Relative Scale Research Articles

The Prediction of Peer Bullying in Adolescents by Individual and Environmental Variables

This study aimed to examine the effects of individual (age, gender, frustration of basic psychological needs) and environmental (adolescent-parental relationships, friendship relations, victimization) variables on peer bullying in adolescents. The study group consisted of 831 middle and high school students, 516 girls (62.1%), and 315 boys (37.9%). The research data were obtained using the Personal Information Form, Friendship Qualities Scale, Adolescent-Parental Relationships Scale, Peer Bullying Scale Adolescent Form, Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction, and Frustration Scale. Hierarchical Regression Analysis was used to analyze the data. According to the results obtained from the study, gender, age, frustration of basic psychological needs, adolescent-parent relationships, and victimization variables were found to be significant predictors of adolescents' bullying levels. In the model, the friendship relationships variable is not a significant predictor. In the study, it was determined that victimization was the strongest predictor, and the model explained approximately 34% of the bullying level of adolescents. The results obtained from this study show that individual and family-participated interventions can be effective in preventing peer bullying in adolescents.

Attachment Style and Emotional Regulation as Protective and Risk Factors in Mutual Dating Violence among Youngsters: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Violence in intimate partner relationships among young adults has become a global health problem given its prevalence and its negative effects on physical and psychological well-being. The severity of the problem has given rise to a large body of research that has attempted to find the variables associated with victimization in young couples (for example, attachment style, emotional regulation skills or empathy, among others). Moreover, traditionally, many of these investigations have only considered the point of view of female victims within a gender violence approach. However, in recent times, more and more evidence of the existence of mutual violence in young relationships has been found. These findings, combined with simplistic explanations of the phenomenon, have proven to be insufficient to prevent it. In this context, the main objective of this study was to investigate how some variables linked to dating violence interact with each other, modifying the mutual violence young people suffer and exercise. Considering this, different instruments were administered (the Experience in Close Relationships Scale (ECR-R); Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS-E); Basic Empathy Scale (BES); and Multidimensional Couple Violence Scale (EMVN)) to a sample of 557 young Chileans. The analysis of the results, based on the construction of a moderated mediation model, reveals that difficulties in emotional regulation are a predictor of violence in intimate partner relationships, whose direct and indirect effects on the violence exercised can be moderated by that partner's attachment style. The findings also reveal that there is no association between empathy and violence, and they highlight that both men and women are victims and aggressors at the same time. This demonstrate the need to consider prevention and intervention strategies aimed at both sexes, since intimate partner violence is mutual and reciprocal.

Effect of Banking Time Intervention on Child-Teacher Relationships and Problem Behaviors in China: A Multiple Baseline Design.

A positive child-teacher relationship is a crucial means of addressing problem behaviors in young children. In recent years, there has been an increase in factors triggering problem behaviors in young children. It is particularly important to employ universally applicable and scientifically effective strategies to improve child behavior. Banking Time, as an emerging variant of play therapy, aims to enhance child behavior by establishing an intimate child-teacher relationship. This study conducted a multiple-baseline experiment involving eight four-year-old children and their teachers from China, exploring the effectiveness of Banking Time in enhancing child-teacher relationships and subsequently improving child behavior from dual perspectives, utilizing tools such as the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale and Conners' Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scales-Teacher Assessment Report. Visual analysis and statistical analysis results indicate a strong positive impact of Banking Time on child-teacher relationships and a slight inhibitory effect on child problem behaviors. The implementation of Banking Time provides valuable insights into specific paths and strategies for promoting teachers' professional development.

Psychometric Properties of the Questionnaire of Violence in Young Couple Relationships (Virepa) in Metropolitan Lima, Peru

Partner violence is a public health problem that seriously affects the population, which is why valid and reliable instruments are needed to measure this issue according to the cultural context. The objective is to determine the validity and reliability of the Violence in Partner Relationships Scale (VIREPA) aimed at citizens of Metropolitan Lima. The applied methodology was cross-sectional, instrumental, and non-experimental. The scale was applied to a sample of 433 subjects of both sexes, aged 16 to 60 years. Aiken’s V was obtained for content validity, which was accepted by 100% of the experts. Reliability was verified through internal consistency using Cronbach's Alpha (0.977) and Omega (0.99). The descriptive analysis of the items also showed positive skewness and a tendency towards moderate to low kurtosis. Likewise, the confirmatory factor analysis provided a positive distribution of items with factor loadings ranging from (0.76 to 0.95). The CFA reported a good fit of the original model (Chi-square over degrees of freedom = 0.12; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.010; Standardized Root Mean Square Residual = 0.0026; Comparative Fit Index = 0.999; Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.998), and adequate factorial invariance was found when measuring the variable in both sexes. In conclusion, the psychometric scale effectively measures and evaluates violence in young couples' relationships, demonstrating high consistency, validity, and reliability, which was corroborated with the results obtained. It is essential to address this social problem properly and promote healthy and violence-free partner relationships. 
 
 Received: 7 September 2023 / Accepted: 9 January 2024 / Published: 5 March 2024

Consanguinity and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Depressed Patients: New Risk Factors and Risk Prediction Models.

The aim of the study was to identify the risk factors associated with nonsuicidal self-injurious (NSSI) behavior in patients with depressive disorders and develop predictive models utilizing these influencing factors as predictors, followed by validation of the constructed models for their efficacy. Patients with depression disorders admitted to Wuhan Mental Health Center from 2020 to 2021 were included using retrospective analysis. Patients who exhibited one or more items on the NSSI behavior rating questionnaire were categorized into the NSSI group, while those without any such behaviors were assigned to the non-NSSI group. Patients in both groups were categorized separately based on gender, age, personality traits, and interpersonal relationships. The above data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression analysis. Prediction models were constructed, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were produced and model accuracy was calculated. A total of 237 patients were included in this study, with 122 patients assigned to the NSSI group and 115 patients assigned to the non-NSSI group. By comparing the baseline data of the patients in the 2 groups, the results revealed statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of age, grades at school, early childhood parenting style, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECRS) (P＜.05). However, no statistically significant differences were observed for the remaining indicators (P＞.05). The results of the multiple logistic regression model showed that grades at school, early childhood parenting style, HAMD, HAMA, and ECRS scores were risk factors. The ROC model was constructed using school performance, childhood parenting style, HAMD, HAMA, and ECRS scores as predictors. The findings indicated that the ECRS score was the best predictor of NSSI, and it had a sensitivity of 91.8% and specificity of 70.5% for an area of 0.967. ECRS was utilized as a predictor to evaluate the NSSI inclination of depressed patients with commendable sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, early childhood parenting style, HAMD, HAMA, and ECRS scores were identified as risk factors for NSSI. For individuals at high risk who exhibit these aforementioned risk factors, clinical diagnosis and treatment should be approached with caution.

Intergenerational Transmission of Mental Health Literacy and Its Mechanism: The Mediating Effect of Parent-Child Relationship and the Moderating Effect of School Mental Health Service.

Adolescents' mental health literacy is a topic ofgrowinginterest and studies have begun to explore thefactors that influenceadolescents' mental health literacy. This study investigated the relationship between parents' mental health literacy and adolescents' mental health literacy,as well asthe mediating roles of parent-child relationship, and the moderating roles of school mental health service. Questionnaires were distributed to adolescents and their parents at two time points with an interval of one month. In the first survey, 835 parents completed a mental health literacy scale and a parent-child relationship scale. In the second, 841 adolescents completed a school mental health service questionnaire and an adolescent mental health literacy assessment questionnaire. A total of 617 paired data points were matched (parents' age: M = 40.47, SD = 5.10; adolescents' age: M = 13.34, SD = 0.99). Bootstrapping results showed that parents' mental health literacy was positively associated with adolescents' mental health literacy. In addition, parent-child intimacy mediated the relationship between parents' mental health literacy and adolescents' mental health literacy. School mental health service moderated therelationship between parents' mental health literacy and parent-child intimacyandadolescents' mental health literacy. Intergenerational transmission of mental health literacy from parents to adolescents and its conditions were revealed. These findings provide new insights for the intervention of adolescents' mental health literacy, and may lead future research to investigate the role of parents within the family context, as well as the influence of home-school cooperation on adolescents' mental health literacy.

How Attachment Styles Influence Emotional Regulation of Young Adults in Srilanka

This research is a cross-sectional quantitative study which investigates how attachment styles influence the emotional regulation of young adults in SriLanka. The aim of this research is to understand the impact of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance on cognitive appraisal and emotional suppression. For this purpose, a survey research design was utilized and a sample size of 147 young adults selected though convenient sampling and they completed an online questionnaire on attachment style, and emotional regulation. The questionnaire was based on predeveloped 7-point Likert scales, The Experiences in Close Relationship Scale short version (ECR-SV) to measure attachment styles and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) to measure emotional regulation. This research found attachment anxiety and avoidance had a negative impact on using reappraisal while Attachment anxiety showed a greater negative impact on reappraisal. Also, it was found attachment anxiety and avoidance had a positive impact on using emotional suppression while avoidance showed a significant greater positive impact on suppression. However, the current research was not able to find out the impact of secure attachment on ER dimensions due to the questionnaire used, therefore future research should examine the impact of secure attachment on ER dimensions. A significant factor derived from the results is that, it’s important to design interventions that focus on improving ER in order to address difficulties with ER for those with attachment problems.

Coparenting Quality During COVID-19: Exploring Gender Differences Using a Mixed Methods Approach

The aim of this study was to examine potential differences in coparenting quality during the COVID-19 pandemic among mothers and fathers using an embedded mixed methods approach. The objectives were to compare mothers’ and fathers’ scores on the Coparenting Relationship Scale among 150 mother–father dyads, and to examine mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of how COVID-19 influenced their coparenting quality using thematic analysis of 159 mothers’ and 75 fathers’ responses to an open-ended coparenting survey question. While total coparenting quality scores did not differ among mothers and fathers, fathers had significantly higher scores on the division of labour and endorsement subscales, and mothers had significantly higher scores on the undermining subscale. The qualitative thematic analysis identified five key themes: gendered changes to division of labour, increased hostility, increased teamwork, less alone time, and increased stress. Efforts to mitigate adverse pandemic outcomes on families should address coparenting quality.

Attitudes, beliefs, and recommendations for persistent low back pain patients: cross-sectional surveys of students and faculty at a chiropractic college

BackgroundWhile the use of chiropractic care for persistent low back pain (PLBP) is prevalent, chiropractors’ attitudes and beliefs related to PLBP patients are not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to assess the attitudes, beliefs and activity/work recommendations of students and faculty at a chiropractic college regarding PLBP patients.MethodsThe Health Care Providers Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS) and clinical vignettes were requested to be completed by chiropractic students and faculty at Parker University in April 2018. Higher HC-PAIRS scores indicate stronger beliefs that PLBP justifies disability and limitation of activities. Activity and work recommendations from clinical vignettes were rated as “adequate”, “neutral”, or “inadequate”, as defined in previous literature. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and logistic regression were used to analyze results.ResultsStudent and faculty response rates were 63.6% and 25.9%, respectively. Faculty mean HC-PAIRS scores (3.66 [SD:0.88]) were significantly lower than students’ (4.41 [SD:0.71]). The percentage of faculty providing “adequate” activity (62.1%) and work (41.0%) recommendations was significantly greater than the percentage of students (activity: 33.9%, work: 21.2%) (p < 0.05). Higher HC-PAIRS scores in students were associated with decreased odds of providing “adequate” activity and work recommendations.ConclusionsStudent and faculty attitudes and beliefs, and students’ activity/work recommendations were found to be dissimilar to those from similar studies and less congruent with CPG recommendations. Lower HC-PAIRS scores increased the odds of students providing “adequate” activity and work recommendations to patients with PLBP. Results from this study may help guide future research and training opportunities.

체육수업에서 중학생이 지각한 동기분위기와 학습태도와의 관계에서 상호작용 방식의 매개효

Objectives The purposes of this study were to the mediation effects of interaction styles in the relationships between perceived motivational climate and learning attitude in physical education class of middle school students.&#x0D; Methods The subjects of this study consisted of 323(boys 163, girls 163) middle school students. The data was collected by quota sampling method. The used instrument of this study were the Yoo(1997) for measuring motivation climate scale, the Hwang, Ahan, and Seo(2016) for measuring friend relationship and teacher-students relationship scale, and the Son, Kim, &amp; Lee(2006) for measuring learning attitude scale. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, factor analysis, correlation analysis, and a structural equation model as a statistical method.&#x0D; Results The results of this study was as follows. First, mastery climate positively influenced to teacher-students relationship and friend relationship, but performance climate positively influenced to friend relationship. Second, both mastery climate and performance climate positively influenced to learning attitude. Third, both teacher-students relationship and friend relationship positively influenced to learning attitude. Forth, there was partially mediates effect between mastery climate and learning attitude as a parameter fo the teacher-students relationship.&#x0D; Conclusions The purposes of this study was confirmed that motivation climate had partially mediates effect on learning attitude through the teacher-students relationship.&#x0D;

Hperkeystone Humans Social Advancements and Social Hemostasis

According to Dr. Pain (Zoologist, University of Washington University of Washington) the Natural force behind Heathy ecosystems is the Keystone Spices and in Human Social Systems Hperkeystone. A keystone specie has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its population size. The Hperkeystone Individual effects the human community also on a large scale in relationship to their physical size and numbers. Additionally, Dr. Paine suggested that not all species in an ecosystem or Social System are NOT created equal. Some species exert strong influence in an ecosystem/social system, while others do not, they are the “keystone Species, and Hperkeystone individuals”.

C2F: An effective coarse-to-fine network for video summarization

The objective of video summarization is to develop a concise and condensed summary that accurately captures the original video content. The methods currently used to summarize supervised videos and consider the task a sequence-to-sequence problem. However, modeling the order of long videos presents three challenges: (1) capturing both local and global relationships simultaneously is challenging; (2) the boundaries of video highlight segments are often incorrectly located, indicating that semantic integrity is incomplete; (3) efficient relation computing is difficult to do well. We design a novel coarse-to-fine network (C2F) for video summarization adapted to the multi-level semantic video structure, thus addressing these limitations. The multiscale representation scheme initially captures different scales of temporal relationships for the coarse classification results; Meanwhile, the action-wise proposal module is intended to provide the fine prediction of importance scores and regress the temporal locations of key-frames. In addition, a loss function is proposed to identify local differences among frames and analyze combinations of various loss functions. Extensive experimental results on two benchmark datasets have demonstrated that the proposed C2F achieves significant performance compared with state-of-the-art methods, and performs satisfactorily in efficient relation computing. For example, on the TVSum dataset, we improve the F-score from 69.4% to 72.8% by 3.4%. Furthermore, C2F includes 4.7 M parameters, accounting for only 10.7% of the parameters used in the SASUM model.

Communication and sexual function and frequency in breast cancer patients 2years after diagnosis: results from the VICAN 2 study.

Breast cancer treatments may have impacts on several aspects of sexual health, including psychological, psychosexual, physiological, physical, and relational. In this study we sought to assess sexual function and sexual frequency in breast cancer patients 2years after diagnosis. We selected all breast cancer participants from the the French national VIe après le CANcer 2 (VICAN 2) longitudinal study. Data sources included patient and medical questionnaires, along with medico-administrative databases. Outcomes assessed were the dimensions of sexual function and frequency from the Relationship and Sexuality Scale and communication about sexuality with healthcare providers. Out of 1350 participating women, 60.2% experienced a decrease in sexual desire, 61.4% reported a lower frequency of intercourse, and 49.5% faced decreased ability to orgasm. In contrast, 64.8% had engaged in sexual intercourse in the previous 2 weeks, 89.5% were "Somewhat" to "Very much" satisfied with the frequency of intimate touching and kisses with their partner, and 81.6% expressed satisfaction with their intercourse frequency. However, a mere 15% of women discussed sexuality with the healthcare providers. Independent factors associated with increased communication about sexuality included age younger than 50 years (OR = 1.90 95% CI [1.28-2.82], P = .001), being in a partner relationship (OR = 2.53 95% CI [1.28-2.82], P = .003), monthly income above 1,500 euros (OR = 1.73 95% CI [1.15-2.60], P = .009), and absence of diabetes (OR = 6.11 95% CI [1.39-26.93], P = .017). The study findings underscore the need for continuing education in oncosexology and dedicated sexual health interventions that should involve a holistic approach that takes into consideration age, treatments, relationship status, and whether the patient has diabetes. Strengths of the study are the sample size, the national representativeness, and data reliability. However, the cross-sectional design could introduce potential recall, recency, or social desirability biases. Also, social determinants influencing sexual health, such as ethnicity or geographic locations, have not been considered in the analyses. This study revealed that sexual disorders persist 2 years after a breast cancer diagnosis, with a noticeable communication gap regarding sexuality between patients and medical teams. These findings underscore the necessity for tailored sexual health interventions, particularly designed for women who are single, older aged, and diabetes patients.

InClass – an instrument to assess classroom management in inclusive and special education with a focus on heterogeneous learning groups

Organizing lessons for heterogeneous learning groups is a challenge for student teachers and novice teachers. To observe and improve classroom management during student teaching, we have developed an assessment tool. The aim of this study is to evaluate and improve the instrument “Scale for Classroom Management in Inclusive Schools (InClass)” with data from 480 student teachers in internships at elementary or special schools in Germany and Austria. The instrument consists of the three dimensions Adaptive Teaching Scale (ATS), Relationship Scale (RS), Behavior Management Scale (BMS). Confirmatory factor analyses revealed good reliable values (CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.04) for the three-factor InClass model and could confirm the theoretically developed scales. The latent correlations were between r = 0.74 and r = 0.63. Teachers in elementary schools also showed latent correlations between the three dimensions and their assessment of the implementation of inclusive education in the school ranging from r = 0.51 to r = 0.84. In order to meet the individual needs of all students, with and without special educational needs (SEN), novice teachers in particular should be supported in dealing with heterogeneous learning groups and in using effective classroom management. Instruments such as InClass help student teachers evaluate and reflect on instruction and therefore have an important contribution to teacher education.

Using ZY1-02D satellite hyperspectral remote sensing to monitor landscape diversity and its spatial scaling change in the Yellow River Estuary

Monitoring and assessing wetland diversity is crucial for its accurate preservation. Hyperspectral satellites have been proven effective for detailed investigations of plant diversity in many places. However, it's unclear whether spectral diversity invert landscape diversity, and whether the inversion accuracy varies with spatial scale. In this study, the ZY1-02D hyperspectral remote sensing images of the Yellow River Estuary were supervised and classified by the support vector machine. Then, the landscape diversity indices (i.e., community richness, Shannon-Wiener index, Simpson index, and Pielou index) and spectral diversity indices (i.e., coefficient of variation, convex hull volume, and eight vegetation indices) were calculated. A random forest model was used to predict landscape diversity by using spectral diversity. The spatial scale relationship between spectral diversity and landscape diversity were explored lastly. Our results showed that the overall accuracy of plant community classification in the Yellow River Estuary was 91.53 %, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.90. Spectral diversity had the best inversion accuracy on the Shannon-Wiener index (14 ∼ 57 %, average = 38 %), while the intermediate on Pielou index (3 ∼ 56 %, average = 30 %) and community richness (2 ∼ 48 %, average = 30 %), but the lowest on the Simpson index (2 ∼ 43 %, average = 16 %). The inversion accuracy of landscape diversity index increased first and then stabilized with the increase of scales, reaching stability at a sampling size of 2880 m × 2880 m. Our results indicated that ZY1-02D hyperspectral data can be used to monitor spatial changes of landscape diversity in wetland systems. However, its accuracy is affected by diversity index type and spatial scaling effects. Our findings provide a new perspective for the conservation and management of large-scale wetland landscape diversity.

Teachers’ attitudes toward physical appearance of middle school students and students’ academic achievement: the mediating role of student-teacher relationship

ABSTRACT The influence of a positive relationship with the teacher on students’ academic achievement is well established in the literature. However, little is known about how teachers’ sentiments regarding students’ physical appearance may influence this relationship. The purpose of this study was to examine the possible relationships between teacher feelings and emotions, the teacher-student relationship, and student academic achievement and the mediating role of the student-teacher relationship between teacher's sentiments and students’ achievement. The sample consisted of 40 teachers and 566 students. The NRC Emotion Lexicon, the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale and self-reported GPA data were collected. A mediation analysis with a multicategorical antecedent was conducted. Results shows that the student teacher relationship played a mediating role between teacher's sentiments and student performance. The results illustrate the influence of teacher emotions on student achievement and provide teachers and researchers with a comprehensive knowledge of the effects of emotions on the student-teacher relationship.

Examination of the relationship between peer bullying and cyber violence in university students

Peer bullying, encountered by individuals globally at an early age, necessitates a deep understanding of its underlying causes and associated elements for effective intervention strategies. The integration of digital technologies as tools has introduced the dimension of cyber violence to the discourse on peer bullying. This research aims to explore the relationship between peer bullying and cyber violence in a specific age group. Globally, 10-15% of children and adolescents experience peer bullying lasting over six months. Recognized as a global health issue by the World Health Organization and the United Nations, research indicates varying risks of exposure in different countries, such as 30% in Australia, 20% in Portugal, and 10% in the United States. The study investigates the connection between the violent behaviors adopted by individuals who have experienced peer bullying and their efforts to overcome the associated sense of worthlessness. Data were collected through an online survey utilizing the "Cyberbullying Scale" by Arıcak et al. and the Turkish-adapted "Adolescent Peer Relationships" scale by Seçer. The sample comprises 260 university students aged 18-24. Findings reveal that 53.8% of participants scoring high on the cyberbullying scale also exhibit elevated scores on the bully form of the adolescent peer relationships scale. Notably, 10% of those scoring highest on the bully form relate to participants who scored high on the threat dimension. In conclusion, the research highlights the need for additional studies to address cyberbullying and underscores the necessity for the development of diverse strategies. This study may establish a foundational framework for future research, contributing to the formulation of more effective approaches in combating cyberbullying.

Mediating and moderating effects of authoritative parenting styles on adolescent behavioral problems.

This study aimed to analyze how authoritative parenting affects behavioral problems among primary, junior high, and secondary high school students. Today, parental educational anxiety and parent-child relationship conflicts are common in China and are resulting in a high incidence of child behavioral problems. High-quality family education is becoming increasingly important in China. This study sought to provide a reference for developing responsive family education services. A total of 10,441 parents in Hubei Province, including urban and rural areas, were evaluated using the Parents' Education Anxiety Questionnaire, Parental Authority Parenting Questionnaire, Parent-Child Relationship Scale, and Self-Made Behavior Problem Scale to determine the internal mechanisms of child behavioral problems in the family system. To make the sample more representative, this study collected data from primary and secondary schools representative of the southeast, northwest, and center of Hubei Province; further, the number of parents involved in each school was controlled at approximately 300 to ensure that the final sample had analytical value. Educational anxiety directly affected children's behavioral problems and indirectly affected them through the conflicts between parent and child. This conflict partially mediated educational anxiety and child behavioral problems, and authoritative parenting played a significant regulatory role in this relationship. Higher levels of educational anxiety among parents increased the likelihood of a depressed family environment. This can lead to deteriorating parent-child relationships, which can result in children's problem behaviors. Parents can address these problems by changing their approach to education and adjusting their emotions accordingly.

The Processes and Relationships in Composers Scale

We introduce a new inventory labeled the Processes and Relationships in Composers Scale (PRCS). This is a novel inventory developed to self-assess creative and social factors inherent in music composition. The PRCS consists of two separate scales of 12 items each, namely the Composing Processes Scale (CPS) and the Social Relationship Scale (SRS). An exploratory factor analysis revealed that the CPS scale has a single factor structure, while the SRS scale relies on three main factors: loneliness, support, and friendship. The total score of the CPS was found to be highly reliable, whereas the SRS obtained a lower score. The PRCS can contribute new insights into how creative and social processes can be self-assessed by music composers with different backgrounds and levels of musical expertise. Our work aims to deepen understanding of the relationship between musical creativity and social life, contributing to existing scholarship that has explored this connection in musical activities specifically.

A tough nutlet to crack: Resolving the phylogeny of Thesium (Thesiaceae), the largest genus in Santalales

AbstractWith over 350 species, Thesium is the largest genus in Santalales. It is found on all continents except Antarctica; however, its highest diversity is in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa where approximately half the species occur. Thesium samples of ca. 590 collections from throughout its entire geographic range were obtained and nuclear ribosomal ITS sequenced from 396 accessions representing 196 named taxa and 30 currently unnamed taxa for a total of ca. 230 species. In addition, two chloroplast genome spacers (trnDT, trnLF) were sequenced from 269 and 315 accessions, respectively. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods were employed to generate gene trees and infer phylogenies. The value of the morphological characters traditionally used in the taxonomy of the genus and previous infrageneric classifications are discussed. Broad scale relationships were generally congruent among the ITS and the chloroplast trees. For example, both the nuclear and chloroplast trees support the presence of Eurasian and African clades. In contrast, major incongruence was detected between nuclear and chloroplast trees for a number of taxa including the recently described T. nautimontanum that is sister to the entire African clade on the ITS tree. Although the causes of this incongruence are currently unknown, a novel form of chloroplast capture is hypothesized. A hypothesis of the biogeographical history of the genus based on our molecular phylogeny is presented.