Romantic relationships buffer minority stress in transgender and non-binary adults: Effects on depressive symptoms and suicidality.

BACKGROUND: Transgender and non-binary (TNB) individuals are at greater risk of mental health concerns relative to their cisgender peers due to experiences of minority stress. Thus, it is critically important to identify factors that may be protective and buffer the effects of minority stress. This study examined whether romantic relationship involvement and quality buffered effects of TNB minority stress on depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. METHODS: A large international sample (n = 1156) of TNB adults (n = 654 partnered; n = 502 single) reported on minority stress experiences, relationship status and quality, and mental health outcomes (i.e., depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation). RESULTS: The effects of victimization and rejection on depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation were attenuated among partnered individuals. However, once relationship quality was considered, the buffering effects of relationship involvement applied only to those in more satisfying relationships; the stress-buffering effects were not observed among those in distressed relationships. Of particular importance, general interpersonal satisfaction did not act as a minority stress buffer, suggesting there may be unique stress-buffering effects of being in a satisfying romantic relationship on depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional nature of the current study precludes definitive conclusions regarding causation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that romantic involvement may serve a stress-buffering role for TNB adults, but only when these relationships are satisfying. Our results have important theoretical and clinical implications, and further research is needed to investigate the utility of relationship interventions to buffer the effects of TNB minority stress on depressive symptoms and suicidality.

The impact of expanded access programs for systemic anticancer therapy in an Irish cancer centre.

BACKGROUND: Expanded access programs (EAPs) allow cancer patients with unmet clinical need to obtain access to pre-authorisation treatments. There is no standardised process for implementing these programs nationally, and real-world data on their impact is lacking. AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of such EAPs and their impact in a cancer centre. METHODS: Data relating to adult cancer patients treated via EAPs from 2011 to 2021 in three Cork university hospitals was collated. Descriptive statistics were employed to get an overview of the impact these programs currently have on cancer care provision. RESULTS: We identified 193 patients who accessed EAPs during the study period, availing of 33 separate drugs for a total of 50 different cancer indications. The prevalence of EAP usage was shown to have been trending upwards in recent years with a total of 189 programs being accessed throughout the period. Drugs provided were from a number of different anti-cancer drug classes, particularly targeted therapies (n = 18) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (n = 17). Cancers from a wide range of both solid and liquid tumour types were treated with EAP drugs, and patients treated were from across a broad spectrum of ages (26-82, SD 11.99). CONCLUSIONS: EAPs have an increasing role in accessing novel cancer therapies in our community and by extension nationally. Equity of EAP access would be facilitated by a national registry of available agents which we have established. Assessment of their benefits and toxicities would be enhanced by the requirement for a real-world database as a condition of EAP approval.

Diversity in singlehood experiences: Testing an attachment theory model of sub-groups of singles.

OBJECTIVE: Relationship science has developed several theories to explain how and why people enter and maintain satisfying relationships. Less is known about why some people remain single, despite increasing rates of singlehood throughout the world. Using one of the most widely studied and robust theories-attachment theory-we aim to identify distinct sub-groups of singles and examine whether these sub-groups differ in their experience of singlehood and psychosocial outcomes. METHOD: Across two studies of single adults (Ns = 482 and 400), we used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify distinct sub-groups of singles. RESULTS: Both studies revealed four distinct profiles consistent with attachment theory: (1) secure; (2) anxious; (3) avoidant; and (4) fearful-avoidant. Furthermore, the four sub-groups of singles differed in theoretically distinct ways in their experience of singlehood and on indicators of psychosocial well-being. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that singles are a heterogeneous group of individuals that can be meaningfully differentiated based on individual differences in attachment security.

Affirmation-support, parental conflict, and mental health outcomes of transgender and gender diverse youth.

Background: Transgender and gender diverse young people (TGDY) are at higher risk of psychosocial distress relative to their cisgender counterparts. TGDY rely heavily on their parents to support their desired affirmation and to facilitate access to legal and medical affirmation. While it is well understood that parent conflict negatively impacts the well-being of children and young people, little is known about how parental conflict and parental affirmation support are related to TGDY well-being. Aims: The aim of the present study was to (1) explore affirmation experiences of TGDY, as reported by their parents, focusing in particular on parental support for affirmation and barriers to affirmation, and (2) test whether parental support and aspects of the coparenting relationship predicted TGDY mental health outcomes. Method: A sample of 63 parents (Mage = 45.71 years) of TGDY (aged 11 to 17 years) completed an online survey. Results: Almost 90% of the TGDY reported on had socially affirmed their gender, though fewer had taken steps to legally or medically affirm their gender. Parental support for affirmation was generally very high, and reported discrepancies between coparents were generally low; however, discrepancies were greatest for medical affirmation. Finally, parent support for affirmation was a strong predictor of lower TGDY depressive symptoms, though parental conflict did not predict TGDY mental health. Conclusion: Results highlight the important role of parental support for gender affirmation. Further research is needed to track the role of parental support and affirmation on TGDY well-being over time, and to ensure that such research is completed with more diverse samples.

Comparative mitochondrial genomics of sponge-dwelling snapping shrimps in the genus Synalpheus: Exploring differences between eusocial and non-eusocial species and insights into phylogenetic relationships in caridean shrimps.

The genus Synalpheus is a cosmopolitan clade of marine shrimps found in most tropical regions. Species in this genus exhibit a range of social organizations, including pair-forming, communal breeding, and eusociality, the latter only known to have evolved within this genus in the marine realm. This study examines the complete mitochondrial genomes of seven species of Synalpheus and explores differences between eusocial and non-eusocial species considering that eusociality has been shown before to affect the strength of purifying selection in mitochondrial protein coding genes. The AT-rich mitochondrial genomes of Synalpheus range from 15,421 bp to 15,782 bp in length and comprise, invariably, 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes, and 22 transfer RNA genes. A 648 bp to 994 bp long intergenic space is assumed to be the D-loop. Mitochondrial gene synteny is identical among the studied shrimps. No major differences occur between eusocial and non-eusocial species in nucleotide composition and codon usage profiles of PCGs and in the secondary structure of tRNA genes. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis of the complete concatenated PCG complement of 90 species supports the monophyly of the genus Synalpheus and its family Alpheidae. Moreover, the monophyletic status of the caridean families Alvinocaridae, Atyidae, Thoridae, Lysmatidae, Palaemonidae, and Pandalidae within caridean shrimps are fully or highly supported by the analysis. We therefore conclude that mitochondrial genomes contain sufficient phylogenetic information to resolve relationships at high taxonomic levels within the Caridea. Our analysis of mitochondrial genomes in the genus Synalpheus contributes to the understanding of the coevolution between genomic architecture and sociality in caridean shrimps and other marine organisms.

Aerosol invigoration of atmospheric convection through increases in humidity.

Cloud-aerosol interactions remain a major obstacle to understanding climate and severe weather. Observations suggest that aerosols enhance tropical thunderstorm activity; past research, motivated by the importance of understanding aerosol impacts on clouds, has proposed several mechanisms that could explain that observed link. We find that high-resolution atmospheric simulations can reproduce the observed link between aerosols and convection. However, we also show that previously proposed mechanisms are unable to explain the invigoration. Examining underlying processes reveals that, in our simulations, high aerosol concentrations increase environmental humidity by producing clouds that mix more condensed water into the surrounding air. In turn, higher humidity favors large-scale ascent and stronger convection. Our results provide a physical reason to expect invigorated thunderstorms in high-aerosol regions of the tropics.

Minority Stress and Psychological Outcomes in Sexual Minorities: The Role of Barriers to Accessing Services.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals are at higher risk for poor mental health than their heterosexual counterparts, and these disparities are largely accounted for by minority stressors. Less is known about the mechanisms underlying associations between minority stress and mental health. In a sample of 592 LGB adults (Mage = 29.39), we tested a model in which minority stress (internalized stigma, stigma consciousness, and lived discrimination) was associated with poor mental health when mediated by stigma-related barriers to accessing psychological services. Structural equation modeling revealed that minority stressors predicted more barriers to service use which, in turn, predicted poorer mental health outcomes. Internalized stigma was also directly associated with poor mental health. Results suggest that links between minority stress and poorer mental health in LGB individuals are at least partly explained by stigma-related barriers to accessing services. Future research is needed to investigate methods which may ameliorate these barriers.

Medication reconciliation: time to save? A cross-sectional study from one acute hospital.

PURPOSE: Medication errors during transitional care are an important patient safety issue. Medication reconciliation is an established intervention to reduce such errors. Current evidence has not demonstrated an associated reduction in healthcare costs, however, with complexity and resource intensity being identified as issues. The aims of this study were to examine an existing process of medication reconciliation in terms of time taken, to identify factors associated with additional time, and to determine if additional time is associated with detecting errors of clinical significance. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Issues arising during medication reconciliation incurring a time burden additional to the usual process were logged and quantified by pharmacists. Regression analyses investigated associations between patient characteristics and clinically significant errors and additional time. Cost for additional time in terms of hospital pharmacist salary was calculated. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients were included. Having a personal record of medication at admission (OR 3.30, 95% CI: (1.05 to 10.42), p = 0.004) was a significant predictor of additional time. No significant associations were found between the occurrence of clinically significant error and additional time (p > 0.05). The most common reason for additional time was clarifying issues pertaining to primary care medication information. Projected annual 5-year costs for the mean additional time of 3.75 min were €1.8-1.9 million. CONCLUSIONS: Spending additional time on medication reconciliation is associated with economic burden and may not yield benefit in terms of capturing clinically significant errors. There is a need to improve communication of medication information between primary and secondary care.

Minority Stress and Same-Sex Relationship Satisfaction: The Role of Concealment Motivation.

Most lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people want a stable, satisfying romantic relationship. Although many of the predictors of relationship outcomes are similar to those of heterosexual couples, same-sex couples face some additional challenges associated with minority stress that also impact upon relationship quality. Here, we investigate the association between minority stressors and relationship quality in a sample of 363 adults (M age = 30.37, SD = 10.78) currently in a same-sex romantic relationship. Internalized homophobia and difficulties accepting one's LGB identity were each negatively associated with relationship satisfaction via heightened concealment motivation. We also examined the protective role of identity affirmation on relationship quality, finding a direct positive relationship between the two variables. Minority stressors were negatively associated with couple relationship satisfaction via heightened concealment motivation. The finding that identity affirmation directly predicted increased couple satisfaction also highlights the important role of protective factors in same-sex couple relationships.

La mayoría de las personas lesbianas, gais y bisexuales (LGB) desean una relación amorosa estable y satisfactoria. Aunque muchos de los predictores de las complicaciones en las relaciones son similares a los de las parejas heterosexuales, las parejas del mismo sexo enfrentan algunas otras dificultades asociadas con el estrés de las minorías que también repercuten en la calidad de la relación. Aquí investigamos la asociación entre los factores desencadenantes de estrés en las minorías y la calidad de la relación en una muestra de 363 adultos (edad promedio = 30.37, desviación estándar = 10.78) que están actualmente en una relación amorosa del mismo sexo. La homofobia internalizada y las dificultades para aceptar la identidad LGB propia estuvieron asociadas negativamente con la satisfacción en la relación mediante un incremento de la motivación por la ocultación. También analizamos el papel protector que desempeña la afirmación de la identidad en la calidad de la relación y encontramos una relación positiva directa entre las dos variables. Los factores desencadentantes de estrés en las minorías estuvieron asociados negativamente con la satisfacción en la relación de pareja mediante un incremento de la motivación por la ocultación. El hallazgo de que la afirmación de la identidad predijo directamente una mayor satisfacción en la pareja también destaca el papel importante que desempeñan los factores protectores de las relaciones de pareja del mismo sexo.

Earth's outgoing longwave radiation linear due to H2O greenhouse effect.

Satellite measurements and radiative calculations show that Earth's outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) is an essentially linear function of surface temperature over a wide range of temperatures (≳60 K). Linearity implies that radiative forcing has the same impact in warmer as in colder climates and is thus of fundamental importance for understanding past and future climate change. Although the evidence for a nearly linear relation was first pointed out more than 50 y ago, it is still unclear why this relation is valid and when it breaks down. Here we present a simple semianalytical model that explains Earth's linear OLR as an emergent property of an atmosphere whose greenhouse effect is dominated by a condensable gas. Linearity arises from a competition between the surface's increasing thermal emission and the narrowing of spectral window regions with warming and breaks down at high temperatures once continuum absorption cuts off spectral windows. Our model provides a way of understanding the longwave contribution to Earth's climate sensitivity and suggests that extrasolar planets with other condensable greenhouse gases could have climate dynamics similar to Earth's.

The Effects of Mindfulness on Sexual Outcomes: The Role of Emotion Regulation.

Individuals higher in dispositional mindfulness, a quality of non-judgmental attention to the present moment, fare better than their less mindful counterparts on a wide range of psychological and interpersonal outcomes. However, remarkably little is known about the potential influence of dispositional mindfulness on sexual outcomes. Here we investigated whether dispositional mindfulness was associated with a range of sexual outcomes, including sexual satisfaction, sexual hyperactivation (heightened sexual desire and worry), sexual deactivation (suppression of sexual desire and behavior), and problematic pornography use. We also tested whether capacity for emotion regulation was the mechanism underlying the mindfulness-sexual outcome association. These hypotheses were tested in two samples: a sample of adults in a committed romantic relationship (N = 407) and a group of adults who were long-term single (N = 400). Across both samples, dispositional mindfulness predicted more adaptive sexual outcomes, and emotion regulation generally mediated these associations. Of particular importance, the positive effects of dispositional mindfulness on sexual outcomes appear to generalize across relationship statuses, with both partnered and long-term single individuals displaying a similar pattern of results. These findings highlight that high dispositional mindfulness may predict a range of positive sexual outcomes in both partnered and single individuals.

Plasmonic Photothermal Gold Bipyramid Nanoreactors for Ultrafast Real-Time Bioassays.

Nucleic acid amplification techniques have been among the most powerful tools for biological and biomedical research, and the vast majority of the bioassays rely on thermocycling that uses time-consuming and expensive Peltier-block heating. Here, we introduce a plasmonic photothermal method for quantitative real-time PCR, using gold bipyramids and light to achieve ultrafast thermocycling. Moreover, we successfully extend our photothermal system to other biological assays, such as isothermal nucleic acid amplification and restriction enzyme digestion.

Creating complex molecular topologies by configuring DNA four-way junctions.

The realization of complex topologies at the molecular level represents a grand challenge in chemistry. This necessitates the manipulation of molecular interactions with high precision. Here we show that single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) knots and links can be created by utilizing the inherent topological properties that pertain to the DNA four-way junction, at which the two helical strands form a node and can be configured conveniently and connected for complex topological construction. Using this strategy, we produced series of ssDNA topoisomers with the same sequences. By finely designing the curvature and torsion, double-stranded DNA knots were accessed by hybridizing and ligating the complementary strands with the knotted ssDNA templates. Furthermore, we demonstrate the use of a constructed ssDNA knot both to probe the topological conversion catalysed by DNA topoisomerase and to study the DNA replication under topological constraint.

Low clouds suppress Arctic air formation and amplify high-latitude continental winter warming.

High-latitude continents have warmed much more rapidly in recent decades than the rest of the globe, especially in winter, and the maintenance of warm, frost-free conditions in continental interiors in winter has been a long-standing problem of past equable climates. We use an idealized single-column atmospheric model across a range of conditions to study the polar night process of air mass transformation from high-latitude maritime air, with a prescribed initial temperature profile, to much colder high-latitude continental air. We find that a low-cloud feedback--consisting of a robust increase in the duration of optically thick liquid clouds with warming of the initial state--slows radiative cooling of the surface and amplifies continental warming. This low-cloud feedback increases the continental surface air temperature by roughly two degrees for each degree increase of the initial maritime surface air temperature, effectively suppressing Arctic air formation. The time it takes for the surface air temperature to drop below freezing increases nonlinearly to ∼ 10 d for initial maritime surface air temperatures of 20 °C. These results, supplemented by an analysis of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 climate model runs that shows large increases in cloud water path and surface cloud longwave forcing in warmer climates, suggest that the "lapse rate feedback" in simulations of anthropogenic climate change may be related to the influence of low clouds on the stratification of the lower troposphere. The results also indicate that optically thick stratus cloud decks could help to maintain frost-free winter continental interiors in equable climates.

Live Cell MicroRNA Imaging Using Cascade Hybridization Reaction.

Recent advances in RNA research have posed new directives in biology and chemistry to uncover the complex roles of ribonucleic acids in cellular processes. Innovative techniques to visualize native RNAs, particularly, short, low-abundance RNAs in live cells, can dramatically impact current research on the roles of RNAs in biology. Herein, we report a novel method for real-time, microRNA imaging inside live cells based on programmable oligonucleotide probes, which self-assemble through the Cascade Hybridization Reaction (CHR).

Integrating between-session interventions (homework) in therapy: the importance of the therapeutic relationship and cognitive case conceptualization.

Between-session interventions, or homework, are crucial to a range of psychological therapies, including cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Therapeutic interventions often involve experiencing emotions and situations, or examining strongly held views about their problems, that clients can find distressing. Hence, the clinician faces a particular challenge in collaborating with the client to carry out these interventions between sessions. In this article, we convey how this process in CBT requires not only a consideration of the theoretically meaningful determinants of adherence behavior but also a sophisticated cognitive case conceptualization. Using case material, we illustrate the interplay between in-session design, planning, and review of between-session interventions and the conceptualization. We also include a distinction between generic elements of the therapeutic relationship and CBT-specific elements. The case material also attends to the person of the therapist, and his or her own cognitive and emotional reactions occurring throughout the process of discussing between-session interventions.

Reservations about the conclusions of the interdivisional (APA Divisions 12 & 29) task force on evidence-based therapy relationships: what do we know, what don't we know?

We offer a critical and constructive appraisal of the conclusions provided by the Interdivisional (American Psychological Association [APA] Divisions 12 & 29) Task Force on Evidence-Based Therapy Relationships. We highlight problems in overlapping terminology and definitions, as well as problems in the conduct of its meta-analyses (i.e., duplication of studies between reviews, inappropriate study inclusion, and use of measures of specific constructs for the calculation of effects for multiple relationship elements). On this basis, we express reservation about the conclusions offered by the APA Task Force. This special issue explores whether there are other therapeutic relationship elements that warrant consideration and further study. We were particularly interested in those elements that showed promise based on empirical or theoretical grounds, and in each article, we asked for an account of how the case formulation would guide the methods of adaptation for each individual client, and how the element would contribute to clinically relevant changes.

Using land to mitigate climate change: hitting the target, recognizing the trade-offs.

Land can be used in several ways to mitigate climate change, but especially under changing environmental conditions there may be implications for food prices. Using an integrated global system model, we explore the roles that these land-use options can play in a global mitigation strategy to stabilize Earth's average temperature within 2 °C of the preindustrial level and their impacts on agriculture. We show that an ambitious global Energy-Only climate policy that includes biofuels would likely not achieve the 2 °C target. A thought-experiment where the world ideally prices land carbon fluxes combined with biofuels (Energy+Land policy) gets the world much closer. Land could become a large net carbon sink of about 178 Pg C over the 21st century with price incentives in the Energy+Land scenario. With land carbon pricing but without biofuels (a No-Biofuel scenario) the carbon sink is nearly identical to the case with biofuels, but emissions from energy are somewhat higher, thereby results in more warming. Absent such incentives, land is either a much smaller net carbon sink (+37 Pg C - Energy-Only policy) or a net source (-21 Pg C - No-Policy). The significant trade-off with this integrated land-use approach is that prices for agricultural products rise substantially because of mitigation costs borne by the sector and higher land prices. Share of income spent on food for wealthier regions continues to fall, but for the poorest regions, higher food prices lead to a rising share of income spent on food.

Historical carbon emissions and uptake from the agricultural frontier of the Brazilian Amazon.

Tropical ecosystems play a large and complex role in the global carbon cycle. Clearing of natural ecosystems for agriculture leads to large pulses of CO2 to the atmosphere from terrestrial biomass. Concurrently, the remaining intact ecosystems, especially tropical forests, may be sequestering a large amount of carbon from the atmosphere in response to global environmental changes including climate changes and an increase in atmospheric CO2. Here we use an approach that integrates census-based historical land use reconstructions, remote-sensing-based contemporary land use change analyses, and simulation modeling of terrestrial biogeochemistry to estimate the net carbon balance over the period 1901-2006 for the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, which is one of the most rapidly changing agricultural frontiers in the world. By the end of this period, we estimate that of the state's 925 225 km2, 221 092 km2 have been converted to pastures and 89 533 km2 have been converted to croplands, with forest-to-pasture conversions being the dominant land use trajectory but with recent transitions to croplands increasing rapidly in the last decade. These conversions have led to a cumulative release of 4.8 Pg C to the atmosphere, with 80% from forest clearing and 20% from the clearing of cerrado. Over the same period, we estimate that the residual undisturbed ecosystems accumulated 0.3 Pg C in response to CO2 fertilization. Therefore, the net emissions of carbon from Mato Grosso over this period were 4.5 Pg C. Net carbon emissions from Mato Grosso since 2000 averaged 146 Tg C/yr, on the order of Brazil's fossil fuel emissions during this period. These emissions were associated with the expansion of croplands to grow soybeans. While alternative management regimes in croplands, including tillage, fertilization, and cropping patterns promote carbon storage in ecosystems, they remain a small portion of the net carbon balance for the region. This detailed accounting of a region's carbon balance is the type of foundation analysis needed by the new United Nations Collaborative Programmme for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD).