Predicting remission following CBT for childhood anxiety disorders: a machine learning approach.

Background: The identification of predictors of treatment response is crucial for improving treatment outcome for children with anxiety disorders. Machine learning methods provide opportunities to identify combinations of factors that contribute to risk prediction models.

Methods: A machine learning approach was applied to predict anxiety disorder remission in a large sample of 2114 anxious youth (5-18 years).

Red, gold and green: Comparative genomics of polymorphic leopards from South Africa.

An important goal of comparative and functional genomics is to connect genetic polymorphisms to phenotypic variation. Leopards (Panthera pardus) from northern South Africa are particularly diverse, as here a unique colour morph occurs, as well as two deeply diverged southern (SA) and central African (CA) mitochondrial clades, stemming from Pleistocene refugia. Here, we present the first whole genomes of a red leopard and a black (captive) leopard, and wildtypes belonging to the CA and SA mitochondrial clades, to evaluate genome-wide diversity, divergence, and high impact mutations that may relate to their phenotype.

Cascaded reservoirs promote phosphorus bioavailability of surface sediments in the Upper Mekong River.

As a key nutrient for primary productivity in freshwater ecosystems, the effect of upper cascade reservoirs on the downstream phosphorus (P) loading is subject to an ongoing scientific debate in the Mekong River. To investigate the effects of cascade reservoirs on the forms of P and its bioavailability in surface sediment, two rounds of field research were carried out both in a free-flowing river (Nu River) and in the Upper Mekong River (Lancang River) during winter and summer. Results showed that while the P was trapped with sediments and environmental parameters changed significantly, high relative abundance of bioavailable phosphorus (BioP, generally include Fe-bound P, Al-bound P, and Organic P) in sediment was detected in reservoirs and at near the border between China and Myanmar.

Patterns of sub-optimal change following CBT for childhood anxiety.

Background: Children and adolescents demonstrate diverse patterns of symptom change and disorder remission following cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders. To better understand children who respond sub-optimally to CBT, this study investigated youths (N = 1,483) who continued to meet criteria for one or more clinical anxiety diagnosis immediately following treatment or at any point during the 12 months following treatment.

Methods: Data were collected from 10 clinical sites with assessments at pre-and post-treatment and at least once more at 3, 6 or 12-month follow-up.

Urbanization and malaria have a contextual relationship in endemic areas: A temporal and spatial study in Ghana.

In West Africa, malaria is one of the leading causes of disease-induced deaths. Existing studies indicate that as urbanization increases, there is corresponding decrease in malaria prevalence. However, in malaria-endemic areas, the prevalence in some rural areas is sometimes lower than in some peri-urban and urban areas.

Rapid flotation of mediated by high light exposure: implications for surface scum formation and cyanobacterial species succession.

Increasing occurrences of surface scum have been observed in the context of global climate change and the increase in anthropogenic pollution, causing deteriorating water quality in aquatic ecosystems. Previous studies on scum formation mainly focus on the buoyancy-driven floating process of larger colonies, neglecting other potential mechanisms. To study the non-buoyancy-driven rapid flotation of , we here investigate the floating processes of two strains of single-cell species ( and ), which are typically buoyant, under light conditions (150 μmol photons s m).

Pressure from insect-resistant maize on protected butterflies and moths.

Intensification in agriculture affects many insect species, including butterflies. Insect-resistant crops, such as Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) maize, which produces a toxin active against Lepidoptera, are an alternative to insecticide sprays. Genetically modified crops are regulated in most countries and require an environmental risk assessment.

The effect of metacognitive executive function training on children's executive function, proactive control, and academic skills.

The current study investigated the effects of metacognitive and executive function (EF) training on childhood EF (inhibition, working memory [WM], cognitive flexibility, and proactive/reactive control) and academic skills (reading, reasoning, and math) among children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Children ( = 134, = 8.70 years) were assigned randomly to the three training groups: (a) metacognitive training of basic EF processes (meta-EF), (b) training of basic EF processes (basic-EF), and (c) active controls (active control).

Using benthic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic stressors on water quality and sediment properties of a West African lagoon.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of anthropogenic stressors (landfilling, navigation for transport of goods, cooling in fossil fuel, urbanization, industrial expansion, agriculture activities, and recreational activities) on environmental variables, microbiological quality, and sediment properties using benthic macroinvertebrates as a bioindicator within Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria. Four (4) sampling stations were established with respect to their importance/anthropogenic activities within the Lagos Lagoon. Surface water, bottom substrates, and benthic macroinvertebrate fauna samples were collected bimonthly from each sampling station for a year and analyzed using appropriate standard methods and procedures.

The role of impulse and interference control in aversive personality: A comprehensive assessment.

Ethically and socially aversive behaviors have been attributed to several personality traits, including characteristics collectively referred to under the umbrella term of impulsivity. It is an open question, however, whether such characteristics are an integral part of ethically and socially aversive personality. Relying on three large samples (total N = 9854) and implementing longitudinal assessments, the present study provides a comprehensive investigation of the role of impulse and interference control in aversive personality.

Large-stream nitrate retention patterns shift during droughts: Seasonal to sub-daily insights from high-frequency data-model fusion.

High-frequency nitrate-N (NO-N) data are increasingly available, while accurate assessments of in-stream NO-N retention in large streams and rivers require a better capture of complex river hydrodynamic conditions. This study demonstrates a fusion framework between high-frequency water quality data and hydrological transport models, that (1) captures river hydraulics and their impacts on solute signal propagation through river hydrodynamic modeling, and (2) infers in-stream retention as the differences between conservatively traced and reactively observed NO-N signals. Using this framework, continuous 15-min estimates of NO-N retention were derived in a 6th-order reach of the lower Bode River (27.

Sustainability of cognitive behavioural interventions for chronic back pain: A long-term follow-up.

Background: There is a significant research gap with respect to the long-term sustainability of psychological treatment effects in chronic pain patients. This study aimed to investigate long-term treatment effects of two psychological treatments: cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as a broad-spectrum approach and exposure as a specific intervention for fear-avoidant pain patients.

Methods: Patients with chronic low back pain were randomized to CBT or exposure in vivo.

Spatial navigation under threat: aversive apprehensions improve route retracing in higher versus lower trait anxious individuals.

Spatial navigation is a basic function for survival, and the ability to retrace a route has direct relevance for avoiding dangerous places. This study investigates the effects of aversive apprehensions on spatial navigation in a virtual urban environment. Healthy participants with varying degrees of trait anxiety performed a route-repetition and a route-retracing task under threatening and safe context conditions.

Supramodal Sentence Processing in the Human Brain: fMRI Evidence for the Influence of Syntactic Complexity in More Than 200 Participants.

This study investigated two questions. One is: To what degree is sentence processing beyond single words independent of the input modality (speech vs. reading)? The second question is: Which parts of the network recruited by both modalities is sensitive to syntactic complexity? These questions were investigated by having more than 200 participants read or listen to well-formed sentences or series of unconnected words.

Age and gender differences in narcissism: A comprehensive study across eight measures and over 250,000 participants.

Age and gender differences in narcissism have been studied often. However, considering the rich history of narcissism research accompanied by its diverging conceptualizations, little is known about age and gender differences across various narcissism measures. The present study investigated age and gender differences and their interactions across eight widely used narcissism instruments (i.

How to modify expectations of social rejection? An experimental study using a false-feedback paradigm.

Background And Objectives: Negative expectations (NEs) are fundamental to various mental disorders. Finding ways to modulate NEs would help to improve clinical treatment. The present study investigated how previously formed expectations of social rejection are revised in the context of novel positive social experiences, and whether their revision can be modulated by differentially shifting participants' attentional focus.

Density declines, richness increases, and composition shifts in stream macroinvertebrates.

Documenting trends of stream macroinvertebrate biodiversity is challenging because biomonitoring often has limited spatial, temporal, and taxonomic scopes. We analyzed biodiversity and composition of assemblages of >500 genera, spanning 27 years, and 6131 stream sites across forested, grassland, urban, and agricultural land uses throughout the United States. In this dataset, macroinvertebrate density declined by 11% and richness increased by 12.

The system of academic task values: The development of cross-domain comparisons of values and college major choice.

This study synthesizes theories of achievement motivation to better understand the development of academic task values in high school students and their relation to college major selection. We utilize longitudinal structural equation modeling to understand how grades relate to task values, how task values across domains relate to one another over time, and how the system of task values relates to college major choice. In our sample of 1,279 high students from Michigan, we find evidence that task value for math negatively relates to task value for English and vice versa.

The relationship between multiple traumatic events and the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms - evidence for a cognitive link.

Previous research has shown that multiple traumatic experiences cumulatively increase the risk for the development of severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, little is known about the specific psychological mechanism through which this increased risk comes about. In the present study, we examined a possible cognitive link between multiple traumatic events and PTSD symptom severity through dysfunctional cognitions and expectations.

A Unified Approach to Analysis of Body Condition in Green Toads.

Body condition is increasingly used to assess the status of populations and as a proxy for individual fitness. A common, quick and non-invasive approach is to estimate condition from the relation between body length and mass. Among the methods developed for this purpose, the Scaled Mass Index (SMI) appears best suited for comparisons among populations.

Seeing your life story as a Hero's Journey increases meaning in life.

Meaning in life is tied to the stories people tell about their lives. We explore whether one timeless story-the Hero's Journey-might make people's lives feel more meaningful. This enduring story appears across history and cultures and provides a template for ancient myths (e.

"Domestic Drama," "Love Killing," or "Murder": Does the Framing of Femicides Affect Readers' Emotional and Cognitive Responses to the Crime?

We conducted two framing experiments to test how downplaying femicide frames affect readers' reactions. Results of Study 1 (Germany,  = 158) indicate that emotional reactions were increased when a femicide was labeled as "murder" compared to "domestic drama." This effect was strongest among individuals with high hostile sexism.

Media Trust and the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of Short-Term Trust Changes, Their Ideological Drivers and Consequences in Switzerland.

We analyze short-term media trust changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, their ideological drivers and consequences based on panel data in German-speaking Switzerland. We thereby differentiate trust in political information from different types of traditional and non-traditional media. COVID-19 serves as a natural experiment, in which citizens' media trust at the outbreak of the crisis is compared with the same variables after the severe lockdown measures were lifted.