Grandparental investment facilitates harmonization of work and family in employed parents: A lifespan psychological perspective

The target article emphasizes the need to identify psychological mechanisms underlying grandparental investment, particularly in low-risk family contexts. We extend this approach by addressing the changing demands of balancing work and family in low-risk families. Taking a lifespan psychological perspective, we identify additional motivators and potential benefits of grandparental investment for grandparents themselves and for subsequent generation

Correspondence Between Retrospective and Momentary Ratings of Positive and Negative Affect in Old Age: Findings From a One-Year Measurement Burst Design

Objectives and Method. Using 5 measurement bursts spanning 1 year, this study examined correspondences between retrospective end-of-year ratings and momentary ratings of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) in 53 older adult participants from the Berlin Aging Study. Results. Average momentary assessments were moderately positively correlated with retrospective ratings of PA and NA. Hierarchical regression analyses further indicate that mean momentary PA best predicted retrospective PA over and above peak or recent momentary PA, whereas no such pattern emerged for NA. No evidence for age differences in these patterns was found. Discussion. Our discussion focuses on the implications of affective memory biases for examining affective experiences as they occur in peoples' daily lives and points to implications concerning methods and theory developmen

Linking Possible Selves and Behavior: Do Domain-Specific Hopes and Fears Translate Into Daily Activities in Very Old Age?

We used time-sampling information from a subsample of the Berlin Aging Study (N = 83; M = 81.1 years) to investigate the link between possible selves in three domains (health, everyday cognition, and social relations) and performance of daily activities. In the domains of health and social relations, hoped-for selves were associated with higher probabilities of performing daily activities in those domains. There were no associations in the cognitive domain or between feared selves and activities. Individuals who engaged in hope-related activities reported concurrent higher positive affect and subsequently had a higher probability of survival over a 10-year period. These findings speak to important associations between beliefs about possible selves and activities in advanced old age and the value of considering associations between microlevel and macrolevel indicators of successful agin

Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Paclitaxel-Eluting Balloon for the Treatment of Drug-Eluting Stent Restenosis 3-Year Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

AbstractObjectivesThis study sought to investigate the long-term comparative efficacy and safety of paclitaxel-eluting balloon (PEB), paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES), or balloon angioplasty (BA) for the treatment of drug-eluting stent restenosis.BackgroundThe optimal treatment of drug-eluting stent restenosis remains unknown. Although PEB has shown encouraging results, the long-term clinical efficacy and safety of PEB remains poorly defined.MethodsA total of 402 patients with clinically significant restenosis in limus-eluting stents were randomly assigned to receive PEB (n = 137), PES (n = 131), or BA (n = 134). For this analysis, PEB versus PES and PEB versus BA were compared. The primary efficacy and safety endpoints were target lesion revascularization and the composite of death or myocardial infarction.ResultsAt a median follow-up of 3 years, the risk of target lesion revascularization was comparable with PEB versus PES (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91 to 2.33; p = 0.11) and lower with PEB versus BA (HR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.34 to 0.74; p < 0.001). The risk of death/myocardial infarction tended to be lower with PEB versus PES (HR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.28 to 1.07; p = 0.08), due to a lower risk of death (HR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.87; p = 0.02). The risk of death/myocardial infarction was similar with PEB versus BA (HR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.46 to 2.0; p = 0.91).ConclusionsAt 3 years, the use of PEB as compared with PES to treat patients with limus-eluting stent restenosis has similar efficacy and safety. PEB remains superior to BA. The sustained efficacy without trade-off in safety supports the role of PEB as treatment option for patients with drug-eluting stent restenosis. (Intracoronary Stenting and Angiographic Results: Drug Eluting Stent In-Stent Restenosis: 3 Treatment Approaches [ISAR-DESIRE 3]; NCT00987324

Monitoring land-fast sea ice in the Weddell Sea – A contribution to the Antarctic Fast Ice Network

Continuous observations of sea-ice and its snow cover are crucial to understand key processes and predict changes in the polar regions. In the pack-ice zone of the Southern Ocean, gathering these data is most challenging due to logistical constraints. In contrast, immobile sea ice fastened to the coast and ice shelves around Antarctica is relatively easy to probe from nearby coastal stations. During IPY 2007/08, several international partners grouped together in the Antarctic Fast Ice Network (AFIN) to provide the scientific community with continuous observations of fast-ice areas around the Antarctic coastline. Since 2010/11, we contribute to AFIN with a suite of measurements on the seasonal fast ice of Atka Bay, in the eastern Weddell Sea. Through its geographical location near the Ekström Ice Shelf, the fast ice is influenced by ocean-ice shelf interaction and is generally covered with a thick and highly variable snow cover. Here we present the concept and selected results of our ongoing monitoring program, where we combine traditional sea-ice measurements (drillings, coring, snow pits) with automated stations/buoys and remote sensing by satellites (MODIS, SAR)

Seasonal evolution of an ice-shelf influenced fast-ice regime, derived from an autonomous thermistor chain

Ice shelves strongly interact with coastal Antarctic sea ice and the associated ecosystem by creating conditions favorable to the formation of a sub-ice platelet layer. The close investigation of this phenomenon and its seasonal evolution remains a challenge due to logistical constraints and a lack of suitable methodology. In this study, we characterize the seasonal cycle of Antarctic fast ice adjacent to the Ekstr€om Ice Shelf in the eastern Weddell Sea. We used a thermistor chain with the additional ability to record the temperature response induced by cyclic heating of resistors embedded in the chain. Vertical sea-ice temperature and heating profiles obtained daily between November 2012 and February 2014 were analyzed to determine sea-ice and snow evolution, and to calculate the basal energy budget. The residual heat flux translated into an ice-volume fraction in the platelet layer of 0.18+-0.09, which we reproduced by a independent model simulation and agrees with earlier results. Manual drillings revealed an average annual platelet-layer thickness increase of at least 4 m, and an annual maximum thickness of 10 m beneath second-year sea ice. The oceanic contribution dominated the total sea-ice production during the study, effectively accounting for up to 70% of second-year sea-ice growth. In summer, an oceanic heat flux of 21 Wm-2 led to a partial thinning of the platelet layer. Our results further show that the active heating method, in contrast to the acoustic sounding approach, is well suited to derive the fast-ice mass balance in regions influenced by ocean/ice-shelf interaction, as it allows subdiurnal monitoring of the platelet-layer thickness

Value of Mini Electrodes for Mapping Myocardial Arrhythmogenic Substrate&mdash;The Influence of Tip-to-Tissue Angulation and Irrigation Flow on Signal Quality

Background: The use of mini electrodes with a small surface and narrow electrode-to-electrode spacing is believed to lead to a higher electrical resolution. Until now, the effects of tip-to-tissue contact, angulation, and irrigation on signal quality and morphology are unknown. Methods: The beating heart of an open-chest pig was examined while controlling the angulation and contact between the catheter tip and myocardial tissue, as well as the irrigation of the catheter tip. The mini electrodes were mounted onto commercially available 8 mm non-irrigated and 4 mm irrigated tip catheters. Different electrode interconnections, angulations, contact forces, and irrigation flow were analyzed and compared to signals recorded from conventional electrodes. Results: A total of 63 electrode samples of 21 defined, stable settings, each lasting 30 s, were analyzed. (1) Tissue contact of mini electrodes was given as soon as the conventional tip electrode showed tissue contact. (2) Angulation of the tip-to-tissue contact showed a trend towards changes in the integral of signals derived from mini electrodes, and no significant changes were seen in signals derived from conventional or mini electrodes. (3) Irrigation flow surrounding the mini electrodes did not influence signals derived from mini electrodes, whereas conventional electrodes showed signals with a longer duration under higher irrigation. Conclusion: Mini electrodes are robust to contact force and irrigation flow regarding signal quality, whereas signals of conventional electrodes are affected by irrigation flow, leading to substantial changes in signal duration and kurtosis. Signals of mini electrodes are sensitive to local electrical changes because of a high local resolution