The yellow brick road and the emerald city: Benefit finding, positive reappraisal coping and posttraumatic growth in women with early-stage breast cancer.

Predictors and outcomes of benefit finding, positive reappraisal coping, and posttraumatic growth were examined using interviews and questionnaires from a longitudinal study of women with early-stage breast cancer followed from primary medical treatment completion to 3 (n=92) and 12 months (n=60) later. Most women (83%) reported at least 1 benefit of their breast cancer experience. Benefit finding (i.e., identification of benefits, number of benefits), positive reappraisal coping, and posttraumatic growth had distinct significant predictors. Positive reappraisal coping at study entry predicted positive mood and perceived health at 3 and 12 months and posttraumatic growth at 12 months, whereas benefit finding did not predict any outcome. Findings suggest that benefit finding, positive reappraisal coping, and posttraumatic growth are related, but distinct, constructs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neural mechanisms behind semantic congruity of construction safety signs: An EEG investigation on construction workers

Accurate comprehension of safety signs plays a critical part in warning construction workers of potential work hazards. However, existing studies have rarely investigated construction workers' comprehension of safety signs at construction sites. Moreover, existing evaluation methods are generally based on subjective behavior tests, questionnaires, and interviews. Therefore, this study examined the effects of semantic congruity on the comprehension of safety signs, including two sign types (prohibition vs. warning signs) and two conditions (semantic congruence vs. incongruence), combining event-related potentials and time-frequency analysis measurements. Adopting the S1-S2 paradigm, electroencephalogram data were recorded when participants decided whether S1 and S2 were semantically congruent or not. Results showed that the semantically incongruent safety sign-word pairs elicited larger N400 amplitudes and increased theta (3–8 Hz) power in 300–420 ms. The amplitude of N400 in the semantically incongruent condition of the warning sign-word pairs was more negative than that for the prohibition sign-word pairs, while there were no significant differences between the prohibition and warning sign-word pairs in the semantically congruent condition. A greater late positive potential (LPP) (550–750 ms) was also elicited in the semantically incongruent safety sign-word pairs, which was different from previous studies that observed larger LPP in congruent conditions. These results suggest complicated cognitive mechanisms of safety sign comprehension in construction workers. This study extends safety sign comprehension research by using electrophysiological approaches and provides useful indicators for researchers or safety engineers to measure the semantic congruity of proposed sign designs.     

Inclusive recovery planning for incremental systemic change: A methodology,early outcomes,and limitations from the Falkland Islands' Covid-19 recovery planning experience

Crises do not affect populations equally but expose and exacerbate long-standing vulnerabilities and inequalities. Recovery language such as ‘build back better’, or ‘bounce forward’ has been criticised for neglecting underlying inequalities. This paper reports on the process and early outcomes of an inclusive Community Recovery Planning process for the Falkland Islands, in response to Covid-19. The Falkland Islands is home to a complex community, with close ties and short power distances (due to its small size and remoteness), with differences institutionalised in citizenship statuses and entitlements, and shaped by geopolitical tensions. We aimed to use the ‘pandemic as a portal’, seeking out previously ‘less heard’ voices, to make visible previously hidden impacts, and initiate incremental systemic change to tackle them. Community Impact Assessments evidenced specific areas of vulnerability (e.g., housing and income insecurity) and inequalities, largely shaped by differing citizenship status. In tandem with other government currents, the Community Recovery Planning process has contributed to progressive policy changes in Equalities legislation and Income Support. We offer this paper as a demonstration of our methodology for inclusive recovery planning that could be adapted elsewhere. We argue that the inclusion of previously unheard voices contributed to incremental systemic change to reduce inequalities.     

Automated Multi- and Block-Copolymer Writing in Mesoporous Films Using Visible-Light PET-RAFT and a Microscope (Small 16/2023)

For high throughput applications, e.g., in the context of sensing especially when being combined with machine learning, large sample numbers in acceptable production time are required. This needs automated synthesis and material functionalization concepts ideally combined with high precision. To automate sensing relevant mesopore polymer functionalization while being highly precise in polymer placement, polymer amount control, and polymer sequence design, a process for polymer writing in mesoporous silica films with pore diameter in the range of 13 nm is developed. Mesoporous films are functionalized with different polymers in adjustable polymer amount including block-copolymer functionalization in an automated process using a visible-light induced, controlled photo electron/energy transfer-reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (PET-RAFT) polymerization. While transferring this PET-RAFT to a commercially available microscope, direct, automated laser writing of three different polymers, as well as polymer re-initiation is demonstrated. Using a laser diameter of ≈72 µm, significantly smaller polymer spots of ≈7 µm in diameter are realized. Micrometerscale resolved polymer images including block-copolymers are written into mesoporous layers covering millimeter scale areas requiring a writing time in the range of one second per polymer spot.     

Stable Binding of Full-Length Chemerin Is Driven by Negative Charges in the CMKLR1 N Terminus

The adipokine chemerin is the endogenous ligand of the chemokine-like receptor 1 (CMKLR1), a member of the family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). This protein ligand plays an important role in obesity and inflammatory processes. Stable receptor–ligand interactions are highly relevant for its different physiological effects such as the migration of immune cells towards sites of inflammation. Here, we demonstrate that negative charges in the CMKLR1 N terminus are involved in the formation of strong contacts with a specific positively charged patch at the surface of full-length chemerin, which is absent in the short nonapeptide agonist chemerin-9, thus explaining its reduced affinity. Using receptor chimera of G protein-coupled receptor 1 (GPR1) and CMKLR1, we were able to identify the residues of this interaction and its relevance for stable full-length chemerin binding. This could help to develop more potent ligands for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases.