Mindfulness and loneliness in retired older adults in China: mediation effects of positive and negative affect

Objectives: Drawing from the mindfulness framework and the broaden-and-build theory, this study investigates the extent to which mindfulness influences loneliness and whether the relation is mediated by positive and negative affect.Method: Data were collected from 748 retired older adults aged 60 and above in Chengdu, China in 2022. Loneliness and mindfulness were measured by the UCLA loneliness scale and by the short-form version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, while the positive and negative affect was assessed by the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule.Results: The results of this study show that mindfulness was positively associated with positive affect (β = 0.37, p<.001), negatively related to negative affect (β=-0.21, p<.001) and loneliness (β=-0.13, p<.001), and had an indirect effect on loneliness via positive and negative affect (β=-0.20, p<.001).Conclusion: The findings suggest that mindfulness could be a positive resource for improving mental health and reducing loneliness among retired older adults in China.

Experiences of COVID‐19 pandemic‐related stress among sexual and gender minority emerging adult migrants in the United States

There is a dearth of research that examines COVID-19-related stress among multiply marginalised individuals who are in the developmental phase of emerging adulthood. This qualitative study investigated how the intersection of emerging adulthood, sexual and gender minority (SGM) identity, and migrant status were reflected in the experiences of SGM individuals (n = 37; ages 20-25 years old) who migrated to various parts of the United States in the last 5 years. Data were collected online using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed that participants' developmental processes (e.g., identity exploration, building financial independence) were shaped by pandemic-related stressors, especially unemployment and financial instability. Participants who were able to maintain employment did so but at the risk of their health and safety. Findings also showed that participants experienced feelings of anxiety and depression due to social isolation, but online communication played an important role in combatting loneliness. Findings highlight the potential for trauma-informed and intersectional approaches to practice with SGM emerging adult migrants and expanded health services and temporary entitlement programs to mitigate the pandemic's effects on this population's psychosocial and financial well-being.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Mindfulness, and Grit in College Students in China

This study investigated the effect of ACEs and COVID-19 on grit and whether this effect is mediated by mindfulness. Although current scholarship has found that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have harmful consequences to individuals across the life span, less is known about the relationship between ACEs and grit. Grit is predictive of educational success and subjective wellbeing. A cross-sectional online survey administered to junior and senior students from 12 universities spread across China was conducted from September 20, 2020 to October 5, 2020. The universities were selected from geographically diverse regions of China to ensure a diverse sample. We received 1,871 completed responses from 2,229 invited students. The survey response rate was 83.9%. The results indicated that ACEs had significantly negative effects on grit, while mindfulness had significantly positive effects on grit. Once controlling for level of mindfulness, the effects of ACEs on grit largely reduced and became insignificant. The findings of this research indicate that mindfulness has a significant mediational effect on the relation between ACEs and grit and call for mindfulness-based interventions for enhancing grit for the population at risks.

Job Demands and Resources, Mindfulness, and Burnout Among Delivery Drivers in China

The food and package delivery workforce in China has grown substantially in the past decade. However, delivery drivers face volatile and stressful work conditions, which can give rise to high turnover and burnout. Past research has indicated that job demands and resources (JD-R) significantly predict burnout. Scholars have also found evidence that mindfulness may be a protective factor against negative outcomes like burnout. Using data collected from 240 food and package delivery drivers in Beijing, China, we examined the effects of JD-R on burnout and whether these relations were moderated by mindfulness. Estimates produced by regression analyses indicated that job demands (JD) have significantly positive effects on burnout (β = 0.33), while job resources (JR) have a significant negative effect on burnout (β = −0.32). Mindfulness significantly moderated the effects of JD and JR on burnout (β = −1.64 and − 1.30, respectively). Results suggest that mindfulness is a protective factor for delivery drivers. Practice and policy implications are discussed.

Job Demands and Resources and Employee Well-Being in the Chinese Nonprofit Sector

Although the nonprofit sector in China has grown substantially in past decades, its future is threatened by high turnover and burnout. It is thus necessary to investigate the factors that contribute to employee well-being (EWB) among nonprofit employees in China. This study used 233 foundation employees in China to examine the effects of job demands and resources (JD-R) on EWB. Estimates produced by regression analyses indicated that job resources (JR) have a strong effect on EWB (Beta = 0.53), as well as on the three EWB subscales (workplace, psychological, and life well-being). While job demands (JD) had no effects on overall well-being, they were negatively associated with workplace well-being (WWB) (Beta = -0.12). Robustness tests were conducted to further examine how JD and JR dimensions affect EWB and its subscales. Based on the findings, we underscore the importance of JR for EWB among foundation employees in China as well as that of implementing interventions that may alleviate the cost of emotional workload as a JD.

Job Demands and Resources, Burnout, and Psychological Distress of Social Workers in China: Moderation Effects of Gender and Age

Social work is a fast-growing profession in China, with the workforce numbering approximately 1.2 million in 2018. Studies have shown, however, that social workers in China experience high burnout rates and significant psychological distress. Analyzing data collected from 897 social workers in Chengdu, China, we applied the job demands and resources (JD-R) theory to examine the effects of JD-R on burnout and psychological distress in social workers, as well as whether these relations are moderated by gender and age. Results supported a dual process by which JD-R affected both social workers' burnout and psychological distress through health impairment and motivation processes. Job demands (JD) were associated with high burnout and psychological distress. Meanwhile, job resources (JR) were associated with reduced burnout and psychological distress. Results indicated that JR had greater effects on burnout and distress than did JD. Women and younger professionals appeared to be affected most by JD and psychological distress. The findings support a need for interventions that buffer the effects of JD-R on burnout and psychological distress in social workers in China, focusing on women and younger professionals.

Job Demands, Resources, and Burnout in Social Workers in China: Mediation Effect of Mindfulness

Internationally, human service professionals, including social workers, experience high burnout and turnover rates. Despite the recent and rapid development of contemporary social work in China, Chinese social workers similarly experience significant rates of burnout. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the factors that contribute to social work burnout. This study applied the job demands and resources (JD-R) model to examine the effects of JD-R on burnout in social workers (n = 897) from Chengdu, China, and whether these relations are mediated by state mindfulness. Structural equation modeling results supported the previously hypothesized dual process by which JD-R affect burnout, specifically in a sample of social workers in China. Job demands (JD) were positively associated with burnout, while job resources (JR) were negatively associated with burnout. These relations were partially mediated by state mindfulness. JR had a strong, positive direct effect on mindfulness (β = 0.38), and its total effect on burnout was high (β = −0.56). Meanwhile, JD had a slight negative direct effect on mindfulness (β = −0.09), and its total effect on burnout was 0.42. The results suggest that the implementation of mindfulness-based interventions for social workers can potentially mitigate the effect of JD on burnout, as well as increase the effect of JR on burnout.

Mindfulness and social-emotional skills in Latino pre-adolescents in the U.S.: The mediating role of executive function

Latino youth are the largest and the fastest growing ethnic minority group in the U.S., and social-emotional skills are critical to their ability to cope with acculturative stress, perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and cultural value conflicts. Despite the significant challenges faced by Latino youth in the U.S., a paucity of research has examined the social-emotional skills of Latino pre-adolescents specifically. Recent research suggests that mindfulness may be closely linked to youth social-emotional skills, and executive function may serve as a mediating mechanism, but such associations have not been examined prior to this study. Using a cross-sectional survey among a sample of Latino youth in fifth-sixth grades in northern New Jersey (N = 97, M_age  = 11, 54% male), this study examines the association between their mindfulness and their social-emotional skills, and tests the role of executive function in this relationship. Among the sampled Latino youth, mindfulness is positively associated with executive function, which is positively associated with social-emotional skills. Additionally, being male and being older both have marginally significant negative effect on social-emotional skills. Our results suggest that mindfulness, the awareness of and intentional focus on one's present thoughts and emotions with self-compassion, may benefit Latino pre-adolescents' executive function, which in turn may exhibit as improved social-emotional skills. This preliminary evidence and the differences based on gender and age therein warrant further investigation with larger samples among Latino youth. Future research and service implications are discussed.

Psychological Well-Being in Chinese College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Roles of Resilience and Environmental Stress

Psychological well-being is an important indicator of well-being and has been found to be associated with a multitude of positive life outcomes. Using data collected from 1,871 Chinese college students from September 23 to October 5, 2020, this study examined students' psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigated how resilience and pandemic-related environmental stress may affect psychological well-being. Results showed that resilience had strong positive effects on psychological well-being during the pandemic. Meanwhile, environmental stress had a moderate effect and marginally reduced psychological well-being. The magnitudes of the estimates suggested that increasing resilience can effectively buffer the negative effect of environmental stress on psychological well-being.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Mindfulness in Chinese College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Mindfulness has been found to have many positive effects on life outcomes, including mental health and educational achievement. However, less is known about the antecedents of mindfulness, particularly in Chinese college students. This study examines the effect of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on mindfulness among Chinese college students in September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that ACEs negatively affected students' mindfulness. The data were collected from 1,871 college students from 12 colleges across China. The results aligned with our hypothesis that ACEs was negatively associated with mindfulness. In particular, emotional abuse and neglect in childhood appear to have the most negative effects on mindfulness compared to other dimensions of ACEs such as physical abuse and household challenges.

Job Demands and Resources, Positive and Negative Affect, and Psychological Distress of Social Workers in China

Globally, human service professionals, like social workers, experience significant job demands (JD) which can lead to outcomes like psychological distress, burnout, and high turnover rates. This is especially true in China, where the social work profession has grown substantially in recent decades. Because social workers play a crucial role in supporting vulnerable communities, there is a need to understand how their work conditions affect outcomes like psychological distress. This study applies the job demands and resources (JD-R) model to study this relation, along with the mediational effects of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA), in social workers from Chengdu, China (n = 897). The results of structural equation modeling indicate that JD-R differentially affect psychological distress. PA and NA partially mediate these relations. Job resources (JR) reduced psychological distress by reducing NA and increasing PA. JD did not have any effect on PA but significantly increased NA, which was associated with higher psychological distress. The magnitudes of each estimate suggest that JR has a greater effect on PA and NA, relative to the effects of JD on PA and NA. Interventions that seek to promote PA and reduce NA may be able to work with existing JR to buffer against the effects of JD in social workers.

Job Demands and Resources, Burnout, and Psychological Distress of Employees in the Chinese Non-profit Sector

The non-profit sector in China has expanded significantly in the past few decades. However, employees in non-profits experience high burnout rates, indicating a need to study non-profit work conditions and their effect on employees. This study applies the job demands and resources (JD-R) model and examines the effects of job demands (JD) and job resources (JR) on burnout and psychological distress experienced by non-profit employees, recruited via quota sampling, across China (n = 233). The findings from path analysis showed that JR had strong and negative effects on burnout and on psychological distress, while JD had strong and positive effects on burnout and on psychological distress. Burnout partially mediated the relations between JD-R and psychological distress. These results highlight the importance of JD-R in reducing burnout and psychological distress in non-profit employees in China. Research and practice implications are discussed.

Measuring natural killer cell cytotoxicity by flow cytometry

Natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxic function is critical in guarding an organism against viral infections and malignantly transformed cells. Although the ⁵¹Chromium (⁵¹Cr)-release assay is regarded as the gold standard for assessing NK cell cytolytic activity, this method is associated with a number of technical problems including the use of radioactive reagents and inconsistent assay performance, due to the lack of assay standardisation across laboratories. Here we describe the setup of a flow cytometry (FC) based method for the measurement of NK cell cytotoxicity, suitable for patient testing. The FC protocol was assessed using four normal samples, and reference values for NK activity of the local Hong Kong population were defined by 40 peripheral blood samples from healthy volunteers. For method validation, we tested a total of 13 specimens including nine healthy individuals and four patients with clinical conditions that were expected to have NK cell dysfunction. We directly compared those results between FC and the ⁵¹Cr-release assay and we were able to demonstrate that FC is a clinically valid method for measuring NK cell function in a clinical setting.

[The effects of three nickel-titanium rotary instruments on root canal curvature]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of three nickel-titanium rotary instruments on root canal curvature and their working efficiency.

METHODS

64 curved mesial canals of extracted lower molars were randomly assigned to four groups: Flexofile, LightSpeed, ProFile, Qantec SC. Root canal preparation was carried out at two stages: first to size 30, then to size 40. The root canal curvatures before and after preparation as well as preparation time were measured.

RESULTS

Preparation with Flexofile resulted in the maximum reduction of root canal curvatures. The differences between three nickel titanium (Ni-Ti) groups and Flexofile were statistically significant from bucco-lingual view (P<0.01). No significant differences were detected between pre- and post-operative curvatures within Ni-Ti groups when preparation was carried out to size 30 (P>0.05). Preparation with ProFile or Quantec SC instruments cost significantly less time than the other two groups P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

Preparation with Ni-Ti rotary instruments maintained the root canal curvature to a maximum extent. The techniques were also timesaving.

Galactose inhibits auxin-induced growth of Avena coleoptiles by two mechanisms

Galactose inhibits auxin-induced growth of Avena coleoptiles by at least two mechanisms. First, it inhibits auxin-induced H(+)-excretion needed for the initiation of rapid elongation. Galactose cannot be doing so by directly interfering with the ATPase since fusicoccin-induced H(+)-excretion is not affected. Secondly, galactose inhibits long-term auxin-induced growth, even in an acidic (pH 4.5) solution. This may be due to an inhibition of cell wall synthesis. However, galactose does not reduce the capacity of walls to be loosened by H+, given exogenously or excreted in response to fusicoccin.

Management of worn dentition with resin-bonded cast metal lingual veneering

The treatment of excessive tooth wear with limited interocclusal space is complicated. Nonprecious alloys may be cast into thin sections and bonded to the tooth surface with an adhesive cement. The technique may be applied to the provision of veneers to restore and protect worn tooth surfaces. This article describes the conservative management of excessively worn maxillary anterior teeth by use of this technique.