An Exploration of Resilience: Evaluating Resilience Scores Among Honors Undergraduates Involved in Leadership Programs

Resilience is vital to college and university student success. Furthermore, resilience is necessary for successful leadership. Student leadership programs must consider resilience building as part of successful program development. By considering resilience as a factor in student leadership success and future leadership success, programs may encourage the development of leaders who are highly equipped to lead and continue to lead in the long term. Because of the need to promote resilience building through leadership program development, the researcher sought to explore the potential relationship between participation in leadership activities and student resilience scores. The purpose of this quantitative research was to determine if there were differences in scores on the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale among undergraduate students involved in honors leadership programs at a 4 year university. Potential links between specially designed 4 year student leadership programs and resilience scores were studied. The number of leadership opportunities participants had engaged in as well as gender, age, and class status (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) were analyzed. A quantitative nonexperimental survey research design was employed by examining the results of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. The survey link was provided to students during the Fall 2018 semester. Data from the survey were analyzed to address each of the 9 research questions. Seven of the research questions were addressed using ANOVA and 2 research questions were addressed using t tests. No significant relationship was found between overall resilience scores among the 3 activity groups. The results indicated that the majority of the students scored well above the national average score. Although the analyses of relationship between the number of activities and each of the 5 resilience factors were not significant, students who completed 5 or more activities tended to score higher overall. Gender and age showed no significant difference on resilience scores. However, male students scored slightly higher than females, and females scored higher than the national average. The findings from this study may contribute to resilience research, student development research, leadership development research, and educational programming considerations

Attachment Styles, View of Self and Negative Affect

We investigated the relationship between attachment styles and negative affect using Bartholomew and Horowitz’s (1991) model of attachment. Attachment styles with a negative self view (i.e., preoccupied and fearful) were expected to be associated with more distress, especially the fearful style which involves negative views of both self and others. Measures of attachment, depression, depression proneness, and social anxiety were administered to 293 undergraduates. As predicted, participants with “negative self” attachment styles reported more symptoms of depression, proneness to depression, and social anxiety, but, contrary to prediction, those with a fearful style did not report more symptoms of depression and anxiety than those with a preoccupied style. Results suggest that the negative view of self significantly predicts depression and anxiety. Preoccupied and fearful attachment styles may best be described as predicting general negative affectivity. Implications for counseling are discussed

Attachment Styles, Social Skills, and Depression in College Women

Attachment styles, social skills, and depression were studied in 93 college women using the Relationship Questionnaire (K. Bartholomew & L M. Horowitz, 1991), the Beck Depression Inventory-ll (AT. Beck, R.A. Steer, & G. K. Brown, 1996), and the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire (D. Buhrmester,W. Furman, M.T.Wittenberg, & H.T. Reis, 1988).The self and other attachment models and the social skills of negative assertion, self-disclosure, and conflict management all correlated with depression. Conflict management partially mediated the relationship between attachment self-model and depression. Implications for counseling are discussed

Longitudinal T1 relaxation rate (R1) captures changes in short-term Mn exposure in welders

We demonstrated recently that the T1 relaxation rate (R1) captured short-term Mn exposure in welders with chronic, relatively low exposure levels in a cross-sectional study. In the current study, we used a longitudinal design to examine whether R1 values reflect the short-term dynamics of Mn exposure

Increased R2* in the Caudate Nucleus of Asymptomatic Welders

Welding has been associated with neurobehavioral disorders. Welding fumes contain several metals including copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and iron (Fe) that may interact to influence welding-related neurotoxicity. Although welding-related airborne Fe levels are about 10-fold higher than Mn, previous studies have focused on Mn and its accumulation in the basal ganglia. This study examined differences in the apparent transverse relaxation rates [R2* (1/T2*), estimate of Fe accumulation] in the basal ganglia (caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus) between welders and controls, and the dose–response relationship between estimated Fe exposure and R2* values. Occupational questionnaires estimated recent and lifetime Fe exposure, and blood Fe levels and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were obtained. Complete exposure and MRI R2* and R1 (1/T1: measure to estimate Mn accumulation) data from 42 subjects with welding exposure and 29 controls were analyzed. Welders had significantly greater exposure metrics and higher whole-blood Fe levels compared with controls. R2* in the caudate nucleus was significantly higher in welders after controlling for age, body mass index, respirator use, caudate R1, and blood metals of Cu and Mn, whereas there was no difference in R1 values in the basal ganglia between groups. The R2* in the caudate nucleus was positively correlated with whole-blood Fe concentration. This study provides the first evidence of higher R2* in the caudate nucleus of welders, which is suggestive of increased Fe accumulation in this area. Further studies are needed to replicate the findings and determine the neurobehavioral relevance

Editor’s Highlight: Lower Fractional Anisotropy in the Globus Pallidus of Asymptomatic Welders, a Marker for Long-Term Welding Exposure

Introduction: Welding fumes contain several metals including manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu) that at high exposure may co-influence welding-related neurotoxicity. The relationship between brain accumulation of these metals and neuropathology, especially in welders with subclinical exposure levels, is unclear. This study examined the microstructural integrity of basal ganglia (BG) regions in asymptomatic welders using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Methods: Subjects with (n = 43) and without (age- and gender-matched controls; n = 31) history of welding were studied. Occupational questionnaires estimated short-term (HrsW; welding hours and E90; cumulative exposure, past 90 days) and long-term (YrsW; total years welding and ELT; cumulative exposure, lifetime) exposure. Whole blood metal levels (Mn, Fe, and Cu) were obtained. Brain MRI pallidal index (PI), R1 (1/T1), and R2* (1/T2*) were measured to estimate Mn and Fe accumulation in BG [caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus (GP)]. DTI was used to assess BG microstructural differences, and related with exposure measurements. Results: When compared with controls, welders had significantly lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in the GP. In welders, GP FA values showed non-linear relationships to YrsW, blood Mn, and PI. GP FA decreased after a critical level of YrsW or Mn was reached, whereas it decreased with increasing PI values until plateauing at the highest PI values. GP FA, however, did not show any relationship with short-term exposure measurements (HrsW, E90), blood Cu and Fe, or R2* values. Conclusion: GP FA captured microstructural changes associated with chronic low-level Mn exposure, and may serve as a biomarker for neurotoxicity in asymptomatic welders

Alphaflexivirus genomes in stony coral tissue loss disease-affected, disease-exposed, and disease-unexposed coral colonies in the U.S. Virgin Islands

© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Veglia, A., Beavers, K., Van Buren, E., Meiling, S., Muller, E., Smith, T., Holstein, D., Apprill, A., Brandt, M., Mydlarz, L., & Correa, A. Alphaflexivirus genomes in stony coral tissue loss disease-affected, disease-exposed, and disease-unexposed coral colonies in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Microbiology Resource Announcements, 11(2), (2022): e01199–e01121, https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.01199-21.Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is decimating Caribbean corals. Here, through the metatranscriptomic assembly and annotation of two alphaflexivirus-like strains, we provide genomic evidence of filamentous viruses in SCTLD-affected, -exposed, and -unexposed coral colonies. These data will assist in clarifying the roles of viruses in SCTLD.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (Biological Oceanography) award numbers 1928753 to M.E.B. and T.B.S., 1928609 to A.M.S.C., 1928817 to E.M.M., 19228771 to L.D.M., 1927277 to D.M.H., and 1928761 to A.A., as well as by VI EPSCoR (NSF numbers 0814417 and 1946412)

T1 Relaxation Rate (R1) Indicates Nonlinear Mn Accumulation in Brain Tissue of Welders With Low-Level Exposure

Although the essential element manganese (Mn) is neurotoxic at high doses, the effects of lower exposure are unclear. MRI T1-weighted (TIW) imaging has been used to estimate brain Mn exposure via the pallidal index (PI), defined as the T1W intensity ratio in the globus pallidus (GP) versus frontal white matter (FWM). PI may not, however, be sensitive to Mn in GP because Mn also may accumulate in FWM. This study explored: (1) whether T1 relaxation rate (R1) could quantify brain Mn accumulation more sensitively; and (2) the dose-response relationship between estimated Mn exposure and T1 relaxation rate (R1). Thirty-five active welders and 30 controls were studied. Occupational questionnaires were used to estimate hours welding in the past 90 days (HrsW) and lifetime measures of Mn exposure. T1W imaging and T1-measurement were utilized to generate PI and R1 values in brain regions of interest (ROIs). PI did not show a significant association with any measure of Mn and/or welding-related exposure. Conversely, in several ROIs, R1 showed a nonlinear relationship to HrsW, with R1 signal increasing only after a critical exposure was reached. The GP had the greatest rate of Mn accumulation. Welders with higher exposure showed significantly higher R1 compared either with controls or with welders with lower exposure. Our data are additional evidence that Mn accumulation can be assessed more sensitively by R1 than by PI. Moreover, the nonlinear relationship between welding exposure and Mn brain accumulation should be considered in future studies and policies

Ampullary cancers harbor ELF3 tumor suppressor gene mutations and exhibit frequent WNT dysregulation

The ampulla of Vater is a complex cellular environment from which adenocarcinomas arise to form a group of histopathologically heterogenous tumors. To evaluate the molecular features of these tumors, 98 ampullary adenocarcinomas were evaluated and compared to 44 distal bile duct and 18 duodenal adenocarcinomas. Genomic analyses revealed mutations in the WNT signaling pathway among half of the patients and in all three adenocarcinomas irrespective of their origin and histological morphology. These tumors were characterized by a high frequency of inactivating mutations of ELF3, a high rate of microsatellite instability, and common focal deletions and amplifications, suggesting common attributes in the molecular pathogenesis are at play in these tumors. The high frequency of WNT pathway activating mutation, coupled with small-molecule inhibitors of β-catenin in clinical trials, suggests future treatment decisions for these patients may be guided by genomic analysis

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) Mission Concept Study Final Report

The Habitable Exoplanet Observatory, or HabEx, has been designed to be the Great Observatory of the 2030s. For the first time in human history, technologies have matured sufficiently to enable an affordable space-based telescope mission capable of discovering and characterizing Earthlike planets orbiting nearby bright sunlike stars in order to search for signs of habitability and biosignatures. Such a mission can also be equipped with instrumentation that will enable broad and exciting general astrophysics and planetary science not possible from current or planned facilities. HabEx is a space telescope with unique imaging and multi-object spectroscopic capabilities at wavelengths ranging from ultraviolet (UV) to near-IR. These capabilities allow for a broad suite of compelling science that cuts across the entire NASA astrophysics portfolio. HabEx has three primary science goals: (1) Seek out nearby worlds and explore their habitability; (2) Map out nearby planetary systems and understand the diversity of the worlds they contain; (3) Enable new explorations of astrophysical systems from our own solar system to external galaxies by extending our reach in the UV through near-IR. This Great Observatory science will be selected through a competed GO program, and will account for about 50% of the HabEx primary mission. The preferred HabEx architecture is a 4m, monolithic, off-axis telescope that is diffraction-limited at 0.4 microns and is in an L2 orbit. HabEx employs two starlight suppression systems: a coronagraph and a starshade, each with their own dedicated instrument