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This is an introduction to selections from Laila Annmarie Stevens's photographic series "A House Is Not a Home." The introduction discusses the impetus behind Stevens's photographs, the role of natural light in Stevens's work, and the ways in which the series challenges the concept of "home" as being bound up in private property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International mobility experiences such as student exchange can promote identity development and cultural awareness. However, little research has assessed such processes using a master narrative framework. This study explored undergraduate student perspectives on how changing cultural contexts and the associated cultural master narratives influence identity development during university exchange experiences. Twenty interviews were conducted with Australian and U.S. exchange students aged 21-22 years. Thematic analysis identified a process model of master narrative awareness and associated responses incorporating three key elements: contexts of awareness, identity responses, and experiences of self-transformation. A fourth theme highlighted the influence of individual identities as interaction effects in these processes. The findings show that exposure to diverse master narratives during student exchange enhances students' awareness of their own and other master narratives, which supports identity development. The study provides new insights into the ways intercultural experiences shape master narrative awareness and identity in emerging adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Introduction Methods Results Discussion The state of solitude may be desirable and beneficial particularly for individuals who are highly sensitive and introverted.To test these predictions, we surveyed a nationally representative US sample of 301 adults and a sample of 99 undergraduates on their levels of sensory processing sensitivity and assessed introversion with the Big Five Inventory and the multifaceted STAR Introversion Scale. Participants then reported the frequency and duration of their volitional solitude, stress levels, and subjective well‐being across 10 consecutive days.Results revealed that Social Introversion and sensitivity significantly predicted higher motivations for solitude, both self‐determined and not. Thinking Introversion also predicted higher self‐determined solitude, but BFI introversion showed no relationship with either motivation. Social Introversion and sensitivity predicted higher frequency of solitude in daily life and longer duration of solitary episodes; BFI Introversion and Restrained Introversion showed the opposite pattern for both outcomes. Finally, stress was positively associated with daily solitude frequency, and in turn, solitude frequency was negatively associated with same‐day well‐being; there were no interaction effects with personality traits.These findings suggest that introversion, as measured by the STAR Introversion Scale, and sensitivity contribute significantly to solitary motivation; however, solitude appears to be sought after by people in times of stress regardless of their scores on these traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solitude affords adolescents and emerging adults opportunities for mood regulation (Larson, Csikszentmihalyi, & Graef, 1982), identity development (Larson, 1997), and self-reflection (Long & Averill, 2003) as they navigate the task of individuation (Grotevant & Cooper, 1998). The purpose of this study was to develop a short form of the Motivation for Solitude Scale (MSS) (Nicol, 2005); Nicol’s scale draws on Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2002) and distinguishes between self-determined solitude (SDS) (i.e., moving toward the self for creative or reflective purposes) and not-self-determined solitude (NSDS) (i.e., withdrawing from people because of rejection or anxiety). The MSS represents an improvement over the widely used Preference for Solitude Scale (PSS) (Burger, 1995) because the PSS does not differentiate between positive and negative reasons for preferring solitude. Mental health outcomes, such as loneliness, correlated with the PSS may depend on individuals’ motivation for solitude. College students comprised the samples for the first (N = 284) and second wave (N = 266), and adolescents the third wave (N = 176).Consistent with Nicol’s findings, while all subscales of the short-form MSS positively correlated with PSS, only NSDS and PSS correlated negatively with autonomy and positive relations with others, and correlated positively with loneliness. In addition, only PSS and NSDS were negatively associated with identity development and extraversion.These findings provide support for the usefulness of the MSS, which suggests that the motivation to be alone is a key factor in whether the experience of solitude is risky or generative. Solitude is associated with poor mental health outcomes only when it is not self-determined, that is, characterized by a withdrawal from others because of anxiety, discomfort or rejection. Self-determined solitude is not correlated with loneliness.

INTRODUCTION: Motion sickness affecting military pilots and aircrew can impact flight safety and, if severe, can lead to disqualification from flight status. However, due to the common adverse effects of motion sickness pharmaceuticals (e.g., drowsiness), medication options are severely limited. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential utility of a nonpharmaceutical method for motion sickness prevention, specifically an osteopathic manipulative technique (OMT). METHODS: A novel OMT protocol for the reduction of motion sickness symptoms and severity was evaluated using a sham-controlled, counterbalanced, between-subjects study design. The independent variable was OMT treatment administered prior to the motion sickness-inducing procedure (rotating chair). The primary dependent measures were total and subscale scores from the Motion Sickness Assessment Questionnaire. RESULTS: The OMT treatment group experienced significantly fewer gastrointestinal (mean scores postprocedure, treatment M = 20.42, sham M = 41.67) and sopite-related (mean scores postprocedure, treatment M = 12.81, sham M = 20.68) symptoms than the sham group while controlling for motion sickness susceptibility. There were no differences between groups with respect to peripheral and central symptoms. DISCUSSION: The results suggest that the treatment may prevent gastrointestinal (nausea) and sopite-related symptoms (sleepiness). These preliminary findings support further exploration of OMT for the prevention of motion sickness. A more precise evaluation of the mechanism of action is needed. Additionally, the duration of the effects needs to be investigated to determine the usefulness of this technique in training and operational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on solitude in older adulthood is scarce, and findings are mixed on whether time alone at this age is risky or beneficial. A mixed-method study was conducted to examine patterns of motivations for solitude among senior living residents (N = 397, M age = 83) and associations with well-being. Cluster analyses identified four motivational profiles: Low, Positive, Negative, and Dual. Overall, those with Low and Positive motivations for solitude displayed greater levels of well-being on both hedonic (e.g., life satisfaction) and eudaimonic (e.g., personal growth) measures; in particular, the Positive profile showed significantly higher levels of psychological richness. Themes drawn from responses to open-ended survey questions asking about the benefits and challenges of both socializing and being alone are discussed in light of the four motivational profiles, and implications for aging services are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various species of staphylococci are associated with the initial and chronic colonization of mucus gel in the airway. An investigation was conducted to determine the role of calcium in the adhesion of staphylococci to immobilized mucin using a modified radioassay procedure. The results showed that calcium enhances the adhesion of staphylococci to mucin by binding to the sialic acid and sulfate residues of mucin. Furthermore, adhesion to mucin could also be mediated by mucin-binding surface proteins unrelated to calcium.

Reports on a survey conducted to gather information on collection size, staffing, cataloging and classification, organization of serials and audiovisual materials, circulation procedures, and special patron services at each branch library of the 28 Florida community colleges. (DMM)