Interpersonal autonomic physiology is defined as the relationship between people’s physiological dynamics, as indexed by continuous measures of the autonomic nervous system. Findings from this field ...of study indicate that physiological activity between two or more people can become associated or interdependent, often referred to as physiological synchrony. Physiological synchrony has been found in both new and established relationships across a range of contexts, and it correlates with a number of psychosocial constructs. Given these findings, interpersonal physiological interactions are theorized to be ubiquitous social processes that co-occur with observable behavior. However, this scientific literature is fragmented, making it difficult to evaluate consistency across reports. In an effort to facilitate more standardized scholarly approaches, this systematic review provides a description of existing work in the area and highlights theoretical, methodological, and statistical issues to be addressed in future interpersonal autonomic physiology research.
Prescription stimulants, including methylphenidate (e.g., Ritalin) and amphetamine compounds (e.g., dextroamphetamine; Adderall), have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the ...treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and are classified by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration as Schedule II medications because of their high potential for abuse and dependence (Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Department of Justice, 2015). Despite the potential health and judicial consequences, misuse of prescription stimulants, typically defined as taking stimulants without a valid prescription, or use of stimulants other than as prescribed, has become a serious problem in the United States and abroad, especially on college campuses. The purpose of the present article is to review historical information concerning prescription stimulants and to summarize the literature with respect to misuse among adults, particularly college students, including risk factors, mediators and moderators, and motivations for prescription stimulant misuse. In addition, evidence is presented concerning the question of whether prescription stimulants truly enhance cognitive functioning in individuals with and without ADHD, and the ethical and professional implications of these findings are explored. Lastly, recommendations for addressing prescription stimulant misuse and suggestions for future research are advanced.
Public Health Significance
These findings suggest that misuse of prescription stimulants has become increasingly problematic among our nation's youth, with particular concern regarding age of first misuse and prevalence. As it stands, the potential risks involved in stimulant misuse outweigh any currently known benefits.
•Totally novel classification of regions in Europe according to the role of small farms.•Combining structural with economic farm size to obtain a more accurate picture of small farms distribution in ...Europe today.•Identifying the role of small farms in each particular regional context.•Detailed NUTS-3 typology of regions in Europe.•Contribution to policy targeting through adaptative assessment tools
The contribution of small farms to local food supply, food security and food sovereignty is widely acknowledged at a global level. In the particular case of Europe, they often are seen as an alternative to large and specialised farms. Assessing the real role of small farms has been limited by a lack of information, as small farms are frequently omitted from agricultural censuses and national statistics. It is also well acknowledged that small farms differ widely, and are distributed according to different spatial patterns across Europe, fulfilling different roles according to the agriculture and territorial characteristics of each region. This paper presents the result of a novel classification of small farms at NUTS-3 level in Europe, according to the relevance of small farms in the agricultural and territorial context of each region, and based on a typology of small farms considering different dimensions of farm size. The maps presented result from an extensive data collection and variables selected according to European wide expert judgement, analysed with advanced cluster procedures. The results provide a fine grained picture of the role of small farms at the regional level in Europe today, and are expected to support further data analysis and targeted policy intervention.
•Additive genetic factors account for 11% of variation in suicidal ideation.•Additive genetic factors account for 14–24% of variation in neurocognitive domains.•Emotion identification is genetically ...correlated with suicidal ideation.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults. Several studies have indicated significant genetic influences on suicide-related phenotypes and mounting evidence from neurobiological research has linked deficits in neurocognitive abilities to suicide phenotypes. The goal of the present study was to estimate the heritability of suicidal ideation (SI) in a large sample of adolescents and determine if SI is genetically correlated with neurocognitive functioning.
Genome-wide data (N = 3564 unrelated individuals of European Ancestry) were drawn from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopment Cohort. Adolescents completed a psychiatric assessment, as well as a computerized neurocognitive battery to assess performance across four domains: memory, executive function, social cognition, and complex cognition. Genomic-relatedness-matrix restricted maximum likelihood (GREML) estimation was used to determine SNP-heritability (h2SNP) of SI and the genetic correlation (rG) between SI and neurocognitive domains.
Nearly 17% of adolescents reported SI. The SNP-heritability estimate for SI was marginally significant (h2SNP = 11%, SE = 8%, p = 0.086). Bivariate analyses indicated a significant rG between SI and emotion identification (rG = 0.79, SE = 0.45, p = 0.006; phenotypic correlation r = 0.04, p = 0.017).
It is possible that SI may represent a related, but differentially heritable construct from suicide attempts/completion and other comorbid psychopathology. Additionally, though genetic correlations point to shared genetic factors across traits, direct causal mechanisms cannot be deduced.
Common heritable factors contribute to variation in SI and neurocognitive functioning. Genetic factors influencing emotion identification have significant genetic overlap with SI.
Alternative and local food supply chains (ALFSCs) have been indicated as drivers of territorial development through increasing the food security at local scale. The aim of the study is to ...characterize strategies that periurban farmers adopt to contribute to local food provision through ALFSCs. We surveyed a sample of 55 farmers in the urban region of Pisa, Tuscany (Italy). By combining qualitative and quantitative analysis of on-farm surveys, this study characterized three farmers' strategies, depending on the percentage of production they allotted to local markets: few/passive, intermediate/opportunistic, entire/active. The main factors influencing each strategy were personal and professional bonds, diversification of the commercial network, and the number and the diversification of products sold in ALFSCs. Even though farmers can allocate 100% of their production to ALFSCs, most farmers combine ALFSCs with conventional food chains, suggesting that hybridization has advantages for the sustainability of these farms. Farmers who adopt an opportunistic strategy appeared more dynamic and adaptable to local opportunities and constraints. This analysis will offer empirical evidence about the participation of farmers in ALFSCs and especially about the hybridization between conventional and alternative food chains, contributing to the characterization of the local supply of produce, with benefits for community food security.
Adolescent hospitalizations for suicide-related behaviors have increased in recent years, with the highest rates occurring during the academic school year. Schools are a primary environment that ...adolescents return to following hospitalization, making them an important context for understanding recovery following a suicidal crisis. Although previous research highlights provider perceptions for improving this transition, limited research has focused on adolescent views. This qualitative study presents findings from interviews with 19 adolescents previously hospitalized for a suicide-related crisis. Results highlight the need to strengthen social supports for returning youth. Specifically, findings suggest the importance of emotional supports (e.g., positive school relationships and a safer psychosocial school climate), instrumental supports (e.g., collaborations and communication around reentry), informational supports (clearer procedures for academics and reentry processes), and appraisal supports that acknowledge the complexity of adolescent functioning upon return. Findings reinforce the importance of the school psychologist's role in partnering with returning youth and their families and providing consultation to other school professionals about supporting their recovery.
Impact Statement
This study elevates adolescent voices by describing their experiences and viewpoints regarding school reintegration following psychiatric hospitalization for suicide-related behaviors. School psychologists and other school professionals should partner with returning students and families in supporting reintegration, and collaborate to strengthen student-adult relationships upon their return. While standard protocols for supporting returning adolescents may help improve reentry processes overall, it remains of critical importance to tailor safety plans and reentry plans based on individual adolescent experiences.
Among the protective factors associated with reduced risk for suicide, scientific inquiries into school connectedness are especially important considering that schools are ideally situated to provide ...interventions reaching the vast majority of youth. Although there is a wealth of research that supports the association between school connectedness and reduced self-report of adolescents having a suicidal thought or making a suicide attempt, inconsistencies in the way studies have measured and operationalized school connectedness limit synthesis across findings. This meta-analytic study investigates the literature exploring associations between school connectedness and suicidal thoughts and behaviors across general and subpopulations (high risk and sexual minority youth) using a random effects model. Eligible studies examined a measure of school connectedness explicitly referred to as "school connectedness" or "connections at school" in relation to suicidal ideation or suicide attempts among youth enrolled in school (Grades 6-12). Multiple metaregression analyses were conducted to explore the influence of school connectedness measurement variation, as well as participant characteristics. Results, including 16 samples, support that higher school connectedness is associated with reduced reports of suicidal thoughts and behaviors across general (odds ratio OR = 0.536), high-risk (OR = 0.603), and sexual minority (OR = 0.608) adolescents. Findings are consistent when analyzed separately for suicidal ideation (OR = 0.529) and suicide attempts (OR = 0.589) and remain stable when accounting for measurement variability. Although limited by its cross-sectional nature, findings support recent calls to increase school connectedness and proffer important implications for screening and intervention efforts conducted in schools.
Impact and Implications
Suicide remains a critically important public health concern among adolescents. The protective role of school connectedness against suicidal thoughts and behaviors is widely supported in the literature; however, this literature base is fragmented, varying across measures and samples. By accounting for variability across studies, this meta-analytic study reinforces the importance of enhancing school connectedness for suicide prevention and provides school psychologists with practical recommendations for screening and prevention efforts.
► Innovative rotated systems can be environmentally more sustainable than current ones. ► Innovative rotated systems can maintain economic sustainability as of current ones. ► All innovative systems ...can have a positive impact on farmer's safety at work. ► Producers and consumers seem not ready to implement the innovative systems. ► DEXiPM is a useful tool for assessing the sustainability of systems.
There is strong social and political pressure to reduce pesticide use in European agriculture. Evaluating the sustainability of cropping systems is a complex task due to the conflicting objectives underlying its economic, social and environmental dimensions. Multi-criteria assessment of different Integrated Pest Management (IPM) scenarios and evaluation of the most sustainable options at regional, national and European level is essential. Within the EU Network of Excellence ENDURE, two expert-based surveys were conducted (i.e. interviews), where experts from four European regions (northern region, Denmark and The Netherlands; central-eastern, Tolna and Békés counties in Hungary; south-western, Ebro Valley in Spain; southern, Po Valley in Italy) determined which are the main current maize-based cropping systems (MBCSs) in their region and proposed innovative IPM-based systems. The DEXiPM® (DEXi Pest Management) model for arable cropping systems was used to evaluate and compare the economic and environmental sustainability of these systems. The social sustainability was evaluated by adapting indicators of this model to the specificities of maize systems. The assessments showed that all innovative rotated MBCSs proposed in the four regions can have a higher environmental sustainability than and maintain the same economic sustainability as current rotated systems. These cropping systems are thus acceptable for testing under “real” field conditions. Only the innovative continuous maize system proposed in the central-eastern region was both economically and environmentally more sustainable than the current system. All innovative systems had a positive impact on work safety but according to local expert opinion producers and consumers are not ready to implement them or to accept their higher-priced products, with the exception of consumers in the northern region. These results suggest the need for European and regional policies to encourage the adoption of innovative rotated MBCSs that have positive agronomic and environmental impact through IPM implementation. The major constraints that inhibit this adoption were predominantly relating to (1) the lack of access that farmers have to the practical knowledge needed to effectively manage these systems and (2) the insufficient consumer awareness and acceptance of product improvements associated with IPM. To overcome these constraints supportive policy environments, well-functioning knowledge management systems (including good farmer support networks) and effective marketing is required.
Interest in spatial evaluation to develop comprehensive strategies to plan and manage agricultural systems and to assess the impact of agricultural policies has been growing among policy-makers and ...scientists. Innovative methods of acquiring and processing spatial data and information related to agricultural topics have therefore been gaining attention. In this context, place-based and experiential knowledge of local actors has been recognized as an important source of data, especially for decision-making and planning. Several methods have been proposed in the literature for retrieving and analyzing this knowledge. Our aim was to analyze the capability of one of these methods (the mapping of local spatial knowledge) to identify the organizational gaps in the provision of agricultural services in rural areas. The method consisted of an interview supported with a fixed-scale map; the goal of the interview was to retrieve both spatial data and descriptive information (local spatial knowledge mapping) for GIS processing. Map-based interviews were conducted with 26 representative collective structures of the Grosseto (central Italy) agro-food system. Five agricultural systems (field crops, livestock, viticulture, olive-growing, and fruit-growing/horticulture) and five services (stocking/selling of farm products, technical advising, sale of farm inputs, promotion and contract services) were identified by local spatial knowledge. The main organizational and spatial gaps were assessed in each agricultural system for the following: (a) the number, typology and combinations of supplied services and (b) the overlap of operational areas of the agro-food system structures with the areas reported as being suitable for the five agricultural systems. This analysis allowed us to identify the benefits and drawbacks related to the spatial configurations that determine the provision of agricultural services for local farming activities.
•Geographic method to answer the lack of spatial data on agricultural systems.•Local spatial knowledge of collective structures was gathered with map-based interviews.•GIS was used to integrate qualitative and quantitative data.•Operational areas of collective structures and what they define suitable mismatched.•We connected local qualitative data on agricultural systems with the spatial context.
The hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis has been of interest in attempts to identify genetic vulnerability for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although numerous HPA‐axis genes have been ...implicated in candidate gene studies, the findings are mixed and interpretation is limited by study design and methodological inconsistencies. To address these inconsistencies in the PTSD candidate gene literature, we conducted meta‐analyses of HPA‐related genes from both a traditional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)–level analysis and a gene‐level analysis, using novel methods aggregating markers in the same gene. Database searches (PubMed and PsycINFO) identified 24 unique articles examining six HPA‐axis genes in PTSD; analyses were conducted on four genes (ADCYAP1R1, CRHR1, FKBP5, NR3C1) that met study eligibility criteria (original research, human subjects, main effect association study of selected genes, PTSD as an outcome, trauma‐exposed control group) and had sufficient data and number of studies for use in meta‐analysis, within 20 unique articles. Findings from SNP‐level analyses indicated that two variants (rs9296158 in FKBP5 and rs258747 in NR3C1) were nominally associated with PTSD, ps = .001 and .001, respectively, following multiple testing correction. At the gene level, significant relations between PTSD and both NR3C1 and FKBP5 were detected and robust to sensitivity analyses. Although study limitations exist (e.g., varied outcomes, inability to test moderators), taken together, these results provide support for FKBP5 and NR3C1 in risk for PTSD. Overall, this work highlights the utility of meta‐analyses in resolving discrepancies in the literature and the value of adopting gene‐level approaches to investigate the etiology of PTSD.
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