Uloga perfekcionizma i emocionalne regulacije u objašnjenju stilova odlučivanja

Individuals differ in the manner they approach decision making, namely their decision-making styles. While some people typically make all decisions fast and without hesitation, others invest more effort into deciding even about small things and evaluate their decisions with much more scrutiny. The goal of the present study was to explore the relationship between decision-making styles, perfectionism and emotional processing in more detail. Specifically, 300 college students majoring in social studies and humanities completed instruments designed for assessing maximizing, decision commitment, perfectionism, as well as emotional regulation and control. The obtained results indicate that maximizing is primarily related to one dimension of perfectionism, namely the concern over mistakes and doubts, as well as emotional regulation and control. Furthermore, together with the concern over mistakes and doubts, maximizing was revealed as a significant predictor of individuals\u27 decision commitment. The obtained findings extend previous reports regarding the association between maximizing and perfectionism and provide relevant insights into their relationship with emotional regulation and control. They also suggest a need to further explore these constructs that are, despite their complex interdependence, typically investigated in separate contexts and domains.Ljudi se međusobno znatno razlikuju s obzirom na stilove odlučivanja, odnosno načine na koje uobičajeno pristupaju procesu donošenja odluka. Dok neki u pravilu odluke donose brzo i bez oklijevanja, drugi provode znatno više vremena u odlučivanju čak i o malim, svakodnevnim stvarima te svaku odluku preispituju dugo nakon donošenja. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je detaljnije ispitati odnos između stilova donošenja odluka, perfekcionizma te emocionalne regulacije i kontrole. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 300 studenata društvenih i humanističkih usmjerenja, koji su ispunili instrumente za mjerenje sklonosti maksimiziranju, posvećenosti odlukama, perfekcionizma te emocionalne regulacije i kontrole. Dobiveni rezultati pokazali su da je sklonost maksimiziranju prije svega povezana s jednom dimenzijom perfekcionizma, brigom o vlastitim pogreškama i sumnjama, kao i emocionalnom regulacijom. Nadalje, maksimiziranje i briga o vlastitim pogreškama i sumnjama izdvojeni su kao značajni prediktori posvećenosti odlukama. Ovi rezultati dopunjuju prijašnje nalaze koji se odnose na povezanost maksimiziranja i perfekcionizma te nude relevantne uvide u njihovu povezanost s emocionalnom regulacijom. Rezultati pokazuju i važnost daljnjeg istraživanja ovih konstrukata, koji se, unatoč svojoj složenoj međuovisnosti, najčešće ispituju u odvojenim kontekstima i područjima

Frontal alpha asymmetries and behavioral immune system: moderating role of behavioral inhibition system

Background and purpose: Behavioral immune system is a cluster of psychological mechanisms enabling detection and avoidance of pathogens in one’s immediate environment. Its presumed activation has been implicated in myriads of psychological phenomena, stemming from pathogen related disgust to more complex behaviors, such as mate choice and xenophobic cognitions. However, little is known about its biological underpinnings. The aim of this preliminary study was twofold: 1) to explore the role of another neuropsychological system governing avoidant motivations, the behavioral inhibition system, in pathogen-induced disgust and 2) to determine if frontal hemispheric asymmetries (a neural correlate of avoidant motivations) might serve as indicators of behavioral immune system activation. Materials and methods: 62 participants completed the Behavioral inhibition scale. Based on their z-scores, two extreme groups were formed: high (n=9) and low behavioral inhibition (n=9) group. After the baseline EEG recordings, participants were exposed to a set of neutral stimuli, followed by a set of pathogen disgust inducing stimuli. The frontal asymmetry (FAA) indexes (lnR-LnL) were calculated within both low (8-10 Hz) and high (11-13 Hz) alpha frequency bands on analogue pairs of frontal electrodes. Results: There were no baseline FAA differences between groups. However, compared to low behavioral inhibition group, high behavioral inhibition group showed larger shifts in FAA on frontopolar locations while watching the pathogen related disgust-inducing stimuli, as compared to neutral photographs. Conclusions: This pattern of FAA shifts suggests that high behavioral inhibition individuals attend to pathogen threat related cues more readily, i.e., have a more reactive behavioral immune system. With this preliminary study we are proposing a new line of research in order to determine if there is evidence of a calibrated response in terms of interplay between one’s immune status and pathogen treat related neural reactivity

Neurocognitive bases of future oriented cognition

In recent decades, the importance of future oriented processing across different cognitive domains and timescales has been recognized. The underlying neural mechanisms of these processes have been explored, resulting in findings that have associated predictive processing with the functioning of different brain regions and neural systems. However, although individual incarnations of future oriented processing within cognitive domains have been meticulously investigated and described, a unified approach that would summarize and compare such processes across domains is still lacking. The present review succinctly describes future oriented cognitive processes across different psychological domains and discusses their underlying neural mechanisms. In doing so, it examines the manifestations and beneficial aspects of future orientation in perception, motor behavior, attention, and higher order cognition as well as in emotional and motivational processing. In addition, the importance of future orientation for self-referential processing is evaluated and novel insights are offered into some of the critical questions that remain to be elucidated in future research within this field

Važnost ciljeva dostignuća i stavova o obrazovanju u objašnjenju samoefikasnosti u odlučivanju o karijeri kod adolescenata

Previous research has acknowledged the relevance of individuals\u27 perception of own abilities related to the vocational domain, namely career decision self-efficacy beliefs, for their professional success. In the present study, such beliefs were examined among a group of high school seniors who are facing the process of choosing what professional path to pursue after high school. In addition, students\u27 achievement goals and attitudes towards education were also explored. Results indicate mastery approach, performance avoidance and work avoidance goals, as well as participation in extracurricular activities and attitudes towards education, as significant predictors of career decision self-efficacy. Findings indicate the relevance of academic experiences for the development of career decision self-efficacy and provide novel evidence regarding the complex relationship between individuals\u27 educational and vocational considerations, and may be informative for designing future vocational guidance interventions targeted at adolescents transitioning into colleges or the job market, or individuals undergoing similar occupational transitions.Dosadašnja istraživanja pokazala su značajnost uvjerenja pojedinaca o njihovim sposobnostima vezanim uz upravljanje karijerom, odnosno njihove samoefikasnosti u odlučivanju o karijeri, za profesionalni uspjeh. U provedenom istraživanju ta su uvjerenja ispitana među skupinom učenika završnih razreda srednje škole, koji će se uskoro naći u situaciji važnoga profesionalnog odabira posla ili fakulteta. U istraživanju su ispitani i učenički ciljevi dostignuća i stavovi o obrazovanju te je istražena njihova povezanost sa samoefikasnosti u odlučivanju o karijeri. Dobiveni rezultati izdvojili su ciljeve ovladavanja uključivanjem, izvedbom, izbjegavanjem rada, kao i stavove prema obrazovanju te sudjelovanje u izvannastavnim aktivnostima kao statistički značajne prediktore samoefikasnosti u odlučivanju o karijeri. Ovi rezultati upućuju na važnost akademskih iskustava za razvoj samoefikasnosti u odlučivanju o karijeri te nude nove spoznaje o složenoj međuovisnosti obrazovnih i karijernih procesa. Oni stoga mogu biti informativni za osmišljavanje budućih programa karijernoga savjetovanja za adolescente koji prelaze na fakultet ili tržište rada, kao i pojedince koji prolaze slične karijerne tranzicije

The Psychology of Economic Attitudes – Moral Foundations Predict Economic Attitudes beyond Socio-Demographic Variables

The present study had three goals: to construct a relevant questionnaire of economic attitudes, to examine the role of socio-demographic variables in explaining the economic attitudes as measured by that questionnaire, and to check whether moral foundations, as a psychological construct, can contribute to understanding the economic attitudes beyond socio-demographic variables. The results indicated that the economic attitudes were better explained by two factors instead of one: the Role of the State in the Economy (ROSE) and the Problems with the Current Economic System (PCES). Both socio-demographic variables and moral foundations explained significant amounts of the variance in the results on the two subscales. Regarding the ROSE subscale, socio-demographic variables explained 25 percent, while moral foundations explained the additional 21 percent of the variance, resulting in this model explaining 46 percent of the variance in the ROSE results. Regarding the PCES subscale, the socio-demographic variables explained 20 percent of the variance, and moral foundations added another 10 percent resulting in 30 percent of the variance on PCES results being explained by this model. The results speak in favor of including the psychological variables in the studies of economic attitudes and behaviors, and indicate that economic concerns are not only economic in their nature, but also moral

VAT rate change and its impact on liquidity

In today\u27s globalized world which is characterized by very quick changes, the need for cash is greater than ever before. The company\u27s liquidity has become one of the most important categories in business. Tax changes that occur in the Republic of Croatia practically from one tax period to another have an impact on the overall business including its liquidity. Therefore, it has become increasingly important for businesses to maintain an adequate level of liquidity and to continuously analyse and monitor it through certain financial ratios. The paper demonstrates a potential impact of the general VAT rate change on liquidity. Companies are divided into two groups. The first group consists of companies that in the years after tax rate changes continue with normal business activity. The second group comprises companies that have been faced with business discontinuity in the years following the change. Possible differences between the liquidity ratios of the companies that have gone bankrupt and companies that have not gone bankrupt after the general VAT rate increase from 22% to 23% are explored. In compliance with the time scope of tax change that occur in one tax accounting period, liquidity is also analysed in the year preceding the year in which the VAT rate was changed

Antioxidative and antiinflamatory effects of walnut supplementation (Juglans regia L.) on rat heart with fructose-rich diet-induced metabolic syndrome

Povećana konzumacija fruktoze kroz industrijsku hranu doprinosi razvojumetaboličkog sindroma (MetS). MetS prati hronična inflamacija niskog intenziteta kojojdoprinosi oksidativni stres i aktivacija renin-angiotenzin sistema (RAS). Orasi su bogatizvor antioksidanasa i polinezasićenih n-3 masnih kiselina koje imajuantiinflamatorne/imunomodulatorne efekte na kardiometaboličko zdravlje, čijamolekularna osnova nije dovoljno poznata.Konzumacija oraha (2,4 g/dan, 6 nedelja) je smanjila sistolni krvni pritisak kodpacova na ishrani bogatoj fruktozom (10% rastvor, 15 nedelja), pokazala je protektivniefekat na antioksidativnu osu SIRT1-FoxO3a-MnSOD/katalaza i antiinflamatornikapacitet srca (smanjenje AA/EPA) i promovisala antiinflamatorni profil masnih kiselinau plazmi (smanjenje AA/EPA i AA/DHA), koji su kompromitovani fruktoznomishranom. Ulogu negativnih regulatora antioksidativne ose, Nox4 i ChREBP, u srcu trebadodatno ispitati jer je nivo Nox4 povećan i nakon fruktozne ishrane i nakonsuplementacije orasima, dok je nivo ChREBP u jedru smanjen nakon fruktozne ishrane inakon konzumacije oraha kod kontrolnih pacova. Fruktozna ishrana je aktivirala signalniput koji reguliše inflamaciju povećanjem nivoa transkripcionog faktora NF-κB i ključnogenzima RAS-a, АСЕ, dok je suplementacija orasima kod pacova na fruktoznoj ishranipovećala nivo ACE2, kardioprotektivne komponente RAS-a. Na proteinski/iRNK nivoRAS receptora, AT1R i AT2R, nije uticao nijedan od dva nutritivna faktora.Ova studija je potvrdila korisne efekte konzumacije oraha na kardiometaboličkistatus i predloţila mehanizme koji su u osnovi njihovih antiinflamatornih iantioksidativnih efekata u srcu, ukazujući na mogućnost razvoja novih, nefarmakološkihpristupa u terapiji kardiometaboličkih bolesti.Increased fructose intake via industrial food is associated with metabolic syndrome(MetS). MetS is characterized by chronic low-intensity inflammation caused by oxidativestress and activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Walnuts are a rich source ofantioxidants and polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids that exert anti-inflammatory/immunomodulatory effects on cardiometabolic health, which molecularbackground is underexplored.Walnut consumption (2.4 g/day, 6 weeks) reduced systolic blood pressure in ratsfed a fructose-rich diet (10% FRD, 15 weeks), showed a protective effect on theantioxidative axis SIRT1-FoxO3a-MnSOD/catalase and anti-inflammatory cardiac capacity(AA/EPA reduction) and promoted the anti-inflammatory profile of plasma fatty acids(AA/EPA and AA/DHA reduction), which were compromised by FRD. The role of theaxis negative regulators, Nox4 and ChREBP, should be further investigated in the heartbecause the Nox4 level was increased by both, FRD and walnut supplementation, whilethe ChREBP nuclear level was reduced in FRD as well as in control rats subjected towalnuts. FRD activated a signaling pathway that regulated inflammation by increasing thelevels of the transcription factor NF-κB and the key RAS enzyme, ACE, while walnutsupplementation in FRD rats increased ACE2 level, a cardioprotective component of theRAS. The protein/mRNA levels of the RAS receptors, AT1R and AT2R, were not affectedby either of the two nutritional factors.This study confirmed the beneficial effects of walnut consumption oncardiometabolic status and proposed the mechanisms underlying their anti-inflammatoryand antioxidative effects in the heart, indicating the possibility for development of novel,non-pharmacological approaches in cardiometabolic disease therapy

Antioxidative and antiinflamatory effects of walnut supplementation (Juglans regia L.) on rat heart with fructose-rich diet-induced metabolic syndrome

Povećana konzumacija fruktoze kroz industrijsku hranu doprinosi razvoju metaboličkog sindroma (MetS). MetS prati hronična inflamacija niskog intenziteta kojoj doprinosi oksidativni stres i aktivacija renin-angiotenzin sistema (RAS). Orasi su bogat izvor antioksidanasa i polinezasićenih n-3 masnih kiselina koje imaju antiinflamatorne/imunomodulatorne efekte na kardiometaboličko zdravlje, čija molekularna osnova nije dovoljno poznata. Konzumacija oraha (2,4 g/dan, 6 nedelja) je smanjila sistolni krvni pritisak kod pacova na ishrani bogatoj fruktozom (10% rastvor, 15 nedelja), pokazala je protektivni efekat na antioksidativnu osu SIRT1-FoxO3a-MnSOD/katalaza i antiinflamatorni kapacitet srca (smanjenje AA/EPA) i promovisala antiinflamatorni profil masnih kiselina u plazmi (smanjenje AA/EPA i AA/DHA), koji su kompromitovani fruktoznom ishranom. Ulogu negativnih regulatora antioksidativne ose, Nox4 i ChREBP, u srcu treba dodatno ispitati jer je nivo Nox4 povećan i nakon fruktozne ishrane i nakon suplementacije orasima, dok je nivo ChREBP u jedru smanjen nakon fruktozne ishrane i nakon konzumacije oraha kod kontrolnih pacova. Fruktozna ishrana je aktivirala signalni put koji reguliše inflamaciju povećanjem nivoa transkripcionog faktora NF-κB i ključnog enzima RAS-a, АСЕ, dok je suplementacija orasima kod pacova na fruktoznoj ishrani povećala nivo ACE2, kardioprotektivne komponente RAS-a. Na proteinski/iRNK nivo RAS receptora, AT1R i AT2R, nije uticao nijedan od dva nutritivna faktora. Ova studija je potvrdila korisne efekte konzumacije oraha na kardiometabolički status i predloţila mehanizme koji su u osnovi njihovih antiinflamatornih i antioksidativnih efekata u srcu, ukazujući na mogućnost razvoja novih, nefarmakoloških pristupa u terapiji kardiometaboličkih bolesti.Increased fructose intake via industrial food is associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS is characterized by chronic low-intensity inflammation caused by oxidative stress and activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Walnuts are a rich source of antioxidants and polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids that exert anti- inflammatory/immunomodulatory effects on cardiometabolic health, which molecular background is underexplored. Walnut consumption (2.4 g/day, 6 weeks) reduced systolic blood pressure in rats fed a fructose-rich diet (10% FRD, 15 weeks), showed a protective effect on the antioxidative axis SIRT1-FoxO3a-MnSOD/catalase and anti-inflammatory cardiac capacity (AA/EPA reduction) and promoted the anti-inflammatory profile of plasma fatty acids (AA/EPA and AA/DHA reduction), which were compromised by FRD. The role of the axis negative regulators, Nox4 and ChREBP, should be further investigated in the heart because the Nox4 level was increased by both, FRD and walnut supplementation, while the ChREBP nuclear level was reduced in FRD as well as in control rats subjected to walnuts. FRD activated a signaling pathway that regulated inflammation by increasing the levels of the transcription factor NF-κB and the key RAS enzyme, ACE, while walnut supplementation in FRD rats increased ACE2 level, a cardioprotective component of the RAS. The protein/mRNA levels of the RAS receptors, AT1R and AT2R, were not affected by either of the two nutritional factors. This study confirmed the beneficial effects of walnut consumption on cardiometabolic status and proposed the mechanisms underlying their anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects in the heart, indicating the possibility for development of novel, non-pharmacological approaches in cardiometabolic disease therapy

Typology and topography of late antique graves in the archaeological landscape of central Dalmatia

Ova doktorska disertacija ima dva cilja. Prvi cilj je definirati tipove kasnoantičkih grobova na području današnje srednje Dalmacije. Oblik pokopavanja koji prevladava širom Rimskog Carstva od druge polovice trećeg stoljeća je inhumacija. I dok je grobna raka u kojoj se sahranjuje pokojnik, ili njegovi spaljeni ostaci, uvijek ukopana u zdravicu ili zemljanu podlogu, promjenom načina pokopavanja iz incineracije u inhumaciju mijenjaju se tipovi grobnih konstrukcija. Iz prikupljenog materijala s područja srednje Dalmacije formirali smo osnovnu podjelu na temelju postojanja grobne konstrukcije. Tako se grobovi dijele na one najjednostavnije koji ne sadrže nikakvu konstrukciju, što znači da je tijelo položeno u grobnu raku u zemlji ili zdravici; zatim na one koji sadrže neki element grobne konstrukcije, u što se ubrajaju drveni lijesovi, jednostavni grobovi omeđeni kamenom, grobovi koji kao konstrukcijski element koriste zidane kamene strukture, te grobovi obloženi, pokriveni ili popločeni različitim priručnim materijalom; na kraju, najsloženija varijanta grobova je ona s konkretnom konstrukcijom, u koju spadaju grobovi u amforama, grobovi od tegula i njihovi podtipovi, kombinirani grobovi, zidani kameni grobovi te zidane kamene grobnice s podtipovima. Nabrojeni tipovi nisu jedinstveni niti karakteristični isključivo za analizirani prostor, ali su po prvi put u okviru njega sintetizirani. Drugi cilj ove doktorske disertacije je razmotriti razmještaj grobova u arheološkom krajoliku na području današnje srednje Dalmacije i ustanoviti koliko su utjecali na oblikovanje kasnoantičkog krajolika. To smo postigli metodama analize prostorne distribucije kasnoantičkih grobova, sistematizacijom njihovih arhitektonskih oblika, kartiranjem grobova u odnosu na prirodnu okolinu ili neku stratešku poziciju u prostoru. Na taj način došli smo do spoznaje da je kulturni krajolik ljudi koji su pokapali svoje pokojnike stvorio nove socijalne prostore koji nam pružaju mogućnosti za drugačiju percepciju kasnoantičkog krajolika. Slijedom toga smo uz pomoć zračnih fotografija, topografskih podataka i crteža pokušali rekonstruirati, gdje je to bilo moguće, kasnoantički izgled određenog krajolika. Tako smo na prostoru nekadašnjeg glavnog grada rimske provincije Dalmacije i njegovog okoliša mogli odgovoriti na nekoliko pitanja. Primjerice, prate li kasnoantički grobovi prirodnu konfiguraciju terena; u kakvom su položaju u odnosu na kasnoantički urbani i prigradski prostor; kako su smješteni u odnosu na komunikacijske pravce te u kakvom su odnosu s obližnjom arhitekturom.This doctoral thesis has two objectives. The first one is to define the types of late antique graves in the area of central Dalmatia. The form of burial that was prevalent in the second half of the third century throughout the Roman Empire has been known as inhumation. While the grave pit, in which the deceased was buried or burned, has usualy been in a sterile soil. By changing the mode of burial from incineration to inhumation, the types of burial structures have also been changed. Therefore we used the collected grave forms origing from the sites all around the Central Dalmatia, and we formed the basic division relying on theirs grave construction. Thus, the graves are divided into those which do not contain any construction elements, which means that the body has been laid in a simple grave pit; then those that contain an element of grave construction, which also include wooden caskets, simple grave pits bordered by stone, graves that used masonry stone structures as a structural element, and graves lined, covered or paved with various handy materials; in the end, the most complex version of the grave is the one with the concrete structure, which includes amphora grave, tile grave, mixed grave type, stone-built grave and stone-built tomb. The listed types are not unique nor typical exclusively for the area of Central Dalmatia, but for the first time these types will be analyzed and presented within this doctoral thesis. The second objective of this PhD thesis is to consider the deployment of graves in the archaeological landscape of the region of the central Dalmatia and determine how they affect the formation of late Roman landscape. It was achieved with: analysis of spatial distribution of late antiquity graves, systematization of grave architecture, charting graves in relation to the landscape or a strategic position in it. In this way, we have learned that the cultural landscape and people who buried their dead created new social spaces that provide opportunities for different perception of late Roman landscape. Consequently with the help of aerial photography, topographic data and drawings we tried to reconstruct, where it was possible, late antique look at a certain landscape. In the area of the former capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia and its landscape we were able to answer a few questions. For example: we tried to establish whether the late the antique graves follow natural terrain configuration; what is their position in relation to the late ancient urban and suburban areas; where are they located in relation to communication routes and how they relate to the nearby architecture