Different Patterns Of Change Research Articles

Obtaining Interpretable Parameters From Reparameterized Longitudinal Models: Transformation Matrices Between Growth Factors in Two Parameter Spaces

This study proposes transformation functions and matrices between coefficients in the original and reparameterized parameter spaces for an existing linear-linear piecewise model to derive the interpretable coefficients directly related to the underlying change pattern. Additionally, the study extends the existing model to allow individual measurement occasions and investigates predictors for individual differences in change patterns. We present the proposed methods with simulation studies and a real-world data analysis. Our simulation study demonstrates that the method can generally provide an unbiased and accurate point estimate and appropriate confidence interval coverage for each parameter. The empirical analysis shows that the model can estimate the growth factor coefficients and path coefficients directly related to the underlying developmental process, thereby providing meaningful interpretation.

Patterns and Correlates of Changes in Emotional and Behavioral Problems Among Children with Congenital Heart Disease.

The objective of this study was to examine patterns of changes in emotional and behavioral problems among children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and investigate associated factors in different domains. The study sample comprised 327 pairs of children with CHD (aged 1.5-12 yrs) and their parents who participated in 2 waves of a survey in Taiwan from 2017 to 2019. The Child Behavior Checklist was used to evaluate the children's emotional and behavioral problems during both waves. The scores were later used to determine the patterns of changes in emotional and behavioral problems. Multinomial logistic regression was then applied to examine factors associated with varied patterns of changes in emotional and behavioral problems. Five patterns of changes in emotional and behavioral problems were identified: "persistent normal," "initial problematic," "worsening," "persistent problematic," and "subclinical." Among the factors examined, parenting stress was consistently associated with different patterns of change in emotional and behavioral problems. Specifically, children with parents who had higher levels of parenting stress were more likely to belong to the "initial problematic," "persistent problematic," or "subclinical" groups than to the "persistent normal" group. Other significant factors included sex, number of surgeries, and perceived health of parents. This study highlights the potential role of parenting stress in changes in emotional and behavioral problems. Accordingly, intervention programs aimed at relieving parenting stress may help reduce the development and worsening of emotional and behavioral problems among children with CHD.

Pelabresib (CPI-0610) Monotherapy in Patients with Myelofibrosis - Update of Clinical and Translational Data from the Ongoing Manifest Trial

Pelabresib (CPI-0610) Monotherapy in Patients with Myelofibrosis - Update of Clinical and Translational Data from the Ongoing Manifest Trial

The alteration of the structure of mortality of endocrine system diseases, nutrition disorders and metabolic disturbances in individuals of able-bodied age and older in conditions of pandemic

The elderly age and endocrine diseases are among death risk factors at contamination with new coronavirus infection. To reply the question of how the influence of these risk factors is summing up, differences were determined concerning patterns of changes in structure of mortality of endocrine system diseases, nutrition disorders and metabolic disturbances in individuals of able-bodied age and older against the background of COVID-19 pandemic. on the basis of information from the Moscow database of deaths of endocrine system diseases, nutrition disorders and metabolic disturbances, the changes in contribution of individual diseases to the death causes structure in 2019-2021 were analyzed. The groups of individuals of able-bodied age and older were compared. It was established that in both groups rate of indicating SARS-CoV-2 virus infection as concomitant disease decreased while rate of indicating concomitant diseases at death of COVID-19 increased. The group differences in changes of structure of death causes were established in 2021. The percentage of undetermined forms of diabetes and obesity in structure of death causes increased in the elderly, while in individuals of able-bodied age increased. The percentage of obesity as concomitant disease of death of COVID-19 in individuals of able-bodied age increased and did no change were detected in the elderly group. The input of poly-glandular dysfunction as consequence of old infection into mortality is five times higher among individuals of able-bodied age. On the basis of received results, assumption was made SARS-CoV-2 virus contamination ruinously affects development of pathological process under endocrine diseases regardless of age, while age affects spreading of endocrine diseases and degree of resistance to development of infectious process directly. The differences in patterns of changes of structure of death causes of population of able-bodied age and older are associated with low quality of diagnostics of death causes in individuals of elder age groups.

Changes in the concentration of EGFR-mutated plasma DNA in the first hours of anti-EGFR therapy allow the prediction of tumor response in patients with EGFR-driven lung cancer

This study aimed to analyze changes in the plasma concentration of EGFR-mutated DNA occurring immediately after the start of therapy with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The study included 30 patients with EGFR mutation-driven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Serial plasma samples were collected before intake of the first tablet and at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours after the start of the therapy. EGFR-mutated plasma DNA (EGFR+ ctDNA) was detectable at diagnosis in 25 out of 30 study participants. There were different patterns of changes of the amount of circulating tumor DNA, i.e., the consistent decline of ctDNA content, or continuing increase of the number of circulating EGFR mutant copies, or alternating spikes and drops in the ctDNA concentration. Correlation with the disease outcome was observed only for the measurement performed at 48 hours. Twelve (50%) out of 24 informative patients showed >25% reduction of the ctDNA content at 48 h time point; all these patients demonstrated disease control after 4 and 8-12 weeks of therapy. The remaining 12 individuals showed either stable content of circulating EGFR+ DNA (n = 5) or the elevation of ctDNA concentration (n = 7). 10 of 12 patients with elevated or stable ctDNA level achieved an objective response at 4 weeks, but only 5 of 10 evaluable patients still demonstrated disease control at 8-12 weeks (p = 0.014, when compared to the group with ctDNA decrease). The decline of the amount of circulating EGFR mutant copies also correlated with longer progression-free survival (PFS; 14.7 months vs. 8.5 months, p = 0.013). Conclusion: Monitoring of plasma EGFR-M+ concentration within the first hours of the TKI therapy may be used as an immediate predictor of tumor response to the treatment.

Phenotypic convergence in a natural Daphnia population acclimated to low temperature.

Fluidity of a given membrane decreases at lower ambient temperatures, whereas it rises at increasing temperatures, which is achieved through changes in membrane lipid composition. In consistence with homeoviscous adaptation theory, lower temperatures result in increased tissue concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in Daphnia magna, suggesting a higher PUFA requirement at lower temperatures. However, so far homeoviscous adaptation has been suggested for single or geographically separated Daphnia genotypes only. Here, we investigated changes in relative fatty acid (FA) tissue concentrations in response to a lower temperature (15°C) within a D. magna population. We determined juvenile growth rates (JGR) and FA patterns of 14 genotypes that were grown on Chlamydomonas klinobasis at 15°C and 20°C. We report significant differences of JGR and the relative body content of various FAs between genotypes at either temperature and between temperatures. Based on slopes of reaction norms, we found genotype‐specific changes in FA profiles between temperatures suggesting that genotypes have different strategies to cope with changing temperatures. In a hierarchical clustering analysis, we grouped genotypes according to differences in direction and magnitude of changes in relative FA content, which resulted in three clusters of genotypes following different patterns of changes in FA composition. These patterns suggest a lower importance of the PUFA eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5ω3) than previously assumed. We calculated an unsaturation index (UI) as a proxy for membrane fluidity at 15°C, and we neither found significant differences for this UI nor for fitness, measured as JGR, between the three genotype clusters. We conclude that these three genotype clusters represent different physiological solutions to temperature changes by altering the relative share of different FAs, but that their phenotypes converge with respect to membrane fluidity and JGR. These clusters will be subjected to different degrees of PUFA limitation when sharing the same diet.

43.8 Changes in Cannabis and Alcohol Use and Their Impact on ADHD Symptoms in Adolescents Receiving ADHD Pharmacotherapy and Substance Use Treatment

Adolescents with ADHD commonly use and co-use cannabis and alcohol. Whether these substances act as complements vs substitutes is debated in the literature. Little is known about the impact of cannabis use on alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment outcomes (and vice versa) in ADHD youth. The present study used data from the NIDA-CTN-0028 trial to investigate the relationships between change in cannabis use (CU) and alcohol use (AU) and their impact on ADHD outcomes in 303 adolescents (aged 13-18 years) meeting DSM-IV criteria for ADHD and substance use disorder (SUD) who participated in a 16-week randomized controlled multisite trial of osmotic-controlled release oral delivery system methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) vs placebo with both groups receiving CBT for SUD. In the ADHD/SUD sample, cannabis use disorders (89%) and AUD (60%) were the most common SUD diagnoses. During treatment, 79% and 48% of participants reduced and 12% and 24% of participants increased their CU and AU, respectively. After controlling for age, race, and sex, during treatment, reduction in the amount of cannabis used was positively correlated with during-treatment reductions in the number of drinks (r = 0.14; p = 0.02) and drinking days (r = 0.14; p = 0.02). Reduction in drinking days was associated with reductions in ADHD symptoms (β = 0.26; p = 0.04), and reductions in both CU and AU were associated with improvements in global functioning (β’s = 0.26-0.44; all p’s < 0.05) during treatment. Our findings indicate that reductions in CU track with reductions in AU during SUD treatment with both contributing to posttreatment improved functioning in youth with ADHD/SUD. These results provide preliminary support for a complementary relationship between CU and AU in this population. Additional research is warranted to clarify the clinical implications of different patterns of change in cannabis and alcohol use across the continuum of co-use in ADHD and non-ADHD samples.

The Effect of Educational Interventions on Professional Self-Perception of Nurses in Mongolia

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To investigate the professional self-perception of nurses in Mongolia for the first time and to determine if an educational intervention would improve their professional self-perception. <h3>Design</h3> Longitudinal Panel Study of nurses with four waves of data: pre-intervention, post-intervention, three-month post-intervention, and six-month post-intervention. This study focuses on the pre- intervention and post-intervention data. Analysis to examine change scores was completed using descriptive statistics, correlation, t-test, gamma, and ANOVA in Stata. <h3>Setting</h3> The setting was a privately owned hospital in Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia, the only Joint Commission International Accredited hospital in Mongolia via collaboration with Nurses Heart to Heart. <h3>Participants</h3> 104 nurses attended the educational intervention and were eligible with 67 choosing to be participants. Eligibility requirements included currently working as a nurse in a hospital and attend the educational intervention. <h3>Interventions</h3> The intervention was a 4-hour class focused on the care of patients undergoing procedures in the cardiac catheterization lab including patient safety, procedures in catheterization labs, and introducing a clinical pathway for the care of cardiac patients. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> NPVS-3 (Nursing Professional Values Scale-3) both at pre-intervention and post-intervention. <h3>Results</h3> There are different patterns of change for nurses' professional self-perception across a myriad of contexts including demographics (gender, age, marital status, nurse in family), nursing training (education, career choice), and career as nurse (years in profession, role, and membership in professional nursing organization). Of note for gender, nurse in family, and marital status, we see both significant and substantive differences in professional self-perception after participating in our educational intervention. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Nurses in Mongolia have a high level of professional self-perception. Educational interventions for nurses in Mongolia are effective not only for skill building but also for improving nurses' professional self-perception. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> None.

Trajectories of change in internalizing symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal population-based study

BackgroundLongitudinal data indicates that the mental health of the general population may not have been as badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as some had feared. Most studies examining change in mental health during the pandemic have assumed population homogeneity which may conceal evidence of worsening mental health for some. In this study, we applied a heterogeneous perspective to determine if there were distinct groups in the population characterised by different patterns of change in internalizing symptoms during the pandemic. MethodsSelf-report data were collected from a nationally representative sample of Irish adults (N = 1041) at four time-points between April and December 2020. ResultsIn the entire sample, mean levels of internalizing symptoms significantly declined from March to December 2020. However, we identified four distinct groups with different patterns of change. The most common response was ‘Resilience’ (66.7%), followed by ‘Improving’ (17.9%), ‘Worsening’ (11.3%), and ‘Sustained’ (4.1%). Belonging to the ‘Worsening’ class was associated with younger age, city dwelling, current and past treatment for a mental health problem, higher levels of empathy, and higher levels of loneliness. LimitationsSample attrition was relatively high and although this was managed using robust statistical methods, bias associated with non-responses cannot be entirely ruled out. ConclusionThe majority of adults experienced no change, or an improvement in internalizing symptoms during the pandemic, and a relatively small proportion of adults experienced a worsening of internalizing symptoms. Limited public mental health resources should be targeted toward helping these at-risk individuals.

Hematological and coagulation profile of dengue infection in age group 1 to 12 years children in a tertiary care hospital

Dengue is an arboviral infection of public health problems in tropical and sub-tropical countries transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito of the Stegomyia family. It varies in severity, ranging from influenza-like self-limiting illness to life- threatening, which if left untreated, are associated with mortality as high as 20%. Find out hematological and coagulation profile in dengue infected children aged 1 to 12 years and association of hematological and coagulation profile with dengue severity. It is an Observational Cross- sectional study done on 100 dengue patients aged 1 to 12 years during the study period from March 2019 –February 2020. Among 100 dengue fever, 85 (85%) were categorized as dengue fever (DF), 11(11%) DF with warning signs and 4 (4%) were cases of severe dengue (DHF/DSS) according to revised World Health Organisation 2009. The most common age of presentation was above 6 years and females were afflicted more with dengue fever.100% dengue patients presented with fever. Persisting vomiting, pain abdomen, hepatomegaly and hypotension indicate progression towards severe dengue. Raised Hb% and PCV, low to normal values of WBC as well as predominantly decrease in platelet was seen in severe dengue cases however, both ESR and CRP were normal. The Liver function test was deranged SGOT&amp;#62;SGPT in almost all of the dengue patients and it was 3 to 4 times maximally in DFW and SD. PT, APTT prolongation, increased D- dimer and hypofibrinogenemia associated with the severity of dengue fever. Dengue is a common viral infection that may have serious consequences especially in children. There is clear difference in pattern of change of both haematological and biochemical parameters in non-severe dengue fever and severe dengue fever. Rising trend of Hb%, PCV, decreasing value of platelet count, raised transaminases (SGOT&amp;#62;SGPT), elevated D- dimer, PT and APTT and hypofibrinogenemia can be used as predictor of entry into critical phase

Is increased flooding in Bangkok a result of rising local temperatures?

The recent increase in the frequency of urban flooding in Bangkok has led to speculation that global warming may be to blame. Assessing this, however, is challenging, as Bangkok represents an ever-changing environment with changing storm drainage infrastructure, limited flood and precipitation data, and a tropical setting that complicates the relationship precipitation extremes exhibit with temperature. This study attempts to create a framework to investigate the merits of the above speculation, using ground observations of precipitation maxima, flood inundation, and dew point temperature, along with simulations from General Circulation Models (GCMs) to present multiple lines of evidence to compensate for the weaknesses any individual evidence may have. The complexity of flooding in an urban stormwater drainage network is accounted by focussing instead on flood inundation information conditional to the incident dew point temperature which is increasing as a result of warming. The assessment identifies a markedly different pattern of change in the east versus the west of the city, attributing this to population change in the two parts, further complicating the link to global warming. Application of the developed methodology using the most recent GCM simulations available suggests the increase in flooding is a pattern that can be expected to continue.

Changes in Perceived Age Discrimination Over Time: Patterns, Covariates, and Consequences

Age discrimination is one of the most prevalent types of discrimination in the workplace and as such represents a major challenge for many workers. Although prior work suggests that perceived age discrimination is a dynamic process leading to detrimental effects on job- and health-related outcomes, little is known about how it changes over time. Drawing on classical psychological stressor-strain theory, the current study examines different patterns of changes in perceived age discrimination, their relationships with age, gender, and organizational justice, and effect on job satisfaction, work strain, and perceived employability. Using longitudinal data from 1,100 workers aged 27-57 in a prospective design over six years, we find three patterns characterized by low stable, increasing, and decreasing levels of perceived age discrimination change at work over time. We further observe that older employees and women (but not older women), as well as employees reporting lower levels of organizational justice, are more likely to belong to the increasing age discrimination change pattern. Finally, we demonstrate that workers belonging to the low stable age discrimination pattern are more likely to benefit from higher job satisfaction, perceived employability, and lower work strain. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

MicroRNAs Involved in the Therapeutic Functions of Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) Fruit Juice in the Treatment of Acute Gouty Arthritis in Mice Induced with Monosodium Urate.

We investigated the functions of microRNAs in the therapeutic effects of noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) fruit juice on mouse models of acute gouty arthritis induced with monosodium urate (MSU). Compared with the model group (treated with MSU), mice in both the positive control group (treated with both MSU and colchicine) and noni fruit juice group (treated with MSU and noni fruit juice) showed a significantly decreased degree of paw swelling in 5 days, as well as the contents of two types of proinflammatory cytokines (i.e., NALP3 and TNF-α). Based on the next-generation sequencing technology, a total of 3896 microRNAs (234 known and 3662 novel) were identified in mice treated with noni fruit juice. A large amount of differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in the noni fruit juice group, suggesting the significant effects of noni fruit juice on the mice with acute gouty arthritis, while the different patterns of change in the numbers of both upregulated and downregulated miRNAs in both noni fruit juice and positive control groups indicated that the mice of acute gouty arthritis may be regulated by differential mechanisms between the treatments of noni fruit juice and colchicine. The target genes of microRNAs involved in the pathogenesis and pathology of acute gouty arthritis in mice were identified and further annotated by both Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Our results revealed the therapeutic effects of noni fruit juice on acute gouty arthritis in mice with a group of microRNAs involved in the pharmacological mechanisms of noni fruit juice, providing scientific evidence to support both the agricultural cultivation and pharmacological significance of noni plants.

Trajectories of sexual well-being among couples in the transition to parenthood.

Sexual well-being is an important contributor to romantic relationship quality, health, and quality of life, yet couples face significant disruptions to their sexuality during the transition to parenthood. While there is evidence of variability in the sexual well-being of new parents, distinct classes of dyadic trajectories have not been established. Sexual frequency, desire, satisfaction, and distress are each unique components of sexual well-being and may follow different patterns of change within couples. We sought to establish classes of trajectories of four aspects of sexual well-being for couples in the transition to parenthood as well as the associations among identified classes. Couples (N = 203) expecting their first child completed online standardized measures of sexual well-being at 20 and 32 weeks in pregnancy and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months postpartum. Dyadic latent class growth analyses were conducted to identify classes of trajectories for each facet of sexual well-being, and dual trajectory analyses examined the probability of group membership across classes. Couples' sexual well-being over time was heterogeneous. Sexual frequency had two classes: high (33%) and low (67%); sexual desire had three classes: moderate (36%), high (25%), and discrepant (39%); sexual satisfaction had two classes: high (64%) and low (36%); and sexual distress had two classes: low (76%) and discrepant (24%). Overlap in classes of sexual well-being was variable such that high and low or discrepant (between partners) classes did not always co-occur. Findings provide more nuanced information about new parents' postpartum sexual health, which may facilitate early assessment and intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Regional differences in surface air temperature changing patterns from 1960 to 2016 of China

A thorough understanding of regional differences in change patterns of surface air temperature (SAT) at various spatial scales can help people cope well with global warming. In this study, a SAT change pattern recognition method was firstly established based on k-mean++ algorithm. By creating a clustering effect evaluation index (DBWk) to select the optimal cluster number k, the pattern of SAT change in 1960–2016 of China was recognized at national and regional scales. Results showed that China’s SAT change patterns were grouped into 3 clusters, namely, Clusters I, II and III, at the national scale. These clusters were further divided into 3, 7, and 4 subclusters at the regional scale, respectively. The SAT change in Cluster I was intense, with a relatively cold period (1960–1987) and a relatively warm period (1988–2016). The SAT of Cluster II decreased slightly in the first phase (1960–1983), minimally increased in the third phase (1999–2016), but rose strongly in the second phase (1984–1998). The linear trend (LT) of SAT increase of Cluster III was high and statistically significant, especially in 1983–2016. The analysis of the SAT change pattern of subclusters showed that the SAT fluctuations of the Altai Mountains and Junggar Basin were the strongest. The Northern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau had the highest warming rate, and the LT of warming was statistically the most significant in China.

Impact of Forest Management on the Temporal Dynamics of Herbaceous Plant Diversity in the Carpathian Beech Forests over 40 Years.

Simple SummaryVegetation composition and plant diversity of mixed deciduous forests in Europe is strongly linked with the dynamics of the forest stand and/or the regimes of forest management. In this work, we showed the influence of temporal interactions among the changes in the management system—the dominant development stage—the intensity of forest treatments, and herbaceous plant diversity. We argued that different arrangements of these interactions will result in different patterns of change in herbaceous plant diversity. We emphasized the need for careful interpretation of the levels of diversity (α, β) to evaluate the conservation status of forests.In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the complex dependence of herbaceous plant diversity on forest structure and management. However, among the studies presented so far, those in which the chronosequence (approach based on the assumption of space-for-time substitution) was used, dominate. On the other hand, it is rare to find results based on long-term research on permanent or semi-permanent sampling plots. The aim of this study was to recognize the changes in the vegetation composition and dynamics of various indices of herbaceous plant diversity over 40 years of forest development, and their dependence on forest structure and management. Here we analyzed the temporal dynamics of herbaceous plant diversity in Carpathian fertile beech forests, based on datasets recorded on semi-permanent plots in three censuses (the 1970s, 2000s and 2010s). We checked the temporal changes in alpha, beta, and gamma diversity. Analyses of the plant diversity were performed on the background of changes in forest structure and management systems. We found that the within-plot (alfa diversity) and between-plot (beta diversity) herbaceous plant diversity metrics showed inconsistent patterns along with changes in the forest structure, management systems, and intensity of forest management, during the last 40 years. Temporal changes in the gamma diversity followed the changes in alpha diversity. Although the beta diversity after 40 years is greater than in the past, we argue that the conservation status of habitats typical for well-preserved fertile mountain beech forests has deteriorated due to a decline in the sharing of the diagnostic species of these forests. We showed the importance of the different temporal interactions between the forest structure and management for herbaceous plant diversity. We argue that, in view of the complexity of these processes, it would be a mistake to reject or prioritize alpha or beta diversity measurements to determine the real course of long-term changes in herbaceous plant diversity and to properly assess the state of the forest biodiversity, their conservation status, or conservation action plans. In addition, we need far more data from long-term observations to fully understand the possible relationship patterns between the factors controlling the forest structure and plant diversity.

A 4-year longitudinal neuroimaging study of cognitive control using latent growth modeling: developmental changes and brain-behavior associations

Despite theoretical models suggesting developmental changes in neural substrates of cognitive control in adolescence, empirical research has rarely examined intraindividual changes in cognitive control-related brain activation using multi-wave multivariate longitudinal data. We used longitudinal repeated measures of brain activation and behavioral performance during the multi-source interference task (MSIT) from 167 adolescents (53% male) who were assessed annually over four years from ages 13 to 17 years. We applied latent growth modeling to delineate the pattern of brain activation changes over time and to examine longitudinal associations between brain activation and behavioral performance. We identified brain regions that showed differential change patterns: (1) the fronto-parietal regions that involved bilateral insula, bilateral middle frontal gyrus, left pre-supplementary motor area, left inferior parietal lobule, and right precuneus; and (2) the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) region. Longitudinal confirmatory factor analyses of the fronto-parietal regions revealed strong measurement invariance across time implying that multivariate functional magnetic resonance imaging data during cognitive control can be measured reliably over time. Latent basis growth models indicated that fronto-parietal activation decreased over time, whereas rACC activation increased over time. In addition, behavioral performance data, age-related improvement was indicated by a decreasing trajectory of intraindividual variability in response time across four years. Testing longitudinal brain-behavior associations using multivariate growth models revealed that better behavioral cognitive control was associated with lower fronto-parietal activation, but the change in behavioral performance was not related to the change in brain activation. The current findings suggest that reduced effects of cognitive interference indicated by fronto-parietal recruitment may be a marker of a maturing brain that underlies better cognitive control performance during adolescence.

Psychological distress across the deployment cycle: exploratory growth mixture model.

Prior research has identified behavioural health outcomes as key sequelae to combat deployment. However, relatively little is known about differential patterns of change in depression or generalised anxiety linked to deployment to a combat zone. In this paper, we add to the existing trajectory literature and examine key predictive factors of behavioural health risk. The primary aim is to leverage growth mixture modelling to ascertain trajectories of psychological distress, operationalised as a coherent construct combining depression and generalised anxiety, and to identify factors that differentiate adaptive and maladaptive patterns of change. Data were collected from a brigade combat team prior to a combat deployment to Afghanistan, during deployment, at immediate re-integration and approximately 2-3 months thereafter. The main outcome was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression Scale (PHQ-ADS). Three latent trajectories were identified: a low-stable trajectory, a declining trajectory and a rising trajectory. Most individuals aligned with the low-stable trajectory. A conditional model using covariates measured during deployment showed that the low-stable trajectory differed consistently from the remaining trajectories on self-reported loneliness and non-combat deployment stressors. The examination of differential patterns of adaptation, to identify individuals at higher risk, is critical for the efficient targeting of resources. Our findings further indicate that loneliness may be a useful leverage point for clinical and organisational intervention.

Individual and interpersonal correlates of changes in college adaptation among Chinese freshmen: A longitudinal study

Adaptation is an important issue in freshmen at the beginning of college life. Existing research on this topic has heavily relied on cross-sectional design and focused on the role of individual and family factors. Few studies have employed longitudinal design and focus on non-family contextual factors such as peers and teachers. This study aimed to explore the changes in academic, social, and personal-emotional adaptation throughout the first year of college and the associated individual (i.e., self-control, presence of life meaning, coping style, and allocentrism) and interpersonal (i.e., friendship quality and teacher-student relationship) correlates. Participants were Chinese freshmen recruited from two colleges in Southern China. They answered questionnaires on an online survey website at the second and eighth month after entering college (final N = 843). The results showed that academic adaptation did not change significantly over time, while social adaptation showed a significant decrease and personal-emotional adaptation showed a significant increase. Moreover, after controlling for respective baseline levels, each type of adaptation was predicted by a few factors. Noticeably, self-control positively predicted changes in all types of adaptation. In sum, the findings suggest that academic, social, and personal-emotional adaptation show different patterns of changes among Chinese college freshmen and that good self-control is a crucial factor that facilitates better college adaptation.

Wild chimpanzee offspring exhibit adult-like foraging patterns around the age of weaning.

The prolonged juvenile period exhibited by primates is an evolutionary conundrum. Here we examine wild chimpanzee feeding development in the context of two hypotheses regarding prolonged development in primates: the needing-to-learn hypothesis and the expensive brain hypothesis. We studied wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) offspring at Gombe National Park, Tanzania. We analyzed 41 years of observational behavioral data collected between 1975 and 2016 from 81 offspring. We characterized feeding development in the first 10 years of life via four different measures: (1) proportion of observation time spent feeding; (2) diet composition; (3) diet breadth; and (4) diet maturity as measured by similarity to maternal diet. We used mixed effects models to examine changes with age and by sex, while controlling for season. Feeding time, diet breadth, and diet maturity exhibited the most substantial increases with age in the first 6 years, with no significant change thereafter. Males and females showed different patterns of change in diet breadth by age, but did not differ by age 10. Diet composition did not change significantly with age and did not differ by sex. We found that chimpanzee offspring attained adult-like feeding behaviors between 4 and 6 years of age, concomitant with the completion of weaning. Thus, our data do not support the needing-to-learn feeding skills hypothesis of a prolonged juvenile period, but additional data are needed to evaluate how and when adolescent chimpanzees are able to make foraging decisions independent of their mothers. Existing data on growth provides support for the expensive brain hypothesis, however, these hypotheses are not necessarily mutually exclusive. As more studies across taxa accumulate sufficient datasets on a range of developmental metrics, we will be able to achieve a more robust understanding of prolonged development in primates.