Chinese mental illness narratives: Controlling the spirit

Through analysis of local level narrative themes and linguistic features and their attendant narrative ‘domains’ and emotive content, this study explicates the discursive forms of Chinese personal narratives about mental illness published in a psychoeducational volume in mainland China. The cultural phenomena underpinning the explicated discursive forms are considered. The study finds that the Chinese mental illness narratives emphasize the problematic nature of the illness experience for the individual concerned, as well as the importance of gaining control over the personal and social disembodiment that mental illness brings about. The language of medicine presents as a dominant linguistic feature of the texts. Narrative authors appear to respond to their illness experience by negotiating and utilizing social relationships and support structures and through active medical intercession. As such, their narratives appear deeply culturally marked despite their psychoeducational intent and institutional context of publication. The study findings bear out the call for more attention to be given to the cultural dimension when analysing illness narratives

Compound-Specific Isotope Records of Dust Provenance and Hydroclimate in the North Pacific and Marginal Seas of East Asia: Integrating n-Alkane δ13C and δD with Standardized Analytical Frameworks

This dissertation presents advancements in compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) through methodological innovation and paleoclimate reconstruction in Central and East Asia. Utilizing plant wax n-alkanes from International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) sediment cores, this research reconstructs atmospheric circulation shifts responding to tectonic evolution and climate transitions since the Late Miocene. Chapter 1 investigates hydrogen isotope compositions (δDwax) from IODP U1430 (Sea of Japan), ODP 886, and ODP 1208 (North Pacific) to trace dust provenance and hydroclimate changes since ~13 Ma. Results reveal persistently segmented source-to-sink systems: the Sea of Japan dominated by westerly input from northern Tibetan Plateau, Gobi Desert, and Eastern China, while the North Pacific integrates broader Asian interior material. Three phases emerge: Late Miocene deuterium depletion (13–6.2 Ma), Mio-Pliocene transition with increased δDwax (6.2–3.8 Ma), and Plio-Pleistocene decline corresponding to Northern Hemisphere glaciation. Chapter 2 combines carbon isotope analysis (δ13Cwax) with published Sr-Nd provenance tracers to identify atmospheric organic matter sources. The δ13Cwax values show consistent shifts toward more negative values, demonstrating increasing C3-dominated arid interior contributions from the Gobi Desert, Hexi Corridor, Taklimakan Desert, and Qaidam Basin. Arid interior C3 signatures dominated despite localized C4 expansion in humid lowlands, reflecting atmospheric circulation reorganization during global cooling. Chapter 3 introduces Chroma, a MATLAB package streamlining gas chromatograph flame ionization detector analysis for hydrocarbon indices (CPI, ACL, Paq). The tool enables automated peak identification and integration, reducing subjectivity and enhancing reproducibility, demonstrated through Qaidam Basin n-alkane data. Chapter 4 presents SINC (Standardized Isotope Normalization for CSIA), a MATLAB toolkit for GC-IRMS data processing with improved drift correction, scale normalization, and uncertainty propagation. SINC enhances data comparability and interpretability for robust paleoenvironmental reconstructions. These geochemical records provide new insights into vegetation dynamics, hydrological variability, and sediment provenance. The computational advances create a scalable platform for future CSIA work, improving inter-laboratory consistency and enabling sophisticated paleoclimate proxy applications through enhanced resolution and reliability of compound-specific isotope records

Localizing senility: Illness and agency among older Japanese

For many Japanese, fear about senility is not primarily expressed in relation to pathological conditions like Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Instead, as people grow older, their concern focuses on a widely recognized category of decline in old age which, although symptomatically and conceptually overlapping with AD and other forms of senile dementia, is distinguished from unambiguously pathological conditions. This article examines the meaning and experience of this condition, known as boke, and shows that senility in Japan is culturally constructed in a way distinct from the clinical biomedical construction of senility-as-pathology which has become increasingly the norm in North America. Rather than being a disease, boke is viewed as an illness over which people are believed to have some degree of agency in relation to its onset – through activity, particularly within the context of groups, it may be prevented or at least delayed. The data discussed also suggest the importance of culture in defining the meanings of normal or abnormal aging. While from a clinical perspective it may be clear where the line is to be drawn between what is normal and what is pathological aging, from the perspective of older people, the basis of what is considered normal or abnormal aging may not have a direct link to disease.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42977/1/10823_2004_Article_180392.pd

APPLYING SOURCE MODELS TO PREDICT DRIVING MECHANISMS OF QUASI-PERIODIC TREMOR

Modeling harmonic tremor recorded at volcanoes is an essential practice in improving eruption forecasting methods and warning systems. We model the conduit dynamics of quasi-periodic tremor (chugging) recorded at Karymsky, Tungurahua, and Fuego volcanoes to estimate its source characteristics. Chugging mechanisms are estimated using two theoretical models originally derived in Garces (1997) and Girona et al. (2019), respectively. Comparisons of the conduit and fluid output parameters suggests that chugging is primarily limited to near-surface oscillations and outgassing due to an accumulation of gas between eruptive episodes. The modeled results indicate clustered release of volatiles exsolved from a deeper magma conduit region, triggered by an initial explosion. This interpretation is consistent with both infrasonic and seismic observations at each volcano.Master of Scienc

Reasons for gateball participation among older Japanese

This article focuses upon a game known as gateball which is popular among older Japanese. The game is described and patterns of social behavior among gateball players are also discussed. Using data collected from an open-ended questionnaire, participant observation on a gateball team, and a series of semi-structured interviews with older people living in a rural region of Japan, some of the reasons behind participation in gateball are explored. These motives are then placed into the context of changing patterns of social interaction between younger and older Japanese and are also discussed in terms of the presence of age grading practices which structure the life course for many Japanese living in rural areas. The data for this article were collected during approximately two years of ethnographic fieldwork in northern Japan.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42979/1/10823_2004_Article_191302.pd

Experiences of living with dementia: qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews

Aim and objective: To describe people’s experiences of living with dementia in Iran. Background: A knowledge gap exists regarding the experiences of living with dementia in non-Western contexts. This gap may be especially apparent within the Iranian context, where dementia research is relatively new. Deeper understanding about context related experiences of dementia is a prerequisite for nurses’ ability to provide adequate and meaningful care. Design: Qualitative, cross-sectional design. Methods: Qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews with people living with dementia in urban Iran (six women and nine men; 60 to 87 years old). Findings: The participants experienced their condition as a state of forgetfulness that was accompanied by losses and dependency on others. They wanted to feel good about themselves and feel important, but they continually struggled with matters such as a loss of accountability, feelings of futility, and the frustration of others. Economic dependency and a lack of economic resources were sources of feelings of futility. Conclusion: Experiences of living with dementia in Iran included a substantial struggle to stay connected to the social world and to deal with dramatic life changes, aspects of living with dementia that seem to be universal. However, the feelings of financial burden and the experience of being nagged for their shortfalls by family members have seldom been described in other studies and seem to represent a cultural aspect of their experience. Relevance to clinical practice: The results of the study call for further nursing efforts in supporting people living with dementia in their struggle with their altered lives and in retaining their connections to everyday life. Furthermore, their family members might benefit of specific nursing interventions including information about dementia and advice on how to help the family members with dementia to interact with others while exercising their individual strengths

Impact of Screencast Technology: Connecting the Perception of Usefulness and the Reality of Performance

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95369/1/j.2168-9830.2012.tb01126.x.pd

Message in a Bottle -- An Update to the Golden Record

Communication is an essential asset enabling humankind to forge an advanced civilization. Using approximately 31,000 languages from the Stone Age to our present digital information society, humans have connected and collaborated to accomplish remarkable feats. As the newly dawned Space Age progresses, we are attempting to communicate with intelligent species beyond our world, on distant planets and in Earth's far future. Absent mutually understood signs, symbols, and semiotic conventions, this study, the "Message in a Bottle", uses scientific methods to assess and design a means of communication encapsulating the story of humanity, conveying our thoughts, emotions, ingenuity, and aspirations. The message will be structured to provide a universal yet contextual understanding of modern human society, evolution of life on Earth, and challenges for the future. In assembling this space and time capsule, we aim to energize and unite current generations to celebrate and preserve humanity

Snapshots of Coastal Ecology Using Multiproxy Analysis Reveals Insights Into the Preservation of Swamp and Marsh Environments Since the Late Pleistocene

The southeastern United States Coastal Plain ecosystem contains baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) swamps and grass-dominated marshes. These ecosystems also occurred on the exposed continental shelf during lower sea levels but are rarely preserved due to the mechanically erosive nature of transgression and regression. Two presently marine sites on the northeastern Gulf of Mexico\u27s continental shelf contain well-preserved woody terrestrial sediments that were the subject of previous studies. This study continues the investigation using geochemical (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S) and palynological characteristics of these formerly terrestrial sediments to determine if swamps and/or marshes existed at the time of deposition. The first site is located ∼20 km southeast of Horn Island, Mississippi (MS) and the core has terrestrial sediments radiocarbon dated to 11,066–10,228 (2σ) calibrated years BP (early Holocene). The second site is the “Alabama Underwater Forest” located ∼13 km south of Gulf Shores, Alabama (AL) and the cores have terrestrial sediments optically stimulated luminescence dated to 63 ka (±10 ka, 2σ) to 72 ka (±16 ka, 2σ) (late Pleistocene). Geochemical results for the MS sediments indicate a swamp-to-freshwater marsh transitional series, whereas the AL sediments indicate a swamp-to-saltwater marsh transitional series, both supported by palynological results. Further exploration of the geochemical results using linear discriminant analysis, trained with published geochemical data, supports the swamp and marsh interpretations. We conclude that the near-pristine preservation of these woody deposits is not solely due to physical mechanisms, such as rapid burial, but is also coupled with anoxia- and euxinia-driven biogeochemical reactions promoting wood and woody debris preservation in swamp and marsh environments

The interrupted learner: How distractions during live and video lectures influence learning outcomes

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144697/1/ase1754_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144697/2/ase1754.pd