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BackgroundSeveral treatment-related challenges exist for gambling disorder, in particular at-scale dissemination in health care settings. ObjectiveThis study describes the introduction of a newly developed internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) program for gambling disorder (GD), provided with therapist support in routine addiction care, in a nationally recruited sample in Sweden. The study details the introduction of the iCBT program, evaluates its effectiveness and acceptability, and compares registry outcomes among iCBT patients with other patients with GD at the clinic who received face-to-face psychological treatment as usual. MethodsThe study site was the Stockholm Addiction eClinic, which offers digital interventions for addictive disorders in routine care. The iCBT program was introduced nationally for treatment-seeking patients through the Swedish eHealth platform. After approximately 2 years of routine treatment provision, we conducted a registry study, including ordinary patients in routine digital care (n=218), and a reference sample receiving face-to-face psychological treatment for GD (n=216). ResultsA statistically significant reduction in the Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale scores during the treatment was observed (B=–1.33, SE=0.17, P

This paper examines teleconnections between the Arctic and the Baltic Sea region and is based on two cases of Community Earth System Model version 1 large ensemble (CESM-LE) climate model simulations: the stationary case with pre-industrial radiative forcing and the climate change case with RCP8.5 radiative forcing. The stationary control simulation's 1800-year long time series were used for stationary teleconnection and a 40-member ensemble from the period 1920–2100 is used for teleconnections during ongoing climate change. We analyzed seasonal temperature at a 2 m level, sea-level pressure, sea ice concentration, precipitation, geopotential height, and 10 m level wind speed. The Arctic was divided into seven areas. The Baltic Sea region climate has strong teleconnections with the Arctic climate; the strongest connections are with Svalbard and Greenland region. There is high seasonality in the teleconnections, with the strongest correlations in winter and the lowest correlations in summer, when the local meteorological factors are stronger. North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO) climate indices can explain most teleconnections in winter and spring. During ongoing climate change, the teleconnection patterns did not show remarkable changes by the end of the 21st century. Minor pattern changes are between the Baltic Sea region temperature and the sea ice concentration. We calculated the correlation between the parameter and its ridge regression estimation to estimate different Arctic regions' collective statistical connections with the Baltic Sea region. The seasonal coefficient of determination, R2, was highest for winter: for T2 m, R2=0.64; for sea level pressure (SLP), R2=0.44; and for precipitation (PREC), R2=0.35. When doing the same for the seasons' previous month values in the Arctic, the relations are considerably weaker, with the highest R2=0.09 being for temperature in the spring. Hence, Arctic climate data forecasting capacity for the Baltic Sea region is weak. Although there are statistically significant teleconnections between the Arctic and Baltic Sea region, the Arctic impacts are regional and mostly connected with climate indexes. There are no simple cause-and-effect pathways. By the end of the 21st century, the Arctic ice concentration has significantly decreased. Still, the general teleconnection patterns between the Arctic and the Baltic Sea region will not change considerably by the end of the 21st century.

ATP-BINDING CASSETTE SUBFAMILY E MEMBER (ABCE) proteins are one of the most conserved proteins across eukaryotes and archaea. Yeast and most animals possess a single ABCE gene encoding the critical translational factor ABCE1. In several plant species, including Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa, two or more ABCE gene copies have been identified, however information related to plant ABCE gene family is still missing. In this study we retrieved ABCE gene sequences of 76 plant species from public genome databases and comprehensively analyzed them with the reference to A. thaliana ABCE2 gene (AtABCE2). Using bioinformatic approach we assessed the conservation and phylogeny of plant ABCEs. In addition, we performed haplotype analysis of AtABCE2 and its paralogue AtABCE1 using genomic sequences of 1,135 A. thaliana ecotypes. Plant ABCE proteins showed overall high sequence conservation, sharing at least 78% of amino acid sequence identity with AtABCE2. We found that over half of the selected species have two to eight ABCE genes, suggesting that in plants ABCE genes can be classified as a low-copy gene family, rather than a single-copy gene family. The phylogenetic trees of ABCE protein sequences and the corresponding coding sequences demonstrated that Brassicaceae and Poaceae families have independently undergone lineage-specific split of the ancestral ABCE gene. Other plant species have gained ABCE gene copies through more recent duplication events. We also noticed that ploidy level but not ancient whole genome duplications experienced by a species impacts ABCE gene family size. Deeper analysis of AtABCE2 and AtABCE1 from 1,135 A. thaliana ecotypes revealed four and 35 non-synonymous SNPs, respectively. The lower natural variation in AtABCE2 compared to AtABCE1 is in consistence with its crucial role for plant viability. Overall, while the sequence of the ABCE protein family is highly conserved in the plant kingdom, many plants have evolved to have more than one copy of this essential translational factor.

The purpose of this study was to explore Swedish natural science sexuality education as a material-discursive practice. More specifically, we sought to investigate ways in which the phenomenon of "oskuld," which in Swedish means sexual innocence or to be without guilt, comes into being among 17-18-year-old students. The study, conducted in two upper secondary school classes for eight and six weeks respectively, involved in total 53 participating students. Field notes and audio-recordings were used in data construction. With a grounding in Baradian theory we explore how space, time and matter--spacetimematter--intra-actively enact notions of virginity within students' conversations. Findings show that a physiological knowledge base as well as the opportunity for students to encounter their own notions are crucial in overcoming the reproduction of norms related to the phenomenon of virginity.

IntroductionAlexithymia is characterized by difficulties identifying and describing feelings but expression of externally oriented thinking (EOT) and difficulty fantasizing is more variable. In two studies, we investigated whether links between EOT and fantasizing are mediated by sensory processing sensitivity (SPS).MethodsUniversity students completed measures of alexithymia, SPS, and fantasizing.ResultsIn Study 1 (N = 700) we identified two clusters of SPS traits: a positive facet (sensitivity to subtle stimuli) and a negative facet (sensitivity to uncomfortable stimuli). In the 499 participants who completed the fantasy measure, low EOT scores predicted stronger SPS positive and negative traits, which predicted a stronger tendency to mentally project oneself into the lives of characters in books, movies, and plays. In Study 2 (N = 600), the link between EOT and this same fantasizing tendency was again mediated by features of SPS—in this case fantasy proneness and emotional reactivity.DiscussionWe suggest that, whereas individuals who score high on EOT have an impoverished fantasy life, those who score relatively low on EOT and turn their attention inward are able to maintain stronger representations of imagined events in working memory (enhancing the likelihood that they will be recalled) and react more strongly to these events (enhancing their salience). Stronger expression of these features of SPS, in turn, increases the likelihood that one will develop a cognitive style that involves the application of imagery-based strategies to support deep processing of the thoughts and feelings of characters depicted in narratives.

The study investigated teachers' knowledge of reading comprehension processes and reading comprehension instruction. The study was carried out among teachers (N = 65) in Estonia. The content analysis classified qualitative data from semi-structured interviews as quantitative data. The results showed that teachers' content knowledge about reading comprehension processes and pedagogical knowledge of reading comprehension instruction were considerably variable yet mostly limited. Special education teachers (n = 37) mentioned a wider range of reading strategies than classroom teachers (n = 28). When describing how to support struggling readers, significant differences emerged between the teacher groups: Special education teachers mentioned activities to support students' reading comprehension more frequently than classroom teachers whereas classroom teachers mentioned activities for supporting reading motivation more often than special education teachers. Teachers' lack of knowledge about reading comprehension processes and reading comprehension instruction indicate the need to improve these topics in preservice and in-service teacher training to enhance their teaching skills.

Introduction: Meiotic recombination is one of the most important processes of evolution and adaptation to environmental conditions. Even though there is substantial knowledge about proteins involved in the process, targeting specific DNA loci by the recombination machinery is not well understood. Objectives: This study aims to investigate a wheat recombination hotspot (H1) in comparison with a “regular” recombination site (Rec7) on the sequence and epigenetic level in conditions with functional and non-functional Ph1 locus. Methods: The DNA sequence, methylation pattern, and recombination frequency were analyzed for the H1 and Rec7 in three mapping populations derived by crossing introgressive wheat line 8.1 with cv. Chinese Spring (with Ph1 and ph1 alleles) and cv. Tähti. Results: The H1 and Rec7 loci are 1.586 kb and 2.538 kb long, respectively. High-density mapping allowed to delimit the Rec7 and H1 to 19 and 574 bp and 593 and 571 bp CO sites, respectively. A new method (ddPing) allowed screening recombination frequency in almost 66 thousand gametes. The screening revealed a 5.94-fold higher recombination frequency at the H1 compared to the Rec7. The H1 was also found out of the Ph1 control, similarly as gamete distortion. The recombination was strongly affected by larger genomic rearrangements but not by the SNP proximity. Moreover, chromatin markers for open chromatin and DNA hypomethylation were found associated with crossover occurrence except for the CHH methylation. Conclusion: Our results, for the first time, allowed study of wheat recombination directly on sequence, shed new light on chromatin landmarks associated with particular recombination sites, and deepened knowledge about role of the Ph1 locus in control of wheat recombination processes. The results are suggesting more than one recombination control pathway. Understanding this phenomenon may become a base for more efficient wheat genome manipulation, gene pool enrichment, breeding, and study processes of recombination itself.

In this study we examine upper secondary students' notions of contraceptive methods, as human reproduction and contraception are common content in sexuality education in Sweden and worldwide. Our data were constructed during an extensive educational sequence in natural science sexuality education and include audio recordings of 17-18-year-old students' stories. Since the main body of the stories was about hormonal and digital contraception and contraceptive responsibility, these stories are the focal point of our analysis. Our study further aims to problematize, challenge, and develop education on contraceptive methods, and Donna Haraway's theoretical perspectives have been particularly useful. We have in the analytical process linked Haraway's cyborg image with her later work on tentacular thinking. Our result shows that scientific facts about human reproduction are important for the students' ability to navigate between the advantages and disadvantages of various contraceptive methods. However, sexuality education turns out to not only be a matter of scientific facts. This study accentuates how natural science, historical, political, cultural, and market-oriented intertwinings affect students' notions of contraception--and thereby also the construction of natural science sexuality education.

Addictive substances are prevalent world-wide, and their use presents a substantial and persistent public health problem. A wide range of digital interventions to decrease use and negative consequences thereof have been explored, differing in approach, theoretical grounding, use of specific technologies, and more. The current study was designed to comprehensively map the recent (2015-2022) extant literature in a systematic manner, and to identify neglected and emerging knowledge gaps. Four major databases (Medline, Web of Science Core Collection, and PsychInfo) were searched using database-specific search strategies, combining terms related to clinical presentation (alcohol, tobacco or other drug use), technology and aim. After deduplication, the remaining n=13,917 unique studies published were manually screened in two stages, leaving a final n=3,056 studies, the abstracts of which were subjected to a tailored coding scheme. Findings revealed an accelerating rate of publications in this field, with randomized trials being the most common study type. Several meta-analyses on the topic have now been published, revealing promising and robust effects. Digital interventions are being offered on numerous levels, from targeted prevention to specialized clinics. Detailed coding was at times made difficult by inconsistent use of specific terms, which has important implications for future meta-analyses. Moreover, we identify several gaps in the extant literature – few health economic assessments, unclear descriptions of interventions, weak meta-analytic support for some type of interventions, and limited research on many target groups, settings and new interventions like video calls, chatbots and artificial intelligence – that we argue are important to address in future research.

IntroductionUniversity students are at high risk for anxiety and depression. Our main objective was to tease apart variance in symptom severity that was uniquely attributable to four associated variables that are frequently confounded: exposure to childhood emotional abuse, alexithymia, sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), and anxiety sensitivity (AS).MethodsUniversity students (N = 410) completed an online survey designed to measure our four key study variables along with several other potentially relevant variables including sex, physical activity levels, and perceived COVID-19 impacts.ResultsOver half of the participants reported moderate to extremely severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. Females reported stronger signs of SPS and AS and were more likely than males to have increased their moderate/vigorous exercise since the pandemic began. After controlling for the other variables, the best predictors of perceived COVID-19 impacts were SPS, childhood emotional abuse, and current levels of physical activity. Whereas all three personality variables and childhood emotional abuse emerged as significant predictors of both depression and anxiety, neither COVID-19 impacts nor physical activity levels accounted for unique variance in either model. Unexpectedly, male sex emerged as an additional risk factor for depression, raising the possibility that males experience unique stressors and societal pressures that increase their risk of depression.DiscussionThese findings help to clarify the links between childhood emotional abuse, personality traits implicated in emotional awareness and self-regulation, and mental health. They may have important implications for the development and implementation of individualized treatments for common mental disorders.

The purpose is to contribute knowledge to the field regarding the role of aesthetic experience when young students participate in intertwined science-art activities in science class. More precisely, we scrutinise how science suggestions are shaped in students' processes of imagination when exploring animal's ecology. Data corpus comprises audio recordings, photographs, drawings and field notes. The school is located in Sweden and the participating students were between 6 and 7 years old (Swedish grade 1). Seven students and their teacher participated in the study. The dialogues were analysed by means of a practical epistemology analysis (PEA), based on Dewey and the later Wittgenstein. In addition, the analytical term pictorial relation is launched to analyse the visual language exposed in students' drawings. The results reveal that throughout the process, the young students in transaction with the contextual features, imagined suggestions and solutions to science-related issues. Facts and fiction, sense and nonsense blended when new solutions of pleasurable hiding-places for prey were aesthetically and imaginatively explored and designed. In addition, the students owned the problem throughout and developed agency, which resulted in novel science-art outcomes and the students' communicative repertoire was extended when involved in intertwined dialogues and art activities.

The paper examines the explanatory potential of the social origins theory advanced by L. Salamon and H. Anheier. This examination follows two tracks. The first track is a comparative investigation of the conceptual affinity between the social origins, on one hand, and the theories of welfare regimes and varieties of capitalism, on the other. We argue that the conceptual affinity between these three theories lies in the fact that they explore what could be referred to as vertical and horizontal interactions between state and market. Vertical interactions are based on the legitimate coercion by government authorities, while horizontal relations develop at the initiative of their autonomous members. The social origins approach introduces yet another essential dimension, that of civic self-organization, into the analysis of vertical and horizontal interactions embodied in state/market relationships. Similarity of underlying conceptual foundations might suggest that all three theories would generate similarly strong academic interest in reexamining their analytical tools and applying their approaches to the diversity of new social and economic realities. The literature indicates that both the welfare regimes and varieties of capitalism have generated robust academic discussions, whereas the conceptual and analytical potential of the social origins remains relatively less explored. It has become particularly evident in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic which gave rise to a number of studies that apply the frameworks of the welfare regimes and varieties of capitalism to examine cross-country differences in government social welfare policies. However, the social origins theory seems not to have generated comparably rich research testing its explanatory power in the new conditions triggered by the pandemic challenges. To address this gap, the paper follows a second track which investigates pandemic-induced transformations in nonprofit sectors of Germany, Austria, UK and USA – countries representing three “basic” nonprofit regimes immediately corresponding to Esping-Andersen’s welfare state typology: welfare partnership, social democratic and liberal. Applying the analytical lens of the social origins approach, we look at how the impact of the pandemic moved the measurable parameters of nonprofit sectors: the scope of the third sector, the volunteer share of the workforce, the extent of nonprofits’ engagement in the provision of social services, and the share of government financial support for the sector. We further look at the pandemic-induced changes in the composition of the “tool kit” employed in government-nonprofit cooperation. Thus, testing the explanatory potential of the social origins approach, we observe that responses to pandemic challenges have contributed to a degree of convergence of both liberal and social democratic nonprofit regimes with the welfare partnership pattern. However, path dependency, which is suggested by the regimes’ “moorings” embedded in the social origins approach, remains strong enough to explain the observed viability of the core features typical of “basic” nonprofit regimes in times of the pandemic crisis.

This introductory paper sets the scene for the special issue. It describes the rationale for the collection – which has to do with the multiple geopolitical, economic and health-related events of the past 30 years – and summarises some of the overarching changes in East–West migration dynamics within and beyond Europe over this period. However, this introductory article and the nine papers that follow also challenge and nuance the predominant East–West framing of recent intra-European migration. They identify numerous other trends: return migration and immigration into CEE countries, intra-CEE migrations and a range of issues relating to the impacts of migration on children and youth.

Abstract Background Dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging is used in the diagnostic work-up in suspected parkinsonian syndromes and dementia with Lewy bodies but cannot differentiate between these syndromes, and an extra brain imaging examination of the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) or glucose metabolism is often needed for differential diagnosis. The requirement of two different imaging examinations is resource-consuming and inconvenient for the patients. Therefore, imaging of both cortical blood flow and DAT imaging with the same radiotracer would be more convenient and cost-effective. The aim of this study was to test whether relative regional cerebral blood flow (rCBFR) can be measured with the DAT-specific positron emission tomography (PET) tracer [18F]FE-PE2I (FE-PE2I), by validation with cerebral perfusion measured with [15O]H2O PET (H2O). Methods The rCBFR was quantified by kinetic modeling for FE-PE2I (R1) and H2O (F). The R1 was calculated using the simplified reference tissue model, and F was calculated with a modified Koopman double-integration method. The linear relationship and intraclass correlation (ICC) between R1 and F were tested in image data derived from 29 patients with recent onset parkinsonism and 30 healthy controls. Results There was a strong linear correlation across all subjects between R1 and F in the frontal, parietal, temporal, cingulate and occipital cortex as well as in the striatum (r ≥ 0.731–0.905, p

Abstract Our study was aimed at developing and validating a new approach, embodied in a machine learning-based model, for sequentially monitoring hospitalized COVID-19 patients and directing professional attention to patients whose deterioration is imminent. Model development employed real-world patient data (598 prediction events for 210 patients), internal validation (315 prediction events for 97 patients), and external validation (1373 prediction events for 307 patients). Results show significant divergence in longitudinal values of eight routinely collected blood parameters appearing several days before deterioration. Our model uses these signals to predict the personal likelihood of transition from non-severe to severe status within well-specified short time windows. Internal validation of the model's prediction accuracy showed ROC AUC of 0.8 and 0.79 for prediction scopes of 48 or 96 h, respectively; external validation showed ROC AUC of 0.7 and 0.73 for the same prediction scopes. Results indicate the feasibility of predicting the forthcoming deterioration of non-severe COVID-19 patients by eight routinely collected blood parameters, including neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, and platelets counts, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, CRP, LDH, and D-dimer. A prospective clinical study and an impact assessment will allow implementation of this model in the clinic to improve care, streamline resources and ease hospital burden by timely focusing the medical attention on potentially deteriorating patients.

IntroductionEmpathy—the ability to identify and share another person’s emotional state—is an important socio-emotional process arising, in part, from emotional contagion. In the current study, we assessed unique variance in emotional contagion and other empathy-related constructs accounted for by two personality traits, alexithymia and sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), when controlling for childhood emotional abuse and current depressed mood.MethodsA sample of 305 adults (Mage = 20.1 years) watched brief film clips chosen to induce various emotional states. After each film, the participants rated how strongly they experienced each of nine different emotions. They then completed self-report measures of alexithymia, SPS, empathy-related constructs, childhood emotional abuse, and current mood.ResultsThose scoring high (vs. low) on SPS reported stronger primary emotions and a larger range of emotions when watching the films and were more apt to believe that their emotions matched those of the individuals featured in the films. They also scored higher on both self-oriented processes (such as the tendency to feel personal distress in tense situations) and other-oriented processes (such as perspective taking and empathic concern) related to empathy. Individuals scoring high (vs. low) on alexithymia reported feeling a larger range of emotions while watching the films but scored lower on other-oriented processes related to empathy. After controlling for SPS and alexithymia, current depressed mood predicted experiencing less varied reactions to mixed valence films that elicited strong feelings of embarrassment/humiliation, and less amusement when watching positive films. Childhood emotional abuse did not emerge as a predictor of emotional contagion or empathy.DiscussionWe propose that the strong and nuanced feelings elicited in those scoring high on SPS by observing others support their personal view that they are highly empathic. In contrast, by failing to closely examine their own mixed reactions to others, individuals with alexithymia may find it difficult to connect with, understand, and respond to others’ feelings.