Search results for: psychological indices

Authors: Yaa Asuaba Duopah, Lisa Moran, Khalifa Elmusharaf, Dervla Kelly

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Background: Research has identified a strong link between stress and drug use behaviours. Also, it has been established that the prolonged use of crack cocaine stimulates emotional, cognitive, neurological, and social changes. This paper examines the psychosocial stressors associated with crack cocaine use. Methodology: The study is qualitative and adopts a critical realist approach. Data was collected through 26 face-to-face, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with people who use crack cocaine. Study participants were recruited through two addiction services using purposive. Participants consisted of 15 males and 11 females between the ages of 24-57 years. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Cravings, financial hardship, family breakdown, and emotional stimulation were revealed as psychosocial stressors associated with crack cocaine use. Conclusion: Addressing the psychosocial stressors identified in this paper through targeted interventions and supportive policies is crucial for improving the well-being of persons who use crack cocaine. Collaboration between addiction, mental health, and support services is recommended to develop and deliver these interventions.

Keywords: psychological stress, substance misuse disorder, mental health, coping

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Authors: Karen Detoya

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Decreasing cortisol usually leads to good psychological health. This is done in various ways, such as by hugging. Although hugging may decrease a person’s cortisol, it is not advisable during pandemics. Besides that, non-contact cultures and histories of molestation may elicit negative feelings in a person when hugged; thus, hugging a stuffed toy is an option. This research explored the effect of 15 minutes of hugging a stuffed toy among stressed government employees. There are two groups in the study and 15 participants per group. Cortisol was measured before and after the intervention. The first group hugged a stuffed toy for 15 minutes, while the second group stayed in the room without hugging anything. For data analysis, t-tests for dependent samples and t-tests for independent samples were utilized. Results showed no significant differences in the cortisol levels of the two groups before and after the experiment. It also showed no significant difference between the cortisol levels of the two groups after the experiment. Comparing the experimental group by age (18-41 years old and 42-65 years old) and gender (male and female), results showed no significant difference in their cortisol hormones after the intervention.

Keywords: hugging, cortisol, stuffed toy, stressed government employees

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Authors: Imaneh Abbasi, Ladan Fata, Majid Sadeghi, Sara Banihashemi, Abolfazl Mohammadee

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Background: Dimensional and transdiagnostic approaches as a result of high comorbidity among mental disorders have captured researchers and clinicians interests for exploring the latent factors of development and maintenance of some psychological disorders. The goal of present study is to compare some of these common factors between generalized anxiety disorder and unipolar mood disorder. Methods: 27 patients with generalized anxiety disorder, 29 patients with depression disorder were recruited using SCID-I and 69 non-clinical population were selected using GHQ cut off point. MANCOVA was used for analyzing data. Results: The results show that worry, rumination, intolerance of uncertainty, maladaptive metacognitive beliefs, and experiential avoidance were all significantly different between GAD and unipolar mood disorder groups. However, there were not any significant differences in difficulties in emotion regulation and neuroticism between GAD and unipolar mood disorder groups. Discussion: Results indicate that although there are some transdiagnostic and common factors in GAD and unipolar mood disorder, there may be some specific vulnerability factors for each disorder. Further study is needed for answering these questions.

Keywords: transdiagnostic, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, emotion regulation

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Authors: Soufi Saylam

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Environmental concerns, rising consumption of energy, and the high cost of mechanical systems have all contributed to increased interest in building energy efficiency and passive thermal design in recent years. This study attempts to make an evaluation of building envelope components and associated retrofits in terms of their impact on energy efficiency and occupant comfort in a sustainable context. The design of the building envelope, as a critical component of the building, has a significant impact on the organization of interior space and user comfort. In this regard, in order to achieve maximum comfort and energy savings, the design of the building envelope should include a thermal comfort system that adapts to climatic variables. This system should be developed in harmony with the environmental features, building shape, and materials used. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of the building envelope in sustainable architecture by integrating traditional envelope design principles and strategies with technological techniques, as well as to examine its role in providing physical and psychological comfort to users in the interior space.

Keywords: envelope design, functional needs, physiological comfort, sustainable architecture, traditional techniques

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Authors: Jianhua Wang

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To obtain key information quickly from long texts on small screens of mobile devices, sight-interpreters need to establish optimized summarization model for fast information retrieval. Four summarization models based on previous studies were studied including title+key words (TKW), title+topic sentences (TTS), key words+topic sentences (KWTS) and title+key words+topic sentences (TKWTS). Psychological experiments were conducted on the four models for three different genres of interpreting texts to establish the optimized summarization model for sight-interpreters. This empirical study shows that the optimized summarization model for sight-interpreters to quickly grasp the key information of the texts they interpret is title+key words (TKW) for cultural texts, title+key words+topic sentences (TKWTS) for economic texts and topic sentences+key words (TSKW) for political texts.

Keywords: different genres, mobile screens, optimized summarization models, sight-interpreters

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Authors: Li Qiaoming

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The outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in early 2020 brought new opportunities to the development of the digital creative industry in China. Based on the realistic foundation of the development of the digital creative industry in China, an analysis was conducted on the mechanism of action of the pandemic on this industry from both sides of supply and demand by sorting out its concept, connotation, and related theories. To be specific, the demand side experienced changes due to the changes in the consumption habits of residents, the sharp increase in gross domestic time (GDT), the satisfaction of the psychological needs of users, search for substitutes for offline consumption, and other factors. An analysis was carried out on the mechanism of action of the pandemic on the digital creative industry from the production link, supply subjects, product characteristics, and transmission link of the supply side. Then, a detailed discussion was held on the manifestation forms of the impact of the pandemic from the dimensions of time and space. Finally, this paper discussed the main development focuses of the digital creative industry in the post-pandemic era from the aspects of the government, industries, and enterprises.

Keywords: COVID-19, demand and supply relationship, digital creative industries, industry shocks

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Authors: Kai Zhang, Xi Jiang

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Effect of fuel variabilities on premixed combustion of bio-syngas mixtures is of great importance in bio-syngas utilisation. The uncertainties of concentrations of fuel constituents such as H2, CO and CH4 may lead to unpredictable combustion performances, combustion instabilities and hot spots which may deteriorate and damage the combustion hardware. Numerical modelling and simulations can assist in understanding the behaviour of bio-syngas combustion with pre-defined species concentrations, while the evaluation of variabilities of concentrations is expensive. To be more specific, questions such as ‘what is the burning velocity of bio-syngas at specific equivalence ratio?’ have been answered either experimentally or numerically, while questions such as ‘what is the likelihood of burning velocity when precise concentrations of bio-syngas compositions are unknown, but the concentration ranges are pre-described?’ have not yet been answered. Uncertainty quantification (UQ) methods can be used to tackle such questions and assess the effects of fuel compositions. An efficient probabilistic UQ method based on Polynomial Chaos Expansion (PCE) techniques is employed in this study. The method relies on representing random variables (combustion performances) with orthogonal polynomials such as Legendre or Gaussian polynomials. The constructed PCE via Galerkin Projection provides easy access to global sensitivities such as main, joint and total Sobol indices. In this study, impacts of fuel compositions on combustion (adiabatic flame temperature and laminar flame speed) of bio-syngas fuel mixtures are presented invoking this PCE technique at several equivalence ratios. High-pressure effects on bio-syngas combustion instability are obtained using detailed chemical mechanism - the San Diego Mechanism. Guidance on reducing combustion instability from upstream biomass gasification process is provided by quantifying the significant contributions of composition variations to variance of physicochemical properties of bio-syngas combustion. It was found that flame speed is very sensitive to hydrogen variability in bio-syngas, and reducing hydrogen uncertainty from upstream biomass gasification processes can greatly reduce bio-syngas combustion instability. Variation of methane concentration, although thought to be important, has limited impacts on laminar flame instabilities especially for lean combustion. Further studies on the UQ of percentage concentration of hydrogen in bio-syngas can be conducted to guide the safer use of bio-syngas.

Keywords: bio-syngas combustion, clean energy utilisation, fuel variability, PCE, targeted uncertainty reduction, uncertainty quantification

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Authors: Yun Chen, David Penton, Fazlul Karim, Santosh Aryal, Shahriar Wahid, Peter Taylor, Susan M. Cuddy

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Droughts have severely affected Afghanistan over the last four decades, leading to critical food shortages where two-thirds of the country’s population are in a food crisis. Long years of conflict have lowered the country’s ability to deal with hazards such as drought, which can rapidly escalate into disasters. Understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of droughts is needed to be able to respond effectively to disasters and plan for future occurrences. This study used Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) at monthly, seasonal, and annual temporal scales to map the spatiotemporal change dynamics of drought characteristics (distribution, frequency, duration, and severity) in Afghanistan. SPEI indices were mapped for river basins, disaggregated into 189 sub-catchments, using monthly precipitation and potential evapotranspiration derived from temperature station observations from 1980 to 2017. The results show these multi-dimensional drought characteristics vary along different years, change among sub-catchments, and differ across temporal scales. During the 38 years, the driest decade and period are the 2000s and 1999–2022, respectively. The 2000–01 water year is the driest, with the whole country experiencing ‘severe’ to ‘extreme’ drought, more than 53% (87 sub-catchments) suffering the worst drought in history, and about 58% (94 sub-catchments) having ‘very frequent’ drought (7 to 8 months) or ‘extremely frequent’ drought (9 to 10 months). The estimated seasonal duration and severity present significant variations across the study area and throughout the study period. The nation also suffered from recurring droughts with varying length and intensity in 2004, 2006, 2008, and, most recently, 2011. There is a trend towards increasing drought with longer duration and higher severity extending all over sub-catchments from southeast to north and central regions. These datasets and maps help to fill the knowledge gap on detailed sub-catchment scale meteorological drought characteristics in Afghanistan. The study findings improve our understanding of the influences of climate change on drought dynamics and can guide catchment planning for reliable adaptation to and mitigation against future droughts.

Keywords: SPEI, precipitation, evapotranspiration, climate extremes

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Authors: Mitra JahangirRad, Sheida Sodagar, Maryam Bahrami Hidaji

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This study was conducted with the aim of comparing anxiety, stress, depression and attitude towards death among patients with breast cancer who have undergone mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery. The study method is causal-comparative. Statistical population was all patients with breast cancer referring to Medical Center of Panjom Azar Hospital in Gorgan or oncologists' offices in this city within eight months. They were selected using purposive sampling. Sample size of this study was 45 patients with breast cancer undergoing mastectomy and 70 patients under breast-conserving surgery. Measurement tools in this study were depression, anxiety, and stress scale (Dass-21) as well as Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAPR). Results of this study in hypotheses investigation showed that anxiety, stress and depression among patients with breast cancer, undergoing mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery is significantly different. However, their attitudes towards death do not differ. From these findings, it can be concluded that although most patients with breast cancer encounter many psychological problems, patients undergoing mastectomy experience more anxiety, stress and depression relative to patients with breast-conserving surgery and it seems that they need more supportive therapy.

Keywords: anxiety, breast cancer, depression, death, mastectomy

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Authors: Peter Ellis

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United States dramatic television in the 21st century is inarguably violent. This violence can be as physical as the gruesome viscera spilled in AMC’s The Walking Dead; it can be as psychological as the suppressive dominance of Tony Soprano over his wife Carmella in HBO’s The Sopranos; and it can sit like shares on the stock market, where investment in violence sits as an economic choice, as with AMC’s Breaking Bad. Violence permeates these narratives, simultaneously threatening and defining the lives of their characters through its use in their relationships. What propels this exploration of humanity through violence is the use of language: the dictation of interaction in an economy in which characters negotiate successful acts of violence, or how they meet with the successful violence of others. Language is the defining force which separates and elucidates characters through conflict, as Slavoj Žižek writes, “it is because of language that we and our neighbours (can) “live in different worlds” even when we live on the same street.” This paper examines three different manifestations that violence takes in US television, specifically through the examples of The Walking Dead, The Sopranos, and Breaking Bad. Through the prism of Žižek’s conception of language as the uniquely human vehicle of violence, I aim to display how these shows sit as expressions of a neo-humanism, in which the complexities of language manipulate violence and define character in the process.

Keywords: violence, humanism, neoliberalism, American television

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Authors: Bikas Chandra Bhattarai

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Child labour is the serious issue all over the world. In Nepal, many children are working in different structured and unstructured sector. Metal fabrication is one of the sectors where many children are involved. The present study is carried out to focus on the overall socio-economic condition, psychological aspect, working environment condition and welfare of the child labour. Metal fabrication factories from Kirtipur, Chovar Area, Gongabu, Sitapaila and Sankhamul area of Kathmandu municipality were selected for the study. The structured questionnaire was prepared, and overall 55 children under age 16 were interviewed. Working in metal fabrication factory is risky job for children. The main reason behind child labour is poverty. The working environment in the metal fabrication factory was not found satisfactory. Children are exposed to various types of physical and chemical hazards. Factories are not paying proper attention to safety condition at the workplace. Large number of children is attracted towards smoking and drinking alcohol leading to unnecessary expense of their income. There should be the provision of regular health check up and insurance to the working children. Monitoring from the government level should be implemented for the betterment of working children.

Keywords: child labour, Kathmandu, Nepal, metal fabrication

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Authors: M. C. Steyn

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Violence and entertainment are not mutually exclusive subjects in the Ancient Roman world, in reality they are closely knit together. Their world is permeated by repeated and continuous episodes of violence in its many manifestations, both sanctioned and spontaneous, most of which is considered as some form of entertainment, from plays and writings through the spectrum to the gladiatorial arena. In the 21st century this socio-psychological dynamic is manifested through the stage provided by the screen and what we watch in terms of TV, movies and games. This glorification of violence in a modern world is not out of place as seen in contemporary post apocalyptical/ dystopian literature, film and computer games where the act of violence, frowned upon by social norms and values, becomes sanctioned by the (un)real nature of the game: ‘I am not a violent person, violence is bad, this is just a game’. This paper will examine how violence is framed in the Ancient World and subsequently how it is received by popular culture to represent a world in which the maintenance of stability can only be achieved through officially sanctioned violence, whether sanctioned by the State or the gaming community. This argument will examine both ancient and modern critics of violence such as Senecca, Coleman and Foucault and framed by Baudrillard’s commentary on the post-modern conceptualization of reality.

Keywords: entertainment, violence, gladiatorial games, gaming

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Authors: Arpita Mitra

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The research explores the concept of ‘guilt’ as understood in relation to children and young individuals associated with terrorist groups who are exiting these groups and returning to civilian lives (‘young returnees’). The study explores young returnees’ guilt – in its psychological, legal, and sociological manifestations and how it contributes to experiences of reintegration and justice administration. Streamlining it further, the research question on assessing guilt engages with young adults – between 18 and 30 years – who were part of a terrorist organization during their formative years and have returned to civilian life. Overall, the findings of the said research are intended to contribute first-hand operational research to criminological literature as well as transitional justice mechanisms with regard to narratives on truth, justice, reparations and institutional reform/guarantees of non-recurrence. Particularly for this paper, the focus of the paper shall be on one aspect of this research, that is, on the added value of conducting operational research and the methodological challenges encountered during this process with regard to informed consent, data protection, mental health and security considerations for the respondents and researcher.

Keywords: terrorism, reintegration, young returnees, criminology

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Authors: Ashti Morovati, Hushyar Azari, Bahram Pourghassem Gargari

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Objectives and goals: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), as a major health burden for societies, is increasing. This clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of CuEO supplementation on anthropometric indices, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, blood glucose level, insulin resistance and serum lipid level in patients suffering from MetS. Methods: This was a randomized, triple‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial in which 56 patients with MetS aged 18–60 years who fulfilled the eligibility criteria were randomly allocated to an intervention or a control group. Inclusion criteria for the study were comprised of diagnosis of MetS according to the new International Federation of Diabetes. The exclusion criteria were defined as: taking herbal supplements, use of drugs having evident interaction with cumin such as anti‐depressant drugs, vitamin D, omega 3, selenium, zinc, smoking, pregnancy, or breastfeeding, suffering from cancer, having any history of gastrointestinal and hepatic, cardiovascular, thyroid and kidney disorders, and menopause. 75 mg CuEO or placebo soft gels were administered three times daily to the participants for eight weeks. The soft gel consumption was checked by asking the participants to bring the medication containers in the follow‐up visits at the 4th and the 8th weeks of the study. Data pertaining to blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference and BMI, as well as food consumption were collected at the beginning and end of the study. Fasting blood samples ( glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol) were obtained and biochemical measurements were assessed at the beginning and end of the study. Results: At eight weeks, a total of 44 patients completed this study. Except for diastolic blood pressure (DBP), the other assessed variables were not significantly different between the two groups. In intra group analysis, placebo and CuEO groups both had insignificant decrements in DBP (mean difference [MD] with 95% CI: −3.31 [−7.11, 0.47] and −1.77 [−5.95, 2.40] mmHg, respectively). However, DBP was significantly lower in CuEO compared with the placebo group at the end of study (81.41 ± 5.88 vs. 84.09 ± 5.54 mmHg, MD with 95% CI: −3.98 [−7.60, −0.35] mmHg, p < .05). Conclusions: The results of this study indicated that CuEO does not have any effect on MetS components, except for DBP in patients with MetS.

Keywords: blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, lipid profile, waist circumference

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Authors: Orkide Donma, Mustafa M. Donma

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Morbid obesity is a health threatening condition particularly in children. Generally, it leads to the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS) characterized by central obesity, elevated fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TRG), blood pressure values and suppressed high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. However, some ambiguities exist during the diagnosis of MetS in children below 10 years of age. Therefore, clinicians are in the need of some surrogate markers for the laboratory assessment of pediatric MetS. In this study, the aim is to develop an index, which will be more helpful during the evaluation of further risks detected in morbid obese (MO) children. A total of 235 children with normal body mass index (N-BMI), with varying degrees of obesity; overweight (OW), obese (OB), MO as well as MetS participated in this study. The study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee. Informed consent forms were obtained from the parents of the children. Obesity states of the children were classified using BMI percentiles adjusted for age and sex. For the purpose, tabulated data prepared by WHO were used. MetS criteria were defined. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure values were measured. Parameters related to glucose and lipid metabolisms were determined. FBG, insulin (INS), HDL-C, TRG concentrations were determined. Diagnostic Obesity Notation Model Assessment Laboratory (DONMA_LAB) Index [ln TRG/HDL-C*INS] was introduced. Commonly used insulin resistance (IR) indices such as Homeostatic Model Assessment for IR (HOMA-IR) as well as ratios such as TRG/HDL-C, TRG/HDL-C*INS, HDL-C/TRG*INS, TRG/HDL-C*INS/FBG, log, and ln versions of these ratios were calculated. Results were interpreted using statistical package program (SPSS Version 16.0) for Windows. The data were evaluated using appropriate statistical tests. The degree for statistical significance was defined as 0.05. 35 N, 20 OW, 47 OB, 97 MO children and 36 with MetS were investigated. Mean ± SD values of TRG/HDL-C were 1.27 ± 0.69, 1.86 ± 1.08, 2.15 ± 1.22, 2.48 ± 2.35 and 4.61 ± 3.92 for N, OW, OB, MO and MetS children, respectively. Corresponding values for the DONMA_LAB index were 2.17 ± 1.07, 3.01 ± 0.94, 3.41 ± 0.93, 3.43 ± 1.08 and 4.32 ± 1.00. TRG/HDL-C ratio significantly differed between N and MetS groups. On the other hand, DONMA_LAB index exhibited statistically significant differences between N and all the other groups except the OW group. This index was capable of discriminating MO children from those with MetS. Statistically significant elevations were detected in MO children with MetS (p < 0.05). Multiple parameters are commonly used during the assessment of MetS. Upon evaluation of the values obtained for N, OW, OB, MO groups and for MO children with MetS, the [ln TRG/HDL-C*INS] value was unique in discriminating children with MetS.

Keywords: children, index, laboratory, metabolic syndrome, obesity

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Authors: Jinshuo Zhang

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Lucid dreams(LD) are the mental states in which people are aware that they are dreaming, which is a rising interdisciplinary topic among psychologists, neuroscientists and spiritual practitioners. From a phenomenological perspective, this research explores the self-consciousness structure in lucid dreams, particularly focusing on the self-reference structure between lucidity(the observer) and the dream ego(the observed). The main argument of this paper is that the self-structure in lucid dreams is a single-level paradigm. In this paper, the phenomenological characteristics of lucidity in LD are carefully unfolded. The appearance of lucidity is the most significant part of understanding the self-structure and the consciousness in dreams, which is also related to the “Six Bardos practices” in Tibetan Buddhism. In the second section, this research investigates the referential relationship between"lucidity" and "the dream ego" using the phenomenological resource of subjectivity theory, as well as referring to many cases in the psychological labs. Despite the appearance of various consciousness layers in lucid dreams, according to this paper, they are all part of a single-level consciousness paradigm. Dream ego is transparent, and dream lucidity can grasp it directly and thoroughly during LD. This research also responds to some potential criticisms and engages in current debates about the self-structure issue in lucid dreams, as well as discussing some future research prospects for dreams and lucid dreams.

Keywords: lucid dream, self-awareness, phenomenological perspective, high-order theory, one-level consciousness

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Authors: Vishal Bhatnagar

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The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of epidural analgesia of two amide local anesthetics, ropivacaine and levobupivacaine, with fentanyl for postoperative analgesia in major abdominal surgery CRS+HIPEC. Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS+HIPEC) are done for primary peritoneal malignancies or peritoneal spread of malignant neoplasm. CRS and HIPEC are considered one of the most painful surgery among all major abdominal surgeries. Poorly managed postoperative pain elevates stress, increases anxiety, causes prolonged Hospital stay, increases opioid requirement and side effects, increases the cost of treatment and psychological effects on patient and family. It affects the quality of life of patients. The epidural technique provides better postoperative analgesia, earlier recovery of bowel function, fewer side effects, higher patient satisfaction, and an improvement in life quality in the postoperative days after abdominal surgery than other analgesic techniques.

Keywords: HIPEC, postoperative analgesia, cytoreductive surgery, VAS score, rescue analgesia

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Authors: Chih Ming Kung

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This study is an empirical study examining the enrollment rate and dropout rate of students from the perspectives of students’ learning, parents’ involvement and the learning process. Methods: Using the data collected from the entry website of Internet of Things (IoT), parents’ participation and the installation pattern of exit poll website, an investigation was conducted. Results: This study discovered that in the aspect of the degree of involvement, the attractiveness of courses, self-performance and departmental loyalty exerts significant influences on the four aspects: psychological benefits, physical benefits, social benefits and educational benefits of learning benefits. Parents’ participation also exerts a significant influence on the learning benefits. A suitable tool on the cloud was designed to collect the dynamic big data of students’ learning process. Conclusion: This research’s results can be valuable references for the government when making and promoting related policies, with more macro view and consideration. It is also expected to be contributory to schools for the practical study of promotion for enrollment.

Keywords: students’ learning factor, parents’ involvement, involvement, technology

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Authors: Bita Rabbani, Hossein Chiti, Faranak Sharifi, Saeedeh Mazloomzadeh

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Background: Lifestyle modifications, especially improving nutritional patterns and increasing physical activity, are the most important factors in preventing obesity and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents. For this purpose, the following interventional study was designed to investigate the effects of educational programs for students, as well as changes in diet and physical activity, on obesity and components of the metabolic syndrome. Methods: This study is part of an interventional research project (elementary school) conducted on all students of Sama schools in Zanjan and Abhar in three levels of elementary, middle, and high school, including 1000 individuals in Zanjan (intervention group) and 1000 individuals (control group) in Abhar in 2011. Interventions were based on educating students, teachers, and parents, changes in food services, and physical activity. We primarily measured anthropometric indices, fasting blood sugar, lipid profiles, and blood pressure and completed standard nutrition and physical activity questionnaires. Also, blood insulin levels were randomly measured in a number of students. Data analysis was done by SPSS software version 16.0. Results: Overall, 589 individuals (252 male, 337 female) entered the case group, and 803 individuals (344 male, 459 female) entered the control group. After two years of intervention, mean waist circumference (63.8 ± 10.9) and diastolic BP (63.8 ± 10.4) were significantly lower; however, mean systolic BP (10.1.0 ± 12.5), food score (25.0 ± 5.0) and drinking score (12.1 ± 2.3) were higher in the intervention group (p<0.001). Comparing components of metabolic syndrome between the second year and at time of recruitment within the intervention group showed that although number of overweight/obese individuals, individuals with hypertriglyceridemia and high LDL increased, abdominal obesity, high BP, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance decreased (p<0.001). On the other hand, in the control group, number of individuals with high BP increased significantly. Conclusion: The prevalence of abdominal obesity and hypertension, which are two major components of metabolic syndrome, are much higher in our study than in other regions of country. However, interventions for modification of diet and increase in physical activity are effective in lowering their prevalence.

Keywords: metabolic syndrome, obesity, life style, nutrition, hypertension

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Authors: Siddharth Krishnaswamy

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Problem Statement: Currently, when analyzing household food security, the most commonly studied food access indicators are household income and expenditure. Larger studies do take into account other indices such as credit and employment. But these are baselines studies and by definition are conducted infrequently. Food security analysis for access is usually dedicated to analyzing income and expenditure indicators. And both these indicators are notoriously inconsistent. Yet this data can very often end up being the basis on which household food access is calculated; and by extension, be used for decision making. Objectives: This paper argues that along with income and expenditure, credit and debit information should be collected so that an accurate analysis of household food security (and in particular) food access can be determined. The lack of collection and analysis of this information routinely means that there is often a “masking” of the actual situation; a household’s food access and food availability patterns may be adequate mainly as a result of borrowing and may even be due to a long- term dependency (a debt cycle). In other words, such a household is, in reality, worse off than it appears a factor masked by its performance on basic access indicators. Procedures/methodologies/approaches: Existing food security data sets collected in 2005 in Azerbaijan, 2010 across Myanmar and 2014-15 across Uganda were used to support the theory that analyzing income and expenditure of a HHs and analyzing the same in addition to data on credit & borrowing patterns will result in an entirely different scenario of food access of the household. Furthermore, the data analyzed depicts food consumption patterns across groups of households and then relates this to the extent of dependency on credit, i.e. households borrowing money in order to meet food needs. Finally, response options that were based on analyzing only income and expenditure; and response options based on income, expenditure, credit, and borrowing – from the same geographical area of operation are studied and discussed. Results: The purpose of this work was to see if existing methods of household food security analysis could be improved. It is hoped that food security analysts will collect household level information on credit and debit and analyze them against income, expenditure and consumption patterns. This will help determine if a household’s food access and availability are dependent on unsustainable strategies such as borrowing money for food or undertaking sustained debts. Conclusions: The results clearly show the amount of relevant information that is missing in Food Access analysis if debit and borrowing of the household is not analyzed along with the typical Food Access indicators that are usually analyzed. And the serious repercussions this has on Programmatic response and interventions.

Keywords: analysis, food security indicators, response, resilience analysis

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Authors: Isabel Jones

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As adolescence is a formative time, experiences during adolescence often affect the rest of one’s life. Therefore, dating, specifically violence in dating, can have lasting effects on the rest of one’s life. In order to find sources, searches were conducted on PsycINFO, specifically EBSCO, and narrowed down under the criteria that the source contained information about adolescent dating violence rather than adult, and focused on causes, effects, or prevention methods. This literature review examines research regarding the effects and causes of TDV, and then what methods are effective in the prevention of TDV development. This will allow for a clear image of how these prevention methods are effective and why they are important. Effects of TDV extend beyond the physical, including psychological and sexual long-lasting effects. These are caused by a number of concepts, including learned behavior, inhibitory issues/substance abuse, and cultural factors. When both of these are taken into account, preventative measures such as school-based interventions, parental/adult monitoring, and the presence of positive family examples are more clear as to their effectiveness. This literature review may provide further awareness to this public health crisis and give the public a view of how adolescents are affected by TDV on their path from child to adult.

Keywords: adolescence, dating violence, risk factors, predictors, relationship

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Authors: Ali Maksum

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In a number of countries, including Indonesia, the tendency for non-communicable diseases is increasing. As a result, health costs must be paid by the state continues to increase as well. People's lifestyles, including due to lack of physical activity, are thought to have contributed significantly to the problem. This study aims to examine the impact of participation in sports on quality of life, which is reflected in three main indicators, namely health, psychological, and social aspects. The study was conducted in the city of Surabaya and its surroundings, with a total of 490 participants, consisting of 245 men and 245 women with an average age of 45.4 years. Data on physical activity and quality of life were collected by questionnaire and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The test results of the model prove that the value of chi-square = 8,259 with p = .409, RMSEA = .008, NFI = .992, and CFI = 1. This means that the model is compatible with the data. The model explains that physical activity has a significant effect on quality of life. People who exercise regularly are better able to cope with stress, have a lower risk of illness, and have higher pro-social behavior. Therefore, it needs serious efforts from stakeholders, especially the government, to create an ecosystem that allows the growth of movement culture in the community.

Keywords: participation, physical activity, quality of life, structural equation modelling

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Authors: Muhammad Hamza

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This study attempts to analyze the social media reports regarding Covid-19 that impacted the psyche of Pakistanis. This Study is delimited to hashtags from Tweets on a social media platform. During Covid-19, it has been observed that it affected the psychological conditions of Pakistanis. With the application of the three-dimensional model presented by Fairclough, together with a data analytic software “FireAnt” i.e., social media and data analysis toolkit, which is used to filter, identify, report and export data from social media accurately. A detailed and explicit exploration of the various hashtags by users from different fields was conducted. This study conducted a quantitative as well as qualitative methods of analysis. The study examined the perspectives of the Pakistanis behind the use of various hashtags with the lenses of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). While conducting this research, CDA was helpful to reveal the connection between the psyche of the people and the Covid-19 pandemic. It was found that how different Pakistanis used social media and how Covid-19 impacted their psyche. After collecting and analyzing the hashtags from twitter it was concluded that majority of people received negative impact from social media reports, while, some people used their hashtags positively and were found positive during Covid-19, and some people were found neutral.

Keywords: Covid, Covid-19, psyche, Covid Pakistan

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Authors: D. S. Jaya, G. P. Deepthi

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Groundwater is vital to the livelihoods and health of the majority of the people since it provides almost the entire water resource for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses. Groundwater quality comprises the physical, chemical, and bacteriological qualities. The present investigation was carried out to determine the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of the ground water sources in the residential areas of Karakulam Grama Panchayath in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala state in India. Karakulam is located in the eastern suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram city. The major drinking water source of the residents in the study area are wells. The present study aims to assess the portability and irrigational suitability of groundwater in the study area. The water samples were collected from randomly selected dug wells and bore wells in the study area during post monsoon and pre-monsoon seasons of the year 2014 after a preliminary field survey. The physical, chemical and bacteriological parameters of the water samples were analysed following standard procedures. The concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, and Mn) in the acid digested water samples were determined by using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The results showed that the pH of well water samples ranged from acidic to the alkaline level. In the majority of well water samples ( > 54%) the iron and magnesium content were found high in both the seasons studied, and the values were above the permissible limits of WHO drinking water quality standards. Bacteriological analyses showed that 63% of the wells were contaminated with total coliforms in both the seasons studied. Irrigational suitability of groundwater was assessed by determining the chemical indices like Sodium Percentage (%Na), Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC), Permeability Index (PI), and the results indicate that the well water in the study area is good for irrigation purposes. Therefore, the study reveals the degradation of drinking water quality groundwater sources in Karakulam Grama Panchayath in Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala in terms of its chemical and bacteriological characteristics and is not potable without proper treatment. In the study, more than 1/3rd of the wells tested were positive for total coliforms, and the bacterial contamination may pose threats to public health. The study recommends the need for periodic well water quality monitoring in the study area and to conduct awareness programs among the residents.

Keywords: bacteriological, groundwater, irrigational suitability, physicochemical, portability

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Authors: Luo Jin China, Jin Fang

Abstract:

Countryside has been generally recognized and regarded as a characteristic symbol which presents in human memory for a long time. As a result of the change of times, because of it’s failure to meet the growing needs of the growing life and mental decline, the vast rural area began to decline. But their history feature image which accumulated by the ancient tradition provides people with the origins of existence on the spiritual level, such as "identity" and "belonging", makes people closer to the others in the spiritual and psychological aspects of a common experience about the past, thus the sense of a lack of culture caused by the losing of memory symbols is weakened. So, in the modernization process, how to repair its vitality and transform and planning it in a sustainable way has become a hot topics in architectural and urban planning. This paper aims to break the constraints of disciplines, from the perspective of interdiscipline, using the research methods of systems science to analyze and discuss the theories and methods of rural form factors, which based on the viewpoint of memory in psychology. So, we can find a right way to transform the Rural to give full play to the role of the countryside in the actual use and the shape of history spirits.

Keywords: rural, sustainable renovation, restoration, psychology, memory

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Authors: Yichao Lv, Minmin Cai, Yanqiang Tao, Xinyuan Zou, Chao Zhang, Xiangping Liu

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Objective: This study aims to explore the network structure of personality traits and mental health and identify key factors for effective intervention strategies. Methods: All participants (N = 6,067; 3,368 females) underwent the Eysenck Personality Scale (EPQ) to measure personality traits and the Symptom Self-rating Scale (SCL-90) to measure psychiatric symptoms. Using the mean value of the SCL-90 total score plus one standard deviation as the cutoff, 854 participants (14.08%; 528 females) were categorized as individuals exhibiting potential psychological symptoms and were included in the follow-up network analysis. The structure and bridge centrality of the network for dimensions of EPQ and SCL-90 were estimated. Results: Between the EPQ and SCL-90, psychoticism (P), extraversion (E), and neuroticism (N) showed the strongest positive correlations with somatization (Som), interpersonal sensitivity (IS), and hostility (Hos), respectively. Extraversion (E), somatization (Som), and anxiety (Anx) were identified as the most important bridge factors influencing the overall network. Conclusions: This study explored the network structure and complex connections between mental health and personality traits from a network perspective, providing potential targets for intervening in adolescent personality traits and mental health.

Keywords: EPQ, SCL-90, Chinese adolescents, network analysis

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Authors: Yi-Chun Huang, Kuan-Yun Chen, Chuang-Hung Lin

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Urban Green Belt and Blue is a part of the city landscape, it is an important constituent element of the urban environment and appearance. The Hsinchu East Gate Moat is situated in the center of the city, which not only has a wealth of historical and cultural resources, but also combines the Green Belt and the Blue Belt qualities at the same time. The Moat runs more than a thousand meters through the vital Green Belt and the Blue Belt in downtown, and each section is presented in different qualities of moat from south to north. The water area and the green belt of surroundings are presented linear and banded spread. The water body and the rich diverse river banks form an urban green belt of rich layers. The watercourse with green belt design lets users have connections with blue belts in different ways; therefore, the integration of Hsinchu East Gate and moat have become one of the unique urban landscapes in Taiwan. The study is based on the fact-finding case of Hsinchu East Gate Moat where situated in northern Taiwan, to research the impact between the SVF variation of the city and spatial sequence of Urban Green Belt and Blue landscape and visual analysis by constituent cross-section, and then comparing the influence of different leaf area index – the variable ecological factors to the degree of enclosure. We proceed to survey the landscape design of open space, to measure existing structural features of the plant canopy which contain the height of plants and branches, the crown diameter, breast-height diameter through access to diagram of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and on-the-spot actual measurement. The north and south districts of blue green belt areas are divided 20 meters into a unit from East Gate Roundabout as the epicenter, and to set up a survey points to measure the SVF above the survey points; then we proceed to quantitative analysis from the data to calculate open landscape degree of enclosure. The results can be reference for the composition of future river landscape and the practical operation for dynamic space planning of blue and green belt landscape.

Keywords: sky view factor, degree of enclosure, spatial sequence, leaf area indices

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Authors: Shweta Jha, Nandita Chaube

Abstract:

The concept of self has a major role to play in the study of personality which drives the current study in its present form. This is a case of Miss S, a 17-year-old Hindu, currently in eleventh standard, with no family history of mental illness but with a past history of inability to manage relationships, multiple emotional and sexual relationships, repeated self harming behaviour, and sexual abuse over a period of 2 months at the age of 10 years. She comes with a psychiatric history of one episode of dissociative fall followed by a stressful event which left the patient with many psychological disturbances matching the criterion of Cluster B and C traits. Current episode precipitated due to the relationship failure, predisposing factor is her personality traits, and poor social and family support. Considering the patient’s aspiration for positivity and demand of the therapy, ventilation sessions were carried out which made her capable of understanding and dealing with her negative emotions, also strengthened mother child bond, helped her maintain meaningful and healthy relationships, also helped her increase her problem solving ability and adaptive coping skills making her feel more positive and acceptable towards herself, family members and others.

Keywords: cluster B and C traits, personality, therapy, self

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Authors: R. Güçlü, E. Küçüksakarya

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Word association (WA) gives the broadest information on how knowledge is structured in the human mind. Cognitive linguistics, psycholinguistics, and applied linguistics are the disciplines that consider WA tests as substantial in gaining insights into the very nature of the human cognitive system and semantic knowledge. In this study, Berlin and Kay’s basic 11 color terms (1969) are presented as the stimuli words to a total number of 300 Turkish university students. The responses are analyzed according to Fitzpatrick’s model (2007), including four categories, namely meaning-based responses, position-based responses, form-based responses, and erratic responses. In line with the findings, the responses to free association tests are expected to give much information about Turkish university students’ psychological structuring of vocabulary, especially morpho-syntactic and semantic relationships among words. To conclude, theoretical and practical implications are discussed to make an in-depth evaluation of how associations of basic color terms are represented in the mental lexicon of Turkish university students.

Keywords: color term, gender, mental lexicon, word association task

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Authors: Sancho-Esper Franco, Rodríguez Sánchez Carla, Sánchez Carolina, Orús-Sanclemente Carlos

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Water scarcity is a reality that affects many regions of the world and is aggravated by climate change and population growth. Saving water has become an urgent need to ensure the sustainability of the planet and the survival of many communities, where youth and social networks play a key role in promoting responsible practices and adopting habits that contribute to environmental preservation. This study analyzes the persuasion capacity of messages designed to promote pro-environmental behaviors among youth. Specifically, it studies how the efficacy (effectiveness) of the response (personal response efficacy/effectiveness) and the perception of distance from the source of the message influence the water-saving behavior of the audience. To do so, two communication frameworks are combined. First, the Construal Level Theory, which is based on the concept of "psychological distance", that is, people, objects or events can be perceived as psychologically near or far, and this subjective distance (i.e., social, temporal, or spatial) determines their attitudes, emotions, and actions. This perceived distance can be social, temporal, or spatial. This research focuses on studying the spatial distance and social distance generated by cultural differences between influencers and their audience to understand how cultural distance can influence the persuasiveness of a message. Research on the effects of psychological distance between influencers-followers in the pro-environmental field is very limited, being relevant because people could learn specific behaviors suggested by opinion leaders such as influencers in social networks. Second, different approaches to behavioral change suggest that the perceived efficacy of a behavior can explain individual pro-environmental actions. People will be more likely to adopt a new behavior if they perceive that they are capable of performing it (efficacy belief) and that their behavior will effectively contribute to solving that problem (personal response efficacy). It is also important to study the different actors (social and individual) that are perceived as responsible for addressing environmental problems. Specifically, we analyze to what extent the belief individual’s water-saving actions are effective in solving the problem can influence water-saving behavior since this individual effectiveness increases people's sense of obligation and responsibility with the problem. However, in this regard, empirical evidence presents mixed results. Our study addresses the call for experimental studies manipulating different subtypes of response effectiveness to generate robust causal evidence. Based on all the above, this research analyzes whether cultural distance (local vs. international influencer) and the perception of effectiveness of behavior (personal response efficacy) (personal/individual vs. collective) affect the actual behavior and the intention to conserve water of social network users. An experiment of 2 (local influencer vs. international influencer) x 2 (effectiveness of individual vs. collective response) is designed and estimated. The results show that a message from a local influencer appealing to individual responsibility exerts greater influence on intention and actual water-saving behavior, given the cultural closeness between influencer-follower, and the appeal to individual responsibility increases the feeling of obligation to participate in pro-environmental actions. These results offer important implications for social marketing campaigns that seek to promote water conservation.

Keywords: social marketing, influencer, message framing, experiment, personal response efficacy, water saving

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