Pandemic boredom:Little evidence that lockdown-related boredom affects risky public health behaviors across 116 countries

Some public officials have expressed concern that policies mandating collective public health behaviors (e.g., national/regional "lockdown") may result in behavioral fatigue that ultimately renders such policies ineffective. Boredom, specifically, has been singled out as one potential risk factor for noncompliance. We examined whether there was empirical evidence to support this concern during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large cross-national sample of 63,336 community respondents from 116 countries. Although boredom was higher in countries with more COVID-19 cases and in countries that instituted more stringent lockdowns, such boredom did not predict longitudinal within-person decreases in social distancing behavior (or vice versa; n = 8,031) in early spring and summer of 2020. Overall, we found little evidence that changes in boredom predict individual public health behaviors (handwashing, staying home, self-quarantining, and avoiding crowds) over time, or that such behaviors had any reliable longitudinal effects on boredom itself. In summary, contrary to concerns, we found little evidence that boredom posed a public health risk during lockdown and quarantine. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved). </p

A new method of discriminating different types of post-Archean ophiolitic basalts and their tectonic significance using Th-Nb and Ce-Dy-Yb systematics

AbstractIn this paper, a new discrimination diagram using absolute measures of Th and Nb is applied to post-Archean ophiolites to best discriminate a large number of different ophiolitic basalts. This diagram was obtained using >2000 known ophiolitic basalts and was tested using ∼560 modern rocks from known tectonic settings. Ten different basaltic varieties from worldwide ophiolitic complexes have been examined. They include two basaltic types that have never been considered before, which are: (1) medium-Ti basalts (MTB) generated at nascent forearc settings; (2) a type of mid-ocean ridge basalts showing garnet signature (G-MORB) that characterizes Alpine-type (i.e., non volcanic) rifted margins and ocean-continent transition zones (OCTZ). In the Th-Nb diagram, basalts generated in oceanic subduction-unrelated settings, rifted margins, and OCTZ can be distinguished from subduction-related basalts with a misclassification rate <1%. This diagram highlights the chemical variation of oceanic, rifted margin, and OCTZ basalts from depleted compositions to progressively more enriched compositions reflecting, in turn, the variance of source composition and degree of melting within the MORB-OIB array. It also highlights the chemical contributions of enriched (OIB-type) components to mantle sources. Enrichment of Th relative to Nb is particularly effective for highlighting crustal input via subduction or crustal contamination. Basalts formed at continental margin arcs and island arc with a complex polygenetic crust can be distinguished from those generated in intra-oceanic arcs in supra-subduction zones (SSZ) with a misclassification rate <1%. Within the SSZ group, two sub-settings can be recognized with a misclassification rate <0.5%. They are: (1) SSZ influenced by chemical contribution from subduction-derived components (forearc and intra-arc sub-settings) characterized by island arc tholeiitic (IAT) and boninitic basalts; (2) SSZ with no contribution from subduction-derived components (nascent forearc sub-settings) characterized by MTBs and depleted-MORBs. Two additional discrimination diagrams are proposed: (1) a Dy-Yb diagram is used for discriminating boninite and IAT basalts; (2) a Ce/Yb-Dy/Yb diagram is used for discriminating G-MORBs and normal MORBs. The proposed method may effectively assist in recovering the tectonic affinity of ancient ophiolites, which is fundamental for establishing the geodynamic evolution of ancient oceanic and continental domains, as well as orogenic belts

Pandemic Boredom: Little Evidence That Lockdown-Related Boredom Affects Risky Public Health Behaviors Across 116 Countries

Some public officials have expressed concern that policies mandating collective public health behaviors (e.g., national/regional "lockdown ") may result in behavioral fatigue that ultimately renders such policies ineffective. Boredom, specifically, has been singled out as one potential risk factor for noncompliance. We examined whether there was empirical evidence to support this concern during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large cross-national sample of 63,336 community respondents from 116 countries. Although boredom was higher in countries with more COVID-19 cases and in countries that instituted more stringent lockdowns, such boredom did not predict longitudinal within-person decreases in social distancing behavior (or vice versa; n = 8,031) in early spring and summer of 2020. Overall, we found little evidence that changes in boredom predict individual public health behaviors (handwashing, staying home, self-quarantining, and avoiding crowds) over time, or that such behaviors had any reliable longitudinal effects on boredom itself. In summary, contrary to concerns, we found little evidence that boredom posed a public health risk during lockdown and quarantine

Disorders of sex development: effect of molecular diagnostics

Disorders of sex development (DSDs) are a diverse group of conditions that can be challenging to diagnose accurately using standard phenotypic and biochemical approaches. Obtaining a specific diagnosis can be important for identifying potentially life-threatening associated disorders, as well as providing information to guide parents in deciding on the most appropriate management for their child. Within the past 5 years, advances in molecular methodologies have helped to identify several novel causes of DSDs; molecular tests to aid diagnosis and genetic counselling have now been adopted into clinical practice. Occasionally, genetic profiling of embryos prior to implantation as an adjunct to assisted reproduction, prenatal diagnosis of at-risk pregnancies and confirmatory testing of positive results found during newborn biochemical screening are performed. Of the available genetic tests, the candidate gene approach is the most popular. New high-throughput DNA analysis could enable a genetic diagnosis to be made when the aetiology is unknown or many differential diagnoses are possible. Nonetheless, concerns exist about the use of genetic tests. For instance, a diagnosis is not always possible even using new molecular approaches (which can be worrying for the parents) and incidental information obtained during the test might cause anxiety. Careful selection of the genetic test indicated for each condition remains important for good clinical practice. The purpose of this Review is to describe advances in molecular biological techniques for diagnosing DSDs

Primjena i kompozicija individualiziranih zaštitnih elemenata linijske grafike u projektiranju novčanica

Proces stvaranja novčanica je dugotrajan i složen, što rezultira kompleksnim rješenjima koja predstavljaju pravo remek djelo grafike. Novčanice su prožete brojnim detaljima i prenose različite informacije koje se analiziraju u teorijskom dijelu rada. Prvotno se postavljaju kriteriji po kojima se izrađuje detaljna analiza velikog broja zaštitnih i konceptualnih elemenata na primjerima novčanica. Time je prikazan okvirni povijesni pregled razvoja novčanica i utjecaji kojima je bio izložen. Analizira se međuovisnost dizajna o sigurnosnim značajkama, te se ispituje razina informiranosti javnosti o zaštitama na novčanicama. Zaključuje se koje metode zaštite su najučinkovitije, te kako šira javnost najčešće provjerava autentičnost novčanica. U eksperimentalnom dijelu rada se na temelju donesenih zaključaka iz teorijskog dijela izrađuje prototip novčanice koja je u najvećoj mjeri prožeta individualiziranim PostScript programskim rješenjima elemenata linijske grafike (rozete, mikrotekst, zaštitne linije, brojevi apoena), a od ostalih zaštita modeliran je individualizirani raster transformacijom matematičkog izraza u PostScript programski kod. Sve ostale zaštite tipične za novčanice simulirane su alatima za rastersku i vektorsku grafiku. U radu se ispituje utjecaj kompozicije zaštitnih elemenata na prepoznavanje autentičnosti novčanica, te efikasnost samih individualiziranih programskih rješenja

Low frequency sound screening using an acoustic metamaterial made of space-coiled resonant cavities

International audience<font face="null"&gt<span style="font-size: 13px;"&gtLow frequency sound screening using an acoustic metamaterial made of space-coiled resonant cavities</span&gt</font&g