Dual Perspectives: Exploring Self-Identity Development in Twins

While psychological research often uses twins to compare genetic and environmental influences on development, little attention has been given to the lived experience of twins themselves. This study aimed to target this issue by investigating the developmental implications of being a twin, with a particular focus on the formation of self-identity and individuality. Participants were asked to complete a survey that explored topics such as their self-concept, attachment style, and perceived level of experienced social comparison with their sibling. Results found a statistically significant difference between twins and non-twin siblings on a measure of self-concept, in that twins scored higher on identity disturbance compared to non-twins. This implies that growing up with a twin sibling may pose unique challenges to establishing a secure sense of identity, highlighting the need for future research that more deeply considers how twin dynamics may shape identity development in ways not accounted for by traditional models of growth. Although the study’s other three hypotheses were not supported, additional findings revealed a significant positive correlation among non-twins between experienced comparison with their siblings and similarity to those siblings now, as well as between experienced contrast and perceived dissimilarity. These patterns as a whole point to the importance of considering sibling context in identity development. Overall, these results and future research in the field could help to inform parenting strategies, educational approaches, and even clinical interventions aimed at fostering individuality and secure identity, particularly among twins

I Was a Mormon: I Knew it, I Lived it, I Left it

For one-hundred-eighty years, my family has been a part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as Mormons. Being a member of the Church is more than just attending church on Sunday mornings, it rules over your entire life. Mormonism comes with a life checklist and everyone in my family stuck to it. So what happens when someone doesn\u27t feel like they belong? In these pages, I take readers on that journey. I never felt like I belonged in the Church but didn’t have the courage to do anything until I was in college. My story starts with my family’s history with the Church, through my adolescence and into the present day. Included are fun anecdotes from my personal life, excerpts from Church teachings and practices, including temple ceremonies, as well as some hard life lessons and experiences

Charting a New Vision: Lessons on \u3cem\u3eVision & Change\u3c/em\u3e from a Network of Biology Educators

The 2011 Vision & Change report outlined several recommendations for transforming undergraduate biology education, sparking multiple pedagogical reform efforts. Among these was the Promoting Active Learning and Mentoring (PALM) network, an NSF-funded program that provided mentorship and training to instructors on implementing active learning in the classroom. Here, we provide a perspective on how members of the biology education community in PALM view the recommendations of Vision & Change, drawing upon our experiences both as members of PALM and as leaders of an associated project funded by another NSF grant that hosted PALM alumni at various conferences. These efforts have allowed us to gain insight into how our alumni think of Vision & Change, including how they interpret its recommendations, the challenges and opportunities that they view for implementing these recommendations, and the areas they see as critical to be addressed in future national reports for supporting undergraduate biology education. We synthesize these voices here, providing perspectives from a diverse group of biology instructors on what they think about Vision & Change, and provide recommendations for the biology education community based upon these PALM community voices

The Problem with “More is Better”: An Assessment of the “New” Contract Grading

In this article I discuss some of the issues that scholars are and aren’t writing about in relation to the recent resurgence in contract grading, and reflect on my own experience using contract grading in composition and other classes. I come to the topic as a scholar and university teacher in rhetoric and composition, though my discussion certainly is relevant to teachers in many disciplines and institution types. My aim is to offer an analysis of the benefits and drawback of the “new” contract grading, with special attention to what I call the “more is better” mantra that informs many current iterations of contract grading

Production of Dissolved Organic Matter from Lily Pads (Nymphaea odorata) in a Mesotrophic Freshwater Lake

Macrophytes are potentially an important dissolved organic matter (DOM) source in lakes. To assess the effect of lily pads (Nymphaea odorata) on DOM, optical properties and dissolved organic carbon concentrations (DOC) were measured over a year in Lake Louise, Pacific Northwest, USA. Lily pads were widespread around the shoreline during summer, dying back in the fall. Some optical indices (slope ratio, index of recent autochthonous contribution, fluorescence index) indicated the lake was dominated by DOM from terrestrial sources for most of the year. Indicators of autochthonous production in a few winter samples were attributed to phytoplankton. DOC concentrations and precipitation were not correlated, but DOC was positively correlated with absorption coefficient at 350 nm (α350). DOC and α350 were highest in summer and decreased in the winter wet season, which would be consistent with an in situ lake source being diluted by rainfall as a possible explanation for this. Excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectra of lake waters and lily pad leachates indicated humic and protein material components. The plant leachates had slope ratio, fluorescence index, and index of recent autochthonous contribution values consistent with terrestrially derived DOM and lake waters. Higher DOC and α350 in the summer were associated with some lower optical indices (specific ultra-violet absorbance, spectral slope, humification index, fluorescence/absorbance ratio ratios), consistent with material derived from lily pads. Estimates indicated lily pads contributed as much to the lake DOM pool in the summer dry season as watershed terrestrial inputs in the winter wet season, suggesting that DOM production by lily pads may account for a significant portion of the carbon pool in smaller lakes

Affect Regulation and Mortality Risk: The Role of Allostatic Load

Objective: Although growing evidence indicates that distinct affect regulation strategies (e.g., positive reappraisal, anger suppression) predict mortality risk, the biological processes involved remain understudied. We investigated the association of various affect regulation exposures with mortality risk while examining the role of allostatic load. Method: In 2004-2006, 1,941 participants from the Midlife in the United States longitudinal study completed validated scales assessing use of nine general and emotion-specific regulatory strategies (e.g., denial, anger expression). A standard deviation-based algorithm was also used to characterize how flexibly participants regulate their affect (lower, moderate, or greater variability). Participants further provided data on relevant covariates and 24 allostatic load biomarkers (e.g., cortisol, glucose). Cox regressions modeled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) examined associations of affect regulation variables and all-cause mortality risk until 2022. The confounding, mediating, and moderating role of allostatic load was examined in subsequent models. Results: In fully-adjusted models, only greater vs. lower affect regulation variability (HR=1.54; 95%CI=1.11-2.14) significantly predicted a higher mortality risk. Associations were relatively unchanged with further inclusion of allostatic load in models and allostatic load did not mediate affect regulation-mortality relationships. Yet, when evaluating moderation effects, greater vs. lower and moderate variability as well as denial were marginally or significantly related to higher mortality risk among adults with lower allostatic load only. Conclusions: Allostatic load may modify rather than confound or mediate the association between some dimensions of affect regulation and mortality risk. Future work should evaluate the potential roles of allostatic load among diverse samples

Increasing Atmospheric Evaporative Demand Across the Tibetan Plateau and Implications for Surface Water Resources

The Tibetan Plateau, known as the “Asian water tower,” is a hotspot for complex hydroclimatic changes. We reveal that the previously decreasing atmospheric evaporative demand (Eo) trend at the end of the 20th century has reversed over the last two decades. Although both wind stilling and solar dimming have persisted, their effects on Eo rates have been overshadowed by increasing air temperatures and decreasing relative humidity, leading to a net rise in Eo for 1980−2015. Using the empirical “top-down” Budyko approach, we estimate that across seven sub-catchments draining the Tibetan Plateau, a 10% increase in annual-averaged precipitation, assuming all other factors remain constant, would lead to a 15%–19% increase in streamflow. Conversely, a 10% increase in annual-averaged Eo would decrease streamflow by 5%–9%. Our findings provide a deeper understanding of the accelerating hydroclimatic changes and their impact on surface water resources in the Tibetan Plateau

Gray Matter Morphology and Pain-related Disability in Young Adults with Low Back Pain

Structural neuroplasticity in the brain may contribute to the persistence of low back pain (LBP) symptoms and the disability associated with them. It is not known if structural adaptations are evident early in the lifespan in young adults with LBP. This study compared gray matter in cortical sensorimotor regions in young adults with and without persistent LBP and identified gray matter and clinical predictors of pain-related disability. Eighty-two individuals with and without a history of LBP participated. Peak and average gray matter density in cortical sensorimotor regions of interest was quantified using voxel-based morphometry. Pain-related disability, pain intensity, pain duration, and pain-related fear were also assessed. Multiple linear regression was used to determine independent predictors of pain-related disability. We document significantly greater peak gray matter density in individuals with LBP in the primary somatosensory cortex, angular gyrus, and the midcingulate cortex. Pain-related disability positively correlated with average gray matter density in the posterior cingulate cortex. The most robust predictors of disability were average gray matter in the posterior cingulate, pain intensity, and pain-related fear. We demonstrate that in young adults, persistent LBP, and pain-related disability, are linked with structural differences in regions forming part of the brain network termed the pain matrix. In contrast with studies of LBP in older adults, our findings of increased rather than decreased gray matter in young adults with LBP suggest that gray matter may increase initially in response to nociceptive pain