Daily Life Research Articles

A Thematic Exploration of Gender Inequality in the Gujjar Community of Kotranka Tehsil, Rajouri District

The study looks into the gender disparities that exist among the Gujjar clan in Kotranka Tehsil, Rajouri District in Jammu and Kashmir. It investigates the socio-cultural and economic constraints that women confront in their communities, examining how traditional norms influence their autonomy, involvement, and access to resources. Data from 35 respondents were acquired using a descriptive study method, with structured interviews and questionnaires. The research indicates considerable limitations on women's daily lives, particularly in decision-making, mobility, and educational prospects. The findings show that male dominance prevails in financial and family decisions, but social conventions continue to limit women's roles. While some respondents acknowledge a shift toward more gender-equitable practices, traditional gender norms are nonetheless deeply established, restricting women's potential and increasing dependency. Despite government efforts and changing societal perceptions, Gujjar women in Kotranka Tehsil continue to encounter obstacles as a result of established socio-cultural expectations. The study emphasizes the crucial need for comprehensive policies and community-based programs to achieve gender equality and empower women in the Gujjar tribe.

The Ability to Enjoy Negative Situations in the Daily Lives

The Ability to Enjoy Negative Situations in the Daily Lives

Snow Resource Reutilization: Design of Snow Collection and Compression Equipment Based on Functional Analysis Method

High-latitude regions of the Earth are rich in natural snow resources; however, owing to their negative impact on daily life, they have not been effectively utilized for a long time and are instead viewed as obstacles that require substantial resources for clearance. This waste of resources contradicts the principles of sustainable development. With the rapid development of the ice and snow industry, the social and economic value of snow resources is gradually becoming apparent. Therefore, to promote sustainable social and economic development, this study explores new methods for processing snow resources to achieve their recycling and high-value transformation. This study employs the functional analysis method to analyze and solve the functions of the design system, utilizing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation for the objective assessment and selection of schemes. The obtained relative optimal principles are utilized to guide the parameter setting and innovative design of the scheme in terms of functional structure. After the final scheme is output, its feasibility is verified through finite element simulation. Ultimately, to address the issue of snow resource clearing and recycling, this study designs a product scheme capable of collecting and compressing snow on road surfaces, proposing the use of snow in the form of standardized compressed snow blocks for large-scale snow sculpture construction and other fields. This method significantly reduces the cost of snow sculpture production, enhances efficiency, realizes the comprehensive utilization and high-value transformation of snow resources, and provides a reference for the sustainable development of the low-altitude ice and snow tourism industry.

Using Ecological Momentary Analysis to explore stigma experiences in the real world for adults with acquired hearing loss

Objective The aim of this study was to use Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to capture how stigma-induced identity threat is experienced by adults with hearing loss and how they respond to such threats in daily life. Design and study sample Twenty adults with hearing loss from 53 to 88 years (mean age of 69.4 years) completed a range of demographic and stigma questionnaires in the laboratory and, over a two-week period, answered daily EMA surveys. Results A total of 633 EMA surveys were collected. Five participants reported 13 listening events in which they experienced stigma. These events were typically when conversing with family or friends who were aware of the adults’ hearing loss. Conclusions The number of individual stigma experiences captured by EMA were low, when viewed across a large number of social interactions. However, as a group, a quarter of the participants in this study experienced stigma over a two-week period, typically from others close to them. This suggests that stigma experiences may be a regular occurrence for some adults with hearing loss.

The more open, the more creative? The metaphorical effects of postural openness on divergent thinking and convergent thinking

As one of the most prevalent bodily states in daily life, postures can exert an impact on creative thinking. Adopting the perspective of embodied metaphor, two studies were conducted using the "posture-cognition" dual-task paradigm to investigate the influence of different postural openness on creative thinking. Study 1 explored the effects of expansive/open versus contractive/closed postures on divergent thinking and convergent thinking, and observed whether they were modulated by standing and sitting postures. Study 2 further examined the participants' performance on a convergent thinking task and a non-creative detail processing task of varying difficulty under identical postures. Results indicated better divergent thinking performance with expansive postures than with contractive postures, confirming the "expansive-divergent" metaphor. The expansive standing posture was found to be the most conducive posture for divergent thinking. However, the contractive postures failed to facilitate the convergent thinking task, but showed more conducive to the moderately difficult non-creative detail processing task. These findings support that body postures can have a metaphorical effect on higher cognitive processes such as creative thinking, but the effect varies depending on the type of creative cognitive processing. This research enhances the comprehension of embodied creativity and provides valuable insights for educational practice.

Powering Pro-Environment Behavior: The Impact of Unlocking Reward Strategy on Pro-Environmental Behavior

Global environmental challenges threaten both sustainable societal development and daily human life. As these issues intensify, promoting pro-environmental behaviors has become a key research priority. While reward strategies have been proven effective in encouraging such behaviors, most research has focused on the content of rewards, leaving the method of reward delivery underexplored. This study investigates the effects of an unlocking reward strategy on pro-environmental behavior, grounded in the Goal-Setting Theory, while also exploring the psychological mechanisms and boundary conditions that influence these effects. Three studies were conducted to test the hypotheses. Study 1 demonstrated that the unlocking reward strategy (compared to direct rewards) significantly increased pro-environmental behaviors. Study 2 showed that self-efficacy mediates this effect, as the unlocking reward strategy enhances self-efficacy, which in turn promotes pro-environmental behaviors. Study 3 revealed that commitment serves as a crucial moderator, amplifying the positive impact of the unlocking reward strategy. This research not only broadens the scope of reward strategy literature but also elucidates key drivers of pro-environmental behavior, offering practical insights for marketers, policymakers, and organizations aiming to foster sustainable practices.

Exploring the Effects of Greenhouse Gases and Particulate Emissions on Quality of Life: A Country-Level Empirical Study

This study explores the relationship between greenhouse gases (GHGs) and particulate emissions and quality of life. The aim is to understand how emissions affect quality of life globally—across countries, regions, and the global population. Statistical methods were used to examine the impact of various emissions’ indicators on different aspects of quality of life. The study highlights the urgent need for climate change action and encourages policymakers to take strategic steps. Climate change adversely affects numerous aspects of daily life, leading to significant consequences that must be addressed through policy changes and global governance recommendations. Key findings include that higher CO2 and methane emissions and air pollution negatively impact quality of life. CO2 emissions are positively associated with electricity while air pollution is positively associated with GDP and negatively with unemployment. Air pollution has an adverse effect on all three aspects of the children’s welfare dimension of quality of life. These results provide timely and convincing insights for policy- and decision-making aimed at mitigating the impact of emissions on quality of life.

Treatment for essential tremor: a systematic review and Bayesian Model-based Network Meta-analysis of RCTs

Essential tremor (ET) significantly impacts patients' daily lives and quality of life, presenting a considerable challenge in clinical practice. In recent years, novel therapeutic regimens have been investigated in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). This study aims to investigate and evaluate the relative efficacy and safety of various therapeutic interventions for ET. We did a systematic review and Bayesian Model-based Network Meta-analysis (NMA) of RCTs. Following PRISMA-NMA guidelines, a comprehensive database search was conducted up to April 1, 2024 to identify RCTs focused on ET treatments. The Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method was utilized for the analysis, evaluating the relative efficacy and safety of treatments using standardized mean difference (SMD) and log odds ratios (log ORs), respectively. Additionally, the Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking Curve (SUCRA) was applied to assess the relative efficacy of the treatment modalities. PROSPERO registration: CRD42023415752. This study included 33 RCTs involving 1251 patients, covering 19 oral medication treatments and six non-oral medication treatments. NMA showed that deep brain stimulation (DBS) (SMD=-4.93; 95% CI: [-7.73,-2.13]), CX-8998 (SMD=-2.69; 95% CI: [-5.26,-0.14]), atenolol (SMD=-2.36; 95% CI: [-4.70,-0.10]), and propranolol (SMD=-1.59; 95% CI: [-2.25,-0.67]) showed relative efficacy compared to placebo, with DBS demonstrating relative efficacy compared to 15 other treatment methods. However, GRADE assessment indicated that the evidence level for these conclusions was "low" or "very low." According to SUCRA rankings, DBS (0.97) ranked first in relative efficacy, followed by CX-8998 (0.80), thalamotomy (0.79), atenolol (0.76), metoprolol (0.66), propranolol (0.64), magnetic resonance guided focus ultrasound (MR-FUS) (0.624), ICI-118551 (0.620), nimodipine (0.61) and phenobarbitone (0.59). In terms of safety, as a network graph could not be constructed, DBS and thalamotomy were excluded from the NMA, while other effective treatments showed no significant differences in safety compared to placebo. Our study results indicate that CX-8998, propranolol, and atenolol demonstrate relative efficacy and safety in treating ET. DBS is effective for medication-resistant ET and ranks first in relative efficacy, though our NMA lacks safety data for DBS. Given the low overall grade of evidence, these results should be applied cautiously in clinical practice. Further large-scale, head-to-head RCTs are needed. This work was supported by grants from the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82271459).

Social life is everyone's business, multi-disciplinarity in the living environment

Working in a multi-disciplinary environment in an assisted living facility for elderly people represents a "virtuous circle" in which a professional contributes to the resident, who in turn contributes to the professional. Cooperation, ingenuity, a questioning approach to everyday tasks and a quality relational approach are the foundations of personalized support and mutual enrichment. How can we transform the ordinary moments of residents' daily lives into extraordinary, meaningful moments?

Long-term use of social media is significantly associated with the prevalence of mental illness

Abstract. These days, people's lives would not be the same without their mobile phones, and the Internet serves as a vital conduit for communication. The creation of social media has given everyone the opportunity to express themselves, make friends, and have fun in their daily lives. However, it also has its drawbacks and can be an important factor in a person's development of mental illness. The purpose of this research is to prove that social media can have a significant impact on developing mental illness. This paper will also give measures and suggestions on how to plan the use of social media. This paper will use linear regression and select data from the outputs of surveys of different ages and questionnaire formats to examine the argument, in addition to the data selected from the Kaggle website. This provides a new perspective on the study of mental health in order to develop new psychological treatments in the future.

Vulvar lichen sclerosus in girls and adult females: A single-center retrospective study of 744 patients in China.

Vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) is a chronic, inflammatory disease which is accompanied by itching and pain, affecting the patient's daily life and sexual activity. However, the disease characteristics of children and adults are not completely the same. Currently, there are few studies in China that compare the characteristics of VLS between girls and adult female patients. The aim of this study was to compare the epidemiology, clinical features, and combined autoimmune diseases of VLS patients between girls and adult females, and to help clinicians better understand VLS in different age groups. We enrolled 744 female patients for analysis, divided by age into a child group (<18 years) and an adult group (≥18 years). Among girl patients, 94.6% had preadolescent onset, while among adult female patients, only 4.6% had preadolescent onset, which was a statistically significant difference. The highest percentage of adult female patients had onset during their child-bearing period (75.4%), while 20% had postmenopausal onset, with a significant difference when the three onset states were compared. White patches were equally common in both girl and adult female patients' external genital area, while mossy lesions and labia minora atrophy were more common in adult female patients. Involvement of the clitoris, labia minora, and vaginal opening area were more common in adult patients. The perianal area was more commonly involved in girl patients. We found eight cases (1.2%) of secondary squamous cell carcinoma in adult female patients. We also found that 13 patients had concurrent lichen sclerosus lesions on the vulva and extragenital region, including two girls and 11 adult females. Extragenital lichen sclerosus (EGLS) occurred mostly in the torso. Clinicians should be aware of these differences so that early diagnosis and treatment of the disease can be achieved, to avoid irreversible anatomical alterations and the risk of cancer.

The association between hip adductor and extensor strength, and hip-related patient-reported outcomes in patients with longstanding hip and groin pain: an exploratory cross-sectional study

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to assess the association between hip muscle strength and hip-related patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in patients with longstanding hip and groin pain (LHGP). DesignCross-sectional design SettingOrthopedic care ParticipantsEighty-one patients with LHGP were consecutively recruited Main Outcome MeasuresHip muscle strength was measured in adduction and extension. Hip-related PROMs was measured with the Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score (HAGOS) which includes six subscales (Symptoms, Pain, Activity in Daily Living (ADL), Physical Function in Sports and Recreation (Sport/Rec), Participation in Physical Activities (PA), and Quality of Life (QoL). Linear regression examined the association between hip muscle strength and each HAGOS subscale. ResultsGreater isometric hip muscle strength in adduction was associated with better HAGOS score for Pain and ADL (p≤0.037), but not for Symptoms, Sport/Rec, PA, or QoL (p≥0.154). Greater isometric hip muscle strength in extension was associated with better HAGOS score for Symptoms, Pain, and ADL (p ≤0.034), but not for Sport/Rec, PA, or QoL (p ≥0.084). ConclusionsIn patients with LHGP, greater isometric hip muscle strength seems to be associated with less symptoms and pain, and better function in ADL. No association was found for Sport/Rec, PA, or QoL.

Using photovoice to investigate patient experiences of lupus nephritis in Canada

ObjectiveLupus nephritis (LN) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, affecting up to 60% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The perspectives of patients with SLE have been...

Mind wandering is associated with worsening attentional vigilance.

The tendency for our minds to wander is a pervasive and disruptive influence on continued task performance. Models of sustained attention have implicated mind wandering, moments when attention has turned inwards toward task-unrelated thought, in characteristic patterns of worsening performance with greater time-on-task, known as the vigilance decrement. Despite their theoretical connection, associations between mind wandering and the vigilance decrement have not been investigated systematically. Across two studies (N = 730), we evaluated covariance between within-task change in rates of probe-caught mind wandering and patterns of worsening behavioral task performance that characterize the vigilance decrement. Bivariate growth curve models characterized patterns of intraindividual linear change in mind wandering alongside concomitant changes in task accuracy, response time (RT), and RT variability. Importantly, models assessing the covariance between intraindividual change in mind wandering and behavioral outcome measures confirmed that increases in mind wandering are associated with patterns of worsening behavioral performance with greater time-on-task. In addition, we investigated the role of several moderating factors associated with patterns of within-task change: self-reported task interest and motivation, and individuals' propensity for mind wandering, and mindfulness in their daily lives. These factors moderated either the overall level or rate of within-task change in mind wandering. Our results provide support for models of sustained attention that directly implicate mind wandering in worsening behavioral performance with greater time-on-task in continuous performance tasks requiring sustained attention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The multifaceted effects of migraine on Syrian society: insights from a multicenter cross-sectional study

BackgroundMigraine is the most common primary headache. It’s alone responsible for 1.3% of disability in the world. Migraine both worsen quality of life of individuals and place a significant burden on the society. Despite this, there exists a knowledge gap regarding its repercussions on the Syrian population.MethodsThis cross-sectional study enrolled 679 migraine-diagnosed patients from all over Syria through electronic questionnaires disseminated on official social media platforms. Depending on demographic characteristics, physical and mental debility assessed using the Chalder scale, the Migraine Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MSQ) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item (GAD_2) scale.ResultsOur study included 679 participants (mean age: 29.49 years; BMI: 24.55). The sample was predominantly female (74.7%) and mostly single (52%). Females reported higher fatigue (mean = 21.48) than males (mean = 19.22; p < .001). However, Males had better Migraine-Specific Quality of Life (MSQ) scores (mean = 49.90) compared to females (mean = 42.27; p < .001). Females scored higher on anxiety (GAD-2: mean = 2.99 vs. mean = 2.35; p < .001). Moreover, urban residents had higher scores on the Role Preventive (RF-P) subscale of the MSQ than rural residents (mean = 49.93 vs. mean = 44.82; p = .014). Higher fatigue and anxiety levels were associated with lower quality of life scores.ConclusionsThis study aimed to elucidate the multifaceted impact of migraines on daily life, considering diverse demographic variables to enhance diagnostic accuracy, treatment efficacy, and disease management strategies.

Aptamer-based sensitive fluorescence β-lactoglobulin food allergen bioassay via dual and cyclic bidirectional strand displacement amplifications.

β-Lactoglobulin (β-Lg) is a prevalent allergenic protein found in most dairy products, which poses great food safety risks for individuals with allergies, especially for infants. Sensitive and effective detection methods for such allergens are essential to reduce the risk of allergies in daily life. Herein, a fluorescent aptamer bioassay based on a dual and cyclic bidirectional strand displacement means is developed for thesensitive detection of β-Lg in infant rice porridge and milk. The aptamer in the duplex DNA probe binds β-Lg to release the assistance strand to further hybridize with two hairpins, which triggers the initiation of two cyclic amplification cycles through the polymerization, displacement, and nicking of the strands under the action of DNA polymerase and endonuclease restriction enzymes. The amplification cycles lead to the unfolding of many fluorescently quenched signal probes to exhibit substantially enhanced fluorescence recovery for detecting β-Lg. The assay can realize detection of β-Lg in concentrations as low as 4.41pM within the range of 0.01 to 10nM. Furthermore, our sensing method has the capability to discriminate β-Lg from other proteins with high selectivity, resulting in low levels of β-Lg detection in rice porridge and milk samples, demonstrating promising potentials of the developed sensing method for monitoring various food allergens.

Theoretically design of 2D penta-BN2/penta-Graphene wdW heterostructure for NO gas sensing implications: a first-principles study

As air pollution becomes more and more serious, the detection of harmful gas of NO has become an urgent need in daily life. In this paper, the electronic and gas-sensing properties of penta-BN2/penta-Graphene heterojunction (P-BN2/P-G) are studied by density functional theory and non-equilibrium Green's function method. The analysis results indicate that the P-BN2/P-G heterojunction has metallic properties. The electronic structures in combination with the adsorption behavior shows that the P-BN2/P-G heterojunction can chemically adsorb NO gas molecules, and there is obvious charge transfer, indicating that it has high gas sensitivity to NO gas. In addition, the sensing performance of the gas sensor constructed by NO adsorption on upper, middle and lower layers of the P-BN2/P-G heterojunction is deeply studied. Transport calculations show that when NO is adsorbed on the upper and middle layers of the P-BN2/P-G heterojunction-based gas sensor, the current of the device decreases significantly. When adsorbed on the lower layer, the current shows a trend of first decreasing and then increasing. Under a bias of 0.1 V, the gas sensitivity can reach up to 49% when NO is adsorbed in the middle layer, which is substantially higher than that of the P-BN2 monolayer device. It can be seen that the gas sensitivity is significantly improved after forming the heterojunction. In addition, the bias transport spectrum and scattering state can reveal the change in device current caused by the adsorption of NO gas molecules, thereby clarifying its microscopic mechanism. Finally, all the findings indicate that penta-based materials can be used as a very promising gas-sensitive material for detecting NO.

Exercise moderates longitudinal group psychopathology networks in individuals with eating disorders

Individuals with eating disorders (EDs) often engage in exercise no matter potential negative long-term outcomes (e.g., weight loss, injury). Yet exercising may temporarily attenuate ED symptoms, but whether exercise also affects network structure and pairwise associations of ED symptoms remained unclear. We used a novel approach called Moderated Multilevel Graphical Vector Autoregression to estimate changes in psychopathology networks from before to after exercising in ecological momentary assessment data from 102 individuals with EDs across multiple days (M = 22.14, SD = 5.40; range: 6–22 days) at 4 times daily. Between-person and within-person temporal networks were computed, obtaining stable centrality coefficients for temporal networks only. In those, autoregressive effects of several symptoms, including binge-eating, overeating, or weighing oneself, were attenuated when participants previously exercised. Exercise mostly downregulated temporal effects of ED symptoms on other symptoms, including effects of binge eating and other compensatory behaviors on feeling guilty after the most recent meal, vomiting on weighing oneself, and overeating on fear of weight gain. Our study highlights the complex dynamic effects of exercise on ED symptoms in daily life and calls for novel studies investigating mechanisms of exercise to inform treatments targeting detrimental long-term effects of exercise in EDs.

Development and Validation of the Participation Questionnaire for Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Structural Validity, Internal Consistency, and Construct Validity

Aim This study aimed to develop the Participation Questionnaire for Preschoolers (PQP) and validate its psychometric properties as a disability-specific tool designed to assess participation in preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods This cross-sectional study recruited caregivers of 412 children, including those diagnosed with ASD and those at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. Participants were recruited from child development facilities, medical institutions, and developmental support websites across Japan. Data from 287 children diagnosed with ASD were analyzed for item reduction, followed by exploratory factor analysis and the calculation of Cronbach’s alpha to evaluate internal consistency. Five hypotheses were tested to assess construct validity. Results Item reduction resulted in the removal of seven items and the identification of four factors: Friendship and Education, Family Satisfaction, Daily Living and Independence, and Leisure and Community Life. Cronbach’s alpha values for these factors ranged from 0.74 to 0.88, indicating acceptable internal consistency. Three of the five hypotheses related to construct validity were supported, aligning with expectations. Conclusion The PQP exhibited structural validity, internal consistency, and construct validity. However, further longitudinal studies are needed to validate its measurement properties over time.

Menyelusuri kearifan budaya Suku Osing warisan tradisi dan keunikan identitas lokal

In the background context, the Osing Tribe, an ethnic group in East Java, Indonesia, has been a custodian of rich cultural wisdom. This article explores important aspects of Osing life and identity, focusing on history, cultural values, traditions, and preservation challenges. Through a literature review approach, we gather and analyze various relevant sources to highlight the uniqueness of Osing culture and their preservation efforts. From ritual traditions to belief systems, we find that the Osing exhibit a close relationship between humans, nature, and spirituality in their daily lives. Despite facing pressures from globalization and modernization, Osing cultural preservation efforts continue through local community initiatives and external support. Our conclusion emphasizes the importance of appreciation and support for the sustainability of Osing culture as an integral part of Indonesia's cultural wealth. Thus, the article underscores the need to preserve and understand the valuable heritage of the Osing tribe for a sustainable future.