Facial Emotion Recognition and its Associations With Psychological Well-Being Across Four Schizotypal Dimensions: a Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: The present study aimed to examine facial emotion recognition in a sample from the general population with elevated schizotypal traits, as defined by the four-factor model of schizotypy, and the association of facial emotion recognition and the schizotypal dimensions with psychological well-being.

Method: Two hundred and thirty-eight participants were allocated into four schizotypal groups and one control group. Following a cross-sectional study design, facial emotion recognition was assessed with a computerized task that included images from the Radboud Faces Database, schizotypal traits were measured with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, and psychological well-being was evaluated with the Flourishing scale.

Extremophiles and Extremophilic Behaviour-New Insights and Perspectives.

Extremophiles, throughout evolutionary time, have evolved a plethora of unique strategies to overcome hardships associated with the environments they are found in. Modifying their genome, showing a bias towards certain amino acids, redesigning their proteins, and enhancing their membranes and other organelles with specialised chemical compounds are only some of those strategies. Scientists can utilise such attributes of theirs for a plethora of biotechnological and astrobiological applications.

Climate Change Dependence in Ex Situ Conservation of Wild Medicinal Plants in Crete, Greece.

Over 80% of the global population addresses their primary healthcare needs using traditional medicine based on medicinal plants. Consequently, there's a rising demand for these plants for both household and industrial use at local, regional, national, and international levels. However, wild harvesting has negatively impacted natural ecosystems.

Cognitive Processes and Resting-State Functional Neuroimaging Findings in High Schizotypal Individuals and Schizotypal Personality Disorder Patients: A Systematic Review.

Ample research findings indicate that there is altered brain functioning in the schizophrenia spectrum. Nevertheless, functional neuroimaging findings remain ambiguous for healthy individuals expressing high schizotypal traits and patients with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD). The purpose of this systematic review was to identify patterns of task-related and resting-state neural abnormalities across these conditions.

Biotechnology under extreme conditions: Lichens after extreme UVB radiation and extreme temperatures produce large amounts of hydrogen.

The present study demonstrates biotechnological applications of the lichen Pleurosticta acetabulum, specifically the production of large amounts of hydrogen even after the lichen exposure to extreme conditions such as a) extreme UVB radiation (1.7 mW/cm = 1000 J m min) over different time periods (4, 20 & 70 h) and b) combined exposure of the lichen to high intensity UVB radiation and extreme low (-196 °C) or extreme high temperatures (+70 °C). The results highlight that the extremophilic and polyextremophilic behavior of lichens both in dehydrated and in regenerated form, under extreme conditions not necessarily recorded on earth, is compatible with their biotechnological uses.

Examining the Relationships among Cognitive Ability, Domain-Specific Self-Concept, and Behavioral Self-Esteem of Gifted Children Aged 5-6 Years: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Although childhood is a critical period of development during which all children begin a lifelong process of self-discovery that shapes their identities, few studies have focused on the self-concept and self-esteem of young, gifted children. This study recruited 108 gifted children aged 5-6 years from Greece and their preschool teachers to explore the relationships among cognitive ability, domain-specific self-concepts, and global self-esteem. The Pictorial Scale for Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance was used to assess the domain-specific self-concepts of the participants, whereas behavioral manifestations of self-esteem were rated by the children's teachers using the Behavioral Academic Self-Esteem Scale.

Mothers' Experiences and Challenges Raising a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Study.

Although the study of autism is burgeoning with important implications both for public health and society, there is little research exploring the experiences of raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from the maternal perspective. The aim of this study was to investigate the lived experiences of mothers of children with ASD in Greece. Nine mothers of children with ASD were recruited and engaged in semistructured interviews.

Self-perceived cognitive lapses and psychological well-being in schizotypy: Generalized and domain-specific associations.

A critical link between schizotypy and schizophrenia is impoverished cognitive functioning. In the majority of studies, though: (1) cognition is examined with standard neuropsychological tasks; and (2) high-schizotypal individuals are defined according to criteria applied in the respective study sample. Taking these considerations into account, the aims of the present study were to examine: (1) differences between four pre-defined, according to normative criteria, schizotypal (paranoid, negative, disorganized and cognitive-perceptual) and one control groups in self-perceived cognitive lapses; and (2) associations between schizotypal dimensions, self-perceived cognitive lapses and psychological well-being.

Working memory training effects across the lifespan: Evidence from human and experimental animal studies.

Working memory refers to a cognitive function that provides temporary storage and manipulation of the information necessary for complex cognitive tasks. Due to its central role in general cognition, several studies have investigated the possibility that training on working memory tasks could improve not only working memory function but also increase other cognitive abilities or modulate other behaviors. This possibility is still highly controversial, with prior studies providing contradictory findings.

From wild harvest towards precision agriculture: Use of Ecological Niche Modelling to direct potential cultivation of wild medicinal plants in Crete.

Understanding the distribution of wild medicinal plants and areas that are suitable for cultivation of these plants is important for both conservation and agriculture. Here, we study ten taxa with known ethnopharmacological uses, which have been used extensively in traditional medicine and as culinary supplements. We aim to (1) predict and map the potential habitat suitability for these taxa across the study area, (2) investigate spatial patterns that could have management implications, such as niche similarities among the taxa and suitability "hotspots" with the use of novel indices, and (3) develop a platform where parts of this information can be accessed and utilized by all interested groups, from the policy-maker level to the individual practitioner level.

Sub-lethal concentrations of neonicotinoid insecticides at the field level affect negatively honey yield: Evidence from a 6-year survey of Greek apiaries.

The threats posed by neonicotinoid insecticides to bee populations have been the focus of considerable research. Previous work has shed new light on the effects of neonicotinoids on bees by uncovering pathways through which neonicotinoids affect bee population dynamics and the potential interactions they have with exogenous stressors. Yet, little is known about whether these effects translate in a field-relevant setting to substantial losses in honey yields for commercial beekeepers.

Meta-analysis on the association between genetic polymorphisms and prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response.

Sensorimotor gating measured by prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response (ASR) has been proposed as one of the most promising electrophysiological endophenotypes of schizophrenia. During the past decade, a number of publications have reported significant associations between genetic polymorphisms and PPI in samples of schizophrenia patients and healthy volunteers. However, an overall evaluation of the robustness of these results has not been published so far.

Neurocognitive performance, psychopathology and social functioning in individuals at high risk for schizophrenia or psychotic bipolar disorder.

Introduction: Although cognitive deficits are consistent endophenotypes of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, findings in psychotic bipolar disorder (BDP) are inconsistent. In this study we compared adult unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia and BDP patients on cognition, psychopathology, social functioning and quality of life.

Methods: Sixty-six unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients (SUnR), 36 unaffected first-degree relatives of BDP patients (BDPUnR) and 102 controls participated in the study.