Physical, cognitive, social and mental health in near-centenarians and centenarians living in New York City: findings from the Fordham Centenarian Study

Background: Despite their strong increase, the population of the very old, including near-centenarians and centenarians, represent an unstudied and underserved population. Available studies mostly concentrate on predictors of exceptional longevity, but rarely extend their focus to other areas of functioning. Also, little is known about what contributes to experiencing a quality life in very old age. The present population-based study aims at providing a comprehensive picture of key domain of functioning, including physical, cognitive, social and mental function in very old individuals and to determine predictors of mental health indicators. Methods: A total of 119 individuals aged 95 to 107 living in private dwellings and residential care facilities were recruited based on the New York City Voters Registry. Participants answered questions regarding their health and activities of daily living. Their cognitive functioning was determined using the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Global Deterioration Scale. Social resources were measured with number of children and the Lubben Scale. Mental health was assessed with the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Results: An unexpectedly large proportion of the sample lived in the community. On average, cognitive functioning was high. Although five diseases were reported on average, participants reported good health. Functional status was reduced. Most participants had at least one person for communication/social support. On average, depression was below cut-off, and most participants reported high life satisfaction. Regression analyses indicated that individual differences in depression were associated with subjective health, IADL and relatives support. For life satisfaction, subjective health, ADL and number of children were most important. Demographic characteristics, number of illnesses or cognitive status were not significant. Conclusions: Despite reduced levels of physical functioning and social resources, very old participants were in good mental health suggesting high resilience and ability to adapt to age-associated challenges. That a large proportion of them lived in the community further highlights their desire for leading an autonomous life, which may have been facilitated by New York service culture. More research is necessary to provide guidance for the development of well-suited services for this very old population

Talking to the dead in the classroom. How a supposedly psychic event impacts beliefs and feelings

Paranormal beliefs (PBs) are common in adults. There are numerous psychological correlates of PBs and associated theories, yet, we do not know whether such correlates reinforce or result from PBs. To understand causality, we developed an experimental design in which participants experience supposedly paranormal events. Thus, we can test an event’s impact on PBs and PB-associated correlates (Mohr, Lesaffre, & Kuhn, 2018). Here, 419 naïve students saw a performer making contact with a confederate’s deceased kin. We tested participants’ opinions and feelings about this performance, and whether these predicted how participants explain the performance. We assessed participants’ PBs and repetition avoidance (PB related cognitive correlate) before and after the performance. Afterwards, participants rated explanations of the event and described their opinions and feelings (open-ended question). Overall, 65% of participants reported having witnessed a genuine paranormal event. The open-ended question revealed distinct opinion and affect groups, with reactions commonly characterized by doubt and mixed feelings. Importantly, paranormal explanations were more likely when participants reported their feelings than when not reported. Beyond these results, we replicated that 1) higher pre-existing PBs were associated with more psychic explanations (confirmation bias), and 2) PBs and repetition avoidance did not change from before to after the performance. Yet, PBs reminiscent of the actual performance (spiritualism) increased

Ageism in the third age

In the developed world, later life has brought more opportunities to contribute to society and pursue personal goals outside the role of paid work, combined with less stigma and greater recognition of the worth of older people. These values do not necessarily extend to the “oldest old” where some people in the fourth age (people 80 years old and over) continue to face increasing stigma and societal stereotypes from those in the third age (people 60–79 years old). Ageism between these two cohorts is rarely discussed in the literature. Potential ageism involves stereotypical perceptions of the oldest old and may prove detrimental to those transitioning from the third to the fourth age if a resultant resistance to maintain their engagement and independence into older age occurs. This chapter explores the subtleties of these inter-cohort ageist discourses particularly from a health and social care perspective and considers the implications for transitions of older people between the third and fourth age. It addresses the challenges and adjustments needed to ensure continuing and inclusive engagement in society, in order to support independence to grow old without the fear of discrimination

Physical, cognitive, social and mental health in near-centenarians and centenarians living in New York City: findings from the Fordham Centenarian Study

BACKGROUND: Despite their strong increase, the population of the very old, including near-centenarians and centenarians, represent an unstudied and underserved population. Available studies mostly concentrate on predictors of exceptional longevity, but rarely extend their focus to other areas of functioning. Also, little is known about what contributes to experiencing a quality life in very old age. The present population-based study aims at providing a comprehensive picture of key domain of functioning, including physical, cognitive, social and mental function in very old individuals and to determine predictors of mental health indicators. METHODS: A total of 119 individuals aged 95 to 107 living in private dwellings and residential care facilities were recruited based on the New York City Voters Registry. Participants answered questions regarding their health and activities of daily living. Their cognitive functioning was determined using the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Global Deterioration Scale. Social resources were measured with number of children and the Lubben Scale. Mental health was assessed with the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. RESULTS: An unexpectedly large proportion of the sample lived in the community. On average, cognitive functioning was high. Although five diseases were reported on average, participants reported good health. Functional status was reduced. Most participants had at least one person for communication/social support. On average, depression was below cut-off, and most participants reported high life satisfaction. Regression analyses indicated that individual differences in depression were associated with subjective health, IADL and relatives support. For life satisfaction, subjective health, ADL and number of children were most important. Demographic characteristics, number of illnesses or cognitive status were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Despite reduced levels of physical functioning and social resources, very old participants were in good mental health suggesting high resilience and ability to adapt to age-associated challenges. That a large proportion of them lived in the community further highlights their desire for leading an autonomous life, which may have been facilitated by New York service culture. More research is necessary to provide guidance for the development of well-suited services for this very old population

Effectiveness of basic dyes adsorption on bentonite

Adsorpcja jest jedną z najefektywniejszych metod usuwania barwników z roztworów wodnych. Skuteczność adsorpcji uzależniona jest głównie od doboru odpowiedniego adsorbentu oraz warunków w jakich prowadzony jest proces. Coraz częściej do procesów adsorpcji poszukuje się efektywnych, nisko kosztownych adsorbentów pochodzenia naturalnego. Szczególną uwagę zwraca się na niekonwencjonalne adsorbenty tj. naturalne materiały, biosorbenty a także materiały odpadowe z przemysłu czy rolnictwa. Celem pracy było określenie efektywności usuwania barwników zasadowych z roztworów wodnych przy wykorzystaniu procesu adsorpcji. W badaniach jako adsorbent użyty został bentonit. Wykorzystano dwa adsorbaty, którymi były barwniki zasadowe - Basic Green 4 i Basic Violet 10. Badania wykazały możliwość zastosowania bentonitu jako adsorbentu dla barwników zasadowych Basic Green 4 i Basic Violet 10 z roztworów wodnych. Na podstawie przeprowadzonych badań można stwierdzić, że efektywność procesu adsorpcji na bentonicie zależała od wpływu odczynu roztworu na wartość maksymalnej pojemności adsorpcyjnej oraz od stężenia adsorbentu. Lepsze efekty usuwania barwników BG 4 i BV 10 z roztworów wodnych uzyskano dla stężenia adsorbentu równego 1 g/dm3. Badania wykazały również wyraźny wpływ odczynu na ilość usuniętego barwnika. Wzrost odczynu roztworu w przypadku obu testowanych barwników powodował zwiększenie pojemności adsorpcyjnej. Niezależnie od rodzaju testowanego barwnika i ilości adsorbentu w próbie najwyższą pojemność adsorpcyjna testowanych barwników zasadowych z roztworów wodnych uzyskano przy pH 9.0. Wyznaczoną z równania Langmuira najwyższą pojemność adsorpcyjną spośród dwóch testowanych barwników, uzyskano dla stężenia adsorbentu równego 1 g/dm3, w procesie prowadzonym przy pH 9.0. W przypadku obu testowanych barwników BG 4 i BV 10 była ona zbliżona i wyniosła odpowiednio: 508 mg/g s.m.; 519 mg/g s.m. Najniższą pojemności adsorpcyjną uzyskano dla barwnika BV 10, podczas adsorpcji przy stężeniu bentonitu równym 10 g/dm3, przy pH 3.0 - 19 mg/g s.m. Wartości powinowactwa adsorpcyjnego dla bentonitu wahały się w zakresie 0,45 - 0,85 dm3/g s.m. dla barwnika Basic Green 4 oraz 0,15 - 0,7 dla barwnika Basic Violet 10.Adsorption is one of the most effective methods for the removal of dyes from aqueous solutions. Its effectiveness is chiefly determined by the selection of an appropriate adsorbent and conditions the process is run at. Effective and inexpensive adsorbents of natural origin to be used in the adsorption process are therefore increasingly often sought after. Special attention is devoted to unconventional adsorbents, i.e. natural materials, biosorbents as well as waste products of the industry or agriculture. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of basic dyes removal from aqueous solutions by means of the adsorption process. The adsorbent used in the study was bentonite, whereas basic dyes - Basic Green 4 and Basic Violet 10W, served as adsorbates.The study demonstrated the feasibility of applying bentonite as an adsorbent for basic dyes Basic Green 4 and Basic Violet 10 from aqueous solutions. Based on the conducted experiment, it may be concluded that the effectiveness of the adsorption process on bentonite depended on the effect of solution pH on the value of the maximum adsorption capacity and on adsorbent concentration. Better results of BG 4 and BV 10 dyes removal from aqueous solution were achieved at adsorbent con-centration of 1 g/dm3. The research showed also a tangible effect of solution pH value on the quantity of dye removed. An increasing pH value of the solution caused an increase in the adsorption capacity in the case of both analyzed dyes. Irrespective of the type of dye examined and adsorbent concentration, the highest adsorption capacity of the basic dyes from aqueous solutions was reached at pH 9.0. The highest adsorption capacity determined for the two analyzed dyes from the Langmuir's equation was achieved at adsorbent concentration of 1 g/dm3, in the process run at pH 9.0. It was alike in the case of both dyes, i.e. BG 4 and BV 10, and accounted for: 508 mg/g d.m. and 519 mg/g d.m., respectively. In contrast, the lowest adsorption capacity - 19 mg/g d.m. - was recorded for the BV dye during adsorption at bentonite concentration of 10 g/dm3 and pH 3.0. Values of adsorption affinity noted for bentonite were ranging from 0.45 to 0.85 dm3/g d.m. for Basic Green 4 dye as well as from 0.15 to 0.7 dm3/g d.m. for Basic Violet 10 dye

Childhood antecedents and maintaining factors in maladaptive daydreaming

This study explored the fantasy activity of 16 individuals who were seeking online peer-support and advice for maladaptive daydreaming (MD). MD is an under-researched mental activity described as persistent vivid Fantasy activity that replaces human interaction and/or interferes with important Areas of functioning.We employed a grounded theory methodology that yielded seven common themes presented as a sequential descriptive narrative about the nature, precursors, and consequences of MD. The presented âeurooestorylineâeuro included the following themes: (1) daydreaming as an innate talent for vivid fantasy; (2) daydreaming and social isolationâeuro"a two-way street; (3) the role of trauma in the development of MD; (4) the rewards of daydreaming; (5) the insatiable yearning for daydreaming; (6) shame and concealment; (7) unsuccessful treatment attempts. A main conclusion of our study is that there is an urgent need for early identification of MD and its correct diagnoses in adulthood