The Temporal Relationship Between Self-Acceptance and Generativity over Two Decades

Generativity is defined as a concern for the well-being of future generations, which involves both caring and a will to extend the self into the future. Extant research indicates that generativity plays an important role in successful aging. The present study sought to examine the temporal relationship between self-acceptance and generativity over about 2 decades. The data were drawn from the three waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) project, collected with intervals of about 10 years ( N = 4,167). The random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was used for data analysis. It was found that self-acceptance prospectively predicted generativity, whereas generativity did not predict self-acceptance. Thus, coming to terms with various aspects of one’s personality and past life contributes to higher future levels of generativity.

A study of the Qur’anic Mutashābihat of the Surah Yūnus

One of the Mutashābihatbetween the stories of the prophets (PBUH) is the reasons for the departure of Prophet Yūnus(AS) from his people in the Holy Qur'an, among which there are two main views: First, it is due to misdiagnosis and violation of divine rights; and secondly, he considers it completely acceptable and in line with his divine missions. In this article, we have tried to explain the Mutashābihat (i.e. similarities) about Prophet Yūnus in a descriptive and analytical way, as well as in a critical approach. To do this, we first examined the Muḥkamatof the prophets in the Qur'an, and then the specific Muḥkamat of Prophet Yūnus. The Muḥkamat discussed in the context of the verses in question were also analyzed. As a result, it has been proven that, contrary to what most people think of Prophet Yūnus as a sin or abandonment of the better act in the outrageous departure of his people and his affliction as a result, his anger and his optimistic view was praiseworthy, and what happened to him at sea has been a divine affliction and a ground for his promotion. But his confession to oppression was an acknowledgment of the inherent poverty toward God and a reference to his previous worships and that he wished he had performed such acts of worship in his past life. God's command to the Last Prophet not to be like Prophet Yūnus is to show the superiority of the Last Prophet’s position over other great prophets, and it is never a sarcasm to Prophet Yūnus.

Masculinity & Objectification: A phenomenological study of contemporary shifts within masculinity

<p>Notions of masculinity are changing. Many men conduct themselves in ways that blunt traditional hegemonic masculine norms of sexism and homophobia. Do these changes represent movement toward gender equality, or are they workings of an adaptive and amorphous system of power relations that is reshaping to fit with the times? This thesis is grounded within epistemologies of feminist standpoint theory and takes a phenomenological approach to methodology in investigating how men construct and experience their perceptions of masculinity and gender performance within homosocial networks. I conducted three focus groups with different male friend groups, and one focus group of a women’s friend group. These are supplemented with an autoethnographic focus on reflexivity in which I investigate my own thoughts, reflections, and past life experiences in concert with these focus groups. I used objectification as a main theme of study both to understand the more nuanced qualities of its role within gender relations, and as a springboard to understand the wider ramifications of what attitudes toward objectification represented. These focus groups demonstrated wide gaps in phenomenological accounts and understandings of everyday life activity both between women and men, and between men and other men. Two themes emerged from the data. The first trend involved contemporary constructions of masculinity that incorporate historically unmasculine behaviors and attitudes. This is explored within debates of R. W. Connell’s (2005) theory of hegemonic masculinity and two of its offshoots: inclusive masculinity (Anderson 2009), and hybrid masculinity (Bridges & Pascoe 2014). The second theme focused on empathy and the difficulties in its development when relationships of power, domination, and difference are involved. I argue that empathy needs to be developed in ways that favor more affective and compassionate forms of responding to others’ emotions, rather than cognitive or role-taking forms that aim to understand others’ emotions from their perspective. Finally, I incorporate these themes to discuss the possibilities, limitations, and complexities in forming a profeminist consciousness in men. This thesis aims to contribute to debates around recent changes and potential ‘softening’ in the structure of hegemonic masculinity by retaining a critical focus on relationships of power and domination. In doing so, I hope to skirt between the optimism of inclusive masculinity and the cynicism of hybrid masculinity to develop a model of profeminist consciousness that welcomes the softening of masculinity but places equal value in critically reflecting on one’s power, privilege, and position within society.</p>

Masculinity & Objectification: A phenomenological study of contemporary shifts within masculinity

<p>Notions of masculinity are changing. Many men conduct themselves in ways that blunt traditional hegemonic masculine norms of sexism and homophobia. Do these changes represent movement toward gender equality, or are they workings of an adaptive and amorphous system of power relations that is reshaping to fit with the times? This thesis is grounded within epistemologies of feminist standpoint theory and takes a phenomenological approach to methodology in investigating how men construct and experience their perceptions of masculinity and gender performance within homosocial networks. I conducted three focus groups with different male friend groups, and one focus group of a women’s friend group. These are supplemented with an autoethnographic focus on reflexivity in which I investigate my own thoughts, reflections, and past life experiences in concert with these focus groups. I used objectification as a main theme of study both to understand the more nuanced qualities of its role within gender relations, and as a springboard to understand the wider ramifications of what attitudes toward objectification represented. These focus groups demonstrated wide gaps in phenomenological accounts and understandings of everyday life activity both between women and men, and between men and other men. Two themes emerged from the data. The first trend involved contemporary constructions of masculinity that incorporate historically unmasculine behaviors and attitudes. This is explored within debates of R. W. Connell’s (2005) theory of hegemonic masculinity and two of its offshoots: inclusive masculinity (Anderson 2009), and hybrid masculinity (Bridges & Pascoe 2014). The second theme focused on empathy and the difficulties in its development when relationships of power, domination, and difference are involved. I argue that empathy needs to be developed in ways that favor more affective and compassionate forms of responding to others’ emotions, rather than cognitive or role-taking forms that aim to understand others’ emotions from their perspective. Finally, I incorporate these themes to discuss the possibilities, limitations, and complexities in forming a profeminist consciousness in men. This thesis aims to contribute to debates around recent changes and potential ‘softening’ in the structure of hegemonic masculinity by retaining a critical focus on relationships of power and domination. In doing so, I hope to skirt between the optimism of inclusive masculinity and the cynicism of hybrid masculinity to develop a model of profeminist consciousness that welcomes the softening of masculinity but places equal value in critically reflecting on one’s power, privilege, and position within society.</p>

Well-being Changes from Year to Year: A Comparison of Current, Remembered and Predicted Life Satisfaction

I study yearly changes in personal well-being combining data on current, retrospective and prospective life satisfaction from the German Socio-Economic Panel. Predicted and remembered changes in life satisfaction are both positive on average and match well, whereas the average year to year-change inferred from reports of current life satisfaction is negative. Retrospective assessments of past well-being are strongly influenced by current life satisfaction, significantly related to past life satisfaction and linked to past predictions of current satisfaction. Due to different problems related to the ordinal measurement scale, changes in subjective reference systems and recall ability, the analysis overall suggests that direct reports of intertemporal changes provide valuable additional information for the analysis of individual well-being.

Comment on ‘Carbon Intensity of corn ethanol in the United States: state of the science’

In their recent contribution, Scully et al (2021 Environ. Res. Lett. 16 043001) review and revise past life cycle assessments of corn-grain ethanol’s carbon (C) intensity to suggest that a current ‘central best estimate’ is considerably less than all prior estimates. Their conclusion emerges from selection and recombination of sector-specific greenhouse gas emission predictions from disparate studies in a way that disproportionately favors small values and optimistic assumptions without rigorous justification nor empirical support. Their revisions most profoundly reduce predicted land use change (LUC) emissions, for which they propose a central estimate that is roughly half the smallest comparable value they review (figure 1). This LUC estimate represents the midpoint of (a) values retained after filtering the predictions of past studies based on a set of unfounded criteria; and (b) a new estimate they generate for domestic (i.e. U.S.) LUC emissions. The filter the authors apply endorses a singular means of LUC assessment which they assert as the ‘best practice’ despite a recent unacknowledged review (Malins et al 2020 J. Clean. Prod. 258 120716) that shows this method almost certainly underestimates LUC. Moreover, their domestic C intensity estimate surprisingly suggests that cropland expansion newly sequesters soil C, counter to ecological theory and empirical evidence. These issues, among others, prove to grossly underestimate the C intensity of corn-grain ethanol and mischaracterize the state of our science at the risk of perversely affecting policy outcomes.

Critical Review of Synthesis, Toxicology and Detection of Acyclovir

Acyclovir (ACV) is an effective and selective antiviral drug, and the study of its toxicology and the use of appropriate detection techniques to control its toxicity at safe levels are extremely important for medicine efforts and human health. This review discusses the mechanism driving ACV’s ability to inhibit viral coding, starting from its development and pharmacology. A comprehensive summary of the existing preparation methods and synthetic materials, such as 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide, guanine and its derivatives, and other purine derivatives, is presented to elucidate the preparation of ACV in detail. In addition, it presents valuable analytical procedures for the toxicological studies of ACV, which are essential for human use and dosing. Analytical methods, including spectrophotometry, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), electrochemical sensors, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), and flow injection–chemiluminescence (FI-CL) are also highlighted. A brief description of the characteristics of each of these methods is also presented. Finally, insight is provided for the development of ACV to drive further innovation of ACV in pharmaceutical applications. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the past life and future challenges of ACV.

A Summary of Current Findings on Quality of Life Domains and a Proposal for Their Inclusion in Clinical Interventions

Whilst the assessment of quality of life (QoL) and well-being has burgeoned in the past 50 years, there still remains relatively little research into its treatment in psychology, in spite of the launching of such approaches as positive psychology to widen the ambit of interventions to promote well-being. We posit that there are a number of outstanding QoL areas that could be integrated into standard therapeutic procedures, and that this would this result in an increase in well-being as a therapeutic outcome. To investigate this an exploratory search of the literature was undertaken of associations between improvements in a life domain and increased well-being or QoL. Ten domains (relationships, work, money, health, and leisure, mindfulness, self-esteem, resolution of past life events, mental style and life management skills) were identified. In view of the substantial evidence of the cumulative impact of these domains upon well-being, it is proposed that conducting a unidimensional clinical intervention that focuses only on the presenting issue is not sufficient. Implications and possible therapeutic pathways are discussed and it is recommended that practitioners include such QoL domains in their assessment, case formulation, and intervention planning.

Mental health impact of the COVID disaster on older people – how does it feel to be a burden?

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is a disaster that has impacted lives globally. The purpose of this paper is to understand the linkage between the COVID 19 disaster and its impact on mental health of older people 70+. To reach this aim we reviewed the literature on disasters, COVID and mental conditions of older people (70+). The mental responses of the COVID disaster are multidimensional and potentially long-lasting. Rates of mental conditions of older persons vary widely due to exposure to COVID, country, population groups and methods used when conducting the study. We identified a multitude of factors contributing to mental conditions in older people, in general. We identified COVID-19 specific factors which have an impact such as threat to own life and threat to life of loved ones, interruption of behaviors and services, and physical as well as social isolation. Additionally, in older age, life events and feelings of being a burden contribute to mental conditions. To better understand the long impact of the COVID disaster on older people`s mental health we need to understand also the impact of past life events which may exacerbate the impact of the COVID disaster on mental conditions as well the impact of the current exposure to the pandemic.

A predictive model for the ichnological suitability of the Jezero crater, Mars: searching for fossilized traces of life-substrate interactions in the 2020 Rover Mission Landing Site

Ichnofossils, the fossilized products of life-substrate interactions, are among the most abundant biosignatures on Earth and therefore they may provide scientific evidence of potential life that may have existed on Mars. Ichnofossils offer unique advantages in the search for extraterrestrial life, including the fact that they are resilient to processes that obliterate other evidence for past life, such as body fossils, as well as chemical and isotopic biosignatures. The goal of this paper is evaluating the suitability of the Mars 2020 Landing Site for ichnofossils. To this goal, we apply palaeontological predictive modelling, a technique used to forecast the location of fossil sites in uninvestigated areas on Earth. Accordingly, a geographic information system (GIS) of the landing site is developed. Each layer of the GIS maps the suitability for one or more ichnofossil types (bioturbation, bioerosion, biostratification structures) based on an assessment of a single attribute (suitability factor) of the Martian environment. Suitability criteria have been selected among the environmental attributes that control ichnofossil abundance and preservation in 18 reference sites on Earth. The goal of this research is delivered through three predictive maps showing which areas of the Mars 2020 Landing Site are more likely to preserve potential ichnofossils. On the basis of these maps, an ichnological strategy for the Perseverance rover is identified, indicating (1) 10 sites on Mars with high suitability for bioturbation, bioerosion and biostratification ichnofossils, (2) the ichnofossil types, if any, that are more likely to be present at each site, (3) the most efficient observation strategy for detecting eventual ichnofossils. The predictive maps and the ichnological strategy can be easily integrated in the existing plans for the exploration of the Jezero crater, realizing benefits in life-search efficiency and cost-reduction.