Reducing Levels of Maladaptive Perfectionism in Gifted and Talented Youth Through a Mindfulness Intervention

This study examined the impact of a mindfulness program on 42 middle school students who had been identified as Gifted and Talented. Participants completed a six-week intervention designed to teach mindfulness. Before starting the group, students completed the Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS; Flett et al., 2016) which provides a measure of self (i.e., setting excessively high goals and standards for self) as well as socially-prescribed (i.e., perception that others are holding individual to unrealistic standards) perfectionism. Additionally, participants’ use of mindfulness was measured. All measures were completed at pre-, post-intervention, and at follow up to determine whether the intervention decreased perfectionism and increased the practice of mindfulness. Three Bonferroni-adjusted, one-way, repeated measures MANOVAs were performed on each of the scales to ascertain whether results were impacted by the intervention. Results included a significant change in Self-Oriented Perfectionism and mindfulness was found at the end of group as well as at follow up. In both cases, there were significant differences between pre- and post-tests and between pre- and follow-up tests. Results indicate that mindfulness may be an appropriate intervention to reduce selfimposed forms of perfectionism on middle school students who are in Gifted and Talented programming

Can motto-goals outperform learning and performance goals? Influence of goal setting on performance and affect in a complex problem solving task

In this paper, we bring together research on complex problem solving with that on motivational psychology about goal setting. Complex problems require motivational effort because of their inherent difficulties. Goal Setting Theory has shown with simple tasks that high, specific performance goals lead to better performance outcome than do-your-best goals. However, in complex tasks, learning goals have proven more effective than performance goals. Based on the Zurich Resource Model, so-called motto-goals should activate a person’s resources through positive affect. It was found that motto-goals are effective with unpleasant duties. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that motto-goals outperform learning and performance goals in the case of complex problems. A total of N = 123 subject participated in the experiment. In dependence of their goal condition, subjects developed a personal motto, learning, or performance goal. This goal was adapted for the computer-simulated complex scenario Tailorshop, where subjects worked as managers in a small fictional company. Other than expected, there was no main effect of goal condition for the management performance. An unexpected gender effect revealed better performance for men than women, pointing to a potential stereotype threat. As hypothesized, motto goals led to higher positive and lower negative affect than the other two goal types. Even though positive affect decreased and negative affect increased in all three groups during Tailorshop completion, participants with motto goals reported the lowest rates of negative affect. Exploratory analyses investigated the role of affect in complex problem solving via mediational analyses and the influence of goal type on perceived goal attainment

Microbial turnover rates and biogeochemical processes in coastal sediments of the Baltic Sea

Coastal sediment of the western Baltic Sea (Marina Wendtorf) was sampled between Mayand October 2009. Solid phase and porewater parameters were quantitatively investigatedusing microsensors, geochemical and gaschromatographical procedures. Turnover ratesof sulfate reduction (SR) and anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) were measured withradiotracer methods, methanogenesis was determined viain vitroexperiments. The in-vestigated area was a transition zone between the terrestrial and marine environment andcharacterized through a shallow but dynamically changing water body and a high input oforganic material (up to 5,7 %). The main source was fresh phototrophic biomass. Bioturba-tion and -irrigation seemed to support material transfer from the surface to appr. 18 cmbsf. Anaerobic respiration processes dominated the sediment system. With penetration depths of oxygen in a range of mm, high activites of SR and AOM were supported even in sur-face sediment layers. SR rates ranged between 61 and 1881 nmol·cm-3·day-1and showedsignificant changes at 4 - 8 cmbsf within a seasonal context (mid of May - end of July).In the same time period, AOM rates decreased significantly at 0 - 16 cmbsf with rates bet-ween 0,1 and 4,3 nmol·cm-3·day-1(mid of May) and were up to 0,4 nmol·cm-3·day-1(end of July). Solid phase extraction of iron suggested a low microbial iron respiration ornone. A profiling of nutrients (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate and silica) confirmedan activity of the benthic-microbial loop and proposed a coupling with the water body:an enhancement of phytplankton and -benthos activity due to benthic nutrient supply waspossible (filtration mechanism via infauna and/or weather conditions). Benthic nitrogenfixation measured via acetylene reduction assay (ARA) seemed to play a minor role

Utilization of dental services and health literacy by older seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: This study aimed to investigate the utilization of dental services by older seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate their ability of finding, understanding, and using information on COVID-19. Methods: At the end of February 2021, a survey addressing demographic characteristics of the participants, (pain-associated) utilization of dental services, worries regarding a potential COVID-19 infection, the individual use of protective masks, and difficulties regarding the access to information on COVID-19 (by using the modified European Health Literacy Questionnaire [HLS-EU-Q16]) was developed. It was sent to all patients of the Dental Clinic of University of Leipzig who were either 75, 80, or 85 years old (n = 1228). Participation was voluntarily and anonymously; questionnaires had to be returned within six weeks, no reminders were sent. Results: Of the 439 replies (response rate 35.7%), twelve were excluded from data extraction due to disinterest, dementia, or lack of age information. Of the older seniors, 81.5% (n = 348) had utilized at least one dental examination and 54.2% of the dentulous patients (n = 199) had attended at least one dental hygiene appointment within the past year. Up to 55.8% of all participants said it was "difficult" or "very difficult" to find, understand, and use information on COVID-19, especially when judging reliability of information presented in the media, which was especially true for seniors with assigned care levels presenting odds ratios up to 5.30. Conclusions: The investigation revealed a frequent utilization of dental services by older seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the older seniors encountered difficulties finding, using, and understanding information about COVID-19. Keywords: COVID-19; geriatric dentistry; gerodontology; health literacy; older seniors; utilization

Simulations of the irradiation and temperature dependence of the efficiency of tandem photoelectrochemical water-splitting systems

The instantaneous efficiency of an operating photoelectrochemical solar-fuel-generator system is a complicated function of the tradeoffs between the light intensity and temperature-dependence of the photovoltage and photocurrent, as well as the losses associated with factors that include ohmic resistances, concentration overpotentials, kinetic overpotentials, and mass transport. These tradeoffs were evaluated quantitatively using an advanced photoelectrochemical device model comprised of an analytical device physics model for the semiconducting light absorbers in combination with a multi-physics device model that solved for the governing conservation equations in the various other parts of the system. The model was used to evaluate the variation in system efficiency due to hourly and seasonal variations in solar irradiation as well as due to variation in the isothermal system temperature. The system performance characteristics were also evaluated as a function of the band gaps of the dual-absorber tandem component and its properties, as well as the device dimensions and the electrolyte conductivity. The modeling indicated that the system efficiency varied significantly during the day and over a year, exhibiting local minima at midday and a global minimum at midyear when the solar irradiation is most intense. These variations can be reduced by a favorable choice of the system dimensions, by a reduction in the electrolyte ohmic resistances, and/or by utilization of very active electrocatalysts for the fuel-producing reactions. An increase in the system temperature decreased the annual average efficiency and led to less rapid ramp-up and ramp-down phases of the system, but reduced midday and midyear instantaneous efficiency variations. Careful choice of the system dimensions resulted in minimal change in the system efficiency in response to degradation in the quality of the light absorbing materials. The daily and annually averaged mass of hydrogen production for the optimized integrated system compared favorably to the daily and annually averaged mass of hydrogen that was produced by an optimized stand-alone tandem photovoltaic array connected electrically to a stand-alone electrolyzer system. The model can be used to predict the performance of the system, to optimize the design of solar-driven water splitting devices, and to guide the development of components of the devices as well as of the system as a whole

Prevalence of temporomandibular disorders and bruxism in seniors

Background Information on the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) or possible/probable bruxism in seniors is heterogeneous and sparse. Objectives To elucidate the prevalence of TMD and possible/probable bruxism in German adults aged 60 years and older. Methods Participants of the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development and Aging (ILSE) born between 1950–1952 (C1) and 1930–1932 (C2) were examined in 2014–2016 (fourth wave). The participants were surveyed and clinically examined by one calibrated examiner. Two questions of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) were utilised to evaluate self‐reported bruxism. The clinical examination included signs of probable bruxism and the RDC/TMD examination protocol. Results Data from 191 participants were available. No RDC/TMD diagnosis was made in 83.2%. Of the participants, 15.2% received a single diagnosis and 1.6% multiple diagnoses that included disc displacements (9.4%) and degenerative joint diseases (8.9%). A total of 24.7% reported bruxism that included self‐reported awake bruxism in 11.9% and sleep bruxism in 16.2%. Wear was clinically identified in 27.2% of the participants. No sex‐related differences were observed. Significant differences were detected for probable bruxism between C1 (14.1%) and C2 (54.3%). Conclusion In the German population aged 60 years and older, the prevalence of TMD is 16.8%. TMD is characterised by temporomandibular joint disorders, including disc displacements and degenerative joint disorders. Bruxism was observed in a quarter of the old population

Effects of a Volatile Organic Compound Filter on Breath Profiles Measured by Secondary Electrospray High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Environmental volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the ambient air potentially influence on-line breath analysis measurements by secondary electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (SESI-HRMS). The aim of this study was to investigate how inhaling through a VOC filter affects the detected breath profiles and whether it is feasible to integrate such filters into routine measurements. A total of 24 adult participants performed paired breath analysis measurements with and without the use of an activated carbon filter for inspiration. Concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs) and the Bland-Altman analysis were used to assess the agreement between the two methods. Additionally, the effect on a selection of known metabolites and contaminants was analyzed. Out of all the detected features, 78.3% showed at least a moderate agreement before and after filter usage (CCC > 0.9). The decrease in agreement of the remaining m/z features was mostly associated with reduced signal intensities after filter usage. Although a moderate-to-substantial concordance was found for almost 80% of the m/z features, the filter still had an effect by decreasing signal intensities, not only for contaminants, but also for some of the studied metabolites. Operationally, the use of the filter complicated and slowed down the conductance of measurements, limiting its applicability in clinical studies

Color superconductivity in compact stellar hybrid configurations

The discovery of pulsars PSR J1614-2230 and PSR J0348+0432 with masses of around 2Mʘ imposes strong constraints on the equations of state of cold, ultradense matter. If a phase transition from hadronic matter to quark matter were to occur in the inner cores of such massive neutron stars, the energetically favorable state of quark matter would be a color superconductor. In this study, we analyze the stability and maximum mass of such neutron stars. The hadronic phase is described by nonlinear relativistic mean-field models, and the local Nambu-Jona Lasinio model is used to describe quark matter in the 2SC+s quark phase. The phase transition is treated as a Maxwell transition, assuming a sharp hadron-quark interface, and the "constant-sound-speed" (CSS) parametrization is employed to discuss the existence of stellar twin configurations. We find that massive neutron stars such as J1614-2230 and J0348+0432 can only exist on the connected stellar branch but not on the disconnected twin-star branch. The latter can only support stars with masses that are strictly below 2Mʘ.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Modeling, simulation, and design criteria for photoelectrochemical water-splitting systems

A validated multi-physics numerical model that accounts for charge and species conservation, fluid flow, and electrochemical processes has been used to analyze the performance of solar-driven photoelectrochemical water-splitting systems. The modeling has provided an in-depth analysis of conceptual designs, proof-of-concepts, feasibility investigations, and quantification of performance. The modeling has led to the formulation of design guidelines at the system and component levels, and has identified quantifiable gaps that warrant further research effort at the component level. The two characteristic generic types of photoelectrochemical systems that were analyzed utilized: (i) side-by-side photoelectrodes and (ii) back-to-back photoelectrodes. In these designs, small electrode dimensions (mm to cm range) and large electrolyte heights were required to produce small overall resistive losses in the system. Additionally, thick, non-permeable separators were required to achieve acceptably low rates of product crossover