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Environments shape people, and at the same time, people are attracted to environments that fit their characteristics because fit facilitates the achievement of people's desired life outcomes, such as relationship satisfaction, work success, and well-being. In this article, we outline how persons and environments can fit, the relevance of fit and misfit for different life outcomes, and the benefits and pitfalls of different (mis)fit measures. We propose three directions for future research: (a) the use of both subjective and objective (mis)fit measures; (b) the consideration of complex dynamics between person and environment characteristics via pathways through multiple biological, experiential, behavioral, and social layers across the life span; and (c) the integration of insights from different disciplines, including psychology, sociology, neuroscience, and genetics, to move the field forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the concept of age in sports and how it is perceived differently depending on the context. It discusses how phrases and narratives surrounding age and experience are prevalent in sports culture, with older athletes being described as either "turning back the clock" or "past their prime," while younger athletes are often referred to as "rising stars" or "still green." The article also highlights the fascination with athletes who defy the notion of aging, citing examples such as Tom Watson, George Foreman, and Dara Torres. It argues for a greater focus on age as an identity within the sports discipline, alongside discussions of gender, race, ethnicity, ability, and nationality. [Extracted from the article]

Biobanking in Singapore is characterized by contested relations between funding ambitions and research practices, and different notions of what the (potential) value of storing samples and data for medical research is. Different biobanking efforts anticipate the production of public goods from stored materials in specifically situated ways. These efforts to produce public goods in the form of scientific and economic value can be fruitfully understood in terms of extraction, a complex sociotechnical process of retrieving (potential) value from raw materials, which both informs and is informed by specific social values. In exploring the extraction of potential value in relation to practice values, I propose the notion of value formations to account for the coproduction of and intersections between different forms of value(s) in scientific practices situated in particular social contexts. I trace value formations across the life span of biobanking collections, which range from recruitment, collection, and processing of samples to their storage, retrieval, and use. Observations along this life span show the social and temporal complexity of value-making in biobanking in Singapore, pointing to the contextual specificity of how biobanking is understood as a public good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive-function (EF) skills are a set of attention-regulation skills that provide a neurocognitive foundation for adapting to changing circumstances across the life span; EF skills measured in childhood are associated with important real-world outcomes (e.g., school and job success). Although training can improve EF skills, the benefits of training frequently fail to transfer to these outcomes. We argue that EF skills are associated with outcomes such as school success only to the extent that they first contribute to intermediate-level EF-based life skills that are more directly instrumental in achieving key outcomes. These intentional intermediate-level skills are configurations of specific EF skills and non-EF skills that are used when reasoning and solving problems in a variety of domains. We further argue that an effective way to bridge the gap between specific EF skills and real-world outcomes is by training these EF-based life skills that people need to function effectively in society. We propose that this can best be achieved using a civic-scientific approach, engaging citizens (e.g., children, youth, parents, teachers) in the design process from the beginning so that interventions are responsive to perceived needs and address perceived obstacles to success and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Grip strength is used to estimate whole-body strength for health surveillance purposes. Explosive strength is considered important, yet economic measures able to detect early deterioration of neuromuscular capabilities are lacking. Whether handgrip maximum rate of force development (GRFD) or whole-body strength tests are better predictors of lower body power than handgrip maximum strength (GFmax) and their trajectories throughout the life span are unknown. Hypothesis: GRFD should be more closely related to lower body power than GFmax, and its trajectories over the life span should more closely follow that of lower body power. Study Design: Cross-sectional. Level of Evidence: Level 2b. Methods: A total of 613 healthy participants aged 20 to 91 years were tested for countermovement jump peak power, GFmax, handgrip rate of force development, and midthigh pull peak force (MTP). Cubic splines and linear models were built for age trajectories, generalized additive models for quintile curves, and linear regression was used to assess predictive quality. Results: Peak power (Pmax) declined linearly to 60% of young adult level, with GRFD, GFmax, and MTP remaining stable up to age 50 years and then declining more sharply to 52% to 71% of young adult levels. Trajectories were similar for male and female participants. GRFD (β = 0.17) and MTP (β = 0.08) were worse predictors of Pmax than GFmax (β = 0.24) in models adjusted for age, sex, lean body mass, and vigorous physical activity levels. Conclusion: GRFD was not superior to maximum strength in predicting lower body power. For health surveillance purposes, it therefore appears that GFmax tests are more economical and equally good predictors of lower body explosive strength at older age. The data provided can be used as norm values for healthy subjects. Clinical Relevance: Incorporating countermovement jump testing for early detection of declines in explosive capabilities might be advised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most recent publicly available data on all solid cancer incidence from the Life Span Study (LSS) of Japanese A-bomb survivors provides colon dose contributions weighted with a relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of 10 for neutrons, relative to gammas. However, there is evidence from several investigations that the neutron RBE for A-bomb survivors may be higher than 10. The change in the shape of the corresponding dose–response curves was evaluated by Hafner and co-workers in a previous study by applying sex-specific linear-quadratic dose models to previous LSS data for all solid cancer incidence that include separate neutron and gamma absorbed doses for several organs, in contrast to the most recent data. The resulting curvature change became significantly negative for males at an RBE of 140 for colon, 100 for liver, and 80 for organ averaged dose. For females, the corresponding RBE values were 110, 80, and 60 for colon, liver, and organ averaged doses. The present study compares three different methods to calculate the 95% confidence intervals in an analysis of the curvature with increasing RBE. Further, the impact of a higher neutron RBE on the work of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, and the importance of including uncertainties and performing sensitivity analysis of different parameters in radiation risk assessment are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene Therapy Ameliorates Spontaneous Seizures Associated With Cortical Neuron Loss in a Cln2R207X Mouse Model Takahashi K, Eultgen EM, Wang S, Rensing NR, Nelvagal HR, Dearborn JT, Danos O, Buss N, Sands MS, Wong M, Cooper JD. 2023. J Clin Invest. 133(12):e165908. doi:10.1172/JCI165908 Although a disease-modifying therapy for classic late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN2 disease) exists, poor understanding of cellular pathophysiology has hampered the development of more effective and persistent therapies. Here, we investigated the nature and progression of neurological and underlying neuropathological changes in Cln2R207X mice, which carry one of the most common pathogenic mutations in human patients but are yet to be fully characterized. Long-term electroencephalography recordings revealed progressive epileptiform abnormalities, including spontaneous seizures, providing a robust, quantifiable, and clinically relevant phenotype. These seizures were accompanied by the loss of multiple cortical neuron populations, including those stained for interneuron markers. Further histological analysis revealed early localized microglial activation months before neuron loss started in the thalamocortical system and spinal cord, which was accompanied by astrogliosis. This pathology was more pronounced and occurred in the cortex before the thalamus or spinal cord and differed markedly from the staging seen in mouse models of other forms of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. Neonatal administration of adeno-associated virus serotype 9–mediated gene therapy ameliorated the seizure and gait phenotypes and prolonged the life span of Cln2R207X mice, attenuating most pathological changes. Our findings highlight the importance of clinically relevant outcome measures for judging preclinical efficacy of therapeutic interventions for CLN2 disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of stroke in developed countries is increasing selectively in young individuals, but whether this is secondary to traditional vascular risk factors is unknown. Methods: We used the Canadian Community Health Survey from 2000 to 2016 to create a large population-representative cohort of individuals over the age of 30 and free from prior stroke. All analyses were stratified by age decile. We linked with administrative databases to determine emergency department visits or hospitalizations for acute stroke until December 2017. We calculated time trends in risk factor prevalence (hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and smoking) using meta-regression. We used Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate the association between vascular risk factors and stroke risk, adjusted for demographic, co-morbid, and social variables. We used competing risk regression to account for deaths and calculated population-attributable fractions. In a sensitivity analysis, we excluded those with prior heart disease or cancer. Results: We included 492,400 people in the analysis with 8865 stroke events over a median follow-up time of 8.3 years. Prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity increased over time while smoking decreased. Associations of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity with stroke risk were progressively stronger at younger age (adjusted hazard ratio for diabetes was 4.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.95–10.28 at age 30–39, vs 1.21, 95% CI = 0.93–1.57 at age 80+), although the obesity association was attenuated with adjustment. Smoking was associated with higher risk of stroke without a gradient across age deciles, although had the greatest population-attributable fraction at younger age. The hazard ratio for stroke with multiple concurrent risk factors was much higher at younger age (adjusted hazard ratio for 3–4 risk factors was 8.60, 95% CI = 2.97–24.9 at age 30–39 vs 1.61, 95% CI = 0.88–2.97 at age 80+) and results were consistent when accounting for the competing risk of death and excluding those with prior heart disease or cancer. Conclusions: Diabetes and hypertension were associated with progressively elevated relative risk of stroke in younger individuals and prevalence was increasing over time. The association of obesity with stroke was not significant after adjustment for other factors. Smoking had the greatest prevalence and population-attributable fraction for stroke at younger age. Our findings assist in understanding the relationship between vascular risk factors and stroke across the life span and planning public health measures to lower stroke incidence in the young. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior scholarship tracing the origins and architecture of prisons has tended to focus on how and why prisons are built—what they are intended to achieve and their construction as an expression of the punitive philosophies of their age. It does not consider how prisons persist as time passes, perhaps beyond their anticipated operational life span, and into "obsolescence." Focusing on the archetypal Victorian prison, and considering the alteration and inhabitation of such prisons through time, this article critically reinterprets notions of obsolescence in the built environment and explores an enduring cultural attachment to a particular and arguably archaic material manifestation of punishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic inequality has been consistently rising in recent decades in many Western countries including Germany. This is a pressing issue as greater economic inequality within a society has detrimental consequences for well-being, social stability, productivity, and even life expectancy. However, little is known about how individuals of different ages experience and respond to social inequality across adulthood. Because status differences are perceived as more malleable in young adulthood (i.e., young adults can expect to move up the social ladder) and only manifest across adulthood, we predicted that negative emotional reactions to the perceived standing in the social hierarchy should become increasingly pronounced with age. Consistently, a first study based on a national representative sample in Germany (N = 2,542; 18–91 years) confirmed that subjective social status had a much stronger effect on the acceptance of social inequality among middle-aged and older, as compared with younger, adults. In a second experimental study (N = 387; 18–89 years), participants of any age responded with negative emotional reactions when rising inequality was made salient. However, subjective social status moderated this effect only in middle-aged and older, but not younger, adults. Finally, a third experimental study (N = 605; 18–82 years) showed that, compared with middle-aged and older adults, younger adults maintained stronger upward mobility beliefs that accounted for the age-differential effects of subjective social status on negative emotional reactivity to rising inequality. We discuss the central role of upward mobility beliefs for individuals' responses to social inequality across the adult life span. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are the relationships among differentiation of self in Bowen theory, the object-referral/self-referral continuum of self in life-span development theory, and enduring self-states associated with peak experiences during meditation practice? Examining their interactions has practical implications: Can self-development in one system support development in others? Thirty-seven students were administered Skowron and Friedlander's Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI) and the Survey of Peak Experiences (SPE), measuring frequency of momentary transcendent experiences during rest and enduring peak experiences during activity and sleep. Scores on the DSI in these subjects were similar to those in other adult populations. Between the two measures, there was a strong correlation between lower Fusion with Others and lower Emotional Reactivity on the DSI and higher peak experiences during rest and sleep on the SPE. Growth of the self-referral aspect of self, which is associated with peak experiences cultivated by transcendence, were meaningfully correlated with two subscales of differentiation of self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic affected people across the life span, including children and adolescents. This study focuses on exploring the lived experiences of children and adolescents in the United States during the pandemic. We interviewed 12 children and adolescents in April 2020 and identified four themes: (a) change in school environment, (b) connection, (c) creative celebrations, and (d) hope. We discuss limitations, recommendations for future research, and implications for counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous experimental work showed that young adults reporting loneliness performed less well on emotion recognition tasks (Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy [DANVA-2]) if they were framed as indicators of social aptitude, but not when the same tasks were framed as indexing academic aptitude. Such findings suggested that undergraduates reporting loneliness possessed the social monitoring skills necessary to read the emotions underlying others' facial expressions, but that they choked under social pressure. It has also been found that undergraduates reporting loneliness have better recall for both positive and negative social information than their non-lonely counterparts. Whether those effects are evident across different age groups has not been examined. Using data from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Loneliness Experiment that included participants aged 16–99 years (N = 54,060), we (i) test for replication in a larger worldwide sample and (ii) extend those linear model analyses to other age groups. We found only effects for participants aged 25–34 years: In this age group, loneliness was associated with increased recall of negative individual information, and with choking under social pressure during the emotion recognition task; those effects were small. We did not find any such effects among participants in other age groups. Our findings suggest that different cognitive processes may be associated with loneliness in different age groups, highlighting the importance of life-course approaches in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stigma of men's mental illness has been described as having wide-reaching and profound consequences beyond the condition[s] itself. Stigma negatively impacts men's mental health help-seeking and the use of services amid impeding disclosures, diminishing social connection and amplifying economic hardship. Although men often face barriers to discussing their struggles with, and help-seeking for mental illness challenges, research focused on men's lived experiences of mental illness stigma is, at best, emergent. This scoping review explores men's mental illness related stigmas synthesizing and discussing the findings drawn from 21 published qualitative articles over the last 10 years. Four thematic findings were derived: (a) the weight of societal stigma, (b) stigma in male-dominated environments, (c) inequity driven stigmas, and (d) de-stigmatizing strategies. Despite evidence that stigma is a common experience for men experiencing diverse mental illness challenges, the field remains underdeveloped. Based on the scoping review findings, research gaps and opportunities for advancing the field are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hematological impacts of a drug can affect erythropoiesis at the level of the bone marrow, or decrease the life span of the RBC (red blood cell). The most common and recognizable clinical manifestation of either type of drug-induced erythropoietic injury is a decrease in RBC mass, or what is clinically referred to as an anemia. A decrease in RBC production can generally be separated from increased destruction (hemolysis) by evaluation of the hemogram for evidence of regeneration. In most healthy mammalian species, hemolysis will result in a regenerative response characterized by an increase in circulating reticulocytes. Hemorrhage as an alternative cause of a regenerative anemia can generally be excluded by careful clinical evaluation of the animal. Subsequently, the investigation of a drug-induced regenerative anemia should involve a very thorough evaluation of RBC morphology for evidence of immune-mediated destruction, RBC oxidative injury, and fragmentation that can help to identify the underlying pathological mechanism(s) involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to define design thinking, provide insights into how it may be integrated into the healthcare design process, and provide a checklist for future implementation. Background: Design thinking is a collaborative method of inquiry that fosters innovative, team-generated solutions to complex scenarios, known as "wicked problems," that are extraordinarily difficult to solve. It is a practical tool in the toolbox of the codesign team, which includes the client and design professionals as primary stakeholders. It is powered by team-based creativity that adaptively responds to a need for new approaches and products in an innovative and practically applicable way. The need for design thinking in healthcare is steadily increasing as the healthcare system and its care environments continue to grow in complexity. Although major medical breakthroughs have undeniably expanded the average human life span, the current healthcare system is inefficient. Now, more than ever, design thinking and the innovative, human-centered solutions it enables are needed within healthcare design. Although the use of design thinking as a method within the field of architecture is not new, many design teams struggle integrating it fully within the design process, particularly in healthcare. The knowledge, design method, checklists, and direction provided in this article can benefit healthcare design teams to successfully integrate the method into practice. Conclusion: If design thinking is integrated into the healthcare architectural design process with the creative problem-solving method, opportunities will arise for innovative solutions and deeper insights into problems to benefit healthcare delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Terman Study of the Gifted presents a unique opportunity to study the implications of achievement for life satisfaction in adulthood and aging. This article uses a life-span developmental perspective to summarize research concerning the lifetime achievement of the Terman sample, their appraisals of living up to their intellectual abilities, and their approaches to aging. A large majority of the Terman men reached high levels of occupational achievement, while the achievements of the Terman women were more varied. The historical context is important in understanding these gender differences. The participants' appraisals of having lived up to their intellectual abilities were generally positive, and appraisals were related to lifetime achievement pattern and gender. Early knowledge of being labeled as gifted was negatively related to participants' appraisals of their life accomplishments in adulthood. Finally, the lives of the Terman Study participants provide insight into possibilities for successful aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the integrative framework for studying people, personality manifests and develops along three separate, but related, levels: the actor (e.g. traits), agent (e.g. goals), and author (i.e. narratives). Although these levels are thought to be conceptually interrelated, few studies have empirically examined such interrelations. To address this gap, the present study tested how traits, goals, and narratives are longitudinally related to each other and whether master motives (getting along and getting ahead) serve as helpful tools to structure these interrelations. Applying a developmental approach, we further explored these interrelations against the background of age-related effects. A sample of 141 participants (14–68 years, M = 35.40 years) completed self-reports on traits and goals at the beginning and end of a 2-year study. In between these measurements, participants took part in a life story interview that assessed narratives. We applied multilevel analyses and found that traits, goals, and narratives were meaningfully related to each other. Interactions with age occurred in less than 20% of the cases, emerged among the majority of variables (except for agreeableness and openness), were most pronounced for narratives and were mainly found among young and middle-aged participants. The findings are discussed in view of master motives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personality traits continue to change throughout the lifespan. However, we still know little about when, why, and how personality traits change. In this paper, we review the current state of scientific evidence regarding the nature, sources, and processes of personality trait stability and change. We revisit past disputes over the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences, discuss studies on life events and personality trait development, and summarize theory and research on personality change processes. In doing so, we derive general principles of personality trait development, highlight limitations of past research, and present the broad outlines for future research on personality trait development, with a particular emphasis on relevant methodological issues and conceptual challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 50 years, eight robust generalizations about intellectual precocity have emerged, been empirically documented, and replicated through longitudinal research. Within the top 1% of general and specific abilities (mathematical, spatial, and verbal) over one third of the range of individual differences are to be found, and they are meaningful. These individual differences in ability level and in pattern of specific abilities, which are uncovered by the use of above-level assessments, structure consequential quantitative and qualitative differences in educational, occupational, and creative outcomes. There is no threshold effect for abilities in predicting future accomplishments; and the concept of multipotentiality evaporates when assessments cover the full range of all three primary abilities. Beyond abilities, educational/occupational interests add value in identifying optimal learning environments for precocious youth and, with the addition of conative variables, for modeling subsequent life span development. While overall professional outcomes of exceptionally precocious youth are as exceptional as their abilities, educational interventions of sufficient dosage enhance the probability of them leading exceptionally impactful careers and making creative contributions. Findings have made evident the psychological diversity within intellectually precocious populations, their meaningfulness, and the environmental diversity required to meet their learning needs. Seeing giftedness and interventions on their behalf categorically has held the field back. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are pressures to avoid use of radiological imaging throughout all healthcare due to the notion that all radiation is carcinogenic. This perception stems from the long-standing use of the linear no-threshold (LNT) assumption of risk associated with radiation exposures. This societal perception has led to relentless efforts to avoid and reduce radiation exposures to patients at great costs. Many radiation reduction campaigns have been launched to dissuade doctors from using radiation imaging. Lower-dose imaging techniques and practices are being advocated. Alternate imaging procedures are encouraged. Are these efforts warranted? Based on recent evidence, LNT ideology is shown to be defunct for risk assessment at low-dose exposure ranges which includes X-rays and CT scans. In fact, the best evidence that was once used to support LNT ideology, including the Life Span Study data, now indicates thresholds for cancer induction are high; therefore, low-dose X-rays cannot cause harm. Current practices are safe as exposures currently encountered are orders of magnitude below threshold levels shown to be harmful. As long as imaging is medically warranted, it is shown that efforts to reduce exposures that are within background radiation levels and that are also shown to enhance health by upregulating natural adaptive protection systems are definitively wasted resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

And if this is the case, then although perspective transformation as defined by Mezirow may likely be restricted to adulthood, transformative education (in terms of promoting processes which hold potential for transformative effects) may be suitable - and may look different - at many points along the entire life span. The authors describe several learning outcomes, but the most significant and transformative was "action confidence", a changed relationship to taking action, which they name as a change in epistemology. Footnotes 1 The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. [Extracted from the article]

Cognitive abilities are important predictors of educational and occupational performance, socioeconomic attainment, health, and longevity. Declines in cognitive abilities are linked to impairments in older adults' everyday functions, but people differ from one another in their rates of cognitive decline over the course of adulthood and old age. Hence, identifying factors that protect against compromised late-life cognition is of great societal interest. The number of years of formal education completed by individuals is positively correlated with their cognitive function throughout adulthood and predicts lower risk of dementia late in life. These observations have led to the propositions that prolonging education might (a) affect cognitive ability and (b) attenuate aging-associated declines in cognition. We evaluate these propositions by reviewing the literature on educational attainment and cognitive aging, including recent analyses of data harmonized across multiple longitudinal cohort studies and related meta-analyses. In line with the first proposition, the evidence indicates that educational attainment has positive effects on cognitive function. We also find evidence that cognitive abilities are associated with selection into longer durations of education and that there are common factors (e.g., parental socioeconomic resources) that affect both educational attainment and cognitive development. There is likely reciprocal interplay among these factors, and among cognitive abilities, during development. Education–cognitive ability associations are apparent across the entire adult life span and across the full range of education levels, including (to some degree) tertiary education. However, contrary to the second proposition, we find that associations between education and aging-associated cognitive declines are negligible and that a threshold model of dementia can account for the association between educational attainment and late-life dementia risk. We conclude that educational attainment exerts its influences on late-life cognitive function primarily by contributing to individual differences in cognitive skills that emerge in early adulthood but persist into older age. We also note that the widespread absence of educational influences on rates of cognitive decline puts constraints on theoretical notions of cognitive aging, such as the concepts of cognitive reserve and brain maintenance. Improving the conditions that shape development during the first decades of life carries great potential for improving cognitive ability in early adulthood and for reducing public-health burdens related to cognitive aging and dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of health promotion interventions in delaying telomere shortening (a biomarker for aging).Data Source: PubMed, PsychINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library databases.Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Inclusion criteria: (1) empirical studies involving human subjects; (2) health promotion intervention studies including both randomized control trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs.; (3) measured telomere length as an intervention outcome; and (4) were written in English. Exclusion criteria: (1) observational studies without any health promotion intervention practices and (2) did not report intervention effects.Data Extraction: Data extraction was performed by two reviewers following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines.Data Synthesis: Substantial heterogeneity in intervention type and study design in the included studies precluded a meta-analysis. We conducted a narrative synthesis instead.Results: Thirty studies were included in the review, of which 16 were RCTs. One-third of the included studies reported significant intervention impacts in delaying telomere shortening, with relatively consistent significant results emerged from weight-loss interventions and interventions involving multiple lifestyle modification components (eg, diet and exercise). Most of supplement intervention studies observed null effects in telomere length.Conclusions: Weight-loss and comprehensive lifestyle intervention strategies show encouraging impacts in delaying telomere shortening. More rigorous studies targeting populations at different age stages through life span are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the preliminary effects of a curriculum resource on elementary school children's social and emotional skills. In total, 98 Grade 3 children were randomly allocated to either a control or experimental group and evaluated before and after a 3-month implementation period. Experimental group showed improved prosocial behaviors (p <.01), concern for others (p =.02), and emotional skills (p <.01) over time, as well as improved relaxation levels (p <.01) after partaking in relaxation activities. Compared with the control group, experimental group's emotional skills were significantly higher at posttest (p <.01). No significant differences were observed for children's self-perceptions (p >.05). Results from this study indicate that the curriculum resource may facilitate the development of children's social and emotional skills. A future definitive randomized-controlled trial should strive for a longer implementation period in response to small effect sizes, taking into account target population, sample size, and persistence of effects over the life span and in different environmental contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Criminologists have long been interested in the relationship between subcultural attitudes and antisocial behavior, with Anderson's street code thesis being the most recent and often researched foray in this area. Relatedly, scholars have begun to investigate the risk factors associated with the anticipation of early death. Extant research, however, has yet to empirically test Anderson's hypothesis that subscription to the street code is predictive of an anticipated early death. This study contributes to the literatures on the street code as well as fatalism by investigating the link between these two constructs. Methods: Using data from a sample of serious youthful offenders, we examine whether street code values are related to the anticipation of a short life span using a number of multivariate regression techniques controlling for a range of individual- and community-level variables. Results: Results show adherence to the street code is significantly associated with an anticipated early death among the sample of delinquent youth. Further, the relationship between street code and anticipated early death holds across race/ethnicity and gender, and results are not sensitive to the measurement of an anticipated early death. Findings from the current research are discussed, along with implications for policy and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using representative cross-sections from 166 nations (more than 1.7 million respondents), we examined differences in three measures of subjective well-being over the life span. Globally, and in the individual regions of the world, we found only very small differences in life satisfaction and negative affect. By contrast, decreases in positive affect were larger. We then examined four important predictors of subjective well-being and how their associations changed: marriage, employment, prosociality, and life meaning. These predictors were typically associated with higher subjective well-being over the life span in every world region. Marriage showed only very small associations for the three outcomes, whereas employment had larger effects that peaked around age 50 years. Prosociality had practically significant associations only with positive affect, and life meaning had strong, consistent associations with all subjective-well-being measures across regions and ages. These findings enhance our understanding of subjective-well-being patterns and what matters for subjective well-being across the life span. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has uncovered resilience as a dynamic and alterable process. However, few studies have examined resilience across the life span, particularly with men who are at high risk of a myriad of poor health outcomes. Study aims were to explore protective factors and resilience across the life span among a sample of socioeconomically disadvantaged men (N = 32), considering the context of their lived experiences, using focus groups. Thematic analysis resulted in four themes: (a) mainstream protective factors (i.e., prosocial activities, generative opportunities, supportive adults, community investment), (b) context-specific protective factors (i.e., growing up early, criminal justice involvement, gang involvement), (c) demonstration of mainstream resilience, and (d) demonstration of context-specific resilience. This study adds to the limited body of resilience research with marginalized men. Findings point to targeted changes at the structural and environmental levels, in addition to individual-level interventions, to affect meaningful change in the lives of socioeconomically disadvantaged men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals experience loneliness when they perceive a deficiency in the quality or quantity of their social relationships. In the present meta-analysis, we compiled data from 75 longitudinal studies conducted in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America (N = 83, 679) to examine the rank-order and mean-level development of loneliness across the life span. Data were analyzed using two- and three-level meta-analyses and generalized additive mixed models. The results indicate that the rank order of loneliness is as stable as the rank order of personality traits and follows an inverted U-shaped trajectory across the life span. Regarding mean-level development, loneliness was found to decrease throughout childhood and to remain essentially stable from adolescence to oldest old age. Thus, in contrast to other personality characteristics, changes in loneliness are not generally related to age. Implications for theory are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature provides a good opportunity to understand the dynamics of evolution. The country has a huge coastline, which experiences socio-cultural and natural vulnerability. The aim of the paper has been to describe the pattern of selection intensity among the east and west coastal populations of India. Differential fertility and mortality were collected from 2,099 females (mothers) of the western coasts of India, and secondary data were collected from the eastern coast of India for comparison purposes. Selection potential was computed using Crow's index and Johnston & Kensinger's index. The data involved a total of 7,512 pregnancies during their reproductive lifespan and the successful outcomes (live births) were 7,073. The total index (It) for eastern coast varied from 0.221 to 1.078. For the west coast, it varied from 0.262 to 0.617. Among the eastern coastal population groups, the mortality component of selection is comparatively higher than its fertility component, while it is just the reverse among the western coastal population groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Australian tertiary eating disorder services (EDS) have a divided model of care, where child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) support patients until the age of 18 years, and thereafter, adult mental health services (AMHS) provide care. Consumers and carers have criticised this divided model because the age boundary occurs during the peak period of onset and acuity for eating disorders. Most CAMHS patients are lost to specialty follow-up around age 18, increasing the risks of relapse and premature mortality from eating disorders, since young women (aged 15–24) have the highest hospitalisation rates from anorexia nervosa. The current article is a commentary on the transition gap and possible service designs. Conclusions: Eating disorders require access to specialty treatment across the life span. The Australian Federal Government has expanded all-age care through the 2019 Medicare Benefit Schedule (MBS) eating disorder plans. Some new MBS patients require a rapid step-up in care intensity to a tertiary EDS, thereby increasing demand on the public sector. State/Territory Governments should strengthen EDS using the 'youth reach-down' model, where AMHS extend EDS to age 12. Vertical service integration from 12 to 64+ facilitates continuity of care for the duration of an eating disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do typical experimental tasks (e.g., button-press tasks under time pressure, tasks with high working memory load) affect, and maybe even bias, the outcome of cognitive experiments comparing younger and older subjects? Over the last years, cognitive aging has attracted a great deal of scholarly attention, partly due to the global demographic trend toward aging populations and the economic, medical, and social challenges this poses. However, the author cautions against overly simplistic expectations by highlighting that in SiN processing, age-cognition relationships interact in complex ways with further variables such as the listening situation and the use of hearing aids. These structural and functional brain changes have widely been taken to underlie a general deterioration of cognitive functions including episodic and working memory, executive control, and language processing ([3]; see [4], for a review). [Extracted from the article]

Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) was introduced 25 years ago. The theory originally included three interrelated models of (a) career and academic interest development, (b) choice-making, and (c) performance. It was later expanded to include two additional models, one focusing on educational and occupational satisfaction, or well-being, and the other emphasizing the process of career self-management over the life span. On this, the silver anniversary of SCCT, we consider the progress made in studying these two most recent models. In addition to reviewing existing findings, we cite promising directions for future research and application. Examples include additional study of model combinations that may shed greater light on choice persistence, possibilities for using the self-management model to study aspects of career development that are relevant to other theories, and the importance of theory-guided applications to aid preparation for, and coping with, uncertainties in the future world of work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objects can be grasped in different ways to ensure a movement plan is aligned with the intended action. The current study assessed grasp posture in joint action object manipulation in children (ages 6–11, n = 68), young adults (n = 21), and older adults (n = 23). Participants performed two actions (pickup and pass; pickup and pass for use) within two movement contexts (using a dowel as if it were the actual object; actual object use), using two objects (glass and hammer) that differed in use-dependent experience. Beginning-state comfort (prioritizing a comfortable initial hand posture for an object recipient) was assessed. Taken together, findings support the notion that the ability to anticipate the intended action, and thus consider an action partner in one's action plan, increases with age. With age and use-dependent experience, it can be argued that there is a shift from stimulus-driven, familiar responses, to considering affordances and task demands. Together, findings add to our understanding of changes in motor planning capabilities across the life span. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pneumatic diaphragm pump is an important part in intelligent spraying. When pneumatic diaphragm pump does not work normally, the entire intelligent spraying product line will be malfunctioned. To maintain and manage pneumatic diaphragm pump effectively, the grade analysis of the health status of pneumatic diaphragm pump is generally used according to its working state. Due to the effects of condition monitoring and random faults, some observable health predictions are often inaccurate. There are very few papers dealing with the health monitoring of pneumatic diaphragm pump and their estimation of residual life span. In this article, a method with vector autoregressive model and continuous-time hidden Markov model was proposed to analyze and evaluate the life span of pneumatic diaphragm pump based on the estimation error of the health condition and the cumulative deterioration of pneumatic diaphragm pump. It is modeled through a continuoustime Markov chain with three states, which includes unobservable healthy state 0, unobservable warning state 1, and observable fault state 2. The expectation-maximization algorithm is used to estimate the model parameters of the fitted hidden Markov. Through the posterior probability of pneumatic diaphragm pump in warning state 1, the derived conditional reliability function and mean residual life span formula can be calculated to evaluate the residual life span of pneumatic diaphragm pump. The results showed that the method can effectively predict the residual life span of pneumatic diaphragm pump, illustrate the effectiveness of the model, and improve the accuracy of the health status rating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most difficult and important problems that all learners face across the life span is learning what to learn. Understanding what to learn is difficult when both relevant and irrelevant information compete for attention. In these situations, the learner can rely on cues in the environment, as well as prior knowledge. However, these sources of information sometimes conflict, and the learner has to prioritize some sources over others. Determining what to learn is important because learning relevant information helps the learner achieve goals, whereas learning irrelevant information can waste time and energy. A new theoretical approach posits that adaptation is relevant for all age groups because the environment is dynamic, suggesting that learning what to learn is a problem relevant across the life span instead of only during infancy and childhood. In this article, I review new research demonstrating the importance and ways of learning what to learn across the life span, from objects to real-world skills, before highlighting some unresolved issues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current article presents a theoretical framework of the short- and long-term processes underlying personality development throughout adulthood. The newly developed TESSERA framework posits that long-term personality development occurs due to repeated short-term, situational processes. These short-term processes can be generalized as recursive sequence of Triggering situations, Expectancy, States/State expressions, and Reactions (TESSERA). Reflective and associative processes on TESSERA sequences can lead to personality development (i.e., continuity and lasting changes in explicit and implicit personality characteristics and behavioral patterns). We illustrate how the TESSERA framework facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of normative and differential personality development at various ages during the life span. The TESSERA framework extends previous theories by explicitly linking short- and long-term processes of personality development, by addressing different manifestations of personality, and by being applicable to different personality characteristics, for example, behavioral traits, motivational orientations, or life narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the life span, individuals engage in affectionate touch with close others. Touch receipt promotes well-being in infancy, but the impacts of touch in adult close relationships have been largely unexplored. In this article, we propose that affectionate touch receipt promotes relational, psychological, and physical well-being in adulthood, and we present a theoretical mechanistic model to explain why affectionate touch may promote these outcomes. The model includes pathways through which touch could affect well-being by reducing stress and by promoting well-being independent of stress. Specifically, two immediate outcomes of affectionate touch receipt—relational-cognitive changes and neurobiological changes—are described as important mechanisms underlying the effects of affectionate touch on well-being. We also review and evaluate the existing research linking affectionate touch to well-being in adulthood and propose an agenda to advance research in this area. This theoretical perspective provides a foundation for future work on touch in adult close relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Grapes and their products are known to have been used for the treatment of diseases throughout history. Objective: It was aimed to investigate the effects of Erzincan Cimin grapes on an organism model of Caenorhabditis elegans N2 wild type and C. elegans BS913 strains with gonad cancer. Materials and Methods: The effects of methanol extracts of the skin and seeds of Erzincan Cimin grapes were examined separately on C. elegans N2 wild type and an effect was determined on lifespan. By applying GS-MS analysis, a potential agent substance was determined in the skin and seed methanol extracts. This substance was purchased and the effects of this substance were investigated on lifespan and fertility in C. elegans BS913 strains with gonad cancer. In addition, the effects on young subjects exposed to this agent substance in L1 form were investigated. Results: Grape seed and skin methanol extract was observed to prolong the lifespan most at a dose of 10 mg/100 mL. Lifespan was determined to be at a maximum in a gonad cancer organism model with benzothiazol at a dose of 50 ppm. At the same dose, positive effects were determined on the fertility of strains with cancer. When the effects of benzothiazol were examined on young L1 forms, an evident retardation of growth was determined at doses of 10, 50, and 100 ppm. Conclusion: Owing to anti-carcinogenic effects of benzothiazol and benzothiazol-derived substances, they can be considered as agent substances in academic studies related to cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from late adolescence to emerging adulthood is a period of the life span that offers young people the possibility to consolidate their self-certainty and prosociality. Both aspects are of core importance for increasing personal and societal well-being. The purpose of this longitudinal study was twofold: (i) to examine patterns of change and stability in self-concept clarity and prosociality; and (ii) to unravel over time associations between these constructs in the transition from late adolescence to emerging adulthood. In addressing both aims, we explored the moderating effects of gender. Participants were 244 Dutch emerging adults (46% male; mean age at T1 = 16.73 years) who completed six waves of data collection (mean age at T6 = 22.7 years). Findings highlighted that (i) self-concept clarity developed nonlinearly, with an initial decline from T1 to T2 followed by an increase thereafter, while prosociality increased linearly over time and both self-concept clarity and prosociality were characterized by high rank-order consistency; (ii) self-concept clarity and prosociality were positively related over time, with the effect of prosociality on self-concept clarity being stronger than the reciprocal effect of self-concept clarity on prosociality. Gender differences were detected in mean levels of self-concept clarity and prosociality (male participants reported higher self-concept clarity and lower prosociality than female participants) but not in their developmental pathways nor in their reciprocal associations. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Personality Psychology [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores changes across the life-span of the individual speaker. Three morpho-syntactic variables that operate at different levels of socio-cognitive salience—quotation, stative possession, and future temporal reference—are traced across longitudinal trend and panel data. The analysis of a panel corpus that spans forty-two years reveals that linguistic malleability is contingent on the variables’ embedding in speakers’ cognitive-evaluative structures but also on a range of speaker-based factors, such as the speakers’ socio-economic trajectory, personality profile, as well as their type and intensity of contact with children and younger speakers. The study thus supports research that has shown that the adaptive behavior across the life-span results in complex outcomes that cannot be characterized by wholesale convergence or divergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide an overview of the topics included in the special section of the International Journal of Behavioral Development on Loneliness Across the Life Span. We highlight the use of a life span approach to understanding loneliness and the different methodological approaches adopted by researchers. This special issue contributes toward the development of a holistic research agenda addressing loneliness across the life course and away from a focus solely upon specific age groups such as adolescents, young adults, or older adults who have been the focus of most loneliness research until comparatively recently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Adequate muscular strength has important implications for morbidity and early mortality prevention. There are no data on the recent trends in muscular strength across lifespan, which was this study's purpose.Design: Cross-sectional.Setting: 2011 to 2012 and 2013 to 2014 waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey across the United States.Participants: The analyzed sample included 12 295 participants aged 6 to 85 years.Measures: Muscular strength was assessed via a handgrip dynamometer.Analysis: Adjusted Wald test.Results: As expected, men (vs women) had greater grip strength, with grip strength declining as age increased. Central to the focus of this study, there were no changes in absolute or relative grip strength across the waves for any of the evaluated populations (considering age, gender, and race-ethnicity).Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that muscular grip strength, across all age, gender, and race-ethnicity populations in the United States, has not changed in the 2 successive 2-year time windows, contained over a 4-year period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each year, 15 million babies worldwide are born preterm. Preterm birth is associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes across the life span. Recent registry-based studies suggest that preterm birth is associated with decreased wealth in adulthood, but the mediating mechanisms are unknown. This study investigated whether the relationship between preterm birth and low adult wealth is mediated by poor academic abilities and educational qualifications. Participants were members of two British population-based birth cohorts born in 1958 and 1970, respectively. Results showed that preterm birth was associated with decreased wealth at 42 years of age. This association was mediated by decreased intelligence, reading, and, in particular, mathematics attainment in middle childhood, as well as decreased educational qualifications in young adulthood. Findings were similar in both cohorts, which suggests that these mechanisms may be time invariant. Special educational support in childhood may prevent preterm children from becoming less wealthy as adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Normal and abnormal differences in sustained visual attention have long been of interest to scientists, educators, and clinicians. Still lacking, however, is a clear understanding of how sustained visual attention varies across the broad sweep of the human life span. In the present study, we filled this gap in two ways. First, using an unprecedentedly large 10,430-person sample, we modeled age-related differences with substantially greater precision than have prior efforts. Second, using the recently developed gradual-onset continuous performance test (gradCPT), we parsed sustained-attention performance over the life span into its ability and strategy components. We found that after the age of 15 years, the strategy and ability trajectories saliently diverge. Strategy becomes monotonically more conservative with age, whereas ability peaks in the early 40s and is followed by a gradual decline in older adults. These observed life-span trajectories for sustained attention are distinct from results of other life-span studies focusing on fluid and crystallized intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the research report of the life span trajectory of depression which provides the relation between the defense mechanisms and personality traits. Topics include the main aim of it is to decrease the depressions with age, the causes of depressions including age, gender, personality, about the life span depression trajectories. The article also discusses the depressive symptoms, defense functioning, personality traits.

The article offers news briefs related to the avian biology as of February 1, 2015. Topics include the interactions between the species of corvids and the species of bird susceptible to being the prey such as game birds and passerine birds. It highlights the decline number of seabird species. It examines the impact of mild infections without symptoms of illness to the lifespan of the infected individuals.

Regenerative medicine strategies have increasingly focused on skeletal stem cells (SSCs), in response to concerns such as donor site morbidity, dedifferentiation and limited lifespan associated with the use of articular chondrocytes for cartilage repair. The suitability of SSCs for cartilage regeneration, however, remains to be fully determined. This study has examined the chondrogenic potential of human STRO-1-immunoselected SSCs (STRO-1+ SSCs), in comparison to human articular chondrocytes (HACs), by utilising two bioengineering strategies, namely “scaffold-free” three-dimensional (3-D) pellet culture and culture using commercially available, highly porous, 3-D scaffolds with interconnected pore networks. STRO-1+ SSCs were isolated by magnetic-activated cell sorting from bone marrow samples of haematologically normal osteoarthritic individuals following routine hip replacement procedures. Chondrocytes were isolated by sequential enzymatic digestion of deep zone articular cartilage pieces dissected from femoral heads of the same individuals. After expansion in monolayer cultures, the harvested cell populations were centrifuged to form high-density 3-D pellets and also seeded in the 3-D scaffold membranes, followed by culture in serum-free chondrogenic media under static conditions for 21 and 28 days, respectively. Chondrogenic differentiation was determined by gene expression, histological and immunohistochemical analyses. Robust cartilage formation and expression of hyaline cartilage-specific markers were observed in both day-21 pellets and day-28 explants generated using HACs. In comparison, STRO-1+ SSCs demonstrated significantly lower chondrogenic differentiation potential and a tendency for hypertrophic differentiation in day-21 pellets. Culture of STRO-1+ SSCs in the 3-D scaffolds improved the expression of hyaline cartilage-specific markers in day-28 explants, however, was unable to prevent hypertrophic differentiation of the SSC population. The advantages of application of SSCs in tissue engineering are widely recognised; the results of this study, however, highlight the need for further development of cell culture protocols that may otherwise limit the application of this stem cell population in cartilage bioengineering strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the biological effects of radiation using adult Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism, focusing on gene expression and lifespan analysis to determine the effect of different radiation doses. Our results support a threshold effect in response to radiation: no effect on lifespan and no permanent effect on gene expression is seen at incident radiation levels below 100 J/kg. We also find that it is more appropriate to compare radiation effects in flies using the absorbed energy rather than incident radiation levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article reports on the relationship between various, physiological and sociological factors on a person's individual perception of time in life. Specifically, 200 participants (100 males, 100 females) were solicited from diverse, university-centered communities. These volunteers completed a series of questionnaire-based evaluations and also had physiological recordings of heart rate and core temperature taken. For the measure of time-in-life we used an amended version of the Lines test which compared the individual's perception of their current time-in-life against the actuarial expectation of their lifespan. Results confirmed a strong inverse relationship between and individual's age and this measure of perceived life duration. The gender of the individual had an important impact on their perceived lifespan. There were also indications of differences contingent upon the time of day at which the test was administered. However, there was little evidence of any linkage between lifespan perception and the physiological indicators recorded. The results are discussed in terms of possible cognitive and sociological determinants of individual's perception of their present life location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]