-
Appetite Jul 2024Food practices directly or indirectly depend on tradition and the rituals that sustain a commonality of communal purpose. By invoking tradition and embracing accepted...
Food practices directly or indirectly depend on tradition and the rituals that sustain a commonality of communal purpose. By invoking tradition and embracing accepted values through prescribed participation, a transnational and to a certain extent her or his progeny, are anchored to a cultural community. Émigrés must decide from a pastiche of food choices from "here" or from "home," that will mark family and self-identity. This research seeks to assess the multiplicity of issues affecting the food cultural landscape of Gujarati transnationals and their descendants in New Jersey, US. The overall objective is to understand the motivations behind their overt and potentially covert food behaviors. Twenty-seven self-identified Gujarati Indian transnationals and their descendants were recruited through a non-probability sampling in northern New Jersey, US for five focus groups and follow-up individual interviews. Two Foundational Themes were distilled from the data: Collective Borders and Connectivity to Food, as well as four Emotive Themes: Food and Family Dynamics; Performance; Shame, Guilt & Anxiety; and Strength, Perseverance or Flexibility. Food choices enabled this diasporic community to negotiate between the competing forces of continuity and change, providing them with a template to adapt to their new surroundings while preserving native traditions. The arena of food and food choices was used by the participants to strike a pragmatic balance between individuation and collectivity, stability and change, and tradition and modernity. A clear understanding of the issues facing transnationals as they transition into a new country can help with their planning and processes of adjustment, which includes strategies to overcome pitfalls. The findings of this study can also inform the external community about the benefits of welcoming émigrés into their society.
Topics: Humans; New Jersey; Female; Male; Adult; Food Preferences; Focus Groups; Middle Aged; Feeding Behavior; Young Adult; Choice Behavior; Diet
PubMed: 38604380
DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107342 -
School Psychology International Aug 2023There is evidence showing that the triarchic model of grit and its dimensions (i.e., and ) predict engagement and well-being outcomes in high school and undergraduate...
There is evidence showing that the triarchic model of grit and its dimensions (i.e., and ) predict engagement and well-being outcomes in high school and undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. However, there has been limited research on how this model of grit relates to engagement and optimal psychological outcomes in primary school students. This research investigates the association of grit's dimensions with academic engagement in math and science as well as well-being outcomes (i.e., positive emotions, negative emotions, and flourishing) in primary school students. Participants were primary school students ( = 10.42; = 1.26) from Hong Kong (n = 279) and Macau (n = 124). Results showed that positively predicted cognitive and behavioral engagement in math as well as positive emotions even after controlling for demographic covariates (i.e., age, gender, setting, and year level), conscientiousness, and achievement goal orientations. positively predicted cognitive and social engagement in math and flourishing. negatively predicted both cognitive engagement in science and negative emotions. Indeed, this study indicates that and may facilitate children's positive academic and psychological functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
PubMed: 38603326
DOI: 10.1177/01430343221147273 -
Nature Reviews. Neuroscience May 2024Compulsive behaviour, an apparently irrational perseveration in often maladaptive acts, is a potential transdiagnostic symptom of several neuropsychiatric disorders,... (Review)
Review
Compulsive behaviour, an apparently irrational perseveration in often maladaptive acts, is a potential transdiagnostic symptom of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder and addiction, and may reflect the severe manifestation of a dimensional trait termed compulsivity. In this Review, we examine the psychological basis of compulsions and compulsivity and their underlying neural circuitry using evidence from human neuroimaging and animal models. Several main elements of this circuitry are identified, focused on fronto-striatal systems implicated in goal-directed behaviour and habits. These systems include the orbitofrontal, prefrontal, anterior cingulate and insular cortices and their connections with the basal ganglia as well as sensoriomotor and parietal cortices and cerebellum. We also consider the implications for future classification of impulsive-compulsive disorders and their treatment.
Topics: Humans; Compulsive Behavior; Animals; Brain; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Neural Pathways
PubMed: 38594324
DOI: 10.1038/s41583-024-00807-z -
Nature Communications Apr 2024Raman spectroscopy provides non-destructive, label-free quantitative studies of chemical compositions at the microscale as used on NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars....
Raman spectroscopy provides non-destructive, label-free quantitative studies of chemical compositions at the microscale as used on NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars. Such capabilities come at the cost of high requirements for instrumentation. Here we present a centimeter-scale miniaturization of a Raman spectrometer using cheap non-stabilized laser diodes, densely packed optics, and non-cooled small sensors. The performance is comparable with expensive bulky research-grade Raman systems. It has excellent sensitivity, low power consumption, perfect wavenumber, intensity calibration, and 7 cm resolution within the 400-4000 cm range using a built-in reference. High performance and versatility are demonstrated in use cases including quantification of methanol in beverages, in-vivo Raman measurements of human skin, fermentation monitoring, chemical Raman mapping at sub-micrometer resolution, quantitative SERS mapping of the anti-cancer drug methotrexate and in-vitro bacteria identification. We foresee that the miniaturization will allow realization of super-compact Raman spectrometers for integration in smartphones and medical devices, democratizing Raman technology.
PubMed: 38589380
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47044-7 -
The Clinical Neuropsychologist Apr 2024Medication management errors are suspected to be prevalent among older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study examined types of simulated...
Medication management errors are suspected to be prevalent among older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study examined types of simulated medication-taking errors in cognitively normal older adults (CN; = 131), single domain amnestic MCI (sdMCI, = 91), and multi-domain MCI (mdMCI, = 44). Errors were measured using the medication management ability assessment (MMAA). 266 participants seen for neuropsychological evaluation (94.4% White, 57.9% female, average age = 72, average education = 14 years) completed the MMAA (version 4.1), a performance-based task of medication management. Group differences in MMAA total scores, accuracy, and error types were evaluated using Kruskall-Wallis H tests. This study was the first to explore a newly operationalized error, perseverations, caused by taking a specific dose ≥2 times during the simulation. CN and sdMCI groups had higher MMAA total scores than individuals with mdMCI, indicating better overall performance. The mdMCI group made a higher number of omission errors (missed pills) than other groups, but no differences were found for commission errors (extra pills). The sdMCI group made more perseverative errors compared to the CN group. Individuals with mdMCI made more simulated medication management errors than CN and sdMCI groups, indicating that they may be most vulnerable to difficulties in medication management. In contrast, sdMCI individuals were more likely to make perseverative errors, which may reflect a tendency towards overcompensation of memory loss. Future studies should assess whether MMAA performance is associated with patterns of real-world medication-taking in more diverse samples of older adults.
PubMed: 38588668
DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2024.2339560 -
PeerJ 2024Because pain can have profound ramifications for quality of life and daily functioning, understanding nuances in the interplay of psychosocial experiences with pain... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Because pain can have profound ramifications for quality of life and daily functioning, understanding nuances in the interplay of psychosocial experiences with pain perception is vital for effective pain management. In separate lines of research, pain resilience and mortality salience have emerged as potentially important psychological correlates of reduced pain severity and increased tolerance of pain. However, to date, there has been a paucity of research examining potentially interactive effects of these factors on pain perception. To address this gap, the present experiment investigated mortality salience as a causal influence on tolerance of laboratory pain and a moderator of associations between pain resilience and pain tolerance within a Chinese sample.
METHODS
Participants were healthy young Chinese adults (86 women, 84 men) who first completed a brief initial cold pressor test (CPT) followed by measures of demographics and pain resilience. Subsequently, participants randomly assigned to a mortality salience (MS) condition completed two open-ended essay questions in which they wrote about their death as well as a death anxiety scale while those randomly assigned to a control condition completed analogous tasks about watching television. Finally, all participants engaged in a delay task and a second CPT designed to measure post-manipulation pain tolerance and subjective pain intensity levels.
RESULTS
MS condition cohorts showed greater pain tolerance than controls on the post-manipulation CPT, though pain intensity levels did not differ between groups. Moderator analyses indicated that the relationship between the behavior perseverance facet of pain resilience and pain tolerance was significantly stronger among MS condition participants than controls.
CONCLUSIONS
This experiment is the first to document potential causal effects of MS on pain tolerance and Ms as a moderator of the association between self-reported behavior perseverance and behavioral pain tolerance. Findings provide foundations for extensions within clinical pain samples.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Pain; Pain Measurement; Pain Perception; Pain Threshold; Quality of Life
PubMed: 38584938
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17204 -
Behaviour Research and Therapy Jun 2024According to the cognitive model of suicide, interactions between hopelessness and attentional biases toward suicidal information create a narrowed attentional focus on...
According to the cognitive model of suicide, interactions between hopelessness and attentional biases toward suicidal information create a narrowed attentional focus on suicide as a viable solution, particularly in the presence of life stress, leading to increased suicide risk. This study used a dynamic systems approach to examine the short-term temporal patterns between stress, hopelessness, suicide-specific rumination, and suicidal intent. Adults (N = 237; M = 27.12 years; 62% cisgender women; 87% White/European American) with elevated suicidal ideation completed ecological momentary assessments six times a day for 14 days. A multilevel model approach informed by dynamic systems theory was used to simultaneously assess stable and dynamic temporal processes underlying perceived stress, hopelessness, suicide-specific rumination, and suicidal intent. Each variable demonstrated temporal stability. In support of the cognitive model of suicide, we observed (1) a reciprocal relationship between stress and hopelessness such that stress and hopelessness amplified each other (early-stage processes), and (2) reinforcing loops such that hopelessness, suicide-specific rumination, and suicidal intent amplified each other (later-stage processes). A dynamic systems modeling approach underscored the negative impact of a perpetuating cycle of suicide-specific rumination, deepening hopelessness, and escalating suicidal intent on increasing suicide risk, which may be targets for intervention.
Topics: Humans; Female; Suicidal Ideation; Male; Adult; Models, Psychological; Stress, Psychological; Young Adult; Rumination, Cognitive; Ecological Momentary Assessment; Suicide; Cognition; Adolescent; Middle Aged
PubMed: 38583292
DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2024.104524 -
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024Catatonia has been increasingly associated with mood disorders and is recognized as a specifier in the DSM-5 and DSM-5-TR. The DSM-5-TR recognizes melancholia as a...
BACKGROUND
Catatonia has been increasingly associated with mood disorders and is recognized as a specifier in the DSM-5 and DSM-5-TR. The DSM-5-TR recognizes melancholia as a specifier for depressive episodes in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. It is characterized by severe anhedonia, lack of reactivity, excessive or delusional guilt, and significant vegetative symptoms. As the conceptualization of melancholia expanded beyond its mood components to include psychomotor disturbances, its overlap with psychomotor symptoms or catatonia becomes evident. This overlap was also described in Kahlbaum's original literature, where he describes the transition between states of melancholia, mania, and catatonia.
METHOD
Case summary of six patients with major depressive disorder or depressed phase of bipolar disorder who were admitted for severe depression, anhedonia, intense anxiety, psychomotor agitation or retardation, indecisiveness, perseveration, and vegetative symptoms such as poor sleep, appetite, and significant weight loss.
RESULTS
All patients demonstrated rapid and complete resolution of their mood and psychomotor symptoms, indecisiveness, perseveration, as well as psychosis shortly after administration of lorazepam, with recurrence of the above symptoms upon lorazepam discontinuation and resolution upon resumption, in an on-and-off manner.
CONCLUSION
The present study argues for a closer relationship between melancholia and catatonia based on our case series, historical review, overlap in phenomenology, and response to treatment. We propose provisional [Mahgoub] criteria for patients with severe depression and melancholia. The role of GABA agonists, such as lorazepam, can be explored as an option for patients with treatment-resistant depression who meet these criteria for melancholia.
LIMITATIONS
Absence of a standardized, systematic assessment tool and a small sample size.
PubMed: 38571997
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1372136 -
Fungal Systematics and Evolution Jun 2023Oomycetes are a group of fungus-like organisms, which phylogenetically comprise early diverging lineages that are mostly holocarpic, and two crown classes, the and ,...
Oomycetes are a group of fungus-like organisms, which phylogenetically comprise early diverging lineages that are mostly holocarpic, and two crown classes, the and , including many well-investigated pathogens of plants and animals. However, there is a poorly studied group, the , which placement amongst the crown oomycetes is ambiguous. It accommodates several taxa with a sophisticated vegetative and reproductive cycle, as well as structural organisation, that is arguably the most complex in the oomycete lineage. Despite the remarkable morphological complexity and their notable perseverance in the face of faster-growing saprotrophic oomycetes and fungi, the knowledge on is limited to date, as the most complex members are not easily cultured, even by targeted approaches. This also leads to inadequate sequence data for the order, which was sourced from only the two least complex out of seven introduced genera, and . In the present study, baiting was done using various fruit substrates, and naturally-shed twigs or fruits acquired from water bodies were examined. As a result of these efforts, the species was obtained and gross cultivation was accomplished using poplar () twigs as substrate, which allowed further documentation of both asexual and sexual reproduction. This enabled phylogenetic and detailed morphological study, as well as an epitypification of the species. Phylogenetic analyses based on 2 and nrLSU sequences revealed as the sister genus of . The morphological studies done support a conspecificity of and , which might in turn be conspecific with . Though several further studies will be required to fit the scattered missing pieces of knowledge on together revealing a more complete picture of oomycete evolution, we hope that the current study can serve as a cornerstone for future investigations in the group. Tsai I, Thines M (2023). Adding a missing piece to the puzzle of oomycete phylogeny: the placement of (). : 95-108. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2023.11.08.
PubMed: 38562587
DOI: 10.3114/fuse.2023.11.08 -
AJPM Focus Jun 2024Consumption of fast food has been linked to psychiatric distress, violent behaviors, and impulsivity in adolescents. The relationship between eating fast food, anger,...
INTRODUCTION
Consumption of fast food has been linked to psychiatric distress, violent behaviors, and impulsivity in adolescents. The relationship between eating fast food, anger, and impulsivity has not been widely investigated. The National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence community-based cohort consists of 831 youth, half at elevated risk factors for substance use disorders during adolescence, followed annually.
METHODS
Impulsivity using Urgency, Premeditation, Perseverance, and Sensation Seeking Impulsive Behavior scale from annual assessments was examined in relation to self-reported fast-food consumption frequency and mobile application questions of anger. This study tested the hypotheses that youth anger may be predicted by fast-food consumption frequency and impulsivity using multiple regression, in addition to whether adolescent fast-food consumption frequency may be predicted by anger and impulsivity.
RESULTS
Among youth, higher anger levels and impulsivity predicted greater frequency of fast-food consumption, and greater fast-food consumption frequency and impulsivity predicted higher anger levels.
CONCLUSIONS
This study's longitudinal findings are consistent with those of other studies that have found fast-food consumption and anger associated with impulsivity and also reveal a bidirectional link between anger and fast-food consumption. These results may point attention to food selection considerations for those at risk of anger and poorer psychiatric outcomes.
PubMed: 38560402
DOI: 10.1016/j.focus.2024.100208