A note on generalized Poincaré-type inequalities with applications to weighted improved Poincaré-type inequalities

The main result of this paper supports a conjecture by C. P\'erez and E. Rela about the properties of the weight appearing in their recent self-improving result of generalized inequalities of Poincar\'e-type in the Euclidean space. The result we obtain does not need any condition on the weight, but still is not fully satisfactory, even though the result by P\'erez and Rela is obtained as a corollary of ours. Also, we extend the conclusions of their theorem to the range $p<1$. As an application of our result, we give a unified vision of weighted improved Poincar\'e-type inequalities in the Euclidean setting, which gathers both weighted improved classical and fractional Poincar\'e inequalities within an approach which avoids any representation formula. We obtain results related to some already existing results in the literature and furthermore we improve them in some aspects. Finally, we also explore analog inequalities in the context of metric spaces by means of the already known self-improving results in this setting.La Caixa gran

Improved fractional Poincaré type inequalities in John domains

We obtain improved fractional Poincaré inequalities in John domains of a metric space $(X, d)$ endowed with a doubling measure $\mu$ under some mild regularity conditions on the measure $\mu$. We also give sufficient conditions on a bounded domain to support fractional Poincaré type inequalities in this setting.Universidad Nacional de La Plata, under grant 11/X805 Universidad de Buenos Aires, under grant 20020120100050BA Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica, under grant PICT 2014-177

On Bloom type estimates for iterated commutators of fractional integrals

In this paper we provide quantitative Bloom type estimates for iterated commutators of fractional integrals improving and extending results from [15]. We give new proofs for those inequalities relying upon a new sparse domination that we provide as well in this paper and also in techniques de- veloped in the recent paper [22]. We extend as well the necessity established in [15] to iterated commutators providing a new proof. As a consequence of the preceding results we recover the one weight estimates in [7, 1] and es- tablish the sharpness in the iterated case. Our result provides as well a new characterization of the BMO space

Decision-making (in)flexibility in gambling disorder

Background: Behavioral flexibility –the ability to dynamically readjust our behavior in response to reward contingency changes– is often investigated using probabilistic reversal learning tasks (PRLT). Poor PRLT performance has been proposed as a proxy for compulsivity, and theorized to be related to perseverative gambling. Previous attempts to measure inflexibility with the PRLT in patients with gambling disorder have, however, used a variety of indices that may conflate inflexibility with more general aspects of performance in the task. Methods: Trial-by-trial PRLT acquisition and reacquisition curves in 84 treatment-seeking patients with gambling disorder and 64 controls (non-gamblers and non-problem recreational gamblers) were analyzed to distinguish between (a) variability in acquisition learning, and (b) reacquisition learning in reversed contingency phases. Complementarily, stay/switch responses throughout the task were analyzed to identify (c) premature switching, and (d) sensitivity to accumulated negative feedback. Results and interpretation: Even after controlling for differences in acquisition learning, patients were slower to readjust their behavior in reversed contingency phases, and were more prone to maintain their decisions despite accumulated negative feedback. Inflexibility in patients with gambling disorder is thus a robust phenomenon that could predate gambling escalation, or result from massive exposure to gambling activities.This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Government (PSI2017-85488-P: Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, Convocatoria 2017 de Proyectos I+ D de Excelencia, Spain, co-funded by the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, FEDER, European Commission; and PSI2013-45055: Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Secretaría de Estado de Invetigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, Convocatoria 2013 de Proyectos I+ D de Excelencia). Additionally, JFN was supported by a grant from the Spanish Government (PSI2017-85159-P. Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades). Funding agencies had no role in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, writing the manuscript, or the decision to submit the paper for publication

On the pitfalls of conceptualizing excessive physical exercise as an addictive disorder: Commentary on Dinardi et al. (2021).

This commentary challenges some of the proposals made in the opinion paper entitled "The expanded interactional model of exercise addiction" by Dinardi, Egorov, and Szabo (2021). We first question the usefulness of the (expanded) interactional model of exercise addiction to determine the psychological processes underlying distress and functional impairment in excessive physical exercise. We then consider the authors' use of the Self-Determination Theory to model exercise addiction, which risks the misclassification of strenuous, but adaptive, patterns of physical exercise as exercise addiction. We finally address broader concerns regarding the idea that maladaptive exercising could be conceptualized as an addictive disorder

¿Protege o predispone la actividad física a las adicciones conductuales y otros problemas de autorregulación?. (Exploring the direct or inverse association of physical activity with behavioral addictions and other self-regulation problems)

Health and self-regulatio

Age and growth estimation of Southern Ocean squid Moroteuthopsis longimana: can we use beaks collected from predators’ stomachs?

Squid play a major role in the Southern Ocean food web. However, their age and growth remain poorly studied. Here, using upper and lower beaks of Moroteuthopsis longimana collected from the diet of Dissostichus mawsoni from Pacific and Atlantic sectors of the Southern Ocean, we studied: (1) Feasibility of using beaks collected from predators’ stomachs to study the age of Southern Ocean oceanic squid; and (2) Age estimation and growth patterns of M. longimana. The rostrum sagittal section (RSS) of both beaks had micro-increments, with the lower beak being the best to observe and count a readable sequence of increments to estimate the age. Assuming a daily deposition of increments, our results suggest that M. longimana can live up to 820 days and may hatch throughout the year. Studied individuals presented a consistent growth rate from hatching to death but with, at least, one period of faster growth. A novel pattern of regular cycles, composed of 7–10 lighter increments followed by a darker one, was found in the medium-anterior region of the RSS. Differences were found in the growth rate and size reached at the same age between individuals from the Pacific and Atlantic sectors, which might be related with different environmental conditions between both capture sites. This study shows that lower beaks from predators’ stomachs can be used to study the age of Southern Ocean squids and that M. longimana hatches in all seasons, being available year round to predators that feed of this species

The significance of cephalopod beaks as a research tool: An update

The use of cephalopod beaks in ecological and population dynamics studies has allowed major advances of our knowledge on the role of cephalopods in marine ecosystems in the last 60 years. Since the 1960’s, with the pioneering research by Malcolm Clarke and colleagues, cephalopod beaks (also named jaws or mandibles) have been described to species level and their measurements have been shown to be related to cephalopod body size and mass, which permitted important information to be obtained on numerous biological and ecological aspects of cephalopods in marine ecosystems. In the last decade, a range of new techniques has been applied to cephalopod beaks, permitting new kinds of insight into cephalopod biology and ecology. The workshop on cephalopod beaks of the Cephalopod International Advisory Council Conference (Sesimbra, Portugal) in 2022 aimed to review the most recent scientific developments in this field and to identify future challenges, particularly in relation to taxonomy, age, growth, chemical composition (i.e., DNA, proteomics, stable isotopes, trace elements) and physical (i.e., structural) analyses. In terms of taxonomy, new techniques (e.g., 3D geometric morphometrics) for identifying cephalopods from their beaks are being developed with promising results, although the need for experts and reference collections of cephalopod beaks will continue. The use of beak microstructure for age and growth studies has been validated. Stable isotope analyses on beaks have proven to be an excellent technique to get valuable information on the ecology of cephalopods (namely habitat and trophic position). Trace element analyses is also possible using beaks, where concentrations are significantly lower than in other tissues (e.g., muscle, digestive gland, gills). Extracting DNA from beaks was only possible in one study so far. Protein analyses can also be made using cephalopod beaks. Future challenges in research using cephalopod beaks are also discussed.Cephalopod International Advisory Counci

Reconsidering the roots, structure, and implications of gambling motives: An integrative approach.

Accurately identifying motives to gamble is crucial in the functional analysis of gambling behavior. In this study, a data-driven approach was followed to clarify the factor structure underlying a pool of motives for gambling, selected from the Gambling Motives Questionnaire-Financial (GMQ-F), and the Reasons for Gambling Questionnaire (RGQ), in a sample of regular problem and non-problem gamblers. Additionally, the role of gambling motives in the relationship between root behavioral activation/inhibition systems (BIS/BAS) and gambling severity, frequency, and preferences was explored using structural equation modelling (SEM). The present study identified Social, Financial, and Fun/thrill-related gambling motives factors, but also a fourth factor in which some positive and negative reinforcement-based motives were grouped into a single and broader Affect regulation factor. This Affect regulation factor shared variance both with BIS and BAS-related measures, and was the only direct predictor of disordered gambling symptoms. The Fun/thrill factor was directly related to frequency of participation in high-arousal, skill-based games, and all factors were related to participation in lower-arousal, chance games (with Social motives negatively predicting both participation in the latter and total severity). In the SEM model, measures of BIS/BAS sensitivity were connected to gambling behavior only through gambling motives. Based on measures of items' specificity, a shortened Spanish scale (the brief Gambling Motives Inventory, bGMI) is proposed to assess gambling motives in accordance with the observed 4-factor structure