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Polarization transfer to a bound proton in polarized electron knock-out reactions, A(e→,e′p→), is a powerful tool to look for an in-medium modification of the bound proton. It requires comparison to calculations that consider the many-body effects accompanying the quasi-free process. We report here measured components Px′, Pz′, and their ratio Px′/Pz′, of polarization transfer to protons bound in Ca40, which is described well by the shell model and for which reliable calculations are available. While the calculations capture the essence of the data, our statistical precision allows us to observe deviations that cannot be explained by simple scaling, including by varying the proton electromagnetic form factor ratio GE/GM. We further explore the deviations of the ratio of the polarization transfer components from that of a free proton, (Px′/Pz′)A/(Px′/Pz′)H, and its dependence on the bound-proton virtuality.

Increases in adolescent anxiety over the past several years suggest a need for trauma-informed, culturally responsive interventions that help teens cope with environmental stressors like those associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Although abundant evidence supports the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating adolescent anxiety, not all teens respond positively to CBT. CBT does not typically include strategies that address important family factors that may be impacting the teen’s functioning, such as the attachment relationship. Attachment-based family therapy (ABFT) addresses the attachment relationship and other factors that contribute to the adolescent’s anxiety and related distress. By enhancing positive parenting behaviors, such as acceptance and validation of the adolescent’s distress and promotion of their autonomy, ABFT sessions may repair the attachment relationship and increase the family’s ability and willingness to engage in CBT tasks aimed at reducing anxiety. This theoretical paper describes the ABFT model and proposes that implementing ABFT sessions prior to CBT could result in better clinical outcomes for adolescents with anxiety disorders by improving the context within which the anxiety symptoms and treatment are experienced. Given that ABFT is sensitive and responsive to family and other contextual factors, adolescents from marginalized communities and those from less individualistic cultures may find the model to be more acceptable and appropriate for addressing factors related to their anxiety. Thus, a combined ABFT+CBT model might result in better outcomes for adolescents who have not historically responded well to CBT alone.

OCD has been conceptualized as a disorder arising from dysfunctional beliefs, such as overestimating threats or pathological doubts. Yet, how these beliefs lead to compulsions and obsessions remains unclear. Here, we develop a computational model to examine the specific beliefs that trigger and sustain compulsive behavior in a simple symptom-provoking scenario. Our results demonstrate that a single belief disturbance-a lack of confidence in the effectiveness of one's preventive (harm-avoiding) actions-can trigger and maintain compulsions and is directly linked to compulsion severity. This distrust can further explain a number of seemingly unrelated phenomena in OCD, including the role of not-just-right feelings, the link to intolerance to uncertainty, perfectionism, and overestimation of threat, and deficits in reversal and state learning. Our simulations shed new light on which underlying beliefs drive compulsive behavior and highlight the important role of perceived ability to exert control for OCD.

IntroductionAnxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions worldwide, and psychotherapeutic techniques can be employed to help manage and mitigate symptoms. While the available therapies are numerous, key strategies often involve cognitive and/or embodiment techniques. Within body-centered methods, breathing-oriented approaches are particularly prevalent, using either attention towards or active control of breathing. As the perception of body states (i.e., interoception) is thought to be an integral component of emotion generation, these embodiment and breathing techniques may be key in addressing the miscommunication between the brain and body that is thought to exist with anxiety. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of acute administration of psychological interventions for state anxiety.ResultsThis systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement and registered prospectively in PROSPERO. A literature search for randomized controlled trials was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus. We considered interventions that focused on cognitive, embodiment or breathing strategies, or a combination of these techniques. Twelve studies met our inclusion criteria, and study characteristics, quality and effect sizes were assessed. A single cognitive study was found to produce a moderate reduction in state anxiety, while moderate to large effects were found across studies assessing embodiment practices. In contrast, studies which utilized breathing-based interventions alone produced inconsistent results, with both attention towards and active control of breathing producing large to no effects depending on the technique employed. Finally, consistent moderate effects were found with combination techniques that involved passive attention (e.g., towards cognitions, body and/or breathing), with active combination techniques producing inconsistent results.DiscussionWhile study numbers are limited regarding brief interventions, cognitive and embodiment techniques are consistently helpful for reducing state anxiety, while breathing-based exercises need to consider the specific technique employed, and how successful this may be for each individual. Furthermore, combined practices such as mindfulness can also be successful, although care must be taken when introducing an active change to one or more elements.PROSPERO Systematic Review Registration NumberCRD42024507585 Available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42024507585.

IntroductionInteroception, the perception of the internal state of the body, has been shown to be closely linked to emotions and mental health. Of particular interest are interoceptive learning processes that capture associations between environmental cues and body signals as a basis for making homeostatically relevant predictions about the future. One method of measuring respiratory interoceptive learning that has shown promising results is the Breathing Learning Task (BLT). While the original BLT required binary predictions regarding the presence or absence of an upcoming inspiratory resistance, here we extended this paradigm to capture continuous measures of prediction (un)certainty.MethodsSixteen healthy participants completed the continuous version of the BLT, where they were asked to predict the likelihood of breathing resistances on a continuous scale from 0.0 to 10.0. In order to explain participants' responses, a Rescorla-Wagner model of associative learning was combined with suitable observation models for continuous or binary predictions, respectively. For validation, we compared both models against corresponding null models and examined the correlation between observed and modeled predictions. The model was additionally extended to test whether learning rates differed according to stimuli valence. Finally, summary measures of prediction certainty as well as model estimates for learning rates were considered against interoceptive and mental health questionnaire measures.ResultsOur results demonstrated that the continuous model fits closely captured participant behavior using empirical data, and the binarised predictions showed excellent replicability compared to previously collected data. However, the model extension indicated that there were no significant differences between learning rates for negative (i.e. breathing resistance) and positive (i.e. no breathing resistance) stimuli. Finally, significant correlations were found between fatigue severity and both prediction certainty and learning rate, as well as between anxiety sensitivity and prediction certainty.DiscussionThese results demonstrate the utility of gathering enriched continuous prediction data in interoceptive learning tasks, and suggest that the updated BLT is a promising paradigm for future investigations into interoceptive learning and potential links to mental health.

Dynamic Causal Modeling (DCM) is a Bayesian framework for inferring on hidden (latent) neuronal states, based on measurements of brain activity. Since its introduction in 2003 for functional magnetic resonance imaging data, DCM has been extended to electrophysiological data, and several variants have been developed. Their biophysically motivated formulations make these models promising candidates for providing a mechanistic understanding of human brain dynamics, both in health and disease. However, due to their complexity and reliance on concepts from several fields, fully understanding the mathematical and conceptual basis behind certain variants of DCM can be challenging. At the same time, a solid theoretical knowledge of the models is crucial to avoid pitfalls in the application of these models and interpretation of their results. In this paper, we focus on one of the most advanced formulations of DCM, i.e. conductance-based DCM for cross-spectral densities, whose components are described across multiple technical papers. The aim of the present article is to provide an accessible exposition of the mathematical background, together with an illustration of the model's behavior. To this end, we include step-by-step derivations of the model equations, point to important aspects in the software implementation of those models, and use simulations to provide an intuitive understanding of the type of responses that can be generated and the role that specific parameters play in the model. Furthermore, all code utilized for our simulations is made publicly available alongside the manuscript to allow readers an easy hands-on experience with conductance-based DCM.

This work addresses the link between motivation and self-perception by systematically studying visual self-representations. We propose that the way individuals perceive themselves may be associated with dispositional and situationally induced approach and avoidance motivation. First, we investigate how dispositional differences in approach/avoidance motivation and self-esteem relate to self-perception. Second, we investigate how state differences in approach/avoidance motivation relate to self-perception. Based on motivation literature, we predicted that self-perception would reflect psychological equanimity at the dispositional level (seeing the self in a favorable light), and motivational flexibility at the situational level (situational avoidance motivation results in a more realistic view of one's qualities). We use up-to-date face modeling methods to measure individuals' self-perceptions in a systematic, nuanced, and implicit way: Participants are repeatedly asked to indicate which of two portrait versions better represents themselves. Then we relate distortions in self-perceptions to agency and communion dimensions. We demonstrate that (1) participants low in self-esteem show more communion enhancement than participants high in self-esteem; (2) participants in an avoidance state show less agency enhancement (i.e., more realistic self-perceptions) than participants in an approach state. This research is first to demonstrate regularities in visual self-perception that are linked to approach and avoidance motivation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Workplace violence (WPV), such as physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening behavior, commonly occurs within healthcare settings including dentistry. The objective of this study was to analyze the behavioral and environmental factors contributing to WPV, determine its prevalence within one dental institution, and develop a WPV prevention and management protocol that is dental specific., Methods: To identify factors that impact WPV occurrence, the PRECEDE-PROCEED planning model was employed. A pilot cross-sectional survey was then conducted among faculty, staff, and dental learners (students/residents) to evaluate the prevalence of WPV incidents experienced and witnessed over the past year. The survey also assessed the locations where incidents took place, their type, and the strategies employed to manage them. A comprehensive protocol aimed at preventing and managing WPV in dental settings was subsequently developed., Results: Multiple factors influence the occurrence of WPV. The prevalence of experienced and witnessed WPV incidents was 22% and 24% among faculty/staff and 7% and 5% among learners, respectively. Verbal aggression was the most common type of WPV. Most respondents lacked awareness of the available reporting mechanisms for WPV. A WPV prevention and management protocol was developed, consisting of five steps: intervene, report, document, access support services, and resolve (IRDAR)., Conclusions: Administrators must have a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of violence in their workplace and the underlying factors that contribute to it in order to take appropriate action. IRDAR is a clearly defined and easily implemented protocol designed for preventing and managing WPV in dental learning environments., (© 2024 American Dental Education Association.)

Academic Abstract: This article integrates and advances the scope of research on the role of mental time travel in bolstering the self. We propose that imagining the self in the future (prospection) or in the past (retrospection) highlights central and positive self-aspects. Thus, bringing to mind one's future or past broadens the perceived bases of self-integrity and offers a route to self-affirmation. In reviewing corresponding research programs on self-prospection and nostalgia, we illustrate that mental time travel serves to affirm the self in terms of self-esteem, coherence, and control. Mental time travel could be implemented as a source of self-affirmation for facilitating coping and behavior change in several domains such as relationships, health, education, and organizational contexts., Public Abstract: People can mentally travel to their future or to their past. When people imagine what they will be like in the future, or what they were like in the past, they tend to think about themselves in terms of the important and positive attributes that they possess. Thinking about themselves in such an affirming way expands and consolidates their self-views. This broader image of themselves can increase self-esteem (the extent to which one likes who they are), coherence (the extent to which one perceives life as meaningful), and control (the extent to which one feels capable of initiating and pursuing goals or effecting desirable outcomes). Mental time travel, then, has favorable or affirming consequences for one's self-views. These consequences can be harnessed to modify one's behavior in such life domains as relationships, health, education, and work., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Nostalgia is a social, self-relevant, and bittersweet (although mostly positive) emotion that arises when reflecting on fond past memories and serves key psychological functions. The majority of evidence concerning the prevalence, triggers, and functions of nostalgia has been amassed in samples from a handful of largely Western cultures. If nostalgia is a fundamental psychological resource, it should perform similar functions across cultures, although its operational dynamics may be shaped by culture. This study ( N = 2,606) examined dispositional nostalgia, self-reported triggers of nostalgia, and functions of experimentally induced nostalgia in young adults across 28 countries and a special administrative region of China (i.e., Hong Kong). Results indicated that nostalgia is frequently experienced across cultures, albeit better valued in more-developed countries (i.e., higher national wealth and life-expectancy). Nostalgia is triggered by psychological threats (especially in warmer countries), sensory stimuli (especially in more-developed countries), and social gatherings (especially in less-developed countries). The positive or negative affect prompted by experimentally induced nostalgia varied by country, but was mild overall. More importantly, recalling a nostalgic (vs. ordinary) memory increased social connectedness, self-continuity, and meaning in life across cultures. In less-developed countries, recalling an ordinary memory also conferred some of these functions, reducing the effect size of nostalgia. Finally, recalling a nostalgic (vs. ordinary) memory augmented state satisfaction with life in countries with lower quality of living (i.e., lower life-expectancy and life-satisfaction). Overall, findings confirm the relevance of nostalgia across a wide range of cultures and indicate cultural nuances in its functioning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Infant and family centered development care reduces infant distress and supports the parent and infant's individual abilities. However, a new environmental factor is daily encountered: the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMFs) with the most recent fifth-generation (5G) technology. Currently, the effects of RF EMF during development are discussed in animal models. The neonatal intensive care units are not spared from this stressor. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a novel, electromagnetically insulating incubator cover to prevent the preterm infant from RF EMF exposure. A personal dosimeter was placed on the mattress of a closed incubator. Periods of exposure to low, medium, and high levels of 5G RF were delivered in the presence or absence of the incubator cover. The use of a silver-copper cover reduced the intensity of 5G radiofrequency levels from 52% to 57% (p < 0.0001), allowing to easily apply the precautionary principle., (© 2023 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Purpose: To describe and quantify patient care activities performed by ambulatory clinical pharmacists supporting medical specialty clinics in a pediatric health system utilizing a hybrid staffing model during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic., Methods: Five ambulatory clinical pharmacists, integrated within a health-system specialty pharmacy (HSSP), utilized a web-based data collection tool to record time spent performing patient care activities over a 2-week period. Work location (onsite or offsite) of the pharmacist was reported for each activity. Activities were classified as direct or indirect patient care. Direct patient care activities were subcategorized as telemedicine appointments, in-person clinic appointments, HSSP call center work, medication access support, electronic medical record consults, and previsit planning/postvisit documentation. Administrative tasks and precepting were considered indirect patient care activities., Results: A total of 1,190 activities were completed, with 77% of all activities performed offsite. Direct and indirect patient care activities accounted for 871 (73.2%) and 319 (26.8%) of total activities, respectively. No activity took longer for the pharmacists to complete offsite versus onsite., Conclusion: Using a hybrid staffing model employed by a pediatric health system, ambulatory clinical pharmacists were able to efficiently provide a high volume of direct patient care activities even when working offsite. Rapid adaptation and implementation of telemedicine services was critical for pharmacists to continue to provide essential services within pediatric medical specialty clinics., (© American Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2022. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Denitrification is a significant regulator of nitrogen pollution in diverse landscapes but is difficult to quantify. We examined relationships between denitrification potential and soil and landscape properties to develop a model that predicts denitrification potential at a landscape level. Denitrification potential, ancillary soil variables, and physical landscape attributes were measured at study sites within urban, suburban, and forested environments in the Gwynns Falls watershed in Baltimore, Maryland in a series of studies between 1998 and 2014. Data from these studies were used to develop a statistical model for denitrification potential using a subset of the samples (N = 188). The remaining measurements (N = 150) were used to validate the model. Soil moisture, soil respiration, and total soil nitrogen were the best predictors of denitrification potential (R 2 adj  = 0.35), and the model was validated by regressing observed vs. predicted values. Our results suggest that soil denitrification potential can be modeled successfully using these three parameters, and that this model performs well across a variety of natural and developed land uses. This model provides a framework for predicting nitrogen dynamics in varying land use contexts. We also outline approaches to develop appropriate landscape-scale proxies for the key model inputs, including soil moisture, respiration, and soil nitrogen., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)