Search results for "Open"

2020

In midlife, women experience hormonal changes due to menopausal transition. A decrease especially in estradiol has been hypothesized to cause loss of muscle mass. This study investigated the effect of menopausal transition on changes in lean and muscle mass, from the total body to the muscle fiber level, among 47–55-year-old women. Data were used from the Estrogenic Regulation of Muscle Apoptosis (ERMA) study, where 234 women were followed from perimenopause to early postmenopause. Hormone levels (estradiol and follicle stimulating hormone), total and regional body composition (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and computed tomography (CT) scans), physical activity level (self-reported…

Trade, financial openness and dual banking economies: Evidence from GCC Region

2021

Abstract The recent wave of liberalization in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has opened up a debate on the role of Islamic finance in the financial development of an economy. Using a comprehensive dataset of 43 Islamic and 49 conventional banks for the period 2007–2015, in this paper, we investigate the impact of trade and financial openness on financial development in the GCC region. We find that trade and financial openness have a positive effect on the profitability of both banking systems, while the interaction term of openness is negative for the profitability of Islamic banks. Moreover, trade and financial openness affect Islamic banks differently than conventional banks. No…

Constructing Nonagency at the Beginning of Psychotherapy : The 10DT model

2018

This study examined how nine clients discursively constructed non-agency in their first session of individual psychotherapy. With open reading and linguistic analysis of the transcribed first sessions, combined with theory-based considerations, we created a model of discursive means for ascribing agentic and non-agentic positions, the 10 Discursive Tools model (10DT). There was large variability in how the tools functioned to create the impression of problematic agency, and the clients could not be classified according to their tool use patterns. The study shows the potential of the 10DT model for the detailed examination of presentations of “not-being-able” produced by psychotherapy client…

2017

The analysis of open-minded attitudes towards sexuality in general requires a construct based on attitudinal dimensions. Although several existing studies involve sexual attitudes, they differ substantially and standardized conceptual work is missing. Thus, the authors introduce the latent variable sexual openness to develop a construct based on self-oriented attitudes towards different sexual topics. Available survey data of female German students in a steady relationship allowed providing a first empirical test for the applicability of this construct. Five subdimensions are acknowledged central for sexual openness: sexual practices, masturbation, bisexuality, permissiveness, and pornograp…

Examining the relationship between public speaking anxiety, distress tolerance and psychological flexibility

2020

Public speaking is an important skill for university students to learn and practice as they progress through education and into their careers. However, individuals often avoid facing public speaking, as they lack the skills to cope with the anxiety that arises when speaking in front of others. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between public speaking anxiety, distress tolerance, and psychological flexibility. A sample of 95 college students completed psychological flexibility measures and self-ratings of public speaking anxiety before and after a public speaking challenge. A behavioral index of public speaking distress tolerance (i.e., speech duration) was also recorde…

How do people talk decades later about their crisis that we call psychosis? : A qualitative study of the personal meaning-making process

2019

Psychosis refers to a severe mental state that often significantly affects the individual’s life course. However, it remains unclear how people with the lived experiences themselves view these phenomena, as part of their life story. In order to evaluate this personal meaning-making process, we conducted in-depth life-story interviews with 20 people who had been diagnosed with non-affective psychosis 10 to 23 years previously in one catchment area. 35% of them were still receiving mental health treatment, and 55% of them were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Only a minority named their experiences as psychosis. On the basis of narrative analysis, two types of stories appeared to encompass how m…

Do Dr. Google and Health Apps Have (Comparable) Side Effects? An Experimental Study

2020

Googling and using apps for health-related information are highly prevalent worldwide. So far, little is known about the emotional, body-related, and behavioral effects of using both Google and health-related apps. In our experimental study, bodily symptoms were first provoked by a standardized hyperventilation test. A total of 147 participants (96.6% students) were then randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Googling for the causes of the currently experienced bodily symptoms, using a medical app to diagnose the experienced symptoms, and a waiting control condition. Health-related Internet use for symptoms led to stronger negative affect, increased health anxiety, and increased nee…

Openness to experience as a predictor of L2 WTC

2018

Abstract This paper aims to provide empirical evidence for the relationship between openness to experience and L2 willingness to communicate (WTC). The study posits that openness as a personality dimension may have a dual effect—both direct and indirect—on one's L2 WTC levels. First, openness directly influences L2 WTC through its stable character, shaping one's cognition, affect and behaviour. Also, it has a possible dual indirect impact by mediating perceived communicative competence and language anxiety. According to the results of step-wise multiple regression, openness can be regarded a significant predictor of L2 WTC, explaining 21% of its variability. It may be concluded that student…

Semi-automated annotation of page-based documents within the Genre and Multimodality framework

2016

This paper describes ongoing work on a tool developed for annotating document images for their multimodal features and compiling this information into a corpus. The tool leverages open source computer vision and natural language processing libraries to describe the content and structure of multimodal documents and to generate multiple layers of XML annotation. The paper introduces the annotation schema, describes the document processing pipeline and concludes with a brief description of future work.

From face-to-face to blended learning using ICT

2016

This study examines the development of the education model created in connection with the Master Studies in Mathematical Information Technology. The model has developed from the first stage, where there was only face-to-face teaching supported with Learning Management System, to a stage where studying is possible also fully in online and students may choose themselves how much to take advantage of technology in their studies. The examination of the development of the education model is made from the viewpoints of accessibility, increased role of technology and interaction. In earlier studies, the education model has been evaluated for example from the viewpoints of changes in the participat…