Resilience Traits Research Articles

Post-Traumatic Growth and Resilience Among Medical Students In the Wake of COVID-19

<strong>Background/Rationale:</strong> The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has not only affected the physical wellbeing but also the mental health of many individuals, including young adults such as medical students. Many factors influence a student’s ability to cope with and grow from stressful experiences, including their resilience behaviors and traits. Building upon prior studies on post-traumatic growth and resilience in medical students at Fukushima Medical University following their 3/11 disaster, this study broadens the scope by asking medical students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to identify any life event they recall as being most stressful, including but not limited to COVID-19, and to reflect on their resilience promoting behaviors and post-traumatic growth post-event. Surveying a new population of medical students in New York allows for comparisons of posttraumatic growth and resilience behaviors exhibited by students in Japan and the US. We also hope to identify specific strategies that are commonly used by students to cope with various traumatic experiences. <strong>Hypothesis or research question:</strong> The primary goal is to determine factors that contribute to posttraumatic growth and resilience among a cohort of medical students. We hypothesize that medical students who demonstrate greater resilience behaviors will experience less posttraumatic stress. Additionally, we hypothesize that students who indicated that their most impactful life event was a non-COVID event experienced less COVID-related stress. <strong>Study Design/Methods:</strong> All consenting medical students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai were anonymously surveyed and asked to reflect on their most stressful life event (Impactful Life Events Survey). In the context of the impactful life event, students were asked to respond to an adapted version of the Davidson-Trauma Scale (DTS); Resilient Behavior Scale (RBS), a Mount Sinai-developed survey examining resilience behaviors across 10 domains; the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI); and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CDRS-10). Students were also asked to reflect about the impact of COVID-19 on themselves and their families. Optional interviews were conducted to provide qualitative insights into students’ experiences. The survey data was analyzed by examining correlations between student demographics, post-traumatic stress, and responses on the RBS, PTGI, and resilience scales. Interview findings were analyzed qualitatively for trends and commonalities shared among students. <strong>Results:</strong> We distributed our survey to medical students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collected 78 responses. 35 (44.9%) students indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic was their most impactful life event (ILE), while 43 (55.1%) students indicated a non-COVID-19 event as their ILE (<em><strong>Figure 1</strong></em>). The RBS and CDRS-10 were positively correlated with one another (Pearson correlation = .533, p &lt;.001) (<em><strong>Table 1A</strong></em>), and both resilience scales were positively correlated with students who believed there was something positive about COVID-19 (RBS: Pearson correlation = .26, p = .05; CDRS-10: Pearson correlation = .31, p = .017). The RBS was positively correlated with posttraumatic growth (Pearson correlation .455, p &lt;.001), while the CDRS-10 was not (<em><strong>Table 1B, C</strong></em>). The highest-rated resilience behaviors used by students to cope included RBS-7: Established and nurtured a supportive social network, RBS-3: Relied on your moral compass, and RBS-2: Used cognitive flexibility through reevaluation of trauma (<em><strong>Table 2</strong></em>). Students who were interviewed similarly expressed that they relied on family, friends, and significant others to cope with stressful life events. Compared with students who indicated COVID-19 as their ILE, students who indicated a prior, non-COVID ILE experienced less COVID-related stress (t = –2.2, p = .03), greater posttraumatic growth (t = 4.3, p &lt; .001), and more resilient behaviors including establishing and nurturing a supportive social network (t = 2.2, p = .03), developing brain fitness (t = 2.2, p = .03), and finding meaning and purpose in things (t = 2.9, p = .006) (<em><strong>Table 2</strong></em>). <strong>Conclusions/Future Plans:</strong> Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on mental health, understanding how young adults respond to this and other stressful life events is essential. We identified specific resilience behaviors and traits that medical students commonly used to cope with traumatic experiences. Additionally, we demonstrated that the RBS and CDRS-10 likely measure different aspects of resilience, since only the RBS was positively correlated with posttraumatic growth. Finally, we found that students who chose a non-COVID event as their ILE demonstrated greater posttraumatic growth, greater resilience behaviors, and less COVID-19 stress than students who indicated COVID-19 as their ILE. This suggests that stressful experiences prior to or in parallel to COVID encourage posttraumatic growth and development of resilience behaviors that are protective factors to COVID-19-related stress.

The Effect of Replacement of Soybean Meal with Corn Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (cDDGS) and Differentiation of Dietary Fat Sources on Pig Meat Quality and Fatty Acid Profile.

Simple SummaryThe growing demand for protein and the reluctance of consumers to use genetically modified feeds necessitate the use of other protein feeds. Corn dried distillers grains with solubles (cDDGS) is a well-digested protein feed; however, it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and can negatively affect the meat quality and oxidative stability. The negative influence of dietary unsaturated fatty acids on meat quality can be balanced by feed additives, e.g., a dietary saturated fat source increasing the iodine value of fat. To reduce the detrimental effect of corn DDGS in the present experiment, the beef tallow and coconut oil in a feed mixture were studied, as both of them are more saturated than corn DDGS and rapeseed oil. The aim of the study was to investigate mixtures comprising corn DDGS as a partial replacer for soybean meal as well as different dietary saturated fat sources to determine their effect on the meat quality and fatty acid profile. The relationships between dietary fatty acid profile and meat fatty acid profile and between various meat quality parameters were analyzed.The aim of the study was to investigate mixtures comprising corn distillers dried grain with solubles as a partial replacer for soybean meal (SBM) and different dietary fat sources, in order to determine their effect on the meat quality and fatty acid profile. Thirty-two crossbred fatteners were divided into four groups: I–SBM + rapeseed oil, II–cDDGS + rapeseed oil, III–cDDGS + beef tallow, IV–cDDGS + coconut oil. The experiment took place from 60 to 118 kg. At the end of fattening, all pigs were slaughtered and samples of meat (musculus longissimus lumborum) were taken. The fatty acid profile, texture, and quality traits were analyzed. Corn DDGS affected drip loss. Beef tallow and coconut oil improved water holding capacity and drip loss and increased fat content, compared to the control group. The dietary fat type affected the fatty acid composition, iodine value, and consequently some quality traits of meat. However, these relationships varied. Fat content in the meat was inversely correlated with shear force and texture parameters, but positively with tenderness and juiciness. The fatty acid profile significantly influenced cohesiveness, chewiness, resilience and sensory traits, which were the most beneficial in meat with higher fat content and higher fat saturation index.

Emotional intelligence, resilience and personality traits neuroticism and extraversion: predictive capacity in perceived academic efficacy

BackgroundRecent studies have shown the importance of promoting emotional intelligence and resilience, as well as knowing the personality (extraversion versus emotional instability or neuroticism) in both nursing students and nursing professionals, for better academic adherence, due to stressful situations derived from high academic and attendance requirements for healthcare practices in clinical settings. However, there is little research that analyzes the importance of the perceived academic effectiveness of university students and its relationship with the psychological variables of resilience, emotional intelligence and personality. ObjectiveTo analyse the relationships between perceived academic efficacy, emotional intelligence (EI), resilience and the personality factors of emotional instability and extraversion, as well as to observe the variables that predict perceived academic efficacy. Materials and methodsCross-sectional study on a sample of 434 nursing students in Valencia (Spain) aged 17–54 (M = 21; SD = 0.320). They filled in standard tests on perceived academic efficacy, EI, resilience, emotional instability and extraversion. ResultsPerceived academic efficacy is closely and positively related to EI and resilience; and to a lesser extent to emotional instability, but negatively. The academic efficacy predictor variables were EI (global trait, well-being and sociability), resilience (social support and emotional regulation) and emotional instability (R2 of 0.201). ConclusionsPerceived academic efficacy is fundamentally related to EI and resilience positively, and to a lesser extent to emotional instability negatively, fundamentally via these factors: global trait, social support, well-being, problem-solving capacity. Nursing students' perception of academic efficacy is relevant for building professional skills and carrying out the nurse's role in organisations. So, it is necessary to promote training programs to increase the emotional intelligence and resilience of nursing students, aimed at promoting competence in professional practice.

The Relationships Between Oncology Nurses' Attitudes Toward a Dignified Death, Compassion Competence, Resilience, and Occupational Stress in South Korea.

In recent years, South Korea has become more concerned about a dignified death and the 'well-dying' law has been enacted. Oncology nurses' perceptions of death are crucial in maintaining dying patients' sense of dignity; fostering their physical, mental, and spiritual quality of life; and ensuring that they die a comfortable death. This study accordingly examined the relationships between attitudes towards a dignified death, compassion competence, resilience, and occupational stress to provide basic data to promote better attitudes towards death among oncology nurses in South Korea. This study, conducted between 2 to 31 January 2018, adopted a descriptive cross-sectional design. Oncology nurses (N = 329) participated, and the differences in their attitudes towards a dignified death correlating to their demographic and work-related characteristics were analysed using t-tests and analyses of variance. Pearson's correlations were used to examine the relationships between nurses' attitudes towards a dignified death, compassion competence, resilience, and occupational stress. Participants' attitudes towards a dignified death were weaker than those of the general population but stronger than those of non-oncology nurses. Attitudes towards a dignified death were significantly correlated with compassion competence and resilience-traits that appear to enable nurses' efficient response to various stressful situations. Educational programmes should promote nurses' compassion competence and resilience. Nurses should receive death-related education to reduce the stress that arises from providing end-of-life care and enhance their attitudes towards a dignified death.

The Mental Health and Job Burnout of Nurses During the COVID-19 Outbreak: Resilience as a Mediator

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse psychological, social, and economic consequences around the world. Nurses and physicians have been more negatively affected by this pandemic as compared to other occupational groups. Objectives: The present survey aimed to investigate the job burnout and mental health of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between mental health and job burnout. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in two public hospitals of Kashan, Iran from March 2020 until the end of June 2020. A total of 108 nurses participated in this study. The assessment tools included the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), nurses’ job Burnout Questionnaire, and Resilience Scale. Hierarchical linear regression models were used to evaluate the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between job burnout and mental health. Results: The results showed that 61.1% of the participants had mild to severe mental health problems, while 13% reported no job burnout. In terms of resilience, most participants (88.9%) reported moderate resilience. Based on the results, resilience partially mediated the effect of mental health problems on job burnout. The present findings highlighted the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between job burnout and mental health problems among nurses. Conclusions: The present findings suggested that evaluation of resilience resources and traits might be helpful in predicting individuals at risk of psychological problems and job burnout.

Validation of resilience indicators by estimating genetic correlations among daughter groups and with yield responses to a heat wave and disturbances at herd level

Resilient cows are minimally affected in their functioning by disturbances, and if affected, they quickly recover. Previously, the variance and autocorrelation of daily deviations from a lactation curve were proposed as resilience indicators. These traits were heritable and genetically associated with good health and longevity. However, it was unknown if selection for these indicators would lead to desired changes in the phenotype. The first aim of this study was to investigate if forward prediction of the resilience indicators in another environment was possible. Therefore, the resilience indicator records were split into 2 subsets, each containing half of the daughters of each sire, split within sire into cows that calved in early year-seasons and cows that calved in more recent year-seasons. Genetic correlations between the subsets were then estimated for each resilience indicator. The second aim was to estimate genetic correlations between the resilience indicators and traits describing production responses to actual disturbances. The disturbances were a heat wave in July 2015 and yield disturbances at herd level. The latter were selected by decreases in mean yield of all primiparous cows in a herd, indicating that a disturbance occurred. The data set used for calculation of the resilience indicators and the traits describing yield responses contained 62,932,794 daily milk yield records on 199,104 primiparous cows. Genetic correlations (rg) between recent and earlier daughter groups were 1 for both resilience indicators, which suggests that selection will result in changes in the phenotype in the next generation. Furthermore, low variance was genetically correlated with weak response in milk yield to both the heat wave and herd disturbances (rg 0.47 to 0.97). Low autocorrelation was genetically correlated with reduced perturbation length and quick recovery after the heat wave and herd disturbances (0.28 to 0.97). These results suggest that variance and autocorrelation cover different aspects of resilience, and should be combined in a resilience index. In conclusion, genetic selection for the resilience indicators will likely result in favorable changes in the traits themselves, and in response and recovery to actual disturbances, which confirms that they are useful resilience indicators.

Organizational stressors predict competitive trait anxiety and burnout in young athletes: Testing psychological resilience as a moderator

The experience of athlete burnout is influenced by the psychosocial dynamics within sports organizations. Factors relevant to the stress-burnout process need to be explored to guide the development of effective strategies for preventing or reducing athlete burnout. The study aim was to examine how levels of psychological resilience influence the relationships among organizational stressors, competitive trait anxiety, and burnout symptoms in athletes. Within a correlational study design, a survey of 506 young athletes (mean age = 21.3 years) collected data on psychological resilience, organizational stressors, competitive trait anxiety, and athlete burnout (reduced sense of accomplishment, sport devaluation, emotional/physical exhaustion). A conditional process analysis was conducted to test whether competitive trait anxiety mediated the association between organizational stressors and athlete burnout and its dependence on psychological resilience levels. The results indicated that organizational stressors could contribute to burnout symptoms as they could induce high levels of competitive trait anxiety in athletes (indirect effect = .08–.11, Sobel Z = 3.58–5.41). For athletes with higher levels of psychological resilience, the indirect effect of organizational stressors on athlete burnout via competitive trait anxiety was weaker. These results highlight the importance of psychological resilience and competitive trait anxiety in understanding how organizational stressors relate to burnout in athletes. Sports practitioners are recommended to develop resilience-training interventions to support individuals encountering organizational stressors in sport.

Photosynthetic resistance and resilience under drought, flooding and rewatering in maize plants.

Abnormally altered precipitation patterns induced by climate change have profound global effects on crop production. However, the plant functional responses to various precipitation regimes remain unclear. Here, greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to determine how maize plant functional traits respond to drought, flooding and rewatering. Drought and flooding hampered photosynthetic capacity, particularly when severe and/or prolonged. Most photosynthetic traits recovered after rewatering, with few compensatory responses. Rewatering often elicited high photosynthetic resilience in plants exposed to severe drought at the end of plant development, with the response strongly depending on the drought severity/duration. The associations of chlorophyll concentrations with photosynthetically functional activities were stronger during post-tasseling than pre-tasseling, implying an involvement of leaf age/senescence in responses to episodic drought and subsequent rewatering. Coordinated changes in chlorophyll content, gas exchange, fluorescence parameters (PSII quantum efficiency and photochemical/non-photochemical radiative energy dissipation) possibly contributed to the enhanced drought resistance and resilience and suggested a possible regulative trade-off. These findings provide fundamental insights into how plants regulate their functional traits to deal with sporadic alterations in precipitation. Breeding and management of plants with high resistance and resilience traits could help crop production under future climate change.

Teachers' psychological well-being role of emotional intelligence and resilient character traits in determining the psychological well-being of Indian school teachers

PurposeThe substance of the present study lies in analysing the extent to which intrinsic factors like emotional intelligence and resilient character traits impact the psychological well-being of school teachers. It prominences the mediating role of resilient character traits in the relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological well-being of teachers.Design/methodology/approachThis cross-sectional survey study recruits a sample of 200 school teachers across the state of Haryana, India, with the help of a convenience sampling technique.FindingsThe findings from parallel multiple mediation indicate perseverance as a significant mediator and predictor of psychological well-being among factors of resilient traits, and self-reliance emerges as an inconsistent, yet significant mediator in the relationship between emotional intelligence and well-being of teachers. The direct effect of emotional intelligence on psychological well-being also emerged as statistically significant. Additionally, the female school teachers show higher emotional intelligence and resilience as compared to the male school teachers.Practical implicationsThe research is not an unmitigated work in the exploration of a causal relationship between the study variables. However, the study draws practical suggestions for improving the perseverant and emotionally intelligent behaviour of teachers for better emotional and psychological adjustment at work. It acknowledges the role of school administration and education policymakers in furthering the betterment of teachers' psychological state for improved performance and effectiveness. Also, teamwork, stress reduction and leadership building appeared to be helpful contributors to enhance the perseverance and emotional intelligence among teachers.Originality/valueStudies in the field of school administration rarely address the psychological well-being of school teachers as their concern. This study accentuates the impact of intrinsic antecedents of psychological well-being, which is neither well conceptualised in Indian studies nor is causally related to any psychological constructs. Therefore, it remarkably contributes to the literature in the field of educational management and leadership, providing an insight into the psyche of teachers from “the Orient”.

Chronic Mental Health Sequelae of Climate Change Extremes: A Case Study of the Deadliest Californian Wildfire.

Introduction. Weather-related disasters, such as wildfires exacerbated by a rise in global temperatures, need to be better studied in terms of their mental health impacts. This study focuses on the mental health sequelae of the deadliest wildfire in California to date, the Camp Fire of 2018. Methods. We investigated a sample of 725 California residents with different degrees of disaster exposure and measured mental health using clinically validated scales for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Data were collected at a chronic time-point, six months post-wildfire. We used multiple regression analyses to predict the mental health outcomes based on self-reported fire exposure. Additionally, we included vulnerability and resilience factors in hierarchical regression analyses. Results. Our primary finding is that direct exposure to large scale fires significantly increased the risk for mental health disorders, particularly for PTSD and depression. Additionally, the inclusion of vulnerability and resilience factors in the hierarchical regression analyses led to the significantly improved prediction of all mental health outcomes. Childhood trauma and sleep disturbances exacerbated mental health symptoms. Notably, self-reported resilience had a positive effect on mental health, and mindfulness was associated with significantly lower depression and anxiety symptoms. Conclusion. Overall, our study demonstrated that climate-related extreme events, such as wildfires, can have severe mental illness sequelae. Moreover, we found that pre-existing stressful life events, resilient personality traits and lifestyle factors can play an important role in the prevalence of psychopathology after such disasters. Unchecked climate change projected for the latter half of this century may severely impact the mental wellbeing of the global population, and we must find ways to foster individual resiliency.

Understanding the seasonality of performance resilience to climate volatility in Mediterranean dairy sheep

As future climate challenges become increasingly evident, enhancing performance resilience of farm animals may contribute to mitigation against adverse weather and seasonal variation, and underpin livestock farming sustainability. In the present study, we develop novel seasonal resilience phenotypes reflecting milk production changes to fluctuating weather. We evaluate the impact of calendar season (autumn, winter and spring) on animal performance resilience by analysing 420,534 milk records of 36,908 milking ewes of the Chios breed together with relevant meteorological data from eastern Mediterranean. We reveal substantial seasonal effects on resilience and significant heritable trait variation (h2 = 0.03–0.17). Resilience to cold weather (10 °C) of animals that start producing milk in spring was under different genetic control compared to autumn and winter as exemplified by negative genetic correlations (− 0.09 to − 0.27). Animal resilience to hot weather (25 °C) was partially under the same genetic control with genetic correlations between seasons ranging from 0.43 to 0.86. We report both favourable and antagonistic associations between animal resilience and lifetime milk production, depending on calendar season and the desirable direction of genetic selection. Concluding, we emphasise on seasonal adaptation of animals to climate and the need to incorporate the novel seasonal traits in future selective breeding programmes.

Environment-dependent behavioral traits and experiential factors shape addiction vulnerability.

The transition from controlled drug use to drug addiction depends on an interaction between a vulnerable individual, their environment and a drug. Here we tested the hypothesis that conditions under which individuals live influence behavioral vulnerability traits and experiential factors operating in the drug taking environment to determine the vulnerability to addiction. The role of behavioral vulnerability traits in mediating the influence of housing conditions on the tendency to acquire cocaine self-administration was characterized in 48 rats housed in either an enriched (EE) or a standard (SE) environment. Then, the influence of these housing conditions on the individual vulnerability to develop addiction-like behavior for cocaine or alcohol was measured in 72 EE or SE rats after several months of cocaine self-administration or intermittent alcohol drinking, respectively. The determining role of negative experiential factors in the drug taking context was further investigated in 48 SE rats that acquired alcohol drinking to self-medicate distress in a schedule-induced polydipsia procedure. The environment influenced the acquisition of drug intake through its effect on behavioral markers of resilience to addiction. In contrast, the initiation of drug taking as a coping strategy or in a negative state occasioned by the contrast between enriched housing conditions and a relatively impoverished drug taking setting, facilitated the development of compulsive cocaine and alcohol intake. These data indicate that addiction vulnerability depends on environmentally determined experiential factors, and suggest that initiating drug use through negative reinforcement-based self-medication facilitates the development of addiction in vulnerable individuals. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The factors that underlie an individual's vulnerability to switch from controlled, recreational drug use to addiction are not well understood. We showed that in individuals housed in enriched conditions, the experience of drugs in the relative social and sensory impoverishment of the drug taking context, and the associated change in behavioral traits of resilience to addiction, exacerbate the vulnerability to develop compulsive drug intake. We further demonstrated that the acquisition of alcohol drinking as a mechanism to cope with distress increases the vulnerability to develop compulsive alcohol intake. Together these results demonstrate that experiential factors in the drug taking context shape the vulnerability to addiction.

Relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resiliency among College Students

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with negative outcomes, however, there are factors that can mitigate the effects from exposure to ACEs. This study examined the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), characteristics of resilient individuals and the association between ACE scores, resiliency and other factors among college students. Subjects and Method: A cross-sectional survey was completed in 2018. Frequencies were calculated for the number and types of ACE experienced by participants. Bivariate relationships between characteristics of parti­cipants and resilience were examined using Chi-square tests. The independent relationship between ACE scores and resiliency factors was examined using ordinal logistic regression. The dependent variable was ACE score. An ordinal logistic regression model examined the relati­onship between conventional ACE scores and resilience levels and other factors. Results: There were 570 study participants. Seventy-one percent of study participants had experienced at least one conventional ACE, and 98% had experienced at least one expanded ACE. Individuals with high resilience had lower conventional ACE scores and better health. Females (OR= 1.67; 95% CI= 1.14 to 2.45) were more likely to have higher conventional ACE scores. Participants living in suburban areas compared to rural areas (OR= 0.61; 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.85), and children raised with both parents compared to single parents (OR= 0.17; 95% CI= 0.12 to 0.25) were less likely to have higher conventional ACE scores. Gender (OR= 0.54; 95% CI= 0.35 to 0.82) and general health status (OR= 1.50; 95% CI= 1.05 to 2.13) were the only significant predictors of the expanded ACE scores. Conclusion: Findings identify important resilient traits such as relationships, self-control, internal beliefs, and initiative,. as well asportray the high prevalence ofACEs and the importance of resilience as a protective factor in reducing ACEs. Keywords: adverse childhood experiences, resilience, mitigate Correspondence : Glory Okwori. East Tennessee State University. 1276 Gilbreath Dr., Box 70300, Johnson City, TN. Email: okwori@etsu.edu. Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health (2021), 06(01): 83-97 https://doi.org/10.26911/jepublichealth.2021.06.01.09

Drying in newly intermittent rivers leads to higher variability of invertebrate communities

Abstract Aquatic invertebrate communities inhabiting intermittent rivers that are characterised by recurrent drying events (flow cessation or complete disappearance of surface water) often show rapid recovery upon flow resumption. Such rapid recovery is possible thanks to specific resistance and resilience traits that species adapted to river drying often exhibit. However, differences in community response to drying can be expected between historically drying (HD) networks—those IRs with a long history of flow intermittence—and recently drying (RD) networks, where drying is a novel, often human‐induced, phenomenon. The invertebrate species found in RD networks may lack the adaptations that are known to facilitate quick community recovery upon rewetting and could thus be dramatically affected by drying. Unfortunately, the responses of aquatic communities in RD networks are still poorly explored, limiting our capacity to predict and mitigate future biodiversity changes. Here, we compared the responses of aquatic invertebrate communities to drying in nine pairs of intermittent and perennial river reaches from HD networks across France and nine pairs from RD networks across the Czech Republic. Using both taxonomic and functional perspectives, differences in α‐ and β‐diversity patterns between perennial and intermittent sites were evaluated separately for HD and RD groups, and before and after drying over several years. Drying had stronger effects on taxonomic richness in RD compared to HD networks. In addition, drying greatly altered spatial and temporal β‐diversity in RD networks, but it marginally affected β‐diversity in HD networks. Communities of HD networks showed a higher proportion of resistant taxa than RD networks. These results suggest that recent drying can have, at least on a short time scale (i.e. years), stronger effects on aquatic communities in RD networks compared to those in HD networks. Because drying duration, frequency, and spatial extent are increasing with climate change, RD networks could soon reach tipping points, calling for long‐term monitoring of biodiversity in these novel ecosystems.

Harnessing wild relatives of pearl millet for germplasm enhancement: Challenges and opportunities

AbstractPearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is one of the world's hardiest warm‐season cereal crop and is cultivated mainly in the semi‐arid tropics of Asia and Africa for food, feed, fodder, and brewing. It is mainly cultivated for its gluten‐free grains with high content and better quality of nutrients. Pearl millet is a resilient crop that can produce grain and biomass under harsh conditions like low fertility, erratic rainfall, acidic and saline soils, and the hottest climates. However, biotic stresses such as downy mildew and blast diseases and abiotic stresses, especially drought and seedling‐ and flowering‐stage heat stress, pose constant threat to the realization of yield potential of this crop. To make further improvement in threshold level of abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, breeders are looking for novel genes in diverse germplasm sources. Crop wild relatives (CWRs) could be a source of novel genes that are important for diversification of the genetic base of pearl millet. A stage‐gate process is proposed for the efficient management of prebreeding programs using CWRs as a source of germplasm diversity and improvement. This article explains the various strategies for capturing and using alleles for climate resilience traits improvement. This article covers breeders’ perspectives on importance of using CWRs as germplasm source for crop improvement. This article also describes the availability of CWRs, characterization of new traits and the strategies to be applied for the identification and introduction of genes of interest in elite breeding lines and commercial varieties and hybrids of pearl millet.

Emergency Room Nurses and Surviving Adversity: Benefits of Resilience Traits

Emergency Room Nurses and Surviving Adversity: Benefits of Resilience Traits

High-Temperature and Drought-Resilience Traits among Interspecific Chromosome Substitution Lines for Genetic Improvement of Upland Cotton.

Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growth and development during the pre-and post-flowering stages are susceptible to high temperature and drought. We report the field-based characterization of multiple morpho-physiological and reproductive stress resilience traits in 11 interspecific chromosome substitution (CS) lines isogenic to each other and the inbred G. hirsutum line TM-1. Significant genetic variability was detected (p < 0.001) in multiple traits in CS lines carrying chromosomes and chromosome segments from CS-B (G. barbadense) and CS-T (G. tomentosum). Line CS-T15sh had a positive effect on photosynthesis (13%), stomatal conductance (33%), and transpiration (24%), and a canopy 6.8 °C cooler than TM-1. The average pollen germination was approximately 8% greater among the CS-B than CS-T lines. Based on the stress response index, three CS lines are identified as heat- and drought-tolerant (CS-T07, CS-B15sh, and CS-B18). The three lines demonstrated enhanced photosynthesis (14%), stomatal conductance (29%), transpiration (13%), and pollen germination (23.6%) compared to TM-1 under field conditions, i.e., traits that would expectedly enhance performance in stressful environments. The generated phenotypic data and stress-tolerance indices on novel CS lines, along with phenotypic methods, would help in developing new cultivars with improved resilience to the effects of global warming.

COVID-19 resilience and neuroscience

Lately, neuroscience has proven key in providing scientific answers to research conducted in other disciplines. Resilience, from the point of view of neuroscience, takes on a new meaning due to the lockdown experienced under the COVID-19 pandemic. This article is the result of an investigation carried out during confinement in Spain, Mexico and Chile. It shows the preliminary results of the analysis of stress risk factors and resilience in neuroscience, identifying possible stress risk factors using socio-demographic data. A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational and comparative study was conducted in a sample of 784 participants. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC10) was used to identify resilience traits. The findings reveal a non-significant result among the countries, but statistically significant results in the level of education variable, which is associated with cognitive flexibility. The possible stress risk factors did not evince significant results. Thus, promoting resilience at an early age comes as a relevant finding. As argued by epigenetics, to immerse oneself in contexts where meaningful bonds are promoted, is essential to improve vital processes such as resilience and prevent potential stress risk factors.

93 Genomic basis of antibody response to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus vaccination

Abstract Antibody (Ab) response to natural infection with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus has been shown to be highly heritable (~0.40), to be genetically correlated with farrowing performance in PRRSV-infected sows, be controlled by two major QTL on chromosome 7, among others, and have moderate genomic prediction accuracy. However, waiting for PRRS outbreaks to occur to collect data limits the use of Ab response to select for increased PRRS resilience. Thus, we investigated the genomic basis of Ab response to PRRS vaccination with a modified live PRRSV vaccine as a strategy to generate data for this purpose. Nine hundred and six commercial F1 replacement gilts (189±16 days old) were vaccinated with a commercial PRRS modified live virus vaccine. Blood samples were collected 52 days after vaccination to measure Ab response, as sample-to-positive (S/P) ratio using a commercial ELISA, and for SNP genotyping (~50K). BayesC0 was used to estimate heritability for S/P ratio using in a model with contemporary group (CG) as fixed effect and SNP effects as random. Genome-wide association study and genomic prediction for S/P ratio were performed with BayesB (Pi=0.99). For genomic prediction, a three-fold cross-validation was used, in which each CG (n=3) was used as validation dataset. Accuracy of genomic prediction was defined as the correlation between genomic estimated breeding values and phenotypes adjusted for estimates of fixed effects, weighed by the number of individuals in the validation dataset. Heritability of S/P was moderate (0.35±0.04). A QTL was identified on chromosome 7 (25 Mb) explaining ~28% of the genetic variance. Accuracy of genomic prediction was fairly high (0.60±0.15). This is the first study describing the genomic basis of Ab response to PRRS vaccination with modified-live virus vaccine. Additional work is needed to evaluate the genetic correlation of Ab response to vaccination with resilience traits in pigs.

Involvement of abscisic acid and other stress indicators in taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) response to drought conditions

Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) is a staple food and represents an important food security role in most tropical regions. It is, unfortunately, susceptible to prolonged drought conditions. Abscisic acid (ABA) is a well-documented stress-induced phytohormone that tolerant crops usually accumulate in leaves to induce stomatal closure, preventing water loss through inhibition of transpiration. Hitherto, exists very scarce information regarding the ABA role in taro response to drought. Here, we determined the ABA content in the shoots and corms of taro subjected to seven months of water scarcity and linked ABA to other drought resilience traits, including carbon isotopic discrimination (Δ13C), oxalic acid (OA), chlorophyll content index (CCI), water use efficiency (WUE), and biomass (B). The Δ13C-shoot content showed partially open stomata in all accessions, and significant correlation with Δ13C-corm, CCI, and WUE. The osmotically active OA-shoot decrease seemed not to interfere with the stomatal aperture. The tolerant accessions subjected to drought stress had higher B-corm, ABA-shoot, Δ13C-shoot, CCI, OA, and WUE. However, the observed under drought conditions increase of ABA in the shoots, and its decrease in the corms were not significantly correlated, nor with other traits, suggesting that ABA was not the main regulator of taro physiological processes under stress. The information gained should be considered in breeding programs to predict taro’s response to climate change.