Search

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 (nsites = 37, nparticipants = 2,239, 70.4% women, Mage = 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.

Accounting education has undergone significant changes over the past 20 years. A curriculum that focuses on GAAP principles and ledger-based accounting rules is being quickly replaced by technology. It is necessary to develop a curriculum that enables universities to prepare students with critical job skills for entry-level accounting positions where students can competently manage big data applications. This paper provides an academic case for classroom use to enable students to acquire those skills. The STARHunter case examines the workflows associated with the audit process and allows for transactions testing, risk assessment, and forensic evaluation. This case would typically be used in an upper-division course in auditing and could be easily adapted to other accounting courses.

none

The present study was carried out using molecular and biometric data of Carabus (Macrothorax) morbillosus from mid-Mediterranean areas to determine additional information on basal relationships among its representative subspecies. To this aim, two different kinds of approach were employed, including a morphometric analysis of four morphological parameters (i.e., elytra length, elytra width, pronotum length, pronotum width) of 128 specimens, and a Bayesian genetic analysis of 44 cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) partial sequences (i.e., 38 examined for the first time and six retrieved from GenBank database). Representative populations of C. (M.) morbillosus were sampled in four countries, namely Italy, Malta, Spain, and Tunisia. The present findings support the validity of four C. (M.) morbillosus subspecies, specifically C. (M.) m. alternans, C. (M.) m. bruttianus, C. (M.) m. constantinus, and C. (M.) m. macilentus, and redefine these subspecies’ distributions. Notably, within the C. (M.) m. constantinus clade, two (i.e., Sardinia/Tuscany and Lampedusa) out of the three subgroups appear as homogeneous geographical groupings.

PurposeOvarian cancer is the most fatal of all gynecologic cancers, with a high relapse rate regardless of stage. Women treated for ovarian cancer, therefore, likely have supportive care needs that extend well beyond the time frame of first-line therapy. Unfortunately, there is minimal data describing these needs. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the supportive care needs of women with ovarian care at the end of treatment.MethodsTo better understand the issues faced by women with ovarian cancer, we conducted a public Twitter chat in collaboration with gynecologic cancer social media (#gyncsm). Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed.ResultsThe chat occurred over a 1-hour time frame on Twitter and resulted in more than 300 unique and original tweets from 43 participants during the chat and an additional 60 unique participants following the chat. Survivors and physicians represented 32% and 11% of participants, respectively; caregivers, advocates, and other clinicians represented the remaining participants. Participants noted deep interest in receiving support during survivorship and dissatisfaction with currently available resources. Sentiment analysis showed that participants viewed the support from social media in a positive light and also revealed negative sentiment around the lack of support from health care providers at the end of treatment.ConclusionsThemes derived from the Twitter chat revealed the unique experiences of individuals with ovarian cancer after treatment, including a heightened sense of vulnerability. Understanding these themes represents an opportunity for clinicians to better understand and address the needs of this patient community.

Objective: The online environment is an ideal setting to understand how many women seek, receive, and understand information about cancer treatment. The purpose of this study was to understand women’s needs and information-seeking around Poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, an oral medication commonly prescribed as maintenance therapy at the conclusion of primary chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. Methods: We held online discussion events with two social media communities, #gyncsm social media on Twitter and the Smart Patients ovarian cancer community, in November 2020, to sample ovarian cancer patient perceptions of, and information seeking about PARP inhibitors. Focused questions were presented to both communities, with participants able to answer and elaborate upon these questions, as well as to add their own comments or topics. Qualitative content analysis was performed on the transcripts from the two online events. Results: A total of 254 unique tweets and 71 messages were generated from the Twitter and Smart Patients conversations, respectively. The majority of the content from these two events could be categorized into five major themes: (1) concerns about side effects, (2) expectations of benefit, (3) desire for more information regarding clinical trials, ) (4) desire to better understand the relationship between mutation status and PARP inhibitor effectiveness, and (5) financial toxicity. Misinformation was rarely identified. Conclusions: Women with ovarian cancer who are engaged in online patient communities have numerous educational needs regarding PARP inhibitors. Given the complexity of clinical research on PARP inhibitors, patients would likely benefit from patient-centered educational tools.

Epithelial cells secrete apical extracellular matrices to form protruding structures such as denticles, ridges, scales, or teeth. The mechanisms that shape these structures remain poorly understood. Here, we show how the actin cytoskeleton and a provisional matrix work together to sculpt acellular longitudinal alae ridges in the cuticle of adult C. elegans. Transient assembly of longitudinal actomyosin filaments in the underlying lateral epidermis accompanies deposition of the provisional matrix at the earliest stages of alae formation. Actin is required to pattern the provisional matrix into longitudinal bands that are initially offset from the pattern of longitudinal actin filaments. These bands appear ultrastructurally as alternating regions of adhesion and separation within laminated provisional matrix layers. The provisional matrix is required to establish these demarcated zones of adhesion and separation, which ultimately give rise to alae ridges and their intervening valleys, respectively. Provisional matrix proteins shape the alae ridges and valleys but are not present within the final structure. We propose a morphogenetic mechanism wherein cortical actin patterns are relayed to the laminated provisional matrix to set up distinct zones of matrix layer separation and accretion that shape a permanent and acellular matrix structure.

We report an effort to replicate and extend Levelt and Kelter's (1982) Experiment 3. In their study, experimenters phoned businesses and asked, "At what time does your shop close?" or "What time does your shop close?" Participants were more likely to produce prepositional responses (At 7 o'clock) to questions containing a preposition than to questions that did not. Across three experiments, we replicated Levelt and Kelter's method, and included a number of other communicative contexts (asking questions by phone, in person, or by text message, and asking people both known and unknown to the experimenter). Our efforts produced mixed results. Across experiments, and within each communicative context, we found the predicted pattern of results (more prepositional responses following prepositional questions). Although this pattern was not statistically reliable in our individual experiments, it was significant in an analysis conducted across all of our experiments. Overall, our results suggest that the structural repetition effect observed by Levelt and Kelter is replicable, but is weaker than the effect reported in the original paper.

The effects of climate change on the cycle of plants are indisputable, in fact one of the most evident reactions to the increase in temperatures is the shortening of the duration of the phenological phases which, moreover, occur considerably earlier than in the past. A postponement of the winter pruning date (i.e. to 2/3 extended leaves) seems to be a fairly promising tool to slow down the accumulation of sugars in the berries, delay ripening and widen the time window suitable for harvesting. A two-year trial was set up to verify the effect of late pruning on the viticultural and oenological characteristics of the Grillo and Frappato vines, typical native Sicilian varieties. The winter pruning was carried out in the month of December, the delayed one in the month of April when the apical shoots of the shoots were in the BBCH-12 phase and had 2/3 extended leaves. At the harvest, the sugars, the titratable acidity and the pH of the must were analyzed on a sample of one hundred berries obtained by sampling the test plants. The surveys also concerned the vegetative-productive aspects of the two varieties; moreover, in the two-year period, double microvinification tests were carried out for the theses in question.

Baron Antonio Mendola was devoted to the study of grapevine, applying ampelography and dabbling in crosses between cultivars in order to select new ones, of which Moscato Cerletti, obtained in 1869, was the most interesting. Grillo, one of the most important white cultivars in Sicily, was ascertained to be an offspring of Catarratto Comune and Zibibbo, the same parents which Mendola claimed he used to obtain Moscato Cerletti. Thus the hypothesis of synonymy between Moscato Cerletti and Grillo or the same parentage for both sets of parents needs to be verified. In the present study, historical documents were consulted and genetic analyses and ampelographic, agronomic and qualitative characterisation carried out to determine the distinctiveness of each cultivars. These were also compared with Catarratto Comune and Zibibbo in order to establish the Moscato Cerletti pedigree. Due to their different SSR profiles, Grillo and Moscato Cerletti were confirmed as two distinct cultivars; they also differed in ripening times and sugar storage ability, as well as in the aromatic grape produced by Moscato Cerletti only. The trio genotype genetic analysis confirmed that Zibibbo is a parent of Moscato Cerletti (justifying the aromatic grape), whilst the SSR profiles did not show Catarratto Comune to be a second parent. Moscato Cerletti was found to have oenological potential in the production of sparkling muscat wines due to its ability to adapt to a changing climate in warm and dry environments and in different winegrowing regions.

Book review of Kathleen Donegan's Seasons: of Misery: Catastrophe and Colonial Settlement in Early America (UPENN, 2014).

The generic allocation of Helix subaperta is clarified by using genetic data and morphological traits of the genital organs; its position within the hitherto monotypic genus Cantareus is corroborated. Further analysis of several specimens of Cantareus apertus from Algeria and Italy revealed that this taxon is composed of two species, C. apertus from Italy, and C. koraegaelius from Algeria. The morphological traits of the genital organs of all three species are discussed, and the definition of the genus Cantareus is amended. All three species confined to Cantareus are re-described, and the syntype specimen of H. aperta is illustrated.

Anoxia (Protanoxia) orientalis is a beetle of the family Melolonthidae for which Italy represents the western limit of its distribution. The ecology of this species is little known from the quantitative point of view. The ecological correlates of A. orientalis presence in the whole European range and, more specifically, at its western border in Sicily, are analyzed in this paper to develop a potential distribution map for Sicily and to define the habitat selection of this species. There was a clear non-random habitat selection by A. orientalis at both the European and the Sicilian scales and a clear difference in the factors affecting the presence of this species in the larger spatial scale compared to Sicily. At the European scale, the bioclimatic factors were more important than landscape factors, whereas the same was not true at the Sicilian scale. In Sicily, the populations were statistically influenced by a combination of predictors that make their potential optimal distribution very narrow and mostly limited to a few coastal areas, suggesting a region-specific ecological diversification. Since A. orientalis is in strong decline in Italy due to the degradation of coastal environments, it is necessary to minimize the degradation of the dune and back dune environments in Sicily to achieve better management for the populations of this beetle species.

Biological tubes must develop and maintain their proper diameter to transport materials efficiently. These tubes are molded and protected in part by apical extracellular matrices (aECMs) that line their lumens. Despite their importance, aECMs are difficult to image in vivo and therefore poorly understood. The Caenorhabditis elegans vulva has been a paradigm for understanding many aspects of organogenesis. Here we describe the vulva luminal matrix, which contains chondroitin proteoglycans, Zona Pellucida (ZP) domain proteins, and other glycoproteins and lipid transporters related to those in mammals. Confocal and transmission electron microscopy revealed, with unprecedented detail, a complex and dynamic aECM. Different matrix factors assemble on the apical surfaces of each vulva cell type, with clear distinctions seen between Ras-dependent (1°) and Notch-dependent (2°) cell types. Genetic perturbations suggest that chondroitin and other aECM factors together generate a structured scaffold that both expands and constricts lumen shape.

Complex extracellular structures exist throughout phylogeny, but the dynamics of their formation and dissolution are often opaque. One example is the pharyngeal grinder of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, an extracellular structure that ruptures bacteria during feeding. During each larval transition stage, called lethargus, the grinder is replaced with one of a larger size. Here, we characterize at the ultrastructural level the deconstruction of the larval grinder and the construction of the adult grinder during the fourth larval stage (L4)-to-adult transition. Early in L4 lethargus, pharyngeal muscle cells trans-differentiate from contractile to secretory cells, as evidenced by the appearance of clear and dense core vesicles and disruptions in sarcomere organization. This is followed, within minutes, by the dissolution of the L4 grinder and the formation and maturation of the adult grinder. Components of the nascent adult grinder are deposited basally, and are separated from the dissolving larval grinder by a visible apical layer. The complete grinder is a lamellated extracellular matrix comprised of five layers. Following grinder formation, pharyngeal muscle cells regain ultrastructural contractile properties, and muscle contractions resume. Our findings add to our understanding of how complex extracellular structures assemble and dissemble.

Purpose: Ovarian cancer is the most fatal of all gynecologic cancers, with a high relapse rate regardless of stage. Women treated for ovarian cancer, therefore, likely have supportive care needs that extend well beyond the time frame of first-line therapy. Unfortunately, there is minimal data describing these needs. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the supportive care needs of women with ovarian care at the end of treatment. Methods: To better understand the issues faced by women with ovarian cancer, we conducted a public Twitter chat in collaboration with gynecologic cancer social media (#gyncsm). Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed. Results: The chat occurred over a 1-hour time frame on Twitter and resulted in more than 300 unique and original tweets from 43 participants during the chat and an additional 60 unique participants following the chat. Survivors and physicians represented 32% and 11% of participants, respectively; caregivers, advocates, and other clinicians represented the remaining participants. Participants noted deep interest in receiving support during survivorship and dissatisfaction with currently available resources. Sentiment analysis showed that participants viewed the support from social media in a positive light and also revealed negative sentiment around the lack of support from health care providers at the end of treatment. Conclusions: Themes derived from the Twitter chat revealed the unique experiences of individuals with ovarian cancer after treatment, including a heightened sense of vulnerability. Understanding these themes represents an opportunity for clinicians to better understand and address the needs of this patient community.

The presence of chilakwa (smallpox) in Choctaw villages between 1747 and 1748 complicated factionalism and civil war. Utilizing Sharla Fett's approach to health culture—defined as "the social relations of healing"—this article outlines how eighteenth-century Choctaws arrived at acceptable contingency plans when faced with illness and argues that community responses to smallpox helped ease factional tensions. Iksa (moiety) obligations for funeral rites—embodying the notion of iyyi kowa (generosity)—bridged political differences, accounting for a period of collaboration between groups best understood as the "smallpox peace." Smallpox, therefore, surprisingly did not immediately contribute to political instability, although its indirect consequences proved significant during later stages of the civil war. Choctaw health culture informed individual and communal responses to chilakwa, which in turn shaped Choctaw factionalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitis vinifera L. cv. Moscato includes different varieties mainly used to produce sweet wines, such as fortified wines. Moscato grapes are characterized by a large number of free and glycosylated monoterpenoids giving very aromatic wines. However, the literature data on the aroma profile of fortified Moscato wines are very limited. In light of this, the present research aimed to investigate the aroma compounds, mainly the varietal ones, of fortified wines from different Moscato varieties, namely Giallo (Yellow), Bianco (White), Bianco at Petit Grain (Blanc à Petits Grains), Ottonel and Rosa (Pink of Trentino), cultivated under the same pedoclimatic conditions. Using the HS-SPME-GC-MS (head space-solid phase micro extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) technique, numerous varietal and fermentative aroma compounds have been identified and quantified and significant differences were observed among varieties in the levels of mostly volatiles and in their ratios. Based on their composition, the studied wines can be divided in two groups depending on whether linalool or geraniol prevails among varietal aromas. These results are evidence that each Moscato variety has a typical varietal aroma composition, even if some similarities were found between the two white varieties, and between Moscato Giallo and Moscato Ottonel varieties. Moscato Rosa showed a peculiar aroma composition and the lowest ester/terpene ratio.