"I cannot stand the boredom." Binge drinking expectancies in adolescence

Introduction: The main aim of this study is to improve our knowledge on binge drinking behavior in adolescents. In particular, we tested a model of predictors of binge drinking focusing on boredom proneness; we also examined the predictive and mediating role of drinking expectancies on binge drinking. Methods: A questionnaire designed to assess current drinking behavior, such as binge drinking, drinking expectancies and boredom proneness, was administered to 721 Italian adolescents (61% females) aged between 13 and 19 years (M = 15.98, SD = 1.61). Results: Structural equation modeling confirmed the evidence on drinking expectancies as predicted by boredom proneness and as predictive of adolescents' binge drinking. Interestingly, disinhibition and relief from pain seem to play a more important mediating role between boredom and alcohol outcome. Conversely, no mediation was found for interpersonal and social confidence expectancies on binge drinking. Conclusions: In general, the results suggest that preventative interventions on alcohol misuse should focus on personality traits and underlying drinking expectancies

Reducing the meta-emotional problem decreases physiological fear response during exposure in phobics

Anxiety disorders may not only be characterized by specific symptomatology (e.g., tachycardia) in response to the fearful stimulus (primary problem or first-level emotion) but also by the tendency to negatively evaluate oneself for having those symptoms (secondary problem or negative meta-emotion). An exploratory study was conducted driven by the hypothesis that reducing the secondary or meta-emotional problem would also diminish the fear response to the phobic stimulus. Thirty-three phobic participants were exposed to the phobic target before and after undergoing a psychotherapeutic intervention addressed to reduce the meta-emotional problem or a control condition. The electrocardiogram was continuously recorded to derive heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) and affect ratings were obtained. Addressing the meta-emotional problem had the effect of reducing the physiological but not the subjective symptoms of anxiety after phobic exposure. Preliminary findings support the role of the metaemotional problem in the maintenance of response to the fearful stimulus (primary problem)

Factors Predicting the Intention of Eating an Insect-Based Product

This study provides a framework of the factors predicting the intention of eating an insect-based product. As part of the study, a seminar was carried out to explore how the provision of information about ecological, health, and gastronomic aspects of entomophagy would modify consumer beliefs regarding insects as food. Before and after the informative seminar, two questionnaires about sociodemographic attributes and beliefs about the consumption of insects as food were given. Participants were then asked to carry out a sensory evaluation of two identical bread samples, but one was claimed to be supplemented with insect powder. Results showed that perceived behavioral control is the main predictor of the intention, followed by neophobia and personal insect food rejection. The disgust factor significantly decreased after the participants attended the informative seminar. Sensory scores highlighted that participants gave "insect-labelled" samples higher scores for flavor, texture, and overall liking, nevertheless, participants indicated that they were less likely to use the "insect-labelled" bread in the future. Our findings provide a better understanding of insect food rejection behavior and help to predict the willingness to try insect-based products based on some important individual traits and information

Impact of Liquid/Vapor Maldistribution on the Performance of a Plate Heat Exchanger Evaporator for Pure and Mixed Refrigerants

This paper presents an estimation of the degradation in heat transfer performance in plate heat exchanger (PHE) evaporators due to flow maldistribution. A booster heat pump system integrated in a district heating network is used as a case study. Butane and two zeotropic mixtures, namely Propylene/Butane (0.5/0.5) and R1234yf/R1233zdE (0.5/0.5) were evaluated as working fluids. The PHE was preliminarily sized for all the refrigerants by considering a fixed plate geometry from a commercial manufacturer. A two-dimensional (2D) numerical model was developed for the evaluation of the total heat flow rate degradation due to the imposed uneven liquid/vapor distribution at the inlet of the PHE channels. Butane showed the most sensitivity to both the effect of end plates and maldistribution, with an overall reduction of the heat flow rate equal to -11.2 %. Both the zeotropic mixtures were insignificantly affected by the uneven quality distribution at the inlet, and suffered a slight reduction of the overall heat flow rate of -0.861 % and -0.779 %, due to effect of end plates. Last, the sensitivity to the boundary conditions of the case study was assessed for the mixture Propylene/Butane (0.5/0.5), evaluating the dependence of the obtained results from superheat and number of channels, since both parameters impact the degradation of heat transfer performanc

Variation in the stable isotope trophic position of the bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766) from two Mediterranean sites: insights from a global meta-analysis

A direct consequence of sea warming is the shift in the distribution range of thermo-tolerant species that have the potential to determine novel inter-specific interactions, ultimately altering food web structures and ecosystem processes. In this study, we investigated the trophic position of the bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766), a pelagic predator that has recently expanded its distribution in the Mediterranean basin and for which scant information is available on its functional role in recently-colonised areas. Nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes were determined in muscle tissues of bluefish specimens collected in south-east Italy in the Gulf of Taranto (NW Ionian Sea) and in the Strait of Otranto (SW Adriatic Sea) at two coastal sites showing contrasting oceanographic conditions. The bluefish trophic position (TP) was estimated using locally abundant forage fish species as isotopic baselines. The results indicated for bluefish from the Strait of Otranto a TP value of 5.1, significantly higher than that determined in the Gulf of Taranto (4.2), and exceeding stomach content-based estimations reported by the online database FishBase and by literature sources. A synthesis of 30 publications reporting isotopic data for the bluefish and its potential prey at a global scale indicated that the species’ trophic position varied considerably between 2.7 and 5.2. The observed variability depended on location and on the baseline species used in the estimations. Yet, a significant difference in trophic position was observed for bluefish from transitional and inshore environments as compared with offshore areas, mirroring the results obtained from the Gulf of Taranto and the Strait of Otranto. The findings of the study highlight the high trophic plasticity characterizing the bluefish in recently colonized areas, suggesting that it may play a key role in facilitating the expansion of its distribution range. However, additional investigations are essential to provide an advanced resolution of the bluefish functional role in Mediterranean coastal food webs

Anti-Inflammatory activity of a polyphenolic extract from Arabidopsis thaliana in in vitro and in vivo models of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder and the primary form of dementia in the elderly. One of the main features of AD is the increase in amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide production and aggregation, leading to oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Polyphenols are well known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects and have been proposed as possible therapeutic agents against AD. Here, we investigated the effects of a polyphenolic extract of Arabidopsis thaliana (a plant belonging to the Brassicaceae family) on inflammatory response induced by Aβ. BV2 murine microglia cells treated with both Aβ25⁻35 peptide and extract showed a lower pro-inflammatory (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α) and a higher anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10, IL-13) cytokine production compared to cells treated with Aβ only. The activation of the Nrf2-antioxidant response element signaling pathway in treated cells resulted in the upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 mRNA and in an increase of NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 activity. To establish whether the extract is also effective against Aβ-induced neurotoxicity in vivo, we evaluated its effect on the impaired climbing ability of AD Drosophila flies expressing human Aβ1⁻42. Arabidopsis extract significantly restored the locomotor activity of these flies, thus confirming its neuroprotective effects also in vivo. These results point to a protective effect of the Arabidopsis extract in AD, and prompt its use as a model in studying the impact of complex mixtures derived from plant-based food on neurodegenerative diseases

Analytical psychodrama with college students suffering from mental health problems: Preliminary outcomes

The aim of this work was to assess the therapeutic efficacy of analytical psychodrama groups for college students with psychological problems. Analytical psychodrama, as a form of group psychotherapy, is an integral part of the program of treatment of young adults in the Counselling Center of the University of Bologna, which provides a free service for its students, aimed at delivering psychological support. Thirty patients (22 females) from 20 to 26 years old (mean age 22.33, standard deviation±1.75), suffering from mental health problems, who completed one year of psychodrama, were assessed before and after group psychotherapy. The Italian validation of Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation – Outcome Measure was used as test-retest questionnaire for clinical outcome evaluation. The results demonstrated the efficacy of the treatment in terms of symptom decrease and improvement of patients’ well being. After the treatment (40 sessions, once a week), patients showed a statistically significant reduction in clinical outcomes scores compared with pre-treatment scores. Moreover, the analyses of Reliable and Clinical Significant Change index showed that about 30% of patients improved, and this improvement was reliable and/or clinically significant. Our preliminary findings revealed that analytical psychodrama is a suitable treatment for college students, as it actually reduces young adults’ symptoms. These results contribute to the topic of the validity of psychodrama interventions to encourage research regarding the specific psychotherapeutic effects of its method

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may elicit neutralizing antibodies targeting epitopes conserved in all viral genotypes

Anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) cross-neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies, directed against conserved epitopes on surface E2 glycoprotein, are central tools for understanding virus-host interplay, and for planning strategies for prevention and treatment of this infection. Recently, we developed a research aimed at identifying these antibody specificities. The characteristics of one of these antibodies (Fab e20) were addressed in this study. Firstly, using immunofluorescence and FACS analysis of cells expressing envelope HCV glycoproteins, Fab e20 was able to recognize all HCV genotypes. Secondly, competition assays with a panel of mouse and rat monoclonals, and alanine scanning mutagenesis analyses located the e20 epitope within the CD81 binding site, documenting that three highly conserved HCV/E2 residues (W529, G530 and D535) are critical for e20 binding. Finally, a strong neutralizing activity against HCV pseudoparticles (HCVpp) incorporating envelope glycoproteins of genotypes 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b and 4, and against the cell culture-grown (HCVcc) JFH1 strain, was observed. The data highlight that neutralizing antibodies against HCV epitopes present in all HCV genotypes are elicited during natural infection. Their availability may open new avenues to the understanding of HCV persistence and to the development of strategies for the immune control of this infection