Arousal Reappraisal and Interoceptive Awareness: How Awareness of Bodily Changes Facilitates Heightened Performance and Ability to Reappraise

The physiological arousal induced by a stressful situation has historically been viewed as bad; however, recent research has challenged this perspective, arguing that stress-related arousal can be beneficial. Arousal reappraisal is a coping technique that encourages individuals to reinterpret their physiological stress response as a means to help improve performance. Conversely, suppression, a common, yet ineffective coping technique, involves the active effort to stop oneself from expressing an emotional behavior. The current research examined the relationship between coping techniques and interoceptive awareness (IA), the degree to which individuals are aware of their own physiological changes. Comparing arousal reappraisal to both suppression and a control condition, the current research measured physiological changes, as well as performance on tasks intended to induce stress, including a timed math subtraction task and a karaoke singing task, to determine whether individuals with high IA would benefit more from arousal reappraisal techniques. Hypothesis One predicted an interaction between the independent variables, with high IA individuals in the control and suppression conditions performing worse than their low IA counterparts and high IA individuals benefiting more from arousal reappraisal techniques than those with low IA. Hypothesis Two predicted a main effect of coping condition for physiological changes, specifically predicting that individuals in the suppression condition would experience increased levels of physiology when compared to individuals in the other conditions. The results of the study did not fully support either hypothesis. The results suggest that arousal reappraisal did not have a significant effect on performance during a stressful task and found IA to have no significant impact on participants\u27 ability to benefit from reappraisal. However, the results did show a non-significant trend towards an interaction between IA and coping condition for performance on the mathematical stress task. This trend supports our prediction that suppression would hinder performance ability and continues to support the importance of the role of IA. Finally, there was a significant difference between baseline physiology and physiology during the two stress tasks, suggesting the tasks were an effective manipulation. However, physiology did not vary between the coping conditions. The results suggest the need for continued research on this topic

An Analysis of the Effectiveness and Impact of the Provision of Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence and Work Readiness Modules to Irish Third Level Students

Recently, there has been an emphasis on social-emotional learning (SEL) in educational settings and the role this may play in an individuals’ later life outcomes as well as their ability to manage stress and express and manage emotion in adaptive ways (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), 2020). Recent research also supports a positive correlation between emotional intelligence (EI) and the development of interpersonal skills, academic attainment, memory and problem-solving skills (Boyatzis & Saatcioglu, 2008). Further research emphasises the role of emotional competencies in sustaining employment and placement in higher education (Carthy et al., 2013; Murphy, 2015). As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, many college courses have pivoted to complete online delivery, meaning that educators and students alike are faced with new challenges associated with the online delivery of modules and student supports. Given the positive correlation between SEL and positive life outcomes in conjunction with the scale of the recent transition to distance learning, this small-scale study sought to explore the impact and efficacy of three five-week modules (mindfulness, EI, and workplace readiness), which were predominantly delivered online to a sample of students from Technological University (TU) Dublin. Specifically, the mindfulness module was made available to all first-year students, the EI module was available to all second-year students and the workplace readiness (WPR) module was available to all final-year students. Results demonstrated that participation in the mindfulness module led to decreased levels of perceived stress for students while increasing levels of resilience. Furthermore, students who attended the module reported that the course provided emotional support and that it aided them in finding a healthy work-life balance. Regarding the EI module, results revealed that participants\u27 average overall level of EI increased after completion of the module. Students reported that they believed the module provided emotional support and enabled them to manage academic stress more effectively. Finally, regarding the WPR module, results revealed that there was an increase in participants’ overall level of EI as well as improved scores on the CareerEDGE Employability Development Profile after completion of the module. Furthermore, students reported that involvement in the module not only empowered them to effectively assess their strengths and weaknesses but enabled them to develop interpersonal skills to allow them to communicate with employers more confidently as they transition into the workplace. Taken collectively, results support existing research and suggest that mindfulness, EI and WPR modules can effectively enable students to benefit personally, academically and professionally. However, further confirmatory research is required

An Analysis of the Impact and Efficacy of Online Emotional Intelligence Coaching as a Support Mechanism for University Students

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, many college courses have pivoted to complete online delivery and colleges are also tasked with providing student supports online. It is likely this transition will last beyond any COVID-19 specific restrictions, therefore this small-scale, exploratory study examined the efficacy and impact of the provision of a 5 week online emotional intelligence (EI) coaching programme to a cohort of Irish university students (n = 19) studying at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin). Results revealed that the average overall level of EI increased for participants following the coaching programme. Students reported that they believed the programme provided emotional support and that it also enabled them to manage academic stress more effectively and ultimately that engagement with the programme had a positive impact on their academic engagement. Taken collectively, the results of this study suggest that whilst EI coaching can be successfully delivered online, where possible, a blended approach may be optimal. However, as this is a novel and exploratory study, further confirmatory research is recommended

An Analysis of the Impact and Efficacy of an Online Mindfulness-based Intervention as a Support for First-year University Students

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many university courses transitioned to online delivery, therefore, educators and students faced new challenges associated with the delivery of modules and the provision of necessary student supports. Given the scale of this transition, it is likely that many universities will continue to teach remotely far beyond the reach of any pandemic specific restrictions. This study sought to explore the impact and efficacy of a five-week online mindfulness course to a cohort of first year university students (n = 25) at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Ireland. Results demonstrated that participation in the course led to decreased levels of perceived stress for students and increased levels of resilience. Students who took the course reported that it provided emotional support, aided them in finding a healthy work-life balance and that ultimately, they felt the course broadened their perspective and helped them be more aware of positive coping mechanisms

Insights into the Transposable Mobilome of Paracoccus spp. (Alphaproteobacteria)

Several trap plasmids (enabling positive selection of transposition events) were used to identify a pool of functional transposable elements (TEs) residing in bacteria of the genus Paracoccus (Alphaproteobacteria). Complex analysis of 25 strains representing 20 species of this genus led to the capture and characterization of (i) 37 insertion sequences (ISs) representing 9 IS families (IS3, IS5, IS6, IS21, IS66, IS256, IS1182, IS1380 and IS1634), (ii) a composite transposon Tn6097 generated by two copies of the ISPfe2 (IS1634 family) containing two predicted genetic modules, involved in the arginine deiminase pathway and daunorubicin/doxorubicin resistance, (iii) 3 non-composite transposons of the Tn3 family, including Tn5393 carrying streptomycin resistance and (iv) a transposable genomic island TnPpa1 (45 kb). Some of the elements (e.g. Tn5393, Tn6097 and ISs of the IS903 group of the IS5 family) were shown to contain strong promoters able to drive transcription of genes placed downstream of the target site of transposition. Through the application of trap plasmid pCM132TC, containing a promoterless tetracycline resistance reporter gene, we identified five ways in which transposition can supply promoters to transcriptionally silent genes. Besides highlighting the diversity and specific features of several TEs, the analyses performed in this study have provided novel and interesting information on (i) the dynamics of the process of transposition (e.g. the unusually high frequency of transposition of TnPpa1) and (ii) structural changes in DNA mediated by transposition (e.g. the generation of large deletions in the recipient molecule upon transposition of ISPve1 of the IS21 family). We also demonstrated the great potential of TEs and transposition in the generation of diverse phenotypes as well as in the natural amplification and dissemination of genetic information (of adaptative value) by horizontal gene transfer, which is considered the driving force of bacterial evolution

An Analysis of the Impact and Efficacy of an Online Mindfulness-based Intervention as a Support for First-year University Students.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, several university courses transitioned to online delivery, therefore, educators and students alike faced new challenges associated with the delivery of modules as well as provision of the necessary student supports. Given the scale of this transition, it is likely that many universities will continue to teach remotely far beyond the reach of any pandemic specific restrictions. This study sought to explore the impact and efficacy of a five-week online mindfulness course to a cohort of first-year university students (n = 25) at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Ireland. Results found that participation in the course led to decreased levels of perceived stress for students and increased levels of resilience. Students who took the course reported that it provided them with emotional support and also aided them in finding a healthy work-life balance and that ultimately, they felt the course broadened their perspective and helped them be more aware of coping mechanisms