his ability to recall them. He writes:
These materials [poetry and prose] bring into play a multiplicity of influences that change without regularity and are therefore disturbing. Such are associations which dart here and there, different degrees of interest, lines of verse recalled because of their striking beauty, and the like. All this is avoided with our syllables. (Ebbinghaus 1885/1913, p.23)
Ebbinghaus knew that it wasn’t just how we learned, but what we learned that determined its likelihood for retention.
What We Learn Changes Our Retention
For the most part, Ebbinghaus’ theory holds true. If a new piece of information is acquired it will most likely be forgotten without practice, repetition or intentional retrieval.
But this is not true for all learning, as not all learning is the same.
In most cases, the information that we hope to retain over time is never just unrelated syllables with no connection to other memories. We want to remember complex ideas, experiences, and concepts.
A myriad of factors will determine what we remember and what we do not. The difference between a visual memory or an olfactory memory matters. The emotional state we were in when it was received matters. Whether we are recalling a specific data point, a concept, or the connections we may already have to new information matters. These all factor into our brain’s ability to code a short-term memory into a long-term memory.
The idea that there is a mathematical formula for memory was revolutionary at the time. But, in the century since it was published, our scope of knowledge and understanding of the brain has drastically altered what we believe about the limitations of memory. The premise that repeated exposure over time to information increases the duration of memory is obvious, but what about improving the quality of the exposure or the condition of the brain to learn?
How to Enhance Memory Retention with Brain-Centric Teaching
The key to increasing the understanding and duration of what we learn is to focus teaching practices through a neural lens.
A brain-centric teaching model challenges the idea that traditional teaching practices offer the most effective way to learn. The emphasis of a brain-centric teaching model is not to change content or adjust learning targets. It is to increase the potential for learning with deep understanding and, thus, memory retention.
Focusing on a neurological approach to education is not about adjusting learning targets, or improving methods for hitting targets, but increasing the size of the bullseye.
The forgetting curve was founded on the idea that retention of new information has no connection with previous learning, personal interest, or investment because these would alter results. But this is precisely the alteration that needs to be addressed.
Knowledge, skills, and proficiency do not exist within a vacuum in the human mind. Our emotional state, personal interest, and outside factors do have an impact on how we learn and what we remember.
The focus of a brain-centric learning model is to leverage these factors in order to enhance the effectiveness of the learning environment.
Brain-Centric Learning in the Business World
A 2019 study focused on the training methods of a large United States-based manufacturing and retail corporation. The purpose of the study was to improve the return on investment for new hires within their organization. The development of knowledge and expertise in an area takes time and resources. In an area where there is a high level of attrition or employee turnover, the cost of maintaining a proficient staff can become disproportionately expensive if the training process is ineffective.
However, we can increase the return on investment in an organization if the trainees learn the material faster and more thoroughly. Trainees are also less likely to quit if they feel prepared for a job, and their performance increases when they feel confident in their mastery of the tasks. This is not only true for manufacturing and retail but in any setting where education is needed for development.
The study was based on two groups, one that was trained using traditional teaching methods: “sit and get” or “sage on a stage,” and one that was trained using a brain-centric program focused on a neurologically based framework.
Four areas of measurement were used to examine the results:
1) Speed to green – the length of time needed for a participant to reach a specified level of proficiency.
2) Agent Performance – satisfaction level reported by customers interacting with participants after completing their training.
3) Agent Attrition – how many participants quit the program during the training cycle.
4) Conversion rates/sales – measurement of positive customer interactions in terms of sales.
The results? The brain-centric learning cohort showed:
- Faster results. The brain-centric learning cohort was the fastest group in the history of the organization to achieve proficiency in training. The results from the traditional teaching methods usually lasted from six to nine months, while the brain-centric training group reached proficiency in only three.
- Reduced employee turnover. Additionally, this group also had fewer participants leave the program during training (from 17% to 2%) and within two weeks of completing the training program (from 7% to 5%).
- Increased customer satisfaction. The brain-centric group also showed an increase in customer satisfaction after completing their training. Customer feedback reported higher levels of satisfaction with happy customers and lower levels of dissatisfaction with unhappy customers.
- Better sales. The brain-centric group sales numbers out-performed the traditionally trained group each of the three successive months, indicating that the duration of the learning had increased as well.
Overall, the group that was trained under the brain-centric designed program were trained faster, more effectively, and produced better returns than those trained under traditional models. This improved the bottom line of the retail organization’s return on investment by millions of dollars.
While the increase in profits shows the success of the shift in teaching and learning trials, the trainers and participants also reported the training cycle was more fun, innovative, and easier to learn in.
A brain-centric model focuses on creating an environment that increases personal investment and interest. Indeed, this model proves to be key to more effective teaching and learning opportunities from factories to classrooms.
Brain-Centric Learning in the Classroom
In recent years, there has been a rolling murmur about changes needed for a ‘broken’ education system in the United States.
There have been very few revolutionary changes in education since the establishment of the “common schools” championed by Horace Mann in the mid 19th century, and our departure from the industrial age has shifted our views on what students need in order to be successful in life.
The proliferation of easy access to nearly limitless data via the internet has spawned the phrase “we need to teach kids HOW to think, not what to think.” These technological advancements have not solidified what these changes are but made them much more unclear. We have become somewhat trapped by a ‘chicken or egg’ scenario as we grapple with deciding what to change first: what we teach, or how we teach.
Shifting to a brain-centric model changes the focus to how students learn. This teaching model is not about making more effective teachers, but developing environments that help maximize the potential of the learning machine that is the human brain.
Developing a teaching model that incorporates factors of learning such as personal connection, autonomy, interest-based understanding and conceptual mastery are grounded in neurological principles of best learning practices.
Why do I remember my 7th-grade locker combination? Could it be that I spent an entire year coming back to that number on a daily basis? Well, I also did that for my 8th-grade combination and I have no recollection of what that number was.
The truth is, it was my first locker. Primacy. It symbolized my transition from elementary school to middle school. It was connected with something important to me emotionally as something I was personally invested in. It gave me a sense of independence; intrinsic autonomy.
It was a combination of these brain-centric principles that helped my memory hold on to those numbers in spite of the forgetting curve and twenty-five years of never practicing it again.
These are the same strategies that can be implemented in our classrooms to make more effective learners.
Return to the blog to discover more brain-based learning resources. | https://brainbasedsolutions.org/how-much-information-can-we-really-retain-and-how-to-increase-your-memory/ |
Experiential Learning in Clinical Research (Minimum of 4 units required):
Qualitative Research - 2 units - CLRE-232
Winter
This course provides skills in designing and carrying out a qualitative study useful for program management (planning, monitoring and evaluation) and ensuring quality in healthcare delivery. The methods included in the course are a sample of commonly used qualitative methods: structured and unstructured interviews, participatory learning methods, group and individual methods.
Translational Regenerative Medicine - 2 units - CLRE-237
Winter
This course covers the basics of regenerative medicine for understanding what is a stem cell targeted therapy and what are the principles for taking a cell-based product from pre-clinical to first-in-human clinical studies. Topics covered include the regulatory, ethical, and study design considerations for developing stem cell targeted therapies. Students will grasp the complexities of stem cell targeted therapies and be able to understand the framework for developing new products. This course provides a good overview for those entering a field that may deliver stem cell therapies, stem cell targeted treatments, or other cellular based therapies (e.g., car-t-cell).
Applied Translational Research - 2 units - CLRE-238
TBD
Students will gain a comprehensive and integrative operational understanding of an entire life science innovation cycle, from drug idea to market and back, through case studies done by mining publicly disclosed information in teams mentored by biopharmaceutical professionals. Prerequisites: Translational Research Fundamentals (CLRE 236) or consent of department.
Applied Translational Research II - 2 units - CLRE-239
TBD
Building upon the case studies laid out in Applied Translational Research (CLRE 238), this course will analyze in depth specific issue(s) by emulating the biomedical industry modus operandi. Mentored student teams will analyze publicly available information, develop a business case, and defend it in front of a jury of biomedical industry research and development (R&D) leaders. In the process, students will learn and apply teamwork and brainstorming techniques and tools. Prerequisites: Applied Translational Research (CLRE 238) or consent of department.
Experiential Learning in Clinical Research - 2 units - CLRE-270
TBD
This course is designed to complement and apply certain fundamental principles in the CLRE Scientific Communication course by providing a deep-dive into processes, strategies, and activities associated with publishing in the peer-review literature. Specifically, the course will provide instruction on key topics including research topic formulation, journal content types, how to draft specific manuscript elements, targeting journals and the submission process, navigating the peer-review process, types of research tools and software, how to conduct academic presentations, and strategies for translation and dissemination. In total, students will be taken through the full journey of publishing in the peer-review and also taught skills on how to ensure their research is impactful.
Advanced Statistics Electives (Minimum of 4 units required):
Longitudinal Data Analysis - 2 units - CLRE-263
Winter
This class will introduce you to the statistical methods and techniques for analyzing medical data from longitudinal studies using PASW/SPSS software. You will gain an understanding of the challenges and statistical issues for designing and analyzing longitudinal studies, recognizing and using longitudinal data analysis methods, and performing analysis. Prerequisites: Biostatistics I & II (CLRE 253 & CLRE 254) or consent of department.
Clinical Decision Analysis - 2 units - CLRE-264
TBD
This course will provide you with an introduction to the use of decision sciences in health care. You will gain skills to be able to construct and evaluate an appropriate decision analysis probability tree, value health outcomes, use sensitivity analysis, and understand how to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis.
Advanced Regression Methods - 2 units - CLRE-265
Fall
This course will expose and familiarize you with important advanced statistical methods such as methods for numeric outcomes (Linear regression), non-linear regression, binary outcomes (Logistic regression), counts (Poisson regression), and categorical outcomes (Log-linear models.) Prerequisite: Biostatistics I (CLRE 253). Corequisite: Biostatistics II (CLRE 254) or consent of department.
Advanced Statistics Using R - 2 units - CLRE-267
Spring
This course introduces biostatistical methods used in more advanced clinical research work, including longitudinal data analysis, meta-analysis, predictive modeling (LASSO, random forests, neural networks), competing risks survival analysis. Uses the R statistical package. Prerequisite: Biostatistics I (CLRE 253). Corequisite: Biostatistics II (CLRE 254) or consent of department.
General Electives (Minimum of 2 units are required):
Current Trends in Biomedical Informatics - 1 units - MED-262
Weekly talks by researchers introduce students to current research topics within BMI. Speakers are drawn from academia, health care organizations, industry, and government. This is a required course for the Biomedical Informatics track, and an elective for the Bioinformatics and Systems Biology track.
Bioinformatics Applications to Human Disease - 4 units - MED-263
Students learn background knowledge and practical skills for investigating the biological basis for human disease. Using bioinformatics applications, they: (1) query biological and genetic sequence databases relevant to human health, (2) manipulate sequence data for alignment, recombination, selection, and phylogenetic analysis, (3) normalize microarray data and identify differentially expressed genes and biomarkers between patient groups, (4) annotate protein data and visualize protein structure, and (5) search the human genome and annotate genes relevant to human diseases.
Principles of Biomedical Informatics - 4 units - MED-264
Students will understand the main challenges of computing with phenotypes, how to integrate molecular data into electronic medical records and clinical trial records. They will get an introduction to medical decision making, consisting of introduction to decision theory, clinical decision support systems, clinical predictive models, as well as biomedical ontologies, standards, and data repositories. Students will know how to structure and query clinical data sets, and how the most commonly used privacy technologies can be used to avoid confidentiality breaches in de-identified disclosed datasets.
CER/Comparative Effectiveness Research - 2 units - CLRE-266
Spring
CER is the conduct and synthesis of research comparing the benefits and harms of different interventions and strategies to prevent, diagnose, treat and monitor health conditions. This course will provide you with an update on CER methods and a review of the critical literature in this emerging field.
Modeling Clinical Data/Knowledge for Computation - 2 units - MED-267
This course will describe existing methods for representing and communicating biomedical knowledge. The class will describe existing health care standards and modeling principles required for implementing data standards, including biomedical ontologies, standardized terminologies and knowledge resources.
Behavioral Science Research - 2 units - CLRE-268
TBD
The objective of this course is to provide you with instruction in contemporary methods and statistical analyses in behavioral science research. This course will teach you hands-on practical skills in developing and validating assessment measures, designing and evaluating clinical trials in behavioral sciences, dissemination and implementation methods, and translational research. By the end of the course, you should be better able to critique behavioral science research and develop research projects and grant proposals that may include behavioral aspects.
Statistics Concepts for Biomedical Research - 4 units - MED-268
This course focuses on standard statistical methods and experimental design as well as predictive modeling, natural language processing and information retrieval. The course also provides in-depth coverage of evaluation methods and design of experiments for machine learning and statistical learning methods. Students perform statistical analyses using R statistics software and critique statistical results in published research.
Cultural Perceptions about Health/Disease - 4 units - FPM-270
The U.S. is characterized by significant ethnic and cultural diversity due to historic and ongoing immigration. The purpose of this course is to examine issues related to ethnic and cultural diversity and how culture may impact health beliefs, health status, and utilization of health services. The course examines issues faced by health providers and researchers who work with diverse populations in domestic or international settings. We will also explore the concept of cultural competence and how it may be achieved. Relevant socio-cultural theories will also be addressed. We will employ several strategies to accomplish these objectives including didactic studies, student-centered learning, and case studies. Students will prepare a final paper and present findings to colleagues and invited instructors.
Introduction to Biomedical Natural Language Processing - 4 units - MED-277
Biomedical Natural Language Processing (BioNLP) is an essential tool in both biomedical research and clinical applications. Students taking this course will learn how to process free text data and their integration with other types of biomedical data with BioNLP. | https://clre.ucsd.edu/mas-clre-elective-courses/ |
This book offers an in-depth explanation of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and the methods necessary to implement it in the language classroom successfully. Combines a survey of theory and research in instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) with insights from language teaching and the philosophy of education Details best practice for TBLT programs, including discussion of learner needs and means analysis; syllabus design; materials writing; choice of methodological principles and pedagogic procedures; criterion-referenced, task-based performance assessment; and program evaluation Written by an esteemed scholar of second language acquisition with over 30 years of research and classroom experience Considers diffusion of innovation in education and the potential impact of TBLT on foreign and second language learning
A comprehensive, current review of the research and approaches to advanced proficiency in second language acquisition The Handbook of Advanced Proficiency in Second Language Acquisition offers an overview of the most recent and scientific-based research concerning higher proficiency in second language acquisition (SLA). With contributions from an international team of experts in the field, the Handbook presents several theoretical approaches to SLA and offers an examination of advanced proficiency from the viewpoint of various contexts and dimensions of second language performance. The authors also review linguistic phenomena among advanced learners through the lens of phonology and grammar development. Comprehensive in scope, this book provides an overview of advanced proficiency grounded in socially-relevant domains of second language acquisition including discourse, reading, genre-based writing, and pragmatic competence. The authoritative volume brings together the theoretical accounts of advanced language use combined with solid empirical research. Includes contributions from an international collection of noted scholars in the field of second language acquisition Offers a variety of theoretical approaches to SLA Contains information on the most recent empirical research that contributes to an understanding of SLA Describes performance phenomena according to multiple approaches to SLA Written for scholars, students and linguists, The Handbook of Advanced Proficiency in Second Language Acquisition is a comprehensive text that offers the most recent developments in the study of advanced proficiency in the acquisition of a second language.
Task-based teaching has created enormous interest among teachers in recent years. But how does the idea of designing tasks (e.g. discussions, problems, games) that encourage learners to use real language work in practice? This book explains the basic principles behind task-based learning and teaching and gives practical examples of how to make it work in different teaching situations.
Throughout the long history of language acquisition in general, and the acquisition of the written medium in particular, different theories have emerged and, consequently, different views to account for and explain the mysteries of written language acquisition have seen light. The understanding and discussion of these theories and views will not only shed light on the essence of writing and its place in the whole process of second language acquisition, but also give more insight into the second language teaching methods these theories advocate, especially composition teaching methods. Accordingly, this book investigated the effect of reading model essays and writing practice on Moroccan EFL students’ persuasive writing performance. The major purpose behind this study was to compare the impact of reading and writing practice on the development of Moroccan students’ argumentative writing performance and shed more light on the reading writing relationship
Task-based language teaching is one of the burgeoning areas of research in the field of second language acquisition. Over the past two decades, many studies have been conducted to investigate different aspects of TBLT and their effects on language learners' learning as well as task performance(Ellis, 2003, 2005; Skehan and Foster, 1999; Robinson, 2007). A review of the studies conducted on tasks reveled that there is a gap in the literature on the effects of generic features of tasks and their possible effects on learners’ performance and it is one of the rarely explored areas of research in TBLT.Therefore, the present study was an attempt to investigate the ways in which generic features of tasks can influence language learners' task performance in terms of three linguistic domains of accuracy, fluency, and complexity. The findings can be helpful for second language acquisition researchers, task and syllabus designers, and language teachers.
This book deals with the integration of literature and language teaching.It helps to improve the literary and linguistic competence of students learning English as a foreign or second language. It draws its theoretical framework from the reader response theory of literature, task based language teaching and perspectives from cognitive psychology. Examples of how literary texts can be used in the classroom are given.The book can be used at tertiary levels of teaching.
This book presents an in-depth investigation of the developmental path of English as a second language (ESL) acquisition. Understanding the natural acquisition process benefits syllabus construction and task designs in language education as formal instruction can be more efficient if the learner is developmentally ready. However, a majority of second language acquisition (SLA) studies are cross-sectional, and studies observing second language development over time, particularly those for more than one year, are very rare. This book, based on a two-year longitudinal study of a Japanese primary school child learning English in Australia, explores the staged development of English morphology and syntax within the framework of Processability Theory (PT), which is one of the current major SLA approaches. The research in this book provides valuable evidence supporting the PT hypotheses. It also addresses the issues of the relationship between morphological and syntactic development. The findings in this book contribute to the development of SLA studies as well as ESL/EFL teaching. This book is recommended for all in the field of SLA, child language, and ESL/EFL education.
Language Teaching: Brief-&-Easy is a practical guide to the study of language teaching. Its main aim is to pave the way for better understanding of theories, skills, and methods that you inevitably come across in the field of teaching. The book is designed with the objectives of meeting the needs of the beginning teachers who need some background about methods, approaches, and theories in second language acquisition. Henceforth, teachers are invited to reflect upon their own beliefs and to develop their own approaches to language teaching.
Introducing Second Language Acquisition: Perspectives and Practices represents a clear and concise introduction to the main concepts, issues, and debates in second language acquisition studies aimed specifically at undergraduates encountering the topic for the first time. Follows six fictitious language learners throughout the text whose stories serve to introduce various concepts and issues Contains specific chapters on first language acquisition and bilingualism, as well as explicit references to the most recent and important research Covers key topics including acquisition contexts, theoretical perspectives, language teaching methods, second language development, and individual differences (such as age, aptitude, and motivation) Grabs student attention with lighthearted cartoons that illustrate and reinforce key ideas Features a full range of pedagogical tools to aid student learning, including “language learning in practice” textboxes; bolded new terms defined in the margins; an end-of-book glossary; self-assessment and classroom discussion questions; exercise and project ideas; and further online viewing sections
Undoubtedly, it seems that vocabulary acquisition is considered as a crucial issue in second language acquisition. Furthermore, it should be taken into consideration that learning a foreign or second language requires the acquisition of thousands of words. Accordingly, language learners look for effective ways to increase opportunities for retaining new words in long-term memory, but they often complain forgetting new words soon after learning. On the other hand, task is seen as a piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focus on meaning rather than form (Nunan, 1991). Therefore, 50 subjects were chosen as experimental n=25 and control group n=25, then, three tasks were applied to experimental group as reading comprehension by using context, dictionary, and marginal glosses, respectively. Having collected data, analysis of covariance was applied for data coding. Based on the hierarchy efficiency in the development of vocabulary retention the efficiency of contextual task was verified more than other tasks.
Mémoire (de fin d'études) de l'année 2015 dans le domaine Anglais - Pédagogie, Didactique, Linguistique, note: 16, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, langue: Français, résumé: This work presents a study of second language acquisition within the school environment. Specialists in foreign language pedagogy and didactics promote inductive learning of grammar which is mainly based on first language acquisition. Yet the mechanisms of a child's natural acquisition process cannot be borrowed by adolescents or adults when learning the second language (L2). It appears to be impossible to copy the naturallearning process when, as adolescents or adults, we are studying or acquiring our second language in an "artificial" way. Moreover, second language exposure is short and limited by the margins of a fifty-minute lesson and age appears to be a remarkable site of difference between L1 and L2 acquisition. As a consequence it may be better to adopt a contrastive approach in order to develop and acquire the language skills necessary to communicate. Learners should adopt a metalinguistic approach involving the awareness and control of linguistic components of language in order to avoid using what is commonly called a "formulaic language". This research paper will analyse and comment upon some linguistic theories regarding second language acquisition to reflect critically on common teaching practices. My probationary year as a teacher in high school was, for me, th...
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A volume in Research in Second Language LearningSeries Editor: Bogum Yoon, State University of New York at Binghamton, USA This volume takes a critical look at teaching and learning English across the globe. Its aim is to fill a gap in the literature created by the omission of the voices of those engaged in the everyday practice of teaching and learning English; those of students, teachers, and specialists. Three unique characteristics give this book broad appeal. They include its inclusion of the perspectives and experiences of students and educators involved in the everyday practice of English language teaching and learning its inclusion of the experiences of students and educators in both core and non-core English-speaking countries its basis on original, qualitative studies conducted by scholars in different parts of the world including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the AmericasOf particular interest to applied linguists, scholars from diverse fields such as English as a Foreign/Second Language, English as an International Language, anthropology and education, English education, sociolinguistics, and bilingual education will also find value in this book. Written in accessible language, it can be used in such courses as Applied Linguistics, Second Language Classroom Contexts, Bilingualism and Multilingualism, English Around the World, Research Methodologies in Second Language Acquisition, and Research in Second Language Pedagogical Contexts. In addition, by focusin...
Document from the year 2018 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, Islamic Azad University, language: English, abstract: The history of language teaching has been dominated by the upward progression of teaching methods. Much of language teaching prior to the twentieth century was conducted according to a so called grammar translation methodology, which was replaced by a revolution in language teaching that focused on the Direct Method. This was then followed by a series of methods that started with Audiolingualism, developed during and after world war two. Following these methods, several methods, including audio-visual method, cognitive code, and a cluster of new methods that emerged in the 1970s such as the silent way, suggestopedia, Total Physical Response, Communicative language teaching and Task-based learning were introduced.
The Handbook of Technology and Second Language Teaching and Learning presents a comprehensive exploration of the impact of technology on the field of second language learning. The rapidly evolving language-technology interface has propelled dramatic changes in, and increased opportunities for, second language teaching and learning. Its influence has been felt no less keenly in the approaches and methods of assessing learners language and researching language teaching and learning. Contributions from a team of international scholars make up the Handbook consisting of four parts: language teaching and learning through technology; the technology-pedagogy interface; technology for L2 assessment; and research and development of technology for language learning. It considers how technology assists in all areas of language development, the emergence of pedagogy at the intersection of language and technology, technology in language assessment, and major research issues in research and development of technologies for language learning. It covers all aspects of language including grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, listening, speaking, pragmatics, and intercultural learning, as well as new pedagogical and assessment approaches, and new ways of conceiving and conducting research and development. The Handbook of Technology and Second Language Teaching and Learning demonstrates the extensive, multifaceted implications of technology for language teachers, learners, materials-developers, and researchers.
As one of the most important components of language, vocabulary and the way it can be taught have been a long standing concern of many teachers. This book addresses vocabulary learning in the context of task-based teaching. It compares the contribution of input-oriented and output-oriented tasks to L2 vocabulary comprehension and production. It offers a theoretical review of some of the current views in this area followed by an empirical analysis of the issue. This book is suggested for second language learners at various proficiency levels as well as teachers and materials developers who are concerned with vocabulary learning.
This book explores the notion of Crosslinguistic Influence in Language Learning: how the first language of a learner influences the learning of subsequent languages. It examines not only the phenomena in regards to the process of language learning but also investigates the implications of crosslinguistic influence for classroom teaching practices. Specifically, the book focuses on the acquisition of German by adults whose first language is English and the effect of specific English syntactic patterns on the acquisition of related structures in German. The book provides a comprehensive overview of developments in theoretical understandings of crosslinguistic influence, and shows how these understandings have influenced foreign language teachers' classroom practices over time. One teaching method is empirically tested with the results supporting an approach to foreign/second language pedagogy which accounts for crosslinguistic influence in its design.
Dewey's idea of Project-based Learning (PBL) was introduced into the field of second language education nearly two decades ago as a wayto reflect the principles of student-centered teaching (Hedge, 1993). Since then, PBL has also become a popular language and literacyactivity at various levels and in various contexts (see Beckett, 1999; Fried-Booth, 2002; Levis & Levis, 2003; Kobayashi, 2003; Luongo-Orlando, 2001; Mohan & Beckett, 2003; Weinstein, 2004). For example, it has been applied to teach various ESL and EFL skills around theworld (e.g., Fried-Booth, 2002). More recently, PBL has been heralded as the most appropriate approach to teaching content-based secondlanguage education (Bunch, et al., 2001; Stoller, 1997), English for specific purposes (Fried-Booth, 2002), community-based languagesocialization (Weinstien, 2004), and critical and higher order thinking as well as problem-solving skills urged by the National ResearchCouncil (1999). Despite this emphasis, there is a severe shortage of empirical research on PBL and research-based frameworks and modelsbased on sound theoretical guidance in general and second and foreign language education in particular (Thomas, 2000). Also missing fromthe second and foreign language education literature is systematic discussion of PBL work that brings together representative work,identifying obvious gaps, and guiding the field toward future directions. This, first of its kind, volume bridges these obvious gaps throughthe o...
This book on service-learning provides a current view of service-learning research in thesecond language classroom and practical applications for the acquisition of both culturalknowledge as well as the different language modalities. This book helps inunderstanding how using service-learning in the language classroom can facilitatelanguage acquisition. The author addresses many of the challenges faced by teachers inthe second language classroom as they try to implement service-learning programs intheir curriculum. Based on the research as well as the experience of the author and otherpractitioners in the field, suggestions are given in each chapter as to how to maximizestudent learning and acquisition of specific aspects of a language as well as on theformation of successful programs and service-learning experiences. These suggestionsare integrated into the individual chapters based on the focus of the unit.This text shows how service-learning allows students real world application of the language they are learning in theclassroom. This text discusses how service-learning assists students in contextualizing their learning and seeing the realityof their field of study and the applicability of their language classes to settings that they encounter in their owncommunities. Finally, at all levels teachers, professors, and administrators are being asked to provide standards andassessments to demonstrate achievement and excellence in their different fields. This text addresses how ...
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has become the yardstick for teaching and testing language skills in Europe and elsewhere. Yet little is known about the relationships between the communicative levels established using the can-do statements of the CEFR and the developmental stages of grammatical and lexical development described by Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research.This book presents empirical research by members of the SLATE network (Second Language Acquisition and Testing in Europe), aimed at bridging this gap. The studies deal with several target languages, including Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Italian, Norwegian and Spanish, with adult, adolescent and child learners in both formal and informal contexts.
Scientific Essay from the year 2011 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, University of Debrecen (Regnum-M Educational Co. / University of Debrecen), course: English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, language: English, abstract: It is obvious that second language acquisition is a very inevitable phenomenon in language learning procedure, hence there is a whole library of books dealing with SLA. Contemporary findings (Pléh, 2010) have also showed that LA is one of the most important processes in our life, determining the whole procedure of language learning, not only in the case of second language, but also in the case of our mother tongue. Moreover, the whole process includes memorizing things, conceptualization, connecting cognitive information and eventual accuracy in the use of language. Interestingly enough, contemporary findings have also proved (Deb K. Roy et al., 2002) that first language acquisition begins even before the birth of the child, which means that the adaptation to the new circumstances and verbalcommunication starts in the mother's uterus. These new researches and our devotion to medical disciplines1 have made us compose an essay on the biological factors of Second Language Acquisition. No doubt, biological and neurobiological factors are very severely important parts of LA procedures, however, they are not really put into the focus of linguistic experts. The reason for this might be traced in several things...
Master's Thesis from the year 2008 in the subject Speech Science / Linguistics, grade: 1,0 (A), Carthage College, Wisconsin (Department of Education), course: Master of Education, 56 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: The main purpose of this study is to demonstrate how new audiovisual media, such as YouTube, can be effectively combined with task-based teaching approaches for communicative language teaching at the advanced level.Based on an examination of prior research, this study generates a set of criteria which are essential to the development of task-based units that utilize authentic video material to increase students' cultural awareness and communicative skills.The proposed sample units serve as models for instructors to use the presented criteria for the creation of further language activities and units that will effectively incorporate new media and task-based teaching within an engaging, student-centered learning environment.
Sobremesa is a Spanish vocabulary builder for intermediate and advanced levels carefully designed to develop all four language skills with emphasis on oral production. Sobremesa is based on the most recent research on language acquisition, Brain-Based Teaching, and Project-Based Learning. It is easy, convenient and fun! Sobremesa can be used as the only textbook or as enrichment material. No lesson plans, no stress, no worries! Try it now!
Motivated by the need to bring together researchers involved in the acquisition, learning and teaching of the Croatian language and foreign languages to learners at lower elementary level, the recurring scientific conferences Children and Languages Today were established in 2001. At the time the Croatian academic community was short of a conference that was dedicated entirely to critical thinking and the exchange of research findings, outcomes and experience in these particular study areas. As it turns out, Children and Languages Today has served as an incentive for other conferences and meetings in Croatia that continue to promote research in the fields of first and second language acquisition of young learners.Children and Languages Today: First and Second Language Literacy Development is the outcome of the conference held in 2017 at the Faculty of Education, University of Osijek. It is a collection of papers by experts on a wide range of topics that include developing literacy in teaching first and second languages and encompassing different fields of science and expertise, such as children's literature, bilingualism, metaphor usage, translation, vocabulary, narrative and orthography. This book hopes to shed light on and open up an array of questions in the area of literacy development.
Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject English - Pedagogy, Didactics, Literature Studies, grade: 1,3, University of Cologne (Englisch), course: Problems in Second Language Acquisition, language: English, abstract: This term paper will focus on the discussion of the putative maturational constraints for second language acquisition. The age factor is an aspect of first and second language acquisition research which has engendered very much controversy. In the discussion about age-related effects on language acquisition, one can find disagreements as to both the facts and to their possible explanations. The different points of view range from the notion that young learners are in all aspects of language learning more efficient and achieve better results, to the contrary position that older learners are the better learners. In this paper, four of the positions concerning the age factor, which have been listed by Singleton, will be presented because they provide a good overview of the different views on this topic and the respective evidence belonging to them. Many of the differences in the results of various studies are due to the differences in how the results are elicited. The experimental design plays an important role for the outcomes. | http://gipnozb12.ru/mike-long-second-language-acquisition-and-task-based-teaching/ |
How Do Customers Really Feel About Your Product? B2B Longitudinal Research
Have you ever wondered about your customers’ unfiltered opinions about a product or service? What if you could read a daily diary of a user’s experience as they learn to use your cloud service? That’s the type of access and insight B2B longitudinal research can achieve.
Longitudinal research is a study conducted over a matter of weeks or months as participants interact with your product or service. This type of research delivers detailed, in-the-moment feedback from developers, IT implementers, and business users.
While other methods tend to reveal a snapshot of a user’s experience, longitudinal research reveals patterns of behavior. In turn, these patterns reveal nuanced problems and opportunities with your product or service that other research methods may not expose.
B2B Longitudinal Research Use Cases
Here are some examples of questions that longitudinal research can answer.
- How do customers feel about on-ramping your product or service? You’ll learn about significant obstacles such as functionality and feature issues. You’ll also discover smaller, more annoying problems like UX or UI difficulties. Most significantly, you’ll understand how easy or difficult it is to learn your product and why.
- How easy is it to develop on your platform? Developing an application on a new platform takes time. For example, a developer migrating an application from on-premise infrastructure to AWS or Azure might run into unanticipated complications. To provide a better developer experience, a longitudinal study can reveal key areas to invest in.
- Are customers engaging positively with your content marketing? Do you know if your customers are viewing content or if they’re receiving it at all? How do customers act on regularly delivered content over time?
- What causes users to stop working with your product or service? You’ll learn the “off ramps” that cause developers to abandon projects.
- What are the downsides of using your solution? What are the different challenges users encounter each week throughout a project’s cycle? Are users able to schedule work accurately and be as productive as expected while learning a product? Why or why not?
- How do users react to issues with your product or service? How are users solving problems they encounter while using a product? Is it easy for them to find solutions?
B2B User Experience: An Inside, Real-Time View
Much of the user experience can be easily lost to memory.
People tend to exhibit better memory for more intensely emotional events. They also tend to focus on the end of an experience over the middle. It follows that many minor annoyances and confusion or moments of relief and satisfaction will be easily forgotten when someone is asked to describe their user experience way after the fact.
You’re much more likely to learn about the true nature of user experience when you ask someone to recall how they felt this morning as opposed to one morning three months ago.
Longitudinal research records participants’ experiences daily or weekly as they are using a new product or service. This kind of real-time reporting reveals key details that would otherwise be lost to the frailties of memory.
Take the Lewis and Clark expedition. Meriwether Lewis was a prolific journaler, constantly recording in his diary during the expedition. Here are just a few events from his journals:
- Early in the journey, the team built an experimental iron boat that was so leaky it was unable to be loaded.
- On Lewis’s 32nd birthday, he was able to obtain three good horses from natives in exchange for “a uniform coat, a pair of leggings, a few handkerchiefs, three knives, and some other small articles.”
- As the Corps of Discovery traversed the Rocky Mountains with Shoshone guides, their food supply dwindled so much that they had to resort to distasteful dried soup.
- While navigating the Columbia River, a storm pinned the expedition in tiny coves along the north bank for six days.
In some ways, the Lewis and Clark expedition was a longitudinal study of the Corps of Discovery’s journey across the continent. Because of Lewis’ journals, Americans at the time gained richly detailed knowledge about the people, cultures, and terrain of the American interior.
B2B Longitudinal Research: The Caveats
Before jumping into a longitudinal study, there are a few things you need to know.
Time Commitment
Firstly, they take time. Longitudinal studies typically take 2-3 months to complete. At Cascade Insights, we deliver results along the way, and you’ll be able to ask questions to an active cohort during a study. However, be prepared to wait as final findings only come at the end.
Recruitment Challenges
Secondly, recruiting can be difficult. A longitudinal study only requires short interactions – usually less than 45 minutes – but these interactions really add up over the life of a study. Not everyone is willing to make this kind of commitment over weeks or months.
Another recruiting complication involves finding people who are starting their journey in the same place, or phase. Phase is important because participants in a longitudinal study share their experiences with each other as well as the researchers. Participants in the same phase have roughly equivalent levels of experience or knowledge about the product they are learning. They can dive deeper into their shared experiences.
Conversely, studies with out-of-phase participants result in more generalized discussions. There’s little common ground to spark conversation.
If the only option is to work with out-of-phase recruits, they can be separated into groups based on their experience level with the solution being studied.
Use Their Platforms
Further, successful B2B longitudinal research should allow subjects to participate using their own research tools. This gets better results than requiring them to add or learn a new platform in order to take part. This makes participation easier and smooths the way for meaningful discussion.
Longitudinal Research is Worth the Wait
B2B longitudinal research is unique in its ability to closely track the user experience and how it changes over time. With real-time access to your target customers, you’ll understand how well your solution works for them in a way you’d otherwise never know.
This is what you can expect to learn from a B2B longitudinal study of your own:
- What problems users encounter with your product or service at different phases of adoption.
- How easy or difficult it is for users to learn your product or service.
- Whether or not your customers are able to solve problems they encounter while using your product, and how.
- Where exactly your product is succeeding or failing customers’ expectations, and why.
- Why your customers continue to use your product or abandon it entirely.
Interested in B2B longitudinal research? Consider partnering with a research firm that knows tech. With our focus on B2B tech, Cascade Insights knows how to keep participants engaged in a study until its conclusion.
Special thanks to Scott Swigart (President & CTO), Sean Campbell (CEO), and Philippe Boutros (Director of Systems Design) for advising on this article. | https://www.cascadeinsights.com/how-do-customers-really-feel-about-your-product-b2b-longitudinal-research/ |
My research interests focus on interpersonal issues in health contexts, with an emphasis on cross-cultural care. I have been involved in research on bilingual/cross-cultural health care for over 20 years. The three aspects that I have investigated are (a) the discrepancies between the beliefs and the practice of medical interpreters and healthcare providers, (b) interpreters’ influences on the quality of health services, and (c) interpreters’ mediation of identities and communicative goals. I currently pursue two lines of research dealing with health communication for non-English speaking and/or minority patients: (a) interpreter-mediated medical encounters and cross-cultural care, and (b) social support and health literacy in cultural contexts. I am particularly interested in (a) developing a model of bilingual health communication to explain and predict the effectiveness and appropriateness of interpreter-mediated medical encounters, (b) investigating how patients’ (cultural-specific) social support and health literacy influences their coping strategies and health behaviors, and (c) generating a theoretical model of coping that accounts for the social process and temporal aspects of illness management.
In recent years, I have been developing a new research line that emerged from my interests in legal issues in health policy. This research line centers on two issues: (1) the discrepancies between legal standards and known factors and practices for quality of care and (2) reconceptualizing privacy boundaries, patient autonomy, self-determinism, and health management in the era of genomic medicine. Going forward, I would like to examine how genetic technology and medicine present challenges to individuals’ management of health, privacy, and relationships. I am also interested in examining how institutional practices (e.g., informed consent), health policies (e.g., biobank management), and medicine in general (e.g., use and research of genetic materials) should respond to such paradigm shift in meanings of autonomy, privacy, and property interests.
Core Fulbright U.S. Scholar; Arts, Education, Humanities, Professional Fields and Social Sciences-- Research (Award #5130), Taiwan; Title: Quality of Care for Interpreter-Mediated Medical Encounters in Taiwan. Sponsored by the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Period: 07/01/2015-01/15/2016 [Completed]
The mix-method project is part of my larger, international research program that aims to examine the barriers and facilitators to quality care for language discordant patients (i.e., patients who do not share the same language with their healthcare providers). Based on my previous NIH funded work, I am convinced that to further advance the theories and quality of care for language discordant patients, it is important to examine how specific contextual variables may shape the content and process of interpreter-mediated medical encounters. In particular, the unique demographic, sociopolitical, and sociocultural contexts of language discordant patients in Taiwan (e.g., large number of foreign residents from Southeast Asia) can provide significant insights into (a) health disparities experienced by these marginalized patients, and (b) meaningful interventions to improve the quality of care for these patients. The specific aims of the project include: Examining the characteristics and practice of healthcare interpreting in Taiwan Identifying the unique contextual variables that influence providers, patients, and interpreters’ attitudes, and practices of healthcare interpreting in Taiwan Exploring similarities and differences in providers, patients, and interpreters’ attitudes, and practices of healthcare interpreting. Generating long-term collaborations with researchers, healthcare practitioners, and local NGOs in Taiwan.
Patient Communicative Competence in Gynecological Oncology. Sponsored by the University of Oklahoma-Health Sciences Center/Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust. Role: Principal Investigator. Period: 01/01/2012-06/30/2012. $60,335. [Completed]
This longitudinal study represents a pioneering work by examining health literacy in temporal and interpersonal contexts. We define communicative competence as the collaborative and evolving ability to acquire and use health information to achieve optimal health outcomes, which is a form of enacted health literacy. Communicative competence: (a) can empower participants to address their priorities and concerns, (b) is established through individuals’ communication, negotiation, and execution of their needs and goals, and (c) is evolving and situated in individuals’ illness experiences. The specific aim of the study is to identify changes in communicative competence over the course of an illness event. We are particularly interested in how communicative competence may evolve (a) during the emergent, dynamic interactions within a single medical encounter (e.g., sequential development of a medical discourse), and (b) over time across multiple medical encounters (e.g., changes of communicative strategies across multiple medical encounters). In addition, we are interested to examine providers’ and interpreters’ role in influencing the changes of patients’ communicative competence. Our study can provide insights into how communicative competence is not an individual property but rather an emergent characteristic of certain kinds of interaction, an area identified as critical in advancing current research.
The study includes both qualitative and quantitative research designs and incorporates a variety of data. The study represents a pioneering work by juxtaposing actual practice with the participants’ perceptions and evaluation of the quality of provider-patient communication (e.g., interviews). We will track 40 patients (i.e., 20-Spanish-speaking and 20 English-speaking patients) over an 6-month period, collecting a total of 160 video-recorded medical encounters. The total number of the medical encounters of the proposed study (n=160) is comparable to (in fact, slightly more than) other studies with similar research design for monolingual medical encounters. We will also conduct interviews with providers and patients. The longitudinal design also provides insight into how providers, patients, and interpreters can develop effective strategies to coordinate care over time. The quantity and quality of the data is unprecedented in research on bilingual health care.
Providers' Views of the Roles of Medical Interpreters. Grant (#1R03MH76205-01-A1) funded by National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health. Role: Principal Investigator. Period: 09/01/2006-08/31/2009. $146,417.[Completed]
The importance of medical interpreters to improve the health literacy of patients with limited English proficiency (LEP; e.g., through effective communication with health care providers) has been widely recognized; however their roles and functions are less understood and more widely debated. Although there are a few studies that have examined how interpreters understand their roles in health care settings, no studies have examined health care providers' expectations for the roles of interpreters and the quality of bilingual health communication. The objective of the study is to generate a new communication theory that highlights providers' communicative goals during a medical encounter and educates interpreters to respond to the providers' needs more effectively. The specific aims of this study are (a) to assess providers' experiences with, perceptions of, attitudes about, expectations for medical interpreters and (b) to explore differences in these dimensions across different medical specialties. The proposed study is a two-year project, involving both qualitative and quantitative methods. In year one, focus groups will be conducted with health care providers who have worked with medical interpreters to explore their views of interpreter-mediated interactions. In year two, based on the themes and categories developed from the focus group interviews, the PI will develop a questionnaire to survey health care providers about their attitudes about medical interpreters. The use of focus groups in year one to develop and test questionnaires in year two will increase the reliability and validity of the instrument. The specific research questions are: (a) What are providers' experiences with and attitudes about the communicative strategies used by interpreters?; (b) What are the criteria used by providers to evaluate the success of bilingual health communication?; (c) What are providers' expectations for interpreters' roles and performances?; and (d) Do providers in different specialties vary in their perceptions, attitudes, and expectations? Answering these questions will allow the PI to develop a program of research that includes further developing bilingual health communication theory and designing training programs to increase health literacy of patients with LEP. | https://www.elainehsiehphd.net/vitae/funding.html |
Our five-year partnership with Genesys Works Bay Area (GWBA), a program that provides professional job skills training and technology-sector internships to low-income high school students, allowed us to witness its growth from the pilot stage and adjust our work (and theirs) as the program scaled up. Evaluating a program from inception through scale-up provides evaluators with opportunities to see and effect positive changes in program implementation that ultimately increase the chances of better outcomes for participants.
Genesys Works is a national program that expanded to the Bay Area as a pilot in 2013. By starting our engagement at the onset of a pilot program, we had the opportunity to help establish a true baseline for participants and consider different evaluation approaches to document feedback and progress at key moments. Over the course of the study, we learned and adapted alongside program staff, and had the benefit of time to hear how evaluation findings were contributing to changes in program implementation.
A Phase-by-Phase Study Approach
Our evaluation included three components: (1) an implementation study to document program structure and effectiveness, and examine fidelity to the program model; (2) an outcome study to measure how participants’ circumstances, attitudes, and outcomes change over time; and (3) an impact study to assess the program’s effect on high school graduation, and college enrollment and persistence.
During each of these phases, we used a variety of methods in order to strategically align data collection as much as possible with key touchpoints already built into the GWBA program. Conducting an evaluation that is organized into specific phases to respond to and take advantage of the increased number of participants over time—and that incorporates the tools to measure both short- and long-term impact—allowed us a wide lens to assess the effectiveness of the program. This approach also enabled us to provide real-time feedback to program staff and leadership, which strengthened the study and program overall.
Paving Paths of Improvement
During the implementation study, we gathered data to determine the extent to which GWBA was serving its target population—that is, low-income youth experiencing hardships individually or in their household. Due to feedback from youth participants, school champions, and corporate partners, GWBA made program improvements throughout the course of the study. Some of the improvements aimed at correcting GWBA’s participant pool to be more representative of students within its target population.
Improvements in recruitment strategies led to better targeting of low-income and first generation students along with other demographic groups (e.g., women, African-Americans, Latinos) underrepresented in IT/STEM professions. After we identified this discrepancy in the data, the following year GWBA increased the numbers of women and first generation students.
Using Findings to Strengthen the Program
The main purpose of the outcomes study was to track whether changes in student attitudes, experiences and skills were in line with the program’s theory of change from “Point A” to “Point B” of their participation in the program. Our multi-year partnership also allowed us to work with GWBA staff to use the outcomes study more holistically in order to identify and address program-related issues as they arose.
For example, young women involved in GWBA were more likely than young men to drop out of the program. Because of this finding, the evaluation team conducted an all-female focus group to learn more about why this may be occurring and the challenges that young women face while participating in the program. We learned about their experiences having more family-related responsibilities (e.g., caring for siblings and other family members) that made it difficult for them to meet all of the GWBA-related commitments. In addition, many of GWBA’s corporate partners were tech sector companies with fewer female employees, so young women participants often felt less comfortable navigating the social structure in their internships compared with their male counterparts.
Knowing this, we recommended that program coordinators provide more support for participants during training in terms of career exploration, as well as more training for program coordinators to identify these issues and provide appropriate support to women participants who may be struggling.
Understanding the Effects on High School Participants
A rigorous impact study works best when solid program implementation occurs. With GWBA, we had the time to develop and reinforce a strong foundation. The program demonstrated statistically-significant, positive impacts on all three of its key outcomes: high school graduation, college enrollment, and college persistence. GWBA was also able to scale up considerably from 29 participants and five schools in the first year to 162 participants and 32 schools in the fifth year. This success of an increased participation rate is due in part by the program’s ability to learn and adapt based on the study’s findings early on.
The Benefits of Long-Term Partnership
The long-term partnership between GWBA and Harder+Company provide the space for the program and evaluation to evolve together. Open communication and collaborative thought partnership were fundamental to our ability to work so closely and effectively over time. As evaluators, we particularly valued the time and space to revise methods as needed in order to answer important programmatic questions as they arise—and the trust from GWBA staff that we would keep evolving alongside them. The long-term nature of this engagement also ensured that program implementation is as strong as possible in order to reach the desired outcomes.
To learn more about the Genesys Works Bay Area program, read our final report. Also, make sure to check out the 2018 Annual Impact report for more information on the Genesys Works national program. | https://harderco.com/partnering-for-the-long-haul-building-evaluation-from-implementation-to-impact/ |
Research is at the heart of all we do at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. As one of the nation's foremost multidisciplinary centers devoted to the study of children from infancy to adolescence, our scientists are committed to conducting research and evaluation studies that improve children's lives, support families, and inform public policy.
Learn more about our projects—current and completed—by clicking on the links below. And to stay up to date on news and events related to our work via social media, visit our Project Digital Directory.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60
A Mechanistic Study of the Association Between Poverty and Executive Functions in Early Childhood: Contributions of Early Brain Development and the Early Caregiving Environment
The current study examines the link between poverty and executive functions (cognitive processes that facilitate learning, self-monitoring, and decision making) which are known to undergo rapid developmental change during the first years of life.
African-Centered Racial Equity Justice Project: Embracing Culturally Responsive Practices to Improve Early Learning and Child Outcomes
This project will develop an African-centered, culturally responsive practice guide with specific strategies, exemplars, and materials with connected professional learning modules to guide effective implementation. The ultimate and long-term goal is to increase Black children’s social, cognitive, and emotional skills (e.g., racial identity, engagement, learning motivation, regulation), leading to strong academic and social competence and school success.
This project aims to have timely data about a significant policy bill slated to cut poverty by almost half, especially for families with young children. It will examine whether receiving direct payment is disproportionately benefiting Black and Latine families, economically and psychologically (e.g., perception of hardship). And will provide actionable information to ensure that the Black families with young children are protected, promoted, and prioritized in national, state, and local policies and strategies.
An Effectiveness Replication of Targeted Reading Instruction: Investigating Long-Term Student and Teacher Impacts
This replication study seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of Targeted Reading Instruction (TRI, formerly called Targeted Reading Intervention) in helping grade 1 struggling readers make substantial gains in reading during one school year. It extends prior TRI studies by conducting an independent external evaluation of the TRI, testing long-term impacts for struggling readers into grade 3, and examining teachers’ sustained impacts for three years.
The FPG Autism Team will provide professional development training on the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS). The training will be for nine participants who are team members or affiliates of the Autism Professional Learning & Universal Supports Project at Illinois State University.
The purpose of this study is to examine associations between language of instruction, student engagement, academic-self-concept, approaches to learning, student-teacher relationships, and gains in academic outcomes for students attending dual language educational settings.
This project will support the Foundation in gathering and analyzing implementation and outcomes data for students with disabilities (SWD) served by charter management organization (CMO) grantees and their schools. NIRN will provide input on measures and tools used to gauge measurement and reporting capacity of CMOs and their schools; help design, develop, and deliver technical assistance and associated materials and events to support CMO capacity to provide data; and help design implementation and outcomes studies.
This project will support a cohort of place-based, cross-sector educational collaboratives ("myFutureNC network") across the state to develop model programs that significantly increase the number of students successfully pursuing post-secondary education and entering the workforce. This pilot aligns with the state's goal of having 2 million individuals between the ages of 25 and 44 with a high-quality credential or postsecondary degree by 2030.
Building Regional and State Capacities to Support Local Implementation of the California Child Welfare Core Practice Model
The partnership among the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), County Welfare Directors Association (CWDA), Child and Family Policy Institute of California (CFPIC), California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC), and Regional Training Academies (RTAs) is committed to supporting counties and their leadership in the implementation and sustainability of the California Child Welfare Core Practice Model (CPM).
Calhoun ISD is seeking support for the capacity development of their systemic support staff in best practices of implementation science to support implementation of evidence-based practices with their participating local education agencies (LEAs). To support development of internal implementation capacity, the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) will provide virtual training, coaching, and consultation supports.
The Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy Center) provides national leadership and technical assistance to states to support early intervention and early childhood special education state programs in the development or enhancement of coordinated early childhood longitudinal data systems.
This model demonstration seeks to increase family uptake of developmental screenings and service enrollment of traditionally underserved populations by centering family and cultural voice throughout the implementation process.
The purpose of this project is to support the use of implementation science methods and practices within the technical assistance services provided by the Comprehensive Center Region 7. The NIRN team will support capacity building efforts of the TA providers and the state education agencies being served by the comprehensive center as well as the implementation of cross-state initiatives.
Dataset Preparation and Sharing of Educare Implementation Study Data for the Mindfulness and Mastery Evaluation
Data collected by Educare schools and provided to FPG for the Educare Implementation Study are also pertinent to the Mindfulness & Mastery Grant evaluation conducted by the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). Under data sharing/confidentiality agreements with each of the sites, these data will be shared across projects.
The purpose of this project is to engage with grassroots and grasstops early education partners to identify and conduct a landscape analysis of active North Carolina policies and regulations focused on young children and their families (birth to age 5) with a focus on policies that show effect or promise in mitigating (or exacerbate) racial disparities in early care and education.
The Early Childhood TA Center (ECTA) is funded to support state Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education programs in developing high-quality early intervention and preschool special education service systems, increasing local implementation of evidence-based practices, and enhancing outcomes for young children with disabilities and their families.
Early Life Adversity and the Developmental Programming of Neurocognitive and Behavioral Risk: A Longitudinal Investigation of Early Childhood Telomere Biology
This study will examine the early biological embedding of health and disease risk in young children’s telomeres, a biomarker of cellular aging. We will conduct a novel longitudinal study to examine the effects of prenatal and postnatal early life adversity (i.e., poverty, parent conflict, maternal stress) on accelerated biological aging, including telomere erosion and epigenetic aging clocks, across the first three years of life.
Early Life Stress and the Environmental Origins of Disease: A Population-Based Prospective Longitudinal Study of Children in Rural Poverty (ECHO)
This project leverages and builds upon an existing longitudinal cohort to propose hypotheses that investigate the ways in which early life stress alters well-specified developmental processes to adversely affect neurodevelopment in childhood and increase risk for obesity and other health outcomes. It extends our prior data collection both retrospectively and prospectively in order to amplify and enhance our focus on adverse exposures and health and behavior outcomes.
The goal of this series of studies is to develop recommendations that could be used to inform the next revisions of the ECERS-3, a global early care and education quality measure for children aged 3-5 that examines quality from the child's perspective.
The purpose of this project is to conduct a pilot study examining the impact of Family Engagement Specialists' beliefs and attitudes (e.g., bias) on their engagement with families.
The purpose of this project is to examine the relationship between implicit bias, teacher expectations, teacher–child interactions, and child outcomes. There are disparities in child discipline and development that can manifest early for poor and/or minority children and can have lasting consequences.
The Equity Research Action Coalition will co-construct with practitioners and policymakers actionable research to support the optimal development of Black children prenatally through childhood across the African diaspora using a cultural wealth framework. The coalition will focus on developing a science-based action framework to eradicate the impact of racism and poverty and all its consequences on the lives of Black children, families, and communities, and to ensure optimal health, well-being, school readiness and success, and overall excellence.
The goal of this project is to support the development of an interdisciplinary, multi-organizational research action coalition to identify anti-racist, culturally-sustaining, and asset-focused factors that ensure that Black children, their families, and communities thrive. Specific to this project is the development of a national repository/clearinghouse that provides up to date information on actionable research, practice, and policy evidence about what matters and works for Black children.
The purpose of this project is to understand the early development trajectories in both poor and non-poor young children growing up in rural areas characterized by high poverty. An interdisciplinary team of investigators has been following children from birth with measurement of child, family, and school functioning, observed mother and father sensitivity and language input in the home setting, observed quality of instruction in child care and elementary school, characteristics of the community, and biomarkers of child and maternal stress.
The FPG Autism Team will develop five AFIRM modules based on new evidence-based practices identified by the National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence & Practice review of the literature.
We are examining psychiatric and health outcomes in a 5-year follow-up of 200 well-characterized, very high-risk, maltreated and non-maltreated children. This is an ideal study in which to examine patterns of stability and change in the regulation of stress-sensitive genes over time.
Making Professional Development Work for Preschool Classroom Teams Serving Students With ASD: Adapting a PD Model Using Normalization Process Theory
This study will iteratively develop and test an adapted professional development model to be used with the Advancing Social-communication And Play intervention.
The K-12 Coherent Instructional Systems portfolio of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Program seeks to support a cohort of provider-local education agency partnerships focused on implementing coherent instructional systems (CIS) built around high-quality middle-years mathematics curricula in contexts that serve Black, Latino, and/or English Learning-designated students, and students who are experiencing poverty. As a Learning Partner for the Effective Implementation Cohort (EIC), the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) at UNC-Chapel Hill's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute seeks to support the cohort of Provider-Local Education Agency partnerships in their implementation and measurement efforts related to their scale-up of high-quality mathematics curricula.
Moving Beyond the Average: Building a Comprehensive Module of Classroom Quality That Incorporates Children's Individual Experiences
This study utilizes three large-scale early childhood education datasets (NCEDL, SWEEP and LAExCELS) to explore how children’s engagement, measured by moment-to-moment time sampling, varies within classrooms and explores if variation in levels and quality of child engagement and activity type/setting is associated with children’s outcomes.
WA OSPI is seeking support for the capacity development of their state and regional Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) staff in best practices of implementation science to support implementation of evidence-based practices with their participating local education agencies (LEAs). To support development of internal implementation capacity, the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) will provide virtual training, coaching, and consultation supports. | https://fpg.unc.edu/projects |
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Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has been used to help learners acquire higher-level cognitive thinking skills and adopt constructivist, social-cognitive, and situated-leaning theories. In English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning settings, the use of CSCL has increased, because it gives learners more opportunities to apply and practice what they have learned. CSCL allows students to express their ideas and communicate with others. Students should use a foreign language to express ideas and communicate with others in CSCL programs, which could lead to a unique Community of Inquiry (CoI).
Students with beginning or intermediate level of EFL require more time to express their ideas in English since they have to search proper words in the targeted language and to monitor and evaluate their results consulting with newly learned rules and grammar. In order to acquire higher level language proficiency, both quantitative and qualitative language practices are necessary. Asynchronous discussion could provide a better learning setting for such learners with limited EFL. They could take time to think and monitor their comments as well as to read and comprehend other members’ comments and opinions.
This chapter discusses the application of the CoI framework used to design asynchronous online discussion for EFL learners, illustrating the case study at a university in Japan. The course of the case study was designed as a blended learning, weekly face-to-face self-paced learning with computer and self-study activities outside of the classroom. Collaborative learning generally demands more time for learning activities and the asynchronous discussions were conducted outside of the classroom to increase students’ self learning time to ensure their quantitative practice. Five discussion activities were held in the course. The discussion for a topic lasted two weeks and in the middle, students came to the classroom and studied the CALL materials individually. There was no time allocated for the group discussion in the classroom, although the instructor gave students overall feedback on the on-going discussions for about 10 minutes at the end of the class.
The course was designed and implemented based on the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) approach (Nelson, 1999) in the instructional design (ID) and the Teaching and Learning Guideline for CoI (Garrison, 2011). The CPS approach consists of two categories, (a) comprehensive guideline and (b) process activities. Its comprehensive guideline defines the major role of teachers, the activities of learners, and the process activities to provide detailed procedures of collaborative learning with strategies that both teachers and learners can use. The CoI guideline indicates specific actions of teachers according to the plan (design and organization) and implementation (facilitation, and direct instruction) phases. Both CPS and CoI embrace collaborative-constructivist approaches, but CPS does not consider online context, especially asynchronous communication although it provides steps for the collaborative learning procedure. CoI integrates online learning features and the teachers’ roles in an asynchronous learning environment. The rationales for employing both CPS and CoI are as follows. CPS was useful to design the activity process of each discussion and the integration of the discussion activities and other types of instructions because it contained the information of conditions for using CPS and four types of comprehensive guidelines; instructor-implemented methods, learner-implemented methods, instructor- and learner-implemented methods, and interactive methods. However, implementation and interactions focus on the face-to-face setting. The steps suggested in CPS and CoI are similar, but the CoI framework provides guideline and strategies to integrate online communication into learning. Combinations of three presences; teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence in the CoI framework gave directions what to consider and how to implement for asynchronous collaborative learning activities.
In order to support discourse outside of the classroom, integration of social presence (SP) and cognitive presence (CP) of CoI was a concern. In-class feedback from the instructor was carefully provided to foster students focus and resolve issues with the interaction between teaching presence (TP) and CP. As to direct instruction of TP, tendencies of mistakes related to the grammar or wordings and misconception due to culture differences should also be pointed out in EFL setting, which may be unique for a foreign language learning context. | https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/application-coi-design-cscl-efl/69558 |
Study programme title in Est.
Ajalugu
study programme title in Engl.
History
Language of instruction
Estonian
Study level
Master's studies
ECTS credits
120
Study domain
Humanitaaria ja kunstid
Study programme group
humanities
Study programme subgroup
en: Ajalugu ja arheoloogia
Nominal study period (in semesters)
4
Access conditions
Bachelor´s Degree, Diploma of Professional Higher Education or a corresponding qualification.
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Admission is based on the results of the vocational aptitude exam.
Degrees conferred
humanitaarteaduse magister (ajalugu)
Study programme aims and objectives
- Provide the basis for advanced studies in History writing, Art History writing and/or Archaeology;
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- Create the preconditions for continuing doctoral studies in the field of humanities.
Learning outcomes of the study programme
- possesses comprehensive knowledge concerning the theories, research fields and methods of history, visual culture or archaeology
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- can identify and create connections through history and between different scientific fields
- is able to resolve issues related to history writing by using different ways of interpretation and different work methods
- is able to carry out, in their native language, a scientific research that corresponds to international requirements, and take part in discussions on the subject field (including in some foreign language)
- can supervise practical activities (archaeological fieldwork, Student Academy, etc), and assess their actions as a supervisor
- has a comprehensive attitude towards the diversity of understandings and values, and relies upon the scientific approach to historical research
- is able to participate in discussions on societal issues, demonstrating competent skills of self-expression and willingness to work in a team
- is able to use the acquired knowledge in professional life (as a historian, an archivist, an archaeologist or art historian) and is prepared to develop both at Doctoral level and in lifelong learning
Graduation requirements
In order to graduate, the student shall complete the study programme in the given volume,
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which includes passing all compulsory courses and compiling and defending the Master’s thesis. Students who have not graduated from upper secondary schools where Estonian is the language of instruction, or who have graduated from schools where Estonian is only partly the language of instruction, are required to have Estonian language proficiency at C1 level.
As an additional requirement for students who have been admitted until 2015/2016, the foreign language proficiency according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages shall correspond to B2 level, in case of students of distant and cyclical learning to B1 level, and their computer skills shall be sufficient for university studies. Since the admission of year 2016 students are required to pass during the studies at least one course which uses a foreign language as the language of instruction.
Study programme version structure: | https://ois2.tlu.ee/tluois/programme/AIAJM/19.HT |
Dr Louise Kettle is an Assistant Professor at the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham. Her research examines how lessons from history are learned and the relationship between Britain and the Middle East. Her latest book Learning from the History of British Interventions in the Middle East is out now. You can find her on twitter @LouiseSKettle.
‘Without learning, the wise become foolish; by learning, the foolish become wise.’
(Confucius)
The ability to learn has long been debated by philosophers and psychologists, as has the nature of learning itself. Unpicking these challenges and applying them to the military context reveals the nuances of approaches to learning already being used but also strategic challenges for military learning in the 21stcentury.
What is learning?
There is considerable research on learning with a spectrum of ideas on what learning is, how it occurs and its subsequent impact. Cognitive psychologists tend to consider learning as an individual’s internal appropriation of new knowledge, whether it is used or not. Behavioural psychologists, by contrast, contend that learning occurs only when new knowledge actually affects behaviour. On the other hand, constructivists, argue that knowledge must have an effect on underlying beliefs, rather than behaviour, to truly represent the definition of learning.
For other scholars learning has a teleological aspect whereby new knowledge must cause change in a manner that is accurate, corrective or increases effectiveness or efficiency. For them, learning incorrectly, ineffectively or learning the ‘wrong’ lesson is not considered to be ‘true’ learning. For others, learning is best understood by its distinction from other concepts – change, adaption and evolution – because learning can also reinforce existing beliefs and behaviours.
In many cases the definition of learning has been advanced differently by both scholars and practitioners; one where learning is a scholarly research topic, distant from practice, sceptical and neutral in approach, defined for study; and another whereby learning is practice-orientated, prescriptive and value committed, perhaps reasserting the ‘fools and cowards’ distinction that characterises some debates about modern military education. However, the most recently developed learning theory, connectivism, tries to bridge the gap between these two approaches by seeing learning as a process of connecting information sources. It has also been specifically developed for the digital age and is, therefore, worth our consideration in the context of how militaries can and do learn
In many ways the military already addresses each of these approaches through different methods – the cognitive through education, the behavioural through training, a combination of cognitive and behavioural through battlefield studies, the teleological through the lessons process, distinction from change through best practise and the connective through digital resources such as AKX – but each of these forms of learning need not be treated as distinct. A comprehensive assessment of military learning in the 21stcentury needs to include developing a closer understanding of the interaction and intersections between these different approaches and methods. For example, should lessons stand distinct from history and only be focused on the most recent operations? Could learnings from the classroom feed into the lessons process? Could digital resources be used more effectively in training?
What is the process of learning?
Learning is not a monolithic action but a process. This process can be broken down into four stages; identification, implementation, distribution and retention. For learning to be successful in the long-term, all four stages must be encountered. This process is used routinely by lessons teams within the military but applies across all forms of learning.
The first stage of the learning process is identification, when knowledge is acquired (cognitive approach) and interpreted (constructivist approach). Learning is therefore defined here as ‘a process starting with the acquisition of knowledge’.
Knowledge can be acquired through internal or external sources. Internally, knowledge is usually acquired from direct experience and the intentional development of knowledge through, for example, investigation, research and development or education. External knowledge is usually from one of four sources; learning from the observation of others (as Otto von Bismarck famously stated ‘Fools say they learn by experience, I prefer to profit by other people’s experiences’), in cooperation with others (sharing experiences), the intentional use of external experts (including academics) or the acquisition of new information sources, such as technologies or blueprints. Once knowledge is acquired it is interpreted as relevant through the prisms of biases, beliefs, goals, current and future activities and ambitions.
Implementation is the stage of the learning process whereby knowledge is used (behaviourist approach). This could be in making a decision, updating doctrine or reinforcing training but if implementation does not take place lessons risk being forgotten.
Retention is the stage of the learning process whereby a lesson is recorded for the future (connectivist approach). In some cases it may not be necessary to implement a lesson immediately, in others it may be important that the information is accessible for other learners, but retention in both cases ensures that lessons are not forgotten. Retention can be through a variety of methods; memory, personal or official papers, structures, processes, attitudes, language or symbols.
The final stage of learning is distribution. In order to advance the learning process, lessons must be distributed (or taught) to others. This, in turn, begins the process for another learner as the distribution becomes a source for knowledge acquisition. Again, distribution can occur through a number of different methods; circulation of a note, holding a conference, formal education or informal discussions.
In the 21stcentury new methods have become available for all four stages of the learning process. Many learners also respond better to learning using new technologies and, in many cases, these methods also improve accessibility and efficiency. Consequently, a re-evaluation of the methods used for each stage of the learning process may help to improve learning more generally. For example, a recent – small scale – piece of research conducted with the British Army revealed a high demand for apps as a method for learning (as part of retention, distribution and acquisition). There are already a number of apps available on the Defence Gateway but increasingly access to digital resources is through portable devices.
Who learns?
To understand the most effective method for learning at each stage of the process consideration must be made of the target audience for learning; the learner. In the military there has often been a significant focus on eitherindividualsorthe organisation, perhaps without adequate reflection of the interaction between the two, and often without extensive consideration of other learners. Individual learning had always been the first consideration for psychologists too; when the nineteenth century brought about the scientific study of learning, psychologists began by examining individuals. Since then education studies has focused on developing ideas on how to maximise learning by the individual through pedagogy (the learning and practise of teaching), andragogy (learning in adults) and heutagogy (self-determined learning).
However, social psychologists have extended the idea of the individual as a learner and sought to establish groups of individuals as an alternative agent of learning. In their work they have examined how individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others so that the group itself forms its own identity, learning its own lessons through socialisation, culture and establishment of group norms. In the military, this can take place within a friendship group, a squad, platoon and all the way up through regiment and beyond. Groups of learners provide new possibilities and new challenges for learning which must be considered. For example, the group can restrict certain ideas, sometimes leading to ‘group think’, or rely on the lessons of group leaders over those provided by the organisation.
Although groups of individuals come in many forms, one category that has traditionally been overlooked in the military’s formal learning process is generations; those individuals bound by being within a certain rank or age range during a particular point in time. Generations can learn differently from each other as experience, recency of events, the impact of events during one’s wakening consciousness and the impact of societal understandings can all affect what is learned. Additionally, learning can occur incrementally, over a long period of time, and further events will impact what has been learned from a previous event. Generations provide a collective memory reflective of a majority view and cross-generational learning can be of great value to ensure that lessons do not get lost over time.
On the contrary, the military has devoted significant time to the study of organisational learning whereby the organisation itself is a learner – an agent in the learning process. Whilst individuals within an organisation must bring new skills and knowledge for organisational learning to occur, organisations offer systems, structures, resources and influences which impact upon the learning of individuals. These ensure that learning is used to achieve group goals and that they are retained beyond the memory of an individual. Robert T Foley, for example, demonstrates how the institutional organisation of the British and German armies during the First World War led to very different ways of learning.
No learner exists in a vacuum or are mutually exclusive to the others. Instead, learners overlap and interact; individuals form the workforce in institutions and the collective group of people that create a generation, thus it is logical that these will overlap. Similarly, a generation of employees exist within an institution whilst an institution frames the experiences of individuals and generations. The space where all of these learners overlap is where learning is the most effective, in terms of impact and longevity, and a strategy for learning in the military in the 21stcentury needs to consider how to encourage each different learner to optimise its role at each stage of the learning process.
Consequently, there are four main strategic challenges to current military learning. Firstly, learning must be understood as wider than education and include a comprehensive approach to the number of methods currently being used. Secondly, each of these methods need to be assessed based on whether they fulfil all stages of the learning process to ensure long-term learning. Thirdly, learning must be tailored to the specific learner in mind. Fourthly, the value of generations as learners must not be overlooked in the learning process.
Image: inquiry learning word cloud via flickr. | https://defenceindepth.co/2019/03/06/what-is-military-learning-in-the-c21st/ |
# Understanding Society: the UK Household Longitudinal Study
Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), is one of the largest panel survey in the world, supporting social and economic research. Its sample size is 40,000 households from the United Kingdom or approximately 100,000 individuals.
## Structure
Data collection, or fieldwork, began in January 2009. Study participants are interviewed annually and the Study follows participants as their households change and evolve. The fieldwork period is 24 months, but each person is still interviewed annually, i.e., the fieldwork for consecutive waves overlap. Interviews are via a web-survey or a face-to-face survey with an interviewer.
The study is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, a consortium of UK Government departments and the British Academy. Understanding Society is led by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex.
As a panel survey, Understanding Society is a form of longitudinal study. The survey consists of information about the same individuals at regular intervals and so can be used to track changes in people's lives and attitudes over time. It can also be used to measure phenomena such as poverty persistence, unemployment duration, duration of marriage or cohabitation and analyze the factors that affect these durations. The study allows for deeper analysis of a wide range of sections of the population as they respond to regional, national and international change. Understanding Society will enhance our insight into the pathways that influence peoples longer term occupational trajectories; their health and well-being, their financial circumstances and personal relationships.
From its second wave (starting in 2010) Understanding Society incorporates the British Household Panel Survey, which was carried out at ISER since 1991.
Understanding Society has several key features which make it particularly valuable for studying the UK population:
It covers all ages: allowing researchers to understand the experiences of the whole population over time. Understanding Society has a special questionnaire for children aged 10–15 and an adult survey for participants aged 16 and over. There is continuous data collection - annual interviews mean that short- and long-term changes in people's lives can be investigated. The whole household contributes - information is collected on everyone in a household so that inter-relations between generations, couples and siblings can be explored. There is national, regional and local data - all four countries of the UK are included, allowing researches to compare the experiences of people in different places and in different policy contexts. It's multi-topic - Understanding Society covers a wide range of social, economic and behavioural factors making it relevant to a wide range of researchers and policy makers. There is an ethnic minority boost sample - allowing the experiences of specific ethnic minority groups to be investigated. The Study includes biomarkers and genetic data - data collected by nurses to measure people's health allows researchers to understand the relationship between social and economic circumstances and health. It can be linked to administrative data - Study data can be linked (with consent) to administrative records from other sources, building a richer picture of households.
This study also has a methodological sample called the Innovation Panel which is conducted in the year prior to the main survey to enable research in key methodological issues such as the quality of new questions, methods to improve response rates, mode effects. This sample consists of 1500 households.
## Data available to date
Main stage Waves 1-8 Innovation Panel Waves 1-11
Understanding Society data are available from the UK Data Service.
## Topics covered by Understanding Society
Understanding Society collects information on a wide range of social, economic, health and attitudinal topics. The Study asks questions about:
Income, wealth and savings Finances and spending Health and wellbeing Education, work and training Family and partnerships Origins, nationality and ethnic identity Childcare and other caring responsibilities Transport Environmental behaviour Social and political attitudes Life satisfaction, community and leisure
More information on the topics covered by Understanding Society can be found in the long term content plan.
## How is Understanding Society used?
Understanding Society gives an overview of the social, economic and health factors that affect the population of the UK. The Study highlights the links between the different facets of life and provides evidence on change and stability in people's lives, homes and communities. Data from the Study is used by university researchers from many different disciplines, as well as by government departments, think tanks, charities and businesses. Understanding Society has been used in thousands of research articles and reports. The Study helps researchers, charities and policymakers to take the lives of real people into account when making decisions. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Understanding_Society:_the_UK_Household_Longitudinal_Study |
The Eyjabakkajökull Glacier is an outlet glacier of the Vatnajökull ice cap in Iceland that has been retreating since a major surge occurred in 1973. Students analyze these maps to identify the scale, rate of change, and volume affected by the glacier retreat.
Educational Resources - Search Tool
Carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is affected, among other things, by processes involving forests including fires, deforestation and plant respiration. Evaluate a Landsat image to determine the rate of carbon dioxide sequestration in a particular area.
In this mini-lesson, students analyze soil moisture quantities associated with Hurricane Harvey around Houston, Texas on August 25, 2017.
The radar measurements made by NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory are sensitive to whether land surfaces are frozen or thawed. Students analyze two maps of SMAP data to make inferences about changes to the Arctic's Geosphere showing spring thaw.
Conduct this EO Kids mini-lesson with your students to explore the phenomenon of Urban Heat Island Effect.
Why do you think grass feels cooler than pavement? And how are materials in a city different from those you find in rural and wild areas? The answer is that the materials in our neighborhoods retain, absorb, and radiate heat differently.
Analyze these Landsat images of Atlanta, Georgia to explore the relationship between surface temperature and vegetation.
Students interpret a graph of surface temperatures taken from city districts. | https://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/search?f%5B0%5D=%3A1&f%5B1%5D=%3A2&f%5B2%5D=%3A3&f%5B3%5D=%3A4&f%5B4%5D=%3A6&f%5B5%5D=%3A7&f%5B6%5D=%3A12&f%5B7%5D=%3A15&f%5B8%5D=%3A20&f%5B9%5D=%3A40&f%5B10%5D=%3A920&f%5B11%5D=content_type%3Amaps_and_data&f%5B12%5D=content_type%3Apage&f%5B13%5D=supported_ngss_performance_expectations%3A109&f%5B14%5D=supported_ngss_performance_expectations%3A796&%3Bf%5B1%5D=filter_phenomenon%3A51&%3Bamp%3Bf%5B1%5D=filter_phenomenon%3A15&%3Bamp%3Bnode=89 |
Getting enough sleep at the right times can help in improving quality of life and protect mental and physical health. This study proposes a portable sleep monitoring device to determine the relationship between the ambient temperature and quality of sleep. Body condition parameter such as heart rate, body temperature and body movement was used to determine quality of sleep. All readings will be log into database so that users can review back and hence analyze quality of sleep. The functionality of the overall system is designed for a better experience with a very minimal intervention to the user. The simple test on the body condition (body temperature and heart rate) while asleep with several different ambient temperatures are varied and the result shows that someone has a better sleep for the temperature range of 23 to 28 degree Celsius. This can prove by lower body temperature and lower heart rate.
Keywords
ambient temperature, body condition parameters, sleep monitoring device, user interface, window application,
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. | http://ijece.iaescore.com/index.php/IJECE/article/view/8666 |
Global MEMS Based Oscillator Market Outlook 2018
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Key Stakeholders:
– MEMS Based Oscillator Manufacturers
– MEMS Based Oscillator Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers
– MEMS Based Oscillator Subcomponent Manufacturers
– Industry Association
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MEMS Based Oscillator Market Segmentation by Uses: Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Aerospace, Healthcare, Others
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Market Deeper is a well-versed platform that offers precisely crafted market reports. With the integration of expert team’s efficiency and reliable data sources, we produce some finest reports of infinite industries and companies. We make (categorized) Various reports that cover critical business parameters such as production rate, manufacturing trends, supply chain management, and expansion of distribution network.
Our aim is to deliver detailed picture of the market trends and forecasts for precise business executions. | http://positivenewspaper.com/mems-based-oscillator-market-2018-global-analysis-forecast-discera-pericom-silicon-laboratories-sitime-corporation/ |
Biological characteristics of P. elegans were studied in the coastal water of the Sinop from November 2002 to July 2004. The density low in winter, followed by a general increase as seasonal fluctuation of population density indicated summer and autumn. A cohort of small prawn was identified in May. The largest female measured 69 mm while the corresponding value for males was 60 mm. The proportion of ovigerous adults rose during springs to peak about July the fell to zero by October and ovigerous prawn were taken in six months of the year. A multiple regression of DGR (equation) on temperature and starting length was produced and the growth of juvenile prawn calculated. Females of P. elegans outnumbered males in all months in the study period.
Science Alert
INTRODUCTION
Palaemonid prawn Palaemon elegans, Rathke, 1837, is common in European estuaries and elsewhere (Smaldon, 1979). It is essentially a shore species and may also occur in shallow water close offshore. P. elegans is omnivorous, feeding on algae, small crustacean and foraminiferans (Smaldon, 1979). There is very limited data on P. elegans biology in European as light effect on growth and moulting (Dalley, 1980), larval culture (Balestra et al., 1981), mating behaviour (Berg and Sandifer, 1984), temperature effcet on ozmotic and ionik regulation (Ramirez and Taylor, 1985) and a new componenet in macrofauna (Janas et al., 2004) and Turkish waters as larval feeding (Kumlu, 1999) and reproduction biology (Baocinar et al., 2002). This study is focused on growth and population biology of P. elegans in nature, because there are no systematic data on the growth rates of P. elegans of different sizes at a range of temperatures and there is lack of consistent data concerning biological parameters of P. elegans. A number of models of asymptotic growth, Von Bertallanfy, Gompertz and Robertson (Jones, 1976; Cobb and Caddy, 1989), are usually used to describe such non-linear trajectories are often calculated by regression analysis. Linear and quadratic regressions are used in trying to determine the appropriate statistical model for a particular data set.
On this occasion, the present investigation was carried out to study some biological aspect as growth, sex ratio, size frequency, length/weight relationship, maturity and ovigerous prawn of P. elegans inhibiting in the coast of Sinop of Black Sea during 21 months.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The data were obtained from monthly catches in the coast of Sinop (Black Sea) between November 2002 and July 2004 at the two collecting stations (Fig. 1). The station I was on Akliman (42°00N, 35°09E) where, sandy bottom and the stream discharge into the samples area and station II was on Bahceler-Papazlar (42°03N, 35°02E) where, sandy-stony bottom with algae. Sampling, at two stations, was made with a bottom trawl net (1.5 m width and 12 mm of mesh pore size), towed for about 30 min at depths of between 2-30 m. Collected specimens were preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol The samples were used to determine species composition, size frequency, length/weight relationship, size at first sexual maturity, daily growth rate and sex ratio of P. elegans.
Total body length was measured from the tip of the rostrum to end of the telson to the nearest mm by rules and separated into length groups and all individuals were weighed to the nearest 0.01 g.
The sex presence (males) or absence (females) of the appendix masculine at
the second pair of pleopods was determined.
Specimens under the minimum sexable size (undetermined) were not considered
for this study because of their low number (7.4%).
The regression of log weight on log length gave a linear relationship expressed by log W= log a + log b L. The length/weight relationship were determined separately for the males and females of P. longirostris by the general formula W = aLb, where W is the weight in grams, L the length in cm and a and b are the constant to be calculated.
The growth model is based on field growth rates estimated from size distributions of the monthly samples. At certain times from November 2002 to July 2004 a progression of the mode of the 2 mm length classes from month to month can be clearly followed. In these cases the length frequency data were regrouped into 2 or 1 mm classes and the increment in the modal class was calculated for the class size and over the time period for which the modal shift was distinct. This increase in body was used to calculate a growth rate for that period. Thirty two estimates of growth from the samples date were obtained in this way. In calculating the multiple regressions starting length is taken as the initial modal length (range 17 to 50 mm) and temperature as the mean of the observed sea temperatures for the period (range 6.6 to 22.7°C).
Experimental data were analysed using one-way ANOVA, paired t-test, regression equation and Kruskal-Wallis and any significant difference were determined at a 0.05 probability level using Minitab 13.2 statistical software.
RESULTS
The salinity in the coast of Sinop did not change much throughout the course of this study. Salinity was slightly higher in the summer months (18-20 ) than in the winter months (16-18). Temperatures ranged from 22.7 to 17.3°C in summer months, from 6.6 to 13.7 in spring months, from 13.9 to 20 in autumn months and from 7.9 to 11.6 in winter months. A significant correlation was found between density, temperature and salinity (One-Way ANOVA (Unstacked), p<0.05).
The pooled mean lengths of P. elegans collected in the samples each
months showed consistent decreases in summer in July 2003 and 2004 (Fig.
2). The seasonal pattern of prawn size distribution reveals known summer
increase in numbers of cohort small prawn was identified in the samples in June
2003 and in May 2004 (Fig. 3).
Size frequencies between the seasons showed a pronounced seasonal variation
each season from November 2002 to July 2004. Size classes showed a regular shift
in dominant size class at certain times of the years as the new summer cohort
might be seen in May or June to grow in body length through the autumn months
to January. Low numbers found in winter, followed by a general increase as seasonal
fluctuation of population density indicated summer and autumn (Fig.
3). The highest density 25.7 m-2 in August 2003 and lowest was
0.42 m-2 in January 2004 for station I and the highest density 22
in August 2004 and 0.25 January 2004 for station II was examined throughout
the entire study period. A significant different of densities was calculated
between stations II and I (Mann-Whitney, p<0.05).
Only a one P. elegans exceeded 69 mm in length. The largest female measured
69 mm while the corresponding value for males was 60 mm and the minimum size
at maturity was 28 mm. The largest ovigerous prawn 69 mm and the smallest ovigerous
prawn 28 mm were taken in six months of the years. The ovigerous prawn might
be carried 470 eggs for 28 mm and 1324 for 69 mm. The proportion of ovigerous
adults rose during spring to peak in July both of the years (Fig.
2). In the samples ovigerous prawns were taken in six months of the year.
The proportion of ovigerous adults rose during spring to peak about July the
fell to zero by November (Fig. 2). There was not a significant
difference between station I and II about ovigerous prawns in the samples (Kruskal-Wallis,
p>0.05).
Females outnumbered males in most monthly samples in 2003 and 2004. Females predominated all of the year (Table 1). The percentage of female of P elegans 55.2% (1753) and 37.3% (1184) for male and 7.4% (235) for undetermined sex of prawns all over the study period.
The length/weight relationships for each sex W= 0,0030L2.58 for female and W = 0,0030L2.55 for male were calculated.
Daily Growth Rates (DGR) for the field were estimated from the samples length
frequency data on 32 occasions, based on the reasonable assumption that the
clear progressions of the modal classes during these periods resulted from juvenile
growth rate together with mean starting lengths and average temperature for
the periods. The field values of DGR regressed on temperature and starting length
were significant (for temperature p<0.05, r-sq(adj.) = 73.8%, for starting
length p<0.05, r-sq(adj.) = 18.6 %).
A multiple regression of DGR on temperature (T) and starting length (L) was
significant DGR = 0.0316 + 0.0076T 0.00141L p<0.05, r-sq(adj.)= 73.8%
(equation).
DISCUSSION
A clear seasonal trend in temperature is obvious as winter/spring lowering temperature. Salinity, temperature and densities intercorrelate. Whether there is much causal interaction between these there variables remains to be seen. Each is tied into a seasonal cycle with the same timing as higher temperatures, higher salinity and higher densities in summer.
A consistent seasonal pattern of abundance in the coast of Sinop has been found over 21 months such as from low number in winter prawn numbers build up during the summer into autumn before dropping into winter as stated by Van den Brink and Van der Velde (1986), Marchand (1981) and Cartaxana (1994, 2003).
Determining a significant difference of densities between stations II and I might be related to the topography of bottom of sample area. The arrival of a new cohort of juveniles from the metamorphosis of the earlier planktonik larval stage is evident in May. This is usually seen in the obvious appearance of an abundance of small (≅ 20 mm) Pelegans in the samples taken at this time. Furthermore, the progressive increase in body size of this cohort through the succeeding summer months as the prawns grow is also clearly discernible. The distinctiveness of the new cohort form May through August implies some degree of synchronicity in the production of larvae, thence juveniles and no substantial further production in summer.
The proportion of berried adult prawn increases form April (around 65% in both years) to August (20%), after this falls to zero by October. The peak of ovigerous females in the coast of Sinop was observed in July. Present data suggests that ovigerous prawn were taken in six months of the year.
In this study, the overall sex ratio was female-biased. According to David and Stuart (2004) deviation from the 1:1 ratio might result from early maturation, higher mortality rates between male and female and some sampling bias with the data collection, possibly due to factors such as the small size of one sex, or relatively habitat selection on invertebrate animals. Van der Brink and Van der Velde (1986) stated that the females P. longirostris found to live longer than the males. It might be results ovigerous females spend prolonged periods for feeding on the bottom or P. elegans female and male use different habitat and they migth be show strong migration and mortality difference between the both sexes.
The length/weight relationships result shows that male and female of P. elegans have fusiform body shape that the confidence for b is less than 3. However condition factors of the males were slightly higher than in the females.
The statistical analysis of the growth rate using linear regression was generally better than that using quadratic regression. This linearity probably relates to the short life span or seasonal migration. In that reason, there appeared no benefit from using an asymptotic Van der Brink and Van der Velde (1986). The particular analysis of these data was to use a simple linear regression. A simple regression of DGR applies positive relationship of temperature and negative relationship of total length. Male growth rate was lower than that of females. However, a slow growth of reproductive female of P. longirostris during the breeding season was observed by Cartaxana (2003) and Hartnoll (1985) also Wickins and Beard (1974) reported that, it is expected that female growth will be reduced during the reproduction period, because a proportion of the available energy is used for the development of oocyts. In fact, average growth rate applicable to field populations of mixed sexes are what is required for most practical purposes. In this reason, average DGR was calculated in this study.
Consequently P. elegans is common in European estuaries but not any data are available on growth of P. elegans. The final discussion will focus particularly on possible life cycle of the P. elegans for these reason, juvenile growth rate is crucial to resolving parts of the life cycle of P. elegans in the coast of Sinop, in particular in determining the duration of the juvenile stage and so how long adults take to develop. The equation is discussed in this work, that estimates of the length of the juvenile stage (from post larvae (≅ 4 mm) to adult, > 40 mm long individuals) were calculated from the equation on the bases of prevailing sea temperatures and prawn body sizes. This was average 11-12 months for P. elegans.
A likely scenario for P. eleganss life cycle in the coast of Sinop; first eggs seen on adults around beginning of April will hatch by April or begginning of May and the ensuring larvae develop to juvenile by the middle or end of May. Consequently the first adult will develop form these by April or May. Smaldon (1979) reported that adults may spawn twice times during the year. In general, bigger and older females start egg laying earlier in the year than smaller and young females. Those producing eggs in April will have spawned by April or begginning of May and it is likely that these individuals will produce another clutch of eggs and spawn a second time in that summer.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This study was financed by the Gaziosmanpasa University Research Fund (No. 2002-11). I thank Faculty of Fisheries for supporting the surface temperature and salinity score during the study. | https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=pjbs.2006.848.853&org=11 |
This study aims to analyze the dynamics relationship between exchange rates and economic growth in four ASEAN countries; Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. The study focuses on the effect of exchange rate volatility on growth through trade channels by investigating the effect of interaction between exchange rate volatility and export. Quarterly data from 1984 to 2013 together with two exchange rate volatility series i.e. conditional and non-conditional is generated from exponential generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (EGARCH) model and moving average of standard deviation are used. The relationship is estimated using dynamic ordinary least squares method (DOLS) of Stock and Watson (1993). The results suggest that the exchange rate volatility does affect economic growth in all ASEAN countries through international trade. Interestingly, the study found that the positive effect of export is capable in changing the direction of the relationship especially for countries that are able to reduce the negative impact of exchange rates volatility through diversification of trade policy. | https://repo.uum.edu.my/25042/ |
Broman ME, Vincent JL, Ronco C, Hansson F, Bell M. The Relationship Between Heart Rate and Body Temperature in Critically Ill Patients. Crit Care Med. 2021 Mar 1;49(3):e327-e331. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000004807. PMID: 33566464.
Objective
To determine the relationship between heart rate and body temperature in critically ill adult patients
Background
In critically ill patients, increased metabolic demand results in increased cardiac output. Increased heart rate in these patients can also be secondary to other conditions such as hypovolemia, heart failure, anxiety, or pain. Previous studies have shown that heart rate is directly correlated with temperature.1-4 These studies however are limited to children, emergency room patients, or healthy volunteers thus limiting their extrapolation to critically ill patients. A better understanding of the relationship between temperature and heart rate could improve clinical decision making by identifying what is an appropriate increase in heart rate caused by an increased temperature as compared to an increase in heart rate secondary to another cause.
Design
Single center, cross sectional, retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data
Population
All patients admitted to a single large academic mixed ICU in Sweden between November 2006 and August 2019
Study Measurements
- Body temperature (98% measured invasively)
- Heart rate
- Age
- Sex
- Hemoglobin
- Base excess
- Magnesium
- Use of adrenergic agents
- SOFA score
Methods
A multiple linear regression model was developed with temperature, sex, age, hemoglobin, magnesium, base excess, and use of adrenergic agents and SOFA score as covariates in the model. Significance level was set at 5%.
Key Results
- 472,941 paired temperature and heart rate readings were obtained from 9,046 patients (56.3% male, mean age 54 ± 21 yr)
- For each 1°C increase between 32.0°C and 42.0°C, the heart rate increased linearly by 35 (±0.50) beats/min (p < 0.0001), with an r2 of 0.855
- In the regression analysis, for each 1°C increase in temperature, the heart rate increased by 7.24 (±0.29) beats/min in men and 9.46 (±0.44) beats/min in women (p = 0.014)
- Each 1 point increase in SOFA score was associated with a 0.68 beats/min increase in heart rate (p < 0.0001) with further analysis by organ system detailed in the study
- The relationship between heart rate and temperature was not significantly influenced by age, hemoglobin, magnesium concentration, base excess, or administration or adrenergic agents
Strengths
- Large data set of closely monitored critically ill patients
- Invasive temperature measurements
- Findings that are in agreement with other similar studies in acute medical patients and adult ED patients 3, 4
Limitations
- Single center
- Swedish population likely different in many ways such as race, socioeconomic status, and chronic health conditions compared to American patients
- Medically complex patients with many potential confounders
EM Take-Aways
In critically ill adult patients for each 1° C increase in body temperature there is an associated 8 beat/min increase in heart rate. In febrile and tachycardic patients, the heart rate should be evaluated in this context to determine if the patient’s heart rate is an appropriate response to their temperature when managing other variables that are correlated with heart rate such as fluid status or pain and before pursuing a further workup investigating a patient’s tachycardia.
References
- Tanner JM. The relationships between the frequency of the heart, oral temperature and rectal temperature in man at rest. J Physiol. 1951; 115:391–409.
- Davies P, Maconochie I. The relationship between body temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate in children. Emerg Med J. 2009; 26:641–643.
- Jensen MM, Kellett JG, Hallas P, et al. Fever increases heart rate and respiratory rate; a prospective observational study of acutely admitted medical patients. Acute Med. 2019; 18:141–143.
- Kirschen GW, Singer DD, Thode HC Jr, et al. Relationship between body temperature and heart rate in adults and children: A local and national study. Am J Emerg Med. 2020; 38:929–933. | https://www.emra.org/emresident/article/critcare-alert-hr-temp/ |
Our ability to reliably engineer biological systems is very limited. One reason for this is because we have a crude understanding of the interaction between an engineered biological system and the cell that hosts it, here called a cellular chassis. It is my goal to elucidate and quantify the interaction between engineered biological system and cellular chassis.
Demand & chassis response
An engineered biological system places many different demands on its cellular chassis. For example, an engineered biological system will compete with chassis systems for machinery such as polymerases and ribosomes and for "raw materials" such as nucleotides and amino acids. When these demands are placed on a cellular chassis, it may lead to changes in the physiology of the chassis (e.g. growth rates, protein synthesis rates etc.). I would like to examine the relationship between applied demand and chassis response.
Goal
We expect that as translation demand increases, the chassis response will become more pronounced (decreasing growth rate, triggering of stress response pathways etc.). I am interested in examining what range of translational demands can be applied to a cellular chassis before the chassis response to that demand adversely affects the performance of the engineered biological system.
You can read about the current status of this project here.
Approach
Getting at these issues requires me to achieve two intermediate goals. Firstly, I need to develop methods to place a specified range of demands on the chassis. Secondly, I need to develop relevant measures of the chassis response to that applied demand.
Placing a Range of Demands on the Chassis
In order to develop a quantitative relationship between protein synthesis rate and cellular growth rate, I have to place a range of demands on the cell. I'm employing two methods in this experiment. First, I am using both a low and high copy vector. pSB4A3, the low copy vector, produces approximately 10-12 copies for cell. The high copy vector, pSB1A3, produces 100-300 copies per cell. This is a means of roughly but dramatically increasing the demand on a cell. In order to gain more intermediate steps in demand, I am also utilizing several different ribosome binding sites chosen to represent a range of strengths. I would expect that a stronger RBS would place a greater demand on the cell. The strenth of the RBS has been determined by the ranking system established by Ron Weiss, data taken from experiment conducted with the T7 Bacteriophage, and data from Heather Keller's work.
My experiment will utilize fluoroescent proteins to measure protein synthesis rate. By measuring GFP and Mcherry Counts with respect to time and determining the slope at selected points, I can determine the net synthesis rate of protein. By then taking optical density measurements, I can determine the number of cells at these selected times and determine rate of protein synthesis per cell. I will also use the OD vs. time data to determine the growth rate of the cells in culture. These analyses will allow me to directly compare the rate of protein synthesis and growth rate for a cell.
Measuring relevant chassis responses to an applied demand
I need to determine the appropriate metrics of the chassis response to an applied demand. For example, if the application of a demand on the chassis reduces chassis growth rate, then that will affect the behavior of the engineered biological system and hence growth rate would be a relevant chassis response. Conversely, if an applied demand leads to an increase in the synthesis of some heat shock proteins but these merely serve to ensure that protein synthesis is unaffected by the increase in demand, then those heat shock proteins would not be a very relevant chassis response.
Materials & Methods
Demand Constructs
The GFP and Mcherry scaffolds I'm using were constructed by Heather Keller of the Endy Lab. They include a LacI regulated version of the lambda pL promoter (BBaR0011), two hair pins on either side of the coding sequence to increase stability, GFP (BBa0040) or Mcherry (BBaJ06504), and an RBS that I intend to vary. As I stated earlier, I'm using the Biobricks vectors pSB1A3 and pSB4A3. For those unfamiliar with Biobricks and the Registry for Standard Biological Parts, they are both very successful efforts to make biological engineering more standardized and modular by making and recording various interchangable parts to be used in the construction of DNA. It is this modularity that allows me to place Heather's scaffolds on both the high and low copy vectors and switch RBS's without having to syntheisize each construct from scratch.
Bacterial strains
My initial characterization work will be done in the E. coli strain MG1655 (No, I did not discover the strain. I just happen to share my initials with a bacterium), though DB 3.1 will be used in an intermediary step to construct the recombinant plasmids.
X90/C86
Media & growth conditions
As I build my constructs and grow cells, I'll use LB with Ampicillin for both cultures and plates. In preparation for the plate reader, however, I'll innoculate culture in Neidhardt EZ Rich Defined and induce with IPTG. The plate will have samples of each RBS on the high and low copy vectors, and as controls I will have "empty" vectors (just the vector without the scaffold), RBSes constructed to be insignificantly weak, the untransformed strain MG1655, and blanks of the EZ media with both Ampicillin and IPTG.
Future work
The major thrust of this project is to better characterize the relationship between recombinant load and growth rate and eventually tease out the point at which the strain MG1655 takes a significant growth hit. A natural progression of this project would be to examine the variables that determine this point. Perhaps MG1655 and a host of other strains could be "refactored" simliar to T7 Rebuilding T7 for optimum production capacity and reliable function.
Data
All raw data and data processing scripts can be found here. | https://openwetware.org/wiki/Endy:Translation_demand |
The universal temperature dependence of metabolic rates has been used to predict how ocean biology will respond to ocean warming. Determining the temperature sensitivity of phytoplankton metabolism and growth is of special importance because this group of organisms is responsible for nearly half of global primary production, sustains most marine food webs, and contributes to regulate the exchange of CO2 between the ocean and the atmosphere. Phytoplankton growth rates increase with temperature under optimal growth conditions in the laboratory, but it is unclear whether the same degree of temperature dependence exists in nature, where resources are often limiting. Here we use concurrent measurements of phytoplankton biomass and carbon fixation rates in polar, temperate and tropical regions to determine the role of temperature and resource supply in controlling the large-scale variability of in situ metabolic rates. We identify a biogeographic pattern in phytoplankton metabolic rates, which increase from the oligotrophic subtropical gyres to temperate regions and then coastal waters. Variability in phytoplankton growth is driven by changes in resource supply and appears to be independent of seawater temperature. The lack of temperature sensitivity of realized phytoplankton growth is consistent with the limited applicability of Arrhenius enzymatic kinetics when substrate concentrations are low. Our results suggest that, due to widespread resource limitation in the ocean, the direct effect of sea surface warming upon phytoplankton growth and productivity may be smaller than anticipated.
Citation: Marañón E, Cermeño P, Huete-Ortega M, López-Sandoval DC, Mouriño-Carballido B, Rodríguez-Ramos T (2014) Resource Supply Overrides Temperature as a Controlling Factor of Marine Phytoplankton Growth. PLoS ONE 9(6): e99312. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0099312
Editor: Adrianna Ianora, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
Received: February 13, 2014; Accepted: May 13, 2014; Published: June 12, 2014
Copyright: © 2014 Marañón et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through research projects ‘Macroecological patterns in marine phytoplankton’ (CTM2008-03699), ‘MALASPINA 2010’ (CSD2008-00077) and ‘Role of turbulence and nutrient supply dynamics on the structure of marine phytoplankton communities (CTM2012-30680). PC and BMC were supported by a Ramón y Cajal-MEC contract. This is contribution 250 of the AMT programme. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Introduction
Temperature governs the metabolism of all organisms. Within favourable thermal ranges, there exists a positive, often exponential, increase in metabolic rate as temperature rises , . On-going and predicted ocean warming prompts the question of how phytoplankton photosynthetic activity and growth may respond to increasing sea surface temperatures –. This response will be relevant for the functioning of the Earth system as a whole, because phytoplankton sustain most marine food webs and, being responsible for nearly half of the global primary production , contribute to control the exchange of CO2 and other radiatively active gases between the ocean and the atmosphere , .
Laboratory work with cultures growing under optimal conditions has shown that the maximum growth rates of phytoplankton, and thus their maximum rate of biomass-specific production, increase exponentially with temperature with a Q10 of approximately 2 within the tolerable temperature range –. However, it is not clear whether phytoplankton assemblages in nature show the same degree of temperature dependence in their realized rates of metabolic activity and growth. An analysis of in vitro oxygen evolution data across the global ocean suggests that phytoplankton photosynthesis does increase with temperature and, furthermore, that the degree of temperature dependence is similar to that predicted by the metabolic theory of ecology . Similarly, an eco-evolutionary model predicts that phytoplankton living in tropical regions sustain faster growth rates than their counterparts living in temperate and polar regions . These studies, however, did not consider the role of resource supply, which is included in applications of the metabolic theory of ecology , and limits phytoplankton production and growth in most of the open ocean . Nutrient limitation has been shown to reduce the temperature sensitivity of carbon fixation by phytoplankton –. If resource limitation attenuates the temperature dependence of metabolic rates, different regions where phytoplankton experience different degrees of resource limitation may show contrasting productivity responses to warming, and models that use laboratory-based values of Q10 are likely to overestimate the direct effects of temperature upon algal growth.
Understanding the variability and controlling factors of phytoplankton growth rates is key to predict the response of ocean biology to external forcings such as climate variability . However, in spite of decades of observation , –, a general picture of phytoplankton growth variation over broad spatial scales in the ocean remains elusive. Here, we use concurrent data of phytoplankton carbon biomass and photosynthetic carbon fixation, determined in coastal and open-ocean waters of polar, temperate and tropical biomes, to investigate the large-scale variability of phytoplankton metabolic rates, represented by the biomass-specific rate of carbon fixation , . Our analysis allows us to characterize biogeographic patterns in phytoplankton growth and to assess the relative role of temperature and resource availability in the control of marine primary productivity.
Materials and Methods
Data acquisition
We compiled data on phytoplankton carbon biomass concentration and primary production rate that were determined concurrently in surface assemblages of coastal and open-ocean regions. Coastal observations (number of sampling visits, n = 26) were conducted throughout the year at a central station (depth = 40 m) in the Ría de Vigo (NW Iberian Peninsula), a highly productive embayment subject to frequent upwelling events, particularly in spring and summer , . Open-ocean stations (n = 38) were visited in April-May 1996 and September-October 1996 along the Atlantic Meridional Transect, which crosses temperate, subtropical and tropical regions in the north and south Atlantic Ocean . The data from the AMT stations were grouped according to their latitude into north temperate (35–49°N), south temperate (35–48°S), north oligotrophic (20–31°N), south oligotrophic (10–34°S) and equatorial and Mauritanian upwelling (5°S–20°N). Additional data (n = 8) were obtained from the Soiree (Southern Ocean Iron Release Experiment) study, conducted in open-ocean, polar waters of the Australasian-Pacific Southern Ocean –. To minimise the effects of vertical variability in irradiance upon phytoplankton photosynthetic activity, the present analysis uses only data from surface samples (0–5 m in coastal waters, 0–20 m in open-ocean waters).
Phytoplankton biomass and production
Phytoplankton carbon biomass was estimated from measurements on fixed samples of cell abundance and biovolume, determined with flow cytometry for the picophytoplankton and with an inverted microscope for the nano- and micro-phytoplankton, following protocols that are detailed elsewhere , , . Biovolume data were transformed into carbon biomass by applying appropriate conversion factors. Primary production rate was determined with the 14C-uptake technique using on-deck incubations which simulated in situ temperature and irradiance conditions , , . Phytoplankton biomass turnover rates (d−1), equivalent to intrinsic growth rates , , were calculated by dividing the daily carbon fixation rate by phytoplankton carbon biomass.
Hydrography data
Vertical profiles of temperature and salinity were obtained with a CTD probe attached to a rosette sampling system. Density was calculated from temperature and salinity by using the standard UNESCO equation. The concentration of dissolved nitrate in the euphotic layer was determined by segmented-flow analysis using an automatic analyser and standard colorimetric protocols , , . The detection limit of this analysis (0.05 µmol L−1) was sufficient to measure nitrate concentration at the base of the euphotic layer, which was always >0.2 µmol L−1. The depth of the euphotic layer was determined from vertical profiles of irradiance obtained with a PAR Li-Cor sensor.
Index of resource supply
We computed a resource supply index (RSI) that takes into account the concentration of nitrate at the base of the euphotic zone (NO3[1%PAR]), the density difference between the surface and the base of the euphotic zone (Δσt), the depth of the euphotic zone, defined as the 1% PAR level (1%PARz), and the depth of the upper mixed layer (UMLz), defined as the first depth at which σt is 0.125 units higher than the surface value :(1)
The first term in Eq. 1 reflects the fact that nutrient transport to the upper layer increases with increasing nutrient concentration below, but also that this transport becomes progressively more limited as vertical stratification intensifies. The second term in Eq. 1 serves to differentiate conditions in which phytoplankton are confined to a shallow upper mixed layer, relative to the depth of the euphotic zone, and thus experience relatively high average irradiances, from conditions in which intense mixing results in mixed layers whose depth equals or exceeds the penetration of irradiance into the water column, potentially resulting in light limitation of phytoplankton growth. Our index of resource supply is not intended to provide an accurate estimate of local-scale resource availability, but is used here to depict broad differences between regions with widely contrasting hydrographic regimes. RSI was not calculated for the stations sampled in the Soiree study, where, in addition to macronutrients and irradiance, iron was a limiting factor for phytoplankton production and growth .
Statistical analyses
Pearson's r was calculated to assess the existence of linear dependence between variables. We applied reduced major-axis regression to determine the linear relationship between log10-transformed variables. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals for the regression parameters were calculated by bootstrapping over cases (2,000 repetitions). The non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare means between groups of stations.
Results
Phytoplankton biomass and production
Across all studied regions, which showed widely contrasting hydrographic properties (Table 1), carbon fixation rates covaried closely with phytoplankton standing stocks, represented either by carbon biomass (Fig. 1a) or by chlorophyll a concentration (chl a) (Fig. 1b). The range of variability in phytoplankton production rates was >3 orders of magnitude, compared with approximately 2 orders of magnitude for phytoplankton carbon biomass and chl a. The key feature of these relationships is that in both cases the slope of the fitted line is significantly higher than 1, taking a value of 1.46 (95% confidence interval: 1.35, 1.58) in the production-carbon biomass regression and 1.29 (1.19, 1.39) in the production-chl a regression. This result implies that, as phytoplankton standing stocks increase, primary production rates increase at a faster rate. From oligotrophic regions to coastal waters, mean phytoplankton chl a and biomass increased by a factor of 20–30, whereas primary production increased by a factor of >100 (Table 2).
Scatterplots showing the log-log relationship between (a) primary production and phytoplankton carbon biomass, (b) primary production and chlorophyll a concentration and (c) phytoplankton carbon biomass and chlorophyll a concentration. Different symbols indicate the sampling region as defined in the Methods section. ‘Soiree In’ and ‘Soiree Out’ refer to stations located inside and outside, respectively, the iron-fertilized patch during the Soiree study. Data were fitted to a linear model using reduced major axis regression.
The relationship between chl a and phytoplankton carbon (Fig. 1c) was remarkably robust, considering the uncertainties involved in estimating biomass from biovolume and the fact that the samples were analysed by several independent laboratories. The slope of the log-log regression between phytoplankton carbon and chl a (0.89; 95% CI: 0.83, 0.94) was significantly lower than 1, indicating that the C:Chl a ratio tends to decrease as phytoplankton standing stocks increase from open-ocean oligotrophic to open-ocean temperate and then coastal waters (Table 2). This pattern likely reflects the fact that in temperate and coastal waters phytoplankton are acclimated to lower mean irradiances, which results in increased chl a cellular content.
Temperature and phytoplankton growth
We found no overall relationship between phytoplankton growth rate, represented by the biomass turnover rate (PC), and temperature (Pearson's r = −0.045, p>0.3, n = 72) (Fig. 2). The highest PC values (>1 d−1) were measured in coastal waters, despite the fact that their temperature was 10–15°C lower than that of subtropical and tropical oligotrophic regions (Table 1). Some of the coldest and the warmest waters analysed had similarly low PC values (<0.4 d−1). During the Soiree study, PC inside the iron-fertilised patch took higher values than in surrounding waters with the same temperature. The stations within the Atlantic upwelling region tended to have higher PC values than oligotrophic stations with similar temperatures.
Carbon-specific production rate (PC) plotted against temperature for all stations. Symbols as in Fig. 2.
Resource supply and phytoplankton growth
PC increased with chl a (Fig. 3a), suggesting that an enhanced supply of resources, necessary to sustain larger standing stocks, leads to faster phytoplankton growth. Groups of samples with mean chl a above 2 mg m−3 had mean PC values higher than 1.2 d−1, whereas samples with mean chl a below 0.2 mg m−3 showed PC values below 0.4 d−1. These differences were statistically significant (Mann-Whitney's U test, p<0.05). The role of resource supply in controlling phytoplankton biomass turnover was confirmed by the positive correlation between the resource supply index (RSI) and PC (Pearson's r = 0.45, p<0.001, n = 59; Fig. 3b). RSI was calculated as a function of nitrate concentration at the base of the euphotic layer, the density difference between sea surface and the base of the euphotic layer, and the depths of the upper mixed layer and the euphotic zone (see Material and Methods). RSI varied widely, reflecting large across-system differences in nutrient concentration and water column stratification (Table 1). The oligotrophic regions showed low RSI values (<10 mmolN kg−1) (Fig. 3c), mainly due to their low nitrate concentration at the base of the euphotic layer (Table 1). Higher nitrate concentration in the temperate regions resulted in RSI values above 20 mmolN kg−1. The highest RSI values were determined in the Ría de Vigo, where high nitrate concentrations at the base of the euphotic layer co-occur with upper mixed layers that are shallow relative to the depth of the euphotic layer (Table 1). Despite having similar nitrate concentration at the base of the euphotic zone, the temperate regions had lower RSI values than the coastal waters (Fig. 3c), because the former were characterized by deeper mixed layers relative to the depth of the euphotic zone. Finally, RSI was lower in the upwelling region than in the coastal waters of Ría de Vigo, even though deep nitrate concentration was higher in the former, because of the strong thermal stratification, associated with the upwelling, that resulted in a relatively large density gradient (Table 1).
Carbon-specific production rate (PC) as a function of (a) chlorophyll a concentration (chl a) and (b, c) resource supply index (RSI). PC data in (a) were grouped into the following chl a ranges: 0–0.2, 0.2–0.5, 0.5–2, 2–5 and >5 mg m−3. Bars indicate ±1 standard deviation. Data groups labelled with different letters in (a) and (c) have significantly different PC values (Mann-Whitney U test, p<0.05). The units of RSI derive from the division of nitrate concentration by seawater density. Note that RSI is not a nutrient concentration, but reflects both nutrient and light availability (see Material and Methods for details).
There was an overall positive relationship between PC and RSI across all studied regions (Fig. 3c). The open-ocean temperate and upwelling regions had faster biomass turnover rates than the oligotrophic regions and in turn the coastal waters showed faster growth rates than all other regions. The oligotrophic stations of the south Atlantic gyre, characterized by the lowest RSI values, showed mean PC values that were significantly lower than those determined in the temperate and upwelling open-ocean regions and in the coastal waters (Mann-Whitney's U test, p<0.05). The differences in PC between coastal waters and all other regions were also statistically significant (Mann-Whitney's U test, p<0.05).
The relationship between temperature and phytoplankton growth rate could be masked due to the fact that most of the variability in PC was due to changes in resource supply. To test this possibility, we plotted temperature against PC in groups of stations which had similar resource supply conditions, as indicated by their RSI values, and covered a temperature range of at least 10°C (Fig. 4). In both low-RSI and intermediate-RSI stations, we found no significant relationship between temperature and PC.
Carbon-specific production rate (PC) is plotted against temperature for oligotrophic stations with low resource supply index (RSI<10 mmolN kg−1) and temperate, upwelling and coastal stations with intermediate RSI (10–20 mmolN kg−1). Both linear regression fits were non-significant (p>0.6).
Discussion
Our results suggest that the large-scale variability of realized mass-specific carbon fixation rates, and hence intrinsic growth rates , , of marine phytoplankton is not controlled by seawater temperature, but depends primarily on resource supply. Given that under resource-saturated conditions phytoplankton growth does show a clear temperature dependence , , , our observations imply that temperature and resource limitation effects in phytoplankton are not independent. We hypothesise that the lack of effect of temperature upon phytoplankton metabolic rate under resource-limited conditions arises because the applicability of Arrhenius kinetics is limited when substrate concentration are low . The maximum reaction rate (Vmax) of an enzyme increases with temperature, up to an optimal temperature, due to higher substrate kinetic energy and enhanced collision rate between reactants. However, an increase in temperature also causes reduced ligand binding ability , and as a result the Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) of most enzymes also increases with temperature –. Thus, the temperature sensitivities of Vmax and Km can neutralize each other and give way to Q10 values near 1 (absence of temperature-dependence) when substrate concentrations are around or below Km , . Our hypothesis is consistent with the analysis of Raven and Geider , who concluded that nutrient limitation leads to a smaller temperature dependence of growth, compared with nutrient-saturated conditions. Moreover, experimental studies with natural phytoplankton assemblages have shown that under nutrient limitation the temperature dependence of photosynthetic rate is reduced or disappears altogether .
The lack of relationship between temperature and phytoplankton growth rate in our data may seem at odds with the results of some experimental studies in open-ocean waters which have shown that phytoplankton metabolism responds to temperature changes , . However, these manipulation experiments reflect short-term, transient responses in phytoplankton physiology and therefore do not capture the large acclimation potential of phytoplankton . The present results are also in contrast to the findings of Regaudie-de-Gioux and Duarte , who concluded that there is a strong temperature dependence of phytoplankton photosynthesis in the sea. The discrepancy is likely to result from the fact that in their analysis these authors pooled together data obtained throughout the euphotic zone, thus introducing irradiance as a covarying factor. Samples near the base of the euphotic zone, where temperatures are colder than at the surface, will necessarily show lower rates of photosynthesis, not as a result of the lower temperature but as a result of lower irradiance. In addition, photosynthetic rates in the study by Regaudie-de-Gioux and Duarte were normalised by chlorophyll a instead of carbon biomass. However, it is well-established that the cellular content of chlorophyll a increases with decreasing irradiance and increasing nutrient availability –. Therefore, normalising metabolic rates by chlorophyll a results in biased patterns of temperature dependence whenever there is covariation between temperature, nutrient availability and irradiance.
Our observations depict a consistent, broad-scale pattern in phytoplankton growth rates, which increase from oligotrophic gyres to temperate, open-ocean regions and then to coastal, productive waters. This resource-driven pattern is associated with changes in community structure , , as oligotrophic waters are dominated by small cells (picocyanobacteria and picoeukaryotes) with relatively low biomass turnover rates, whereas the most productive waters are dominated by fast-growing diatoms. Warm temperatures and a tight coupling between zooplankton-mediated nutrient regeneration and phytoplankton uptake could, in principle, result in an absence of nutrient limitation and near-maximal phytoplankton growth rates in the nutrient-impoverished subtropical gyres , , . This possibility, however, contrasts with the experimental evidence showing physiological stress of the dominant picophotoautotrophs in the oligotrophic Atlantic, which is alleviated upon addition of nitrogen , , . Our results support the existence of nutrient limitation of both standing stocks and growth rates in the oligotrophic gyres , i.e. a situation in which both Liebig's and Blackman's types of limitation apply , . This limitation appears to be less acute in temperate open-ocean regions, which are subject to seasonal nutrient injections through vertical mixing, and in the upwelling open-ocean region, where upward water motion enhances the nutrient supply to the euphotic zone. In the coastal, productive waters of Ría de Vigo, high resource supply results in growth rates that are, on average, similar to the maximum growth rates expected given the in situ temperatures. These resource-driven biogeographic patterns imply a predominantly bottom-up control of phytoplankton growth in the ocean.
A previous study has shown that phytoplankton growth rates in coastal, nutrient-rich waters show a degree of temperature dependence comparable to that observed in laboratory cultures, which confirms that temperature sets an upper limit to the maximum growth rates that phytoplankton can achieve under resource-saturated conditions. In addition, nutrient stoichiometry and pigment content have been shown to be temperature-dependent, reflecting intracellular changes in the abundance of macromolecules involved in light harvesting, photochemistry and biosynthesis , , . Furthermore, inter-species differences in thermal tolerance ranges and optimal temperature for growth contribute to explain changes in species distribution, community structure and associated ecosystem functioning over multiple temporal and spatial scales –. Nevertheless, as far as the large-scale variability in phytoplankton production and growth rates is concerned, temperature seems to be unimportant whereas resource supply plays a crucial role. This result may have important consequences for the modelling of ocean ecosystem responses to climate change. Biogeochemical models typically estimate phytoplankton growth rates as a multiplicative function of nutrient concentration, irradiance, and temperature-dependent maximum growth rate , , . This formulation assumes that temperature effects on growth are independent of resource supply status, so that for a given condition of resource availability, an increase in temperature will necessarily result in faster phytoplankton growth. In contrast, our observations indicate that resource limitation drastically reduces the temperature dependence of phytoplankton metabolism. Similarly, the growth and extracellular enzymatic activities of natural marine bacterial assemblages show only a very limited response to temperature when resources are in low supply. Hence, the sensitivity of microbial metabolic rates to sea surface warming, particularly in open-ocean, nutrient-limited regions, may be smaller than anticipated , , , .
Acknowledgments
We thank D. S. Harbour for the phytoplankton data from the AMT cruises and P. W. Boyd and M. P. Gall for the phytoplankton and productivity data from the SOIREE study. Comments from two anonymous reviewers are also acknowledged.
Author Contributions
Conceived and designed the experiments: EM. Performed the experiments: EM PC BMC DCLS TRR MHO. Analyzed the data: EM PC BMC. Wrote the paper: EM.
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- 49. Davey M, Tarran GA, Mills MM, Ridame C, Geider RJ, et al. (2008) Nutrient limitation of picophytoplankton photosynthesis and growth in the tropical North Atlantic. Limnol Oceanogr 53: 1722–1733.
- 50. Marañón E (2005) Phytoplankton growth rates in the Atlantic subtropical gyres. Limnol Oceanogr 50: 299–310.
- 51.
Cullen J, Yang X, MacIntyre HL (1992) Nutrient limitation and marine photosynthesis. In: Falkowski PG, editor. Primary Productivity and Biogeochemical Cycles in the Sea. New York and London: Plenum Press. pp. 69–88.
- 52. Banse K (1991) Rates of phytoplankton cell division in the field and in iron enrichment experiments. Limnol Oceanogr 36: 1886–1898.
- 53. Rhee G-Y, Gotham IJ (1981) The effect of environmental factors on phytoplankton growth: temperature and the interactions of temperature with nutrient limitation. Limnol Oceanogr 26: 635–648.
- 54. Toseland A, Daines SJ, Clark JR, Kirkham A, Strauss J, et al. (2013) The impact of temperature on marine phytoplankton resource allocation and metabolism. Nature Clim Change 3: 979–984.
- 55. Boyd PW, Rynearson TA, Armstrong EA, Fu F, Hayashi K, et al. (2013) Marine phytoplankton temperature versus growth responses from polar to tropical waters – outcome of a scientific community-wide study. PLOS ONE 8: e63091.
- 56. Moisan JR, Moisan TA, Abbott MR (2002) Modelling the effect of temperature on the maximum growth rates of phytoplankton populations. Ecol Model 153: 197–215.
- 57. Boyd PW, Strzepek R, Fu F, Hutchins DA (2010) Environmental control of open-ocean phytoplankton groups: Now and in the future. Limnol Oceanogr 55: 1353–1376.
- 58. Litchman E, Edwards KF, Klausmeier CA, Thomas MK (2012) Phytoplankton niches, traits and eco-evolutionary responses to global environmental change. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 470: 235–248.
- 59. Flombaum P, Gallegos JL, Gordillo RA, Rincón J, Zabala LL, et al. (2013) Present and future global distributions of the marine cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110: 9824–9829.
- 60. Doney SC, Glover DM, Najjar RG (1996) A new coupled, one-dimensional biological-physical model for the upper ocean: Applications to the JGOFS Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site. Deep-Sea Res II 43: 591–624.
- 61. Schmittner A, Oschlies A, Giraud X, Eby M, Simmons HL (2005) A global model of the marine ecosystem for long-term simulations: Sensitivity to ocean mixing, buoyancy forcing, particle sinking, and dissolved organic matter cycling. Glob Biogeochem Cy 19
- 62. Degerman R, Dinasquet J, Riemann L, Sjostedt de Luna S, Andersson A (2013) Effect of resource availability on bacterial community responses to increased temperature. Aq Microb Ecol 68: 131–142.
- 63. Wohlers-Zollner J, Breithaupt P, Walther K, Jurgens K, Riebesell U (2012) Temperature and nutrient stoichiometry interactively modulate organic matter cycling in a pelagic algal-bacterial community. Limnol Oceanogr 2011: 599–610.
- 64. López-Urrutia A, San Martin E, Harris RP, Irigoien X (2006) Scaling the metabolic balance of the oceans. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103: 8739–8744.
- 65. Yvon-Durocher G, Jones JI, Trimmer M, Woodward G, Montoya JM (2010) Warming alters the metabolic balance of ecosystems. P Roy Soc Lond B Bio 365: 2117–2126. | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0099312 |
I left the corporate and big firm world to pursue my passion: immigration law. As a passionate, lifelong advocate of human rights and social justice, I found my calling as an immigration attorney. I view the practice of law as a collaborative effort between client and attorney, and strive to build professional relationships based on mutual trust and respect.
Education
- University of Baltimore School of Law
- J.D. (2006)
- -
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Professional Experience
- Attorney Owner
- Thorward Immigration Law, PLLC
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- - Current
- Provide legal representation and advocacy for family immigration matters, including but not limited to family-based petitions, affirmative asylum and U/T visa applications, as well as removal defense, and appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Of Counsel, Immigration Attorney
- Sound Immigration
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- - Current
- Of Counsel immigration attorney at Washington's first web-based immigration law firm. We provide legal representation and advice to clients for Naturalization and Marriage-Based Adjustment cases. We are striving to increase client access to attorneys by delivering legal services across Washington State using video-conferencing and an interactive, web-based platform.
- Compliance Attorney
- Ameritrust Law Group, LLC
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- -
- Research compliance and ethics issues on a national and state-by-state basis to ensure the firm, and its in-house and affiliated attorneys comply with all legal and regulatory obligations in various areas of law, as well as any applicable rules of professional conduct. Advise managing partners regarding possible corrective courses of action and risk prevention strategies within a cost-benefit framework to minimize any possible firm liabilities. Lead development and implementation of firm compliance policies and procedure.
- Solo Practitioner
- Minda A. Thorward, Attorney At Law
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- -
- Practice area focused primarily on real estate and small business, and simple family law matters. Provided volunteer legal services in the areas of women’s rights and social justice. Also worked as a Contractual Attorney for Ober Kaler as one of two members of the privilege review team responsible for reviewing prior privilege calls, downgrading the documents and drafting privilege log descriptions.
- Legal Research Consultant, Government Sector
- Lexis Nexis
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- -
- Provided reactive and proactive in-field customer support, training, and consultative services for State and Local Government customers in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Devised and implemented strategic initiatives for driving usage and promoting the value of the LexisNexis research services, investigative solutions, and document management systems. Cultivated strategic relationships within accounts by becoming a trusted business partner for key points of contact and decision-makers. Developed practical and technical expertise across multiple product families, and exceptional proficiency in legal researching skills. Promoted after only three months in territory and awarded for outstanding customer service within four months of promotion.
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
- District of Columbia
- District of Columbia Bar
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- Maryland
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- Washington
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- 9th Circuit
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Fees
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Credit Cards Accepted
4% convenience fee applies to all credit card transactions. | https://lawyers.law.cornell.edu/lawyer/minda-anya-thorward-766548 |
SANTA MONICA, Calif., January 3, 2018 (Newswire.com) - The Santa Monica Bar Association announced that attorney Arash Hashemi will be the speaker at the "First Friday Lunch" on Jan. 12, 2018.
The January 2018 edition of the First Friday Luncheon will focus on MCLE Ethics credit and is titled: Ethical duties to a client with a criminal law issue and will concentrate on Duties of an Attorney Who Does Not Practice Criminal Law to Clients with a Criminal Law Issue. Oftentimes an attorney who does not practice criminal law is approached by an existing client with a criminal law problem. The attorney might know who to refer the client to but does he/she know what ethical duties are owed to the client? In this course, Arash Hashemi discusses the ethical duties that an attorney owes to a client with a criminal law issue. To register for this event, please visit http://smba.net/event-2757333.
About Arash Hashemi
Arash Hashemi has been practicing criminal defense since 2002. He has handled a wide variety of cases, ranging from simple misdemeanors to complicated felonies both in State and Federal Court. He is a board member of the Criminal Courts Bar Association and has authored books on the subjects of Criminal Defense and California Drug Laws. Mr. Hashemi serves as a Judge Pro Temp with the Los Angeles County Superior Court and volunteers on a regular basis at the Mesereau Free Legal Clinic in South Los Angeles. Learn more about him and his firm at www.HashemiLaw.com.
About the Santa Monica Bar Association
The Santa Monica Bar Association is a volunteer organization that functions through its Board of Trustees, its officers and through its committees. Committees offer members a means of becoming more involved in the SMBA within specific areas of focus. For more info, visit http://smba.net/page-18334.
Source: Law Offices of Arash Hashemi
Share: | https://lawofficesofarashhashemi.newswire.com/news/arash-hashemi-to-speak-at-santa-monica-bar-association-mcle-event-on-20109731 |
Ethics in Brief
Ethics in Brief is designed to present ethical issues that practitioners might well face on a daily basis. It is a service of the Legal Ethics Committee of the San Diego County Bar Association for SDCBA members.
Recent Decision Provides for Assignment of Legal Malpractice Claims Exposing Attorneys to Liability Under Limited Circumstances
The court in White Mountains Reinsurance Co. of America v. Borton Petrini LLP (2013) 221 Cal. App. 4th 890, confirmed “[t]here is a general rule in California barring the assignment of a cause of action for legal malpractice.” (Id. at p. 891.) But, the court reversed a trial court’s grant of summary judgment recognizing the validity of an assignment under the following narrow circumstances:
- “(1) the assignment of the legal malpractice claim is only a small, incidental part of a larger commercial transfer between insurance companies;
- “(2) the larger transfer is of assets, rights, obligations, and liabilities and does not treat the legal malpractice claim as a distinct commodity;”
- “(3) the transfer is not to a former adversary;”
- “(4) the legal malpractice claim arose under circumstances where the original client insurance company retained the attorney to represent and defend an insured;”
- “and (5) the communications between the attorney and the original client insurance company were conducted via a third party claims administrator.”
(Id.) Modern Service Insurance Company (Modern Service) issued a car insurance policy to Flora Cuison covering the period from January 2003 to January 2004, with a $100,000 limit on bodily injury liability per person. In July 2003, Cuison caused an automobile accident that seriously injured Karen Johnson.
In June 2005, Johnson filed suit against Cuison. Cuison was purportedly served with the complaint in the action, along with an undated 30-day offer to compromise for the $100,000 policy limits around June 29.
On or about July 11, Country Insurance & Fidelity Services (Country), the claims administrator acting on behalf of Modern Service, faxed a letter to Law Firm asking the firm to accept the defense of Cuison. Law Firm took the case, representing Modern Service and Cuison, and allowed the offer to compromise to expire without a response. Relevant to the analysis is the fact that upon retention by an insurance company of an insured, the attorney owes a “tripartite” relationship to both the insurance company and insured. (Gulf Ins. Co. v. Berger, Kahn, Shafton, Moss, Figler, Simon & Gladstone (2000) 79 Cal.App.4th 114, 127 [“Counsel retained by an insurer to defend its insured has an attorney-client relationship with the insurer.”]; State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co. v. Federal Ins. Co. (1999) 72 Cal.App.4th 1422, 1429 [“Between the attorney and the insurer who retained the attorney and paid for the defense, there exists a separate attorney-client relationship endowed with confidentiality.”])
“Modern Service entered into an assumption reinsurance and administration agreement with Mutual Service under which Mutual Service assumed the California liabilities of Modern Service. Specifically, under that agreement Modern Service ceded to Mutual Service all of its ‘gross direct obligations and liabilities and rights under and relating to’ ‘all insurance business written by [Modern Service] since its incorporation in respect of risks located in California.’” That was because “Modern Service was ceasing to conduct business in California.” The Cuison policy was one of the policies Mutual Service assumed in the deal. (Id. at p. 893.)
After the Modern Service/Mutual Service deal closed, and Mutual Service changed its name to Stockbridge Insurance Company (Stockbridge). In 2007, the Law Firm continued to report on the progress of the case and continued to submit invoices to Modern Service in care of Country, but the payments the Law Firm received in January and February were from Mutual Service. Between June and September, the payments were from Stockbridge. (Id. at pp. 893-894.) After removing the Law Firm from the case, “White Mountains paid $1.86 million to settle the case.” (Id.)
The appellate court reviewed both California and non-California authorities regarding the general prohibition on the assignment of legal malpractice claims finding “the out-of-state cases set forth above to be persuasive authority. Although the general rule in California bars the assignment of a cause of action for legal malpractice, a narrow exception is appropriate on the particular facts here” because “White Mountains did not simply buy a malpractice claim, like buying a fraud claim without buying the money or property obtained by the fraud.” (Id. at p. 909.)
Potentially significant to all insurance defense practitioners, the court found important that “the legal malpractice claim arose after Modern Service retained [Law Firm] to represent and defend Cuison, and the fact that the communications between [Law Firm] and Modern Service were conducted via a third party claims administrator. These circumstances are not like those in the other cases that involved a more personal attorney-client relationship.” (Id. at p. 910.)
The proliferation of the use of third-party claims administrators has become common practice. This distinction appears to contradict both the recognized tripartite relationship in relation to a third-party claims administrator being a “necessary” party to attorney client privilege thereby precluding any waiver. (See, e.g., San Francisco v. Superior Court of San Francisco (1951) 37 Cal. 2d 227, 236 [“client's privilege” extends “to preclude examination of the attorney's secretary, stenographer, or clerk regarding information of communications between attorney and client acquired in such capacities, to rule out the possibility of their coming within the general rule that the privilege does not preclude the examination of a third person who overhears or otherwise has knowledge of communications between a client and his attorney.”])
The decision must be heeded by all attorneys and particularly attorney practicing in the insurance defense context given the frequent mergers and acquisitions of insurance companies and those companies’ use of third-party administrators in the defense of claims. | https://www.sdcba.org/?pg=Ethics-in-Brief--3-16-2014 |
Educational History:
B.A., Guilford College; L.L.M., Judge Advocate General’s School, United States Army; J.D., Campbell University
Fields of Expertise:
Business & Labor Law, Ethics,
Constitutional Law, National Security Law, International Humanitarian Law
Professional Highlights:
Dr. Winn is professor of business law at Shenandoah University’s Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business. He served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (United States Army) from 1985 through 2005. He has taught domestically and abroad, including teaching positions in the Criminal Law Department at the Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Department of Law, United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. He has published and lectured in the fields of business law and human resources management, Constitutional law, cyber law, national security, and professional ethics. As an attorney, he is admitted to practice in North Carolina, the Southern District of Georgia, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and United States Supreme Court.
-Associate Professor of Business Law, Harry F. Byrd School of Business, Shenandoah University (2005-present)
-Associate Professor, Department of Law, US Military Academy (2000-2005)
-Assistant Professor, Department of Law, US Military Academy (2000-2003)
-Assistant Professor of Criminal Law, The Judge Advocate General?s Legal Center & School, Charlottesville, VA (1993-1996)
US ARMY JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL’S CORPS 1985-2005
-Command Judge Advocate
-Deputy Staff Judge Advocate
-Installation Labor Counselor
-Senior Counsel
-Ethics Counselor
-Senior Defense Counsel
-Trial Defense Counsel
-Chief, Civil Law
-Chief, Operational Law
-Trial Counsel/Prosecutor
-Special Assistant United States
Attorney
Personal Highlights:
Married to Anne K. Winn since 1988; two sons, active involvement in Winchester Free Medical Clinic (Spanish language translator) and Boy Scouts of America. | https://www.su.edu/faculty-staff/faculty/john-winn/ |
How do lawyers resolve ethical dilemmas in the everyday context of their practice? What are the issues that commonly arise, and how do lawyers determine the best ways to resolve them? Until recently, efforts to answer these questions have focused primarily on rules and legal doctrine rather than the real-life situations lawyers face in legal practice.
The first book to present empirical research on ethical decision making in a variety of practice contexts, including corporate litigation, securities, immigration, and divorce law, Lawyers in Practice fills a substantial gap in the existing literature. Following an introduction emphasizing the increasing importance of understanding context in the legal profession, contributions focus on ethical dilemmas ranging from relatively narrow ethical issues to broader problems of professionalism, including the prosecutor’s obligation to disclose evidence, the management of conflicts of interest, and loyalty to clients and the court. Each chapter details the resolution of a dilemma from the practitioner’s point of view that is, in turn, set within a particular community of practice. Timely and practical, this book should be required reading for law students as well as students and scholars of law and society.
See a teaching guide for the book.
Read an excerpt.
392 pages | 2 line drawings, 2 tables | 6 x 9 | © 2012
Chicago Series in Law and Society
Law and Legal Studies: General Legal Studies, Law and Society
Sociology: Occupations, Professions, Work
Reviews
“With Lawyers in Practice, Leslie C. Levin and Lynn Mather break new ground. This is the first book to locate the ethical and unethical behavior of lawyers in details of their many varied practice contexts; the contributors make a convincing case that we can only understand lawyers’ behavior contextually. Very thorough, illuminating, and persuasive.”
Richard Abel, UCLA School of Law
“This outstanding collection of essays on the actualities of legal practice in a variety of contexts is an important complement—and in many ways a corrective—to the perception of the bar as sufficiently undifferentiated to make a single “Code of Responsibility” a truly sensible enterprise. I think this will be of great interest to any scholar in the field precisely because it fleshes out, with vivid concrete examples and interviews, the implications of the fact that the bar is highly fragmented.”
Sanford Levinson, University of Texas Law School
“This very interesting edited volume is one of the first books to examine lawyers’ ethical decision making in a variety of practice settings and through empirical research. I know of very few collections that examine so many different types of lawyer practice. This volume will become a very important contribution to the literature in this field of study.”
Law and Politics Book Review
"An ambitious and important book that seeks to move the study of lawyers’ ethics from the realm of theory to an appreciation of the empirical world of decision making. Highly recommended."
Choice
"Lawyers in Practice is an excellent and important addition to the existing resources on the ethical conduct of lawyers. It offers nuanced and textured analyses of lawyers’ decisionmaking with regard to issues of ethics and professional identity, using the lens of the contexts in which lawyers practice to frame the discussion. The work is supported by both qualitative and quantitative empirical research that provides richly detailed and convincing backdrops for examining ethical conduct."
Kathleen E. Hull | Law and Society Review
Table of Contents
Preface
Contributors
Part I. Introductory Perspectives on Ethics in Context
Chapter 1 Why Context Matters
Lynn Mather and Leslie C. Levin
Chapter 2 Some Realism about Legal Realism for Lawyers: Assessing the Role of Context in Legal Ethics
David B. Wilkins
Chapter 3 Whose Ethics? The Benchmark Problem in Legal Ethics Research
Elizabeth Chambliss
Part II. Decision Making in Communities of Legal Practice
Family and Immigration
Chapter 4 Client Grievances and Lawyer Conduct: The Challenges of Divorce Practice
Lynn Mather and Craig A. McEwen
Chapter 5 Immigration Lawyers and the Lying Client
Leslie C. Levin
Personal Injury
Chapter 6 Plaintiffs’ Lawyers and the Tension between Professional Norms and the Need to Generate Business
Stephen Daniels and Joanne Martin
Chapter 7 Betwixt and Between: The Ethical Dilemmas of Insurance Defense
Herbert M. Kritzer
Corporate Settings
Chapter 8 The Ethics of Constructing Truth: The Corporate Litigator’s Approach
Kimberly Kirkland
Chapter 9 Transnational Lawyering: Clients, Ethics, and Regulation
John Flood
Chapter 10 The Ethics of In-House Practice
Sung Hui Kim
Corporate Specialties
Chapter 11 The Ethical Lives of Securities Lawyers
Patrick Schmidt
Chapter 12 Scientists at the Bar: The Professional World of Patent Lawyers
John M. Conley and Lynn Mather
Criminal Law
Chapter 13 Prosecutors’ Ethics in Context: Influences on Prosecutorial Disclosure
Ellen Yaroshefsky and Bruce A. Green
Chapter 14 Reinterpreting the Zealous Advocate: Multiple Intermediary Roles of the Criminal Defense Attorney
Nicole Martorano Van Cleve
Public Interest Lawyers
Chapter 15 Legal Services Lawyers: When Conceptions of Lawyering and Values Clash
Corey S. Shdaimah
Chapter 16 The Accountability Problem in Public Interest Practice: Old Paradigms and New Directions
Scott L. Cummings
Epilogue
Index
Be the first to know
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The Esworthy Law team, led by Justin W. Esworthy, has 15+ years of legal experience in estate planning, traffic and DUI offenses, criminal defense, and more. Call (443) 354-1405 or email [email protected] to talk to them today, and get to know more about their experience below.
Kristen M. Martin
Kristen M. Martin is an Associate Attorney with Esworthy Law. She is a Maryland native and grew up in Baltimore County. In 2017, she graduated from the University of Baltimore with a B.A. in Jurisprudence and received a J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2020.
Kristen has litigated and won cases at state district and circuit courts, and has delivered favorable results for her civil and criminal clients through both pre-suit representation as well as trial victories.
Kristen was previously in private practice with Justin W. Esworthy, Esq. as an Associate Attorney focusing primarily on criminal, traffic, and civil defense.
During law school, Kristen was a Student Attorney with the Human Trafficking and Prevention Project, where she represented low-income victims of human trafficking in the Baltimore area. In this role, Kristen helped to advocate for legislation, expunged and vacated client records, communicated with local prosecutors on cases, and zealously advocated for her client’s rights.
For five years preceding Kristen’s admission to the Maryland Bar, she worked full-time as a paralegal with Justin W. Esworthy, Esq. In this role, Kristen gained extensive knowledge in many areas of the law, including Criminal Defense, Traffic Defense, Civil Litigation Defense and Business Law. Kristen worked closely with clients from initial client intake through to the final preparation for court hearings and trials. Kristen was an integral part of the defense team as she meticulously investigated and interviewed potential witnesses, researched and drafted motions on distinct civil and criminal issues, and collaborated with attorneys to obtain the best outcome in every case. Kristen’s experiences have led her to interact with a range of clients and matters which enabled her to handle trials on day one. Kristen is well equipped to defend a vast array of matters and is a zealous advocate for your rights.
Kristen’s areas of concentration include Criminal Defense, DUI/DWI and Traffic Defense, Administrative Law, Civil Litigation Defense, Business Law, and Estates and Trusts (Estate Planning).
BAR ADMISSIONS
Maryland
EDUCATION
- J.D., University of Baltimore School of Law – 2020
- B.A., University of Baltimore – 2017
ASSOCIATIONS
- Maryland State Bar Association
- Baltimore County Bar Association
- Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys’ Association
- American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division
Contact Esworthy Law Today
Dealing with legal issues yourself can risk money, time, and excessive penalites. Working with Esworthy Law gives you access to decades of successful legal experience and prompt, cost-effective service. Just give us a call at (443) 354-1405 or fill out the information below to get started. | https://esworthylaw.com/our-attorneys-kristen-martin/ |
Looking at the law through a regulatory filter takes students out of their comfort zone, and challenges them in a new way. It teaches the student to reason and to think. My students learned in a new and revolutionary way. I love legal ethics, and I really appreciate this dynamic text. This casebook delivers a structured and rational assessment of ethical decision-making by tying it to predictable and measurable costs and benefits, and examining the impact of decision outcomes on the social functions of the legal system. The third edition of Legal Ethics: Theories, Cases, and Professional Regulation features an expanded section on the Good Character requirement that applies to students on their admission to the bar, as well as a new section on Civility, and recent developments in the expanding Duty of Loyalty.
Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility
Among members of the legal profession and judiciary throughout the world, there is a genuine concern with establishing and maintaining high ethical standards. It is not difficult to understand why this should be so. Nor is it difficult to see that professional standards are not completely divorced from ordinary morality. Indeed, legal ethics and professional responsibility are more than a set of rules of good conduct; they are also a commitment to honesty, integrity, and service in the practice of law. In order to ensure that the standards established are the right ones, it is necessary first In order to ensure that the standards established are the right ones, it is necessary first of all to examine important philosophical and policy issues, such as the need to reconsider the boundaries between, on the one hand, a lawyer's obligation to a client and, on the other, the public interest. It is also to be appreciated that conflicts of interest are pervasive and that all too often they are so common that they are not recognised as such.
This page contains a list of ethics resources for Texas attorneys, judges, and legal professionals. If you are a Texas attorney with a specific ethics question that is not answered by the resources below, please call our toll-free Ethics Helpline at Aspirational guidance for lawyers is found in the Texas Lawyer's Creed pdf. Texas Center for Legal Ethics This independent non-profit offers ethics reference materials including attorney ethics opinions , courses, and public education on ethics and professionalism for the legal industry and judiciary. University of Houston Law Center - Texas Ethics Reporter This website serves as a clearinghouse of current and past Texas professional conduct rules, attorney and judicial ethics opinions, and other resources. Board of Disciplinary Appeals The Board of Disciplinary Appeals is a statewide independent adjudicatory body of 12 attorneys appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to hear appeals of certain attorney disciplinary cases.
The Legal Sector Affinity Group LSAG has released new anti-money laundering guidance that must be reviewed by solicitors so that their policies will comply. The Law Society is the independent professional body for solicitors. We are the voice of solicitors, driving excellence in the profession and safeguarding the rule of law. My LS gives you access to the latest news, events, books and resources to help you excel within your practice. We caught up with Bahare Heywood, chief risk and compliance officer at Clifford Chance, to discuss the latest issues around ethics and compliance.
1. Lawyers' ethics and professional regulation by Alice Woolley. Lawyers' ethics and professional regulation. by Alice Woolley; Richard F Devlin;.
Codes of Professional Conduct
It is a valuable reference for the practising lawyer and the student, as it relates the rules of professional conduct to daily practice. Specific types of ethical problems arising in the major areas of practice are identified, and insightful, practical solutions presented. A substantial portion of the work is devoted to discipline proceedings. ProView is the way to read Thomson Reuters eBooks and eLooseleafs, published primarily for legal, accounting, human resources, and tax professions. You can download the ProView app at no cost for your tablet or computer, or sign in to the cloud-based version. | https://pgpromise.org/and-pdf/152-lawyers-ethics-and-professional-regulation-pdf-500-657.php |
2014 – Michael J. Pelletier
Michael J. Pelletier is described by colleagues as a “zealous advocate,” “a skilled appellate attorney of unimpeachable ethics” and a “highly regarded leader in the criminal defense bar.” In his 38 years at the Office of the State Appellate Defender (OSAD), Michael has worked tirelessly to ensure that every OSAD client receives the high-quality representation that they deserve.
Michael has spent his entire career advocating on behalf of indigent defendants. After graduating from The John Marshall Law School in 1976, Michael began representing indigent clients as an Assistant Appellate Defender, becoming the First District Deputy Defender in 1987. In 2008, Michael was named the State Appellate Defender, a role in which he directs the work of more than 170 attorneys and 60 support staff who handle approximately 4,800 cases throughout Illinois’ five appellate districts.
Michael is widely recognized as a skilled advocate, writer and legal analyst. He is also recognized as a strong, thoughtful and capable leader, addressing head-on the many challenges involved in leading his agency. He has worked tirelessly to ensure that the attorneys in his office have the time and resources needed to competently handle their cases. Michael also has implemented policies to support the long-term health of the agency, such as instituting several family-friendly employment practices to help the agency retain its many exceptional lawyers.
As one of his nominators noted, “although the legal representation of indigent criminal defendants is often a thankless undertaking, Michael J. Pelletier has always discharged the function with the highest level of skill and dedication.” Michael’s time at the OSAD reflects his commitment to justice for every indigent appellant and his belief that every person deserves the best possible presentation of their case on appeal. His hard work and dedication to his clients, his staff, and to the law have made it possible for OSAD’s clients and staff to receive the highest possible level of respect, fair treatment and advocacy. | https://chicagobarfoundation.org/uncategorized/2014-michael-j-pelletier/ |
3 Law & Ethics CEs
Many clinicians have a firm understanding of the value of clinical work that actively considers the cultural context. However, the specific legal and ethical standards underlying such culturally sound clinical work are often less well understood. In this 3 hour workshop we will examine the applicable Ethical and legal standards regarding working within the cultural context. Specific focus will be on apply these standards to our mandatory reporting obligations and to working with a range of diverse clients.
Participants will gain increased ability to implement strategies to minimize risk and to limit liability to best support their clients and patients. This course is intended to meet ethics CE requirements.
Session Objectives: • Identify ethical and legal guidelines regarding working withing the cultural context; • Evaluate issues relating to client cultural context in mandatory reporting; • Identify the ethical standards with regard to imposing personal beliefs on clients; • Apply legal and ethical standards to work that supports a range of client populations.
Outline: Sources of Law and Ethics Standards (0.25 hours) The Cultural Context (0.75 hours) Issues in Mandatory Reporting (0.75 hours) Imposing Personal Beliefs (0.75 hours) Working with a Range of Client Populations (0.5 hours)
Eric Strom is an attorney and Licensed Mental Health Counselor. As an attorney, Eric provides legal counsel, consultation and guidance to mental health professionals. The focus of Eric’s clinical practice is providing mental health counseling services to combat veterans. Eric is currently serving as the ethics advisor for the Washington Mental Health Counselors Association. | https://constantedu.com/courses/625f2fcbd9d36800189ab393 |
Fibromyalgia is a chronic widespread pain disorder, estimated to affect one in 20 people worldwide. It causes pain throughout the body, and often patients experience simultaneous conditions including fatigue and sleep problems, headaches and irritable bowel and bladder problems. After osteoarthritis, it is the second most common disorder observed by rheumatologists, yet there is no known cause or cure. The persistent and debilitating nature of the disorder can have a devastating effect on peoples’ lives.
This Sunday, May 12th, marks Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, which aims to increase public awareness of the disease, and educate patients and the medical community. This year, Fibromyalgia Awareness Day coincides with the publication of Canadian guidelines for the diagnosis and management of fibromyalgia in adults. The authors recommend that improved quality of life is the main treatment outcome, achieved by alleviating pain or the most troublesome symptom(s).
Alcohol, fibromyalgia, and quality of life
A study published in March in Arthritis Research & Therapy surveyed patients with fibromyalgia to examine the association between alcohol and their severity of symptoms and quality of life. It suggests that low and moderate drinkers have better scores for physical function, ability to work, the number of work days missed, fatigue and pain than people who abstained. The Mayo Clinic researchers suspect that alcohol’s ability to raise γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the central nervous system might be accountable for these results.
Lifestyle effects were further assessed by Bjersing and colleagues in a recent trial that examined the long-term effects of aerobic exercise on fatigue in lean, overweight and obese women with fibromyalgia. Results show that exercise reduces fatigue in all patients, with the effect achieved earlier in lean patients and associated with increased levels of the adipokine resistin.
Mechanisms and management of fibromyalgia
With new developments continually arising from fibromyalgia research, Arthritis Research & Therapy has commissioned a review series that will explore the latest hot topics including the pain-prone phenotype, animal model studies in fibromyalgia and why the syndrome is important to rheumatologists. To be notified of publication of these articles, you can sign up for article alerts from Arthritis Research & Therapy here. | https://blogs.biomedcentral.com/on-medicine/2013/05/10/fibromyalgia-awareness-day/ |
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Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disabling condition of unknown etiology, and no definitive therapy has been identified to date. We developed Waon therapy, a form of thermal therapy using a far-infrared dry sauna, and in this study herein examined its feasibility and safety in patients with CFS.
Ten consecutive inpatients with CFS stayed in a 60°C sauna for 15 minutes and then rested on a bed under a blanket for an additional 30 minutes outside the sauna room. The treatments were performed once a day, five days a week for four weeks. Perceived fatigue, the primary outcome measure, was evaluated using a numerical rating scale before, during (two weeks after the commencement of therapy) and after therapy. The pain level, evaluated using a numerical rating scale, mood, assessed using the Profile of Mood States questionnaire, and performance status, assessed using a scale developed for CFS patients were also examined before and after therapy.
Perceived fatigue significantly decreased after therapy, although no significant reductions were observed during therapy. In addition, a negative mood, including anxiety, depression and fatigue, and the performance status significantly improved after therapy. However, the levels of pain and vigor did not change significantly. No patients reported any adverse effects during the therapy.
These findings suggest that Waon therapy may be a useful and safe treatment for CFS.
National Center for
Biotechnology Information, | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25748743 |
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the rates of earlyand late-onset social anxiety disorder (SAD) and to investigate the effects of onset time on clinical characteristics and the course of SAD.
METHODS: A total of 377 patients with SAD were assessed using a sociodemographic data form, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). Three hundred patients with SAD onset before age 18 were classified as members of the early-onset group, whereas 77 patients with SAD onset at age ≥18 comprised the late-onset group. The 2 groups were compared in terms of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, comorbidity, and scale scores.
RESULTS: The rate of SAD onset before age 18 was 79.6%. Compared with the late-onset group, the early-onset group had a younger age at first depressive episode, higher rate of atypical depression, higher LSAS and BDI scores, and lower GAF scores.
CONCLUSIONS: In cases of early onset of SAD, symptom severity of both SAD and comorbid depression increased and functionality decreased. It is important to assess and treat SAD patients at a younger age because earlyonset SAD may be associated with a more severe course and higher rate of major depression comorbidity.
Clozapine revisited: Impact of clozapine vs olanzapine on health care use by schizophrenia patients on Medicaid
BACKGROUND: Our purpose was to evaluate health care use and cost patterns for clozapine compared with olanzapine in the treatment of schizophrenia.
METHODS: Health care outcomes were measured over a 1-year posttreatment period for episodes of antipsychotic therapy initiated between 1997 and 2002. Four episode categories were defined: restart after lapse in therapy, switch after break, switch without break, and augmentation. We estimated the impact of clozapine or olanzapine using mixed model regression for costs by type of service and days of uninterrupted drug therapy. Time to admission in an acute hospital, psychiatric hospital, or longterm care facility, and time to suicide attempt were compared using Cox proportional hazards models.
RESULTS: Clozapine increased duration of therapy and decreased risk of psychiatric hospitalization or suicide attempts compared to olanzapine. However, increased drug costs and use of community mental health centers (CMHC) for complete blood count (CBC) monitoring overwhelmed any offsetting savings.
CONCLUSIONS: Clozapine is more expensive than olanzapine over the first year of treatment, primarily due to frequent CMHC visits required for CBC monitoring. However, fewer psychiatric hospitalizations, reduced suicide attempts, and longer duration of treatment should generate more benefits over time, which could eventually outweigh clozapine’s higher first-year costs.
College students with depressive symptoms with and without fatigue: Differences in functioning, suicidality, anxiety, and depressive severity
BACKGROUND: We examined whether fatigue was associated with greater symptomatic burden and functional impairment in college students with depressive symptoms.
METHODS: Using data from the self-report Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), we stratified a group of 287 students endorsing significant symptoms of depression (BDI score ≥13) into 3 levels: no fatigue, mild fatigue, or moderate/severe fatigue. We then compared the 3 levels of fatigue across a battery of psychiatric and functional outcome measures.
RESULTS: Approximately 87% of students endorsed at least mild fatigue. Students with moderate/severe fatigue had significantly greater depressive symptom severity compared with those with mild or no fatigue and scored higher on a suicide risk measure than those with mild fatigue. Students with severe fatigue evidenced greater frequency and intensity of anxiety than those with mild or no fatigue. Reported cognitive and functional impairment increased significantly as fatigue worsened.
CONCLUSIONS: Depressed college students with symptoms of fatigue demonstrated functional impairment and symptomatic burden that worsened with increasing levels of fatigue. Assessing and treating symptoms of fatigue appears warranted within this population.
Psychiatric disorder–weight associations and the moderating effect of sex in an outpatient psychiatric sample
BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the association between weight and psychiatric disorders in psychiatric treatment samples, and no known studies in treatment samples have examined potential moderators of the psychiatric illness–weight relationship. The aim of the present study is to examine if weight is associated with specific mood and anxiety disorders in a psychiatric treatment-seeking sample, and if a person’s sex moderate any of these associations. Greater knowledge of particular subgroups experiencing psychiatric illness–obesity comorbidity could aid in better providing personalized treatment.
METHODS: Participants (N = 3,585) were administered a semi-structured diagnostic interview at initial presentation for treatment. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses examined simple effects of body mass index (BMI) and sex on current mood and anxiety disorders and the moderating effects of sex.
RESULTS: We did not find simple effects between BMI and mood/anxiety disorders after controlling for demographic variables. Female sex moderated a relationship between BMI and social anxiety disorder (SAD) only.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the presence of SAD in psychiatric patients is associated with a higher BMI only for females, yet this was not the case for the presence of other mood and anxiety disorders. Further research examining the relationship between SAD, weight, and sex is warranted. | https://www.aacp.com/issues/view/may-2015/ |
Purpose:The purpose was to determine the effects of recurrent breast cancer on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Methods:We administered the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23, McGill Quality of Life...
- Quality of Life, Survivorship, and Psychological Adjustment of Young Women With Breast Cancer After Breast-Conserving Surgery and Radiation Therapy. Dow, Karen Hassey; Lafferty, Patricia // Oncology Nursing Forum;Nov/Dec2000, Vol. 27 Issue 10, p1555
Deals with a study which examined changes in quality of life, psychosocial adjustment, and survivorship issues over time of women who underwent breast-conserving energy and radiation therapy for breast cancer. Background and literature review; Methods; Results.
- Improved QOL with capecitabine in breast cancer. // PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News;7/29/2006, Issue 508, p9
The article focuses on the effect of capecitabine, a chemotherapy drug, on quality of life in pretreated women with metastatic breast cancer in Brazil. Researchers evaluated pretreated women with metastatic breast cancer who received capecitabine and found that it significantly improves quality...
- Calidad de vida y factores asociados en mujeres con cáncer de mama en Antioquia, Colombia. Zapata, Carolina Salas; Romero, Hugo Grisales // Pan American Journal of Public Health;Jul2010, Vol. 28 Issue 1, p9
Objective. To determine the quality of life and some associated factors in women diagnosed with breast cancer enrolled in cancer treatment programs in a Colombian province. Methods. In a cross-sectional study, the WHOQOL BREF domains related to the quality of life of 220 women with breast cancer...
- Upper-body morbidity following breast cancer
treatment is common, may persist longer-term
and adversely influences quality of life. Hayes, Sandra C.; Rye, Sheree; Battistutta, Diana; DiSipio, Tracey; Newman, Beth // Health & Quality of Life Outcomes;2010, Vol. 8, p92
Background: Impairments in upper-body function (UBF) are common following breast cancer. However, the relationship between arm morbidity and quality of life (QoL) remains unclear. This investigation uses longitudinal data to describe UBF in a population-based sample of women with breast cancer...
- Fatigue in breast cancer survivors two to five years post diagnosis: a HEAL Study report. Meeske, Kathleen; Wilder Smith, Ashley; Alfano, Catherine M.; McGregor, Bonnie A.; McTiernan, Anne; Baumgartner, Kathy B.; Malone, Kathleen E.; Reeve, Bryce B.; Ballard-Barbash, Rachel; Bernstein, Leslie; Smith, Ashley Wilder // Quality of Life Research;Aug2007, Vol. 16 Issue 6, p947
Purpose:The purpose of this study was to estimate prevalence of fatigue, identify correlates of fatigue and evaluate the relationship between fatigue and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a large cohort of disease-free breast cancer survivors. Methods:...
- Exercise improves quality of life for cancer survivors. // Research Review (International Council on Active Aging);6/21/2006, Vol. 6 Issue 24, p3
Discusses research on the role of exercise in improving the quality of life for cancer survivors. Outcome of a yoga program designed for women with breast cancer who were undergoing radiation therapy; Reduction in the levels of fatigue of cancer patients with increasing the number of steps...
- Predictors of quality of life in breast cancer patients under chemotherapy. Safaee, A.; Moghimi-Dehkordi, B.; Zeighami, B.; Tabatabaee, H. R.; Pourhoseingholi, M. A. // Indian Journal of Cancer;Jul-Sep2008, Vol. 45 Issue 3, p107
BACKGROUND: Today, the quality of life studies has an important role in health care especially in chronic diseases. Breast cancer has third order among women's malignancies. Now, survival rate for this cancer is long. However breast cancer has several complications that affected the patient's...
- THE EFFECT OF AN EXERCISE INTERVENTION ON QOL AND SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. Knobf, M. Tish; Fennie, Kristopher; Avila, Daniele; Woodward, Paige; Thompson, A. Siobhan; Diepietro, Loretta // Oncology Nursing Forum;Mar2006, Vol. 33 Issue 2, p463
Women with breast cancer represent 40% of the 5.6 million female cancer survivors in the United States. Interventions to minimize adverse treatment outcomes and promote positive health behaviors for cancer survivors are needed. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and... | http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/29362007/quality-life-lithuanian-women-early-stage-breast-cancer |
Campus Access Only
All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of University of the Pacific. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.
Title
Ampligen therapy, exercise capacity and immune function in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
Sport Sciences
First Advisor
Christopher R. Snell
Second Advisor
Mark VanNess
First Committee Member
Craig A. Vierra
Second Committee Member
Staci Stevens
Abstract
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating illness that is characterized by pervasive fatigue, sleep disturbance, neurocognitive problems, joint and muscle pain and numerous other symptoms. Results from CFS treatment studies are equivocal. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Ampligen® therapy on immune function and functional capacity in a group of patients with CFS. Natural killer cell number and activity, the activity of the 2-SA pathway, and results of serial cardiopulmonary exercise tests were examined for a total of seven subjects (n=7). A key finding was the normalization of RNase L. Only one subject demonstrated both a normalization in RNase L and increase in exercise performance. Trends in NK cell activity were difficult to determine. Improvements in functional capacity as measured by peak V02were seen in five subjects, but these improvements were minor. The expected improvement in both the immune system as measured by RNase L and NK cell function, and improvement in functional capacity were not seen in this study. This confirms that CFS is a very complicated syndrome and that more research is needed. Ampligen® may have been responsible for the RNase L normalization observed in some patients but NK cells seemed unaffected. It could be that Ampligen® is helping the immune system fight viruses present in the CFS subjects. Improvements in peak V02 were small but deconditioning in subjects might be a possible explanation. The exact cause of CFS remains unknown but with continued research it may yet be possible to increase our understanding of CFS. | https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/576/ |
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Radiotherapy for prostate cancer (PCa) may cause unfavorable changes in fatigue, quality of life (QOL), and physical fitness. We report results from the Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy and Exercise Versus Normal Treatment study examining the effects of 24 weeks of resistance or aerobic training versus usual care on fatigue, QOL, physical fitness, body composition, prostate-specific antigen, testosterone, hemoglobin, and lipid levels in men with PCa receiving radiotherapy.
Between 2003 and 2006, we conducted a randomized controlled trial in Ottawa, Canada, where 121 PCa patients initiating radiotherapy with or without androgen deprivation therapy were randomly assigned to usual care (n = 41), resistance (n = 40), or aerobic exercise (n = 40) for 24 weeks. Our primary end point was fatigue assessed by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue scale.
The follow-up assessment rate for our primary end point of fatigue was 92.6%. Median adherence to prescribed exercise was 85.5%. Mixed-model repeated measures analyses indicated both resistance (P =.010) and aerobic exercise (P = .004) mitigated fatigue over the short term. Resistance exercise also produced longer-term improvements (P = .002). Compared with usual care, resistance training improved QOL (P = .015), aerobic fitness (P = .041), upper- (P < .001) and lower-body (P < .001) strength, and triglycerides (P = .036), while preventing an increase in body fat (P = .049). Aerobic training also improved fitness (P = .052). One serious adverse event occurred in the group that performed aerobic exercise.
In the short term, both resistance and aerobic exercise mitigated fatigue in men with PCa receiving radiotherapy. Resistance exercise generated longer-term improvements and additional benefits for QOL, strength, triglycerides, and body fat.
National Center for
Biotechnology Information, | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19064985 |
How to treat dogs with muscle stiffness after exercise?
17 Oct, 2019
After strenuous exercise, dogs and humans can exhibit muscle stiffness, fatigue and pain. We may notice that our dogs are reluctant to move or have difficulty getting up from resting after a long run or swim. This is particularly the case, when the dog is recovering from a soft tissue injury or has a joint condition.
Human and animal studies have found several possible mechanisms for muscle stiffness, fatigue and pain following exercise. These may include the following:
- Pain and inflammation – One possible mechanism for the symptoms of pain and swelling is that strenuous exercise may cause localised areas of damage to muscle fibres. Muscle damage initiates an inflammatory response involving the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in muscle fibres and alterations to leukocyte receptor expression. Muscle fibre damage may also sensitise muscle nociceptors resulting in the perception of pain.
- Stiffness – Muscle stiffness may be a result of disruption of the non-contractile part of the muscle cell membrane and connective tissue which leads to passive tension in muscle. At rest, cross bridges between actin and myosin filaments in the muscle form, resulting in passive muscle tension.
- Muscle fatigue – Muscle fatigue is thought to occur due to the reduction in energy reserves i.e. substrate of muscle glycogen. Reduction in the muscle’s energy reserves results in acidosis, leading to concentration of catabolites in the muscle tissue.
- Loss of function (i.e. skeletal muscle strength loss) – Loss of function occurs when there is a decrease in the muscle’s power generation and disturbance in the transmission of nerve impulses.
How to treat post-exercise muscle stiffness naturally?
Appropriate exercise
The most effective way to treat post-exercise loss of muscle function is to exercise the dog appropriately to avoid loss of muscle function. For dogs recovering from an injury, ensure the exercise is appropriate to the stage of rehabilitation to avoid re-injury or affect healing.
Dogs unaccustomed to strenuous exercise or exercising under extreme conditions (like heat or cold) are more likely to experience muscle stiffness, fatigue, loss of muscle strength, and pain. Conditioning a dog to the type, duration and intensity of exercise is important to avoid loss of muscle function post-exercise.
Massage therapy
When a dog is experiencing post-exercise muscle damage, massage therapy is effective for reducing muscle stiffness, pain and fatigue.
Muscle stiffness
A study measuring the effects of massage on restoring muscle strength in rabbits post-exercise, showed a significant level of recovery of peak torque in animals that received massage immediately after exercise and 48 hours post-exercise.
Similarly, a human study measuring the effects of massage on muscle stiffness showed a decrease in muscle stiffness. Possible mechanisms to explain how massage therapy can decrease post-exercise muscle stiffness are:
- Massage decreases motor neuron excitability by inhibiting the local reflex and providing a sense of relaxation.
- The mechanical effects of massage (i.e. pressure and stretching muscle fibres) breaks the stable cross bridges between actin and myosin filaments that form when muscles are at rest. When the cross bridges are broken, the viscoelastic properties of muscles are restored.
- Massage reduces muscle stiffness by increasing intramuscular temperature. Some studies suggest the combined effect of breaking cross-bridges and increasing in muscle temperature responsible for reducing muscle stiffness.
Inflammation and pain
Massage is believed to provide pain relief through a number of mechanisms including psychological, physiological, and neurological.
Psychological mechanisms for massage’s effect on pain posit that physical contact increases an animal’s sense of wellbeing, thereby influencing the perception of pain.
The physiological effects of massage on pain may be due to the release of endorphins or mediation of the inflammatory response. In the study of triathletes receiving massage post-race, participants reported a decreased perception of pain which was attributed to to a release of endorphins and elimination of catabolites.
Mediating inflammation may be another way that massage addresses post-exercise muscle pain. In a study of the effect of massage in animals, the wet weight of muscles of animals that did not receive a massage post-exercise was significantly heavier than in animals that were massaged. In this study, the weight of the muscle was taken has an indicator of oedema. Thus, the study concluded that massage had a positive effect on reducing oedema and inflammation.
Further, this same study showed a decrease in neutrophil and macrophage infiltration in the muscles of animals that received a massage treatment indicating the anti-inflammatory effect of massage.
Finally, a neurological mechanism for reducing the perception of pain is often attributed to massage therapy. Studies in humans and animals indicate that massage has an effect of blocking noxious stimulus.
Fatigue
Massage therapy has been shown to have a positive effect on reducing muscle fatigue after strenuous exercise. Massage is thought to reduce muscle fatigue by increasing blood and lymphatic flow. Increasing circulation contributes to the elimination of catabolites from muscles and in so doing possibly reduces the sensation of fatigue in humans.
In a study of the effect of post-race massage on triathletes, the participants’ perceived fatigue scores dropped markedly post-massage. It is thought that the positive effect on the fatigue scores is related to increased localised blood circulation. Increased circulation is attributed to either the mechanical effect of massage or an increase in muscle temperature. Both mechanisms aid in the removal of metabolic waste from the tissues.
Rest vs massage therapy for post-exercise recovery
Frequently after strenuous exercise, we think that rest alone with allow our dogs muscles to adequately recover. However, a study of triathletes compared post-race massage and rest to reduce muscle pain and fatigue. The experimental group received a 7 minute massage while the control group rested in a sitting position for the same time period. This study concluded that massage was more effective than rest for the recovery from perceived pain and fatigue.
The best way to avoid post- exercise stiffness and fatigue in our dogs is to ensure they are conditioned to the type, intensity and duration of exercise we are asking them to undertake. In cases, where the dog has exercised strenuously and exhibits some loss of muscle of function, then massage therapy is beneficial in treating fatigue, pain, inflammation and muscle stiffness.
Full Stride provides remedial canine massage treatments to maintain muscle function and keep dogs active and pain free. I offer treatments in my home based clinic on Brisbane’s northside. Home visits are also available within a service area.
Until next time, enjoy your dogs.
Sources:
Chua, Y. K., Kawabata, M., Burns, S., Cai, C., & Kong, P. W. (2016, November). EFFECTS OF MASSAGE ON POST-EXERCISE MUSCLE STIFFNESS: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS. In ISBS-Conference Proceedings Archive (Vol. 34, No. 1).
Eriksson Crommert, M., Lacourpaille, L., Heales, L. J., Tucker, K., & Hug, F. (2015). Massage induces an immediate, albeit short‐term, reduction in muscle stiffness. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 25(5), e490-e496.
Haas, C., Butterfield, T. A., Abshire, S., Zhao, Y., Zhang, X., Jarjoura, D., & Best, T. M. (2013). Massage timing affects postexercise muscle recovery and inflammation in a rabbit model. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 45(6), 1105.
Nunes, G. S., Bender, P. U., de Menezes, F. S., Yamashitafuji, I., Vargas, V. Z., & Wageck, B. (2016). Massage therapy decreases pain and perceived fatigue after long-distance Ironman triathlon: a randomised trial. Journal of physiotherapy, 62(2), 83-87.
Proske, U. (2005). Muscle tenderness from exercise: mechanisms?. The Journal of physiology, 564(Pt 1), 1. | https://www.fullstride.com.au/blog/how-to-treat-dogs-with-muscle-stiffness-after-exercise |
- Published:
Effects of an 18-week exercise programme started early during breast cancer treatment: a randomised controlled trial
BMC Medicine volume 13, Article number: 121 (2015)
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Abstract
Background
Exercise started shortly after breast cancer diagnosis might prevent or diminish fatigue complaints. The Physical Activity during Cancer Treatment (PACT) study was designed to primarily examine the effects of an 18-week exercise intervention, offered in the daily clinical practice setting and starting within 6 weeks after diagnosis, on preventing an increase in fatigue.
Methods
This multi-centre controlled trial randomly assigned 204 breast cancer patients to usual care (n = 102) or supervised aerobic and resistance exercise (n = 102). By design, all patients received chemotherapy between baseline and 18 weeks. Fatigue (i.e., primary outcome at 18 weeks), quality of life, anxiety, depression, and physical fitness were measured at 18 and 36 weeks.
Results
Intention-to-treat mixed linear model analyses showed that physical fatigue increased significantly less during cancer treatment in the intervention group compared to control (mean between-group differences at 18 weeks: −1.3; 95 % CI −2.5 to −0.1; effect size −0.30). Results for general fatigue were comparable but did not reach statistical significance (-1.0, 95%CI -2.1; 0.1; effect size -0.23). At 18 weeks, submaximal cardiorespiratory fitness and several muscle strength tests (leg extension and flexion) were significantly higher in the intervention group compared to control, whereas peak oxygen uptake did not differ between groups. At 36 weeks these differences were no longer statistically significant. Quality of life outcomes favoured the exercise group but were not significantly different between groups.
Conclusions
A supervised 18-week exercise programme offered early in routine care during adjuvant breast cancer treatment showed positive effects on physical fatigue, submaximal cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle strength. Exercise early during treatment of breast cancer can be recommended. At 36 weeks, these effects were no longer statistically significant. This might have been caused by the control participants’ high physical activity levels during follow-up.
Trial registration
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN43801571, Dutch Trial Register NTR2138. Trial registered on December 9th, 2009.
Background
Among the treatment-related side effects experienced by breast cancer patients, fatigue is the most often reported and the most distressing . Fatigue is reported by up to 30 % to 60 % of cancer patients during treatment and up to 25 % to 30 % still report fatigue many years after treatment . Recent research indicates that exercise training during and after treatment may prevent and reduce cancer-related fatigue complaints [4–7]. A meta-analysis including studies evaluating exercise effects during adjuvant treatment for breast cancer found a small significant reduction of fatigue following exercise . However, after excluding lower-quality studies that, for example, did not perform intention-to-treat analyses , the effect was no longer significant . Recently, two new trials, not included in said meta-analysis, offering a 12-week supervised resistance exercise intervention to breast cancer patients, either during chemotherapy or during radiotherapy , reported beneficial effects on fatigue. In both trials the control group received a progressive muscle relaxation intervention aiming at investigating the pure physiological exercise effect isolated from psychosocial effects. In contrast, in order to measure the effect in routine daily setting, we designed the Physical Activity during Cancer Treatment (PACT) trial relevant for facilitation of implementation of exercise training into clinical care .
In the PACT study, the effect of an 18-week aerobic and resistance exercise intervention was investigated. The intervention started as early as possible after breast cancer diagnosis and was offered at the patients’ treating hospital. The exercise training was supervised by physiotherapists working in daily clinical routine. The primary outcome was fatigue at 18 weeks. Furthermore, fatigue at 36 weeks and short- and long-term effects on secondary outcomes were assessed.
Methods
Setting and participants
The design of the two-arm randomised controlled PACT study has been published elsewhere . In short, the present study was conducted in seven hospitals (one academic and six general hospitals) in the Netherlands between 2010 and 2013. Participants were invited by their clinician or oncological nurse during a regular outpatient clinic visit. The inclusion criteria were a definitive full histological breast cancer diagnosis <6 weeks before recruitment; stage M0 (i.e., no distant metastasis); scheduled for chemotherapy (as part of the treatment regime); aged 25 to 75 years; not treated for any cancer in the preceding 5 years (except basal skin cancer); able to read and understand the Dutch language; Karnovsky Performance Status of ≥60; and no contra-indications for physical activity. Inclusion was irrespective of the patients’ current physical activity level. The 6-week period was extended to 10 weeks if patients had a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction involving the use of tissue expander (n = 19). In the Netherlands, if indicated, patients usually receive radiotherapy for 3 to 4.5 weeks before chemotherapy if they are at low risk of distant metastases (less than four positive lymph nodes). Otherwise radiotherapy is scheduled after chemotherapy. By starting the intervention within 6 weeks post-diagnosis, we made sure that all patients participated in the 18-week exercise program during (part of their) chemotherapy.
The study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the University Medical Centre Utrecht and the local Ethical Boards of the participating hospitals (i.e., St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein; Diakonessenhuis Hospital, Utrecht; Meander Medical Centre, Amersfoort; Rivierenland Hospital, Tiel; Orbis Medical Centre, Sittard; Zuwe Hofpoort Hospital, Woerden).
Breast cancer patients willing to participate were asked to visit the study centre to confirm eligibility and sign informed consent. A concealed computer-generated randomisation, following a 1:1 ratio, stratified per age, adjuvant treatment (radiotherapy yes/no before chemotherapy), use of tissue expander, and hospital by sequential balancing, was used to allocate participants to study groups. Blinding of participants was not possible due to the nature of the study, but outcome measures were assessed by researchers not involved with the participants. Colon cancer patients were also included in the PACT study. Results for colon cancer patients will be presented separately to be able to address site-specific issues. Further, results of a formal cost-effectiveness analysis will be reported elsewhere.
Intervention
An 18-week exercise programme was offered to patients randomised to the intervention group in addition to usual care. The programme included two aerobic and strength exercise sessions per week, supervised by a physiotherapist and incorporating cognitive behavioural principles of social Bandura’s cognitive theory . The 60-min exercise classes included a warming-up (5 min), aerobic and muscle strength training (25 min each), and a cooling down (5 min) period. The exercise program was individualized to the patients’ preferences inventoried during the first exercise session and fitness level assessed by means of a cardiopulmonary exercise test and 1-repetition maximum muscle strength tests.
Intensity of the aerobic training was based on the heart rate at the ventilatory threshold as determined during baseline cardiopulmonary exercise test. The aerobic training included interval training of alternating intensity performed with a heart rate at (3 × 2 min increasing to 2 × 7 min) or below (3 × 4 min decreasing to 1 × 7 min) ventilatory threshold. Heart rate and the Borg scale of perceived exertion were monitored during the aerobic training.
Muscle strength training was performed for all major muscle groups: arms, legs, shoulder, and trunk. The training started with 2 × 10 repetitions (65 % one-repetition maximum) and gradually increased to reach 1 × 10 repetitions (75 % one-repetition maximum) and 1 × 20 repetitions (45 % one-repetition maximum) by the end of the programme. Training intensity was re-evaluated every four weeks by a submaximal cardiopulmonary exercise test and by repeating the 1-repetition maximum muscle strength tests. In addition, the participants of the intervention group were encouraged to be physically active for at least 30 min on at least three other days as recommended by the Dutch guidelines for physical activity . This should include an aerobic component of moderate intensity in agreement with the participants’ fitness and desires.
Participants randomised to control received usual care and were asked to maintain their habitual physical activity pattern up to week 18. Then, they were allowed, for ethical reasons, to participate in exercise programmes, offered in the Netherlands to cancer patients after completion of primary treatment for over 10 years and are thus part of usual care.
Outcome measures
Participants visited the study centre for outcome assessment at baseline, post-intervention (18 weeks), and after 36 weeks.
Fatigue, the primary outcome (at 18 weeks), was assessed using the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) and the Fatigue Quality List (FQL). The validated MFI is a 20-item questionnaire designed to measure general fatigue, physical fatigue, reduced activity, reduced motivation, and mental fatigue . Scores range from 4 to 20, with higher scores indicating more fatigue. The FQL consists of 28 adjectives, clustered in four subscales: frustrating, exhausting, pleasant, and frightening, addressing the perception of fatigue . Participants were asked to indicate the adjectives that fit their experienced fatigue.
Quality of life (QoL) was assessed using the validated 30-item European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) [18, 19]. Anxiety and depression were assessed using the validated Dutch language version of the 20-items Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale .
Aerobic capacity was determined using a cardiopulmonary exercise test with continuous breathing gas analysis. After a 1-min warm-up at 20 W, cycling workload was increased every minute by a predetermined 10, 15, or 20 W until exhaustion or symptom limitation (dyspnoea and/or fatigue). Objective criteria for exhaustion were peak heart rate >85 % of age-predicted maximal HR, and respiratory exchange ratio >1.10. The load for each patient was defined according to the patient’s condition in order to reach exhaustion in about 10 min. The test was terminated on the basis of the patient’s symptoms or at the physician’s discretion. Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) was determined by taking the mean of VO2 values of the last 30 s before exhaustion. In addition, VO2 and power output were assessed at ventilatory threshold .
Thigh muscle strength was evaluated using a Cybex dynamometer at angular velocities of 60°/s and 180°/s. The highest peak torque of three repetitions was calculated for both velocities and both legs.
Handgrip strength was obtained taking the best score of two attempts provided by a mechanical handgrip dynamometer for both hands.
Body weight and height were measured to the nearest 0.5 kg and 0.5 cm, respectively, with patients wearing light clothes and no shoes.
Physical activity level was evaluated using the validated Short QUestionnaire to ASsess Health enhancing physical activity (SQUASH) . This questionnaire contains questions on commuting activities, leisure-time and sports activities, household activities, and activities at work, and consists of three main queries: days per week, average time per day, and intensity referring to a normal week in the past months. We calculated the minutes per week of moderate to high intensity total physical activity and leisure and sport activity.
Adherence
The attendance rate for the exercise sessions and the compliance with the protocol of the exercise sessions were recorded in a Case Record Form. Adherence to the exercise recommendation was recorded by the patients in an exercise log.
Sample size calculation and statistical analysis
In order to detect a between-group change in fatigue of 2 units (±4 SD) at 18 weeks, corresponding to a medium effect size , we needed 75 participants in the intervention and control group (alpha = 0.05, power = 0.80) anticipating a drop-out of 10 %. With the current number of participants (n = 204) we are even able to detect smaller effect sizes.
Intention-to-treat mixed linear regression models were used to model the different outcome measures at 18 and 36 weeks. These models were adjusted for baseline values of the outcome, hospital, age, adjuvant radiotherapy, use of tissue expander, and tumour receptor status (triple negative/Her2Neu+, ER+ or PR+/Her2Neu+, ER– and PR–/Her2Neu–, ER+ or PR+). Between-group effects were modelled using outcome measurements obtained at 18 and/or 36 weeks; participants with only baseline data were not included in this analysis.
Within-group changes were modelled using outcome measurements obtained at the three time points (i.e., at baseline, and at 18 and/or 36 weeks) so all patients with at least one measurement were included in this analysis.
A sensitivity analysis was performed to assess whether having started chemotherapy before randomisation modified the intervention effect on fatigue. Standardized effect sizes (ES) were calculated by dividing the adjusted between-group difference of the post-intervention means by the pooled baseline standard deviation. According to Cohen, effect sizes <0.2 indicate ‘no difference’, effect sizes of 0.2 to 0.5 indicate ‘small differences’, effect sizes of 0.5 to 0.8 indicate ‘moderate differences’, and effect sizes ≥0.8 indicate ‘considerable differences’ .
We performed per-protocol analyses among adherent participants, i.e., excluding intervention and control participants reporting physical activity levels, respectively, below or above the 210 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week as assessed by the SQUASH questionnaire expected from participation in the intervention.
Results
Participants
Between January 2010 and December 2012, 451 breast cancer patients were invited to participate in the study (Fig. 1); 204 signed informed consent. The reasons for non-participation (n = 247) were ineligibility (n = 25), time/mental burden (n = 89), travel distance to hospital (n = 49), problem with random assignment (n = 34), or unknown (n = 50).
Overall, 15 of 102 participants allocated to the intervention group and 25 of 102 control group participants were lost to follow-up during the 36-week study period. In general, participants who did not complete the study (participants who did not come for outcome assessment at week 36) were at baseline significantly heavier, more fatigued, and reported more anxiety (results not shown).
At baseline, participants in the intervention and usual care group were comparable on most characteristics (Table 1) except that more women in the intervention group were highly educated (46.1 % vs. 35.3 %, respectively), had triple negative breast cancer (23.5 % vs. 11.8 %), and were post-menopausal (44.1 % vs. 32.4 %). Total physical activity levels (including activity at work) tended to be higher in the control group, whereas moderate-to-high leisure and sport physical activity levels were similar in both groups.
The PACT study with a duration of 18 weeks and a start within 6 weeks after diagnosis coincided with (all or part of) chemotherapy treatment in all patients; 72 patients had already started chemotherapy at recruitment; 62 patients had not started chemotherapy yet, but had started radiotherapy; and 70 patients had not started any treatment yet, but would start with chemotherapy early during the intervention period. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy was still rare, and was used in less than 5 % of PACT participants. Treatment status at baseline was balanced between groups (Table 1).
Adherence
Patients in the intervention group showed good adherence to the exercise programme: they participated in 83 % (interquartile range, 69 %–91 %) of the classes offered. Patients reported to be physically active according to the Dutch guideline for physical activity in 11 (interquartile range, 6–14) of the 18 weeks.
Main outcomes
Fatigue
From pre- to post-intervention, participants in both groups reported significant increases in fatigue (Table 2). The increase in physical fatigue was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to control (mean between-group difference: −1.3; 95 % CI, −2.5 to −0.1; ES = −0.30). Although increases in general and mental fatigue, and in reduced activity were generally lower in the intervention group, no significant between-group differences were found. Over the same period, participants of both groups rated, on average to a comparable extent, their fatigue as more frustrating and exhausting. At 36 weeks, women reported fatigue levels and fatigue-related feelings that were in general similar to those observed at baseline with the exception of mental fatigue in the usual care group, which was reported to be still higher (mean: 1.0; 95 % CI, 0.1 to 1.9). No significant differences between the exercise and the usual care groups were found. No interaction was found between group assignment and chemotherapy timing (P >0.05).
QoL and anxiety and depression
At 18 weeks, all participants generally reported significant decreases in QoL and in physical, cognitive, and social functioning as well as an increase in depression score, but none of these effects differed significantly between groups (Table 3). At 36 weeks, participants’ QoL and role functioning in both groups had significantly increased compared to baseline while cognitive functioning had slightly decreased, but no significant differences were observed between groups. Using the SF-36 (Additional file 1: Table S1), a significant between-group difference was observed at 18 weeks for the item ‘change in health’ with a difference in favour of the intervention group (mean: 11.3; 95 % CI, 3.4 to 19.1; ES = 0.47). At 36 weeks, both groups report higher scores for mental health, and the improvement was significantly lower in the intervention group (mean: −4.0; 95 % CI, −7.8 to −0.1; ES = −0.26).
Physical fitness and body weight
At 18 weeks no significant between-group differences in VO2peak and peak power output were observed. For VO2 and power output at ventilatory threshold significant differences in favour of the intervention group of 0.1 L/min (95 % CI, 0.0 to 0.2; ES = 0.31) and 9.4 W (95 % CI, 0.5 to 18.3; ES = 0.29) were respectively observed (Table 4). At 36 weeks, aerobic capacity did not differ between groups.
At 18 weeks, muscle strength in the intervention group was significantly higher for flexion and extension of both legs at 60°/s when compared to control (ES = 0.25–0.45; Table 4). No significant differences between groups were observed at 180°/s and for hand grip strength. Body weight at 18 and 36 weeks was similarly increased in both groups (Table 4).
Per-protocol analyses
Overall, 89 % of intervention participants and 56 % of control participants reported being active with a moderate-to-high intensity for ≥210 min per week (120 min of supervised exercise and at least 30 min of unsupervised exercise on three other days). Per-protocol analyses showed, for both general and physical fatigue, moderate significant differences between participants, in both the exercise and the usual care group, who adhered to the protocol in favour of the intervention group with effect sizes of −0.54 and −0.77, respectively (Additional file 1: Table S2).
No serious adverse events related to exercise were observed during the study period.
Discussion
The PACT study shows that an 18-week exercise intervention offered in routine clinical practice and starting shortly after breast cancer diagnosis has significant beneficial effects on physical fatigue, submaximal cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle strength at 18 weeks compared to usual care. In the long-term, at 36 weeks, when adjuvant chemotherapy was completed, fatigue and fitness levels in both groups had returned to baseline levels. The intervention did not significantly affect QoL, anxiety, or depression.
The early start of our exercise intervention in breast cancer treatment coincided with adjuvant treatment. We therefore observed increased levels of fatigue at 18 weeks in both groups. However, the increase in the intervention group was significantly lower than for controls. The START trial, one large study comparable to our study, included 242 breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant treatment and showed changes in fatigue, QoL, anxiety, and depression that favoured the exercise intervention group but results were not statistically significant . A study by Mutrie et al. included 203 women in a 12-week supervised group exercise programme starting on average 6 months after diagnosis and also found non-significant beneficial effects of the intervention on fatigue and QoL. In contrast with these trials, we used a multi-dimensional fatigue scale and found a beneficial effect of the intervention on physical fatigue. Physical fatigue might be the fatigue dimension most sensitive to exercise. Indeed, Steindorf et al. and Schmidt et al. , who compared the effects of resistance exercise and muscle relaxation on breast cancer patients’ fatigue during adjuvant therapy, also found beneficial effects especially on physical fatigue (ES = 0.3).
At 36 weeks, fatigue levels were back to baseline in both groups. This lack of difference might be explained by the fact that, from week 18, for ethical reasons, controls were allowed to participate in exercise programmes. Nevertheless, our results show long-term fatigue levels comparable across groups, and therefore it might be worth offering exercise interventions starting as early as possible after diagnosis to help breast cancer patients go through one of the most distressing periods of their life.
The non-significant changes in QoL corroborate the results of the START study . The BEATE study also found no effect on QoL, but reported significant increases in role and social functioning after a resistance intervention offered during adjuvant chemotherapy . These differences might be partly explained by the higher baseline scores observed in the present study or the exclusion of patients with baseline depression in the corresponding QoL analyses in the BEATE study.
The biological mechanisms that explain the beneficial effect of exercise on physical fatigue are not clear. Hypotheses include involvement in neurotoxicity of cancer treatments, chronic stress affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, systemic inflammatory responses, hormonal changes, reduced anaemia, or immune activation . Skeletal muscles may act as an endocrine organ and induce myokine production associated with a reduced production and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines [26, 27]. Furthermore, while a self-perpetuating detraining state induces fatigue, physical training may break this vicious cycle . Additionally, psychosocial mechanisms might play a role. Buffart et al. showed that a supervised exercise program resulted in increased physical activity, general self-efficacy, and mastery in patients with cancer after treatment, which led to reduced fatigue and distress and consequently improved QoL.
The PACT exercise intervention also had beneficial effects on submaximal cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength, which corroborates findings from previous studies indicating that exercise during adjuvant treatment can prevent part of the deconditioning effect observed during cancer treatment [24, 30, 31]. Interestingly, in PACT, exercising during treatment did not only prevent losses but improved muscle strength. The significant results observed at submaximal level seem important since most daily activities are performed at submaximal level.
Compared to previous related studies [10, 11, 24, 25], the PACT study differed in the timing (i.e., early in the treatment process) and location (i.e., at the treating hospitals) of the intervention. In previous studies, the intervention was mostly delivered by the same physiotherapist(s) at a well-equipped research centre. In daily practice, however, the intervention will be given at different sites with different physiotherapists. The PACT study used this latter more pragmatic design. Although physiotherapists worked according to a standardized protocol the different locations may have added variability and reduced intervention effects. However, external generalizability is increased.
Strong features of the present study are the randomized design, the large sample size, and the high adherence to a supervised intervention offered in different clinical settings by different physiotherapists. Another feature resembling daily practice is that the intervention started within 6 weeks after diagnosis irrespective of the start of adjuvant treatment. Although no significant interaction was observed between group assignment and chemotherapy timing, treatment side-effects may have added variability to outcome measurements. The present study also has some limitations. Participants in the current study reported, on average, a high pre-diagnosis physical activity level and might thus not be the ones who needed the program most. The high level of physical activity reported by 56 % of the controls at 18 weeks may have led to an underestimation of the true effect. Indeed, per-protocol analyses showed that effects became stronger (e.g., ES = −0.77 for physical fatigue). However, per-protocol analyses should be interpreted with caution because of selective non-compliance. We offered a combined aerobic and strength exercise program to the patients. Therefore, we cannot distinguish what type of activity might have driven our results. Other limitations include the fact that physical activity was assessed by a questionnaire, as well as the relatively low participation rate and the lack of detailed information on patients who refused participation hampering generalization of results.
Future directions
This study shows that exercise during adjuvant treatment of breast cancer is beneficial in reducing fatigue. Women with low physical activity levels might benefit more from exercise programs, although they might also be less interested in participating. Future studies should elucidate patients’ attitude, motivation, and barriers towards participation in exercise programs in order to specifically design exercise programs for the less active patients.
Conclusions
The PACT trial shows that an exercise intervention offered in the daily clinical practice and starting early during adjuvant treatment is feasible and safe. The 18-week supervised exercise intervention reduces short-term physical fatigue and diminishment of cardiorespiratory fitness and improves muscle strength. At 36 weeks, effects were no longer statistically significant, probably due to participants’ high activity levels during follow-up. Exercise is beneficial during adjuvant breast cancer treatment by reducing the development of fatigue.
Abbreviations
- ES:
-
Effect size
- FQL:
-
Fatigue quality list
- MFI:
-
Multidimensional fatigue inventory
- PACT:
-
Physical activity during cancer treatment
- QoL:
-
Quality of life
- SD:
-
Standard deviation
- SF-36:
-
36-Item short form health survey
- SQUASH:
-
Short questionnaire to assess health enhancing physical activity
- VO2peak:
-
Peak oxygen uptake
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the participants and the professional staff at St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein and Utrecht; Diakonessen Hospital, Utrecht; Meander Medical Centre, Amersfoort; Rivierenland Hospital, Tiel; Orbis Medical Centre, Sittard; Zuwe Hofpoort Hospital, Woerden and University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands. Their participation made this study possible.
This work was supported by The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw, project number: 171002202), the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF Kankerbestrijding, Project number: UU 2009–4473), and the Dutch Pink Ribbon Foundation (2011.WO02.C100). The contribution of N Travier was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Health (Instituto de Salud Carlos III RTICC RD06/0020/0091 and RD12/0036/0018).
Additional information
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors’ contributions
MJV, PHMP, EW, and AMM initiated the collaborative project. MJV, EMM, ML, FE, HJB, CR, MAJR, MV, DBH, PHMP, EW, and AMM planned the project. MJV, BB, CNSB, FB, and AMM collected the data. ML, FE, HJB, CR, MAJR, MV, DBH, and EW provided the clinical expertise. NT, MJV, CNSB, PHMP, EW, and AMM were responsible for data handling and data analyses. ML, FE, HJB, CR, MAJR, MV, and DBH recruited participants. NT, MJV, PHMP, and AMM wrote the first draft, and all authors contributed and approved the final version of the manuscript for publication.
Additional file
Additional file 1: Table S1.
Effect of exercise on quality of life assessed using the SF-36 based on an intention-to-treat analysis. Table S2. Effect of the intervention on fatigue and quality of life taking into account compliance to study protocol.
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Travier, N., Velthuis, M.J., Steins Bisschop, C.N. et al. Effects of an 18-week exercise programme started early during breast cancer treatment: a randomised controlled trial. BMC Med 13, 121 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-015-0362-z
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