Meditation practice is associated with a values-oriented life: the mediating role of decentering and mindfulness

Clarification of personal values and meditation practice has been associated in most meditation traditions and in academic texts. Both values-related behavior and meditation practice increases well-being, but their relationship has not been well studied. It has been suggested that values, together with self-regulation, psychological flexibility, and exposure, are key mechanisms of action in mindfulness. The aims of this study were to explore the association between meditation and values and to examine the processes involved in this relation. A sample of 235 meditation-naïve participants and 274 subjects with varying levels of experience in meditation practice completed an online assessment protocol composed of Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Decentering Questionnaire (EQ), Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ), and Engagement with Life Scale (ELS). Results revealed that daily meditators were more consistent, aware, and life-fulfilled about their values; moreover, these measures correlated with the mindfulness process and decentering. The relation between meditation practice and values-related behavior (assessed by the VLQ) was mediated by decentering. The association between meditation practice and Valued Living and Life Fulfillment (measured by the ELS) was mediated by the decentering, describing, and nonjudging dimensions of mindfulness. The findings in this study support the relation between meditation and personal values, mediated by the decentering, describing, and non-judging facets of mindfulness

Psychometric properties of the spanish version of the nonattachment scale (NAS) and its relationship with mindfulness, decentering, and mental health

Abstract Nonattachment is a Buddhism-rooted construct, which can be defined as the relative absence of fixation on ideas, images, or sensory objects, as well as an absence of internal pressure to get, hold, avoid, or change circumstances or experiences. The present study was aimed at exploring the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Nonattachment Scale (NAS) and at delimitating the relationship between the NAS and measures of mindfulness, decentering, and negative emotional symptoms. Pooling the NAS data from Spanish meditators (n = 335) and nonmeditators (n = 270), we performed an exploratory factor analysis and then estimated the fit of two competing models (one-factor model vs. one-factor model + method effects) via confirmatory factor analysis. Data analyses showed that the Spanish version of the NAS is unifactorial in nature and has excellent internal consistency. As expected, high (positive) significant correlations were found between NAS and mindfulness and decentering measures, as well as high significant (negative) relations between NAS and depression, anxiety, and stress scores. Positive relations were also observed between NAS and variables of meditation practice. Large differences among the meditative, nonmeditative, and clinical groups (n = 39 patients with borderline personality disorder) were observed regarding NAS scores. Scores on the NAS were significant predictors of negative emotional symptoms (depression, anxiety, and stress) and, especially, resilience. Furthermore, NAS provided a unique contribution in the regression models, going beyond mindfulness facets and decentering. In conclusion, the Spanish version of the NAS is a psychometrically sound instrument with a promising future in the field of mindfulness and meditation research and in clinical setting

Thermo-Mechanical Treatment Effects on Stress Relaxation and Hydrogen Embrittlement of Cold-Drawn Eutectoid Steels

The effects of the temperature and stretching levels used in the stress-relieving treatment of cold-drawn eutectoid steel wires are evaluated with the aim of improving the stress relaxation behavior and the resistance to hydrogen embrittlement. Five industrial treatments are studied, combining three temperatures (330, 400, and 460 °C) and three stretching levels (38, 50 and 64% of the rupture load). The change of the residual stress produced by the treatments is taken into consideration to account for the results. Surface residual stresses allow us to explain the time to failure in standard hydrogen embrittlement test

Disregulación emocional y mindfulness en el trastorno límite de la personalidad: características y tratamiento

Los objetivos principales de esta tesis fueron estudiar la disregulación emocional y los déficits en mindfulness en pacientes con trastorno límite de la personalidad (TLP) y explorar los efectos de una intervención en mindfulness sobre la clínica característica del trastorno. Para ello se realizaron cuatro estudios (dos de caracterización del trastorno y dos de intervención en mindfulness). En el Estudio 1 se encontró que los pacientes con TLP, en comparación con controles sanos (CS), presentaron una mayor intensidad basal de emociones negativas, pero no una mayor reactividad emocional ante estímulos inductores de emociones discretas (ira, miedo, asco, tristeza). Sin embargo, sí se observaron diferencias entre grupos (TLP vs. CS) en relación a los estímulos relacionados con la clínica del trastorno (abandono, rechazo y dependencia emocional), para los cuales se encontró una reactividad emocional mayor a nivel subjetivo (pero no fisiológico) en el grupo de TLP. Resultados del Estudio 2 sugieren que algunas experiencias traumáticas infantiles, especialmente, el hecho de haber sufrido abuso sexual, se relacionan con déficits en algunas facetas del mindfulness (i.e., "actuación consciente" y "no-juzgar"). A pesar de esta asociación, parecería ser qué los rasgos temperamentales, especialmente el neuroticismo y la impulsividad, tienen una mayor influencia sobre los déficits en mindfulness que las experiencias traumáticas infantiles. Los Estudios 3 y 4 indican que una intervención en mindfulness de 10 semanas de duración fue más eficaz que una intervención control (i.e., entrenamiento en efectividad interpersonal), provocando una disminución de la severidad del trastorno y un aumento de la capacidad de decentering y de otras facetas del mindfulness. Además, el entrenamiento en mindfulness parecería ser eficaz para mejorar algunos aspectos relacionados con la impulsividad, como la tolerancia a las recompensas demoradas o modificar la percepción temporal. En conjunto, los resultados de esta tesis contribuyen a incrementar el conocimiento en relación a la sintomatología nuclear del trastorno y aportan conocimiento en relación a la eficacia del mindfulness como tratamiento para el TLP.The aims of this dissertation were twofold. The first objective was to study emotional dysregulation and mindfulness deficits in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and the second was to explore the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on the core characteristics of BPD. To achieve those aims, four studies were carried out (two of them were dedicated to explore the characteristics of the disorder and the other two were focused on investigating the impact of mindfulness training). Findings of Study 1 showed that BPD patients - when compared to healthy controls (HC) - presented more intense negative emotions at baseline. BPD subjects presented no subjective heightened reactivity to film-fragments eliciting discrete emotions (anger, fear, disgust and sadness). However, differences between groups (BPD vs. HC) were observed in regard to BPD-related stimulus (abandonment, rejection and emotional dependence), BPD participants exhibited a more heightened subjective reactivity (but not in physiological variables) than HC. Results from Study 2 suggested that early traumatic experiences, especially sexual abuse, are related to deficits in some mindfulness facets (i.e., "acting with awareness" and "non-judging") in BPD participants. In spite of this association, the results of this study seem to indicate that temperamental traits, specifically neuroticism and impulsivity, have a greater impact on mindfulness deficits than traumatic experiences. Finally, Studies 3 and 4 indicate that a 10-week mindfulness training is efficacious for diminishing BPD's severity and increasing decentering and other mindfulness facets, when compared to a control intervention (i.e., interpersonal effectiveness training). In addition, mindfulness training seems to have a positive impact on some impulsivity-related variables (Study 4), increasing the tolerance for delayed rewards and modifying temporal perception. Overall, the present results contribute to the knowledge in regard to BPD's core symptoms and provide evidence on the efficacy of mindfulness training for BPD

Exploring the relation between childhood trauma, temperamental traits and mindfulness in borderline personality disorder

Background: Deficits in mindfulness-related capacities have been described in borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, little research has been conducted to explore which factors could explain these deficits. This study assesses the relationship between temperamental traits and childhood maltreatment with mindfulness in BPD. Methods: A total of 100 individuals diagnosed with BPD participated in the study. Childhood maltreatment was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF), temperamental traits were assessed using the Zuckerman-Khulman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ), and mindfulness capabilities were evaluated with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Results: Hierarchical regression analyses were performed including only those CTQ-SF and ZKPQ subscales that showed simultaneous significant correlations with mindfulness facets. Results indicated that neuroticism and sexual abuse were predictors of acting with awareness; and neuroticism, impulsiveness and sexual abuse were significant predictors of non-judging. Temperamental traits did not have a moderator effect on the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and mindfulness facets. Conclusions: These results provide preliminary evidence for the effects of temperamental traits and childhood trauma on mindfulness capabilities in BPD individuals. Further studies are needed to better clarify the impact of childhood traumatic experiences on mindfulness capabilities and to determine the causal relations between these variables

Combining emotion regulation and mindfulness skills for preventing depression relapse : a randomized-controlled study

Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) skills have become increasingly used to treat several psychiatric conditions, including major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of an intervention that combines emotion regulation and mindfulness skills of DBT to prevent depression relapse/recurrence. A total of 75 individuals (79% females; mean age, 52 years) with a diagnosis of MDD in complete or partial remission were recruited. Participants were randomly allocated either to an intervention combining emotion regulation and mindfulness skills (ER + M group, n = 37) or to a psychoeducative program (n = 38). After the 10-week treatment period, participants were followed for 1 year. Analyses were run in per-protocol (PP) and intention-to-treat (ITT) samples. The primary outcome measure was time to depression relapse/recurrence. ER + M training was not more effective than the control intervention in preventing depression relapse. However, PP and ITT analyses showed that participants trained in ER + M presented a significant reduction in depressive symptoms and overall psychopathology. Based on the PP and ITT analyses, neither of the interventions were related with an increase in dispositional mindfulness. More studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of ER + M to decrease depressive symptoms and overall psychopathology. Registered on 20 April 2016

Effects of mindfulness training on different components of impulsivity in borderline personality disorder : results from a pilot randomized study

Impulsivity is considered a core characteristic of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Previous research on the effects of mindfulness training (MT) has shown that it might modify impulsivity-related aspects of BPD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of MT on various facets of impulsivity in BPD patients. Subjects with BPD diagnosis (n = 64) were randomly assigned to 10 weeks of MT (n = 32) or interpersonal effectiveness skills training (IE; n = 32). All participants were assessed pre- and post-intervention with a self-reported measure of impulsivity and five behavioral neuropsychological tasks to evaluate response inhibition, tolerance for delay rewards, and time perception. An interaction effect of time × group was only observed for some of the behavioral paradigms used. Participants in the MT group improved their ability to delay gratification and showed changes in time perception, consistent with a decrease in impulsivity. No differences were observed between treatments in terms of trait impulsivity and response inhibition. Mindfulness training might improve some aspects of impulsivity but not others. Further study is warranted to better determine the effects of mindfulness training on the components of impulsivity. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: . The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40479-015-0035-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized user

Bioprospecting Finds the Toughest Biological Material: Extraordinary Silk from a Giant Riverine Orb Spider

Background Combining high strength and elasticity, spider silks are exceptionally tough, i.e., able to absorb massive kinetic energy before breaking. Spider silk is therefore a model polymer for development of high performance biomimetic fibers. There are over 41.000 described species of spiders, most spinning multiple types of silk. Thus we have available some 200.000+ unique silks that may cover an amazing breadth of material properties. To date, however, silks from only a few tens of species have been characterized, most chosen haphazardly as model organisms (Nephila) or simply from researchers' backyards. Are we limited to ‘blindly fishing’ in efforts to discover extraordinary silks? Or, could scientists use ecology to predict which species are likely to spin silks exhibiting exceptional performance properties? Methodology We examined the biomechanical properties of silk produced by the remarkable Malagasy ‘Darwin's bark spider’ (Caerostris darwini), which we predicted would produce exceptional silk based upon its amazing web. The spider constructs its giant orb web (up to 2.8 m2) suspended above streams, rivers, and lakes. It attaches the web to substrates on each riverbank by anchor threads as long as 25 meters. Dragline silk from both Caerostris webs and forcibly pulled silk, exhibits an extraordinary combination of high tensile strength and elasticity previously unknown for spider silk. The toughness of forcibly silked fibers averages 350 MJ/m3, with some samples reaching 520 MJ/m3. Thus, C. darwini silk is more than twice tougher than any previously described silk, and over 10 times better than Kevlar®. Caerostris capture spiral silk is similarly exceptionally tough. Conclusions Caerostris darwini produces the toughest known biomaterial. We hypothesize that this extraordinary toughness coevolved with the unusual ecology and web architecture of these spiders, decreasing the likelihood of bridgelines breaking and collapsing the web into the river. This hypothesis predicts that rapid change in material properties of silk co-occurred with ecological shifts within the genus, and can thus be tested by combining material science, behavioral observations, and phylogenetics. Our findings highlight the potential benefits of natural history–informed bioprospecting to discover silks, as well as other materials, with novel and exceptional properties to serve as models in biomimicry.Primary funding for this work came from the Slovenian Research Agency (grant Z1-9799-0618-07 to I. Agnarsson), the National Geographic Society (grant 8655-09 to the authors), and the National Science Foundation (grants DBI-0521261, DEB-0516038 and IOS-0745379 to T. Blackledge). Additional funding came from the European Community 6th Framework Programme (a Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant MIRG-CT-2005 036536 to M. Kuntner). The 2001 field work was supported by the Sallee Charitable Trust grant to I. Agnarsson and M. Kuntner and by a United States National Science Foundation grant (DEB-9712353) to G. Hormiga and J. A. Coddington. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewe

The CS1 segment of fibronectin is involved in human OSCC pathogenesis by mediating OSCC cell spreading, migration, and invasion

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The alternatively spliced V region or type III connecting segment III (IIICS) of fibronectin is important in early development, wound healing, and tumorigenesis, however, its role in oral cancer has not been fully investigated. Thus, we investigated the role of CS-1, a key site within the CSIII region of fibronectin, in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To determine the expression of CS-1 in human normal and oral SCC tissue specimens immunohistochemical analyses were performed. The expression of CS1 was then associated with clinicopathological factors. To investigate the role of CS-1 in regulating OSCC cell spreading, migration and invasion, OSCC cells were assayed for spreading and migration in the presence of a CS-1 peptide or a CS-1 blocking peptide, and for invasion using Matrigel supplemented with these peptides. In addition, integrin α4siRNA or a focal adhesion kinase (FAK) anti-sense oligonucleotide was transfected into OSCC cells to examine the mechanistic role of integrin α4 or FAK in CS1-mediated cell spreading and migration, respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>CS-1 expression levels were significantly higher in OSCC tissues compared to normal tissues (p < 0.05). Also, although, high levels of CS-1 expression were present in all OSCC tissue samples, low-grade tumors stained more intensely than high grade tumors. OSCC cell lines also expressed higher levels of CS-1 protein compared to normal human primary oral keratinocytes. There was no significant difference in total fibronectin expression between normal and OSCC tissues and cells. Inclusion of CS-1 in the in vitro assays enhanced OSCC cell spreading, migration and invasion, whereas the CS1 blocking peptide inhibited these processes. Suppression of integrin α4 significantly inhibited the CS1-mediated cell spreading. Furthermore, this migration was mediated by focal adhesion kinase (FAK), since FAK suppression significantly blocked the CS1-induced cell migration.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data indicate that the CS-1 site of fibronectin is involved in oral cancer pathogenesis and in regulating OSCC cell spreading, migration and invasion.</p