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Addictive Behaviors Reports Jun 2022Exposure to racial discrimination has been consistently linked with risk for substance use. However, outside of externalizing and affect-based factors, few other...
INTRODUCTION
Exposure to racial discrimination has been consistently linked with risk for substance use. However, outside of externalizing and affect-based factors, few other mechanisms have been examined. One potential candidate is locus of control, a learning processes that involves the degree to which one attributes rewards as resulting from their own control (internal locus of control) versus outside control (external locus of control). There is evidence that exposure to stressors is associated with locus of control, with a separate body of literature linking locus of control with substance use. Thus, it is plausible that locus of control may be a mechanism underlying the relationship between racial discrimination and substance use.
METHODS
The current study investigated this pathway among 503 racial/ethnic minority adults aged 18-35 who completed an online questionnaire including measures on racial discrimination related stress, locus of control, and substance use.
RESULTS
Results indicated a significant indirect effect between racial discrimination related stress, two external domains of locus of control (i.e., powerful others and chance), and substance use. A significant indirect effect was not found for internal locus of control.
CONCLUSION
These findings expand our understanding on potential mechanisms that underlie the racial discrimination-substance use risk pathway among racial/ethnic minority adults, which may in turn provide important targets for substance use intervention programming.
PubMed: 35746956
DOI: 10.1016/j.abrep.2022.100429 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2018The purpose of the present study was to assess the stability of locus of control (LOC) scores over time using data gathered from tests constructed to be consistent with...
The purpose of the present study was to assess the stability of locus of control (LOC) scores over time using data gathered from tests constructed to be consistent with Rotter's definition of LOC. We compared LOC scores of parents (measured prior to the birth of the index child and at 6 and 18 years later) and their offspring (at ages 8 and 16) to explore how stable adult and child LOC was over time and to see how parental LOC was associated with the LOC of the child aged 8 and again at 16. Locus of control was measured using modified versions of adult (ANSIE, Nowicki and Duke, 1974) and child (CNSIE, Nowicki and Strickland, 1973) LOC scales, administered to participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children in the United Kingdom. We predicted that: (1) adult scores would be more stable than children's and (2) parents' and children's LOC scores would be related to one another. Analyses of the data found that individual's LOC scores were significantly associated over time, with adult scores ( ∼ 0.50) more highly correlated than children's ( ∼ 0.20). Correlations suggest more stability for adults than children, but also indicate the occurrence of substantial change across time. Although statistically significant, correlations between family members were small at both childhood and adolescent time points. Additional analyses suggested that mother and father LOC scores were more highly correlated with opposite rather than with same sex children, but again though significant the coefficients were small. We also analyzed the binary outcomes of externality to assess parental contributions to externality in the 8 and 16-year-old children and found correlations were significant, but small. Possible explanations are offered for why the associations between parent and child LOC were not higher. We concluded that researchers need to focus more on clarifying how children's LOC is acquired.
PubMed: 30410460
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02018 -
Nursing Reports (Pavia, Italy) Nov 2023Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused one of the worst global pandemics in recent decades. It has disrupted education systems worldwide, leading to a forced shift...
BACKGROUND
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused one of the worst global pandemics in recent decades. It has disrupted education systems worldwide, leading to a forced shift from traditional face-to-face to blended or fully distanced learning, requiring a higher level of student readiness for self-directed learning (SDL) and a more internal locus of control (LOC).
OBJECTIVE
This study explored the relationship between locus of control and level of readiness for SDL among Saudi nursing students and whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted this relationship.
METHODS
A cross-sectional correlational descriptive study was conducted to survey 277 Saudi nursing students enrolled in the bachelor program at one of the reputable universities in Saudi Arabia. An E-questionnaire containing two scales, the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale for Nursing Education, and the Locus of Control Scale, was used to collect data in addition to the selected participants' characteristics.
RESULTS
Nursing students had a moderate-to-low level of readiness for SDL (mean = 144.0), and the majority had an external LOC. There was a significant association between locus of control and level of readiness for self-directed learning (r = 0.19 *, = 0.001), and the internal locus of control was more significantly associated with self-directed learning (r = 0.22 *, = 0.0001) than with external locus of control.
CONCLUSION
The study findings indicate a propensity of respondents indicating an external locus of control, whereas most of the respondents' reported levels of readiness ranged between low and moderate across all dimensions of self-directed learning. This study was not registered.
PubMed: 38133113
DOI: 10.3390/nursrep13040137 -
Brain Research Aug 2016The brainstem nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) is a major source of norepinephrine (NE) projections throughout the CNS. This important property was masked in very early... (Review)
Review
The brainstem nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) is a major source of norepinephrine (NE) projections throughout the CNS. This important property was masked in very early studies by the inability to visualize endogenous monoamines. The development of monoamine histofluorescence methods by Swedish scientists led to a plethora of studies, including a paper published in Brain Research by Loizou in 1969. That paper was highly cited (making it a focal point for the 50th anniversary issue of this journal), and helped to spark a large and continuing set of investigations to further refine our understating of the LC-NE system and its contribution to brain function and behavior. This paper very briefly reviews the ensuing advances in anatomical, physiological and behavioral aspects of the LC-NE system. Although its projections are ubiquitously present throughout the CNS, recent studies find surprising specificity within the organizational and operational domains of LC neurons. These and other findings lead us to expect that future work will unmask additional features of the LC-NE system and its roles in normative and pathological brain and behavioral processes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI:50th Anniversary Issue.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Animals; Behavior; Brain; History, 20th Century; Humans; Locus Coeruleus; Neural Pathways; Neurons; Neurosciences; Norepinephrine; Rats
PubMed: 26969408
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.03.001 -
Gene Regulation and Systems Biology 2016To isolate specific genomic regions that retain their molecular interactions, allowing direct identification of chromatin-bound molecules, we developed two... (Review)
Review
To isolate specific genomic regions that retain their molecular interactions, allowing direct identification of chromatin-bound molecules, we developed two locus-specific chromatin immunoprecipitation (locus-specific ChIP) technologies, insertional ChIP (iChIP) and engineered DNA-binding molecule-mediated ChIP (enChIP) using the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) system or transcription activator-like (TAL) proteins. Essentially, a locus-specific ChIP consists of locus-tagging and affinity purification and can be combined with downstream analyses to identify molecules associated with the target genomic regions. In this review, we discuss the applications of locus-specific ChIP to analyze the genome functions, including transcription and epigenetic regulation.
PubMed: 26819551
DOI: 10.4137/GRSB.S32520 -
Clinical & Experimental Optometry Mar 2021The findings of this study can be used in the selection of the preferred retinal locus to establish better rehabilitation services such as eccentric viewing training for...
CLINICAL RELEVANCE
The findings of this study can be used in the selection of the preferred retinal locus to establish better rehabilitation services such as eccentric viewing training for patients with age-related macular degeneration.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of the preferred retinal locus in native Persian-speaking patients with age-related macular degeneration.
METHODS
In this non-interventional case series, all patients with a diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration referred to the Retina Clinic of the Rassoul Akram Hospital, Tehran, Iran, were evaluated. The fixation characteristics were evaluated monocularly using the MP1 microperimeter (Nidek Technologies, Padua, Italy). Optical coherence tomography was used to determine the location of the central fovea. The images were overlaid and the preferred retinal locus-fovea distance was measured using Image J software.
RESULTS
Fifty-one eyes of 35 patients with a mean age of 73.8 ± 7.7-years were evaluated in this study. Inferior-field, left-field, central-field, right-field, and superior-field preferred retinal locus were detected in 49 per cent, 33.3 per cent, 7.8 per cent, 5.9 per cent, and 3.9 per cent of the subjects, respectively. Fixation was stable in 70.6 per cent, relatively unstable in 15.7 per cent, and unstable in 13.7 per cent of the participants. Significant differences were not found in the mean values of logMAR visual acuity between different fields of the preferred retinal locus after Bonferroni correction (p = 0.031). Analysis of co-variance showed no significant difference in mean sensitivity values between different locations of the preferred retinal locus (p = 0.07). The mean preferred retinal locus-fovea distance was not significantly different between different fields of the preferred retinal locus (p = 0.063).
CONCLUSIONS
Native Persian-speaking patients with central scotoma secondary to age-related macular degeneration place their self-selected preferred retinal locus most frequently in the inferior and left visual field, which would result in scotoma displacement to the superior and right visual field. Fixation stability was statistically similar in different locations of preferred retinal locus, but it improved with decreasing the preferred retinal locus-fovea distance.
Topics: Child; Fixation, Ocular; Humans; Iran; Macular Degeneration; Retina; Scotoma; Visual Field Tests
PubMed: 32869411
DOI: 10.1111/cxo.13132 -
The International Journal of... Jun 1994In botryllids (colonial ascidians), there are two types of allorecognition: colony specificity and colony resorption. Colony specificity is manifested by fusion and... (Review)
Review
In botryllids (colonial ascidians), there are two types of allorecognition: colony specificity and colony resorption. Colony specificity is manifested by fusion and rejection between two conspecific colonies. The genetic basis for this colony specificity resides in a single highly polymorphic gene locus (fusibility locus) with codominantly expressed alleles. Two colonies with no alleles in common at this locus reject each other, whereas colonies sharing at least one allele at the fusibility locus fuse and form a chimera. That is, in colony specificity, self components are distinguished from nonself components, and failure to recognize self induces rapid rejection reactions. The process of rejection in colony specificity is not uniform among all botryllid ascidians. Colony resorption can occur after the establishment of fusion between two colonies. Zooids of one partner of a chimera are resorbed more than 1 week after fusion, or, by amputation of fused blood vessels, the chimera becomes separated into the two original colonies. Colony resorption is also controlled mainly by the fusibility locus. It usually occurs in a chimera between two colonies sharing only one allele at this locus. In colony resorption, nonself determinants are recognized and chronic rejection reactions are induced resembling MHC-dependent graft rejection. Based on these findings, the fusibility locus of botryllids seems to be very similar to the MHC of vertebrates. Considering that vertebrates evolved directly from ascidians, it is likely that the fusibility locus is an ancestral form of the vertebrate MHC.
Topics: Alleles; Animals; Biological Evolution; Isoantigens; Transplantation Immunology; Urochordata
PubMed: 7981033
DOI: No ID Found -
Brain Research Apr 2019In this commentary we utilize recent observations regarding the organization and actions of the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system to identify major issues in need of... (Review)
Review
In this commentary we utilize recent observations regarding the organization and actions of the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system to identify major issues in need of further study to more fully understand the behavioral actions of this major neurotransmitter system.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Locus Coeruleus; Norepinephrine
PubMed: 30267649
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2018.09.033 -
Pediatric Reports Feb 2020The present study focuses on the relation between coping strategies of children with leukemia during treatment and locus of control of their mothers. In particular, the...
The present study focuses on the relation between coping strategies of children with leukemia during treatment and locus of control of their mothers. In particular, the study aims to determine whether maternal locus of control can influence sick children's coping styles, and if this relation can be used to predict maladjustments. The study analyzed a cohort of 60 pediatric leukemia patients undergoing treatment and a group formed by their mothers. The participants were recruited from two Pediatric Onco- Hematology Units in Italy. The Child Behavioral Style Scale (CBSS) was used to assess children's coping strategies, whereas the Parental Health Locus of Control Scale (PHLCS) was employed to analyze maternal locus of control. A linear regression model was applied to verify a possible interdependent relationship between children's coping styles and maternal locus of control. The differences in mean CBSS scores were analyzed by K-S test. Multivariate analysis of variance was performed to assess any potential effect of child's gender, hospital context and maternal socio-cultural status on children's coping strategies. Our results show a significant relationship between children's coping strategies and maternal locus of control. In particular, the scales and display a predictive effect on children's monitoring coping style, given the positive correlation observed (F=3.28, P=0.008). In contrast, the same scales negatively correlate with blunting coping style (F=3.5, P=0.005). Our results reveal several interesting resources having a profound impact on the psychological functioning of children with leukemia undergoing treatment as well as their mothers. Furthermore, with regard to the central hypothesis of the study, our findings show both positive and negative correlations between specific scales of maternal locus of control and children's coping style, which could be used to predict children at risk of emotional maladjustment.
PubMed: 32308968
DOI: 10.4081/pr.2020.7998 -
Mycobiology 2021The interaction of mating pheromone and pheromone receptor from the mating-type locus is the first step in the activation of the mushroom mating signal transduction...
The interaction of mating pheromone and pheromone receptor from the mating-type locus is the first step in the activation of the mushroom mating signal transduction pathway. The mating-type locus of is composed of and subloci, each of which contains genes for mating pheromone and pheromone receptor. Allelic variations in both subloci generate multiple mating-types through which maintains genetic diversity. In addition to the mating-type locus, our genomic sequence analysis revealed the presence of a novel chromosomal locus 43.3 kb away from the mating-type locus, containing genes for a pair of mating pheromones ( and ) and a pheromone receptor (). The new locus () was homologous to the sublocus, but unlike the multiallelic sublocus, it was highly conserved across the wild and cultivated strains. The interactions of RcbN with various mating pheromones from the and mating-type loci were investigated using yeast model that replaced endogenous yeast mating pheromone receptor with . The yeast mating signal transduction pathway was only activated in the presence of PHBN1 or PHBN2 in the RcbN producing yeast, indicating that RcbN interacts with self-pheromones ( and ), not with pheromones from the mating-type locus. The biological function of the locus was suggested to control the expression of mating-type genes, as evidenced by the increased expression of two -genes and upon the treatment of synthetic PHBN1 and PHBN2 peptides to the monokaryotic strain of .
PubMed: 35035249
DOI: 10.1080/12298093.2021.2001906