Inspecting the role of positive emotions, adaptive coping, and psychological resources to explain the strengthening of resilience after stress exposure

A few studies have indicated the resilience promoting role of stressors but there is a lack of studies to delineate the underlying mechanisms. To address that gap of knowledge, this study utilizes a combination of broaden and build theory (Fredrickson, 1998, 2001b) and the stress and coping model (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) to delineate the mechanisms underlying strengthening of resilience upon exposure to stressors. The main underpinnings of the theoretical model are two pathways that lead to resilience. Based on the broaden and build theory, the experience of positive emotions will lead to resilience via adaptive coping and psychological resources. The other pathway to resilience is via adaptively coping to stress. A cross sectional online survey was utilised to test the hypothesised model. A total of 506 students filled out the survey, and a total of 276 valid responses were obtained. Results generally supported the overall theoretical model. Concerning individual paths, contrary to the hypothesis, stress was negatively related to resilience. However, adaptive coping and positive emotions alleviated the negative effect of stress on resilience. Further, it was found that positive reappraisal alleviated the negative effect of stress on positive emotions. Also, adaptive coping was negatively related to resilience probably because of the uncontrollable nature of stressors. Experience of positive emotions relate to resilience via adaptive coping and psychological resources, namely self-efficacy and hope. Thus, initial findings suggest that positive emotions relate to resilience via the broaden and the build pathways, separately. Finally, the potential practical implications of a loving kindness meditation for university students. Directions for future research on resilience are discussed

Genetic Relationship among Nepalese Rice Landraces and Cultivars based on RAPD Markers

Genetic information of any genotype is necessary to manage and utilize them in conservation and breeding program. A total of 28 RAPD markers were used to relate the genetic structure among 50 Nepalese rice genotypes consisting of 29 landraces, 12 breeding lines and 9 released cultivars. Some of them are aromatic and blast resistance. Only four primers (P41, P60, P109 and P141) amplified the DNA of these genotypes with scorable bands. Primer 60 produced the highest number of bands (8). The highest number of present bands (6) was shown by primer 41 in 10 rice genotypes. Grouping of these genotypes based on the adaptation to agro-climatic zone was not observed, probably due to low percentage coverage of genome by four primers.  Most of the genotypes grouped in two clusters. Kali Marsi and IR-24 formed separate individual cluster. Mansara and Jarneli were the most similar landraces (0.96). Churenodhan and Pranpyuri were the most closely related with Masuli. Only one genotype NR-285-18 has fallen in the first quadrant by principal component (PC) analysis and the fourth quadrant was empty. The highest contribution in PC1 was from the second band of primer 41. This RAPD information can be used for selecting lines and for blast resistance breeding.Key words: Genetic distance; rice; RAPDDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njb.v2i1.5635Nepal Journal of Biotechnology Jan.2012, Vol.2(1): 16-2

An expanded evaluation of protein function prediction methods shows an improvement in accuracy

Background: A major bottleneck in our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of life is the assignment of function to proteins. While molecular experiments provide the most reliable annotation of proteins, their relatively low throughput and restricted purview have led to an increasing role for computational function prediction. However, assessing methods for protein function prediction and tracking progress in the field remain challenging. Results: We conducted the second critical assessment of functional annotation (CAFA), a timed challenge to assess computational methods that automatically assign protein function. We evaluated 126 methods from 56 research groups for their ability to predict biological functions using Gene Ontology and gene-disease associations using Human Phenotype Ontology on a set of 3681 proteins from 18 species. CAFA2 featured expanded analysis compared with CAFA1, with regards to data set size, variety, and assessment metrics. To review progress in the field, the analysis compared the best methods from CAFA1 to those of CAFA2. Conclusions: The top-performing methods in CAFA2 outperformed those from CAFA1. This increased accuracy can be attributed to a combination of the growing number of experimental annotations and improved methods for function prediction. The assessment also revealed that the definition of top-performing algorithms is ontology specific, that different performance metrics can be used to probe the nature of accurate predictions, and the relative diversity of predictions in the biological process and human phenotype ontologies. While there was methodological improvement between CAFA1 and CAFA2, the interpretation of results and usefulness of individual methods remain context-dependent. Keywords: Protein function prediction, Disease gene prioritizationpublishedVersio

An Expanded Evaluation of Protein Function Prediction Methods Shows an Improvement In Accuracy

Background: A major bottleneck in our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of life is the assignment of function to proteins. While molecular experiments provide the most reliable annotation of proteins, their relatively low throughput and restricted purview have led to an increasing role for computational function prediction. However, assessing methods for protein function prediction and tracking progress in the field remain challenging. Results: We conducted the second critical assessment of functional annotation (CAFA), a timed challenge to assess computational methods that automatically assign protein function. We evaluated 126 methods from 56 research groups for their ability to predict biological functions using Gene Ontology and gene-disease associations using Human Phenotype Ontology on a set of 3681 proteins from 18 species. CAFA2 featured expanded analysis compared with CAFA1, with regards to data set size, variety, and assessment metrics. To review progress in the field, the analysis compared the best methods from CAFA1 to those of CAFA2. Conclusions: The top-performing methods in CAFA2 outperformed those from CAFA1. This increased accuracy can be attributed to a combination of the growing number of experimental annotations and improved methods for function prediction. The assessment also revealed that the definition of top-performing algorithms is ontology specific, that different performance metrics can be used to probe the nature of accurate predictions, and the relative diversity of predictions in the biological process and human phenotype ontologies. While there was methodological improvement between CAFA1 and CAFA2, the interpretation of results and usefulness of individual methods remain context-dependent

Individual differences and culture aids in meaning making to facilitate resilience after adversity

Though studies have highlighted the negative well-being impact of stress (Hobfoll, 1989), recent studies demonstrate resilience promoting role of stress (Crane & Searle, 2016; Seery et al., 2013) indicating challenge stressors and moderate lifetime adversity to promote resilience. Further, McGee et al., (2018) found manageability aspect of sense of coherence moderates stress resilience relationship. Similarly, Crane et al., (2019) found self-reflection to build resilience after stress exposure. However, subsequent self-reflection intervention study (Falon et al., 2021) found decreases in brooding explained the stress and resilience relationship. The current study utilises the meaning making framework (Park, 2010) to investigate how individual and cultural differences influence reflection, i.e. deliberate rumination, and meaning in life thereby predicting resilience. This study proposes that individual differences like neuroticism and introversion negatively moderates while dispositional mindfulness, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness positively moderates the stress and deliberate rumination relationship. Extraversion and agreeableness are proposed to positively moderate the deliberate rumination and meaning in life relationship. Regarding cultural influences, Asians emphasise social-connectedness while Westerners emphasise independent self (Kitayama et al., 2020). Since social-connectedness is important for meaning making and meaning in life, it is proposed that social connectedness will interact with positive individual differences to incrementally predict meaning making and meaning in life. Finally, it is proposed that meaning in life, an aspect of meaning made resulting from meaning making process i.e. deliberate rumination, results in resilience. This study answers calls to investigate individual and cultural differences to understand how resilience is strengthened after stress exposure

A longitudinal study of Covid stressors and wellbeing outcomes : the role of global meaning violation, mindfulness, meaning making, and meaning made

This longitudinal study explores the hitherto untested role of global meaning violation (GMV) in the longitudinal wellbeing and distress outcomes during the pandemic. It also tests if mindfulness buffers the effect of Covid stress (CS) on GMV. Further, as implored by Park (2021), the potential for meaning making processes to help in longitudinal positive adaptation to CS via meanings made is explored. Using the meaning making model (Park, 2010) it is proposed that CS will be positively related to GMV and mindfulness will moderate this relationship. Further, GMV will predict wellbeing and distress longitudinally. GMV will also trigger the meaning making processes i.e., meaning making coping (MMC), an aspect of situational meaning making, and core beliefs re-examination (CBR), an aspect of global meaning making. Additionally, it is proposed that the meaning making processes will lead to wellbeing outcomes via meanings made i.e., MMC and CBR will positively predict wellbeing and negatively predict distress via posttraumatic growth (PTG), a situational meaning made, and footing in the world (FW), a global meaning made, respectively. This study employs a 3-wave longitudinal design and uses structural equational modelling (SEM) to test the proposed hypotheses. 344 local community participants (63.95% females) and age ranged from 25 to 55 years completed all three surveys. Findings indicated that Time 1 (T1) CS is positively related to T1 GMV. However, this relationship was not moderated by T1 mindfulness. Further, T1 GMV is positively related to T1 MMC and T1 CBR. T1 GMV did not predict Time 2 (T2) wellbeing nor T2 distress longitudinally. T1 MMC predicted T2 PTG but T1 CBR did not predict T2 FW. Further, T2 PTG predicted T3 wellbeing but not T3 distress. More importantly, T2 PTG mediates the indirect effect of T3 MMC on T3 wellbeing. Additionally, cross lagged model testing confirmed the causality of the longitudinal associations. This is one of the first studies during the pandemic to provide support to core assumptions of meaning making model and enrich the literature that traumatic events like Covid19 disrupts individuals’ global meaning and it is associated with wellbeing outcomes. Further, GMV also triggers the meaning making processes of meaning making coping and core beliefs re-examination. Moreover, this study adds to the literature that positive wellbeing outcomes of meaning making processes is mediated via meanings made by demonstrating that during Covid outbreaks, meaning making coping employing both cognitive and emotional processing of stressors to change the situational meaning of the stressors, helps in positive adaptation to Covid stress via posttraumatic growth. Findings suggest potential practical implications for interventions to improve wellbeing in the community during the pandemic