bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Seasonal expressions of androgen receptor, estrogen receptors and cytochrome P450 aromatase in the uteri of the wild Daurian ground squirrels (Spermophilus dauricus)
Authors: Wang Yu , Wang Ziyi , Yu Wenyang , Sheng Xia , Zhang Haolin , Han Yingying , Yuan Zhengrong , Weng Qiang
Published: February 2018

The reproductive tissues including the uterus undergo dramatic changes in seasonal breeders from the breeding to non-breeding seasons. Classically, sex steroid hormones play important roles in the uterine morphology and functions. To clarify the relationship between sex steroid hormones and seasonal changes in the uterine morphology and functions, the wild Daurian ground squirrels (Spermophilus dauricus) were used as seasonal breeder model. And the immunolocalizations and expression levels of androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptors α and β (ERα and ERβ) and cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450arom) were investigated in the uteri of the wild Daurian ground squirrels in the breeding (April) and the non-breeding (June) seasons via immunohistochemistry, Western blot and RT-PCR. Histologically, the uterine weight, the thickness of endometrium and the glandular density were significantly higher in the uteri of the breeding season than those of the non-breeding season. In both seasons, the immunostaining of AR was only presented in stromal cells of the uteri; the positive staining of ERα and ERβ were localized in stromal cells and glandular cells; P450arom was merely immunolocalized in glandular cells. The protein and mRNA expression levels of ERα, ERβ and P450arom were higher in the uteri of the breeding season than those of the non-breeding season; conversely, the expressions of AR were higher in the uteri of the non-breeding season comparing with those of the breeding season in both protein and mRNA levels. The AR: ER ratio in the uteri of the non-breeding season exceeded the AR: ER ratio in the uteri of the breeding season in the wild Daurian ground squirrels. These results suggested that seasonal changes in the expression levels of AR, ERs and P450arom might be correlated with the uterine morphology and histology changes, and estrogen may play an important autocrine/paracrine role in regulating the uterine functions of the wild Daurian ground squirrels.
High Injury Burden in Elite Adolescent Athletes: A 52-Week Prospective Study
Authors: von Rosen Philip , Heijne Annette , Frohm Anna , Fridén Cecilia , Kottorp Anders
Published: February 2018

Context: 

Our understanding of the injury burden in elite adolescent athletes in most sports is limited or unknown because of the lack of prospective, long-term injury studies.

Objective: 

To describe injury patterns in terms of type, location, prevalence and incidence, recurrence, and severity grade; time to first injury; and prevalence of illness in elite adolescent athletes and to compare differences in injury data by sex and sport type.

Design: 

Cohort study.

Setting: 

Fifteen national sports high schools in Sweden.

Patients or Other Participants: 

Participants were 284 elite adolescent athletes (boys = 147, girls = 137; median age = 17 years; 25th–75th percentile range = 16–18 years) competing at a high national level for their age in athletics (track and field), cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, freestyle skiing, handball, orienteering, or ski orienteering.

Main Outcome Measure(s): 

All athletes were monitored weekly over 52 weeks, using a validated online questionnaire to identify injury type, location, prevalence or incidence, and severity grade; time to first injury; and prevalence of illness.

Results: 

Among all athletes, 57.4% reported at least 1 new injury, whereas the 1-year injury prevalence was 91.6%. The overall injury incidence was 4.1/1000 hours of exposure to sport, and every week, on average, 3 of 10 (30.8%) elite adolescent athletes reported being injured. Of all injuries from which athletes recovered, 22.2% (n = 35) resulted in absence from normal training for at least 2 months. Female athletes reported higher (P < .05) average weekly injury prevalence and substantial injury prevalence (injuries leading to a moderate or severe reduction in sport performance or participation or time loss) than male athletes.

Conclusions: 

A considerable number of elite adolescent athletes were injured weekly, resulting in serious consequences for sport participation, training, or performance (or a combination of these). Appropriately designed interventions to prevent knee and foot injuries will target both the greatest number of injuries and the injuries with the most serious consequences in elite adolescent athletes.
Energetic optimization of the chilled water systems operation at hotels
Authors: Montero Laurencio Reineris
Published: February 2018

The hotel exploitation, while continuing to satisfy the customers, needs to decrease the requests of electric power as the principal energy carrier. Solving issues regarding the occupation of a hotel integrally, taking the air conditioning as center of attention, which demands the bigger consumptions of electricity, results in a complex task. To solve this issue, a procedure was implemented to optimize the operation of the water-chilled systems. The procedure integrates an energy model with a strategy of low occupation following energetic criteria based on combinatorial-evolutionary criteria. To classify the information, the formulation of the tasks and the synthesis of the solutions, a methodology of analysis and synthesis of engineering is used. The energetic model considers the variability of the local climatology and the occupation of the selected rooms, and includes: the thermal model of the building obtained by means of artificial neural networks, the hydraulic model and the model of the compression work. These elements allow to find the variable of decision occupation, performing intermediate calculations to obtain the velocity of rotation in the centrifugal pump and the output temperature of the cooler water, minimizing the requirements of electric power in the water-chilled systems. To evaluate the states of the system, a combinatorial optimization is used through the following methods: simple exhaustive, stepped exhaustive or genetic algorithm depending on the quantity of variants of occupation. All calculation tasks and algorithms of the procedure were automated through a computer application.
Estimating precipitation susceptibility in warm marine clouds using multi-sensor aerosol and cloud products from A-Train satellites
Authors: Bai Heming , Gong Cheng , Wang Minghuai , Zhang Zhibo , L'Ecuyer Tristan
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Precipitation susceptibility to aerosol perturbation plays a key role in understanding aerosol–cloud interactions and constraining aerosol indirect effects. However, large discrepancies exist in the previous satellite estimates of precipitation susceptibility. In this paper, multi-sensor aerosol and cloud products, including those from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), CloudSat, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) from June 2006 to April 2011 are analyzed to estimate precipitation frequency susceptibility SPOP, precipitation intensity susceptibility SI, and precipitation rate susceptibility SR in warm marine clouds. We find that SPOP strongly depends on atmospheric stability, with larger values under more stable environments. Our results show that precipitation susceptibility for drizzle (with a −15 dBZ rainfall threshold) is significantly different than that for rain (with a 0 dBZ rainfall threshold). Onset of drizzle is not as readily suppressed in warm clouds as rainfall while precipitation intensity susceptibility is generally smaller for rain than for drizzle. We find that SPOP derived with respect to aerosol index (AI) is about one-third of SPOP derived with respect to cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC). Overall, SPOP demonstrates relatively robust features throughout independent liquid water path (LWP) products and diverse rain products. In contrast, the behaviors of SI and SR are subject to LWP or rain products used to derive them. Recommendations are further made for how to better use these metrics to quantify aerosol–cloud–precipitation interactions in observations and models.
Reconstruction and analysis of erythemal UV radiation time series from Hradec Králové (Czech Republic) over the past 50 years
Authors: Čížková Klára , Láska Kamil , Metelka Ladislav , Staněk Martin
Published: February 2018

Abstract. This paper evaluates the variability of erythemal ultraviolet (EUV) radiation
from Hradec Králové (Czech Republic) in the period 1964–2013. The
EUV radiation time series was reconstructed using a radiative transfer model
and additional empirical relationships, with the final root mean square error
of 9.9 %. The reconstructed time series documented the increase in EUV
radiation doses in the 1980s and the 1990s (up to 15 % per decade), which
was linked to the steep decline in total ozone (10 % per decade). The
changes in cloud cover were the major factor affecting the EUV radiation
doses especially in the 1960s, 1970s, and at the beginning of the new
millennium. The mean annual EUV radiation doses in the decade 2004–2013
declined by 5 %. The factors affecting the EUV radiation doses differed
also according to the chosen integration period (daily, monthly, and
annually): solar zenith angle was the most important for daily doses, cloud
cover, and surface UV albedo for their monthly means, and the annual means of
EUV radiation doses were most influenced by total ozone column. The number of
days with very high EUV radiation doses increased by 22 % per decade, the
increase was statistically significant in all seasons except autumn. The
occurrence of the days with very high EUV doses was influenced mostly by low
total ozone column (82 % of days), clear-sky or partly cloudy conditions
(74 % of days) and by increased surface albedo (19 % of days). The
principal component analysis documented that the occurrence of days with very
high EUV radiation doses was much affected by the positive phase of North
Atlantic Oscillation with an Azores High promontory reaching over central
Europe. In the stratosphere, a strong Arctic circumpolar vortex and the
meridional inflow of ozone-poor air from the southwest were favorable for
the occurrence of days with very high EUV radiation doses. This is the first
analysis of the relationship between the high EUV radiation doses and
macroscale circulation patterns, and therefore more attention should be
given also to other dynamical variables that may affect the solar UV
radiation on the Earth surface.
Age and gravitational separation of the stratospheric air over Indonesia
Authors: Sugawara Satoshi , Ishidoya Shigeyuki , Aoki Shuji , Morimoto Shinji , Nakazawa Takakiyo , Toyoda Sakae , Inai Yoichi , Hasebe Fumio , Ikeda Chusaku , Honda Hideyuki , Goto Daisuke , Putri Fanny A.
Published: February 2018

Abstract. The gravitational
separation of major atmospheric components, in addition to the age of air,
would provide additional useful information about stratospheric circulation.
However, observations of the age of air and gravitational separation are
still geographically sparse, especially in the tropics. In order to address
this issue, air samples were collected over Biak, Indonesia in February 2015
using four large plastic balloons, each loaded with two compact cryogenic
samplers. With a vertical resolution of better than 2 km, air samples from
seven different altitudes were analyzed for CO2 and SF6 mole
fractions, δ15N of N2, δ18O of O2, and δ(Ar∕N2) to examine the vertically dependent age and
gravitational separation of air in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) and
the equatorial stratosphere. By comparing their measured mole fractions with
aircraft observations in the upper tropical troposphere, we have found that
CO2 and SF6 ages increase gradually with increasing altitude from
the TTL to 22 km, and then rapidly from there up to 29 km. The CO2 and
SF6 ages agree well with each other in the TTL and in the lower
stratosphere, but show a significant difference above 24 km. The average
values of δ15N of N2, δ18O of O2, and δ(Ar∕N2) all show a small but distinct upward decrease due to the
gravitational separation effect. Simulations with a two-dimensional
atmospheric transport model indicate that the gravitational separation effect
decreases as tropical upwelling is enhanced. From the model calculations with
enhanced eddy mixing, it is also found that the upward increase in air age is
magnified by horizontal mixing. These model simulations also show that the
gravitational separation effect remains relatively constant in the lower
stratosphere. The results of this study strongly suggest that the
gravitational separation, combined with the age of air, can be used to
diagnose air transport processes in the stratosphere.
The high sensitivity of SMOS L-Band vegetation optical depth to biomass
Authors: Rodríguez-Fernández Nemesio J. , Mialon Arnaud , Mermoz Stephane , Bouvet Alexandre , Richaume Philippe , Al Bitar Ahmad , Al-Yaari Amen , Brandt Martin , Kaminski Thomas , Le Toan Thuy , Kerr Yann H. , Wigneron Jean-Pierre
Published: February 2018

Abstract. The vegetation optical depth (VOD) measured at microwave frequencies is related to the vegetation water content and provides information complementary to visible/infra-red vegetation indices. This study is devoted to the characterisation of a new VOD data set obtained from SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) satellite observations at L-band (1.4 GHz). Three different SMOS L-band VOD (L-VOD) data sets (SMOS Level 2, Level 3 and SMOS-IC) were compared with data sets on tree height, visible/infra-red indexes (NDVI, EVI), cumulated precipitation, and above ground biomass (AGB) for the African continent. For all relationships, SMOS-IC showed the lowest dispersion and highest correlation. Overall, we found a strong (R > 0.85) correlation with no clear sign of saturation between L-VOD and four AGB data sets. The relationship linking L-VOD to tree height (R = 0.87) and Baccini's AGB (R = 0.94) was strong and linear. The relationships between L-VOD and three other AGB data sets were linear per land cover class, but with a changing slope depending on the land cover type. For low vegetation classes, the annual mean of L-VOD spans a range from 0 to 0.7 and it is linearly correlation with the amount of the average annual precipitations. SMOS L-VOD showed a higher sensitivity to AGB as compared to NDVI and K/X/C-VOD (VOD measured, respectively, at 19, 10.7, and 6.9 GHz). The results showed that although the spatial resolution of L-VOD is coarse (~ 40 km), the high temporal frequency and sensitivity to AGB makes SMOS L-VOD a very promising index for large scale monitoring of the vegetation status, in particular biomass.
Dynamically coupling Full Stokes and Shallow Shelf Approximation
for marine ice sheet flow using Elmer/Ice (v8.3)
Authors: van Dongen Eef C. H. , Kirchner Nina , van Gijzen Martin B. , van de Wal Roderik S. W. , Zwinger Thomas , Cheng Gong , Lötstedt Per , von Sydow Lina
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Ice flow forced by gravity is governed by the Full Stokes (FS) equations, which are computationally expensive to solve due to their non-linearity introduced by the rheology. Therefore, approximations to the FS equations are used, especially when modelling an ice sheet complex (ice sheet, ice shelf and/or ice stream) on the order of 1000 years or longer. The Shallow Ice Approximation (SIA) and Shallow Shelf Approximation (SSA) are commonly used but are accurate only in certain parts of an ice sheet. Here, we report on a novel way of iteratively coupling FS and SSA that has been implemented in Elmer/Ice and applied to conceptual marine ice sheets. The FS-SSA coupling appears to be very accurate; the relative error in velocity compared to FS is below 0.5 % for diagnostic and below 5 % for prognostic runs. Results for grounding line dynamics obtained with the FS-SSA coupling are similar to results obtained from a FS model in an experiment with a periodical temperature forcing over 3000 years inducing grounding line advance and retreat. The rapid convergence of the FS-SSA coupling shows a large potential in reducing computation time, such that modelling an ice sheet complex for thousands of years should become feasible in the near future. Despite inefficient matrix assembly in the current implementation, computation time is reduced significantly, i.e. by 32 %, when the coupling is applied to a 3D ice shelf. In the future, the FS-SSA coupling can be extended to include a SIA-FS coupling of ISCAL (Ice Sheet Coupled Approximation Level)-type.
Effects of microarrangement of solid particles on PCE migration and its remediation in porous media
Authors: Wu Ming , Wu Jianfeng , Wu Jichun , Hu Bill X.
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Groundwater can be stored abundantly in granula-composed aquifers with high
permeability. The microstructure of granular materials has important effect
on the permeability of aquifers and the contaminant migration and remediation
in aquifers is also influenced by the characteristics of porous media. In
this study, two different microscale arrangements of sand particles are
compared to reveal the effects of microstructure on the contaminant migration
and remediation. With the help of fractal theory, the mathematical
expressions of permeability and entry pressure are conducted to delineate
granular materials with regular triangle arrangement (RTA) and square pitch
arrangement (SPA) at microscale. Using a sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS)
method, a synthetic heterogeneous site contaminated by perchloroethylene
(PCE) is then used to investigate the migration and remediation affected by
the two different microscale arrangements. PCE is released from an
underground storage tank into the aquifer and the surfactant is used to clean
up the subsurface contamination. Results suggest that RTA can not only cause
more groundwater contamination, but also make remediation become more
difficult. The PCE remediation efficiency of 60.01–99.78 % with a mean
of 92.52 and 65.53–99.74 % with a mean of 95.83 % is achieved for
200 individual heterogeneous realizations based on the RTA and SPA,
respectively, indicating that the cleanup of PCE in aquifer with SPA is
significantly easier. This study leads to a new understanding of the
microstructures of porous media and demonstrates how microscale arrangements
control contaminant migration in aquifers, which is helpful to design
successful remediation scheme for underground storage tank spill.
Climate change alters low flows in Europe under global warming of 1.5, 2, and 3 °C
Authors: Marx Andreas , Kumar Rohini , Thober Stephan , Rakovec Oldrich , Wanders Niko , Zink Matthias , Wood Eric F. , Pan Ming , Sheffield Justin , Samaniego Luis
Published: February 2018

Abstract. There is growing evidence that climate change will alter water availability in Europe. Here, we investigate how hydrological low flows are affected under different levels of future global warming (i.e. 1.5, 2, and 3 K with respect to the pre-industrial period) in rivers with a contributing area of more than 1000 km2. The analysis is based on a multi-model ensemble of 45 hydrological simulations based on three representative concentration pathways (RCP2.6, RCP6.0, RCP8.5), five Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) general circulation models (GCMs: GFDL-ESM2M, HadGEM2-ES, IPSL-CM5A-LR, MIROC-ESM-CHEM, NorESM1-M) and three state-of-the-art hydrological models (HMs: mHM, Noah-MP, and PCR-GLOBWB). High-resolution model results are available at a spatial resolution of 5 km across the pan-European domain at a daily temporal resolution. Low river flow is described as the percentile of daily streamflow that is exceeded 90 % of the time. It is determined separately for each GCM/HM combination and warming scenario. The results show that the low-flow change signal amplifies with increasing warming levels. Low flows decrease in the Mediterranean region, while they increase in the Alpine and Northern regions. In the Mediterranean, the level of warming amplifies the signal from −12 % under 1.5 K, compared to the baseline period 1971–2000, to −35 % under global warming of 3 K, largely due to the projected decreases in annual precipitation. In contrast, the signal is amplified from +22 (1.5 K) to +45 % (3 K) in the Alpine region due to changes in snow accumulation. The changes in low flows are significant for regions with relatively large change signals and under higher levels of warming. However, it is not possible to distinguish climate-induced differences in low flows between 1.5 and 2 K warming because of (1) the large inter-annual variability which prevents distinguishing statistical estimates of period-averaged changes for a given GCM/HM combination, and (2) the uncertainty in the multi-model ensemble expressed by the signal-to-noise ratio. The contribution by the GCMs to the uncertainty in the model results is generally higher than the one by the HMs. However, the uncertainty due to HMs cannot be neglected. In the Alpine, Northern, and Mediterranean regions, the uncertainty contribution by the HMs is partly higher than those by the GCMs due to different representations of processes such as snow, soil moisture and evapotranspiration. Based on the analysis results, it is recommended (1) to use multiple HMs in climate impact studies and (2) to embrace uncertainty information on the multi-model ensemble as well as its single members in the adaptation process.
Near-real-time adjusted reanalysis forcing data for hydrology
Authors: Berg Peter , Donnelly Chantal , Gustafsson David
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Extending climatological forcing data to current and real-time forcing is a
necessary task for hydrological forecasting. While such data are often
readily available nationally, it is harder to find fit-for-purpose global
data sets that span long climatological periods through to near-real time.
Hydrological simulations are generally sensitive to bias in the
meteorological forcing data, especially relative to the data used for the
calibration of the model. The lack of high-quality daily resolution data on a
global scale has previously been solved by adjusting reanalysis data with
global gridded observations. However, existing data sets of this type have
been produced for a fixed past time period determined by the main global
observational data sets. Long delays between updates of these data sets
leaves a data gap between the present day and the end of the data set.
Further, hydrological forecasts require initializations of the current state
of the snow, soil and lake (and sometimes river) storage. This is normally
conceived by forcing the model with observed meteorological conditions for an
extended spin-up period, typically at a daily time step, to calculate the
initial state. Here, we present and evaluate a method named HydroGFD
(Hydrological Global Forcing Data) to combine different data sets in order to
produce near-real-time updated hydrological forcing data of temperature and
precipitation that are compatible with the products covering the
climatological period. HydroGFD resembles the already established WFDEI (WATCH Forcing Data–ERA-Interim)
method (Weedon et al., 2014) closely but uses updated climatological
observations, and for the near-real time it uses interim products that apply
similar methods. This allows HydroGFD to produce updated forcing data
including the previous calendar month around the 10th of each month. We
present the HydroGFD method and therewith produced data sets, which are
evaluated against global data sets, as well as with hydrological simulations
with the HYPE (Hydrological Predictions for the Environment) model over Europe and the Arctic regions. We show that HydroGFD
performs similarly to WFDEI and that the updated period significantly reduces
the bias of the reanalysis data. For real-time updates until the current day,
extending HydroGFD with operational meteorological forecasts, a large drift
is present in the hydrological simulations due to the bias of the
meteorological forecasting model.
Natural hazard events affecting transportation networks in Switzerland from 2012 to 2016
Authors: Voumard Jérémie , Derron Marc-Henri , Jaboyedoff Michel
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Switzerland is a country threatened by a lot of natural hazards. Many events occur in built environment, affecting infrastructures, buildings or transportation networks and producing occasionally expensive damages. This is the reason why large landslides are generally well studied and monitored in Switzerland to reduce the financial and human risks. However, we have noticed a lack of data on small events which have impacted roads and railways these last years. Therefore, we have collected all the reported natural hazard events which have affected the Swiss transportation networks since 2012 in a database. More than 800 events affecting roads and railways have been recorded in five years from 2012 to 2016. These events are classified into six classes: earth flow, debris flow, rockfall, flood, snow avalanche and others. Data come from Swiss online press articles sorted by Google Alerts. The search is based on more than thirty keywords, in three languages (Italian, French, German). After verifying that the article relates indeed an event which has affected a road or a railways track, it is studied in detail. We get finally information on about sixty attributes by event about event date, event type, event localisation, meteorological conditions as well as impacts and damages on the track and human damages. From this database, many trends over the five years of data collection can be outlined: in particular, the spatial and temporal distributions of the events, as well as their consequences in term of traffic (closure duration, deviation, etc.). Even if the database is imperfect because of it was built and because of the short time period considered, it highlights the not negligible impact of small natural hazard events on roads and railways in Switzerland at a national level. This database helps to better understand and quantify this type of events and to better integrate them in risk assessment.
Assessing Second Impact Syndrome Concussions in Junior Hockey Utilizing the QEEG
Authors: Donaldson Stuart , Donaldson Mary , Kaluzny Kayla
Published: February 2018

The use of the quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) in assisting the trainer to assess the impact of a second concussion to previously concussed players is studied. Four case studies are presented, illustrating the use of this technique and its value.
Posture and Mood: Implications and Applications to Therapy
Authors: Peper Erik , Lin I-Mei , Harvey Richard
Published: February 2018

Slouched posture is very common and tends to increase access to helpless, hopeless, powerless, and depressive thoughts as well as increased head, neck, and shoulder pain. Described are six educational and clinical strategies that therapists can incorporate in their practice to encourage an upright/erect posture. These include practices to experience the negative effects of a collapsed posture as compared to an erect posture, watching YouTube video to enhance motivation, electromyography to demonstrate the effect of posture on muscle activity, ergonomic suggestions to optimize posture, the use of a wearable posture biofeedback device, and strategies to keep looking upward. When clients implement these changes, they report a more positive outlook and reduced neck and shoulder discomfort.
Diversity and Cultural Competence in Health Care Settings: The Merits of Unbiased Multicultural Observation in Clinical and Research Context
Authors: Mairs-Levy Judith-Jolie
Published: February 2018

Originally published March 1, 2016, at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/diversity-cultural-competence-health-care-settings-dr-judith-jolie/. Reprinted with permission.
The Power of Gestalt Therapy in Accessing the Transpersonal: Working with Physical Difference and Disability
Authors: Bowman Deborah, , Leakey Tricia A.,
Published: February 2018

Gestalt therapy is a powerful tool for accessing transpersonal domains. Three Gestalt experiments are described that took place in a year-long class at Naropa University. For each of these sessions, Deborah was the teacher/facilitator and Trish was the student/client. These Gestalt experiments are presented as demonstrations of: (1) Gestalt theory in action, (2) the applicability of Gestalt therapy with special populations, and (3) ways in which Gestalt practice can lead to spiritual unfolding. We demonstrate how Gestalt is used as a transformative approach in working through issues of physical difference, including hearing impairment, that are central to the person and sensory in nature.
Group as Teacher: The Gestalt-informed Peer Learning Community as a Transpersonal Vehicle for Organizational Healing
Authors: Barber Paul,
Published: February 2018

After reviewing Gestalt's parity with Zen and Taoism, this paper illuminates the evolution of the Gestalt-informed peer learning community's emergence out of the tradition of Therapeutic Community Practice (Main, 1946), before exploring the potential of the same to engender development and healing. Parallel to this review of organizational renewal is a case study of change in a university setting, and the fostering of a peer learning community in an established charismatic organization. Within the body of the text, four qualitative research methods are integrated; an analysis of organizational culture is performed through the application of a diagnostic tool derived from the Gestalt's contact-withdrawal cycle (Critchley & Casey, 1989); community dynamics are assessed via field analysis (Lewin, 1952; Parlett, 1993); action research (Lewin, 1947) is used to collaboratively inquire into the success of the Gestalt-informed peer learning community through the voices of its participants; and a case study approach is employed to illuminate the day-to-day drama of facilitating cultural change within a resistive commercial setting. Last, the author illuminates learning he has accrued as a change agent and offers insights to help others who may wish to establish similar peer learning communities in a commercial setting.
Countertransference, Dialogue, and Gestalt Therapy
Authors: Thomas Barbara Y.,
Published: February 2018

An outgrowth of Freud's conception of transference, countertransference was originally viewed as a disruptive force in psychotherapy, one which interfered with the therapist's professional neutrality and objectivity. However, in Gestalt therapy theory and practice, the therapist's subjectivity is viewed as an inevitable and natural dimension of the therapeutic process. A conceptualization of countertransference that presupposes the subjective presence of the therapist to be an inherent obstacle to be overcome is incompatible with Gestalt theory and practice. Yet, we must acknowledge that, at times, some thoughts, feelings, and behavior growing out of the therapist's subjective experience do indeed have the potential to damage the therapeutic relationship and process. This article offers, as an alternative to traditional concepts of countertransference, one based on a dialogical approach to psychotherapy. Such an approach can serve as a useful model to assist the therapist in sustaining successful therapist-client dialogues within the framework of Gestalt therapy theory and practice.
The Myth of Closure
Authors: Melnick Joseph, , Roos Susan,
Published: February 2018

Since the traumatic events of September 11, 2001, the concept of closure in dealing with grief and loss has received increased attention. In this article, we challenge the popular belief that a lack of completion forms the core of neurosis resulting in a decreased ability to live a lively present-centered life. We begin by reviewing prevalent, traditional, linear models and approaches to human suffering and grief. We then provide reasons for doubting the utility of linear models that are related to constructs of closure, describe emerging non-linear paradigms for grief and loss, and emphasize the evolving Gestalt perspective. Finally, we discuss benefits of non-closure and end with a vignette illustrating our belief that closure does not occur for significant loss and that there are advantages of non-closure during a lifetime.
Enriched Awareness and Fuller Citizenship
Authors: Lichtenberg Philip,
Published: February 2018

George Bush and Tony Blair, following historical precedent, mobilized the citizens of their countries for the invasion of Iraq by emphasizing the threat to their societies posed by Iraqi leaders. This essay explores from a Gestalt therapy perspective why many citizens are ready to accept or accommodate this common leadership strategy. It focuses on a special understanding of the ingredients of awareness in everyday life. In times of uncertainty about being safe, cultural leaders emphasize strength and power, and downgrade or scorn vulnerability and weakness. Citizens either hide or lose touch with significant contributions to their awareness from their bodies and past unfinished business. Recapturing a sense of vulnerability personally and socially, without being manipulative when revealing that sense, revitalizes one's capacity to be influential as well as more secure in an uncertain world. Support in social discourse is a vital necessity.
Contact and the Phenomena of Autism
Authors: Audet Lisa R., , Shub Norman,
Published: February 2018

Children with autism demonstrate significant and lifelong difficulties understanding and communicating emotional content. Their ability to establish mutually satisfying relationships is often severely impaired. Although numerous methods have been developed to address the social–communicative aspects of this neurological impairment, few methods have been developed that assist the child with autism in making contact with his/her world and thus establish a foundation through which relationships can be developed. Gestalt therapy provides a rich context in which the child can explore and develop his/her emotional base. This paper examines the application of Gestalt therapy to the treatment of children with autism.
Trifocal Vision:A Practical Field Perspective on Organizations for Managers and Consultants
Authors: Gaffney Seán, , Jensen Ivan,
Published: February 2018

This paper aspires to present a contemporaneous view of “Gestalt at work” in organizations. It offers a number of assertions and proposals concerning the perceptions of executive management and/or consultants with the intention of informing evaluation and assessment practice from a Gestalt perspective within organizations. We are proposing three polishings of the lenses used in viewing organizations, allowing for a choice of perceptions—and/or all three. We call them: (1) levels of complexity, (2) domains of causality, and (3) aspects of organization. Since the emphasis is on informing practice, our assertions and proposals are anchored in a sound theoretical base that will serve as ground rather than figure for the article. Vignettes of actual organizational issues from the authors' practices are included as mini-cases to which the thinking presented can be applied.
Commentary II: The Age of Complexity: Paul Goodman in the 21st Century—A Critical Assessment: Love and the Autonomous Self
Authors: Stoehr Taylor,
Published: February 2018

As Gordon Wheeler's essay argues, Paul Goodman's analysis of the self as a manifestation of the organism/environment contact boundary bypasses many traditional dualisms, such as self/other or subject/object. This comment on Wheeler's article explores Goodman's personal experience of one such dualism, the “autonomous self” and the “lover”—revealing some ways in which he suffered from both ego and Eros in his own life, and ways in which he tried to transcend their constraints.
When Poor is Rich: Transformative Power of I-Thou Relationships in a Brazilian Favela
Authors: Neville Mary Grace,
Published: February 2018

This article explores an economically poor group of people who create relational wealth for themselves as they learn to live at the boundary of rich human contact. The community's story, and the stories of individuals within the community, demonstrate the ways that our conventional notions of wealth (i.e., money and societal power) can be shifted fundamentally to include concepts of wealth encompassing holistic well being. The ethnographic data for this study is analyzed using a Gestalt theory lens, drawing heavily upon Martin Buber's philosophy of I-It and I-Thou relationships. The author concludes by suggesting that this essential notion of fostering humanness holds potential for transformation and social change.
The Cycle of Experience Re-Cycled: Then, Now ... Next?
Authors: Gaffney Seán,
Published: February 2018

This article presents a contemporary version of the Cycle of Experience, grounded in the context of its history and development, and explicitly adding considerations of a field perspective. The focus is on the heuristic value of the model as a pedagogical support in the training of Gestalt practitioners in all applications.
Commentary I: The Cycle of Experience Re-Cycled: Then, Now...Next? Let's Go Round Again: Cycle of Experience or Sequence of Contact? Dan Bloom Has Another Go with Seán Gaffney
Authors: Bloom Dan,
Published: February 2018

The distinction between the Cycle of Experience and the sequence of contacting has significant implications. Dan Bloom argues that Seán Gaffney's improvement to it still does not remedy the widespread misimpressions within Gestalt therapy for which the Cycle of Experience has been responsible. Bloom urges that the sequence of contact provides a descriptive and explanatory model, which is more philosophically, psychologically, and historically grounded than the Cycle of Experience. The sequence of contact may be initially more challenging to teach, but it is a more substantial ground for the praxis of Gestalt therapy. Gaffney's re-Cycle incorporates much of the sequence of contact but remains problematic so long as it continues to be linked to the Cycle of Experience.
Commentary II: The Cycle of Experience Re-Cycled: Then, Now ... Next?
Authors: Nevis Edwin C.,
Published: February 2018

This commentary elaborates on the developmental history of the Cycle of Experience, and adds to the narrative of Seán Gaffney. The argument is made, in support of Gaffney's contention, that the Contacting Sequence and the Cycle of Experience describe the same fundamental biological and social process. By indicating the cultural milieu out of which the Cycle emerged and the motivation that supported it, a more robust picture is presented as to how the Cycle variation developed. Modifications over time are discussed, and the commentary ends with a statement of what the author considers a needed next step.
Executive Functions: A Neuropsychological Understanding of Self-Regulation
Authors: Brownell Philip,
Published: February 2018

This article explores self-regulation, a key concept in Gestalt therapy, as a neuropsychological process and a function of the frontal lobes and pre-frontal cortex. More specifically, it defines the executive functions as the higher cognitive capacities that support the processes of self-regulation. It presents emergence as a description of the way in which such higher cognition gives rise to the experience of self, with its higher level of integration, and in which self-regulation exhibits agency and the first-person perspective of subjective experience is identified as one's own.
Developing the Concept of Organismic Need
Authors: Kenofer Bruce
Published: February 2018

The emergence and satisfaction of physiological needs such as hunger or thirst in the service of homeostasis has served as the paradigmatic example for organismic self-regulation within Gestalt therapy theory. It is argued that this metaphor is a poor model of organismic self-regulation; it obscures not only differences between separable processes of homeostatic and equilibrative regulation, but also differences between physiological and psychological needs. This, in turn, has led to the failure to recognize the developmental nature of psychological needs. Kegan's model of self-development is presented as an illustration of a developmentally sensitive approach.
Contempt
Authors: Melnick Joseph , Nevis Sonia March
Published: February 2018

A perusal of any newspaper will generate many stories of escalating violence–physical, psychological, and emotional–across a wide range of relationships. These include violence towards one's self; within marriages and families; and between religious groups, political parties, and countries. In this article, we hypothesize that the concept of contempt can shed light on how these destructive thoughts, feelings, and actions get generated and maintained. After first describing its origins and defining it, we will discuss how to work with contempt on many levels of system.
Calling for a Gestalt Developmental Perspective
Authors: Kalaitzi Elpida
Published: February 2018

The aim of this paper is to address the need for a developmental theory in Gestalt therapy, and to discuss whether a Gestalt developmental perspective is possible (Part I). For this purpose, Gordon Wheeler's suggestion for a whole-field developmental model will be reviewed. In the second part of the paper, some basic concepts of Self psychology and Intersubjective systems theory (Intersubjectivity theory) will be presented to show how they bear similarity with Gestalt therapy theory. More specifically, the developmental ideas of these theories, and their possible contribution to the formation of a Gestalt developmental theory, will be presented. The third part will describe what a development-oriented Gestalt approach would entail.
C'mon Now, Let's Get Serious about Research
Authors: Brownell Philip
Published: February 2018

This article considers a contemporary philosophy of science as a product of naturalism, critical realism, and postpositivism. This contemporary philosophy of science undergirds the selection of methods for ascertaining and developing evidence to support an evidence-based practice. The article provides a description of the steps one might make in constructing one's own evidence-based practice. It also offers a contrast between the views of some prominent Gestalt therapists and the pro-research oriented perspective.
A Pragmatic Perspective on the Gestalt Therapy Experience
Authors: Beja Vincent
Published: February 2018

The author develops a pragmatic perspective on the therapeutic experience, in particular from the therapist's perspective, and this is done in two essential realms. He suggests, on the one hand, that the therapist's aim with the client might be to teach “attentive gestures” that allow the progress of the process of awareness. On the other hand, by putting cooperative action in the center of the transformation process, he emphasizes that being a Gestaltist “is constantly and patiently to establish the conditions of intense cooperation, and remain open to the opportunity of a joint and continual investigation on hazards inherent in this cooperation.”
Gestalt Approaches to Gender Identity Issues: A Case Study of a Transgender Therapy Group in Oslo
Authors: Kolmannskog Vikram
Published: February 2018

This paper is based on a case study of a transgender therapy group I facilitated in Oslo in January and February 2013. The two interlinked research questions are: How can a Gestalt therapist approach gender identity issues and transgender people in particular? What are the important experiences and changes that transgender people report from a Gestalt-inspired group? The case study particularly highlights the importance of phenomenology, polarities, and certain modes of contact, and it illustrates the practice of the former in three case descriptions and discussions. The paper concludes that Gestalt can work as a transpositive approach in accordance with a new paradigm within transgender health, the “Transgender Model.” In addition to working with transgender clients, Gestalt therapists should also address gender identity issues within the larger social field, including norms and polarities on group and societal levels.
Goals and the Borderline Client: A Gestalt Therapy Approach
Authors: Greenberg Elinor
Published: February 2018

Clients who have made Borderline Personality Adaptations often find it difficult to identify and reach personally meaningful goals. In this paper, Greenberg describes a simple method that these clients can utilize as a general template to identify realistic steps toward their goals and anticipate and overcome obstacles. A major problem these clients encounter is that their goals may quickly become part of the unseen ground of their experience as other compelling feelings, desires, and needs become foregrounded. Greenberg describes and demonstrates how to use the Gestalt principle of figure/ground formation to help these clients. Detailed clinical examples that demonstrate how to use this method are given, commonly encountered problems are discussed, and possible solutions are suggested.
Growing up with Paul Goodman: Reflections on His Life and Work
Authors: Goodman Susan E. , Wimmer Beatrix , Amendt-Lyon Nancy , Blankertz Stefan , Weichselbraun Andreas
Published: February 2018

In this interview Susan Goodman, psychologist daughter of Paul Goodman, draws a personal picture of her relationship with her father, his ideas, and his legacy both inside and outside of Gestalt therapy. She provides us with a fascinating, first-hand insight into the cultural, social, and political life in the USA of the forties, fifties, and sixties to which the Goodman family substantially contributed. This intimate portrait of Goodman and his time gives us the opportunity to reassess some of the stereotypes about Paul Goodman.
Racial Identity Resolution Process: A Gestalt Perspective
Authors: Plummer Deborah L. , Fernbacher Sabin
Published: February 2018

This article explores the construct of use-of-self as it relates to racial identity resolution: a developmental process that occurs for everyone, and a process characterized by the psychological connection we have with our race. Living in an increasingly multiracial society, achieving healthy racial identity resolution, and understanding ourselves as racial beings, is complex. Gestalt principles offer a framework for broadening our ways of knowing beyond provincial thinking, in support of a healthy racial identity resolution and insights for effectively navigating a multiracial society. As we interact in our environment and work toward healthy racial identity, we become increasingly susceptible to biases and stereotypes. Thus, this article explores further the concept of unconscious bias and, informed by Gestalt principles, how we might move from unconscious bias to unconscious awareness.

Achieving healthy identity development resolution and managing unconscious bias require awareness of both self and environment. Gestalt principles provide insight into these processes and into use of self-as-a-tool toward effectively leveraging differences —our own and those of others—in an increasingly multiracial society.
Reflections on Coaching: The Application of Gestalt Principles and Positive Psychology to Transition Coaching
Authors: Morin Jamie
Published: February 2018

The rapid growth of the coaching profession has outpaced the development of sound theory and a scientific foundation to anchor it as a psychological discipline. In this paper, which uses transition coaching as a focal point, both Gestalt theory and principles and positive psychology are examined as potential theoretical and scientific bases for the practice of coaching. The author concludes that, though Gestalt theory is an intuitive and useful framework for coaching, particularly when applied in conjunction with models of transition such as Hudson's (1999) model of adult experience of change, its evidence base is lacking. Positive psychology, with a growing body of empirical research on the nature and mechanisms of human thriving, provides a more robust scientific base from which to anchor the profession of coaching.