Romantic relationships and adjustment in early adulthood: The role of cross-sex experience in the context of social norms and support

Attachment and interpersonal theory suggest a sequential pattern of relationships beginning in the earliest stage of development and progressing to social and eventually romantic relationships. Theoretically, cross-sex experiences have an important role in the progression of interpersonal relationships. Despite the prevalence of these theories about the nature of romantic relationship development, the linkage of cross-sex experience (CSE) to romantic relationships has not been established. Indeed, it is an intuitive assumption, especially within Western society and these theories do not consider socio-cultural factors that may influence CSE and relationship satisfaction. This study addresses the varying contextual factors that may contribute to relationship satisfaction and adjustment, aside from CSE, and is divided into two parts. Study 1, addresses CSE, relationship satisfaction, and adjustment in a unique population, ultra-Orthodox Jews. Among this population, social or romantic CSE is limited and sexes are effectively segregated. Study 2, expanded the study to a larger sample of U.S. college students, to assess the linkage of CSE to romantic relationship satisfaction in a more typical Western population. It included social norm and support variables to address the contextual nature of relationship development and satisfaction. Results demonstrated clear differences in the relation between CSE and relationship satisfaction in the two samples. In the first sample CSE was unrelated to relationship satisfaction; nevertheless, relationship satisfaction was associated with adjustment as it is for more typical populations with greater CSE. These results suggested the importance of specifying how social norms and social support relate to CSE, relationship satisfaction and adjustment. The results from the second sample were consistent with the theoretical framework upon which the social/romantic literature is based. CSE was directly connected to relationship satisfaction. As anticipated, CSE, relationship satisfaction, and adjustment also varied as a function of social norms and support. These findings further validate the influence of socio-cultural factors on relationship satisfaction and adjustment. This study contributes to the romantic relationship literature and broadens our understanding of the complex nature of interpersonal and romantic relationships.^

The old and the oldest-old: Do they have different perspectives on adjustment to aging?

Background: Older adults experience varying challenges in old age. This study aims to explore the indicators of adjustment to aging (AtA) and to examine the potential explanatory mechanisms of a correlational model for AtA for the old and oldest-old adults. Methods: This qualitative study comprised demographics and semistructured interviews. Complete information on 152 older adults aged between 75 years and 102 years (mean ¼ 83.76 years; standard deviation ¼ 6.458). Data was subjected to content analysis. The correlational model of indicators of AtA was analyzed using a multiple correspondence analysis. Results: “Occupation and achievement” was the most mentioned indicator of AtA by the old participants (17.7%), whereas “existential meaning and spirituality” was the most verbalized indicator of AtA for the oldest-old participants (16.9%). AtA was explained by a three-factor model for each age group. For the old participants, the largest factor “occupational and social focus” accounted for 33.6% of total variance, whereas for the oldest-old participants, “spirituality and health focus” represented 33.5% of total variance. Conclusion: The outcomes presented in this paper stressed the varied perspectives concerning AtA, contoured in two different models, and the need of considering these when designing and implementing programs in health care for the old and the oldest-old.

Parental Adjustment to Disability, Stress Indicators and the Influence of Social Support

Research into families of children and young people with disability maintain that parents or caregivers seem to experience higher levels of global stress than parents of children without disabilities, thereby presenting a high risk of developing disorders in their health and quality of life. The aim of this study is to understand the differences in parental stress and social support among groups of parents whose children have different disabilities in the context of parental adjustment to disability. Considering that adjustment is related to the effectiveness with which the family uses its resources and the support of their social network, we intend to analyse the differences of stress and social support among groups of parents of children with different problems and to clarify the relationships between the variables under study in order to adapt family intervention strategies. For this purpose a comparative, descriptive-correlational study was undertaken. The convenience sample included 152 parents of children with different disabilities (82 with intellectual disability, 37 with motor problems and 33 with autism) supported by schools and institutions in Viseu. The instruments used were: a Portuguese version of the Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1995), the Social Support Questionnaire – short version (Pinheiro & Ferreira, 2001) and a Parental Questionnaire (demographic and family data). Data were collected in schools and institutions that support people with disabilities, located in the Municipality of Viseu (Portugal). The results revealed significant differences between groups of parents in the partial results of parental stress, specifically in the Hyperactivity/Distract (DI), Acceptability (AC) and Adaptability (AD), dimensions of the Child Domain subscale (CD stress) and the Role Restriction (RO), dimension of Parent Domain subscale (PD stress). With regard to social support dimensions, we found significant differences between parents in the extent and availability of the social support network (SSQN).

Investigation of the Impacts of Parental Chronic Illness on Youth Caregiving Experiences and Psychosocial Adjustment.

Objective: Parental chronic illness has an impact on several aspects of offspring’s life. Three major impediments to research progress in this field are undeveloped and untested theoretical frameworks, no clear conceptualization of youth caregiving, and no available instrument to assess such construct in Italian. To address these weaknesses, the aims of this PhD dissertation were: (1) to investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Young Caregiver of Parents Inventory-Revised (YCOPI-R); (2) to empirically examine a model of the effects of parental illness on youth and family functioning innovatively analyzing the role of psychological flexibility; (3) to test a refined conceptualization of youth caregiving. Methods: A total of 501 adolescents aged 11 to 24 (295 young caregivers and 206 young noncaregivers) completed a questionnaire regarding youth caregiving, parental illness, and youth adjustment. In the first study, young caregivers were compared to noncaregivers, while the other studies used only the young carers subgroup. Results: The first study indicated that the Italian version of the YCOPI-R demonstrated sound psychometric and was able to discriminate between young caregivers and noncaregivers. The second study underlined the key protective role of psychological flexibility in shaping youth adjustment and family functioning in the context of parental illness. The third study innovatively clarified the nature of youth caregiving, indicating that it is a tripartite construct related to both positive and negative youth adjustment outcomes. Conclusions. This PhD project drew attention towards youth of chronically ill parents, a segment of the young population which is presently almost completely neglected in Italy by health policies and healthcare providers. This PhD project ultimately shed light into the processes through which parental illness results in detrimental youth outcomes and highlighted avenues for interventions that target empirically supported mechanisms which ameliorate the detrimental effects of parental illness on youth.

Youth psychosocial adjustment in the context of parental illness: risk and protective factors

Young carers might experience both psychological distress and positive changes from living with their chronically ill parent. However, little is known about why some young carers do well with their situation and experience positive outcomes, whereas others do not. In this regard, this dissertation aims to investigate how parental chronic illness affects young carers’ psychosocial adjustment through risk (i.e., unmet needs) and protective factors (i.e., benefit finding, emotion regulation). This main goal has been addressed by conducting three studies presented in Chapters 2–4. Chapter 2 has examined the mediating role of unmet needs on the relationship between illness unpredictability and youth psychosocial adjustment (i.e., quality of life and internalizing problems). In this regard, it has been found that levels of unmet needs significantly mediated the relationship between illness unpredictability and offspring health-related quality of life. In the systematic review with meta-analysis presented within Chapter 3, it has been sought to investigate the mediating role of the protective factors (i.e., benefit finding and emotion regulation) in the relationship between caregiving components and youth psychosocial adjustment in young carers. This study has shown the significant associations between caregiving components and psychosocial adjustment in young carers not only directly, but also indirectly through protective factors. Finally, to expand on previous findings, a qualitative study in Chapter 4 has examined the unique experiences of young carers, as well as the effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic. This study has yielded a deeper understanding of how protective factors may be operated during young carers’ lived experiences before and during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Overall, this dissertation has shed light on the pivotal role played by risk and protective factors in caregiving components that serve as key determinants that can enhance positive psychosocial outcomes as well as concurrently mitigate adverse psychosocial consequences among young carers.

Unibo-BP: an innovative free software implementation of Bundle Protocol Version 7 (RFC 9171)

The BP (Bundle Protocol) version 7 has been recently standardized by IETF in RFC 9171, but it is the whole DTN (Delay-/Disruption-Tolerant Networking) architecture, of which BP is the core, that is gaining a renewed interest, thanks to its planned adoption in future space missions. This is obviously positive, but at the same time it seems to make space agencies more interested in deployment than in research, with new BP implementations that may challenge the central role played until now by the historical BP reference implementations, such as ION and DTNME. To make Unibo research on DTN independent of space agency decisions, the development of an internal BP implementation was in order. This is the goal of this thesis, which deals with the design and implementation of Unibo-BP: a novel, research-driven BP implementation, to be released as Free Software. Unibo-BP is fully compliant with RFC 9171, as demonstrated by a series of interoperability tests with ION and DTNME, and presents a few innovations, such as the ability to manage remote DTN nodes by means of the BP itself. Unibo-BP is compatible with pre-existing Unibo implementations of CGR (Contact Graph Routing) and LTP (Licklider Transmission Protocol) thanks to interfaces designed during the thesis. The thesis project also includes an implementation of TCPCLv3 (TCP Convergence Layer version 3, RFC 7242), which can be used as an alternative to LTPCL to connect with proximate nodes, especially in terrestrial networks. Summarizing, Unibo-BP is at the heart of a larger project, Unibo-DTN, which aims to implement the main components of a complete DTN stack (BP, TCPCL, LTP, CGR). Moreover, Unibo-BP is compatible with all DTNsuite applications, thanks to an extension of the Unified API library on which DTNsuite applications are based. The hope is that Unibo-BP and all the ancillary programs developed during this thesis will contribute to the growth of DTN popularity in academia and among space agencies.

Neck Circumference As A New Anthropometric Indicator For Prediction Of Insulin Resistance And Components Of Metabolic Syndrome In Adolescents: Brazilian Metabolic Syndrome Study.

To evaluate the correlation between neck circumference and insulin resistance and components of metabolic syndrome in adolescents with different adiposity levels and pubertal stages, as well as to determine the usefulness of neck circumference to predict insulin resistance in adolescents. Cross-sectional study with 388 adolescents of both genders from ten to 19 years old. The adolescents underwent anthropometric and body composition assessment, including neck and waist circumferences, and biochemical evaluation. The pubertal stage was obtained by self-assessment, and the blood pressure, by auscultation. Insulin resistance was evaluated by the Homeostasis Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance. The correlation between two variables was evaluated by partial correlation coefficient adjusted for the percentage of body fat and pubertal stage. The performance of neck circumference to identify insulin resistance was tested by Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve. After the adjustment for percentage body fat and pubertal stage, neck circumference correlated with waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides and markers of insulin resistance in both genders. The results showed that the neck circumference is a useful tool for the detection of insulin resistance and changes in the indicators of metabolic syndrome in adolescents. The easiness of application and low cost of this measure may allow its use in Public Health services.

Falls Among The Elderly: Risk Factors In A Population-based Study.

The aim of the present study was to identify factors associated with the occurrence of falls among elderly adults in a population-based study (ISACamp 2008). A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out with two-stage cluster sampling. The sample was composed of 1,520 elderly adults living in the urban area of the city of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. The occurrence of falls was analyzed based on reports of the main accident occurred in the previous 12 months. Data on socioeconomic/demographic factors and adverse health conditions were tested for possible associations with the outcome. Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated and adjusted for gender and age using the Poisson multiple regression analysis. Falls were more frequent, after adjustment for gender and age, among female elderly participants (PR = 2.39; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.47 - 3.87), elderly adults (80 years old and older) (PR = 2.50; 95% CI 1.61 - 3.88), widowed (PR = 1.74; 95% CI 1.04 - 2.89) and among elderly adults who had rheumatism/arthritis/arthrosis (PR = 1.58; 95% CI 1.00 - 2.48), osteoporosis (PR = 1.71; 95% CI 1.18 - 2.49), asthma/bronchitis/emphysema (PR = 1,73; 95% CI 1.09 - 2.74), headache (PR = 1.59; 95% CI 1.07 - 2.38), mental common disorder (PR = 1.72; 95% CI 1.12 - 2.64), dizziness (PR = 2.82; 95% CI 1.98 - 4.02), insomnia (PR = 1.75; 95% CI 1.16 - 2.65), use of multiple medications (five or more) (PR = 2.50; 95% CI 1.12 - 5.56) and use of cane/walker (PR = 2.16; 95% CI 1.19 - 3,93). The present study shows segments of the elderly population who are more prone to falls through the identification of factors associated with this outcome. The findings can contribute to the planning of public health policies and programs addressed to the prevention of falls.

Comparative Study Of Planned And Unplanned Excisions For The Treatment Of Soft Tissue Sarcoma Of The Extremities.

Unplanned excision of soft tissue sarcomas is common because benign soft tissue lesions are very frequent. This study evaluated the impact of unplanned resections on overall survival, local recurrence and distant metastasis in patients with soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities. In total, 52 patients who were diagnosed with soft tissue sarcomas between May 2001 and March 2011 were analyzed in a retrospective study. Of these patients, 29 (55.8%) had not undergone previous treatment and the remaining 23 (44.2%) patients had undergone prior resection of the tumor without oncological planning. All subsequent surgical procedures were performed at the same cancer referral center. The follow-up ranged from 6 to 122 months, with a mean of 39.89 months. Age, lesion size and depth, histological grade, surgical margins, overall survival, local and distant recurrence and adjuvant therapies were compared. Residual disease was observed in 91.3% of the re-resected specimens in the unplanned excision group, which exhibited greater numbers of superficial lesions, low histological grades and contaminated surgical margins compared with the re-resected specimens in the planned excision group. No differences were observed in local recurrence and 5-year overall survival between the groups, but distant metastases were significantly associated with planned excision after adjustment for the variables. There was no difference between patients undergoing unplanned excision and planned excision regarding local recurrence and overall survival. The planned excision group had a higher risk of distant metastasis, whereas there was a high rate of residual cancer in the unplanned excision group.

Estado da arte de figuras de mérito em calibração multivariada

The validation of an analytical procedure must be certified through the determination of parameters known as figures of merit. For first order data, the acuracy, precision, robustness and bias is similar to the methods of univariate calibration. Linearity, sensitivity, signal to noise ratio, adjustment, selectivity and confidence intervals need different approaches, specific for multivariate data. Selectivity and signal to noise ratio are more critical and they only can be estimated by means of the calculation of the net analyte signal. In second order calibration, some differentes approaches are necessary due to data structure.

Avaliação da biodegradabilidade anaeróbia de resíduos da bovinocultura e da suinocultura

The biodegradability of animal wastes production was evaluated through a simplified methodology that allowed the verification of the applicability of anaerobic processes. The experiments were performed in bath reactors, with granular sludge of three origins: UASB reactor treating dairy effluent, UASB reactor treating swine effluent and UASB reactor treating effluent of slaughterhouse of poultry. The experiments (1) - dairy effluent and poultry slaughterhouse non-adapted sludge; (2) -swine effluent and poultry slaughterhouse non-adapted sludge; (3) - dairy effluent and poultry slaughterhouse adapted sludge; (4) - swine effluent and poultry slaughterhouse adapted sludge; (5) - dairy effluent and dairy sludge, and (6) - swine effluent and swine sludge were performed in Incubator Shaker, at a temperature of 35 °C, under agitation at a 150 rpm, for 5 minutes, every 1 hour. A substrat:biomass relationship of 0.5 was used. Kinetic models of Monod, Zero Order, First and Second Order were tested and it was verified that the First Order model provided the best adjustment. The apparent First Order kinetic parameter (k1) was estimated for the experiments 1; 2; 3; 4; 5, and 6, as 2.51 x 10-2; 2.49 x 10-2; 1.90 x 10-2; 3.09 x 10-2; 2.54 x 10-2; 4.09 x 10-2 h-1, respectively.

Is size structure a good measure of future trends of plant populations? an empirical approach using five woody species from the Cerrado (Brazilian savanna)

Size distributions in woody plant populations have been used to assess their regeneration status, assuming that size structures with reverse-J shapes represent stable populations. We present an empirical approach of this issue using five woody species from the Cerrado. Considering count data for all plants of these five species over a 12-year period, we analyzed size distribution by: a) plotting frequency distributions and their adjustment to the negative exponential curve and b) calculating the Gini coefficient. To look for a relationship between size structure and future trends, we considered the size structures from the first census year. We analyzed changes in number over time and performed a simple population viability analysis, which gives the mean population growth rate, its variance and the probability of extinction in a given time period. Frequency distributions and the Gini coefficient were not able to predict future trends in population numbers. We recommend that managers should not use measures of size structure as a basis for management decisions without applying more appropriate demographic studies.

Estudo dos efeitos de temporada de treinamento físico sobre a Performance de uma equipe de handebol feminino sub-21

Handball is a sport that demands endurance associated with fast and powerful actions such as jumps, blocks, sprints and throws. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a 38-week systematic physical training applied to a women's under 21 handball team on upper and lower limb power, 30m sprints speed and endurance. The periodization applied was an adaptation of the Verkhoshansky theory, and aimed at two performance peaks during the season with six data collections. The median and range values for three kg medicine ball throwing was: 2.98m (2.15-3.50); 2.84m (2.43-3.20); 2.90m (2.60-3.38); 3.10 (2.83-3.81); 2.84 (2.55-3.57) and 3.34 (2.93-3.83). Regarding the three-pass running test: 5.60m (4.93-6.58); 5.37m (5.04-6.38); 5.36m (4.93-6.12); 5.65m (4.80-6.78); 5.63m (5.00-6.40) and 5.83m (5.14-6.05). Regarding the 30-m sprint test: 5.8m/s (5.45-6.44); 6,64 m/s (6,24-7,09); 5.65m/s (5.17-5.95); (there was not IV moment for this test); 6.19 m/s (5.57-6.26) and 5.83 (5.14-6.05).Regarding the 30-m sprint endurance test until 10% decrease: 4 sprints (4-6); 5 sprints (4-9); 4,5 sprints (4-16); (there was not IV moment for this test); 6 sprints (4-12) and 5 sprints (4-5). Significant differences (p<0.05) were observed in three kg medicine ball throwing and three-pass running tests at least in one of the performance peak planned, with no significant differences in 30-m sprint speed or endurance tests. The applied physical training was efficient at improving the specific physical fitness in the performance peaks, as well as giving support for better physical training adjustment for the upcoming season.

Influência da idade no comportamento da frequência cardíaca na transição repouso-exercício: uma análise por deltas e regressão linear

BACKGROUND: Changes in heart rate during rest-exercise transition can be characterized by the application of mathematical calculations, such as deltas 0-10 and 0-30 seconds to infer on the parasympathetic nervous system and linear regression and delta applied to data range from 60 to 240 seconds to infer on the sympathetic nervous system. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that young and middle-aged subjects have different heart rate responses in exercise of moderate and intense intensity, with different mathematical calculations. METHODS: Seven middle-aged men and ten young men apparently healthy were subject to constant load tests (intense and moderate) in cycle ergometer. The heart rate data were submitted to analysis of deltas (0-10, 0-30 and 60-240 seconds) and simple linear regression (60-240 seconds). The parameters obtained from simple linear regression analysis were: intercept and slope angle. We used the Shapiro-Wilk test to check the distribution of data and the t test for unpaired comparisons between groups. The level of statistical significance was 5%. RESULTS: The value of the intercept and delta 0-10 seconds was lower in middle age in two loads tested and the inclination angle was lower in moderate exercise in middle age. CONCLUSION: The young subjects present greater magnitude of vagal withdrawal in the initial stage of the HR response during constant load exercise and higher speed of adjustment of sympathetic response in moderate exercise.

Adaptação de protocolos invasivos e não invasivos para avaliações aeróbias e anaeróbias específicas ao basquetebol feminino

OBJECTIVE: To adapted the critical velocity (CV), RAST test and lactate minimum (LM) to evaluation of female basketball players. METHODS: Twelve well-trained female basketball players (19 ± 1yrs) were submitted to four intensities running (10 - 14 km/h) at shuttle exercise until exhaustion, applied on alternate days. The linear model 'velocity vs. 1/tlim' was adopted to determine the aerobic (CV) and anaerobic (CCA) parameters. The lactate minimum test consisted of two phases: 1) hiperlactatemia induction using the RAST test and 2) incremental test composed by five shuttle run (20-m) at 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 km/h. Blood samples were collected at the end of each stage. RESULTS: The velocity (vLM) and blood lactate concentration at LM were obtained by two polynomial adjustments: lactate vs. intensity (LM1) and lactate vs. time (LM2). ANOVA one-way, Student t-test and Pearson correlation were used for statistical analysis. The CV was obtained at 10.3 ± 0.2 km/h and the CCA estimated at 73.0 ± 3.4 m. The RAST was capable to induce the hiperlactatemia and to determine the Pmax (3.6 ± 0.2 W/kg), Pmed (2.8 ± 0.1 W/kg), Pmin (2.3 ± 0.1 W/kg) and FI (30 ± 3%). The vLM1 and vLM2 were obtained, respectively, at 9.47 ±0.13 km/h and 9.8 ± 0.13 km/h, and CV was higher than vLM1. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the non-invasive model can be used to determine the aerobic and anaerobic parameters. Furthermore, the LM test adapted to basketball using RAST and progressive phase was effective to evaluate female athletes considering the specificity of modality, with high success rates observed in polynomial adjustment 'lactate vs. time' (LM2).