Global arthropod beta-diversity is spatially and temporally structured by latitude.

Global biodiversity gradients are generally expected to reflect greater species replacement closer to the equator. However, empirical validation of global biodiversity gradients largely relies on vertebrates, plants, and other less diverse taxa. Here we assess the temporal and spatial dynamics of global arthropod biodiversity dynamics using a beta-diversity framework. Sampling includes 129 sampling sites whereby malaise traps are deployed to monitor temporal changes in arthropod communities. Overall, we encountered more than 150,000 unique barcode index numbers (BINs) (i.e. species proxies). We assess between site differences in community diversity using beta-diversity and the partitioned components of species replacement and richness difference. Global total beta-diversity (dissimilarity) increases with decreasing latitude, greater spatial distance and greater temporal distance. Species replacement and richness difference patterns vary across biogeographic regions. Our findings support long-standing, general expectations of global biodiversity patterns. However, we also show that the underlying processes driving patterns may be regionally linked.

Determining the Right Levels of Health Coaching and Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback in a Workplace Behavior Change Intervention: Multiphase Optimization Strategy Preparation Study.

BACKGROUND: Work-related stress is associated with poor job performance and negative health outcomes. Changing health behaviors through corporate wellness programs can improve physical and mental health and help employees manage stress. This project sought to pilot the potential addition of brief coaching and biofeedback to an 8-week web-based self-help program to improve employee stress using the multiphase optimization strategy. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine which candidate components will be tested in a later optimization phase and at what dose they will be tested, examine the feasibility and acceptability of delivering the different components, investigate whether the outcomes can be feasibly measured, and review evidence to build a conceptual model before the optimization phase. METHODS: The study was positioned within the preparation phase of the multiphase optimization strategy. It is a 2×2×2×2 design with 4 components: 2 types of health coaching and 2 types of biofeedback. All components were tested by turning them on or off. A total of 16 adult office workers (mean age 40, SD 14.3 years; n=15 women) completed an 8-week self-paced web-based stress management and health behavior change program and were randomly assigned to 1 of the 16 conditions, created from a combination of the 4 candidate components. Assessments included web analytics, surveys, and interviews regarding program recommendations, likes, and dislikes. RESULTS: Findings from the interviews provided suggestions to improve the intervention (eg, separating wellness from stress content) and trial conduct (eg, streamlining the onboarding process). On average, participants logged into the wellness program 83 times (range 36-291), with 75% (12/16) participant retention and 67% (8/12) survey completion. There were no reported problems with coaching or obtaining data from interviews or apps. The interview findings suggested potential mediators to include and assess in a future conceptual model. CONCLUSIONS: The results provided areas to improve the intervention content and trial methods. Instead of progressing to the next scheduled large-scale optimization phase, our plan to iterate through a second preparation phase after making changes to the protocol, apps, and corporate coaching partner.

Predicting physical activity for people with multiple sclerosis: The role of exercise-related cognitive errors.

PURPOSE: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease that is chronic, progressive characterized by symptoms of relapsing fatigue and pain. Despite evidence supporting the use of physical activity (PA) for MS symptom management, low rates of PA participation are observed. Previous research suggests exercise-related cognitive errors (ECEs) can deter and decrease PA participation. The purpose of this study was to examine whether ECEs and self-regulatory efficacy for MS symptom control predict important behavior-related outcomes for MS self-management (dependent variables: PA, maladaptive behavioral responses to illness, and perceived walking impairment). METHOD: Adults with MS (N = 110; aged 18 and over, with a patient-determined disease steps score of six or less) completed the following validated questionnaires: ECEs, MS symptom control self-efficacy, self-report moderate to vigorous physical activity, behavioral responses to illness, and perceived walking impairment. RESULTS: ECEs significantly predicted behavioral responses to illness (ß = .459, p < .01) and perceived walking impairment (ß = .279, p < .01). The interaction between ECEs and self-regulatory efficacy significantly predicted all three dependent variables (ßs ranged from .155 to .263, ps < .05). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to demonstrate associations between ECEs and different illness- and mobility-related perceptions for persons with MS. Findings suggested that self-regulatory efficacy to manage MS symptoms varied based on low, moderate, or high levels of ECEs. Disability status is not easily modifiable; targeting social cognitions, like self-regulatory efficacy or ECEs, may be a promising way to promote PA for MS self-management. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Can In-Task Affect During Interval and Continuous Exercise Predict 12-Month Physical Activity Behavior? Findings from a Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: In-task affective responses to moderate-intensity continuous exercise training (MICT) have been shown to predict future physical activity behavior. However, limited research has investigated whether this affect-behavior relationship is similar for high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and whether it holds true over the longer term. This study aims to determine (1) if in-task affect during 2 weeks of supervised MICT and HIIT predicted changes to unsupervised moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) behavior 12 months post-intervention and (2) if this predictive relationship was moderated by exercise type (MICT vs. HIIT). METHOD: Ninety-nine adults (69.7% female; 50.9 ± 9.4 years) who were low active and overweight were randomized to 2 weeks of exercise training of MICT (n = 52) or HIIT (n = 47), followed by 12 months of accelerometry-assessed free-living MVPA. RESULTS: The pooled moderation model was not significant, F(3, 94) = 2.54, p = .07 (R2 = 0.085), with a non-significant group by affect interaction (p = .06). The conditional effect for MICT was significant (B = 17.27, t = 2.17, p = .03), suggesting that 12-month change in MVPA increased by 17.27 min/week for every one-point increase in in-task affect. The conditional effect for HIIT was not significant (p = .85), suggesting that in-task affect was not predictive of 12-month change in MVPA. CONCLUSION: The current findings raise important questions about whether the affect-behavior relationship may vary depending on exercise type. For HIIT-based exercise in particular, additional psychological constructs beyond in-task affect should be considered when attempting to predict future physical activity behavior.

Post-traumatic stress disorder and risk of first-time and repeated opioid-related hospitalizations among World Trade Center Health Registry enrollees.

In 2021, and average of 220 deaths from opioid-related overdoses occurred daily in the US. Recent evidence suggests there is an association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and increased opioid misuse, while little is known about opioid-related hospitalizations. This study used data from the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR), a longitudinal cohort consisting of individuals directly exposed to the September 11th terrorist attacks with a high prevalence of resulting PTSD (3.8-29.6%). We linked WTCHR data to New York State hospitalization data to examine the question: do opioid-related hospitalizations (first time and repeated) differ by PTSD status. In a study sample of 37,968 adults, 145 experienced at least one episode of opioid-related hospitalization and 64 had repeated episodes during the study period. We found that in the 13-years post-9/11, individuals with PTSD had a significantly higher risk of a first-time opioid-related hospitalization (Hazard Ratio: 3.6, 95% CI: 2.7, 5.0) and repeated opioid-related hospitalizations (Hazard Ratio: 3.9, 95% CI: 2.7, 5.8) than those who did not have PTSD. Improved treatment of and increased screenings for PTSD may reduce the likelihood of opioid misuse in this population and consequently overdoses, hospitalizations, and healthcare costs.

Effects of fitspiration on believability and intention to exercise.

Introduction: Although Fitspiration is purportedly intended to motivate people to be fit and healthy, a body of research has demonstrated negative effects of these media in men and women. Understanding mechanisms can help create more targeted interventions aimed at mitigating the negative effects of Fitspiration. This research examined if selected implicitly or explicitly measured constructs moderated or mediated the effects of Fitspiration. The purposes were to examine the believability (finding the media truthful) of Fitspiration (study one; data from 139 women and 125 men aged 18-33 years were analyzed), the effects of Fitspiration on exercise intention (study two; data from 195 women and 173 men aged 18-30 years were analyzed), and whether these effects were moderated by exercise-related cognitive errors (negatively biased perception of exercise) or mediated by implicit (evaluative responses to stimuli) or explicit (reasoned evaluation of stimuli) attitudes. Methods: In two separate studies, self-identified men and women first completed a measure of exercise-related cognitive errors, then viewed gender-specific Fitspiration media, followed by measures of implicit attitudes, explicit attitudes, believability, and demographics. In study two, participants were randomly assigned to Fitspiration or control media conditions and also completed measures of fitspiration-related cognitive errors and intention to exercise. In the first study, one model was tested for each gender sample. It was hypothesized that implicit and explicit attitudes would be positively related to believability, and that exercise-related cognitive errors would moderate these relationships. In study two, separate models were tested with exercise-related or Fitspiration-related cognitive errors as the moderators with each gender sample. It was hypothesized that implicit attitudes, explicit attitudes, and believability would be positively related to intention, that the control media would lead to greater intention to exercise than the Fitspiration media, and that exercise-related cognitive errors and Fitspiration-related cognitive errors would moderate these relationships. Results: The majority of hypothesized relationships were not supported. A negative relationship between exercise-related cognitive errors and believability was found. Discussion: Overall, these studies identify and exclude factors that predict Fitspiration believability and the role that factors such as cognitive errors and attitudes may play in that.

Advancing understanding of the taxonomy and diversity of the genus Contracaecum in the great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus).

Despite the wide distribution and health importance of anisakids of the genus Contracaecum, epidemiological data on their occurrence in definitive bird hosts are scarce, particularly from certain parts of the world that represent important wintering sites or migration stopovers for different bird species. In the present study, Contracaecum spp. infecting six great white pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) in Israel were identified using light and scanning electron microscopy and phylogenetic analyses of nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase II (cox2). A PCR-RFLP method was also developed and applied to screen large numbers of Contracaecum parasites. Most (415/455) worms recovered were C. micropapillatum, followed by C. gibsoni (31/455), C. quadripapillatum (8/455), and C. multipapillatum E (1/455). Contracaecum micropapillatum from Israel and C. bancrofti from Australia are distinguishable by cox2 but less well resolved with ITS sequences, and could not be distinguished morphologically. Worms with cox2 matching C. gibsoni had ITS matching specimens identified as C. multipapillatum A. To the authors' knowledge, this represents the first of such studies in Israel and provides useful data on the ecology and distribution of different Contracaecum species of health and economic interest.

Long-Term Lower Respiratory Symptoms among World Trade Center Health Registry Enrollees Following Hurricane Sandy.

Several studies showed an association between lower respiratory tract symptoms (LRS) and exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attack. However, few studies have examined the long-term impact of natural disasters on those with prior respiratory distress. The present study aims to assess the impact of Hurricane Sandy on persistent LRS among people exposed to the World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attack. The analytic sample consisted of WTC Health Registry enrollees who completed survey waves 1, 3, and 4 and the Hurricane Sandy Survey and did not report LRS before the WTC terrorist attack. The log binomial was used to assess the association between the impact of Hurricane Sandy and persistent LRS. Of 3277 enrollees, 1111 (33.9%) reported persistent LRS post-Sandy. Participants of older age, males, lower household income, current smokers, and those with previous asthma were more likely to report persistent LRS. In separate adjusted models, multiple Sandy-related inhalation exposures (relative risk (RR): 1.2, 95% CI: 1.06-1.37), Sandy-related PTSD (RR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.15-1.4), and Sandy LRS (RR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.48-1.81) were associated with persistent LRS post-Sandy. Our findings suggest that respiratory protection is important for everyone performing reconstruction and clean-up work after a natural disaster, particularly among those with previous respiratory exposures.