Assessing the environmental footprint of alternative green biorefinery protein extraction techniques from grasses and legumes.

The significant grasslands of Europe and its member states represents a significant feedstock opportunity for circular bioeconomy development. The development of green biorefineries (GBR), to supply protein for the feed industry from grass, could help many European member states to address significant deficits in protein availability and reduce imports. The current study assesses the environmental footprint of alternative GBR protein extraction techniques from grasses and legumes using life cycle assessment.

Recycling of European plastic is a pathway for plastic debris in the ocean.

Polyethylene (PE) is one of the most common types of plastic. Whilst an increasing share of post-consumer plastic waste from Europe is collected for recycling, 46% of separated PE waste is exported outside of the source country (including intra-EU trade). The fate of this exported European plastic is not well known.

Emotion regulation and emotional distress: The mediating role of hope on reappraisal and anxiety/depression in newly diagnosed cancer patients.

Purpose: A proportion of newly diagnosed cancer patients may experience anxiety and depression. Emotion suppression has been associated with poorer psychoemotional outcomes, whereas reappraisal may be an adaptive emotion regulation strategy. Few studies have examined potential mechanisms linking reappraisal to psychoemotional outcomes in cancer patients.

Population frequencies of the Triallelic 5HTTLPR in six Ethnicially diverse samples from North America, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

Genetic differences between populations are potentially an important contributor to health disparities around the globe. As differences in gene frequencies influence study design, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the natural variation of the genetic variant(s) of interest. Along these lines, we characterized the variation of the 5HTTLPR and rs25531 polymorphisms in six samples from North America, Southeast Asia, and Africa (Cameroon) that differ in their racial and ethnic composition.

Optimized method for ureteric reconstruction in a mouse kidney transplant model.

Background: Murine kidney transplantation is an important model for studies of transplantation immunobiology. The most challenging aspect of the difficult surgical procedure is the ureteric anastomosis.

Methods: Two different approaches to ureteric reconstruction are compared here.

Cardiovascular responses to stress in Singapore and India.

Background: Epidemiological studies have shown significant ethnic differences in coronary heart disease death rates with South Asians showing significantly greater coronary heart disease mortality than other groups.

Purpose: This research examined ethnic differences in cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) among Chinese, Malays and Indians in Singapore as well as a sample of Indians living in India.

Methods: Experiment 1 examined differences across 303 Chinese, Malay and Indian undergraduates in Singapore, while Experiment 2 looked at differences in CVR between Indian participants from Singapore, and 145 Indians living in India.

Culture moderates the cardiovascular consequences of anger regulation strategy.

Purpose: This research examined cultural differences in experiential and cardiovascular outcomes of three anger regulation strategies (expression, suppression and reappraisal).

Methods: Forty-five Chinese and 45 Caucasian females participated in a laboratory experiment in which role play was used to induce anger. During this role play participants were instructed to either express or suppress their feelings or engage in cognitive reappraisal.

Ethnicity, gender, genotype, and anger as related to nocturnal dipping.

Bishop, Pek, and Ngau (2005) found a significant interaction in Singapore between anger and nocturnal dipping among Indians but not Chinese and Malays. The current study examines the role of 5-HTTLPR genotype in this relationship. Two hundred thirty-one undergraduates participated in up to 4 days of 24-h ambulatory monitoring, completed the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, and provided blood samples for genotyping of 5-HTTLPR.

An S-shaped relationship between changes in appraisals and changes in emotions.

Previous research on appraisal theories of emotion has shown that emotions and appraisals are related but has not specified the nature of the relationships. This research examined the functional forms of appraisal-emotion relationships and demonstrated that for all seven appraisals studied, appraisals relate to emotions in an S-shaped (ogival) fashion: Changes in appraisals at extreme levels are associated with only small changes in emotions, but changes at moderate levels are associated with substantial changes in emotions. With a few exceptions, ogival relationships were found for the relationships between seven appraisals (Goal Achievement Expectancy, Agency, Control, Certainty, Fairness, Pleasantness, and Motive Congruence) and numerous relevant emotions across different sample-types, cultures, and methods.

Premarital sexual intercourse among adolescents in an Asian country: multilevel ecological factors.

Objective: The goal was to assess personal and environmental factors associated with premarital sex among adolescents.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study. Between 2006 and 2008, we recruited 500 adolescents who reported having engaged in voluntary sex for most recent sex.

Appraisal underpinnings of affective chronometry: the role of appraisals in emotion habituation.

In light of the lack of studies examining the cognitive components of affective chronometry, this research examined the appraisals associated with emotion habituation, using anger as the emotion of focus. Anger and its appraisals were assessed repeatedly over a day in the participants' naturalistic contexts. The trajectory of decline in anger over time after its first appearance was found to be a function of chronic coping styles.

Perceived threat, risk perception, and efficacy beliefs related to SARS and other (emerging) infectious diseases: results of an international survey.

Purpose: To study the levels of perceived threat, perceived severity, perceived vulnerability, response efficacy, and self-efficacy for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and eight other diseases in five European and three Asian countries.

Method: A computer-assisted phone survey was conducted among 3,436 respondents. The questionnaire focused on perceived threat, vulnerability, severity, response efficacy, and self-efficacy related to SARS and eight other diseases.

Avian influenza risk perception, Europe and Asia.

During autumn 2005, we conducted 3,436 interviews in European and Asian countries. We found risk perceptions of avian influenza to be at an intermediate level and beliefs of efficacy to be slightly lower. Risk perceptions were higher in Europe than in Asia; efficacy [corrected] beliefs were lower in Europe than in Asia.

Social support schemas, trait anger, and cardiovascular responses.

This study examined the influence of activated support schemas on cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) during an anger-recall interview. Eighty Chinese female undergraduates wrote about a supportive tie or a casual acquaintance and subsequently disclosed an anger-provoking event while their heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured. Compared to participants in the 'acquaintance' condition, those in the 'support' condition showed lower HR, SBP and DBP reactivity, as well as smaller state anger increases and less negative appraisals of the recalled anger event.

Blunted cardiovascular responses to daytime activities as related to reduced nocturnal blood pressure decline.

Background: Individuals showing less than a 10% decline in blood pressure at night ("nondippers") are known to be at increased risk for hypertension and other cardiovascular conditions.

Purpose: This research tested the assertion by Räikkönen et al. (1) that nondippers show blunted cardiovascular responses to activities during daytime hours.

The use of ecological momentary assessment to test appraisal theories of emotion.

Although appraisal theories have received strong empirical support, there are methodological concerns about the research, including biased recall, heuristic responding, ethical issues, and weak and unrealistic induction of emotions in laboratories. To provide a more ecologically valid test of appraisal theories, the authors used ecological momentary assessment, in which the emotions and appraisals of Singaporean police officers were measured online over the course of an ordinary workday. The research focused on happiness.

Ethnicity, sex, trait anger, and nocturnal blood pressure decline.

This study examined the relationship of trait anger to nocturnal blood pressure decline among Singaporean young adults. One hundred forty-nine participants (51 Chinese, 51 Malays, 47 Indians, 49.7% men) participated in 24-h ambulatory monitoring for blood pressure and hemodynamic measures.

The relationship of hostility, negative affect and ethnicity to cardiovascular responses: an ambulatory study in Singapore.

This study tested the hypotheses that ambulatory heart rate and blood pressure would be higher for individuals high but not low in hostility when they experienced negative affect or social stress and that this interaction would be stronger for Indians compared with other Singapore ethnic groups. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was done on 108 male Singapore patrol officers as they went about their daily duties. After each BP measurement participants completed a computerized questionnaire including items on emotional experience.

SARS risk perception, knowledge, precautions, and information sources, the Netherlands.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-related risk perceptions, knowledge, precautionary actions, and information sources were studied in the Netherlands during the 2003 SARS outbreak. Although respondents were highly aware of the SARS outbreak, the outbreak did not result in unnecessary precautionary actions or fears.

Cardiovascular reactivity of Singaporean male police officers as a function of task, ethnicity and hostility.

Objective: This research examined hemodynamic processes in cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) as a function of task, ethnicity and trait hostility.

Method: One hundred and fourteen male patrol officers from the Singapore Police Force participated in this experimental study. Trait hostility was measured using the interpersonal hostility assessment technique to derive a hostile behavior index (HBI).

Job demands, decisional control, and cardiovascular responses.

The demand-control model for coronary heart disease was tested using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Male patrol officers (N = 118) wore ambulatory blood pressure monitors during 1 of their day shifts with readings taken every 30 min. Following each reading, officers completed a questionnaire using a handheld computer.