Search Results (14,496)

Background: Cognitive deficits following ischemic stroke significantly impair quality of life, highlighting the need for effective interventions. This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of extended N-Pep-12 dietary supplementation in enhancing cognitive recovery post-stroke. Methods: In this randomized, open-label, controlled study, 106 patients with supratentorial ischemic stroke were enrolled to receive either 90mg N-Pep-12 or no supplementation daily for 360 days and were followed-up for 360 days. Cognitive function and emotional well-being were assessed using established neuropsychological scales at baseline, 90 days, and 360 days post-stroke. Safety was monitored through adverse events and mortality rates. Results: Significant improvements were observed in the N-Pep-12 group compared to controls, particularly in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores at both 90 and 360 days, and in the Digit Symbol Coding scores at 360 days, suggesting enhanced cognitive recovery with extended N-Pep-12 supplementation. A linear regression for a composite outcome analysis at day 360 further confirmed the efficacy of N-Pep-12 in contributing to cognitive improvement. Safety profiles were favorable, with no significant adverse effects attributed to N-Pep-12. Conclusions: Extended dietary supplementation with N-Pep-12 appears to offer a safe and effective approach to support cognitive recovery in ischemic stroke survivors. These findings underscore the potential of the supplement as an add-on intervention for managing post-stroke cognitive impairments. Full article

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder with a significant impact on the quality of life of affected patients. This study aimed to correlate serum inflammatory markers with specific tools assessing quality of life, emotional well-being, and loneliness, such as the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Methods: A pilot observational study including 37 patients with HS was conducted. Inflammatory serum markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP) and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), were evaluated at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months later. Psychometric scores were also evaluated at the same study intervals. Results: DLQI was correlated with ESR at baseline (Spearman’s rho = 0.35, p = 0.03), indicating that poorer quality of life is associated with changes in this serum marker. Disease activity, as reflected by inflammatory markers, was associated with significant psychological burden. Specifically, a worse DLQI score was associated with higher ESR (estimate β = 0.14, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.05–0.22; p = 0.001) and higher CRP level (estimate β = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.02–0.48; p = 0.02). Similarly, a worse UCLA score was associated with higher ESR (estimate β = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.02–0.20, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Our study results underline the close relation between systemic inflammatory markers and clinical severity together with psychological burden in HS patients, as indicated by the significant association that was revealed between ESR/CRP and poorer psychometric scores. However, further research is warranted to validate these findings. Full article

This paper introduces a novel method for emotion classification within virtual reality (VR) environments, which integrates biosignal processing with advanced machine learning techniques. It focuses on the processing and analysis of electrocardiography (ECG) and galvanic skin response (GSR) signals, which are established indicators of emotional states. To develop a predictive model for emotion classification, we extracted key features, i.e., heart rate variability (HRV), morphological characteristics, and Hjorth parameters. We refined the dataset using a feature selection process based on statistical techniques to optimize it for machine learning applications. The model achieved an accuracy of 97.78% in classifying emotional states, demonstrating that by accurately identifying and responding to user emotions in real time, VR systems can become more immersive, personalized, and emotionally resonant. Ultimately, the potential applications of this method are extensive, spanning various fields. Emotion recognition in education would allow further implementation of adapted learning environments through responding to the current emotional states of students, thereby fostering improved engagement and learning outcomes. The capability for emotion recognition could be used by virtual systems in psychotherapy to provide more personalized and effective therapy through dynamic adjustments of the therapeutic content. Similarly, in the entertainment domain, this approach could be extended to provide the user with a choice regarding emotional preferences for experiences. These applications highlight the revolutionary potential of emotion recognition technology in improving the human-centric nature of digital experiences. Full article

Background/Objectives: Individuals with mental health conditions such as depression are vulnerable to poor dietary habits, potentially due to the maladaptive eating behaviors often used to regulate negative emotion. However, the specific dietary components most associated with depression, as well as the mediating roles of emotion regulation and other eating behaviors, remains ambiguous in young adults. Methods: For this cross-sectional evaluation, a total of 151 (86 F, 65 M; BMI: 22.0 ± 5.1 kg/m²; age: 21.4 ± 2.5 y) multi-ethnic participants (50 White, 36 Black, 60 Asian, and 5 White Hispanic) completed a digital 24-h dietary recall and self-reported measures of depressive symptoms, emotional regulation, and eating behaviors. LASSO regression was used to identify the dietary variables most associated with each subscale and to remove extraneous dietary variables, and multiple regression and mediation analyses were conducted for the remaining variables. Results: Out of >100 dietary factors included, only added sugar in the combined sample (p = 0.043), and relative sugar in females (p = 0.045), were retained and positively associated with depressive symptoms. However, the relationships between depression and added and relative sugar intake were mediated by craving control and emotional eating, respectively. Individuals with higher added sugar intake (p = 0.012–0.037), and females with higher relative sugar intake (p = 0.029–0.033), had significantly higher odds of risk for major depression disorder and the use of mental health medications. Conclusions: Added and relative sugar intake are significantly associated with depressive symptoms in young adults, but these relationships may be mediated by facets of emotional dysregulation, such as emotional eating and craving control. Full article

The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) has gained attention owing to its involvement in various physiological functions, such as sleep–awake, feeding, and emotion, with its analgesic role being particularly significant. It is described as the “pain inhibitory nucleus” in the brain. The DRN has diverse projections from hypothalamus, midbrain, and pons. In turn, the DRN is a major source of projections to diverse cortex, limbic forebrain thalamus, and the midbrain and contains highly heterogeneous neuronal subtypes. The activation of DRN neurons in mice prevents the establishment of neuropathic, chronic pain symptoms. Chemogenetic or optogenetic inhibition neurons in the DRN are sufficient to establish pain phenotypes, including long-lasting tactile allodynia, that scale with the extent of stimulation, thereby promoting nociplastic pain. Recent progress has been made in identifying the neural circuits and cellular mechanisms in the DRN that are responsible for sensory modulation. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive review addressing the specific neuron types in the DRN involved in pain modulation. This review summarizes the function of specific cell types within DRN in the pain regulation, and aims to improve understanding of the mechanisms underlying pain regulation in the DRN, ultimately offering insights for further exploration. Full article

Background: The previous literature has revealed the relationship between alcohol abuse and violent behaviours; however, the results are not always conclusive, highlighting the need to explore other variables that allow us to establish risk profiles. Aim: The goal is to examine whether the relation between alcohol abuse and physical violence towards a partner can be influenced (moderate) by difficulties in emotional regulation. Setting: A public high school in Manabí (Ecuador). Participants: A total of 1519 high school students with ages between 14 and 18 years (mean = 15.77, SD = 1.22), with 54% (n = 820) being male. Main Outcome Measures: The measures we observed were alcohol abuse (i.e., frequency of alcohol abuse in the past 30 days), physical violence exercised towards a partner (Violence Received, Exercised and Perceived in Dating Relationships of Young People and Adolescents) and emotional dysregulation (Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale; DERS). Results: It is observed that there exists significantly higher alcohol abuse in males, regardless of their age, as well as more physical violence by adolescent males towards their partners. Direct effects of alcohol abuse on physical intimate partner violence are observed in males from the age of 16 and in females from the age of 14. Moreover, the direct effects of different emotional dysregulation strategies on physical violence depend on gender. Conclusion: The moderating effects of emotional dysregulation strategies between alcohol abuse and physical intimate partner violence are observed only in the case of adolescent females (16–17 years). In particular, emotional dysregulation variables such as non-awareness, impulse, nonacceptance, or lack of strategies interfere as moderators in the relationship between excessive alcohol abuse and physical violence towards a partner. In the case of non-awareness, contrary to the other three, when scores are low or moderate, a statistically significant relationship between alcohol abuse and violence is observed. Full article

This study aims to investigate how urban residents interact with Urban Green Spaces (UGSs) in Nagpur, India, specifically focusing on the patterns of visitation and engagement. Data were collected via a face-to-face questionnaire survey using the Survey 123 app. The analysis included interaction (types of UGSs, visitation frequency, and UGS availability); engagement (activities); demographics (age, gender, and work status); and nature connection (self-reported) aspects. Using data from 2002 participants, the study employs statistical analyses using R software (4.3.2) to explore the correlations between these variables. The results revealed key factors influencing UGS usage, highlighting the interplay between environmental and social aspects. Neighborhood UGSs, proximity, and accessibility were found to be pivotal in promoting frequent visitation, while physical activity emerged as the most common activity among daily visitors. Older adults visited UGSs less frequently, suggesting potential barriers, while employed individuals visited more often. A strong association between nature connection and UGS interaction was highlighted, emphasizing the psychological and emotional aspects of UGS usage. For example, individuals who felt more connected to nature reported using UGSs for physical activities, mental relaxation, and socializing. These findings underscore the need for integrating UGSs within broader urban social-ecological systems, which means recognizing these spaces as vital components contributing to overall health and resilience and catering to the population’s diverse needs, ensuring that these spaces are accessible and enjoyable for all community members, including those from different cultural, age, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Additionally, fostering nature connectedness through education and exposure to natural environments is recommended to enhance UGS usage, supporting broader urban planning strategies to create sustainable and healthy urban environments. Full article

The current study examined consumers’ sustainable behavior in the context of eco-friendly drone food delivery services. It thus focused on the cognitive triggers, normative factors, and affective triggers in forming pro-environmental intentions. This study more specifically developed a comprehensive framework that included cognitive triggers, which included environmental awareness, ascribed responsibility, biospheric value, environmental concern, and perceived effectiveness, personal norm, and affective triggers, which included positive anticipated emotion and negative anticipated emotion, subjective norm, and pro-environmental intentions. The 312 samples were randomly extracted through an online survey company in Korea, which targeted individuals who have dined out within the last six months. A theoretical model that included mediation and causal hypotheses was proposed and tested by conducting structural equation modeling. The data analysis results indicated that the four dimensions of the cognitive triggers, such as ascribed responsibility, biospheric value, environmental concern, and perceived effectiveness, positively affect personal norm, and consequently have a positive effect on positive anticipated emotion. In addition, subjective norm aids in regards to enhancing personal norm and pro-environmental intentions. The study consequently contributes knowledge that addresses the acknowledged research gap and provides practical suggestions for green marketing strategies in regards to promoting the services. Full article

This study investigated the impact of compassion-based programs on gifted students’ emotional style, self-compassion, empathy, and well-being. The study conducted a quasi-experimental study of 30 academically gifted junior high school students in the eighth grade in Taiwan. Seventeen students were in the experimental group, and 13 were in the control group. The study adopted an emotional style scale, a self-compassion scale, an empathy scale, and a well-being scale. Covariance analysis was used to analyze the data. The results found that the students in the experimental group scored significantly higher than the students in the control group on some subscales and total scores of four tests in part. Students also learned more about themselves, identified and adjusted cognitive patterns, communicative skills, and so on, based on their feedback. The results provide some suggestions about future curriculum design, instruction, and counseling based on positive psychology. Full article

Castration is often employed in animal management for reproductive control. However, it is important to evaluate its impact on animal welfare. In this study, we developed rat models for both surgical (n = 6) and GnRH immunocastration (n = 6) to assess the effects of these castration methods on physiological and behavioral characteristics. The novel GnRH-based vaccine significantly increased serum GnRH antibody levels and drastically reduced testosterone, with the testes shrinking to one-fifth the size of those in the control group, thereby halting spermatogenesis at the secondary spermatocyte stage. Behavioral evaluations demonstrated that sexual behavior was significantly suppressed in both surgically and immunologically castrated groups compared to the control, confirming the effectiveness of both methods. However, psychological tests revealed significant signs of depression and social deficits in the surgically castrated group, whereas the behavior of the GnRH-immunocastrated group did not significantly differ from the control. Furthermore, no significant differences in learning and memory were observed among the three groups in the water maze test. Compared to surgical castration, GnRH immunocastration offers effective results and better animal welfare, providing a more humane alternative for livestock management. Full article

This study investigated the relatively unexplored topic of the collective memory of environmental disasters from a psychosocial perspective. To achieve this, we conducted an exploratory case study on the Vaia storm, which hit the Italian Alps in October 2018, causing significant social and ecological damage. We carried out thirteen in-depth semi-structured interviews with members of the enunciatory community of Vaia as follows: groups of people who either experienced the disaster firsthand, studied it, or had a particular interest in it. Through a thematic analysis of the interview transcripts, the four following key themes emerged that illustrate the forms taken by the collective memory of the disaster: (1) a sensory dimension; (2) an emotional dimension; (3) a narrative dimension; and (4) a material dimension. Our findings suggest a non-anthropocentric, hybrid understanding of collective memory, aligning with emerging concepts in the psychosocial literature on the emotional impacts of environmental disasters. We also advance potential future research questions at the intersection of memory studies, resilience, and sustainability and stress the practical implications of collective memory in fostering sustainable practices and enhancing climate resilience. Full article

This study explores the role of social identity in human–robot interactions, focusing on a scenario where a humanoid robot functions as a bartender with either a positive or negative personality. Conducted with 28 participants, the experiment utilized the Big-5 questionnaire to assess personality traits and the Godspeed questionnaire to gauge perceptions of the robot. The research sought to determine if users could perceive the robot’s distinct identities and if these perceptions were influenced by the participants’ personality traits. The findings indicated that participants could effectively discern the robot’s different personalities, validating the potential for programming robots to convey specific social identities. Despite the limited sample size, the results suggest that participants’ initial emotional states and personality traits significantly influenced their perceptions, suggesting that customizing a robot’s identity to match the interlocutor’s personality can enhance the interaction experience. As a preliminary investigation, this study contributes valuable insights into human–robot interaction dynamics and lays the groundwork for future research in the development of socially integrated robotic systems. Full article

This applied linguistics study on the lay discourse about legal language analyses online public reactions to a court decision in the Sarah Halimi case, a French Jewish woman killed by her neighbour in Paris in 2017. This study draws on discourse analysis with a focus on semantics analysis and dialogism theory to delve into how legal discourse is disseminated in forums and undergoes semantic redefinition through users’ language practices of legal notion in their own discourses. Thus, the aim of this study is not to develop linguistics theories but to use linguistics to explore the relationship between (1) the public representation and perception of this murder case in three forums and (2) the politico-legal response to decisions about a lack of criminal responsibility. The latter remains a sensitive topic in several countries, and several criminal justice reforms are revised or implemented with close observation of public reaction. This analysis highlights the linguistic markers revealing emotional discourse and a polymorphous expression of a lack of confidence in the justice system and legal actors, emphasising issues in comprehending justice and the work of psychiatrists and highlighting a gap between expectations and the actual delivery of justice. This study also shows that the linguistic strategies of non-experts are similar to those of legal experts. Full article

Our current understanding of the relationship between personality traits and subjective well-being, or happiness, is limited to the conceptualization of subjective well-being as being life satisfaction and a positive affective experience (i.e., the presence of positive emotions and the absence of negative ones), thus lacking the sense of acceptance, balance, adaptation, and self-transcendent unity (i.e., harmony in life) that is appreciated as part of the good life in many ancient and modern cultures. Moreover, most studies use the Big Five Model to understand which personality traits predict subjective well-being. Here, I examine the predictive power of personality on harmony in life using the Big Five Model, the Dark Triad, and Cloninger’s Biopsychosocial Model. The present study utilized past published data from three cross-sectional studies. In each separate sample, participants self-reported personality by answering the Big Five Inventory (N₁ = 297), the Short Dark Triad (N₂ = 1876), or the Temperament and Character Inventory (N₃ = 436). All participants (N_Total = 3698) answered to the Harmony in Life Scale. The traits in the Biopsychosocial Model explained the highest variance in harmony in life (R² = 0.435, F(7, 428) = 47.136, p < 0.001), followed by the Big Five (R² = 0.341, F(5, 291) = 30.110, p < 0.001) and the Dark Triad (R² = 0.096, F(3, 1872) = 66.055, p < 0.001). The key significant predictors were Self-Directedness, Self-Transcendence, and Harm Avoidance from the Biopsychosocial Model and Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism from the Big Five. Narcissism was the only predictor from the Dark Triad, although this relationship was very small. The findings underscore the importance of a multidimensional approach for understanding subjective well-being and the inclusion of harmony in life as its third component. The Biopsychosocial Model’s inclusion of both temperament and character dimensions provided the most comprehensive understanding of harmony in life. While positive traits like Agreeableness, Self-Directedness, and Self-Transcendence enhance harmony, negative traits like Neuroticism and Harm Avoidance diminish it. Moreover, research only including “dark traits” might give the impression that an inflated sense of self-importance, a deep need for admiration, and a lack of empathy for others (i.e., Narcissism) is predictive of balance in life. However, this association was not only extremely low but can be interpreted as misguided since the results using the other models showed that helpful, empathetic, kind, and self-transcendent behavior predicted harmony. These results suggest that interventions aimed at enhancing well-being should consider a broad range of personality traits, especially those that are not present in the Big Five Model, thus advocating for a biopsychosocial approach to well-being interventions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Emotional intelligence may help nurses to cope with demanding work environments where the need to improve the quality and safety of the care provided, as well as the care of the chronically ill, prevails. Although it is well known that emotional intelligence is positively related to work performance, the literature on nurses is limited. The aim of our study was to examine the impact of emotional intelligence on work performance in a sample of nurses in Greece. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 318 nurses. We collected data from a convenience sample of nurses during January 2024. Since we conducted an online survey through social media, our sample could not be representative of all nurses in Greece. For instance, older nurses may be underrepresented in our study due to limited access on social media. We measured emotional intelligence with the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF) and work performance with the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ). We created multivariable linear regression models adjusted for sex, age, educational level, and work experience. We followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. Results: We found that the four streams of emotional intelligence (i.e., well-being, self-control, emotionality, sociability) increased nurses’ work performance. In particular, we found a positive relationship between well-being and task performance (adjusted beta = 0.210, 95% CI = 0.140 to 0.281, p-value < 0.001) and contextual performance (adjusted beta = 0.135, 95% CI = 0.050 to 0.221, p-value = 0.002). Similarly, there was a positive relationship between self-control and task performance (adjusted beta = 0.136, 95% CI = 0.030 to 0.241, p-value = 0.012). Additionally, sociability increased task performance (adjusted beta = 0.223, 95% CI = 0.151 to 0.295, p-value < 0.001) and contextual performance (adjusted beta = 0.198, 95% CI = 0.111 to 0.286, p-value < 0.001). Moreover, emotionality (adjusted beta = −0.198, 95% CI = −0.319 to −0.076, p-value = 0.002) and sociability (adjusted beta = −0.133, 95% CI = −0.221 to −0.044, p-value = 0.003) reduced counterproductive work behavior. Conclusions: Our multivariable models identified a positive impact of emotional intelligence on nurses’ work performance. Nurse managers and healthcare organizations should adopt appropriate interventions to improve nurses’ emotional intelligence. Enhancing emotional intelligence among nurses can improve work performance and, thus, healthcare outcomes. Moreover, higher levels of emotional intelligence may empower nurses’ compassion and resilience, fostering a supportive work environment. In this context, the well-being of both nurses and patients may improve. Full article