An experimental investigation of the impact of rapport on Stroop test performance.

Rapport in the context of neuropsychological testing refers to the level of interpersonal ease between examiner and examinee. However, scant research has examined the impact of rapport on neuropsychological test performance. The purpose of this between-subjects experiment was to investigate the impact of rapport on Stroop test performance. College students (N = 114) were randomly assigned to either a high or a low rapport condition and administered the D-KEFS Color-Word Interference Test. Individuals in the low rapport condition took longer to complete the Inhibition Trial of the Stroop test but did not vary on the Inhibition/Switching Trial. Low rapport may distract examinees, sapping attentional resources on the Inhibition Trial.

Measuring rapport in neuropsychological assessment: the Barnett Rapport Questionnaire.

Rapport is an important component of neuropsychological test administration; however, there is a lack of psychometrically sound measures of rapport in the context of neuropsychological assessment. The purpose of this study was to explore adapting measures of the psychotherapeutic alliance specifically to neuropsychological test administration and investigate their feasibility and construct validity. College students (N = 126) were administered a brief battery of neuropsychological tests in either a high-rapport or low-rapport condition. Participants in the high-rapport condition rated rapport as being higher, suggesting that the items captured the nature of the interpersonal interaction between examiner and examinee. The results suggest the feasibility of adapting items from measures of the psychotherapeutic alliance for measuring rapport in neuropsychological testing. This article introduces the Barnett Rapport Questionnaire, a measure of rapport in the context of neuropsychological assessment.

Body image satisfaction and loneliness among young adult and older adult age cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Lower body image satisfaction has been linked with greater loneliness among young adults, but this relationship has not been investigated among older adults. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between body image and loneliness among young and older adult age cohorts as well as explore stigma consciousness as a mediator between body image dissatisfaction and loneliness among older adults. METHODS: Participants consisting of 459 young adults and 353 older adults over the age of 59 completed a cross-sectional survey regarding health and perceptions of aging from fall 2017 through spring 2018. RESULTS: Young adults had lower levels of body image satisfaction and higher levels of loneliness in comparison to older adults. The relationship between loneliness and body image satisfaction was stronger among young adults when compared to older adults. Among older adults, stigma consciousness mediated the relationship between body image satisfaction and loneliness. CONCLUSION: Older adults lower in body image satisfaction may be more conscious of age-based stigmas and thereby have greater loneliness.

A loneliness model of hypochondriasis among older adults: The mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty and anxious symptoms.

Loneliness has been described as an epidemic and is associated with a number of adverse health and psychosocial outcomes. In this study, we proposed a loneliness of model of hypochondriasis among older adults in which loneliness triggers a maladaptive threat response in which there is greater self-focus, leading to hypochondriasis through greater intolerance of uncertainty and anxious symptoms. Community-dwelling older adults (N = 280) participated in an interview survey. Results found that loneliness was associated with higher hypochondriasis even after controlling for perceived health status and relationship status. Loneliness had a serial indirect effect on hypochondriasis through higher intolerance of uncertainty and anxious symptoms. With intolerance of uncertainty and anxious symptoms in the model, the relationship between loneliness and hypochondriasis was no longer significant, suggesting full mediation. The results support a loneliness model of hypochondriasis among older adults. Health care professionals working with older adults suffering from hypochondriacal concerns may wish to consider social factors such as loneliness.

Meaning in life and self-esteem help hospice nurses withstand prolonged exposure to death.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between the presence of and search for meaning in life and self-esteem, psychological distress, burnout and affect among hospice nurses. BACKGROUND: The nature of hospice nursing may prompt existential concerns. METHOD: Hospice nurses (N = 90) completed an online survey. RESULTS: The presence of meaning in life was associated with lower psychological distress, burnout and negative affect, and higher levels of positive affect, whereas the search for meaning in life was only associated with higher negative affect. Self-esteem mediated the relationship between the presence of meaning in life and psychological distress, burnout and negative affect. CONCLUSION: The presence of meaning in life promotes self-esteem, which then buffers against negative outcomes. IMPLICATION FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Although managers cannot directly instil meaning in life in hospice nurses, they may be able to help nurses to find or maintain meaning by promoting policies that allow them to participate in meaningful personal, cultural or religious activities. Additionally, managers of hospice nurses could connect them with resources (e.g. mentors, counsellors or chaplains) to cope with the existential demands of providing end-of-life care.

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current isolates and connects: Structured circumpolarity in the sea star Glabraster antarctica.

AIM: The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) connects benthic populations by transporting larvae around the continent, but also isolates faunas north and south of the Antarctic Convergence. We test circumpolar panmixia and dispersal across the Antarctic Convergence barrier in the benthic sea star Glabraster antarctica. LOCATION: The Southern Ocean and south Atlantic Ocean, with comprehensive sampling including the Magellanic region, Scotia Arc, Antarctic Peninsula, Ross Sea, and East Antarctica. METHODS: The cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene (n = 285) and the internal transcribed spacer region 2 (ITS2; n = 33) were sequenced. We calculated haplotype networks for each genetic marker and estimated population connectivity and the geographic distribution of genetic structure using ΦST for COI data. RESULTS: Glabraster antarctica is a single circum-Antarctic species with instances of gene flow between distant locations. Despite the homogenizing potential of the ACC, population structure is high (ΦST = 0.5236), and some subpopulations are genetically isolated. Genetic breaks in the Magellanic region do not align with the Antarctic Convergence, in contrast with prior studies. Connectivity patterns in East Antarctic sites are not uniform, with some regional isolation and some surprising affinities to the distant Magellanic and Scotia Arc regions. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Despite gene flow over extraordinary distances, there is strong phylogeographic structuring and genetic barriers evident between geographically proximate regions (e.g., Shag Rocks and South Georgia). Circumpolar panmixia is rejected, although some subpopulations show a circumpolar distribution. Stepping-stone dispersal occurs within the Scotia Arc but does not appear to facilitate connectivity across the Antarctic Convergence. The patterns of genetic connectivity in Antarctica are complex and should be considered in protected area planning for Antarctica.

Species and size diversity in protective services offered by coral guard-crabs.

Coral guard-crabs in the genus Trapezia are well-documented defenders of their pocilloporid coral hosts against coral predators such as the Crown-of-Thorns seastar (Acanthaster planci complex). The objectives of this study were to examine the protective services of six species of Trapezia against corallivory, and the extent of functional diversity among these Trapezia species. Studies conducted in Mo'orea, French Polynesia showed the Trapezia-coral mutualism protected the host corals from multiple predators through functional diversity in the assemblage of crab symbionts. Species differed in their defensive efficacy, but species within similar size classes shared similar abilities. Smaller-size Trapezia species, which were previously thought to be ineffective guards, play important defensive roles against small corallivores. We also measured the benefits of this mutualism to corals in the midst of an Acanthaster outbreak that reduced the live coral cover on the fore reef to less than 4%. The mutualism may positively affect the reef coral demography and potential for recovery during adverse predation events through shelter of multiple species of small corals near the host coral. Our results show that while functional diversity is supported within the genus, some Trapezia species may be functionally equivalent within the same size class, decreasing the threat of gaps in coral protection caused by absence or replacement of any single Trapezia species.

Sequential ovulation and fertility of polyoestrus in American black bears (Ursus americanus).

American black bears (Ursus americanus) are seasonally polyoestrous and exhibit delayed implantation, which may allow equal and independent fertility of recurrent oestruses of a mating season. We postulated that the luteal inactivity during delayed implantation allows bears to have sequential ovulation during a polyoestrous mating season such that each oestrus of a polyoestrous female will have equivalent fertility, and pregnancy would not preclude subsequent ovulation and superfetation. Controlled mating experiments were conducted on semi-free-ranging female American black bears during three mating seasons, wherein females were bred by different male cohorts in each oestrus. Behavioural observation, vulva score ranking, genetic paternity analysis, gross morphology of ovaries and microscopic morphology of diapaused embryos were used to evaluate the fertility of each subsequent oestrus in polyoestrous females. Oestrus duration, number of successful mounts and median vulva scores were similar between first and subsequent oestruses of the season. Polyoestrus occurred in 81.3% of oestrous females, with a 9.7 ±â€…5.5 day (mean ±â€…SD) inter-oestrous interval. Sequential ovulation was documented in three polyoestrous females, including one that possessed both a corpus haemorrhagicum and a developed corpus luteum. Among polyoestrous dams, four of nine embryos were conceived in the first oestrus and five of nine in the second oestrus. These results indicate that each oestrus of polyoestrous females is capable of fertility, even if the female is already pregnant from a prior oestrus. Although superfetation was not directly observed in the present study, our results strongly suggest the potential of superfetation in the American black bear and provide novel insight into the complex behavioural and physiological breeding mechanisms of bears. Given that most endangered bear species share similar reproductive traits with American black bears, captive breeding programmes could take advantage of superfetation by mating females with different males at each subsequent oestrus of the season in order to increase the genetic diversity of captive endangered bears.

Protein interacting with C-kinase 1/protein kinase Calpha-mediated endocytosis converts netrin-1-mediated repulsion to attraction.

In vertebrates, the receptor families deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC) and UNC5 mediate responses to the bifunctional guidance cue netrin-1. DCC mediates attraction, whereas a complex of DCC and UNC5 mediates repulsion. Thus, a primary determinant of the responsiveness of an axon to netrin-1 is the presence or absence of UNC5 family members on the cell surface. Currently, little is known about the role of receptor trafficking in regulating neuronal responses to netrin-1. We show that protein interacting with C-kinase 1 (PICK1) recruits activated protein kinase Calpha (PKCalpha) to MycUNC5A at the plasma membrane, stimulating its endocytosis. We identify two PKCalpha phosphorylation sites at serines 408 and 587, as well as dileucine internalization motifs, which are required for this endocytosis. We find that PKCalpha-stimulated internalization of UNC5A alters the functional response of developing hippocampal axons to netrin-1, preventing UNC5A-mediated growth cone collapse and converting netrin-1-stimulated chemorepulsion to attraction. To address whether this conversion in axonal response occurs in neurons expressing endogenous levels of UNC5, we show that mouse cerebellar granule axons exhibit chemorepulsion in a netrin-1 gradient and that this chemorepulsion is converted to chemoattraction after PKCalpha activation. We demonstrate that this repulsion depends on UNC5A because Unc5a-/- axons are not repelled and show this conversion depends on PICK1 because PICK1-/- axons are not converted to chemoattraction after PKCalpha activation. Together, these data provide a potential mechanism to explain how developing neurons alter their responsiveness to netrin-1 at intermediate choice points as they navigate to their targets.