Conflict Patterns among Greek Couples: The Role of Values, Self- Disclosure, and Relationship Satisfaction

This study tested the assumption that self- and spouse reports on values, self-disclosure and satisfaction could predict conflict patterns, as proposed by Rusbult, Zembrodt, & Gunn’s (1982) Exit-Voice-Loyalty-Neglect typology. Participants were 133 married Greek couples. Results were generally consistent with expectations: Self- and spouse reports on satisfaction, self-disclosure and values were significant predictors of the use of the four conflict resolution strategies, to an extent that varied across conflict type, informant (self vs. spouse) and gender. Overall, husbands were more satisfied than wives. No differences were found at the mean level of selfdisclosure, or in the frequency and type of the conflict strategies used by husbands and wives. Values that promoted positive social relationships (e.g., Benevolence, Tradition, Conformity) were positively related to constructive conflict strategies (Voice, Loyalty), and negatively related to destructive conflict strategies (Exit, Neglect). The opposite pattern of relationships was found for values that promoted self-interest at the expense of couple goals (Power). Values promoting gratification of personal needs without necessarily threatening social relations (e.g., Hedonism, Stimulation) differentially contributed to the prediction of conflict resolution strategies in husbands and wives. Finally, passive conflict strategies (Loyalty, Neglect) were negatively related to values, emphasizing the active pursuit of problem solving (Self-direction and Achievement). Findings are discussed in the light of literature on cultural and gender differences in conflict resolution strategies in intimate relationships

Developing Graduate Curriculum Faithful to Professional Training and a Christian Worldview

Trends in Christian higher education indicate a growing interest in professional training programs that take Christian faith commitments and values seriously. This article explores one professional graduate program with secondary accreditation that attempts to be faithful to a Christian worldview while at the same time honoring the developments within its particular discipline. In a desire to practice what we preach, several key components of an intentionally developed curriculum will be described including isomorphic accountability, self-in-relation exploration and mentoring. Some philosophical and theological foundations and pedagogical examples are offered. Finally, implications for graduate program development emphasize the need to attend to the language and processes of curriculum delivery and not just to the content

Risk of Buruli Ulcer and Detection of Mycobacterium ulcerans in Mosquitoes in Southeastern Australia

Buruli ulcer (BU) is a destructive skin condition caused by infection with the environmental bacterium, Mycobacterium ulcerans. BU has been reported in more than 30 countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Western Pacific. How people become infected with M. ulcerans is not completely understood, but numerous studies have explored the role of biting insects. In 2007, it was discovered that M. ulcerans could be detected in association with mosquitoes trapped in one town in southeastern Australia during a large outbreak of BU. In the present study we investigated whether there was a relationship between the incidence of BU in humans in several towns and the likelihood of detecting M. ulcerans in mosquitoes trapped in those locations. We found a strong association between the proportion of M. ulcerans-positive mosquitoes and the incidence of human disease. The results of this study strengthen the hypothesis that mosquitoes are involved in the transmission of M. ulcerans in southeastern Australia. This has implications for the development of strategies to control and prevent BU

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Genetic insights into resting heart rate and its role in cardiovascular disease

Resting heart rate is associated with cardiovascular diseases and mortality in observational and Mendelian randomization studies. The aims of this study are to extend the number of resting heart rate associated genetic variants and to obtain further insights in resting heart rate biology and its clinical consequences. A genome-wide meta-analysis of 100 studies in up to 835,465 individuals reveals 493 independent genetic variants in 352 loci, including 68 genetic variants outside previously identified resting heart rate associated loci. We prioritize 670 genes and in silico annotations point to their enrichment in cardiomyocytes and provide insights in their ECG signature. Two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses indicate that higher genetically predicted resting heart rate increases risk of dilated cardiomyopathy, but decreases risk of developing atrial fibrillation, ischemic stroke, and cardio-embolic stroke. We do not find evidence for a linear or non-linear genetic association between resting heart rate and all-cause mortality in contrast to our previous Mendelian randomization study. Systematic alteration of key differences between the current and previous Mendelian randomization study indicates that the most likely cause of the discrepancy between these studies arises from false positive findings in previous one-sample MR analyses caused by weak-instrument bias at lower P-value thresholds. The results extend our understanding of resting heart rate biology and give additional insights in its role in cardiovascular disease development

Gender equality in dual career marriages in Singapore

Creating Equality at Home tells the fascinating stories of 25 couples around the world whose everyday decisions about sharing the housework and childcare - from who cooks the food, washes the dishes, and helps with homework, to who cuts back on paid work - all add up to a gender revolution. From North and South America to Europe, Asia, and Australia, these couples tell a story of similarity despite vast cultural differences

Collectivist Discourses in Relational Intersectionality: Insights from Chinese American Christian Couples

Intersectionality espouses progressive societal dominant discourse norms that describe persons as individuals connected to a variety of social locations (e.g., gender, socioeconomic status [SES], ethnicity, sexual orientation, spirituality, vocation). This may not resonate with the cultural ideals of collectivist and bicultural communities, who are better understood when considered in context of both dominant and local intersectionality discourses. This retrospective interpretive thematic analysis examines the lived experiences of Chinese American Christian couples as they negotiate identity and roles in early parenthood. Findings indicate that the intersection of collectivist group identity markers, cultural values and spirituality guides how partners understand identity and negotiate relationship roles in marriage. Couples’ varied responses to cross-cultural and dominant discourse norms and other social location factors (e.g., vocation and SES) also account for individual differences. Implications for Chinese American Christian couples, and for the application of intersectionality theory to diverse populations, are discussed

Intersectionality in family therapy leadership : professional power, personal identities

This brief examines the ways in which sociocultural characteristics and contexts intersect to create varying dimensions of social advantage and inequality that, in turn, affect and organize professional relationships in educational and therapeutic settings. It explores how inherently hierarchical relationships develop within educational and university contexts, including between professors and students, supervisors and supervisees, clinicians and clients, and administrators and faculty members. The volume addresses how participants’ social locations inform their roles and actions and how they can hold positions of power while also embodying a marginalized identities.In addition, the book draws on perspectives of persons marginalized or privileged based on their race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and/or gender to examine how social location impacts their work as family therapy clinicians, supervisors, instructors, and administrators. Grounded in individual reflection and detailed experiences, each chapter describes rich personal narrative on how the individual therapist’s intersecting social locations influence his/her professional relationships. This book highlights the need for family therapists to identify their social location characteristics, evaluate the impact of their social location on their professional relationships, and process the role social location has on their academic, supervisory and clinical position. This volume is an essential resource for clinicians and practitioners, researchers and professors, and graduate students in family studies, clinical psychology, and public health as well as all interrelated disciplines.https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/1505/thumbnail.jp

Extraction Optimization, Antioxidant Capacity and Phenolic Profiling of Extracts from Flesh, Peel and Whole Fruit of New Zealand Grown Feijoa Cultivars

Feijoa fruit is becoming increasingly popular, yet limited studies have focused on the antioxidant capacity and phenolic profiling of its extracts. In this research, optimization of phenolic extraction from feijoa flesh, peel, and whole fruit from four New Zealand grown cultivars was conducted using orthogonal design. Antioxidant activities of the extracts were assessed, followed by phenolic profiling by a validated liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method. For feijoa flesh and whole fruit, the extraction was optimized using 70% ethanol, material to solvent ratio of 1:30, at extraction temperature of 50 °C for 30 min. For feijoa peel, extraction at 50 °C for 60 min using 50% ethanol with a material to solvent ratio of 1:30 were the optimized conditions. Results showed feijoa peel had higher total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activities than the flesh and whole fruit. Overall, the Unique cultivar had a relatively higher TPC and antioxidant activity than the other cultivars tested. A total of 15 phenolic compounds were identified, and seven of them were reported for the first time in feijoa fruit. This is the first systematic investigation on the extraction method, phenolic content, antioxidant activity and phenolic profile of feijoa emphasis on comparison of sample types and cultivars

Compositional Analysis and Aroma Evaluation of Feijoa Essential Oils from New Zealand Grown Cultivars

Feijoa is an aromatic fruit and the essential oil from feijoa peel could be a valuable by-product in the juicing industry. An initial comparison of the essential oil extraction methods, steam-distillation and hydro-distillation, was conducted. The volatile compounds in the essential oils from four feijoa cultivars were identified and semi-quantified by GC-MS and the aroma active compounds in each essential oil were characterized using SPME-GC-O-MS. Hydro-distillation, with a material to water ratio of 1:4 and an extraction time of 90 min, was the optimized extraction method for feijoa essential oil. The Wiki Tu cultivar produced the highest essential oil yield among the four selected cultivars. A total of 160 compounds were detected, among which 90 compounds were reported for the first time in feijoa essential oils. Terpenes and esters were dominant compounds in feijoa essential oil composition and were also major contributors to feijoa essential oil aroma. Key aroma active compounds in feijoa essential oils were α-terpineol, ethyl benzoate, (Z)-3-hexenyl hexanoate, linalool, (E)-geraniol, 2-undecanone, 3-octanone, α-cubebene, and germacrene D. This is the first report on the optimization of the extraction method and the establishment of the aroma profile of feijoa essential oils, with a comparison of four New Zealand grown cultivars