Beyond happiness: Building a science of discrete positive emotions.

While trait positive emotionality and state positive-valence affect have long been the subject of intense study, the importance of differentiating among several "discrete" positive emotions has only recently begun to receive serious attention. In this article, we synthesize existing literature on positive emotion differentiation, proposing that the positive emotions are best described as branches of a "family tree" emerging from a common ancestor mediating adaptive management of fitness-critical resources (e.g., food). Examples are presented of research indicating the importance of differentiating several positive emotion constructs. We then offer a new theoretical framework, built upon a foundation of phylogenetic, neuroscience, and behavioral evidence, that accounts for core features as well as mechanisms for differentiation. We propose several directions for future research suggested by this framework and develop implications for the application of positive emotion research to translational issues in clinical psychology and the science of behavior change. (PsycINFO Database Recor

Factores pedagógicos que inciden en la reprobación, en voz de los estudiantes normalistas.

The reprobation, recurrent problem in the Degree in Physical Education of the Benemérita Escuela Normal Veracruzana "Enrique C. Rébsamen". The research analyzes the factors that affect students' disapproval, considering pedagogical-academic, socioeconomic, physiological and psychological factors, from the perspective of the students. For the length of the research, and the relevance of the information, this article reports on the pedagogical factors. Attitudes and evaluation criteria proved to be the most influential.La reprobación, problemática recurrente en la Licenciatura en Educación Física de la Benemérita Escuela Normal Veracruzana “Enrique C. Rébsamen”. La investigación analiza los factores que inciden en la reprobación de los estudiantes, considerando factores pedagógico-académicos, socioeconómicos, fisiológicos y psicológicos, desde la perspectiva de los estudiantes. Por lo extenso de la investigación, y la relevancia de la información, éste artículo reporta lo referente a los factores pedagógicos. Las actitudes y los criterios de evaluación resultaron ser los de mayor influencia

Perceived Neighborhood Disorder and Type 2 Diabetes Disparities in Hispanic, Black, and White Americans

Introduction: Approximately 32 million Americans have type 2 diabetes, and that number continues to grow. Higher prevalence rates are observed among certain subgroups, including members of marginalized racial/ethnic groups as well as residents of disordered neighborhoods (i.e., those with more trash and vandalism). Institutionalized discriminatory practices have resulted in disproportionate representation of marginalized racial/ethnic groups in disordered neighborhoods compared to non-Hispanic Whites. These neighborhood disparities may partially contribute to health disparities, given that signs of neighborhood disorder often relate to a general withdrawal from the neighborhood, minimizing opportunities for both physical and social engagement. Yet, research suggests variability across racial/ethnic groups both in reporting rates of neighborhood disorder and in the extent to which neighborhood disorder is interpreted as posing a threat to health and well-being. Methods: Using 2016–2018 Health and Retirement Study data (n = 10,419, mean age = 67 years), a representative sample of older US adults, this study examined the possibility of racial/ethnic differences in associations between perceived neighborhood disorder and type 2 diabetes risk. Participants reported their perceptions of neighborhood disorder and type 2 diabetes status. Weighted logistic regression models predicted type 2 diabetes risk by perceived neighborhood disorder, race/ethnicity, and their interaction. Results: Non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics had higher type 2 diabetes risk; these two groups also reported more disorder in their neighborhoods compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Perceiving more neighborhood disorder was associated with increased type 2 diabetes risk, but the interaction between race/ethnicity and disorder was not significant. Discussion: Findings from the current study suggest that the negative effects of perceiving neighborhood disorder, a neighborhood-level stressor, extend to increased type 2 diabetes risk

Attachment insecurity, heart rate variability, and perceived social support in a diverse sample of young adults

Psychological and physical factors are robustly associated with perceived social support. Drawing from the literature on attachment style in adults and psychophysiology, we examined the possibility that the interaction of attachment insecurity and resting heart rate variability (HRV) was associated with perceived social support in a diverse sample of young adults living in the U.S (N = 145, Mage = 20.45) that was majority Latino (n = 77). Analyses revealed three key findings. First, in the overall sample, attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety were negatively associated with perceived social support, but in the Latino sample, only attachment avoidance was negatively associated with perceived social support. Second, HRV was not associated with perceived social support in the overall sample nor in the Latino sample. Third, attachment insecurity and HRV interacted to predict perceived social support only in the Latino sample such that, for those with lower levels of HRV, attachment anxiety was positively associated with perceived social support. This study underscores the importance of examining both psychological and physiological processes with careful consideration of ethnicity/culture in order to better understand perceived social support

Principio de primacía de la realidad y los contratos fraudulentos en la EPS Marañón S.A. Jaén, 2021

Decidió determinar la eficacia del principio de la primacía de la realidad en los contratos fraudulentos en la EPS Marañón S.A. Jaén, 2021. Tuvo una metodología cuantitativa, aplicada, no experimental transversal, descriptivo y correlacional. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 46 trabajadores de la EPS Marañón de Jaén. Se concluye que cuando el principio de primacía de la realidad es inadecuado los contratos fraudulentos es alto en un 70.8%, pero cuando es alto los contratos fraudulentos son regulares, revelando de esta forma que mientras se utilice correctamente las normas laborales en los contratos de naturaleza temporal, entonces se reducirán los contratos fraudulentos ya que disminuyen las simulaciones ilícitas que vulneran los derechos de los trabajadores. Además, se aprecia en la tabla 10 que la significación asintótica alcanzada en la prueba de Chi - cuadrado es menor a 0.05, permitiendo rechazar la hipótesis nula y aceptar la hipótesis alterna, demostrando que el principio de primacía de realidad mantiene una eficacia significativa en los contratos fraudulentos

Conocimiento sobre el autoexamen mamario en mujeres de una Comunidad de Huachipa, 2020

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo general determinar el nivel de conocimiento sobre el autoexamen mamario en las mujeres de la Asociación Pro Vivienda Villa Santa Rosa de Huachipa, 2020. El presente estudio tiene un enfoque cuantitativo, diseño no experimental, la técnica empleada fue la encuesta, el instrumento utilizado fue de 20 preguntas con opción múltiple, una población de 150 mujeres, con una muestra de 50 mujeres. Obteniendo como resultado, con respecto al nivel de conocimiento sobre el autoexamen mamario, el 28% (14) presentaron conocimiento alto, el 68% (34) conocimiento medio y el 4% (2) conocimiento bajo. Respecto a la dimensión concepto, el 4% de mujeres presentaron conocimiento bajo, el 68% conocimiento medio y el 28% conocimiento alto. Respecto a la dimensión factores de riesgo, el 4% presentaron conocimiento bajo, el 30% conocimiento medio y el 66% conocimiento alto. Respecto a la dimensión frecuencia el 38% presentaron conocimiento bajo, el 38% conocimiento medio y el 24% conocimiento alto y por último la dimensión técnica presentó como resultado, el 20% conocimiento bajo, 48% conocimiento medio y 32% conocimiento alto. Se concluye que las mujeres de la Asociación Pro Vivienda Villa Santa Rosa de Huachipa tienen conocimiento medio sobre el autoexamen mamario

Communalism Predicts Prenatal Affect, Stress, and Physiology Better than Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status

The authors examined the relevance of communalism, operationalized as a cultural orientation emphasizing interdependence, to maternal prenatal emotional health and physiology and distinguished its effects from those of ethnicity and childhood and adult socioeconomic status (SES). African American and European American women (N = 297) were recruited early in pregnancy and followed through 32 weeks gestation using interviews and medical chart review. Overall, African American women and women of lower socioeconomic backgrounds had higher levels of negative affect, stress, and blood pressure, but these ethnic and socioeconomic disparities were not observed among women higher in communalism. Hierarchical multivariate regression analyses showed that communalism was a more robust predictor of prenatal emotional health than ethnicity, childhood SES, and adult SES. Communalism also interacted with ethnicity and SES, resulting in lower blood pressure during pregnancy for African American women and women who experienced socioeconomic disadvantage over the life course. The effects of communalism on prenatal affect, stress, and physiology were not explained by depressive symptoms at study entry, perceived availability of social support, self-esteem, optimism, mastery, nor pregnancy-specific factors, including whether the pregnancy was planned, whether the pregnancy was desired after conception, or how frequently the woman felt happy to be pregnant. This suggests that a communal cultural orientation benefits maternal prenatal emotional health and physiology over and above its links to better understood personal and social resources in addition to economic resources. Implications of culture as a determinant of maternal prenatal health and well-being and an important lens for examining ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities in health are discussed

Evolutionary Comparison Provides Evidence for Pathogenicity of RMRP Mutations

Cartilage-hair hypoplasia (CHH) is a pleiotropic disease caused by recessive mutations in the RMRP gene that result in a wide spectrum of manifestations including short stature, sparse hair, metaphyseal dysplasia, anemia, immune deficiency, and increased incidence of cancer. Molecular diagnosis of CHH has implications for management, prognosis, follow-up, and genetic counseling of affected patients and their families. We report 20 novel mutations in 36 patients with CHH and describe the associated phenotypic spectrum. Given the high mutational heterogeneity (62 mutations reported to date), the high frequency of variations in the region (eight single nucleotide polymorphisms in and around RMRP), and the fact that RMRP is not translated into protein, prediction of mutation pathogenicity is difficult. We addressed this issue by a comparative genomic approach and aligned the genomic sequences of RMRP gene in the entire class of mammals. We found that putative pathogenic mutations are located in highly conserved nucleotides, whereas polymorphisms are located in non-conserved positions. We conclude that the abundance of variations in this small gene is remarkable and at odds with its high conservation through species; it is unclear whether these variations are caused by a high local mutation rate, a failure of repair mechanisms, or a relaxed selective pressure. The marked diversity of mutations in RMRP and the low homozygosity rate in our patient population indicate that CHH is more common than previously estimated, but may go unrecognized because of its variable clinical presentation. Thus, RMRP molecular testing may be indicated in individuals with isolated metaphyseal dysplasia, anemia, or immune dysregulation

Rationale and study protocol for Unidas por la Vida (United for Life): A dyadic weight-loss intervention for high-risk Latina mothers and their adult daughters.

BackgroundHalf of Mexican-American women are under-active and nearly 78% are overweight/obese. The high lifetime risk of developing type 2 diabetes necessitates a culturally appropriate lifestyle intervention.PurposeUnidas por la Vida is a novel dyadic intervention that capitalizes on the centrality of family in Latino culture to mobilize an existing family dyad as a resource for health behavior change. The intervention aims to improve health behaviors and promote weight loss in two at-risk members of the same family: mothers with type 2 diabetes and their overweight/obese adult daughters who are at risk for developing diabetes.MethodsParticipants (N = 460 mother-adult daughter dyads) will be randomized into one of three conditions: 1) dyadic participation (mothers-daughters) in a lifestyle intervention; 2) individual participation (mothers alone; unrelated daughters alone) in a lifestyle intervention; and 3) mother-daughter dyads in a minimal intervention control group.ResultsThe primary outcome is weight loss. Secondary outcomes include physical activity, dietary intake, physiological measures (e.g. HbA1c), and body composition. Both the dyadic and individual interventions are expected to produce greater weight loss at 6, 12, and 18 months than those in minimal intervention control group, with women assigned to the dyadic intervention expected to lose more weight and to maintain the weight loss longer than women assigned to the individual intervention.ConclusionBecause health risks are often shared by multiple members of at-risk families, culturally appropriate, dyadic interventions have the potential to increase the success of behavior change efforts and to extend their reach to multiple family members.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02741037

Simultaneous expression of UV and violet SWS1 opsins expands the visual palette in a group of freshwater snakes

Snakes are known to express a rod visual opsin and two cone opsins, only (SWS1, LWS), a reduced palette resulting from their supposedly fossorial origins. Dipsadid snakes in the genus Helicops are highly visual predators that successfully invaded freshwater habitats from ancestral terrestrial-only habitats. Here we report the first case of multiple SWS1 visual pigments in a vertebrate, simultaneously expressed in different photoreceptors and conferring both UV and violet sensitivity to Helicops snakes. Molecular analysis and in vitro expression confirmed the presence of two functional SWS1 opsins, likely the result of recent gene duplication. Evolutionary analyses indicate that each sws1 variant has undergone different evolutionary paths, with strong purifying selection acting on the UV-sensitive copy and dN/dS ∼1 on the violet-sensitive copy. Site-directed mutagenesis points to the functional role of a single amino acid substitution, Phe86Val, in the large spectral shift between UV and violet opsins. In addition, higher densities of photoreceptors and SWS1 cones in the ventral retina suggest improved acuity in the upper visual field possibly correlated with visually-guided behaviors. The expanded visual opsin repertoire and specialized retinal architecture are likely to improve photon uptake in underwater and terrestrial environments, and provide the neural substrate for a gain in chromatic discrimination, potentially conferring unique color vision in the UV-violet range. Our findings highlight the innovative solutions undertaken by a highly specialized lineage to tackle the challenges imposed by the invasion of novel photic environments and the extraordinary diversity of evolutionary trajectories taken by visual opsin-based perception in vertebrates