Reincarnation Research Articles

Hiding Away The Ghost of AMITY: The Narrator’s Fake Endings as Screen Memories in Andrea Levy’s The Long Song (2010)

Although studies on trauma have grown exponentially since 1990s with Trauma Studies, in different shapes and identities, trauma has been a part of personal and cultural space for much longer. After the formal recognition of post-traumatic stress disorder as an ailment that affects both the body and the mind, Trauma Studies has expanded to other fields of study including literature. Trauma studies in Literature is a movement that focuses on how trauma is handled in literature both thematically and functionally. Literature can play a performative role in its representation of trauma through literary and narrative devices. This essay aims to explore how Andre Levy imitates the effect of screen memories, which are a symptom of trauma, with her experimentation with metanarration in The Long Song (2010). Screen memories are essentially substitute memories which replace the traumatic events in memory. They are attempts of self-preservation of the mind. Levy’s narrator July tries to replace some traumatic parts of her life in her autobiographical story in order save herself the pain of reliving them through narration. This results in abrupt and unexpected endings to her story at two different parts of the novel, where she tries to break off the narration with a seemingly happy ending. However, her disputes with her son, Thomas, prove that there is more to the story as she picks the story back up only to reveal an increasingly painful and traumatic proceeding. Therefore, this makes her attempts to end the story prematurely screen memories that hide the traumatic truth, not from the reader, but from July herself through a self-imposed alienation from her previous life as a slave in a Jamaica sugar plantation.

Beyond Words

Beyond Words

Influence of selected contaminations and melt filtration on the properties of ABS and ABS recyclate

AbstractPlastic recyclates can be contaminated with a variety of impurities due to their previous life, which cannot always be perfectly separated in recycling pretreatment steps. Hence melt filtration is an important step in reprocessing plastic recyclates to achieve material of sufficient purity, but it also leads to more stress on the material due to higher pressures and longer processing times. In our study, we investigated the influence of typical particulate impurities as may occur in recyclate on the mechanical and rheological properties of ABS. Even low amounts of contaminations lowered the key properties. Melt filtration of post‐consumer ABS recyclate with different mesh size melt screens showed little improvement of mechanical properties, but longer idle times and loss of material. Damage to the material caused by finer filtration could be shown by thermal measurements.Highlights Determination of properties of ABS contaminated with 0.5–2.0 wt.% of selected impurities (wood and rubber particles). Melt filtration of post‐consumer ABS recyclate with different melt screens. Investigation of process and properties of filtered ABS recyclate.

What Rivers Did: a Study of if and how Rivers Shaped Later Prehistoric Lives in Britain and Beyond

Countering the passive representation of rivers in many previous accounts of later prehistory – as static vessels for spectacular deposits, highways for transport and communication, and backdrops for settlement and farming – this paper asks if and how rivers actively shaped prehistoric lives. Rivers have long been hailed as conduits for prehistoric materials and ideas. However, positive archaeological correlates of the processes involved are notoriously difficult to identify and have rarely been scrutinised in detail. Using the example of Late Bronze and Early Iron Age pottery in the east of England (1150–350 bc), we examine in detail how prehistoric pottery-making traditions cohered around river valleys over an extended time period and were thus, to a certain extent, generated by rivers. Drawing on wider evidence for the flow of people and things in this region we build a broader multi-dimensional account of how people, objects, and practices moved in a period of diverse lifeways in which the makeup of human mobility is not well understood. In doing so, we hope to tether abstract arguments about the active role of rivers and other non-human elements in shaping past lives and to approach the often missing ‘middle ground’ – small-scale movements at local and regional scales – in existing archaeological discussions about mobility.

Objects are not just a thing – (re)negotiating identity through using material objects within the Kurdish diaspora in the UK

Abstract Material belongings have a significant impact on shaping one’s identity, and they play a crucial role as identity markers and valuable instruments for negotiating distinctions among diverse communities, especially for those who experience migration. This research focuses on a specific group of Iraqi Kurdish migrants living in the UK, exploring how they navigate and mould their cultural identity through their cherished possessions. Utilizing a multimodal approach, data collection involved narrative interviews and visual ethnography methods, such as photo voice. The dataset underwent a systematic thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s methodology, leading to an objective and cohesive thematic presentation. The findings underscore the significance of material culture for Iraqi-Kurdish participants in this study. These respondents held deep emotional connections to material objects, linking the landscapes of their past lives to their present experiences in the UK. By cherishing and preserving these possessions, they established a discursive “third space” to express emotions and negotiate their complex “in-between” identities. This term describes a state of dilemma wherein individuals grapple with conflicting senses of identity due to exposure to and affiliation with two distinct cultures. Specifically, it applies to participants who simultaneously value and embrace both their Kurdish culture and identity, as well as their British culture and identity.

Strengths within the Community Perceived by Older Adults Living Alone in a Semi-Mountainous Rural Region: A Qualitative Study.

It is recommended that health promotion activities in the community focus on residents' strengths. Hence, this study explored the community strengths perceived by older adults living alone in a semi-mountainous rural region of Japan. A qualitative, descriptive approach was used. Content analysis was performed using data obtained through face-to-face interviews. Interview data were coded; codes were classified based on similarity to create subcategories and categories. The strengths within the community, as perceived by older adults living alone in a semi-mountainous rural region, were revealed in four categories related to ten subcategories: "loose connections with others", "active community participation", "close relationships with community professionals", and "familiarity with the living environment". Strengths within the community perceived by older adults living alone in a semi-mountainous rural region were cultivated in an environment formed by their past lives. Utilizing these resources may help support community-based societies in semi-mountainous rural regions where depopulation and aging are expected to continue in the future. This study was not registered.

Factors promoting and hindering resilience in youth with inflammatory bowel disease: A descriptive qualitative study.

To explore factors promoting and hindering resilience in youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) based on Kumpfer's resilience framework. A descriptive qualitative study design with an interpretative approach was used. Participants consisted of 10 youths with IBD from a tertiary hospital in Beijing (China) recruited using the purposive sampling method. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews from December 2020 to March 2021. The directed content analysis was performed for data analysis. Both promoting factors and hindering factors could be divided into personal factors and environmental factors. Thirteen themes were identified. The promoting factors included acceptance of illness, strict self-management, previous treatment experience, life goals, family support, medical support and peer encouragement. Stigma, lack of communication, negative cognition, societal incomprehension, economic pressure and academic and employment pressure were hindering factors. Health care professionals need to develop greater awareness of factors, stemming from both the individual and the outside world, that hinder or promote resilience in order to aid young patients with IBD. Building targeted nursing measures to excavate the internal positive quality of patients, provide external support and promote the development of resilience.

Suicidal behaviors in mental illness: A case-control study. Suicidal behaviors in mental illness: A case-control study

IntroductionThe assessment of suicide risk remains a critical concern, especially within the psychiatric community. Mental health professionals continually work to identify and support individuals at risk, emphasizing the need for ongoing research and training in this area.ObjectivesThe objectives of our study were to understand the characteristics of patients hospitalized after a suicide attempt (SA), analyze the characteristics of these attempts, identify risk factors associated with suicidal behaviors, and determine predictors for recurring suicidal behavior.MethodsThe study’s methodology was retrospective, descriptive, and comparative. It was conducted with 277 patients hospitalized in the psychiatric department “C” of Razi Psychiatric Hospital in Manouba. The sample consists of 72 individuals who attempted suicide, divided into two groups: first-time attempters and recurrent patients, and 205 controls hospitalized for other reasons during the same period.ResultsResults showed a significant increase in the frequency of hospitalizations for SA, rising from 0.7% to 2.25% of the total admissions between 2018 and 2022. Those who attempted suicide were on average 32.5 years old, predominantly female, urban residents, with a moderate socioeconomic status, secondary or higher education, unemployed, unmarried, childless, and lacking strong family support.The study identified several risk factors associated with suicide attempts, including risky behaviors, previous life events, type II bipolar disorders, personality disorders, the number of psychiatric hospitalizations, and the quality of follow-up. However, schizophrenia was negatively correlated with SA.Suicidal recurrence was observed in 65.5% of attempters and was linked to personal psychiatric follow-up history, mood disorders, personality disorders, the presence of stress factors, and caustic substance ingestion.ConclusionsIn conclusion, the study underscores the importance of assessing suicide risk among individuals with mental disorders to implement appropriate prevention strategies.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Perceptions and opinions of pet caregivers in mainland and Hong Kong China about surgery, pain management, and anesthesia in dogs and cats

Small animal caregivers’ perceptions and previous life experiences play a pivotal role in patient care, making effective communication fundamental within the veterinary business. Despite the large and growing scale of the pet industry, data on small animal client-centered information about veterinary services in Mainland China (MC) and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) China are lacking. The objective of this study was to investigate the perceptions and opinions of small animal caregivers about surgery, pain management, and anesthesia in dogs and cats in these geographical regions through a validated online survey using content validity index. A total of 2080 valid answers were collected by convenience sampling over 45 days. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data; the chi-square test and generalized linear models were used to test the associations between demographics and responses. Overall, caregivers appeared favorable toward the use of analgesia in their pets, with concerns over the potential adverse effects produced by analgesic drugs. Joint pain and ear infections were generally rated as conditions that would be less prone to require analgesia. Significant associations were observed for demographic factors such as gender, age, and geographical area, whether participants were healthcare providers, and whether their pets had undergone surgery before. Although many respondents expressed uncertainty in recognizing pain in their pets and administering analgesics, they also expressed a desire to learn and to be informed. This study highlights areas and factors that may determine the perceptions and opinions of small animal caregivers that form a unique human-animal bond in China. Client communication should be addressed on a case-by-case basis and adapted to the geographical area, as the individual background and demographics may have an ultimate impact on treatment goals and patient care.

"How will we cope?" Couples With Intellectual Disability Where One Partner Has a Diagnosis of Dementia.

People with intellectual disability are at increased risk of dementia at an earlier age. This is the first study to explore experiences of couples with an intellectual disability when one partner has dementia. Four people with intellectual disability whose partner had dementia and one partner who had both an intellectual disability and dementia took part in narrative life story interviews. One of the interviews was conducted as a couple giving direct perspectives from 4 couples overall. Additionally, 13 semistructured interviews were conducted with 9 social care professionals and 4 family members. This provided perspectives of the relationships of a further 4 couples, which collectively led to data on 8 couples. The emotional impact of a dementia diagnosis, planning for the future, and fear of separation was noted by couples with intellectual disability. Partners took on caring roles thus challenging views of being solely care-receivers. Families spoke of commitment and longevity in relationships, whilst social care staff highlighted how their own information needs changed recognizing the importance of intellectual disability and dementia-specific knowledge. Couples with intellectual disability continue to enjoy intimate relationships into later life and will face common conditions in older age including dementia. Those who provide support need to ensure that they are sensitive to the previous experience and life story of each couple and have specific knowledge of how dementia can affect people with intellectual disability.

Experiencing forced migration: challenges of arriving after displacement from Ukraine

ABSTRACT The paper focuses on the experiences of displaced Ukrainians who arrived in Austria following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. We draw on the concept of ‘arrival’ as proposed by Ludger Pries, to delve into the multifaceted process of arrival that extends beyond mere physical relocation. By conducting group discussions and employing the documentary method, we reveal the challenges associated with ‘arriving’ at the individual, the interactive, and the institutional level. The findings show that the displaced persons’ conjunctive experiences are characterised by a pervasive sense of loss – of their everyday certainties, past lives, future prospects, social recognition, and established social positions. This study not only contributes to the understanding of displaced Ukrainians in Europe, but also enriches the emerging field of the sociology of loss within the context of forced migration, emphasising the importance of focusing on people’s experiences in addition to arrival societies’ responses.

Awareness about basic life support among health science students at Duy Tan University

Objectives: To evaluate the level of awareness about basic life support among health science students at Duy Tan University and to identify associated factors with this awareness. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 244 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-year healthcare students at Duy Tan University from January to May 2023. A self- administered questionnaire was used to measure basic life support awareness. Results: The study found that 68.9% of students had a low level of basic life support awareness, 29.5% had an average level, and only 1.6% had a high level. Medical students exhibited a significantly higher mean basic life support awareness score compared to odonto-stomatology and nursing students (p < 0.05). Factors such as faculty of study, grade point average, previous basic life support participation, training organization, and voluntary basic life support implementation were significantly associated with basic life support awareness (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The awareness of basic life support among students at Duy Tan university is still low. There is a clear need to improve both knowledge and practical skill in basic life support for health science students.

The logic of carbon substitution: from fossilised life to “cell factories”

This paper examines how researchers in biotechnology reflect on the challenges of turning microbes into what they call “cell factories”. These researchers use the tools of genome editing to harness the biochemistry of single cell organisms, such as bacteria, yeasts and microalgae, and tweak the enzymatic reactions of their metabolism. One research priority is to engineer microbes able to feed on agricultural residues and assemble drop-in compounds to be used in a range of commercial products, from drugs and food additives, to cosmetics, detergents and fuels. To justify financial support for such research, arguments about the need to move away from petroleum as a source of energy and feedstock for chemical synthesis are put forward, underpinned by concerns for climate change, resource renewability and energy security. Drawing on interviews with scientists, we explore what it means for them to make “cell factories” and discuss how they problematise the logic of carbon substitution that orientates their work. Biotechnology is expected to support a shift from one source of carbon, past life gone through slow geological cycles, to a different source of carbon, renewable biomass metabolised by living microbes. As scientists face unhappy cells, recalcitrant plant fibres and unfair competition from fossil-based processes, the promise of carbon substitution tends to be most convincing in the confined space of the lab where faith in biotechnology goes hand in hand with a pragmatic commitment to sustainability. We speculate that the researchers might be failed by the system that biotechnology seeks to (partially) replace, the conditions of which are shaped not around the material constraints of making “cell factories”, but around fossilised life cracked in ever-greater quantities.

:Urban Life in the Distant Past: The Prehistory of Energized Crowding

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Home and Journey in Experiences of the Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy

This paper explores the experiential reality surrounding the Divine Liturgy, a Byzantine rite in Orthodox Christianity that has remained central to Eastern practice globally since Late Antiquity. The article draws on multi-sited ethnography in the glocal context of the Orthodox Church of Finland (OCF), a national church of minority and a site of multicultural interaction. Our analysis shows participants articulate their experiences with the Liturgy in an epistemology of interiority by which (1) they constantly, if unevenly, and agentically engage with the Liturgy in a form of individual, vernacular artistry. This interiority is (2) both sensorial and interpretative, and (3) ambivalently grounded in motifs of being “at home” and, at the same time, “on a journey.” That is, participants from different backgrounds make a connection to the Liturgy both as a spiritual and a literal home, relating to different elements—Finnish, Karelian, Byzantine, and Church Slavonic—in its ritualistic aesthetics. At the same time, Liturgy emerges as a perpetual journey of new openings and glimpses, informed by past experiences and life trajectories, and participants relate to these two aspects simultaneously.

Chapter 8: Searching for Life Beyond Earth.

The search for life beyond Earth necessitates a rigorous and comprehensive examination of biosignatures, the types of observable imprints that life produces. These imprints and our ability to detect them with advanced instrumentation hold the key to our understanding of the presence and abundance of life in the universe. Biosignatures are the chemical or physical features associated with past or present life and may include the distribution of elements and molecules, alone or in combination, as well as changes in structural components or physical processes that would be distinct from an abiotic background. The scientific and technical strategies used to search for life on other planets include those that can be conducted in situ to planetary bodies and those that could be observed remotely. This chapter discusses numerous strategies that can be employed to look for biosignatures directly on other planetary bodies using robotic exploration including those that have been deployed to other planetary bodies, are currently being developed for flight, or will become a critical technology on future missions. Search strategies for remote observations using current and planned ground-based and space-based telescopes are also described. Evidence from spectral absorption, emission, or transmission features can be used to search for remote biosignatures and technosignatures. Improving our understanding of biosignatures, their production, transformation, and preservation on Earth can enhance our search efforts to detect life on other planets.

가족관계 단절 문제에 대한 부모되찾기 설화의 문학치료적 역할

This study focuses on ‘the Problem of Family Relationship Breakdown’ of Jangmadang Generation North Korean refugees. I designed what kind of psychotherapeutic effect Korean Folktale could have. Because the Jangmadang Generation chose to defect from North Korea to overcome social and personal limitations, they are experiencing more complex conflicts regarding their relationship with their North Korean family. Therefore, I proposed a literary therapy plan to them to think about ‘how do I understand my parents’ life, and what kind of life do I want to live now?’ In this literature therapy, stories of Recovering Parents can be applied. These works contain the epic structure of ‘support after growth’ and special Motifs that enable emotional connection with parents. North Korean refugees can imagine ways to relieve the pain of broken family relationships through emotional connection without giving up the advantages gained through parental pushing away. Further more, this study presented a case of literary therapy using the folktales 〈Live in My Fortune〉 and 〈The Prayer of Past Life Parents〉. North Korean refugees deeply understood the two folktales and reinterpreted the meaning of the works by connecting them to their own lives. In this case, it was confirmed that the two folktales played a role in representing their lives and imagining a positive future.

Experience of compassion-based practice in mindfulness for health for individuals with persistent pain.

Research indicates that acquiring compassion is an integral part to positive outcomes to Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI), yet there is both theoretic and empirical literature suggesting that people with persistent pain are more likely to experience challenges and distress when engaging compassion-based practices. Mindfulness for Health is a standardised MBI for people with persistent pain and health conditions. This study sought to explore the positive, neutral and difficult experiences of compassion-based practice and meditation for participants in Mindfulness for Health to further understand implications and risks for participants of MBI's. A qualitative design using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was applied to explore how participants understood of the experience of compassion-based practice and the meaning they gave to it. Eight participants who had completed the Mindfulness for Health from four separate groups were interviewed about their experience. Five master themes were identified 'turning away from self-with-pain', 'self-with-pain experienced as shameful', 'facilitating change', 'turning towards self-with-pain', and 'accepting self'. Participants identified both perceived positive changes and difficult emotional experiences during the meditation practice, which they related to the context of compassion in their past and present life. Developing compassion is an important part of Mindfulness for Health, which is salient for participants as both a challenging and potentially valuable experience. Acquisition of mindfulness skills, supporting group dynamics and modelling compassion are understood as helpful in overcoming personal barriers and challenging experiences. Further research is needed to understand processes involved and explore the experience of non-completers.

Reported Cases of Reincarnation and Social Construction – Understanding Past Life Claims through Socio Cultural Perspectives

This paper tried to look for factors responsible for repeated past life claims among children. This paper also tried to understand social function of the phenomena of reincarnation and its contribution towards a particular community. Interviews are conducted with six subjects and both their present family members and past life family members are also interviewed. Children started claiming previous life between three to five years of age. All of them showed dissociative tendencies which encouraged the parents look for past life of their child. Apart from that, it was found that child, parents, their families and community took an active role in this whole process. Religious and cultural belief also act as a catalyst in this process. It was also found that reincarnation is serving societal needs and acting as a therapeutic resource for those members who lost their near ones in tragic incident.

Study on time effect and prediction model of shear strength of root-soil complex under dry-wet cycle

Triaxial compression tests were conducted on the alfalfa root-loess complex at different growthperiods obtained through artificial planting. The research focused on analyzing the time variation law of the shear strength index and deformation index of the alfalfa root-loess complex under dry-wet cycles. Additionally, the time effect of the shear strength index of the alfalfa root-loess complex under dry-wet cycles was analyzed and its prediction model was proposed. The results show that the PG-DWC (dry-wet cycle caused by plant water management during plant growth period) causes the peak strength of plain soil to change in a "V" shape with the increase of growth period, and the peak strength of alfalfa root-loess complex is higher than that of plain soil at the same growth period. The deterioration of the peak strength of alfalfa root-loess complex in the same growth period is aggravated with the increase of drying and wetting cycles. Compared with the 0 days growth period, the effective cohesion of alfalfa root-loess complex under different dry-wet cycles maximum increase rate is at the 180 days, which are 33.88%, 46.05%, 30.12% and 216.02%, respectively. When the number of dry-wet cycles is constant, the effective cohesion of the alfalfa root-loess complex overall increases with the growth period. However, it gradually decreases comparedwith the previous growth period, and the minimum increase rate are all at the 180 days. For the same growth period, the effective cohesion of the alfalfa root-loess complex decreases with the increase of the number of dry-wet cycles. This indicates that EC-DWC (the dry-wet cycles caused by extreme natural conditions such as continuous rain) have a detrimental effect on the time effect of the shear strength of the alfalfa root-loess complex. Finally, based on the formula of total deterioration, a prediction model for the shear strength of the alfalfa root-loess complex under dry-wet cycles was proposed, which exhibits high prediction accuracy. The research results provide useful guidance for the understanding of mechanical behavior and structural damage evolution of root-soil composite.