Unexpected Direction Research Articles

The perceived social support of parents having bipolar disorder impacts their children’s mental health: a 10-year longitudinal study

BackgroundThe offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (OBD) are at higher risk of developing psychopathology than the offspring of parents with no affective disorder (control). In addition to genetic predisposition, childhood adversity and a stressful family environment are important risk factors for the OBD. Protective factors in parents, such as social support and coping strategies, may buffer the effects of stress on at-risk children. This study tested whether parents’ social support and coping style attenuated the link between risk status (OBD vs. control) and psychopathology in offspring.MethodsDuring offspring’s middle childhood, parents underwent a diagnostic interview and completed social support and coping style questionnaires. Sixty-nine OBD (39 female) and 69 control (29 female) offspring between ages 13 and 29 completed a diagnostic interview approximately 10 years later.ResultsParents’ social support satisfaction moderated the link between offspring risk status and their development of substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms (F(1,131) = 5.90, p = .017). Parents’ social network size moderated the link between offspring risk status and their development of anxiety and depression symptoms in an unexpected direction (F(1,131) = 5.07, p = .026). No effects of parents’ coping style were found.ConclusionsAmong the OBD, having parents with greater social support satisfaction and, unexpectedly, a smaller social network buffered their development of SUD and depression and anxiety symptoms by early adulthood. Parents’ social support may thus have a protective function for children in these high-risk families.

No beneficial associations between living with a pet and mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large UK longitudinal sample

ObjectiveDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an unprecedented interest in pet ownership, with many viewing pets as a coping strategy to mitigate isolation, loneliness, anxiety, and depression. However, the evidence that pet ownership is associated with mental health benefits is not conclusive. Methods6018 individuals in the UK completed online questionnaires from April 2020 and were recontacted at regular intervals for 12 months. We asked about pet ownership and pet adoption, and examined associations with depression, anxiety and anhedonia symptoms, and loneliness. We tested hypotheses related to dog ownership, exercise frequency and maintaining a daily structure, and the association between ownership and loneliness in individuals living alone. ResultsPet ownership was not associated with beneficial effects on any of the mental health outcomes at the first assessment or longitudinally. Instead, associations were in the unexpected direction, with owners generally having slightly worse mental health symptoms and loneliness. Dog owners were more likely to report exercising daily or nearly every day (40 %), relative to individuals with no pets (35 %), but were not more likely to maintain a daily schedule. Among individuals living alone, both cat and dog owners were less lonely than non-owners, but effect sizes were small. Initial levels of depression, anxiety, anhedonia or loneliness did not predict subsequent pet adoption. ConclusionOur findings challenge the narrative around the beneficial associations between pet ownership and mental health, a probable driver of the “pandemic puppies” phenomenon. The benefits found, for exercise in dog owners and loneliness in pet owners living alone, were marginal.

Does pollination interact with the abiotic environment to affect plant reproduction?

Abiotic and biotic components of the environment both limit plant reproduction, but how they interact with one another in combination is less understood. Understanding these interactions is especially relevant because abiotic and biotic environmental components respond differently to various global change drivers. Here we aim to understand whether the effects of pollination (biotic component) on plant reproduction depend on soil moisture (abiotic component), two factors known to affect plant reproduction and that are changing with global change. We conducted pollen supplementation experiments for two plant species, Delphinium nuttallianum and Hydrophyllum fendleri, in subalpine meadows in the Western USA across four years that varied in soil moisture. In a separate one-year field experiment, we factorially crossed water addition with pollen supplementation. We measured proportion fruit set, seeds per fruit, and seeds per plant, in addition to stomatal conductance, to determine whether plant physiology responded to watering. In the four-year study, only H. fendleri reproduction was pollen limited, and this occurred independently of soil moisture. Experimental water addition significantly increased soil moisture and stomatal conductance for both species. The effect of pollen addition on reproduction depended on the watering treatment only for H. fendleri fruit production. Reproduction in D. nuttallianum was not significantly affected by pollen addition or water addition, but it did respond to interannual variation in soil moisture. Although we find some evidence for the effect of a biotic interaction depending on abiotic conditions, it was only for one aspect of reproduction in one species, and it was in an unexpected direction. Our work highlights interactions between the abiotic and biotic components of the environment as an area of further research for improving our understanding of how plant reproduction responds to global change.

Unexpected roles for AMPK in the suppression of autophagy and the reactivation of MTORC1 signaling during prolonged amino acid deprivation

ABSTRACT AMPK promotes catabolic and suppresses anabolic cell metabolism to promote cell survival during energetic stress, in part by inhibiting MTORC1, an anabolic kinase requiring sufficient levels of amino acids. We found that cells lacking AMPK displayed increased apoptotic cell death during nutrient stress caused by prolonged amino acid deprivation. We presumed that impaired macroautophagy/autophagy explained this phenotype, as a prevailing view posits that AMPK initiates autophagy (often a pro-survival response) through phosphorylation of ULK1. Unexpectedly, however, autophagy remained unimpaired in cells lacking AMPK, as monitored by several autophagic readouts in several cell lines. More surprisingly, the absence of AMPK increased ULK1 signaling and MAP1LC3B/LC3B lipidation during amino acid deprivation while AMPK-mediated phosphorylation of ULK1 S555 (a site proposed to initiate autophagy) decreased upon amino acid withdrawal or pharmacological MTORC1 inhibition. In addition, activation of AMPK with compound 991, glucose deprivation, or AICAR blunted autophagy induced by amino acid withdrawal. These results demonstrate that AMPK activation and glucose deprivation suppress autophagy. As AMPK controlled autophagy in an unexpected direction, we examined how AMPK controls MTORC1 signaling. Paradoxically, we observed impaired reactivation of MTORC1 in cells lacking AMPK upon prolonged amino acid deprivation. Together these results oppose established views that AMPK promotes autophagy and inhibits MTORC1 universally. Moreover, they reveal unexpected roles for AMPK in the suppression of autophagy and the support of MTORC1 signaling in the context of prolonged amino acid deprivation. These findings prompt a reevaluation of how AMPK and its control of autophagy and MTORC1 affect health and disease.

Participant characteristics and exclusion from phase 3/4 industry funded trials of chronic medical conditions: meta-analysis of individual participant level data

ObjectivesTo assess whether age, sex, comorbidity count, and race and ethnic group are associated with the likelihood of trial participants not being enrolled in a trial for any reason (ie,...

Do ESG Factors Prove Significant Predictors of Systematic and Downside Risks in the Russian Market after Controlling for Stock Liquidity?

This paper reveals the impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores on systematic and downside risks in the Russian stock market. We analyze the influence of a broad set of ESG factors controlling for stock liquidity, financial indicators of companies, and macroeconomic indicators. The period under consideration is from 2013 to 2021. The methodology of our research is based on regression analysis with multiplicative variables to reveal the changes induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. We obtain several novel results. Social responsibility is one of the most significant non-fundamental factors influencing both systematic and downside risks. The most important environment-related component is the measure of a company’s propensity to environmental innovations. Some dimensions of stock liquidity are also significant. For some factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and debt burden, we find an unexpected direction of influence on liquidity.

Challenges of Measuring Self-Reported Exposure to Occupational Biomechanical Risk Factors Amongst People with Low Literacy Engaged in Manual Labour: Findings from a Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Investigation in an African Population with Chronic Low Back Pain

PurposeOccupational biomechanical factors are implicated in the aetiology and progression of low back pain (LBP). This study cross-culturally adapted and psychometrically investigated the Occupational Risk Factor Questionnaire (ORFQ) in a low literate Nigerian Igbo population with chronic LBP.MethodsForward and back translation of the original ORFQ by clinical and non-clinical translators was followed by an expert committee review. The adapted ORFQ was pre-tested amongst rural Nigerian adults with chronic LBP using cognitive think-aloud interviewing. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and test–retest reliability (unweighted and linear weighted k statistic for item-by-item agreement, and intra-class correlation coefficient—ICC) were investigated amongst 50 rural and urban Nigerian dwellers with chronic LBP. Spearman’s correlation and regression analyses were conducted with the Igbo-ORFQ, and measures of disability [World Health Organisation Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0), Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), Back performance scale (BPS)], pain intensity [Eleven-point box scale (BS-11)] and social support [Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS)], to test construct validity with 200 rural Nigerian dwellers with chronic LBP.ResultsCross-cultural adaptation highlighted difficulty conceptualising and concretising exposure to biomechanical risk factors. Item-by-item agreement, internal consistency (α = 0.84) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC = 0.83) were good. Some unexpected direction of associations between the biomechanical components of the Igbo-ORFQ, and disability, pain intensity, and social support prohibits establishment of construct validity.ConclusionProspective studies comparing the Igbo-ORFQ to other measures of exposure to occupational biomechanical risk factors are required to establish the construct validity of the Igbo-ORFQ.

Religious Experiences, Expectations of Discrimination, and Distress Among Biracial Christians

Similar to their monoracial counterparts, Black–White biracial individuals experience negative psychological and social responses to discrimination and racial stigma, including experiencing fears of future discrimination (anticipated discrimination). Extending minority stress theory (MST) to the stigma-related experiences of Christians, a unique subgroup of the biracial population, this study assessed responses to future expectations of multiracial discrimination (FEMD; discrimination based upon biracial status) among a community sample of 199 Black–White biracial Christians. We hypothesized that various religious/spiritual experiences might moderate the association between FEMD and distress. Several moderation analyses were conducted evaluating the role of God-centered self-esteem, communion with God, and church support in moderating the association between FEMD and depression, anxiety, and stress. Church support moderated the association between FEMD and depression and stress in an unexpected direction. As participants’ FEMD increased, they reported more depression and stress symptoms, with more depressive and stress symptoms endorsed at medium and high levels of church support but not at low levels of church support. Furthermore, despite the lack of a moderating role in the association between FEMD and distress variables, communion with God demonstrated a negative association (a small effect) with depression, and God-centered self-esteem showed a negative association with depression (a medium effect) and anxiety (a small effect). Clinical implications and directions for future research are presented.

Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms and Coping in the Time of COVID-19: A Longitudinal Assessment

The purpose of this study was to assess the rate of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) experienced by individuals in response to COVID-19; to identify which coping strategies individuals employed in response to the pandemic; and to understand the relationship between COVID-19 stress and PTSS over time. Adult participants were assessed at three timepoints over the course of approximately 8 months. Between 13% and 15% of participants endorsed high levels of PTSS at Time 1, indicative of likely PTSD. Participants endorsed using a variety of coping strategies with moderate frequency at Time 1, including self-distraction, active coping, positive reframing, planning, acceptance, and religion. Longitudinally, Time 1 COVID-19 stress was found to predict the development of Time 3 PTSS. This relationship was partially mediated by Time 2 behavioral disengagement. Additionally, acceptance was identified as a moderator of the relationship between Time 1 COVID-19 stress and Time 3 PTSS, in an unexpected direction.

Revitalizing Women's Labor Force Participation in North Africa: An Exploration of Novel Empowerment Pathways

ABSTRACT This paper explores new pathways to women's empowerment, including household structure, family support, satisfaction and self-esteem, and trust in institutions and politicians, and their impact on labor market participation, with a specific focus on gender differences. Using a microeconomic database of 7,860 individuals from North Africa and employing a Probit model, we find that gender significantly influences labor market participation. Surprisingly, our results reveal that education operates in an unexpected direction in the North African region, confirming the “MENA paradox”. Moreover, household structure's impact on labor decisions varies by gender, as gender norms prevalent in male-dominated societies hinder women's labor market participation, leading to a “marriage penalty.” In a similar vein, our estimations reveal a significant positive correlation between men's belief that “men should have greater job rights than women during scarce work periods” and their labor force participation, shedding light on the influential role of gender norms in North Africa. Our study emphasizes the critical role of networking, social capital, and how North Africans' perception of political life impedes their labor force participation. As for policy implications, our contribution illuminates new pathways for women's empowerment, advocating for comprehensive legislative reforms to promote gender equality and foster inclusive development.

Intolerance of uncertainty, experiential avoidance, and trust in physician: a moderated mediation analysis of emotional distress in advanced cancer.

We tested whether patients' trust in physician moderated the hypothesized indirect association between intolerance of uncertainty (IU; inability to tolerate the unknown) and emotional distress through the mediator, experiential avoidance (EA; efforts to avoid negative emotions, thoughts, or memories), in patients with advanced cancer. The sample included 108 adults with Stage III or IV cancer (53% female; Mage = 63 years) recruited from a metropolitan cancer center. All constructs were measured by standardized self-report instruments. The PROCESS macro for SPSS tested the moderated mediation model. IU evidenced significant direct and indirect relationships with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Trust in physician moderated the indirect relationship between IU and anxiety (not depressive symptoms), albeit in an unexpected direction. Specifically, the indirect relationship between IU and anxiety symptoms through EA was significant for those with moderate to high physician trust but not low trust. Controlling for gender or income did not change the pattern of findings. IU and EA may be key intervention targets, particularly in acceptance-or meaning-based interventions for patients with advanced cancer.

Naïve chicks do not prefer objects with stable body orientation, though they may prefer behavioural variability

Domestic chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) have been widely used as a model to study the motion cues that allow visually naïve organisms to detect animate agents shortly after hatching/birth. Our previous work has shown that chicks prefer to approach agents whose main body axis and motion direction are aligned (a feature typical of creatures whose motion is constrained by a bilaterally symmetric body plan). However, it has never been investigated whether chicks are also sensitive to the fact that an agent maintains a stable front–back body orientation in motion (i.e. consistency in which end is leading and which trailing). This is another feature typical of bilateria, which is also associated with the detection of animate agents in humans. The aim of the present study was to fill this gap. Contrary to our initial expectations, after testing 300 chicks across 3 experimental conditions, we found a recurrent preference for the agent which did not maintain a stable front–back body orientation. Since this preference was limited to female chicks, the results are discussed also in relation to sex differences in the social behaviour of this model. Overall, we show for the first time that chicks can discriminate agents based on the stability of their front–back orientation. The unexpected direction of the effect could reflect a preference for agents’ whose behaviour is less predictable. Chicks may prefer agents with greater behavioural variability, a trait which has been associated with animate agents, or have a tendency to explore agents performing “odd behaviours”.

Abstract P123: Moderation of Associations Between Lifetime Racial Discrimination and Cardiometabolic Health by Physical Activity in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study

Introduction: Racial discrimination is associated with poorer cardiometabolic health. Whether physical activity can buffer these adverse health effects is unknown. We hypothesized that greater discrimination would be associated with poorer cardiometabolic health, but associations would be blunted with higher moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Methods: This was an analysis of 2,129 CARDIA participants. Perceived race discrimination was reported at baseline (2000-2001) and categorized as none, moderate, or high for Black participants and none or any for White participants. Different categorization was used to account for the low percentage of White participants reporting discrimination. Health markers including blood pressure (BP), cholesterol (total, HDL-C, LDL-C), HbA1c, and C-reactive protein were measured at baseline, 5, 10, and 15 years. MVPA was measured using an accelerometer at 5-year follow-up. Race stratified mixed effects linear regression examined the main effect of race specific discrimination with health markers. Moderation by MVPA was examined by its product with discrimination in each model. Main effect estimates were computed using linear predictions at the mean and ± 1 SD of MVPA if the interaction term was p<0.10. Results: Participants were 58% female, 40% black, and 45.3 ± 3.5 years of age at baseline. Contrary to our hypothesis, race discrimination was not significantly associated with health markers in Black or White participants. Significant interactions are presented in the Figure . Among Black participants, high discrimination was associated with higher HbA1c at higher MVPA (+1 SD) only. Conclusions: Perceived race discrimination was not associated with cardiometabolic health among Black or White participants though associations with HbA1c among Black participants may depend on MVPA levels in an unexpected direction. Future studies should further examine MVPA and additional factors which may be related to the health effects of discrimination among minoritized groups.

La transposition du Conseil d'État français dans le Duché de Varsovie (1807–1813). Aux origines de la proximité juridique franco-polonaise (acte 2)

Despite drawing on French culture in earlier centuries, it was not until Napoleon created the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 that a flood of direct and indirect transpositions of French institutions and legal solutions affected Polish lands. Under radically different socio-economic conditions, however, they frequently evolved differently from their country of origin, more than once in an unexpected direction. This article is a part of a series of publications in which, by comparing two different optics for analysing the same phenomenon, the authors encourage us to abandon national subjectivism in favour of a more objective dialogue. Indeed, the same reality can give rise to several interpretations, especially when it comes to the transposition of legal models from one country to another.

The Fifth Stage Enigma, or The First Pilot in the History of Egypt (On a Hypothesis of Oleg D. Berlev)

2023 marks the 90th anniversary of the eminent Russian Egyptologist O. D. Berlev (1933-2023). This scientist is in a league of his own in Russian Egyptology. He had left no apprentices, but his fundamental knowledge and erudition made it possible to see the life of Ancient Egyptians literally on the inside. Therefore, this article is not just a tribute to the memory of our distinguished compatriot; rather it seeks to show that his ideas remain relevant and sometimes set a completely unexpected direction of scientific research. For example, while analyzing the biographical texts of the official named Uni (Sixth Dynasty), Prof. Berlev suggested that King Pepi I had established a special position for him: “the head of the fifth phyle of palace gardeners Khentiushe”. The fact is that a typical organization of labor force in Old Kingdom Egypt required the participation of only four phyles (i.e., 4 contingents of detachments), who replaced one another in course of a four-months season. Work gangs took shifts for rest or were redistributed for various types of work. Obviously, the purpose of establishing a non-typical position was the official’s certain duties which distinguished him from other participants of the work process. Prof. Berlev concluded that in this position Uni headed five victorious military campaigns in Asia. However, in this case a question arises: how could a high economic official lead the army and navy? Elaborating the hypothesis of Prof. Berlev, the author concludes that the real duty of Uni in these campaigns were not his military talents, but rather his ability to guide warships with infantry through waterways and channels towards the Mediterranean and Levantine coasts. In other words, Uni was not a military strategist, but rather a talented navigator to whom the command of the army passed for the entire time of venturesome crossings through the Nile Delta. Therefore, this function is consistent with his duties as the “head of the palace gardeners”, i.e. workers responsible for the water-engineering sector as a whole.

Topology optimization design of compliant amplification mechanisms with low parasitic displacement

Compliant amplification mechanisms amplify input displacement in the desired output direction. However, owing to structural design, parasitic motion can easily be produced in an unexpected direction. The parasitic motion has a negative effect on the motion accuracy of the mechanism. To solve this problem, a topology optimization method for compliant amplification mechanisms with low parasitic displacement was proposed. Based on the variable density topology optimization method, the topology optimization model of the compliant amplification mechanism was established with the goal of increasing the output displacement and reducing the parasitic displacement. Volume ratio was set as constraint condition. The optimization criterion method were used to solve the problem and topology optimized amplification mechanisms (TOAMs) were obtained. Simultaneously, the configuration characteristics and displacement amplification ratios of the mechanism under different virtual spring stiffnesses were compared. To verify the validity of the method, the performance of the TOAM and the typical amplification mechanism (TAM) were compared using finite element simulation. The displacement amplification ratio is 5.95 and 3.17, and the relative parasitic displacement is 0.6% and 10.27%, respectively. Finally, the performance of the TOAM and the TAM was verified by experiments. The displacement amplification ratio is 5.72 and 3.06, and the relative parasitic displacement is 0.95% and 10.64%, respectively. Simulation and experimental results show that the TOAM has a larger displacement amplification ratio and a lower parasitic displacement, which verifies the validity of this method.

The Work Intervention Network (WIN): Foundations of a Holistic Vocational Intervention

The aim of the current study was to examine whether the key constructs targeted in the Work Intervention Network (WIN) intervention uniquely predicted well-being outcomes and mediated relations between un/underemployment and these outcomes. Using data from a sample of 462 adults in the U.S., we positioned employment status as a predictor of life satisfaction, well-being, and psychological distress. We also tested four mediators of these relations that operationalized targets in the WIN intervention – career engagement, social support, self-care, and self-blame. Employment status indirectly predicted life satisfaction, life meaning, and psychological distress via self-care and self-blame. Career engagement mediated the relation between employment status and psychological distress but in an unexpected direction. Social support was not directly predicted by employment status but predicted life satisfaction and life meaning. Results provided initial support for the WIN intervention and corroborate the contention that employment status is an important predictor of well-being.

Application of optical velocity measurements including a novel calibration technique for micron-resolution to investigate the gas flow in a model experiment for crystal growth

An important step in the fabrication of many modern semiconductor materials and devices is the crystal growth process. These processes take place in high-temperature furnaces using inert gas and other atmospheres. The flow in the gas phase influences the transport of crystal components, dopants and impurities and hence has a significant impact on the grown crystals. In this work, we study the flow in a simplified model of a crystal growth furnace. This model is made of PMMA filled with a Diesel mixture as a model fluid to match the refractive index of PMMA and to allow for measurements in the complex geometry. The comparability to the flow in a real furnace is ensured by matching the Reynolds number. Two optical measurement methods, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and the Laser Doppler Velocity Profile Sensor (LDV-PS) are used to investigate the global flow field as well as the small-scale flow structures. A calibration model is developed for the LDV-PS to reduce systematic measurement errors caused by the refractive index of the model fluid from up to 1% to less than 0,1%. The results obtained in this study improve the understanding of the gas flow behavior inside a crystal growth furnace and provide reference data for simulation. The first analysis shows a highly unsteady flow with unexpected flow direction along the crystal and melt surfaces. The near-surface flow patterns are of particular relevance in crystal growth because of their large influence on the local heat and mass transport during the crystallization process.

Universal ingredients to parenting teens: parental warmth and autonomy support promote adolescent well-being in most families

Even though each adolescent is unique, some ingredients for development may still be universal. According to Self-Determination Theory, every adolescent’s well-being should benefit when parents provide warmth and autonomy. To rigorously test this idea that each family has similar mechanisms, we followed 159 Dutch parent-adolescent dyads (parent: Mage = 45.34, 79% mothers; adolescent: Mage = 13.31, 62% female) for more than three months, and collected 100 consecutive daily reports of parental warmth, autonomy support, positive and negative affect. Positive effects of parental warmth and autonomy support upon well-being were found in 91–98% of the families. Preregistered analysis of 14,546 daily reports confirmed that effects of parenting differed in strength (i.e., some adolescents benefited more than others), but were universal in their direction (i.e., in fewer than 1% of families effects were in an unexpected direction). Albeit stronger with child-reported parenting, similar patterns were found with parent-reports. Adolescents who benefited most from need-supportive parenting in daily life were characterized by higher overall sensitivity to environmental influences. Whereas recent work suggests that each child and each family have unique developmental mechanisms, this study suggests that need-supportive parenting promotes adolescent well-being in most families.

Patterns in Second Language Utterance Fluency: An Exploratory Meta-analysis of Correlational Research

This paper describes an exploratory meta-analysis of correlations between second language (L2) utterance fluency (UF) phenomena. UF refers to the temporal, pausing, and repair features of speech. Correlations between 24 pairings of UF measures were meta-analyzed, encompassing a total of 179 effect sizes from 31 primary studies. Results indicate that most of the UF measure pairings display weak to moderate correlations in the expected direction. On the other hand, there were significant correlations in the unexpected direction between several breakdown phenomena, suggesting a trade-off effect may have occurred. Thirdly, some measure pairings displayed no significant correlation in either direction, suggesting they may function independently of each other in L2 speech. Finally, suggestions are made as to how these tentative findings can be explored in future research.