Authentication of Fennel, Star Anise, and Anise Essential Oils by Gas Chromatography (GC/MS) and Stable Isotope Ratio (GC/IRMS) Analyses.

The aromatic compound (E)-anethol is widely used in the flavor, fragrance, and medicinal industries. This compound is commonly produced through steam distillation of fennel, star anise, and anise seed. Given the cost of production, these natural and authentic essential oils are commonly adulterated with lower-cost natural materials or synthetic alternatives. The current study investigates essential oil profiles (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) and stable isotope ratios (gas chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry) of the abundant compound (E)-anethol in both authentic reference standards (n = 15) and commercially available samples (n = 30). This multifaceted analytical approach establishes techniques for ensuring the authenticity of essential oil sources of (E)-anethol and was then used to evaluate the current essential oil market sources of (E)-anethol. These findings report that adulteration of (E)-anethol-containing natural products takes various forms, and a multifaceted analytical approach is recommended for authentication. Of the commercial samples analyzed for this report, 27% were adulterated.

Fire influences ant diversity by modifying vegetation structure in an Australian tropical savanna.

Fire is a dominant ecological force shaping many faunal communities globally. Fire affects fauna either directly, such as by killing individuals, or indirectly, such as by modifying vegetation structure. Vegetation structure itself also modulates fire frequency and intensity. As such, faunal responses to fire need to be seen through the lens of variable fire activity and vegetation structure. Here, we incorporate information on fire activity and vegetation structure to enhance an understanding of the response of ants to long-term (17-year) experimental fire treatments in an extremely fire-prone tropical savanna in northern Australia. Previous analysis revealed limited divergence in ant communities after 5 years of experimental fire treatment. Hence, we first investigated the extent to which ant communities diverged over a subsequent 12 years of treatment. We then assessed the relative contribution of fire treatment, cumulative fire intensity (fire activity), and woody cover to responses of ant species frequency of occurrence, richness, and composition. We found that, even after 17 years, fire treatments explained little variation in any ant response variable. In contrast, woody cover was a strong predictor for all of them, while fire activity was a moderate predictor for abundance and richness. Ant species occurrence and richness increased in open habitats receiving higher levels of fire activity, compared with plots with higher vegetation cover experiencing low (or no) fire activity. Moreover, species composition differed between plots with high and low vegetation cover. Our findings provide experimental support to the principle that the effects of fire on fauna are primarily indirect, via its effect on vegetation structure. Furthermore, our results show that a "uniform" fire regime does not have uniform impacts on the ant fauna, because of variability imposed by interactions between vegetation structure and fire activity. This helps to explain why there is often a weak relationship between pyrodiversity and biodiversity, and it lessens the need for active management of pyrodiversity to maintain biodiversity.

The Authentic and Hubristic Pride scales do not validly assess the two-facet model of pride: Time to rewind and reboot with new measures.

The Authentic and Hubristic Pride scales (see record 2007-02840-009) have been used in hundreds of studies aiming to investigate the popular 2-facet model of pride (Tracy & Robins, 2004, 2007), and they continue to be the primary assessment tools used for that purpose. In 2014, in this journal, Holbrook et al. (2014a, 2014b) raised concerns about the validity of these scales' scores, such as arguing that the Hubristic Pride scale did not measure pride at all, whereupon Tracy and Robins (2014) responded to defend these scales' scores' validities. Marshaling extensive additional data collected in recent years, in the present paper we (a) corroborate some of the central concerns earlier raised by Holbrook et al., and (b) raise novel additional concerns about these scales, such as severe deficits in the Hubristic Pride scale's measurement precision. We conclude that the Authentic and Hubristic Pride scales are invalid for the purpose of operationalizing Tracy and Robins' 2-facet model of pride. We call upon the field to rewind existing research on the topic and reboot with new measures that can validly assess the still potentially groundbreaking 2-facet theory proposed by Tracy and Robins (2004, 2007). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Authentic/hubristic pride controversies as a window on broader emotion measurement issues: Reply to Tracy et al. (2023).

Replies to Tracy, et al. (see record 2023-63008-002) on the current authors' comments (see record 2023-63008-001) to Tracy, et al.'s original article (see record 2007-02840-009). In our conceptual and empirical review of the Authentic Pride (AP) and Hubristic Pride (HP) scales, we concluded that they do not validly assess a two-facet model of the emotion of pride. For instance, we concluded that the HP scale is not a measure of pride at all and suffers from other deficits (e.g., zero-inflated scores and lack of measurement precision), which make it unsuitable for use in most research. Yet, Tracy et al. raised insightful questions and counterpoints that show some of our arguments to be less dispositive than we had perceived them to be. In addition, some of the issues raised in this exchange speak to important issues in emotion assessment generally, some of which have thus far been inadequately discussed in the field of emotion research. We (a) highlight a few of the main areas of disagreement between us and Tracy et al., and (b) describe how these disagreements point to important issues in emotion assessment more broadly. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Population genomics and conservation management of the threatened black-footed tree-rat (Mesembriomys gouldii) in northern Australia.

Genomic diversity is a fundamental component of Earth's total biodiversity, and requires explicit consideration in efforts to conserve biodiversity. To conserve genomic diversity, it is necessary to measure its spatial distribution, and quantify the contribution that any intraspecific evolutionary lineages make to overall genomic diversity. Here, we describe the range-wide population genomic structure of a threatened Australian rodent, the black-footed tree-rat (Mesembriomys gouldii), aiming to provide insight into the timing and extent of population declines across a large region with a dearth of long-term monitoring data. By estimating recent trajectories in effective population sizes at four localities, we confirm widespread population decline across the species' range, but find that the population in the peri-urban area of the Darwin region has been more stable. Based on current sampling, the Melville Island population made the greatest contribution to overall allelic richness of the species, and the prioritisation analysis suggested that conservation of the Darwin and Cobourg Peninsula populations would be the most cost-effective scenario to retain more than 90% of all alleles. Our results broadly confirm current sub-specific taxonomy, and provide crucial data on the spatial distribution of genomic diversity to help prioritise limited conservation resources. Along with additional sampling and genomic analysis from the far eastern and western edges of the black-footed tree-rat distribution, we suggest a range of conservation and research priorities that could help improve black-footed tree-rat population trajectories at large and fine spatial scales, including the retention and expansion of structurally complex habitat patches.

Psychopathy facets, perceived power, and forms of aggression.

Despite research indicating that exerting dominance and control is characteristic of psychopathy, no research has examined the role that feelings of and desire for power plays in psychopathy-related aggression. Borrowing from various literatures and novel conceptualizations, we investigated the contributions of feeling powerful and/or desiring power and distinct psychopathy facets in explaining aggression manifested in different forms (i.e., physical, verbal, indirect) across 4 samples. Results from regression analyses within each sample and a meta-analysis across the samples indicated that the impulsive facet of psychopathy was generally related to multiple forms of aggression, and the unique variance in the affective facet was primarily related to physical aggression across samples. In contrast, the unique variance of the interpersonal facet showed a primary relationship with indirect aggression (e.g., relational, passive). Desiring power made unique contributions in relation to multiple forms of aggression, whereas feeling powerful was generally unrelated and/or negatively related to aggression. In sum, the unique variance in the psychopathy facets showed fairly specialized relationships with forms of aggression, and desire for power may be an independent explanatory construct for multiple forms of aggression proneness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scales probably do not validly measure need frustration.

In basic psychological needs theory (BPNT), the separable constructs of need satisfaction and need frustration are theorized as pivotally related to psychopathology and broader aspects of well-being. The Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scales (BPNSFS; Chen et al., 2015) have rapidly emerged as the dominant self-report measure in the BPNT domain, with translated versions available in a wide range of languages and a plethora of versions adapted for specific populations and life contexts. Through (a) an extended conceptual discussion of the BPNSFS and (b) a collection of complementary data analyses in eight samples, we demonstrate that the BPNSFS probably does not validly measure need frustration. Most importantly, we conclude that the ostensible distinction between need frustration and need satisfaction in the BPNSFS is likely primarily a method artifact caused by different item keying directions, given the way the measure currently assesses the intended constructs. If so, then the use of the BPNSFS may be generating misleading conclusions, obstructing sound investigation of current BPNT. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Essential Oil Composition and Stable Isotope Profile of Osmorhiza occidentalis Torr. (Apiaceae) from Utah.

Osmorhiza occidentalis Torr. is an essential-oil-bearing plant in the Apiaceae family. Volatile oil was produced through steam distillation (n = 3) of the above ground plant parts and was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC/FID, GC/MS), and gas chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/IRMS) to establish the essential oil composition and stable isotope profile. The resulting essential oils were found to be comprised of 33 volatile compounds. Prominent volatile compounds include methyl chavicol (avg. 61.6%), (Z)-ß-ocimene (avg. 14.7%), sabinene (avg. 10.5%), and γ-terpinene (avg. 2.8%). Stable isotope values were determined for prominent volatile compounds, including methyl chavicol, (Z)-ß-ocimene, sabinene, and γ-terpinene. Values for δ2H range from -393.479 (avg. sabinene) to -171.516 (avg. methyl chavicol). Those for δ13C range from -35.957 (avg. methyl chavicol) to -30.820 (avg. (Z)-ß-ocimene). The essential oil yield was 0.12% (w/w). The current study establishes for the first time, to the best knowledge of the authors, the essential oil yield, essential oil composition, and stable isotope profile of prominent volatile compounds extracted from the above-ground portions of O. occidentalis. These results provide insight into the volatile chemical composition produced by the plant and provide fundamental data for substantiation of ethnobotanical applications.

Essential Oil Composition and Stable Isotope Profile of Cultivated Ocimum campechianum Mill. (Lamiaceae) from Peru.

Ocimum campechianum Mill. (Peruvian basil) is an essential oil-bearing plant of the Lamiaceae family. Volatile oil produced through steam distillation of Peruvian basil was examined to establish the aromatic and stable isotope profiles of samples (n = 9) from three different cultivated plots in Peru. The resulting essential oils were analyzed by GC/FID, GC/MS, and GC/IRMS. In accordance with findings from other researchers, multiple chemotypes, defined by the most abundant aromatic compounds, exist within these populations. Overall, 55% of samples are the eugenol chemotype (values ranging 15.4-30.2%), 33% are the methyl eugenol chemotype (values ranging 68.1-68.7%), and a single sample is a mixture of both chemotypes, containing high levels of both eugenol (38.1%) and methyl eugenol (8.6%). Stable isotope ratios, δ2H and δ13C, performed on prominent compounds provide supporting data for distinguishing chemotypes. Complete aromatic profiles, stable isotope ratios, and essential oil yield are established for each sample. This study confirms the existence of multiple chemotypes and, for the first time, to the author's best knowledge, establishes stable isotope ratios for O. campechianum essential oil, which proves a useful tool in further investigating plant metabolism and determining essential oil authenticity.

Population collapse of a Gondwanan conifer follows the loss of Indigenous fire regimes in a northern Australian savanna.

Colonialism has disrupted Indigenous socioecological systems around the globe, including those supported by intentional landscape burning. Because most disruptions happened centuries ago, our understanding of Indigenous fire management is largely inferential and open to debate. Here, we investigate the ecological consequences of the loss of traditional Aboriginal fire management on fire-exposed savannas on the Arnhem Plateau, northern Australia, using the fire-sensitive conifer Callitris intratropica as a bio-indicator. We contrast Kakadu National Park, where traditional Aboriginal fire management was severely disrupted during the early twentieth century following Aboriginal relocation to surrounding settlements, and an adjacent Aboriginal estate where traditional Aboriginal fire management endures. Since 2006, traditional Aboriginal fire management at this site has been overlaid by a program of broad-scale institutionalized burning in the early dry season, designed to reduce greenhouse emissions. Using remote sensing, field survey, and dendrochronology, we show that on the Aboriginal estate, C. intratropica populations depend on the creation of a shifting patch mosaic of long unburned areas necessary for the recruitment of C. intratropica. However, the imposition of broad-scale fire management is disrupting this population patch dynamic. In Kakadu, there have been extreme declines of C. intratropica associated with widespread fires since the mid twentieth century and consequent proliferation of grass fuels. Fire management in Kakadu since 2007, designed to increase the size and abundance of patches of unburned vegetation, has not been able to reverse the population collapse of C. intratropica. Our study demonstrates that colonial processes including relocation of Indigenous people and institutional fire management can have deleterious consequences that are nearly irreversible because of hysteresis in C. intratropica population dynamics.

It looks like construct validity, but look again: Comment on Clutterbuck et al. (2021) and recommendations for test developers in the broad "empathy" domain.

Conceptual flaws can undermine even rigorous test development efforts, especially in the broad empathy and social cognition domains, which are characterized by measure proliferation and inconsistently used construct terms. We discuss these issues, focusing on a new instrument of "mentalizing" as a case study. Across several studies, Clutterbuck et al. (2021a) developed the Four-Item Mentalising Index (FIMI). They described it as the first self-report measure of mentalizing ability and suggested that it offers substantial advances for research and assessment. As we demonstrate with conceptual arguments and empirical data, the FIMI embodies several major problems that are common in this area of research. Using the FIMI as a case study, we underline the importance for test developers of attending to the nonnegotiable necessity of discriminant validity analyses, the challenge of choosing appropriate convergent validity measures, and the difficulties of navigating the jingle-jangle jungle of empathy and social cognition construct terms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Population genomics and conservation management of a declining tropical rodent.

Conservation management is improved by incorporating information about the spatial distribution of population genetic diversity into planning strategies. Northern Australia is the location of some of the world's most severe ongoing declines of endemic mammal species, yet we have little genetic information from this regional mammal assemblage to inform a genetic perspective on conservation assessment and planning. We used next-generation sequencing data from remnant populations of the threatened brush-tailed rabbit-rat (Conilurus penicillatus) to compare patterns of genomic diversity and differentiation across the landscape and investigate standardised hierarchical genomic diversity metrics to better understand brush-tailed rabbit-rat population genomic structure. We found strong population structuring, with high levels of differentiation between populations (FST = 0.21-0.78). Two distinct genomic lineages between the Tiwi Islands and mainland are also present. Prioritisation analysis showed that one population in both lineages would need to be conserved to retain at least ~80% of alleles for the species. Analysis of standardised genomic diversity metrics showed that approximately half of the total diversity occurs among lineages (δ = 0.091 from grand total γ = 0.184). We suggest that a focus on conserving remnant island populations may not be appropriate for the preservation of species-level genomic diversity and adaptive potential, as these populations represent a small component of the total diversity and a narrow subset of the environmental conditions in which the species occurs. We also highlight the importance of considering both genomic and ecological differentiation between source and receiving populations when considering translocations for conservation purposes.

Overlapping den tree selection by three declining arboreal mammal species in an Australian tropical savanna.

Tree cavities are important denning sites for many arboreal mammals. Knowledge of cavity requirements of individual species, as well as potential den overlap among species, is integral to their conservation. In Australia's tropical savannas, development of tree cavities is enhanced by high termite activity, and, conversely, reduced by frequent fires. However, it is poorly understood how the availability of tree cavities in the tropical savannas impacts tree cavity use and selection by cavity-dependent fauna. There has been a severe decline among arboreal mammal species in northern Australia over recent decades. Investigation of their cavity requirements may illuminate why these species have declined drastically in some areas but are persisting in others. Here we examined this issue in three species of arboreal mammals (Trichosurus vulpecula, Mesembriomys gouldii, Conilurus penicillatus) on Melville Island, northern Australia. We radiotracked individuals to their den sites to evaluate whether the species differ in their den tree and tree-cavity selection. The strongest influence on den tree selection was the presence of large cavities (> 10 cm entrance diameter), with all three species using larger cavities most frequently. Conilurus penicillatus, the smallest species, differed the most from the other species: it frequently was found in smaller, dead trees and its den sites were closer to the ground, including in hollow logs. The two larger species had broader den tree use, using larger live trees and dens higher up in the canopy. Dens of C. penicillatus are likely to be more susceptible to predation and destruction by high-intensity savanna fires. This may have contributed to this species' rapid decline, both on Melville Island and on the mainland. However, the apparent preference for larger tree cavities by all three arboreal species is concerning due to the limited availability of large trees across Australian savannas, which are subject to frequent, high-intensity fires.

Does rapid utilization of elevated nutrient availability allow eucalypts to dominate in the tropical savannas of Australia?

Northern Australia's savannas are among the most fire-prone biomes on Earth and are dominated by eucalypts (Eucalyptus and Corymbia spp.). It is not clear what processes allow this group to dominate under such extreme fire frequencies and whether a superior ability to compete for nutrients and water might play a role. There is evidence that eucalypts are adapted to frequent fires; juvenile eucalypts escape the fire trap by growing rapidly in height between fires. However, non-eucalypts are less able to escape the fire trap and tend to have stand structures strongly skewed toward suppressed juveniles. The mechanisms that drive these contrasting fire responses are not well understood. Here, we describe the results of a controlled glasshouse seedling experiment that evaluated the relative importance of nutrient and water availability in determining height growth and biomass growth of two eucalypt and one noneucalypt tree species, common in northern Australian savannas. We demonstrate that growth of eucalypt seedlings is particularly responsive to nutrient addition. Eucalypt seedlings are able to rapidly utilize soil nutrients and accumulate biomass at a much greater rate than noneucalypt seedlings. We suggest that a seasonal spike in nutrient availability creates a nutrient-rich microsite that allows eucalypt seedlings to rapidly gain height and biomass, increasing their likelihood of establishing successfully and reaching a fire-resistant size. Our results extend our understanding of how eucalypts dominate northern Australian savannas under extremely high fire frequencies.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Two Empathy Measures: A Comparison of the Measurement Precision, Construct Validity, and Incremental Validity of Two Multidimensional Indices.

The quality of empathy research, and clinical assessment, hinges on the validity and proper interpretation of the measures used to assess the construct. This study investigates, in an online sample of 401 adult community participants, the construct validity of the Affective and Cognitive Measure of Empathy (ACME) relative to that of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), the most widely used multidimensional empathy research measure. We investigated the factor structures of both measures, as well as their measurement precision across varying trait levels. We also examined them both in relation to convergent and discriminant criteria, including broadband personality dimensions, general emotionality, personality disorder features, and interpersonal malignancy. Our findings suggest that the ACME possesses incremental validity beyond the IRI for most constructs related to interpersonal malignancy. Our results further indicate that the IRI Personal Distress scale is severely deficient in construct validity, raising serious concerns regarding past findings that have included it when computing total empathy scores. Finally, our results indicate that both questionnaires display poor measurement precision at high trait levels, emphasizing the need for future researchers to develop indices that can reliably measure high levels of empathy.

Extending the nomological network of sexual objectification to psychopathic and allied personality traits.

Although the causes and correlates of sexual objectification almost certainly comprise a heterogeneous array of individual difference variables, little is known about sexual objectification perpetration's nomological network. We hypothesized that the broad personality construct of psychopathy would afford a fruitful framework for understanding and statistically predicting sexual objectification and investigated the implications of a host of psychopathic and psychopathy-related traits, including empathy, narcissism, impulsivity, and sadism, for interpersonal sexual objectification perpetration (ISOP). We augmented an extant self-report instrument of behavioral sexual objectification, the Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Scale-Perpetrator Version (Gervais, DiLillo, & McChargue, 2014), with attitudinal items. Two Mechanical Turk samples (Study 1: N = 401, 53% female, Mage = 36; Study 2: N = 419, 48% female, Mage = 37) were administered the augmented Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Scale-Perpetrator Version and a battery of well validated self-report instruments describing psychopathic and psychopathy-related traits. Dark personality traits were strongly associated with sexual objectification; sadism, low affective empathy, narcissism, disinhibition, and meanness emerged as the largest correlates. Further, our hypothesis that psychopathic traits would moderate (potentiate) the relation between ISOP attitudes and ISOP behaviors found support in both samples. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychopathy as an Emergent Interpersonal Syndrome: Further Reflections and Future Directions.

In our article (Lilienfeld et al., 2019), we hypothesized that psychopathy and some other personality disorders are emergent interpersonal syndromes (EISs): interpersonally malignant configurations of distinct personality subdimensions. We respond to three commentaries by distinguished scholars who raise provocative challenges to our arguments and intriguing suggestions for future research. We clarify the role of folk concepts in our understanding of psychopathy, offer further suggestions for testing our interactional hypotheses, consider the role of boldness in motivational accounts of psychopathy, and discuss future directions for incorporating developmental considerations and the role of victims in our EIS account. We are optimistic that this account will prove to be of heuristic value, and should encourage researchers and theoreticians to explore alternative models of psychopathy and other personality disorders.

Personality Disorders as Emergent Interpersonal Syndromes: Psychopathic Personality as a Case Example.

Personality disorders have long been bedeviled by a host of conceptual and methodological quandaries. Starting from the assumption that personality disorders are inherently interpersonal conditions that reflect folk concepts of social impairment, the authors contend that a subset of personality disorders, rather than traditional syndromes, are emergent interpersonal syndromes (EISs): interpersonally malignant configurations (statistical interactions) of distinct personality dimensions that may be only modestly, weakly, or even negatively correlated. Preliminary support for this perspective derives from a surprising source, namely, largely forgotten research on the intercorrelations among the subscales of select MMPI/MMPI-2 clinical scales. Using psychopathic personality as a case example, the authors offer provisional evidence for the EIS hypothesis from four lines of research and delineate its implications for personality disorder theory, research, and classification. Conceptualizing some personality disorders as EISs elucidates long-standing quandaries and controversies in the psychopathology literature and affords fruitful avenues for future investigation.

Are self-report cognitive empathy ratings valid proxies for cognitive empathy ability? Negligible meta-analytic relations with behavioral task performance.

Empathy is widely regarded as relevant to a diverse range of psychopathological constructs, such as autism spectrum disorder, psychopathy, and borderline personality disorder. Cognitive empathy (CE) is the ability to accurately recognize or infer the thoughts and feelings of others. Although behavioral task paradigms are frequently used to assess such abilities, a large proportion of published studies reporting on CE use self-report questionnaires. For decades, however, a number of theorists have cautioned that individuals may not possess the metacognitive insight needed to validly gauge their own mindreading abilities. To investigate this possibility, we examined the aggregate relations between behavioral CE task performance and self-report CE scale scores, as well as with self-report affective empathy scale scores for comparison. Meta-analytic results, based on random effects models, from 85 studies (total N = 14,327) indicate that self-report CE scores account for only approximately 1% of the variance in behavioral cognitive empathy assessments and that, perhaps equally importantly, this relation is not significantly different from that demonstrated by affective empathy scores. Effect sizes were not moderated by self-report empathy domain, gender composition, unisensory versus multisensory behavioral stimuli presentation, child versus adult samples, or by normative versus clinical/forensic samples. Effect size estimates were not markedly affected by publication bias. These results raise serious concerns regarding the widespread use of self-report CE scores as proxies for CE ability, as well as the extensive theoretical conclusions that have been based on their use in past studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Sexual Assault in Ethiopian Contexts: Data From a Large Sample of Women and Girls Presenting at Two Hospital-Based, Limited-Resource Sexual Assault Treatment Clinics.

This study presents data from a large sample of clinic-evaluated sexual assault survivors ( N = 1,667) in Ethiopia between 2009 and 2015, one of the largest such samples ever analyzed in an African country. Statistical analyses revealed a disproportionate number of minors presenting to the clinics, an extremely high prevalence of special kidnapping cases, significant differences in access and assault characteristics between survivors from within the clinic cities and those from outside of them, and an unacceptable clinical focus on unreliable hymenal findings. In addition, a myriad of important findings regarding patient characteristics, as well as injury and medical outcomes, are reported.