Fostering Hope and Enhancing Resilience through Character Strengths Interventions

This paper provides a review of the theory and application for how to integrate positive psychology, specifically VIA character strength interventions, into the programming at The Food Project (TFP). TFP is an impactful community based non-profit organization in Southwest Baltimore that provides cooking, farming, and restaurant skills, job opportunities, sustainable food sources, and mentorship to the underserved youth in the area. All programs are facilitated at TFP’s community center. TFP is looking for ways to continue to build hope and resilience among its youth participants. Upon reviewing the positive psychology literature, we determined five specific evidence-based interventions that integrate VIA character strengths into the existing programming at TFP. Each intervention is intended to build resilience and cultivate hope for the youth participants and includes a measurement plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the new initiative

The effects of newly formed synthetic peptide on bone regeneration in rat calvarial defects

PURPOSE: Significant interest has emerged in the design of cell scaffolds that incorporate peptide sequences that correspond to known signaling domains in extracellular matrix and bone morphogenetic protein. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bone regenerative effects of the synthetic peptide in a critical-size rat calvarial defect model. METHODS: Eight millimeter diameter standardized, circular, transosseus defects created on the cranium of forty rats were implanted with synthetic peptide, collagen, or both synthetic peptide and collagen. No material was was implanted the control group. The healing of each group was evaluated histologically and histomorphometrically after 2- and 8-week healing intervals. RESULTS: Surgical implantation of the synthetic peptide and collagen resulted in enhanced local bone formation at both 2 and 8 weeks compared to the control group. When the experimental groups were compared to each other, they showed a similar pattern of bone formation. The defect closure and new bone area were significantly different in synthetic peptide and collagen group at 8 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Concerning the advantages of biomaterials, synthetic peptide can be an effective biomaterial for damaged periodontal regenerationope

Beyond Borders: An Interdisciplinary Approach for the Advancement of Social Justice

Over the past two decades, positive psychology has significantly advanced the science of well-being, pushing the field to the forefront of psychological scholarship on human flourishing. However, little work has been done within the discipline to explore the role of justice in our ability to thrive individually and collectively. Although this topic takes up a small amount of space within psychological literature relative to other indicators of wellness, overwhelming research suggests that justice is intricately laced to well-being. This paper attempts to build bridges toward the advancement of positive psychology as a social justice-oriented discipline. Through the examination of theory, research, and application within and across various disciplines of psychology, we can develop a more robust understanding of the role of justice in human flourishing. Drawing upon these interdisciplinary insights, suggestions are made as to how positive psychology can become an instrument for social justice. I posit that not only is positive psychology uniquely positioned to address and advance social justice, but it has the responsibility to do so. As a discipline concerned with the well-being of individuals, communities, and society at large, cultivating a more just world aligns with positive psychology’s mission, purpose, and identity

Consumo, degradabilidade ruminal e digestibilidade aparente de fenos de gramíneas do gênero Cynodon e rações concentradas utilizando indicadores internos Nutritional value of Cynodon grass hay. Intake, degradability and apparent digestibility by means of internal markers

Objetivou-se avaliar o consumo, a digestibilidade aparente dos nutrientes e a degradabilidade in situ da matéria seca (MS), proteína bruta (PB) e fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) dos fenos de capins-coastcross e Tifton 85 e de rações contendo quatro níveis de concentrado para animais na fase de recria. A produção fecal foi estimada usando-se as fibras em detergente neutro (FDNi) e em detergente ácido (FDAi) indigestíveis como indicadores internos, obtidos após 144 horas de incubação ruminal. Utilizaram-se cinco bovinos com oito meses de idade e 32 animais não-castrados na fase de recria, todos da raça Nelore, para as avaliações de consumo e digestibilidade. Utilizaram-se três bovinos fistulados no rúmen para estudar a degradação da MS, PB e FDN dos fenos. Os tempos de incubação foram 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 e 144 horas. Os consumos dos nutrientes do feno de capim-coastcross foram menores que os observados para o capim-Tifton 85. As determinações das digestibilidades do feno de capim-coastcross não diferiram entre indicadores, entretanto as do feno de capim-Tifton 85 foram maiores, quando se utilizou como indicador a FDAi. Na fase de recria, todos os coeficientes de digestibilidade foram menores, quando se utilizou a FDNi como indicador. Os fenos apresentaram taxas de degradação para MS, PB e FDN relativamente próximas. Concluiu-se que a FDAi estimou melhor a digestibilidade dos nutrientes.<br>It was aimed to evaluate intake, apparent digestibility and in situ degradability of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) of coastcross and Tifton 85' bermudagrass hays, and of diets with four concentrate levels for growing animals. The fecal production was estimated by means of internal markers, indigestible neutral detergent fiber (NDFi) and acid detergent fiber (ADFi), obtained after 144 hours of ruminal incubation. It were used eight months old bovines and 32 non castrated animals in the growing phase, all Nellore, to evaluate intake and digestibility. Three-fistulated rumen bovines were used to study the disappearance of the dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) of the hays. The incubation times were 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 and 144 hours. The nutrient intakes of coastcross hay were smaller than Tifton 85 values. The DM, NDF and ADF apparent digestibility of the hays did not differ between markers, although the markers did not present statistical difference to estimate the coefficient of digestibility of coastcross hay, though for Tifton 85 nutrient apparent digestibility there was difference presenting larger value for ADFi. In the growing phase, all coefficients of digestibility were smaller when NDFi was used as marker. The degradation rate did not differ among the hays, inside of each studied entity (DM, CP, and NDF)