Identity of the 'true' Micraspis discolor (Fabricius) (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) with illustrated diagnostic notes on other Micraspis spp. in Indian paddy fields.

Micraspis discolor (Fabricius, 1798) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), a widely studied complex of externally similar species, is known to be distributed in all the major rice growing countries of the Oriental region. It consists of disjunct populations that have been treated as a single taxonomic entity, but these are not conspecific and show disparities in their morphology. In this paper, we establish the identity of the true M. discolor based on Fabricius's type material from Tamil Nadu, Southern India, and redescribe it with illustrations of the diagnostic characters and the life stages. A lectotype is designated for M. discolor from Fabricius's type material (lectotype designation). Coccinella tenuilinea Walker, 1859, a sympatric species closely related to M. discolor and omitted from Korschefsky's World Catalogue of Coccinellidae, is transferred to Micraspis (new combination) and a lectotype is designated for it. It is found to be the most predominant species in South India and redescribed with illustrations of the genitalia and the life stages. COI sequences of M. discolor, M. tenuilinea and M. yasumatsui Sasaji based on the material collected in India are given. Phylogenetic analysis of the COI sequences of Indian M. discolor and other Asian 'M. discolor' sequences confirm that the Indian M. discolor is a distinct species and all Micraspis spp. from South and southeast Asian countries not matching the true M. discolor described here need to be re-examined and renamed if necessary. Brief illustrated accounts of other Micraspis spp. known from the paddy ecosystems of India are also given. Alesia guerini Mulsant, 1850, currently placed in Micraspis, is transferred to Oenopia Mulsant (new combination) and Coelophora walteri Sicard, 1913 is a new junior synonym of O. guerini (new synonym).

Slipinskiscymnus gen. nov., a new ladybird genus of Scymnini (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) and notes on the taxonomic status of Keiscymnus Sasaji.

Slipinskiscymnus gen. nov. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is proposed to accommodate two anomalous species of Scymnini, namely, Scymnus pallidicollis Mulsant, 1853 (= Slipinskiscymnus pallidicollis (Mulsant), comb. nov.) and Scymnus saciformis Motschulsky, 1858 (=Slipinskiscymnus saciformis (Motschulsky), comb. nov.) and five new species, Slipinskiscymnus confertus Peng et Chen sp. nov., S. siculiformis Peng et Chen sp. nov., S. spiculatus Peng et Chen sp. nov., S. interstricus Peng et Chen sp. nov. and S. keralensis Poorani sp. nov., described from China and India. A lectotype is designated for Scymnus saciformis Motschulsky, 1858 (lectotype designation). Descriptive accounts of these species with illustrations of adult habitus, male genitalia and other diagnostic characters are given with a key to species. Notes on the status of the genus Keiscymnus Sasaji, 1971, are also provided.

Improvement in the psychological health of nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Nurses are a critical component of any healthcare system. The novel coronavirus pandemic has resulted in an increased workload for nurses and heightened stress. AIMS: To assess the psychological health over time of nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic and to examine the factors associated with stress, anxiety, and psychological wellbeing. METHODS: Nurses enrolled in the study between 2 July and 26 August 2020 andcompleted questionnaires about stress, anxiety, and psychological wellbeing at baseline and at a second time point T2 12 weeks later. A paired sample t-test was used to examine whether changes in stress, anxiety, and psychological wellbeing were significantly different between baseline and T2. Linear regression models examined factors associated with psychological health outcomes. RESULTS: Of the 600 nurses initially enrolled, 484 (80.7%) completed psychological health measures at T2. Stress, anxiety, and poor psychological wellbeing scores were high at baseline. Unexpectedly, stress and psychological wellbeing significantly improved between baseline and T2, while anxiety levels increased. Younger nurses had higher baseline stress and anxiety scores. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the potential beneficial effect of effective public health management of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses' stress and psychological wellbeing and highlights the importance of longitudinal research to understand psychological health in nurses.

Improving Measurement of Trait Competitiveness: A Rasch Analysis of the Revised Competitiveness Index With Samples From New Zealand and US University Students.

Measuring competitiveness is necessary to fully understand variables affecting student learning. The 14-item Revised Competitiveness Index has become a widely used measure to assess trait competitiveness. The current study reports on a Rasch analysis to investigate the psychometric properties of the Revised Competitiveness Index and to improve its precision for international comparisons. Students were recruited from medical studies at a university in New Zealand, undergraduate health sciences courses at another New Zealand university, and a psychology undergraduate class at a university in the United States. Rasch model estimate parameters were affected by local dependency and item misfit. Best fit to the Rasch model (χ2(20) = 15.86, p = .73, person separation index = .95) was obtained for the Enjoyment of Competition subscale after combining locally dependent items into a subtest and discarding the highly misfitting Item 9. The only modifications required to obtain a suitable fit (χ2(25) = 25.81, p = .42, person separation index = .77) for the Contentiousness subscale were a subtest to combine two locally dependent items and splitting this subtest by country to deal with differential item functioning. The results support reliability and internal construct validity of the modified Revised Competitiveness Index. Precision of the measure may be enhanced using the ordinal-to-interval conversion algorithms presented here, allowing the use of parametric statistics without breaking fundamental statistical assumptions.

Rasch analysis of the Perceived Stress Scale: Transformation from an ordinal to a linear measure.

Rasch analysis was conducted to enhance the precision of the widely used 10-item Perceived Stress Scale using two datasets (n = 450 each) randomly selected from samples of the New Zealand general population (n = 1102), New Zealand university students (n = 479) and US university students (n = 396). The best Rasch model fit (χ2(27) = 29.92, p = .36), good person separation reliability (.80) and coverage (98%) of the sample by the scale items were achieved when locally dependent items were combined into subtests. These findings support reliability and internal structural validity of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale. The instrument precision can be further improved using the ordinal-to-linear conversion tables published here.

A Comparative, Multi-national Analysis of the Quality of Life and Learning Factors of Medical and Non-medical Undergraduate Students.

OBJECTIVE: This study compares data from two medical student cohorts early in their training from New Zealand and Hong Kong and then makes further comparisons with a non-medical group. METHODS: Questionnaires obtained information regarding educational site (universities situated in New Zealand, Hong Kong, and USA), gender, age, motivational beliefs, quality of life, and competitiveness. The study was split into two phases. The first phase focused on measuring and comparing the learning and wellbeing variables of two medical student cohorts. The second phase focussed on making further comparisons with non-medical student groups. RESULTS: Responses were elicited from 353 students in medically oriented courses and 688 students with a non-medical orientation. For phase 1, the results indicated differences between the two medical student groups on measures of self-efficacy, intrinsic value, enjoyment of competition, and physical quality of life. For phase 2, differences between the medical and non-medical student groups were noted for self-efficacy, intrinsic value, enjoyment of competition, contentiousness, and physical and social quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide insights into medical and non-medical students' learning and wellbeing experiences from multi-national, multi-discipline perspectives. The results suggest that wellbeing issues of students are likely context-specific and moderated by region, curriculum, gender, and culture.

Randomized clinical trial of expressive writing on wound healing following bariatric surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Writing emotionally about upsetting life events (expressive writing) has been shown to speed healing of punch-biopsy wounds compared to writing objectively about daily activities. We aimed to investigate whether a presurgical expressive writing intervention could improve surgical wound healing. METHOD: Seventy-six patients undergoing elective laparoscopic bariatric surgery were randomized either to write emotionally about traumatic life events (expressive writing) or to write objectively about how they spent their time (daily activities writing) for 20 min a day for 3 consecutive days beginning 2 weeks prior to surgery. A wound drain was inserted into a laparoscopic port site and wound fluid analyzed for proinflammatory cytokines collected over 24 hr postoperatively. Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene tubes were inserted into separate laparoscopic port sites during surgery and removed after 14 days. Tubes were analyzed for hydroxyproline deposition (the primary outcome), a major component of collagen and marker of healing. Fifty-four patients completed the study. RESULTS: Patients who wrote about daily activities had significantly more hydroxyproline than did expressive writing patients, t(34) = -2.43, p = .020, 95% confidence interval [-4.61, -0.41], and higher tumor necrosis factor-alpha, t(29) = -2.42, p = .022, 95% confidence interval [-0.42, -0.04]. Perceived stress significantly reduced in both groups after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Expressive writing prior to bariatric surgery was not effective at increasing hydroxyproline at the wound site 14 days after surgery. However, writing about daily activities did predict such an increase. Future research needs to replicate these findings and investigate generalizability to other surgical groups. (PsycINFO Database Record

Higher resting heart rate variability predicts skill in expressing some emotions.

Vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) is a measure of cardiac vagal tone, and is widely viewed as a physiological index of the capacity to regulate emotions. However, studies have not directly tested whether vmHRV is associated with the ability to facially express emotions. In extending prior work, the current report tested links between resting vmHRV and the objectively assessed ability to facially express emotions, hypothesizing that higher vmHRV would predict greater expressive skill. Eighty healthy women completed self-reported measures, before attending a laboratory session in which vmHRV and the ability to express six emotions in the face were assessed. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a marginal main effect for vmHRV on skill overall; individuals with higher resting vmHRV were only better able to deliberately facially express anger and interest. Findings suggest that differences in resting vmHRV are associated with the objectively assessed ability to facially express some, but not all, emotions, with potential implications for health and well-being.

Harmonia manillana (Mulsant), a new addition to Indian Coccinellidae, with changes in synonymy.

BACKGROUND: Harmonia dunlopi (Crotch), a rare lady beetle species, was originally described from 'India' by Crotch (1874). But information on subsequent sightings of this species is absent and it has not been reported by anyone from India and its neighbouring countries ever since its original description. Because of this, Indian records of H. dunlopi were suspected to be probably misidentifications of H. dimidiata (F.), a species common in northern and northeastern India and also widely distributed in the Oriental region. NEW INFORMATION: A single male specimen of a species collected in recent surveys from Arunachal Pradesh, India, was suspected to be H. dunlopi. Comparison of this specimen with the collections at the Natural History Museum, London, confirmed that it belonged to Harmonia manillana (Mulsant), hitherto known from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Harmonia manillana is a highly polymorphic species with many synonyms and based on examination of the type material, the following nomenclatural changes are proposed. Harmonia dunlopi was found to be only a color variant of H. manillana and hence it is reduced to a junior synonym of H. manillana (syn. nov.). Harmonia decussata (Crotch 1874) is removed from synonymy with H. manillana and reinstated as a valid species (stat. rev.) and H. flavomarginata Bielawski 1968 is a new junior synonym of H. decussata (syn. nov.). This is the first record of H. manillana for India and South Asia. The male genitalia of H. manillana are illustrated and compared with those of H. dimidiata, the more common Indian species, to facilitate its recognition.

'Oxytocin' for the outwardly oriented: Evidence for interactive effects in placebo responding.

OBJECTIVE: In order to harness the placebo effect for clinical benefit, more research is needed to determine who might be responsive to a placebo treatment. Recently, a two-faceted Transactional Model of Placebo Responding (TMPR) was offered, which suggests different personality types might respond to different contextual cues. The current study directly tested this model by manipulating treatment descriptors to match the two purported facets of responsiveness. METHODS: Physically healthy volunteers (N=77) experiencing life stress were randomised to either the: (1) wait-list control, (2) 'serotonin treatment' group; or (3) 'oxytocin treatment' group. Both treatment groups received an 'antistress' intranasal spray (placebo). The 'serotonin' and 'oxytocin' treatments were described to appeal to the two purported facets responsiveness set out in the TMPR, inward and outward orientation. The BIS/BAS scale was used as proxies for inward (BIS) and outward (BAS) orientation. It was hypothesised that high BAS types would be more responsive to the 'oxytocin' and high BIS types would be more responsive to the 'serotonin'. RESULTS: Findings provide partial support for hypotheses, with high but not low BAS types having a greater response to the 'oxytocin' placebo; but the pattern of responses from high BIS types were contrary to predictions. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate interactions between personality type and environmental cues may contribute to placebo responding, but more research is needed to investigate possible operationalisations of responsiveness and the contextual cues to which different types may respond.

A take-home placebo treatment can reduce stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression in a non-patient population.

BACKGROUND: With a healthcare system burdened by symptomatic and mental-health related conditions, the placebo effect may represent a useful clinical tool. First, however, there is a need to broaden research attention and investigate placebo effects outside laboratories and beyond experimental pain. This study investigated the effectiveness of a take-home placebo treatment in the short-term alleviation of stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression in a non-patient population. METHOD: A sample of 77 participants was randomized to either the 'oxytocin' treatment group (n = 22), the 'serotonin' treatment group (n = 22) or the wait-list control group (n = 33). The two treatment groups were given an 'anti-stress treatment spray' (placebo) to self-administer for 3 days, and completed online measures of perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale-10), anxiety (Cognitive Somatic Anxiety Questionnaire) and symptoms of depression (Centre for Epidemiological Studies - Depression) before and after the 3-day protocol. RESULTS: Both the 'serotonin' and 'oxytocin' treatment sprays were effective in reducing symptoms of depression; however, only those in the 'oxytocin' group reported less stress and anxiety as compared with controls. Overall, the 'oxytocin' was perceived as more effective. CONCLUSION: Placebo effects can be translated to a real-life setting in the short-term reduction of stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression in a non-patient population. In treating psychological distress, placebos may be useful addition to the treatment repertoire. The information given with treatment may also be an important consideration for practitioners.

Trait predictors of placebo responses in itch.

This study investigated trait predictors of placebo responses in the context of inflammatory skin reactions. This was a randomized, cross-over, experimental study using a deceptive placebo protocol. A healthy sample of volunteers (N = 48) completed online personality measures, then attended two laboratory sessions in which short-term inflammatory skin reactions were induced. One was a control session and the other the 'treatment' session in which a placebo cream was administered with the suggestion of a reduced skin reaction. A placebo response was defined as smaller skin reactions in control vs. treatment sessions. The traits ego resiliency and neuroticism were selected as possible predictors of placebo responses. Traits were selected in consideration of the two-faceted transactional model of placebo responsiveness and in light of empirical and psychometric considerations ego resiliency emerged as a consistent predictor of placebo responses in itch (p < .05). This is the first study to identify trait predictors of placebo responses in inflammatory skin reactions. Ego resiliency may typify greater placebo responsiveness; however, this may only be in certain contexts. Matching treatment approaches to bio-behavioural response tendencies may be useful clinically if the placebo component of traditional treatments can be enhanced.

Placebo 'serotonin' increases heart rate variability in recovery from psychosocial stress.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate placebo effects on heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) in recovery from a psychosocial stressor. METHODS: A healthy sample underwent two mental arithmetic stress tests in one experimental session. After undergoing the baseline test, participants were randomized into control or placebo groups. Prior to the second stress test, the placebo group received an intranasal dose of 'serotonin' (placebo) with the suggestion that it would enhance recovery. HR and HRV were assessed throughout procedures. RESULTS: There was an increase in vagally-mediated HRV in the placebo group. The change in HR did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Placebo suggestion can enhance autonomic recovery after psychosocial stress. Findings are consistent with the notion of top-down mechanisms of placebo effects, but further research would need to specifically examine the role of top-down regulatory pathways as possible mediators of placebo-induced changes in autonomic function.

The placebo effect in inflammatory skin reactions: the influence of verbal suggestion on itch and weal size.

PURPOSE: To investigate suggestion-induced placebo effects in inflammatory skin reactions. METHODS: A healthy sample of volunteers (N = 48) attended two laboratory sessions. In each, a local short term inflammatory skin reaction was induced with histamine. Participants were told that one session was a control session and the other was a treatment session in which an antihistamine cream would be applied to the arm to reduce the size of the weal and the experience of itch. Inert aqueous cream was applied in both sessions. Participants were randomly allocated to undergo either the control or the treatment session first. RESULTS: The placebo manipulation successfully reduced self-reported itch from the control to the placebo treatment session, but no placebo effect was demonstrated in weal size. Order effects were observed such that only those who underwent control procedures first had a smaller weal in the placebo treatment session as compared to the control session. The same order effect was seen for reported itch at one minute post histamine administration, but this disappeared at the three and five minute measures. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that explicit verbal suggestion can reduce the experience of itch. In addition to conscious awareness, a concrete representation of the suggested changes gained from prior experience to the stimulus may be an important component of placebo effects on inflammatory skin reactions.

Who responds to placebos? Considering the "placebo personality" via a transactional model.

The placebo effect is now recognised as a genuine psychobiological phenomenon; however, the question of how it can be systematically harnessed to improve health outcomes is not yet clear. One issue that remains unresolved is why some respond to placebos and others do not. A number of traits have been linked to responding, but findings are scattered. In extending prior work, this paper offers three considerations. First, attempts to describe the placebo responder via a single personality trait may be limiting. A synthesis of findings to date suggests placebo responsiveness may reflect a two-faceted construct, with "inward" and "outward" orientation representing the different but related facets of placebo responsiveness. Second, the lack of theoretically driven research may be hindering progress. Personality measures rather than personality theory appear to be driving research and higher order traits are descriptive tools with limited use in predicting behaviour. A biologically based stimulus-response model of personality that considers how individuals respond to certain environmental cues may be more appropriate. Third, a transactional model of placebo responding in which dispositional characteristics interact with environmental contingencies is presented. Responsiveness may manifest in placebo environments where there is a match between an individual's biological trait-like response systems and environmental contingencies. This type of model may be useful in both research and clinical settings. Systematic consideration of how different individuals might respond to different placebo environments might facilitate identification of stable individual characteristics predictive of responding. The ability to determine who is responsive to placebo treatments, and in what context, may enable the matching of individual to treatment, thereby maximising the effectiveness of treatment and minimising possible iatrogenic harm. In the increasingly overtaxed modern health care industry, non-pharmacological treatment alternatives are of critical importance.

Investigating the 'placebo personality' outside the pain paradigm.

AIM: To identify personality traits related to placebo responding outside the context of pain. METHODS: Sixty three healthy volunteers completed the study. Personality traits were measured online one week prior to a laboratory session in which two psychosocial stress tests were administered. Prior to the second test, the placebo group received an intranasal spray of 'serotonin' (placebo) with the suggestion that it would enhance recovery. Subjective stress, heart rate and heart rate variability were measured. Self reported and physiological responses to the placebo suggestion were assessed against personality variables. RESULTS: Placebo effects were demonstrated in both self reported and physiological stress metrics. Lower optimism and less empathic concern predicted greater perceived benefits from the placebo treatment; and lower drive, fun, and sensation seeking were related to a greater physiological response to the manipulation. Multivariate analyses revealed lower optimism and behavioural drive to be predictive of responding to the placebo manipulation. CONCLUSION: Findings are in contrast with prior work in pain paradigms which found higher levels of the same traits to be related to greater placebo analgesic responses. A cluster of traits characterised by behavioural drive, extraversion, optimism and novelty or fun seeking appears to be germane to placebo responsiveness, but contextual stimuli may generate different patterns of responding. A new conceptualisation of placebo responsiveness may be useful. Rather than a 'placebo personality' it may be that responsiveness is better typified by a two faceted transactional model, in which different personality facets respond to different contextual contingencies.

Expressive writing and wound healing in older adults: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether expressive writing could speed wound reepithelialization in healthy, older adults. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, 49 healthy older adults aged 64 to 97 years were assigned to write for 20 minutes a day either about upsetting life events (Expressive Writing) or about daily activities (Time Management) for 3 consecutive days. Two weeks postwriting, 4-mm punch biopsy wounds were created on the inner, upper arm. Wounds were photographed routinely for 21 days to monitor wound reepithelialization. Perceived stress, depressive symptoms, health-related behaviors, number of doctor visits, and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated proinflammatory cytokine production were also measured throughout the study. RESULTS: Participants in the Expressive Writing group had a greater proportion of fully reepithelialized wounds at Day 11 postbiopsy compared with the Time Management group, with 76.2% versus 42.1% healed, χ(2)(1, n = 40) = 4.83, p = .028. Ordinal logistic regression showed more sleep in the week before wounding also predicted faster healing wounds. There were no significant group differences in changes to perceived stress, depressive symptoms, health-related behaviors, lipopolysaccharide-induced proinflammatory cytokine production, or number of doctor visits over the study period. CONCLUSIONS: This study extends previous research by showing that expressive writing can improve wound healing in older adults and women. Future research is needed to better understand the underlying cognitive, psychosocial, and biological mechanisms contributing to improved wound healing from these simple, yet effective, writing exercises. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (trial number 343095).

Expectation and the placebo effect in inflammatory skin reactions: a randomised-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the placebo effect on experimentally induced skin reactions via the manipulation of expectation. METHODS: Fifty-eight healthy volunteers were randomised into either expectancy or control groups. All participants received a baseline administration of histamine on one arm (Time 1), then a second administration on the other arm, approximately 30 minutes later (Time 2). Prior to the second administration, the expectancy group was told that an antihistamine cream (the placebo) had been applied that would reduce their skin reaction to the histamine. Expected wheal area, actual wheal area, heart rate, and heart rate variability were measured at each time point. RESULTS: There was a positive relationship between expected and actual wheal area at Time 1. While the expectancy group expected a smaller skin reaction on the second arm they did not experience a greater reduction in wheal area, compared to control. The expectancy group had a greater reduction in heart rate during the second skin reaction, after the manipulation of expectation (p<.05). CONCLUSION: While wheal area was not modulated, it may be worth further investigating this possibility, with modifications to the protocol. The reduction of heart rate appears to be an expectation effect and future research could elucidate mechanisms involved. There is an indication that expectations and inflammatory skin reactions are associated. Further study might aim to clarify the direction and nature of this relationship.

Dispositional emotion coping styles and physiological responses to expressive writing.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of these two studies was to assess how repressors and defensive, high-anxious individuals exhibit their psychological and health characteristics subjectively through self-reports and objectively through physiological markers and ratings of emotional expression. DESIGN: Cross-sectional descriptive design (study one) and randomized controlled design (study two). METHODS: In the first descriptive study, repressors, defensive, high-anxious individuals and low-anxious individuals were identified from a pool of 748 undergraduates. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires assessing psychological and health characteristics. In the second experimental study, the three groups were randomized into either emotional or non-emotional writing conditions. Participants were asked to write three essays on either an emotional or a non-emotional topic in a single day. RESULTS: In the first study, defensive, high-anxious individuals reported significantly more distress, symptoms, sickness behaviours and difficulty expressing anger relative to repressors. In the second study, there was a significant difference in salivary cortisol concentrations between the two writing conditions regardless of the emotional coping grouping. Analysis of the writing showed no significant differences among repressors, defensive, high-anxious and low-anxious individuals in their cognitive and affective expression. CONCLUSIONS: Whereas self-reports of health outcomes and psychological traits clearly distinguish repressors and defensive, high-anxious individuals, more objective indices of emotional expressiveness and physiology do not appear to do so. The results also indicate that expressive writing may be helpful to reduce physiological arousal towards emotionally charged memories.