Positive Function Research Articles

Neural correlates of individual differences in moral identity and its positive moral function.

Moral identity is an important moral variable which has positive moral functions, such as contributing to prosocial behaviours, reducing antisocial behaviours, and resisting the risk factors of antisocial behaviours. However, little is known about the neural correlates of moral identity and the neural basis of the effect of moral identity on the risk factors of antisocial behaviours, including moral disengagement. In this study, we explored these issues in 142 college students by estimating the regional homogeneity (ReHo) through resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The whole-brain correlation analyses found that higher internalized moral identity was correlated with higher ReHo in the precuneus. Furthermore, the ReHo in the precuneus was negatively correlated with moral disengagement, suggesting positive moral functions of the neural mechanisms of moral identity. These findings deepen our understanding of individual differences in moral identity and provide inspiration for the education of moral identity and the intervention for moral disengagement from the perspective of the brain.

On an Extremal Problem for Compactly Supported Positive Definite Functions

On an Extremal Problem for Compactly Supported Positive Definite Functions

Unveiling the mechanisms by which inclusive leadership influences the good soldier syndrome among health-care employees

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between inclusive leadership (IL), psychological safety (PS), affective commitment (AC) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) at the workplace. By understanding the sequential linkages, the research aims to provide insights for fostering a positive organizational culture that promotes employee commitment and employees’ willingness to go the extra mile for the organization. Design/methodology/approach The authors study how IL and OCB are related through PS and AC. For this purpose, cross-sectional data from 384 nursing professionals in India was collected and structural equation modeling was conducted on the same using IBM AMOS. Findings The study found that IL has a major impact on OCB. The study further found that perceived IL leads to PS which is associated with OCB through AC. Research limitations/implications The study has many theoretical and practical implications. This study uses a framework that is based on Affective events theory. In a health-care environment, IL can foster AC by promoting a culture of respect, collaboration and value for diverse perspectives, which enhances health-care professionals’ emotional attachment to their work and the organization. Additionally, by encouraging open communication and a sense of belonging, IL contributes to OCB, as health-care staff are more likely to engage in discretionary behaviors that support the overall effectiveness and positive functioning of the health-care team if PS is improved, ultimately improving patient care outcomes. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the primary studies that looks into the sequential mechanism through which IL impacts OCB.

The LysR family transcriptional regulator ORF-L16 regulates spinosad biosynthesis in Saccharopolyspora spinosa

Spinosad, a potent broad-spectrum bioinsecticide produced by Saccharopolyspora spinosa, has significant market potential. Despite its effectiveness, the regulatory mechanisms of spinosad biosynthesis remain unclear. Our investigation identified the crucial role of the LysR family transcriptional regulator ORF-L16, located upstream of spinosad biosynthetic genes, in spinosad biosynthesis. Through reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and 5′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5′-Race), we unveiled that the spinosad biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) contains six transcription units and seven promoters. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) demonstrated that ORF-L16 bound to seven promoters within the spinosad BGC, indicating its involvement in regulating spinosad biosynthesis. Notably, deletion of ORF-L16 led to a drastic reduction in spinosad production from 1818.73 mg/L to 1.69 mg/L, accompanied by decreased transcription levels of spinosad biosynthetic genes, confirming its positive regulatory function. Additionally, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and EMSA confirmed that spinosyn A, the main product of the spinosad BGC, served as an effector of ORF-L16. Specifically, it decreased the binding affinity between ORF-L16 and spinosad BGC promoters, thus exerting negative feedback regulation on spinosad biosynthesis. This research enhances our comprehension of spinosad biosynthesis regulation and lays the groundwork for future investigations on transcriptional regulators in S. spinosa.

Identification of maximal C*-covers of some operator algebras

We use results on inclusions of free products and extensions of completely positive maps to determine the maximal C ∗ ^* -envelope for upper triangular 3 × 3 3 \times 3 matrices. We consider these same results in the context of larger upper triangular matrices and graph algebras associated to cycle graphs.

Crosstalk between human immunodeficiency virus infection and salivary bacterial function in men who have sex with men

BackgroundEngaging in anal sexual intercourse markedly increases the risk of developing HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM); oral sexual activities tend to uniquely introduce gut-derived microbes to salivary microbiota, which, combined with an individual’s positive HIV status, may greatly perturb oral microecology. However, till date, only a few published studies have addressed this aspect.MethodsBased on 16S rRNA sequencing data of bacterial taxa, MicroPITA picks representative samples for metagenomic analysis, effectively revealing how the development and progression of the HIV disease influences oral microbiota in MSM. Therefore, we collected samples from 11 HIV-negative and 44 HIV-positive MSM subjects (stage 0 was defined by HIV RNA positivity, but negative or indeterminate antibody status; stages 1, 2, and 3 were defined by CD4+ T lymphocyte counts ≥ 500, 200–499, and ≤ 200 or opportunistic infection) and selected 25 representative saliva samples (5 cases/stage) using MicroPITA. Metagenomic sequencing analysis were performed to explore whether positive HIV status changes salivary bacterial KEGG function and metabolic pathway in MSM.ResultsThe core functions of oral microbiota were maintained across each of the five groups, including metabolism, genetic and environmental information processing. All HIV-positive groups displayed KEGG functions of abnormal proliferation, most prominently at stage 0, and others related to metabolism. Clustering relationship analysis tentatively identified functional relationships between groups, with bacterial function being more similar between stage 0-control groups and stage 1-2 groups, whereas the stage 3 group exhibited large functional changes. Although we identified most metabolic pathways as being common to all five groups, several unique pathways formed clusters for certain groups; the stage 0 group had several, while the stage 2 and 3 groups had few, such clusters. The abundance of K03046 was positively correlated with CD4 counts.ConclusionAs HIV progresses, salivary bacterial function and metabolic pathways in MSM progressively changes, which may be related to HIV promoting abnormal energy metabolism and exacerbate pathogen virulence. Further, infection and drug resistance of acute stage and immune cell destruction of AIDS stage were abnormally increased, predicting an increased risk for MSM individuals to develop systemic and oral diseases.

Medical assistants’ comic styles and their potential for positive functioning at work: a cross-sectional study including a subgroup analysis

BackgroundMedical assistants are essential for the healthcare system. However, they face several working demands every day, for which they need resources to cope. While several studies show that humour can be a resource for healthcare professionals, studies on humour styles/comic styles in healthcare are scarce. But, as humour styles (e.g., light vs. dark) may have varying – and even negative – effects on positive psychological functioning, it is important to investigate their individual potential for medical assistants. Thus, this study investigates the relationships between medical assistants’ comic styles and their positive psychological functioning at work.MethodsApplying a cross-sectional design we assessed German medical assistants’ eight comic styles (i.e., benevolent humour, fun, wit, nonsense, irony, satire, sarcasm, cynicism) and facets of positive psychological functioning (e.g., well-being, feeling of competence). We analysed relationships between the variables by means of Pearson correlations, ANCOVAs and hierarchical regressions. All analyses were conducted with the total sample (N = 608; completion rate 44%) as well as a large subsample of medical assistants working in general medicine (N = 263).ResultsWhile most of the light styles (e.g., benevolent humour) relate positively to most facets, the dark style sarcasm relates negatively. The other dark styles showed coefficients around zero or even slightly positive ones (e.g., satire). Most relationships were also prevalent in the subgroup of medical assistants working in general medicine.ConclusionsThe eight comic styles might have varying potential for medical assistants’ positive psychological functioning at work, with benevolent humour being most adaptive and sarcasm being maladaptive. This study points to the relevance of raising attention regarding the (mal-)adaptiveness of different comic styles of healthcare professionals. Trainings of professionals (e.g., vocational education and training of medical assistants) might integrate the topic of humour (i.e., foster benevolent vs. caution against sarcastic humour) to build and maintain this helpful resource which professionals can use as a tool to master various challenges of everyday work (e.g., cope with stressful situations).

A hypothesis test for detecting spatial patterns in categorical areal data

The vast growth of spatial datasets in recent decades has fueled the development of many statistical methods for detecting spatial patterns. Two of the most commonly studied spatial patterns are clustering, loosely defined as datapoints with similar attributes existing close together, and dispersion, loosely defined as the semi-regular placement of datapoints with similar attributes. In this work, we develop a hypothesis test to detect spatial clustering or dispersion at specific distances in categorical areal data. Such data consists of a set of spatial regions whose boundaries are fixed and known (e.g., counties) associated with a categorical random variable (e.g. whether the county is rural, micropolitan, or metropolitan). We propose a method to extend the positive area proportion function (developed for detecting spatial clustering in binary areal data) to the categorical case. This proposal, referred to as the categorical positive areal proportion function test, can detect various spatial patterns, including homogeneous clusters, heterogeneous clusters, and dispersion. Our approach is the first method capable of distinguishing between different types of clustering in categorical areal data. After validating our method using an extensive simulation study, we use the categorical positive area proportion function test to detect spatial patterns in Boulder County, Colorado USA biological, agricultural, built and open conservation easements.

Childhood maltreatment exposure is differentially associated with transdiagnostic perinatal depression symptoms

History of childhood maltreatment (CM) is common and robustly associated with prenatal and postpartum (perinatal) depression. Given perinatal depression symptom heterogeneity, a transdiagnostic approach to measurement could enhance understanding of patterns between CM and perinatal depression. MethodsIn two independently collected samples of women receiving care at perinatal psychiatry clinics (n = 523 and n = 134), we categorized longitudinal symptoms of perinatal depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep into transdiagnostic factors derived from the Research Domain Criteria and depression literatures. We split the perinatal period into four time points. We conducted a latent profile analysis of transdiagnostic factors in each period. We then used self-reported history of CM (total exposure and subtypes of abuse and neglect) to predict class membership. ResultsA three-class solution best fit our data. In relation to positive adaptive functioning, one class had relatively more positive symptoms (high adaptive), one class had average values (middle adaptive), and one class had fewer adaptive symptoms (low adaptive). More total CM and specific subtypes associated with threat/abuse increased an individual's likelihood of being in the Low Adaptive class in both samples (ORs: 0.90–0.97, p < .05). LimitationsGeneralizability of our results was curtailed by 1) limited racial/ethnic diversity and 2) missing data. ConclusionsOur results support taking a person-centered approach to characterize the relationship between perinatal depression and childhood maltreatment. Given evidence that increased exposure to childhood maltreatment is associated with worse overall symptoms, providers should consider incorporating preventative, transdiagnostic interventions for perinatal distress in individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment.

Ergodic quantum processes on finite von Neumann algebras

Let (M,τ) be a tracial von Neumann algebra with a separable predual and let (Ω,P) be a probability space. A bounded positive random linear operator on L1(M,τ) is a map γ:Ω×L1(M,τ)→L1(M,τ) so that τ(γω(x)a) is measurable for all x∈L1(M,τ) and a∈M, and x↦γω(x) is bounded, positive, and linear almost surely. Given an ergodic T∈Aut(Ω,P), we study quantum processes of the form γTnω∘γTn−1ω∘⋯∘γTmω for m,n∈Z. Using the Hennion metric introduced in [21], we show that under reasonable assumptions such processes collapse to replacement channels exponentially fast almost surely. Of particular interest is the case when γω is the predual of a normal positive linear map on M. As an example application, we study the clustering properties of normal states that are generated by such random linear operators. These results offer an infinite dimensional generalization of the theorems in [21].

Volterra-Composition Operators Acting on $S^{p}$ Spaces and Weighted Zygmund Spaces

Let $\varphi$ be an analytic selfmap of the open unit disk $\mathbb{D}$ and $g$ be an analytic function on $\mathbb{D}$. The Volterra-type composition operators induced by the maps $g$ and $\varphi$ are defined as  $$\left(I_{g}^{\varphi}f\right)(z)= \int_{0}^{z} f^{\prime}(\varphi(\zeta)) g(\zeta) d\zeta  \hspace{0.07in} \text{and} \hspace{0.07in}  \left(T_{g}^{\varphi}f\right)(z)= \int_{0}^{z} f(\varphi(\zeta)) g^{\prime}(\zeta) d\zeta .$$For $1\leq p&lt;\infty$, $S^p(\mathbb{D})$ is the space of all analytic functions on $\mathbb{D}$ whose first derivative $f^{\prime}$ lies in the Hardy space $H^p(\mathbb{D})$, endowed with the norm $\displaystyle \|f\|_{S^p}=|f(0)|+\|f^{\prime}\|_{H^p}$. Let $\mu: (0,1] \rightarrow (0, \infty)$ be a positive continuous function on $\mathbb{D}$ such that for $z\in\mathbb{D}$ we define $\mu(z) = \mu(|z|)$. The weighted Zygmund space  $\mathcal{Z}_{\mu}(\mathbb{D})$ is the space of all analytic functions $f$ on $\mathbb{D}$ such that $\sup_{z\in \mathbb{D}} \mu(z) |f^{\prime\prime}(z)|$ is finite. In this paper, we characterize the boundedness and compactness of the Volterra-type composition operators that act between $S^p$ spaces and weighted Zygmund spaces.

Approximating quantum channels by completely positive maps with small Kraus rank

We study the problem of approximating a quantum channel by one with as few Kraus operators as possible (in the sense that, for any input state, the output states of the two channels should be close to one another). Our main result is that any quantum channel mapping states on some input Hilbert space A to states on some output Hilbert space B can be compressed into one with order dlog&amp;#x2061;d Kraus operators, where d=max(|A|,|B|), hence much less than |A||B|. In the case where the channel's outputs are all very mixed, this can be improved to order d. We discuss the optimality of this result as well as some consequences.

Research on the Transformation and Upgrading of News Media based on the Internet of Things era

The rise of the so-called "Internet of Things" heralds the arrival of innovative improvements in the dissemination technologies that are the basis for the development and improvement of a wide variety of forms of media. It has gone a long way from the early days of digitization and networking, and now it even incorporates intelligence. In the past, it did not have this capability. The widespread adoption of technology based on the Internet of Things will lead to profound shifts in the efficiency of media communication, as well as the transformation and upgrading of communication intelligence, the explosive growth of the communication platform, the emergence of a high degree of integration between "content production" and new communication techniques, and other developments related to these trends. It is generally agreed upon that the Internet of Things will be the primary impetus behind the next age of information technology as well as the expansion of the global economy. It is communicative, modular, and organized when it comes to the transmission of information. The ever-expanding media sector won't be a problem for this roomy facility. People's perspectives on the function of the media will shift as a result of the Internet of Things since it will make it feasible to intelligently update various types of media that are already in existence. Consumers will have access to a broad range of data presented in a number of formats as a direct consequence of the Internet of Things. It is feasible to expand the media applications of the Internet of Things by concentrating on one of these three areas: the development of a new media service system; the production of new media content; or the undertaking of a new media life challenge. This article examines the deconstruction of the primary body of dissemination pertaining to the Internet of Things from five distinct vantage points. Topics covered include the Internet of Things' news dissemination materials as well as dissemination objects. There are a number of different ways in which the framework of news dissemination may be made more effective, including bringing it up to date, enhancing its function, improving its platforms, fortifying its content, and increasing the breadth of its coverage. In terms of rebuilding and reconstruction, talk about the positive and constructive functions that modern information technology plays in the news broadcasting industry. In addition, the purpose of this article is to investigate the impact that the Internet of Things has on the method by which news is disseminated and the media business as a whole, as well as the relationship that exists between the social application of IoT technology and the news media. This article will hopefully widen the breadth of usage for internet of things technology in the news distribution sector by investigating a variety of different techniques. It is anticipated that in addition to accomplishing this goal, this work will also contribute to the proliferation of conventional media.

Accurate Scaling Functions of the Scaled Schrödinger Equation. II. Variational Examination of the Correct Scaling Functions with the Free Complement Theory Applied to the Helium Atom.

In a previous paper [Phys. Rev. Lett. 2004, 93, 030403.], one of the authors introduced the scaled Schrödinger equation (SSE), g(H - E)ψ = 0 for atoms and molecules, where the scaling function g is the positive function of the electron-nuclear (e-n) and electron-electron (e-e) distances. The SSE is equivalent to the Schrödinger equation (SE), (H - E)ψ = 0, that governs the chemical world but does not have the divergence difficulty that occurs when we try to solve the SE to obtain the exact solution. The g function is essential not only to prevent this divergence difficulty but also to obtain the exact wave function of the SE or SSE. In paper I of this series [J. Chem. Phys. 2022, 156, 014113.], we introduced five analytical g functions that behave correctly at both the coalescence and asymptotic regions, but we examined them only for the e-e part. In this paper, we examine these correct g functions for both e-n and e-e parts by applying the free complement (complete-element) (FC) theory variationally to the He atom. However, even for the two-electron He atom, the analytical integral formulas were not obtained when we use the correct g functions for both e-n and e-e parts, except for g = 1 - exp(-γr), but we were able to perform variational FC calculations by employing numerical integration schemes. We examined not only the energy and wave function but also the H-square error (defined by eq 14 of the text), energy lower bound, and e-n and e-e cusp properties. For the energy lower bound, we applied our FC wave functions to the method proposed recently by Pollak, Martinazzo, and others and could obtain good results. With the use of the correct-group g functions, the convergence of the FC theory to the exact analytical solution of the SE or SSE became efficient, and the performance was particularly good with the g functions, r/(r + 1/γ), Ei, and 1 - exp(-γr) in this order. These results were always superior to those obtained with g = r.

Race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status as predictors of outcome following family therapy in youth at clinical high risk for psychosis.

There is limited research on the effects of sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors on treatment outcomes in youth at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHRp). This study examined sociodemographic factors that may affect functional outcomes within this population. Specifically, we investigated the influence of race/ethnicity (dichotomized as non-Hispanic whites [NHW] vs. people of colour [POC]), socioeconomic status (SES; operationalized as parental years of education), and their interaction on change in psychosocial functioning and symptoms over 6 months in a randomized trial of family-focused therapy. CHRp youth (N = 128) participated in a randomized trial of family therapy (18 sessions of family therapy vs. 3 sessions of family psychoeducation). Sixty-four participants who self-identified as POC and 64 self-identified NHW participants completed baseline and 6-month follow-up measures of positive and negative symptoms and psychosocial (global, role, and social) functioning. Multiple regression models were conducted to test the main effect of race/ethnicity on changes in positive and negative symptoms and functioning, and whether this effect was moderated by parental education. There was a significant interaction between race/ethnicity and parental education, such that higher parental education was associated with greater improvement in global functioning in NHW participants, but there was no relationship between parental education and global functioning in POC. Additionally, higher parental education was associated with a decrease in negative symptoms in NHW participants but not in POC. There were no significant effects of race/ethnicity or parental education on positive symptoms, nor on social or role functioning. Clinicians may consider tailoring psychosocial treatments according to the needs of diverse families who vary in sociodemographic factors such as educational attainment and race/ethnicity.

Optimality of generalized Choi maps in M 3

A family of linear positive maps in the algebra of 3×3 complex matrices proposed recently by Bera et al 2024 Linear and Multilinear Algebra 1–16) is further analyzed. It provides a generalization of a seminal Choi nondecomposable extremal map in M 3. We investigate when generalized Choi maps are optimal, i.e. cannot be represented as a sum of positive and completely positive maps. This property is weaker than extremality, however, it turns out that it plays a key role in detecting quantum entanglement.

VvERF117 positively regulates grape cold tolerance through direct regulation of the antioxidative gene BAS1

Cold stress significantly threatens grape quality, yield, and geographical distribution. Although ethylene-responsive factors (ERFs) are recognized for their pivotal roles in cold stress, the regulatory mechanisms of many ERFs contributing to tolerance remain unclear. In this study, we identified the cold-responsive gene VvERF117 and elucidated its positive regulatory function in cold tolerance. VvERF117 exhibits transcriptional activity and localizes to the nucleus. VvERF117 overexpression improved cold tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis, grape calli, and grape leaves, whereas VvERF117 silencing increased cold sensitivity in grape calli and leaves. Furthermore, VvERF117 overexpression remarkably upregulated the expression of several stress-related genes. Importantly, BAS1, encoding a 2-Cys peroxidase (POD), was confirmed as a direct target gene of VvERF117. Meanwhile, compared to the wild-type, POD activity and H2O2 content were remarkably increased and decreased in VvERF117-overexpressing grape calli and leaves, respectively. Conversely, VvERF117 silencing displayed the opposite trend in grape calli and leaves under cold stress. These findings indicate that VvERF117 plays a positive role in cold resistance by, at least in part, enhancing antioxidant capacity through regulating the POD-encoding gene VvBAS1, leading to effective mitigation of reactive oxygen species.

Existence and symmetry breaking results for positive solutions of elliptic Hamiltonian systems

Abstract In this paper, we are interested in positive solutions of $$ \begin{align*}\left\{ \begin{array}{@{}ll} -\Delta u = a(x)v^{p-1}, \quad &amp;\text{ in } \Omega,\\ -\Delta v = b(x)u^{q-1}, \quad &amp;\text{ in } \Omega,\\ u,v&gt;0, \quad &amp;\text{ in } \Omega,\\ u=v=0, \quad &amp;\text{ on } \partial\Omega, \end{array} \right. \end{align*} $$ where $\Omega $ is a bounded annular domain (not necessarily an annulus) in ${\mathbb {R}}^N (N \ge 3)$ and $ a(x), b(x)$ are positive continuous functions. We show the existence of a positive solution for a range of supercritical values of p and q when the problem enjoys certain mild symmetry and monotonicity conditions. We shall also address the symmetry breaking phenomena where the system is fully symmetric. Indeed, as a consequence of our results, we shall show that problem (1) has $\Bigl \lfloor \frac {N}{2} \Bigr \rfloor $ (the floor of $\frac {N}{2}$ ) positive non-radial solutions when $ a(x)=b(x)=1$ and $\Omega $ is an annulus with certain assumptions on the radii. In general, for the radial case where the domain is an annulus, we prove the existence of a non-radial solution provided $$ \begin{align*}(p-1)(q-1)&gt; \Big(1+\frac{2N}{\lambda_H}\Big)^2\left(\frac{q}{p}\right),\end{align*} $$ where $\lambda _H$ is the best constant for the Hardy inequality on $\Omega .$ We remark that the best constant $\lambda _H$ for the Hardy inequality is just the characteristic of the domain, and is independent of the choices of p and $q.$ For this reason, the aforementioned inequality plays a major role to prove the existence and multiplicity of non-radial solutions when the problem is fully symmetric. Our proofs use a variational formulation on appropriate convex subsets for which the lack of compactness is recovered for the supercritical problem.

Gender Differences in Academic Resilience and Well-Being among Senior High School Students in Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Senior high school (SHS) students are at risk of stress and other adverse exposures that may negatively affect their well-being and possibly cause attrition. The concepts of academic resilience and well-being share commonality as psychological attributes linked to positive functioning among students. Despite this connection, there seems to be limited research exploring these concepts across genders among SHS students in developing regions. This study examined the gender difference in academic resilience and well-being among SHS students in Ghana. Using a cross-sectional survey design, 190 SHS students in three schools from Kwahu North and South district (i.e., Afram Plains) of Ghana’s Eastern Region completed the Academic Resilience Scale (ARS-30) and College Student Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire (CSSWQ). The sample consists of 102 males and 88 females, with a mean age of 17.83 years. The data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and hierarchical regression. The study established that students have a moderate level of academic resilience and a higher level of well-being, with no statistically significant variation in students’ academic resilience (t = 0.718; p = 0.474) or well-being (t = −1.596; p = 0.112) across gender. Further, the study discovered that resilience significantly predicted academic well-being (B = 0.425; SE = 0.050; t = 8.50; p &lt; 0.001). This study highlights the importance of promoting gender-sensitive intervention strategies that enhance the academic resilience and well-being of SHS students and help boost their educational attainment.

Decomposition of tracial positive maps and applications in quantum information

Decomposition of tracial positive maps and applications in quantum information