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Across two studies, using five samples (N = 1,850), we examined whether health information avoidance-the deliberate decision to remain ignorant of available but unwanted personal health information-serves a defensive purpose and is interchangeable with other defensive strategies. We tested this idea by examining the relationship between health information avoidance-both as a dispositional tendency and deliberate decision-and feedback derogation. In Study 1, we experimentally demonstrated that a situation known to reduce defensiveness-self-uncertainty-decreased both proactive avoidance and reactive defensiveness relative to a control group. Study 2 demonstrated, across four samples, that people with a greater defensive orientation toward personal health information were more likely to derogate health information. These results are consistent with the idea that feedback derogation replaced the decision to avoid feedback. Together, results suggest that health information avoidance is likely part of a broader self-protective system and is replaceable with other motivated self-protection strategies., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Mindfulness witnessed a substantial popularity surge in the past decade, especially as digitally self-administered interventions became available at relatively low costs. Yet, it is uncertain whether they effectively help reduce stress. In a preregistered (OSF https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/UF4JZ ; retrospective registration at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06308744 ) multi-site study (n sites  = 37, n participants  = 2,239, 70.4% women, M age  = 22.4, s.d. age  = 10.1, all fluent English speakers), we experimentally tested whether four single, standalone mindfulness exercises effectively reduced stress, using Bayesian mixed-effects models. All exercises proved to be more efficacious than the active control. We observed a mean difference of 0.27 (d = -0.56; 95% confidence interval, -0.43 to -0.69) between the control condition (M = 1.95, s.d. = 0.50) and the condition with the largest stress reduction (body scan: M = 1.68, s.d. = 0.46). Our findings suggest that mindfulness may be beneficial for reducing self-reported short-term stress for English speakers from higher-income countries., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective. Past research suggests that eating alone is associated with less social support and poorer physical health. The current study examines the comparative health and well-being of Hispanic/Latino(a/x) and non-Hispanic/Latino(a/x) students, with a focus on comparing self-reported well-being to the observed marker of social well-being that is eating alone. Participants. Undergraduate students from a college dining hall completed online surveys in exchange for a gift card. Methods . Participants completed measures of eating alone in the dining hall, food choices, social support, quality of life, and overall health. Results. Although, compared to their non-Hispanic/Latino(a/x) peers, Hispanic/Latino(a/x) students were much more likely to be eating with others, both groups reported similar levels of social support and life satisfaction. Furthermore, Hispanic/Latino(a/x) students reported poorer physical health and chose unhealthier meals. Conclusion. Although Hispanic/Latino(a/x) students appeared to be more socially connected than their peers, these connections did not translate to better well-being.

Uncertainty about the future often leads to worries about what the future will bring, which can have negative consequences for health and well-being. However, if worry can act as a motivator to promote efforts to prevent undesirable future outcomes, those negative consequences of worry may be mitigated. In this article, we apply a novel model of uncertainty, worry, and perceived control to predict psychological and physical well-being among four samples collected in China (Study 1; during the early COVID-19 outbreak in China) and the United States (Studies 2-4, during 4 weeks in May 2020, 4 weeks in November 2020, and cross-sectionally between April and November 2020). Grounded in the feeling-is-for-doing approach to emotions, we hypothesized (and found) that uncertainty about one's COVID-19 risk would predict greater worry about the virus and one's risk of contracting it, and that greater worry would in turn predict poorer well-being. We also hypothesized, and found somewhat mixed evidence, that perceptions of control over 1's COVID-19 risk moderated the relationship between worry and well-being such that worry was related to diminished well-being when people felt they lacked control over their risk for contracting the virus. This study is one of the first to demonstrate an indirect path from uncertainty to well-being via worry and to demonstrate the role of control in moderating whether uncertainty and worry manifest in poor well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Uncertainty is prevalent in various health contexts. It is imperative to understand how health-related uncertainty can impact individuals' healthcare experiences and health decision making. The purpose of the present paper is to provide five overarching recommendations from an interdisciplinary team of experts to address gaps in the literature on health-related uncertainty. We present a case study of health-related uncertainty within the specific context of alcohol use to demonstrate these gaps and provide context for the recommendations. The five recommendations concerning health-related uncertainty include: (1) use common, consistent terminology to discuss uncertainty, (2) clarify measures of individual differences in response to uncertainty, (3) increase research on uncertainty and affect, (4) investigate the impact of the channel through which uncertainty is communicated, and (5) develop theory-driven interventions to improve uncertainty management. We conclude by reviewing health contexts in which health-related uncertainty exists and note how our recommendations complement existing reviews and data., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Scholars suggest that marginalized people in non-urban areas experience higher distress levels and fewer psychosocial resources than in urban areas. Researchers have yet to test whether precise proximity to urban centers is associated with mental health for marginalized populations. We recruited 1733 people who reported living in 45 different countries. Participants entered their home locations and completed measures of anxiety, depression, social support, and resilience. Regression and thematic analyses were used to determine what role distance from legislative and urban centers may play in mental health when marginalized people were disaggregated. Greater distance from legislative center predicted higher anxiety and resilience. Greater distance from urban center also predicted more resilience. Thematic analyses yielded five categories (e.g., safety, connection) that further illustrated the impact of geographic location on health. Implications for community mental health are discussed including the need to better understand and further expand resilience in rural areas., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Despite efforts by universities to promote racial/ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic diversity, college students continue to report discrimination. In two studies, we examined the frequency, predictors, and health consequences of experiencing everyday discrimination at a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Findings show the majority of students reported experiencing discrimination at the university, with most experiences attributed to their gender and aspects of their physical appearance. More frequent discrimination was associated with poorer physical and psychological health. Furthermore, most participants cited other students as the source of their discrimination. These findings offer important insight into students' experiences of everyday discrimination at a diverse setting.

We examined whether there is evidence for racial and gender bias in the voting patterns of contestants on Survivor , a reality-television zero-sum game in which contestants compete for up to 39 days to win $1 million. Among 731 contestants across 40 seasons, we found evidence of racial and gender bias at multiple stages of Survivor. Compared with men, women were more likely to be voted out of their tribe first and were less likely to make it to the individual-competition stage of the game (i.e., the "merge"). They were also less likely to win Survivor . Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) contestants, compared with White contestants, were more likely to be voted out of their tribe first and were less likely to make it to the individual-competition stage of the game. These findings suggest a systemic bias in favor of White men and against women of color.

Collisson et al. (2020) found Dark Triad traits and gender role beliefs predicted "foodie calls," a phenomenon where people go on a date with others, to whom they are not attracted, for a free meal. Because gender roles and dating norms differ across cultures, we conducted a registered replication across different cultures by surveying 1838 heterosexual women from Poland, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US). Relying on the structural equation modeling, as conducted in the original study, our findings revealed gender role beliefs best predicted foodie calls and their perceived acceptability, whereas the Dark Triad's general factor was nonsignificant. Analyses at the country level yielded mixed results. The original findings were replicated in the UK and Poland, but not in the US, where only narcissism predicted foodie calls. In the US, gender role beliefs predicted foodie call acceptability, but the Dark Triad general factor did not. Potential reasons for why traditional gender roles, but not the Dark Triad, predicted foodie calls in the US are discussed.

Objective: A movement of parents refusing vaccines for their children has contributed to increasingly large outbreaks of diseases that are preventable by vaccines. Research has identified multiple factors that relate to parents' vaccination behaviors (i.e., whether not they vaccinate their children), including their beliefs about vaccines' safety and utility and their trust in those who recommend vaccines. Here we examine the role of more fundamental psychological processes that may contribute to multiple vaccine-related beliefs and behaviors: cognitive associations., Methods: Using a large sample of U.S. parents (pre-COVID-19), we investigated parents' associations between vaccines and helpfulness/harmfulness, as well as between the self and vaccines (vaccine identity), and their relation to parents' beliefs about vaccine safety and utility, trust in authorities' vaccine recommendations, and prior vaccination refusal for their children. To capture a more complete understanding of people's associations, we examined both explicit associations (measured via self-report) and implicit associations (measured by the Implicit Association Test)., Results: Both implicit and explicit associations correlated with beliefs, trust, and vaccination refusal. Results from structural equation models indicated that explicit vaccine-identity and vaccine-helpfulness associations and implicit vaccine helpfulness associations were indirectly related to vaccination refusal via their relation with vaccine beliefs., Conclusions: Collectively, study findings suggest that vaccine associations-especially those related to helpfulness/harmfulness-may serve as psychological building blocks for parental vaccine beliefs and behaviors., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Past research suggests that people report a greater desire to consume alcohol when they experience social threat-or threats to their social selves, such as social exclusion. Nevertheless, experimental research on the role of social threat in alcohol consumption is limited. The present study examined the causal relationship between social threat and wine consumption., Methods: Undergraduate students (N = 83; Mage = 21.8 years old, SDage = 1.62 years old; 72.3% women; 61.4% Latinx/Hispanic) participated in a study under the pretense that they were in a focus group gauging students' opinions of a bar being constructed at their university. During the study, participants and two confederate researchers completed a group activity in which they selected design elements for the bar. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. In the social threat condition, confederates rejected participants' design choices and socially excluded them during a follow-up task. In the social acceptance condition, confederates supported participants' choices and did not socially exclude them. All participants then completed a wine taste test., Results: Contrary to predictions, an independent-samples t-test revealed that participants who experienced social threat consumed significantly less wine than those who were socially accepted, t(81) = -2.22, P = 0.03, d = -0.49. Furthermore, a linear regression test revealed that this effect persisted even when controlling for typical alcohol-consumption behavior, b = 56.09, t = -2.50, P = 0.02, d = -0.61., Conclusion: The relationship between social threat and alcohol consumption may be more nuanced than anticipated. Discussion centers around two potential moderators including positive affect and identity., (© The Author(s) 2022. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.)

Despite the increasing popularity of faculty-undergraduate research, a dearth of research has investigated factors that predict the professional outcomes of these collaborations. We sought to address this gap by examining a wide range of institutional (e.g., institution type, selectivity, course load) and faculty variables (e.g., rank, years of experience, enjoyment of mentoring) potentially related to coauthored undergraduate publication and conference presentation in psychology. Negative binomial regressions were used to analyze online survey data from 244 faculty members from both graduate-serving institutions (i.e., doctoral, master's) and primarily undergraduate institutions. The results showed that, after controlling for overall research productivity, faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions were more likely to publish journal articles with undergraduates, whereas faculty at graduate-serving institutions were more likely to coauthor conference presentations with undergraduates. Institutions with higher selectivity, more support for faculty-undergraduate research, and lower course loads produced higher numbers of undergraduate publications. Faculty characteristics were even more strongly related to undergraduate research outcomes. Specifically, publication was most likely with faculty who are of higher rank, have more years of experience, spend more time on research, foster close collaborative relationships with undergraduates, and/or perceive their students as high quality and well trained. By contrast, conference presentation was most likely with faculty who work with more undergraduate students on more projects per year and/or who enjoying mentoring undergraduates. Our findings suggest ways that institutions can facilitate undergraduate publication, which we argue is an increasingly common and achievable outcome., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

With 20 items, the State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES) can be cumbersome in settings that demand efficiency. The present research created an efficient six-item version of the SSES that preserves score reliability and validity and its three-dimensional structure: social, appearance, and performance self-esteem. Item response theory and confirmatory factor analyses identified the "best" six items-two from each dimension (Study 1). Participants completed the SSES four times at 2-week intervals (Studies 2 and 3). The six-item SSES' scores showed adequate test-retest reliability, explained substantial variance in trait-relevant measures, and showed convergent validity with related self-esteem measures. Participants completed the SSES and a laboratory experiment where they received negative feedback on an essay they had written and could retaliate against their evaluator by allocating hot sauce for them to consume (Study 4). The six-item SSES interacted with self-esteem instability in expected ways to predict hot sauce allocated.

Avoiding information about one's health can have long-term implications for health and well-being. Two studies examined the relationship between health information avoidance and coping self-efficacy, or a sense that one can effectively cope. In Study 1, coping self-efficacy, but not general self-efficacy, was associated with information avoidance. In Study 2, participants who reflected on their positive coping strategies were less likely to avoid learning their risk for disease as compared to those who did not reflect on their coping strategies. These findings suggest that coping self-efficacy is a good target for future interventions aimed at reducing health information avoidance.

The objective of this study was to examine the link between systemic and general psychosocial stress and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in a group of U.S. Latinos as a function of acculturation and education within the blended guiding conceptual framework of the biopsychosocial model of the stress process plus the reserve capacity model. We analyzed data from self-identifying Mexican-origin adults (n = 396, 56.9% female, Mage = 58.2 years, 55.5% < 12 years of education, 79% U.S.-born) from the Texas City Stress and Health Study. We used established measures of perceived stress (general stress), neighborhood stress and discrimination (systemic stress) to capture psychosocial stress, our primary predictor. We used the atherosclerotic CVD calculator to assess 10-year CVD risk, our primary outcome. This calculator uses demographics, cholesterol, blood pressure, and history of hypertension, smoking, and diabetes to compute CVD risk in the next 10 years. We also created an acculturation index using English-language use, childhood interaction, and preservation of cultural values. Participants reported years of education. Contrary to expectations, findings showed that higher levels of all three forms of psychosocial stress, perceived stress, neighborhood stress, and perceived discrimination, predicted lower 10-year CVD risk. Acculturation and education did not moderate the effects of psychosocial stress on 10-year CVD risk. Contextualized within the biopsychosocial and reserve capacity framework, we interpret our findings such that participants who accurately reported their stressors may have turned to their social networks to handle the stress, thereby reducing their risk for CVD. We highlight the importance of examining strengths within the sociocultural environment when considering cardiovascular inequities among Latinos., Competing Interests: Raymond P. Stowe, co-author on this manuscript, has a commercial affiliation with Microgen Laboratories, which process many of the biological samples from the Texas City Stress and Health Study. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

We conducted a preregistered multilaboratory project ( k = 36; N = 3,531) to assess the size and robustness of ego-depletion effects using a novel replication method, termed the paradigmatic replication approach . Each laboratory implemented one of two procedures that was intended to manipulate self-control and tested performance on a subsequent measure of self-control. Confirmatory tests found a nonsignificant result ( d = 0.06). Confirmatory Bayesian meta-analyses using an informed-prior hypothesis (δ = 0.30, SD = 0.15) found that the data were 4 times more likely under the null than the alternative hypothesis. Hence, preregistered analyses did not find evidence for a depletion effect. Exploratory analyses on the full sample (i.e., ignoring exclusion criteria) found a statistically significant effect ( d = 0.08); Bayesian analyses showed that the data were about equally likely under the null and informed-prior hypotheses. Exploratory moderator tests suggested that the depletion effect was larger for participants who reported more fatigue but was not moderated by trait self-control, willpower beliefs, or action orientation.

Do geographic differences in collectivism relate to COVID-19 case and death rates? And if so, would they also replicate across states within arguably the most individualistic country in the world-the United States? Further still, what role might the U.S.'s history of ethnic strife and race-based health disparities play in either reinforcing or undermining state-level relations between collectivism and COVID-19 rates? To answer these questions, we examined archival data from 98 countries (Study 1) and the 48 contiguous United States (Study 2) on country/state-level collectivism, COVID-19 case/death rates, relevant covariates (per-capita GDP, population density, spatial dependence), and in the U.S., percent of non-Whites. In Study 1, country-level collectivism negatively related to both cases ( r  = -0.28) and deaths ( r  = -0.40) in simple regressions; however, after controlling for covariates, the former became non-significant ( r p  = -0.07), but the latter remained significant ( r p  = -0.20). In Study 2, state-level collectivism positively related to both cases ( r  = 0.56) and deaths ( r  = 0.41) in simple regressions, and these relationships persisted after controlling for all covariates except race, where a state's non-White population dominated all other predictors of COVID-19 cases ( r p  = 0.35) and deaths ( r p  = 0.31). We discuss the strong link between race and collectivism in U.S. culture, and its implications for understanding COVID-19 responses., Competing Interests: We have no known conflicts of interest to disclose., (© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Research implicates experiences of discrimination in exacerbating cardiometabolic disease (CMD) risk. Belongingness has been suggested as a buffer against the adverse effects of discrimination. However, when discrimination occurs in an environment to which one feels they belong, then the potential benefits of belongingness may dissipate or even exacerbate the effects of discrimination. In the present study, we examined these competing hypotheses on how campus belonging might moderate the relationship between discrimination experienced on campus and CMD risk. College students (n = 160, 60.9% Latino/a/x) reported the frequency of on-campus discrimination and campus belongingness, and then completed items assessing risk for CMD. More frequent discrimination related to higher comparative CMD risk among those who reported high campus belongingness, even after adjusting for relevant covariates. These findings highlight the complicated nature of belongingness in the context of physical health. Future research is needed to better understand the role of environment when considering morbidity among college students., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

During healthcare visits, physicians may set communication goals such as providing their patient with information about treatment; however, no recommendations exist regarding which goals physicians should prioritize during their often-brief interactions with patients. Two studies examined five communication goals (providing information, reducing distress, increasing patient satisfaction, increasing patient adherence, and encouraging hope) in the context of physician-patient interactions and their relationship with patient and physician outcomes. In Study 1, audio-recordings of physician-patient interactions were coded by research assistants for goal-related content. In Study 2, patients reported their physician's use of each goal during the interaction. In both studies, patients and physicians reported visit outcomes. Within-study meta-analyses suggested that the goal of reducing distress, but not the other goals, was consistently related to improved outcomes in Study 1. All goals were related to improved outcomes in Study 2. We then computed sample-size-weighted meta-analytic effects of each goal on each outcome across both studies. These results suggested that all of the goals had similar-sized positive relationships with patient and physician outcomes across studies. These findings suggest that physicians should generally approach consultations with communication goals in mind, but prioritizing efforts to reduce distress may be particularly beneficial.

Objective: The present study examined how cognitions and emotions characteristic of awaiting uncertain news influenced healthy (diet/exercise) and unhealthy (alcohol use) behaviors in three samples of people awaiting important news. Design: Study 1 examined voting-eligible citizens during the month prior to learning the results of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Study 2 examined the experience of law graduates across four months while they awaited the results of their bar exam (i.e., the licensing exam they need to pass to practice law). Study 3 examined current or recent PhD students searching for a job on the academic job market. Results: Though the findings were somewhat mixed across studies, they generally suggest a relationship between positive emotions and health-promoting behaviors and between worry and alcohol use, with less consistent relationships between outcome expectations and health behaviors. Conclusion: Taken together, these results offer a promising set of initial findings to understand health behavior in the context of awaiting uncertain news and provide a foundation for future investigations on the topic.

The harlequin bug (HB), Murgantia histrionica, is a major pest of cabbage family plants throughout its range in the United States. RNA interference (RNAi) is a posttranscriptional gene silencing mechanism that is showing promise as a biopesticide due to the ability to target species-specific genes necessary for growth and/or survival with synthetic double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). In the present study, dsRNA stability assays revealed that nucleases present in the saliva of harlequin bugs did not rapidly degrade dsRNA. We tracked the movement and localization of radioactively labeled dsRNA in both mustard plant seedlings and harlequin bug nymphs that fed on treated host plants. Movement of 32 P-labeled-dsRNA from soil to plant and plant to insect was detected. The efficacy of RNAi in inducing mortality in harlequin bug adults and nymphs injected or fed with dsRNA targeting inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP), ATPase N2B (ATPase), serine/threonine-protein phosphatase PP1-β catalytic subunit (PP1), signal recognition particle 54 kDa protein (SRP), and G protein-coupled receptor 161-like (GPCR) genes was evaluated. Injection of dsRNA targeting candidate genes into adults caused between 40% and 75% mortality and induced significant knockdown of target gene expression. Feeding dsRNA targeting the IAP gene to nymphs by plant-mediated and droplet feeding methods induced knockdown of the target gene and caused 40-55% mortality. These findings suggest that RNAi may be a viable approach for managing this pest., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The Colorado potato beetle (CPB; Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is one of the most notorious and difficult to control pests of potato and other solanaceous crops in North America. This insect has evolved a remarkable ability to detoxify both plant and synthetic toxins, allowing it to feed on solanaceous plants containing toxic alkaloids and to develop resistance to synthetic chemicals used for its control. RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural mechanism that evolved as an immune response to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) viruses where dsRNA triggers silencing of target gene expression. RNAi is being developed as a method to control CPB. Here, we evaluated four CPB-specific genes to identify targets for RNAi-mediated control of this insect. Out of the four dsRNAs evaluated in CPB larvae and adults, dsIAP (dsRNA targeting inhibitor of apoptosis, iap gene) performed better than dsActin, dsHSP70, and dsDynamin in inducing larval mortality. However, in adults, the mortality induced by dsActin is significantly higher than the mortality induced by dsIAP, dsHSP70, and dsDynamin. Interestingly, a combination of dsIAP and dsActin performed better than either dsIAP or dsActin alone by inducing feeding inhibition in 24 hr and mortality in 48 hr in larvae. When the dsIAP and dsActin were expressed in the Escherichia coli HT115 strain and applied as a heat-killed bacterial spray on potato plants, it protected the plants from CPB damage. These studies show that the combination of dsIAP and dsActin shows promise as an insecticide to control CPB., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

RNA interference (RNAi) has become an integral part of mainstream research due to its versatility and ease of use. However, the potential nontarget effects associated with double-stranded RNAs (dsRNA) are poorly understood. To explore this, we used dsRNAs targeting the inhibitor of apoptosis (iap) gene from nine insect species and assayed their possible nontarget effects. For each assay, we used a control (dsRNA targeting the gene coding for green fluorescent protein, GFP) and a species-specific dsRNA targeting nine iap genes in insect species to evaluate target gene knockdown efficiency, apoptosis phenotype in cells and mortality in insects. Our results revealed that dsIAP efficiently knocks down iap gene expression and induces apoptosis phenotype and mortality in target insect species. In contrast, no significant knockdown of the iap gene expression, apoptosis phenotypes, or mortality were detected in cell lines developed from nontarget insects or nontarget insects treated with dsIAPs. Interestingly, even among closely related insects such as stink bugs, Nezara viridula, Halyomorpha halys, and Murgantia histrionica, with substantial sequence similarity among iap genes from these insects, no significant nontarget effects of dsIAP were observed under the conditions tested. These data demonstrate no significant nontarget effects for dsIAPs and suggest that the threat of nontarget effects of RNAi technology may not be substantial., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The southern green stink bug (SGSB, Nezara viridula) is an emerging polyphagous pest in many regions of the world. RNA interference (RNAi) is a valuable method for understanding gene function and holds great potential for pest management. However, RNAi efficiency is variable among insects and the differences in transport of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) are one of the major factors that contribute to this variability. In this study, Cy3 labeled dsRNA was used to track the transport of dsRNA in SGSB tissues. Cy3&#95;dsRNA was detected in the hemocytes, fat body (FB), epidermis, and midgut tissues at 24-72 hr after injection. Orally delivered Cy3&#95;dsRNA or Cypher-5E labeled dsRNA was mostly detected in the midgut and a few signals were detected in parts of the FB and epidermis. Both injected and fed Cy3&#95;dsRNA showed stronger signals in SGSB tissues when compared to Cy3&#95;siRNA (small interfering RNA) or Cy3&#95;shRNA (short hairpin RNA). dsRNA targeting the gene for a vacuolar-sorting protein, SNF7, induced higher knockdown of the target gene and greater SGSB mortality compared to siRNA or shRNA targeting this gene. 32 P-labeled dsRNA injected into SGSB was processed into siRNA, but fed 32 P-labeled dsRNA was not efficiently processed into siRNA. These data suggest that transport of orally delivered dsRNA across the midgut epithelium is not efficient in SGSB which may contribute to variable RNAi efficiency. Targeting genes expressed in the midgut rather than other tissues and using dsRNA instead of siRNA or shRNA would be more effective for RNAi-mediated control of this pest., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The CRISPR/Cas9 system is an efficient genome editing method that can be used in functional genomics research. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a serious agricultural pest that has spread over most of the world. However, very little information is available on functional genomics for this insect. We performed CRISPR/Cas9-mediated site-specific mutagenesis of three target genes: two marker genes [Biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex 1 subunit 2 (BLOS2) and tryptophan 2, 3-dioxygenase (TO)], and a developmental gene, E93 (a key ecdysone-induced transcription factor that promotes adult development). The knockouts (KO) of BLOS2, TO and E93 induced translucent mosaic integument, olive eye color, and larval-pupal intermediate phenotypes, respectively. Sequencing RNA isolated from wild-type and E93 KO insects showed that E93 promotes adult development by influencing the expression of the genes coding for transcription factor, Krüppel homolog 1, the pupal specifier, Broad-Complex, serine proteases, and heat shock proteins. Often, gene-edited insects display mosaicism in which only a fraction of the cells are edited as intended, and establishing a homozygous line is both costly and time-consuming. To overcome these limitations, a method to completely KO the target gene in S. frugiperda by injecting the Cas9 protein and multiple sgRNAs targeting one exon of the E93 gene into embryos was developed. Ten percent of the G0 larvae exhibited larval-pupal intermediates. The mutations were confirmed by T7E1 assay, and the mutation frequency was determined as >80%. Complete KO of the E93 gene was achieved in one generation using the multiple sgRNA method, demonstrating a powerful approach to improve genome editing in lepidopteran and other non-model insects., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Research on self-determination theory suggests that people have fundamental needs to feel autonomous, competent, and socially connected and that fulfilling these needs is critical for well-being. In the present study, we examined whether fulfilling psychological needs is associated with physical and psychological well-being-specifically sleep disruption and worry, two key indicators of well-being during waiting periods-while managing the unique stress of awaiting uncertain news. In a study of law graduates during the 4 months while they awaited their California bar exam (the exam one is required to pass before practicing law) results, personal increases in need fulfilment related to temporally congruent reductions in sleep disruption and worry. In addition, those whose needs were most fulfilled during the waiting period responded less negatively to failing the bar exam. The picture for need frustration was mixed; only autonomy frustration was associated with concurrent increases in worry, although those whose needs were more frustrated in general also experienced greater worry and sleep disruption on average. On the whole, our findings suggest that self-determination theory needs may be a fruitful target for interventions that can protect well-being while people wait and even once their uncertainty is resolved., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Mosquito-borne diseases are a major threat to human health and are responsible for millions of deaths globally each year. Vector control is one of the most important approaches used in reducing the incidence of these diseases. However, increasing mosquito resistance to chemical insecticides presents challenges to this approach. Therefore, new strategies are necessary to develop the next generation vector control methods. Because of the target specificity of dsRNA, RNAi-based control measures are an attractive alternative to current insecticides used to control disease vectors. In this study, Chitosan (CS) was cross-linked to sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) to produce nano-sized polyelectrolyte complexes with dsRNA. CS-TPP-dsRNA nanoparticles were prepared by ionic gelation method. The encapsulation efficiency, protection of dsRNA from nucleases, cellular uptake, in vivo biodistribution, larval mortality and gene knockdown efficiency of CS-TPP-dsRNA nanoparticles were determined. The results showed that at a 5:1 weight ratio of CS-TPP to dsRNA, nanoparticles of less than 200 nm mean diameter and a positive surface charge were formed. Confocal microscopy revealed the distribution of the fed CS-TPP-dsRNA nanoparticles in midgut, fat body and epidermis of yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti larvae. Bioassays showed significant mortality of larvae fed on CS-TPP-dsRNA nanoparticles. These assays also showed knockdown of a target gene in CS-TPP-dsRNA nanoparticle fed larvae. These data suggest that CS-TPP nanoparticles may be used for delivery of dsRNA to mosquito larvae.

The present study examined how three psychosocial barriers-anticipated HIV stigma, HIV infectiousness-reduction beliefs, and optimism about available HIV treatments-related to HIV testing history and acceptance of an at-home HIV test among men who have sex with men. We also examined the mediating role of a variable that affects medical screening for other health conditions but has not yet been investigated in HIV contexts: the tendency to avoid psychologically threatening information. Volunteers completed a paper and pencil survey and were offered a free at-home HIV test during the 2015 Atlanta Pride Festival in Atlanta, GA. Anticipated HIV stigma, infectiousness beliefs, and treatment optimism were inconsistently related to HIV testing history and acceptance of an at-home HIV test, but all had direct effects on the desire to avoid HIV information. In a mediation model, each of these psychosocial barriers had indirect effects on both HIV testing outcomes via information avoidance. These findings suggest that information avoidance is an important proximal HIV testing barrier, thus providing a novel target for interventions and information campaigns.

Whether awaiting biopsy results, a grade on a midterm, or a decision from a journal editor, people feel distressed as they wait for uncertain news. In the present study, we investigated how people's perceptions of their romantic partner, specifically their partner's responsiveness to their support needs, corresponds with key aspects of the waiting experience. In a longitudinal study of 184 law students awaiting their result on the California bar exam, we examined changes in perceived responsiveness over time and associations between perceived responsiveness and expectation management strategies, health, and well-being. Results revealed temporal patterns in perceived responsiveness, with the greatest responsiveness perceived at the start and end of the wait. Perceived responsiveness was also intertwined with efforts to manage one's expectations while awaiting uncertain news and was associated with more positive emotions, better subjective coping, and greater self-reported sleep quality during the wait. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).)

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is native to Asia and recently invaded the USA. RNA interference (RNAi) is a gene silencing mechanism in which the introduction of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) inhibits gene function by degrading target mRNA. In dsRNA stability assays, the dsRNases present in the hemolymph and salivary gland secretions of BMSB showed lower activity than those in the hemolymph of Heliothis virescens. We evaluated six housekeeping genes (18S rRNA, EF1-α, Actin, Ubiquitin, 60S RP and β-Tubulin) across dsRNA treatments (injection and feeding) in nymphs and adults of BMSB and identified 18S rRNA and 60S RP as the best genes to use as a reference in reverse-transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Homologs of 13 genes that were shown to function as effective RNAi targets in other insects were identified and evaluated by injecting dsRNA targeting these homologs into BMSB adults. Five out of 13 dsRNAs tested caused more than 70% mortality by seven days after injection of dsRNA. Feeding dsRNA targeting five of these genes (IAP, ATPase, SNF7, GPCR, and PPI) to nymphs caused more than 70% mortality by three of the five dsRNAs tested. These data suggest that feeding dsRNA causes target gene knockdown and mortality in BMSB.

Emerging evidence suggests that individuals spontaneously self-affirm, by reflecting on values and strengths, in response to daily threats. We examined the prevalence and demographic and well-being correlates of spontaneous self-affirmation in the general population. Participants ( n = 3185) completed the cross-sectional, nationally representative 2013 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 4, Cycle 3), and answered questions about spontaneous self-affirmation, demographic factors, well-being, and affect. The majority of the population reported spontaneously self-affirming. Black and Hispanic respondents reported engaging in more spontaneous self-affirmation. Engaging in spontaneous self-affirmation was related to greater happiness, hopefulness, optimism, subjective health, and personal health efficacy, and less anger and sadness.

People frequently await uncertain news, yet research reveals that the strategies people naturally use to cope with uncertainty are largely ineffective. We tested the role of mindfulness for improving the experience of a stressful waiting period. Law graduates awaiting their bar exam results either reported their trait mindfulness (Study 1; N = 150) or were instructed to practice mindfulness meditation (Study 2; N = 90). As hypothesized, participants who were naturally more mindful or who practiced mindfulness managed their expectations more effectively by bracing for the worst later in the waiting period and perceived themselves as coping better. Additionally, participants who were low in dispositional optimism and high in intolerance of uncertainty benefited most from mindfulness (relative to control) meditation. These findings point to a simple and effective way to wait better, particularly for those most vulnerable to distress.

One useful theory to predict health behavior is the prototype-willingness model (PWM), which posits that people are more willing to engage in behavior to the extent that they have a positive view of the prototypical person who performs that behavior. The goal of the present research is to test whether adding an implicit measure of prototype favorability might improve explanatory power in the PWM. Two studies examined whether implicit prototype favorability uniquely predicted White women's intentions to engage in healthy sun behavior over the next 3-6 months, and their willingness to engage in risky sun behavior, should the opportunity arise. The results suggested that implicit prototype favorability, particularly implicit prototypes of those who engage in risky UV-related behaviors, uniquely predicted intentions to engage in healthy sun behavior and willingness to engage in risky sun behavior in the PWM.

Of the hundreds of studies published on unrealistic optimism (i.e., expecting a better personal future than is reasonably likely), most have focused on demonstrating the phenomenon, examining boundary conditions, or documenting causes. Few studies have examined the consequences of unrealistic optimism. In this article, we provide an overview of the measurement of unrealistic optimism, review possible consequences, and identify numerous challenges confronting investigators attempting to understand the consequences. Assessing the consequences of unrealistic optimism is tricky, and ultimately probably impossible when researchers assess unrealistic optimism at the group level (which reveals if a group of people is displaying unrealistic optimism on average) rather than the individual level (which reveals whether a specific individual displays unrealistic optimism). We offer recommendations to researchers who wish to examine the consequences of unrealistic optimism., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A robust body of literature on the better-than-average effect suggests that people believe that they are better than the average others across a variety of domains. In two studies, we examined whether these better-than-average beliefs occur for bias related to stereotyping and prejudice. Moreover, we investigated the hypothesis that better-than-average beliefs will predict defensive responding to feedback indicating personal bias (e.g., preferences for majority groups, societally endorsed stereotypes). Specifically, we examined defensive responses to implicit attitude feedback. Study 1 examined this prediction using archival analysis of two large, online samples of participants completing a Weight-related Implicit Association Test (IAT). Study 2 conceptually replicated Study 1 using nine different, randomly assigned IATs and additional measures of defensiveness. In both studies, people generally believed that they were less biased than others. Moreover, people responded defensively to feedback indicating they were biased. This effect was moderated by better-than-average beliefs such that feedback indicating societally consistent bias was related to defensiveness most (and sometimes only) when people believed they were better than average initially. This work represents the first foray into examining the possible moderating role of social-comparative beliefs in predicting responses to implicit attitude feedback and spurs several important avenues for future research., (© 2016 The British Psychological Society.)

People differ in their openness to different types of information and some information may evoke greater avoidance than does other information. We developed an 8-item measure of people's tendency to avoid learning information. The flexible instrument can function as both a predictor and outcome measure. The results from 4 studies involving 7 samples and 4,393 participants reveal that scores on the measure are generally internally consistent, remain relatively stable across time, and correlate modestly with measures of similar constructs and with avoidance behavior. The measure is adaptable to a variety of types of information (e.g., health outcomes, attractiveness feedback) and is internally consistent in several distinct populations (e.g., high school students, college students, U.S. adults, low-socioeconomic-status adults). Discussion centers on potential uses for the scale and an online supplement discusses a 2-item version of the scale. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).)

Objective: Early detection of disease is often crucially important for positive health outcomes, yet people sometimes decline opportunities for early detection (e.g., opting not to screen). Although some health-information avoidance reflects a deliberative decision, we propose that information avoidance can also reflect an automatic, nondeliberative reaction. In the present research, we investigated whether people's automatic attitude toward learning health information predicted their avoidance of risk feedback., Method: In 3 studies, we gave adults the opportunity to learn their risk for a fictitious disease (Study 1), melanoma skin cancer (Study 2), or heart disease (Study 3), and examined whether they opted to learn their risk. The primary predictors were participants' attitudes about learning health information measured using a traditional (controlled) self-report instrument and using speeded (automatic) self-report measure. In addition, we prompted participants in Study 3 to contemplate their motives for seeking or avoiding information prior to making their decision., Results: Across the 3 studies, self-reported (controlled) and implicitly measured (automatic) attitudes about learning health information independently predicted avoidance of the risk feedback, suggesting that automatic attitudes explain unique variance in the decision to avoid health information. In Study 3, prompting participants to contemplate their reasons for seeking versus avoiding health information reduced information avoidance. Surprisingly, it did so by inducing reliance on automatic, rather than controlled, attitudes., Conclusion: The data suggests that automatic processes play an important role in predicting health information avoidance and suggest that interventionists aiming to increase information seeking might fruitfully target automatic processes. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).)

The present study examined the possibility that waiting is bad for one's subjective health. Specifically, we examined longitudinal trends in the self-reported health, self-reported sleep disruption, distress, and emotion regulation strategies of law school graduates waiting for their bar exam results. Multilevel analyses suggest that waiting was particularly detrimental to participants' self-reported health and sleep disruption at the beginning and end of the waiting period. Moreover, distress and most emotion regulation efforts were associated with poorer subjective health on average, and personal increases in distress and emotion regulation were largely associated with personal increases in poor self-reported health and sleep disruption. Our results suggest that waiting periods can take a toll on subjective health and that individual and temporal variations in distress and emotion regulation efforts are associated with these health trajectories.

Objective: Self-affirming--such as by reflecting on one's strengths and values--reduces defensiveness to threatening information, reduces negative effects of stereotype threat and promotes prosociality. These outcomes may promote physical health, highlighting a need to examine the role of self-affirmation in medical and health contexts., Design: Data were collected as part of the nationally representative, cross-sectional, 2013 Health Information National Trends Survey. Items were completed by 2731 respondents., Main Outcome Measures: Respondents answered questions about spontaneous self-affirmation tendencies, perceptions of providers and health care, involvement in medical appointments, health information seeking and engagement in medical research., Results: Spontaneous self-affirmation was associated with more positive perceptions of communication with one's provider, better perceived quality of care, greater likelihood of asking questions in a medical appointment, greater information seeking for oneself and multiple indices of surrogate information seeking (i.e. seeking information for others). Four of eight significant associations remained significant when controlling for optimism. The associations of self-affirmation with aspects of the patient-provider relationship were not modified by factors likely to be associated with stereotype threat (e.g. race or BMI)., Conclusion: Spontaneous self-affirmation was related to positive outcomes in health contexts. Experimental research is needed to further explore the causal nature of these associations.

Rationale: Perceived risk for health problems such as cancer is a central construct in many models of health decision making and a target for behavior change interventions. However, some portion of the population actively avoids cancer risk information. The prevalence of, explanations for, and consequences of such avoidance are not well understood., Objective: We examined the prevalence and demographic and psychosocial correlates of cancer risk information avoidance preference in a nationally representative sample. We also examined whether avoidance of cancer risk information corresponds with avoidance of cancer screening., Results: Based on our representative sample, 39% of the population indicated that they agreed or strongly agreed that they would "rather not know [their] chance of getting cancer." This preference was stronger among older participants, female participants, and participants with lower levels of education. Preferring to avoid cancer risk information was stronger among participants who agreed with the beliefs that everything causes cancer, that there's not much one can do to prevent cancer, and that there are too many recommendations to follow. Finally, the preference to avoid cancer risk information was associated with lower levels of screening for colon cancer., Conclusion: These findings suggest that cancer risk information avoidance is a multi-determined phenomenon that is associated with demographic characteristics and psychosocial individual differences and also relates to engagement in cancer screening., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Oral and pharyngeal cancer is highly treatable if diagnosed early, yet late diagnosis is commonplace apparently because of delays in undergoing an oral cancer examination., Purpose: We explored predictors of scheduling and attending an oral cancer examination among a sample of Black and White men who were at high risk for oral cancer because they smoked., Methods: During an in-person interview, participants (N = 315) from rural Florida learned about oral and pharyngeal cancer, completed survey measures, and were offered a free examination in the next week. Later, participants received a follow-up phone call to explore why they did or did not attend their examination., Results: Consistent with the notion that scheduling and attending an oral cancer exam represent distinct decisions, we found that the two outcomes had different predictors. Defensive avoidance and exam efficacy predicted scheduling an examination; exam efficacy and having coping resources, time, and transportation predicted attending the examination. Open-ended responses revealed that the dominant reasons participants offered for missing a scheduled examination were conflicting obligations, forgetting, and confusion or misunderstanding about the examination., Conclusions: The results suggest interventions to increase scheduling and attending an oral cancer examination.

Hydrofluoroethers are shown to alkylate tertiary amines readily under solvent-free conditions, affording valuable tetraalkylammonium perfluoroalkoxides bearing α-fluorines. The reaction of R(F)CF2-OCH3 (R(F)=CF2CF3, CF2CF2CF3, and CF(CF3)2) with NR(1)R(2)R(3) produces twenty new α-perfluoroalkoxides, [(CH3)NR(1)R(2)R(3)][R(F)CF2O] under mild conditions. These α-perfluoroalkoxides are easy to handle, thermally stable, and can be used for the perfluoroalkoxylation of benzyl bromides., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Objective: Despite the fact that skin cancer is highly avoidable, incidence and death rates in the United States continue to climb. The pattern is particularly problematic among young, White women, who sometimes overexpose themselves to harmful ultraviolet rays in hopes of being tan. Research has suggested that positivity toward prototypes of individuals who engage in unhealthy behavior, like tanning, influences the likelihood that an individual will personally engage in those behaviors. Although the prototype-to-behavior link is considered to operate automatically, researchers have typically relied on people's self-reported evaluations of prototypes, which are more controlled and susceptible to self-presentational concerns., Method: In the present research, we developed a measure of implicit prototypes and compared it with measures of explicit prototypes in predicting the safe sun behavior of 731 women., Results: Meta-analysis of 5 different prototypes (i.e., cool, fun, healthy, intelligent, and attractive) suggested that implicit prototypes predicted more variance in women's current behavior, planned behavior, behavioral willingness, and tanning frequency than did explicit prototypes., Conclusion: Although some models recognize that health behavior may be based on automatic processes, they exclusively use measures of self-reported attitudes and prototypes to predict behavior. The results suggest that measuring implicit prototypes may provide important explanatory power., (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.)

In these two studies, we examined whether the inferences people make about likable and dislikable targets align with the predictions of balance theory. We hypothesized that people exhibit a liking-similarity effect by perceiving greater similarity with a likable person than a dislikable person. To test this hypothesis, we manipulated the likability of a target person and then assessed participants' perceptions of similarity to that target person. In both studies, people rated likable others as more similar to themselves than dislikable others across a variety of domains (e.g., attitudes, personality characteristics, behaviors). In Study 2, individual differences in self-concept clarity, self-esteem, and preference for consistency moderated the liking-similarity effect.

Objective: Research documents a disparity between Black and White Americans in mortality for oral cancer that appears to result in part from behaviors such as lower oral cancer screening among Black Americans. We examined barriers to oral cancer screening among Black Americans., Methods: We surveyed Black Americans (N = 366) living in rural Florida to identify barriers to getting screened for oral cancer., Results: Low knowledge/social attention, lack of resources, and fear/defensive avoidance predicted screening intentions, with lack of resources emerging as the largest barrier. Participants also reported that a recommendation from their provider was most likely to increase screening intentions, whereas encountering financial barriers was most likely to decrease screening intentions., Conclusions: Low knowledge/social attention, lack of resources, and fear/defensive avoidance emerged as independent barriers to oral cancer screening, with the latter two barriers accounting for the most variance in intentions to get screened., (Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Objectives: To examine factors influencing dentists' intentions to counsel adolescents., Methods: Florida dentists (N = 929) responded to 3 descriptions of an office visit by an adolescent patient. In the standard-of-care condition the patient consumed excessive sugar. In the other 2 conditions, a reliable source or patient's mother revealed the patient was sexually active and exposed to HPV., Results: Dentists expressed lower intentions to counsel about HPV than sugar consumption. In the 2 HPV conditions, dentists reported higher intentions to counsel when the mother, rather than another reliable source, disclosed the sexual activity. Perceived social pressure against counseling explained differences between conditions in intention to counsel., Conclusions: Parent /public approval were primary barriers to HPV-counseling.