Evidence-based Kernels: Fundamental Units of Behavioral Influence

This paper describes evidence-based kernels, fundamental units of behavioral influence that appear to underlie effective prevention and treatment for children, adults, and families. A kernel is a behavior–influence procedure shown through experimental analysis to affect a specific behavior and that is indivisible in the sense that removing any of its components would render it inert. Existing evidence shows that a variety of kernels can influence behavior in context, and some evidence suggests that frequent use or sufficient use of some kernels may produce longer lasting behavioral shifts. The analysis of kernels could contribute to an empirically based theory of behavioral influence, augment existing prevention or treatment efforts, facilitate the dissemination of effective prevention and treatment practices, clarify the active ingredients in existing interventions, and contribute to efficiently developing interventions that are more effective. Kernels involve one or more of the following mechanisms of behavior influence: reinforcement, altering antecedents, changing verbal relational responding, or changing physiological states directly. The paper describes 52 of these kernels, and details practical, theoretical, and research implications, including calling for a national database of kernels that influence human behavior

Application of Ligninolytic Enzymes in the Production of Biofuels from Cotton Wastes

The application of ligninolytic fungi and enzymes is an option to overcome the issues related with the production of biofuels using cotton wastes. In this dissertation, the ligninolytic fungus and enzymes were evaluated as pretreatment for the biochemical conversion of Cotton Gin Trash (CGT) in ethanol and as a treatment for the transformation of cotton wastes biochar in other substances. In biochemical conversion, seven combinations of three pretreatments (ultrasonication, liquid hot water and ligninolytic enzymes) were evaluated on CGT. The best results were achieved by the sequential combination of ultrasonication, hot water, and ligninolytic enzymes with an improvement of 10% in ethanol yield. To improve these results, alkaline-ultrasonication was evaluated. Additionally, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and principal component analysis (PCA) were employed as fast methodology to identify structural differences in the biomass. The combination of ultrasonication-alkali hydrolysis, hot liquid water, and ligninolytic enzymes using 15% of NaOH improved 35% ethanol yield compared with the original treatment. Additionally, FT-IR and PCA identified modifications in the biomass structure after different types of pretreatments and conditions. In thermal conversion, this study evaluated the biodepolymerization of cotton wastes biochar using chemical and biological treatments. The chemical depolymerization evaluated three chemical agents (KMnO4, H2SO4, and NaOH), with three concentrations and two environmental conditions. The sulfuric acid treatments performed the largest transformations of the biochar solid phase; whereas, the KMnO4 treatments achieved the largest depolymerizations. The compounds released into the liquid phase were correlated with fulvic and humic acids and silicon compounds. The biological depolymerization utilized four ligninolytic fungi Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, Postia placenta, and Bjerkandera adusta. The greatest depolymerization was obtained by C. subvermispora. The depolymerization kinetics of C. subvermispora evidenced the production of laccase and manganese peroxidase and a correlation between depolymerization and production of ligninolytic enzymes. The modifications obtained in the liquid and solid phases showed the production of humic and fulvic acids from the cultures with C. subvermispora. The results of this research are the initial steps for the development of new processes using the ligninolytic fungus and their enzymes for the production of biofuels from cotton wastes

Gender differences in ruminative response style and excessive reassurance-seeking on depressive symptoms and perceived interpersonal rejection.

Using the integration of Nolen-Hoeksema's Response Style Theory of Depression and the Coyne's Interactional Model of Depression as the theoretical framework, this cross-sectional correlational designed study aimed to investigate how gender, ruminative response style, and excessive reassurance-seeking predicted depressive symptoms and perceived interpersonal rejection in Thai individuals. The sample was 130 psychiatric outpatients between 18 and 79 years of age, who had been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder at least once. Path analysis was used to test whether ruminative response style and excessive reassurance-seeking mediate the effect of gender on the severity of depressive symptoms and to determine the model fit and to test the predictive power of the proposed variables and their interaction terms in predicting perceived interpersonal rejection. The findings confirmed that ruminative response style was present more in women than in men. Ruminative response style was a strong predictor of depressive symptoms and it mediated the effect of gender on depressive symptoms. Gender, depressive symptoms, and their interaction term had strong direct effects on perceived interpersonal rejection while age, gender, number of perceived depressive episodes, and ruminative response style exerted its indirect effect on perceived interpersonal rejection through depressive symptoms. Gender, then, had both direct and indirect effects on the perceived interpersonal rejection. Excessive reassurance seeking appeared to correlate with depressive symptoms only because of its association with ruminative response style and did not have a significant effect on perceived interpersonal rejection. There was a less clear picture how excessive reassurance-seeking was associated with depressive symptoms and perceived interpersonal rejection. The study provided evidence for incorporating gender and ruminative response style in the design of an intervention to decrease depressive symptoms and perceived interpersonal rejection in Thai men and women who suffer depression.Ph.D.Health and Environmental SciencesNursingPublic healthUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/125993/2/3224848.pd