Physical Activity, Motivation, and Depression in College Students

Depression is a major mental health concern. There is an established relationship between physical activity and depression, where greater levels of physical activity are related to (and may even predict) lower depression status. The current study set out to explore how three different types of physical activity and three different motivational factors for physical activity were related to depression in college students. Overall physical activity was not related to depression. However, strength training predicted lower depression, while body-related motivation predicted greater depression. Strength training was a significant predictor of lower depression in men, but not women. There was also a trend towards body-related motivation as a predictor for greater depression in both men and women. These findings suggest that (1) to decrease depression, men should look towards strength training exercises, and (2) that engaging in physical activity for body-related reasons can be related to greater depression in both men and women

The temperature arrested intermediate of virus-cell fusion is a functional step in HIV infection

HIV entry occurs via membrane-mediated fusion of virus and target cells. Interactions between gp120 and cellular co-receptors lead to both the formation of fusion pores and release of the HIV genome into target cells. Studies using cell-cell fusion assays have demonstrated that a temperature-arrested state (TAS) can generate a stable intermediate in fusion related events. Other studies with MLV pseudotyped with HIV envelope also found that a temperature sensitive intermediate could be generated as revealed by the loss of a fluorescently labeled membrane. However, such an intermediate has never been analyzed in the context of virus infection. Therefore, we used virus-cell infection with replication competent HIV to gain insights into virus-cell fusion. We find that the TAS is an intermediate in the process culminating in the HIV infection of a target cell. In the virion-cell TAS, CD4 has been engaged, the heptad repeats of gp41 are exposed and the complex is kinetically predisposed to interact with coreceptor to complete the fusion event leading to infection

Effects of induction as an adjustment mechanism of recruits in industrial organizations in Nigeria

This study examined the dynamics of adjustment mechanisms on recruits in industrial organizations in Nigeria. The purpose of the study is to present a theoretical and statistical analysis of different types and processes of recruit‘s adjustments. The general objective is therefore to clarify the effect of adjustment mechanisms on recruits in industrial organizations in Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted to meet the objective. Questionnaire was used as a means of data collection. The total population of this study was 160 employees which represents the total workforce of three selected organizations in Abuja. The distribution of the population is as follows: National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) 95 (59.37%) employees, Abuja Graduate School (AGS) 35 (21.87%) employees and Trans Nationwide Express (TRANEX) 30 (18.75%) employees respectively and the units of analysis were the recruits. Recruits here mean staff who have spent between one to four years in different organizations. The onboarding theory was adopted and its relevance to this study was also justified to understand what motivates recruits. Quantitative analysis was chosen because it is one of the most suitable methods of data analysis for expressing in detail, the nature and feature of any given variable to avoid reader‘s bias. Findings of this study revealed, among others, that induction and good interpersonal relationship have significant impact on adjustment. It was concluded that there is need for individuals who are employed to get along in the organization so as to keep their job. Amongst the recommendations was that there is need for workplace restructuring in the organization to help both the workers and the organization realize their full potentials and goals. Key Words: Adjustment, Mechanism, Organization, Employee and Recruits

Attentional control mediates the relationship between social anhedonia and social impairment

Social anhedonia (SA), a trait-like disinterest in social contact and diminished capacity to experience pleasure from social interactions, is consistently associated with social impairments in both healthy and clinical populations. However, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between SA and social impairment are poorly understood. Attentional control, selecting and focusing on relevant information and inhibiting irrelevant, may be one such mechanism. We examined individual differences in SA, attentional control, and social impairment in 108 healthy adults. High SA related to low attentional control and high social impairment. Moreover, attentional control mediated the relationship between SA and social impairment, establishing attentional control as one mechanism underlying aberrations in the fundamental human need for social contact. Although both attentional deficits and social impairment have been separately noted in SA, the relationship between SA, attentional control and social impairment in this non-clinical sample reflects a novel contribution

Lateral prefrontal cortex activity during cognitive control of emotion predicts response to social stress in schizophrenia

LPFC dysfunction is a well-established neural impairment in schizophrenia and is associated with worse symptoms. However, how LPFC activation influences symptoms is unclear. Previous findings in healthy individuals demonstrate that lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) activation during cognitive control of emotional information predicts mood and behavior in response to interpersonal conflict, thus impairments in these processes may contribute to symptom exacerbation in schizophrenia. We investigated whether schizophrenia participants show LPFC deficits during cognitive control of emotional information, and whether these LPFC deficits prospectively predict changes in mood and symptoms following real-world interpersonal conflict. During fMRI, 23 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 24 healthy controls completed the Multi-Source Interference Task superimposed on neutral and negative pictures. Afterwards, schizophrenia participants completed a 21-day online daily-diary in which they rated the extent to which they experienced mood and schizophrenia-spectrum symptoms, as well as the occurrence and response to interpersonal conflict. Schizophrenia participants had lower dorsal LPFC activity (BA9) during cognitive control of task-irrelevant negative emotional information. Within schizophrenia participants, DLPFC activity during cognitive control of emotional information predicted changes in positive and negative mood on days following highly distressing interpersonal conflicts. Results have implications for understanding the specific role of LPFC in response to social stress in schizophrenia, and suggest that treatments targeting LPFC-mediated cognitive control of emotion could promote adaptive response to social stress in schizophrenia

Self-Adjusting Biofeedback with a Dynamic Feedback Signal Set (DyFSS)

Abstract - A lack of control over their autonomic nervous system presents a major challenge for many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Autonomic biofeedback training is a promising treatment for managing anxiety and ASD symptoms more generally. We describe software that tunes four autonomic measurements to the best abilities and needs of each individual patient. Using this dynamic feedback signal set (DyFSS), a strength-based, self-customizing algorithm, we aim to address the autonomic heterogeneity of youth with ASD. The DyFSS may improve autonomic biofeedback training for the user by making it more understandable and easier to accomplish. Because it is self-adjusting, it may also ease the integration of autonomic biofeedback training into clinical work. Initial feasibility testing of this algorithm in youth with ASD with a five-session autonomic biofeedback training protocol showed improved behavior in relation to ASD symptoms Initial reactions show that youth with ASD are readily engaged through technological interventions such as autonomic biofeedback

New roles and global agents in information organization in libraries

[Resumen] En un nuevo escenario globalizado, los roles de los agentes tradicionales de la organización de la información en bibliotecas han tendido a converger con aquellos provenientes de la industria del libro, bajo la presunción de que en su mayor parte las prácticas tradicionales bibliotecarias no son válidas ante esta nueva situación. El presente trabajo analiza la naturaleza e implicaciones para las bibliotecas de los vínculos existentes entre los agentes provenientes de la industria de libro y los organismos responsables de los principales sistemas de organización de la información bibliotecarios, tanto en un ámbito internacional como en el caso concreto de España. Algunos de los agentes cuyos discursos han sido analizados incluyen OCLC, el Consorcio de la CDU, BISG, BIC, EDItEUR, DILVE, Google y Amazon, concluyéndose que existe una incursión y colaboración entre uno y otro sector que se materializará en un aumento de la universalidad y homogeneización de unas prácticas de organización de la información en bibliotecas en las que no se tienen en cuenta la naturaleza y características específicas de las diferentes comunidades y contextos.[Abstract] In a new globalized scenario, the traditional activities of information organisation agents in libraries have tended to converge with those from the book industry, under the presumption that most traditional library practices are not adequate for the new globalized situation. This article analyzes the nature and consequences for libraries of the links between agents from the book industry and the organizations in charge of the main library information organization systems, both at an international level and in Spain. Some of the agents whose discourses were analyzed include OCLC, the UDC Consortium, BISG, BIC, EDItEUR, DILVE, Google and Amazon. We conclude that there is evidence of an incursion of book industry practices into the information organisation practices of OCLC and that collaboration between both sectors will result in an increase in universality and homogenization in library information organization practices without consideration for the nature and specific characteristics of the library and how it differs from the bookstore