The impact of social isolation and changes in work patterns on ongoing thought during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to lockdowns in countries across the world, changing the lives of billions of people. The United Kingdom's first national lockdown, for example, restricted people's ability to socialize and work. The current study examined how changes to socializing and working during this lockdown impacted ongoing thought patterns in daily life. We compared the prevalence of thought patterns between two independent real-world, experience-sampling cohorts, collected before and during lockdown. In both samples, young (18 to 35 y) and older (55+ y) participants completed experience-sampling measures five times daily for 7 d. Dimension reduction was applied to these data to identify common "patterns of thought." Linear mixed modeling compared the prevalence of each thought pattern 1) before and during lockdown, 2) in different age groups, and 3) across different social and activity contexts. During lockdown, when people were alone, social thinking was reduced, but on the rare occasions when social interactions were possible, we observed a greater increase in social thinking than prelockdown. Furthermore, lockdown was associated with a reduction in future-directed problem solving, but this thought pattern was reinstated when individuals engaged in work. Therefore, our study suggests that the lockdown led to significant changes in ongoing thought patterns in daily life and that these changes were associated with changes to our daily routine that occurred during lockdown.

Refining Anger: Summarizing the Self-Report Measurement of Anger.

The current paper presents a five-factor measurement model of anger summarizing scores on public-domain self-report measures of anger. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of self-report measures of anger (UK, n = 500; USA, n = 625) suggest five replicable latent anger factors: anger-arousal, anger-rumination, frustration-discomfort, anger-regulation, and socially constituted anger. Findings suggested a 5-factor interpretation provided the best fit of the data. We also report evidence of measurement invariance for this 5-factor model of anger across gender, age, and ethnicity. The findings suggest a useful and parsimonious account of anger, summarizing over 50 years of research around the self-report measurement of anger.

Voice Hearing in Borderline Personality Disorder Across Perceptual, Subjective, and Neural Dimensions.

BACKGROUND: Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) commonly occur in the context of borderline personality disorder (BPD) yet remain poorly understood. AVH are often perceived by patients with BPD as originating from inside the head and hence viewed clinically as "pseudohallucinations," but they nevertheless have a detrimental impact on well-being. METHODS: The current study characterized perceptual, subjective, and neural expressions of AVH by using an auditory detection task, experience sampling and questionnaires, and functional neuroimaging, respectively. RESULTS: Perceptually, reported AVH correlated with a bias for reporting the presence of a voice in white noise. Subjectively, questionnaire measures indicated that AVH were significantly distressing and persecutory. In addition, AVH intensity, but not perceived origin (i.e., inside vs outside the head), was associated with greater concurrent anxiety. Neurally, fMRI of BPD participants demonstrated that, relative to imagining or listening to voices, periods of reported AVH induced greater blood oxygenation level-dependent activity in anterior cingulate and bilateral temporal cortices (regional substrates for language processing). AVH symptom severity was associated with weaker functional connectivity between anterior cingulate and bilateral insular cortices. CONCLUSION: In summary, our results indicate that AVH in participants with BPD are (1) underpinned by aberrant perceptual-cognitive mechanisms for signal detection, (2) experienced subjectively as persecutory and distressing, and (3) associated with distinct patterns of neural activity that inform proximal mechanistic understanding. Our findings are like analogous observations in patients with schizophrenia and validate the clinical significance of the AVH experience in BPD, often dismissed as "pseudohallucinations." These highlight a need to reconsider this experience as a treatment priority.

A cross-sectional study of auditory verbal hallucinations experienced by people with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.

BACKGROUND: The presence of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) does not currently feature in the main diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, there is accumulating evidence that a high proportion of BPD patients report longstanding and frequent AVHs which constitute a significant risk factor for suicide plans and attempts, and hospitalization. AIM: This study addressed questions about the validity and phenomenology of AVHs in the context of BPD. The longer-term aim is to facilitate the development and translation of treatment approaches to address the unmet need of this population. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional study, combining phenomenological and psychological assessments administered in person and online. We explored the experiences of 48 patients with a diagnosis of BPD who were hearing AVHs. RESULTS: Participants gave 'consistent' reports on the measure of AVH phenomenology, suggesting that these experiences were legitimate. Similar to AVHs in a psychosis context, AVHs were experienced as distressing and appraised as persecutory. AVHs were found to be weakly associated with BPD symptoms. AVHs were also rated highly as a treatment priority by the majority of participants. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that AVH is a legitimate and distressing symptom of BPD and a treatment priority for some patients. The relative independence of AVHs from other BPD symptoms and emotional states suggests that psychological treatment may need to be targeted specifically at the symptom of AVHs. This treatment could be adapted from cognitive behaviour therapy, the psychological intervention that is recommended for the treatment of AVHs in the context of psychosis.

The Contribution of Clonality to Population Genetic Structure in the Sea Anemone, Diadumene lineata.

Ecological and evolutionary processes differ depending on how genetic diversity is organized in space. For clonal organisms, the organization of both genetic and genotypic diversity can influence the fitness effects of competition, the mating system, and reproductive mode, which are key drivers of life cycle evolution. Understanding how individual reproductive behavior contributes to population genetic structure is essential for disentangling these forces, particularly in species with complex and plastic life cycles. The widespread sea anemone, Diadumene lineata, exhibits temperature-dependent fission, which contributes to predictable variation in clonal rate along the Atlantic coast of the United States, part of its non-native range. Because warmer conditions lead to higher rates of clonality, we expected to find lower genotypic and genetic diversity in lower versus higher latitude populations. We developed primers for 11 microsatellite loci and genotyped 207 anemones collected from 8 sites ranging from Florida to Massachusetts. We found clonal influence at all sites, and as predicted, the largest clones were found at lower latitude sites. We also found genetic signatures of sex in the parts of the range where gametogenesis is most common. Evidence of sex outside the native range is novel for this species and provides insights into the dynamics of this successful invader. Our findings also illustrate challenges that partially clonal taxa pose for eco-evolutionary studies, such as difficulty sampling statistically robust numbers of genets and interpretating common population genetic metrics. For example, we found high among-locus variation in FIS, which makes the meaning of mean multilocus FIS unclear.

The relationship between individual variation in macroscale functional gradients and distinct aspects of ongoing thought.

Contemporary accounts of ongoing thought recognise it as a heterogeneous and multidimensional construct, varying in both form and content. An emerging body of evidence demonstrates that distinct types of experience are associated with unique neurocognitive profiles, that can be described at the whole-brain level as interactions between multiple large-scale networks. The current study sought to explore the possibility that whole-brain functional connectivity patterns at rest may be meaningfully related to patterns of ongoing thought that occurred over this period. Participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) followed by a questionnaire retrospectively assessing the content and form of their ongoing thoughts during the scan. A non-linear dimension reduction algorithm was applied to the rs-fMRI data to identify components explaining the greatest variance in whole-brain connectivity patterns. Using these data, we examined whether specific types of thought measured at the end of the scan were predictive of individual variation along the first three low-dimensional components of functional connectivity at rest. Multivariate analyses revealed that individuals for whom the connectivity of the sensorimotor system was maximally distinct from the visual system were most likely to report thoughts related to finding solutions to problems or goals and least likely to report thoughts related to the past. These results add to an emerging literature that suggests that unique patterns of experience are associated with distinct distributed neurocognitive profiles and highlight that unimodal systems may play an important role in this process.

Influence of nutrients on ploidy-specific performance in an invasive, haplodiplontic red macroalga.

Worldwide, macroalgae have invaded near-shore marine ecosystems. However, their haplodiplontic life cycles have complicated efforts to predict patterns of growth and spread, particularly since most theoretical predictions are derived from diplontic taxa (i.e., animals). To complete one revolution of the life cycle, two separate ploidy stages, often including separate haploid sexes, must pass through development and reproduction. In the case of the invasive, red macroalga Agarophyton vermiculophyllum, during the invasion of soft-sediment estuaries throughout the Northern Hemisphere, diploid tetrasporophytes came to dominate all free-floating populations and haploid gametophytes were consistently lost. The ecological hypothesis of nutrient limitation might contribute to an explanation of this pattern of tetrasporophytic dominance in free-floating populations. Under this hypothesis, gametophytes should outperform tetrasporophytes under nutrient limited conditions, but tetrasporophytes should be better able to exploit optimal or even abundant nutrient conditions, such as in eutrophic estuaries. We sampled tetrasporophytes, male gametophytes, and female gametophytes from two sites each located on either side of the Delmarva Peninsula that separates the Chesapeake Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. We subjected apices excised from multiple thalli from each life cycle stage to a nutrient-enriched and a nutrient-poor seawater treatment and assessed growth and survival. While nutrient addition increased growth rates, there was no significant difference among ploidies or sexes. Gametophytes did, however, suffer higher mortality than tetrasporophytes. We discuss how nutrient-dependent differences in growth and survival may contribute to observed patterns of tetrasporophytic dominance in soft-sediment A. vermiculophyllum populations.

Does connectedness to nature improve the eating behaviours of pre-schoolers? Emerging evidence from the Play&Grow randomised controlled trial in Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND: Nature-based interventions, which focus on outdoor play, mental health, and self-directed autonomous play, are becoming popular in promoting well-being. The objective of this study was to test whether connecting to nature would contribute to better feeding and eating habits in families with pre-schoolers. METHODS: 241 families with children aged two to five were randomly assigned to the Intervention (IG) and Control Groups (CG). IG received 10 sessions of a family-based programme, which included a novel Connectedness to Nature (CN) element. CG received only the government's health recommendations. The effectiveness of the intervention's primary outcomes (CN, eating/feeding behaviours) was analysed by a repeated measures structural equation model with intervention status as a causal predictor. RESULTS: 204 families (IG, n = 120; CG, n = 84) completed the measurements before and after the trial. The intervention had a medium effect on caregivers' CN (f2 = 0.16, (95%CI = 0.06, 0.30)) and a large effect on children's CN (f2 = 0.58, (95%CI = 0.36, 0.89)). In the IG, children's CN strongly predicted caregivers' feeding style (ß = 0.48 (p < .01, 95%CI = 0.14, 0.83)) and moderately, children's eating behaviours (ß = 0.21 (p = .16, 95%CI = -0.09, 0.52)). This produced a positive trend for greater vegetable consumption in the IG compared to the CG (ß = 0.20 (95%CI = 0.01, 0.39) vs. ß = -0.05, (95%CI = -0.18, 0.08)). Interestingly, the path values in the CG significantly reflected the traditional pattern, (e.g., parental feeding style strongly influenced children's eating behaviour (ß = 0.33, p = .001, 95%CI = 0.13, 0.54). CONCLUSIONS: The Play&Grow intervention positively increased caregivers' and children's CN. It also improved eating behaviors in children independent of their caregivers' feeding style. This may indicate a higher degree of autonomy in children's eating behaviour if they are exposed to nature. Further research should test the CN component in promotion of healthy eating in pre-schoolers.

Temperature-Dependent Growth and Fission Rate Plasticity Drive Seasonal and Geographic Changes in Body Size in a Clonal Sea Anemone.

The temperature-size rule is a commonly observed pattern where adult body size is negatively correlated with developmental temperature. In part, this may occur as a consequence of allometric scaling, where changes in the ratio of surface area to mass limit oxygen diffusion as body size increases. As oxygen demand increases with temperature, a smaller body should be favored as temperature increases. For clonal animals, small changes in growth and/or fission rate can rapidly alter the average body size of clonal descendants. Here I test the hypothesis that the clonal sea anemone Diadumene lineata is able to track an optimal body size through seasonal temperature changes using fission rate plasticity. Individuals from three regions (Florida, Georgia, and Massachusetts) across the species' latitudinal range were grown in a year-long reciprocal common garden experiment mimicking seasonal temperature changes at three sites. Average body size was found to be smaller and fission rates higher in warmer conditions, consistent with the temperature-size rule pattern. However, seasonal size and fission patterns reflect a complex interaction between region-specific thermal reaction norms and the local temperature regime. These details provide insight into both the range of conditions required for oxygen limitation to contribute to a negative correlation between body size and temperature and the role that fission rate plasticity can play in tracking a rapidly changing optimal phenotype.

Sex of co-twin affects the in vitro developmental competence of oocytes derived from 6- to 8-week-old lambs.

Several intrinsic factors (age, genotype, liveweight) influence the reliability of juvenile in vitro fertilisation embryo transfer (JIVET) programs. Limited evidence indicates that variability between lambs is reduced in twin-born lambs. We examined the impact of birth type (single, twin, triplet) and sex of the co-twin (with age, birthweight and liveweight as covariates) on JIVET outcomes. Birth type did not influence any parameter studied. However, blastocysts produced, as a percentage of embryos cleaved or total cumulus-oocyte complexes collected, was higher (P<0.05) for females born with a female co-twin (67.0±6.1, 57.5±6.0 respectively) compared with those born with a male co-twin (26.9±6.5, 22.3±6.2 respectively; least-square mean±s.e.m.). Blastocyst rates for lambs born with a male co-twin did not differ significantly from lambs born either as singles (39.5±6.7%, 34.6±6.5% respectively) or triplets (43.1±10.6%, 36.5±10.3% respectively). Other parameters were not influenced by sex of the co-twin. These results are indicative of an enhancement effect of the female co-twin on oocyte development. From a practical perspective, selecting lambs for a JIVET program based on litter size and sex of the co-twin is warranted.

Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining and Emergent Cases of Psychological Disorder in Kentucky.

Although mountaintop removal (MTR) coal extraction techniques have been employed in Appalachia for decades, relatively little research has examined its potential psychological impact on people living in close proximity to MTR activity. The current study taps the State Emergency Department Database (Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Kentucky State Emergency Department Database, 2008) to examine the relative risk for diagnoses of depressive, substance use, and anxiety disorders originating in areas with and without MTR activity. Logistical regression analyses, controlling for ethnicity, rurality, mean income, and gender, indicated that MTR independently predicts greater risk for depressive (OR 1.37) and substance use disorders (OR 1.41), but not anxiety disorders. Overall, these findings have public health policy implications, build on other evidence of increased risk of negative mental health outcomes related to MTR, and lend some support to the validity of solastalgia related to environmental change.

Stigma Related to Observable Symptoms, But Not Stimulant Medication Use, in Young Women With ADHD.

OBJECTIVE: ADHD is associated with stigma, but whether stimulant medication use contributes to this is unknown. We examined how perception of a young woman may be influenced by visible ADHD symptoms and/or prescribed stimulant medication use (PSMU). METHOD: Three-hundred-fourteen undergraduates were randomly assigned to watch one of four videos: a woman portraying (a) neither symptoms of ADHD nor PSMU, (b) no ADHD symptoms but disclosing PSMU, (c) ADHD symptoms but no PSMU, or (d) both ADHD symptoms and PSMU. Participants then completed measures of their liking of and desire for affiliation with the woman. RESULTS: Analyses suggest that visible symptoms of ADHD were perceived negatively and are associated with less liking and desire for affiliation. PSMU was associated with negligible additive stigma. CONCLUSION: This supports that noticeable ADHD symptoms may be the primary driver of the stigma associated with the disorder, and specifically that directed at young women with ADHD.

CC-seq: Nucleotide-Resolution Mapping of Spo11 DNA Double-Strand Breaks in S. cerevisiae Cells.

During meiosis, Spo11 generates DNA double-strand breaks to induce recombination, becoming covalently attached to the 5' ends on both sides of the break during this process. Such Spo11 "covalent complexes" are transient in wild-type cells, but accumulate in nuclease mutants unable to initiate repair. The CC-seq method presented here details how to map the location of these Spo11 complexes genome-wide with strand-specific nucleotide-resolution accuracy in synchronized Saccharomyces cerevisiae meiotic cells.

College during COVID-19: The pandemic's effect on college adjustment in first year students with ADHD.

Objective: The current study aims to compare college adjustment and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on first-year students with and without ADHD. Participants: Two cohorts (pre-pandemic, during the pandemic) of first-year, undergraduate college students (N = 3,006; Mage=18.32) were recruited from a multisite research consortium across several universities. Methods: First-year participants self-reported on ADHD diagnosis and symptoms, functional impairments, and experiences transitioning to college. Results: First-year college students with and without ADHD reported significantly greater academic, daily living, and overall functional impairments during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. Compared to college students without ADHD, college students with ADHD reported greater functional impairment, more difficulty adjusting to the academic demands of college, and were less likely to feel valued at their institution. Conclusions: First-year college students with and without ADHD experienced greater difficulties navigating the transition to college during the pandemic. Psychosocial and academic supports to help students transition to college are needed.

The Molecular, Immunologic, and Clinicodemographic Landscape of MYC-Amplified Advanced Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND: MYC is a commonly amplified, potentially targetable gene in prostate cancer (PCa). We sought to define the molecular, immunologic, and clinicodemographic landscape of MYC amplification (MYCamp) in advanced PCa to establish a rationale for personalized treatment combinations. METHODS: Hybrid capture-based comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) was performed on PCa tumor samples. MYCamp = copy number ≥6 (CN). Patients treated between January 2011 and December 2020 were selected from a nationwide deidentified (280 clinics) EHR-derived clinicogenomic database (CGDB). RESULTS: Of 12,528 hormone-sensitive and castrate-resistant (CRPC) samples, MYCamp was detected in 10.6% (median CN = 8). MYCamp was more frequent in men with African versus European ancestry (12.9% vs. 10.2% P = .002), in metastatic vs. primary tissue (15.7% vs. 6.2% P < .001), and enriched in metastatic liver lesions (20.2%), but inversely associated with high microsatellite-instability (0.8% vs. 2.4%, P < .001). MYC CN≥15 was associated with PD-L1 expression (26.1% vs. 9.8%, P = .025). Amplification of AR, RAD21, LYN, CCND1, ZNF703, FGF3/4/19, and FGFR1 was enriched in MYCamp vs. MYCwt (all P < .001). In liquid samples with tumor fraction [TF]>0, MYCamp was detected in 2.0% (28/1,402), and 4.5% (20/445) with TF>20%. In the CGDB, (67 MYCamp and 658 MYCwt), patients received similar treatments; most received hormone therapies (35.8% MYCamp vs. 31.5% MYCwt) or chemotherapy (37.3% MYCamp vs. 27.7% MYCwt) as first therapy after CGP report. CONCLUSION: MYCamp defines a biologically distinct subset of PCa patients and is characterized with multiple proxies of advanced disease. These data suggest that MYCamp may be prognostic; independent cohorts are needed to validate these findings.

Recalibration of a Non-Laboratory-Based Risk Model to Estimate Pre-Diabetes/Diabetes Mellitus Risk in Primary Care in Hong Kong.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: A non-laboratory-based pre-diabetes/diabetes mellitus (pre-DM/DM) risk prediction model developed from the Hong Kong Chinese population showed good external discrimination in a primary care (PC) population, but the estimated risk level was significantly lower than the observed incidence, indicating poor calibration. This study explored whether recalibrating/updating methods could improve the model's accuracy in estimating individuals' risks in PC. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis on the model's predictors and blood test results of 919 Chinese adults with no prior DM diagnosis recruited from PC clinics from April 2021 to January 2022 in HK. The dataset was randomly split in half into a training set and a test set. The model was recalibrated/updated based on a seven-step methodology, including model recalibrating, revising and extending methods. The primary outcome was the calibration of the recalibrated/updated models, indicated by calibration plots. The models' discrimination, indicated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC-ROC), was also evaluated. RESULTS: Recalibrating the model's regression constant, with no change to the predictors' coefficients, improved the model's accuracy (calibration plot intercept: -0.01, slope: 0.69). More extensive methods could not improve any further. All recalibrated/updated models had similar AUC-ROCs to the original model. CONCLUSION: The simple recalibration method can adapt the HK Chinese pre-DM/DM model to PC populations with different pre-test probabilities. The recalibrated model can be used as a first-step screening tool and as a measure to monitor changes in pre-DM/DM risks over time or after interventions.

Legacy radionuclides in cryoconite and proglacial sediment on Orwell Glacier, Signy Island, Antarctica.

Cryoconite is a specific type of material found on the surface of glaciers and icesheets. Samples of cryoconite were collected from the Orwell Glacier and its moraines, together with suspended sediment from the proglacial stream on Signy Island, part of the South Orkney Islands, Antarctica. The activity concentrations of certain fallout radionuclides were determined in the cryoconite, moraine and suspended sediment, in addition to particle size composition and %C and %N. For cryoconite samples (n = 5), mean activity concentrations (±1SD) of 137Cs, 210Pbun and 241Am were 13.2 ± 20.9, 66.1 ± 94.0 and 0.32 ± 0.64 Bq kg-1, respectively. Equivalent values for the moraine samples (n = 7) were 2.56 ± 2.75, 14.78 ± 12.44 and <1.0 Bq kg-1, respectively. For the composite suspended sediment sample, collected over 3 weeks in the ablation season, the values (± counting uncertainty) for 137Cs, 210Pbun and 241Am were 2.64 ± 0.88, 49.2 ± 11.9 and <1.0 Bq kg-1, respectively. Thus, fallout radionuclide activity concentrations were elevated in cryoconite relative to moraine and suspended sediment. In the case of 40K, the highest value was for the suspended sediment (1423 ± 166 Bq kg-1). The fallout radionuclides in cryoconite were 1-2 orders of magnitude greater than values in soils collected from other locations in Antarctica. This work further demonstrates that cryoconite likely scavenges fallout radionuclides (dissolved and particulate) in glacial meltwater. In the case of 40K, the greater value in suspended sediment implies a subglacial source. These results are amongst the relatively few that demonstrate the presence of fallout radionuclides in cryoconites at remote locations in the Southern Hemisphere. This work adds to the growing contention that elevated activities of fallout radionuclides, and other contaminants, in cryoconites are a global phenomenon and may be a risk to downstream terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

ADHD and Psychological Need Fulfillment in College Students.

OBJECTIVE: Self-determination theory suggests that the satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs-autonomy, competence, relatedness-are uniquely associated with overall well-being. Undergraduates with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience more academic-related impairment and are less likely to graduate. Thus, well-being is important to understand and aim to improve in these students. METHOD: Students at four universities (N = 2,197) completed a survey and reported previous diagnoses, ADHD symptoms, and psychological need satisfaction and frustration. Group differences were explored via t-tests; associations were explored via structural equation modeling. RESULTS: The ADHD group reported lower satisfaction and higher frustration across all psychological needs. Inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity were uniquely associated with aspects of need fulfillment beyond the impact of comorbid symptoms. Sex differences emerged such that women with ADHD had the lowest overall need satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Addressing need fulfillment, both satisfaction and frustration, in interventions with undergraduates with clinical/subclinical levels of ADHD may optimize treatment effectiveness.

Experience sampling reveals the role that covert goal states play in task-relevant behavior.

Cognitive neuroscience has gained insight into covert states using experience sampling. Traditionally, this approach has focused on off-task states. However, task-relevant states are also maintained via covert processes. Our study examined whether experience sampling can also provide insights into covert goal-relevant states that support task performance. To address this question, we developed a neural state space, using dimensions of brain function variation, that allows neural correlates of overt and covert states to be examined in a common analytic space. We use this to describe brain activity during task performance, its relation to covert states identified via experience sampling, and links between individual variation in overt and covert states and task performance. Our study established deliberate task focus was linked to faster target detection, and brain states underlying this experience-and target detection-were associated with activity patterns emphasizing the fronto-parietal network. In contrast, brain states underlying off-task experiences-and vigilance periods-were linked to activity patterns emphasizing the default mode network. Our study shows experience sampling can not only describe covert states that are unrelated to the task at hand, but can also be used to highlight the role fronto-parietal regions play in the maintenance of covert task-relevant states.