This study investigates the potential of rumination-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (RFCBT) to address core issues in adolescents with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Specifically, it examines RFCBT’s effectiveness in reducing internalized shame, negative interpretation biases, and rumination, which contribute significantly to their social anxiety. The present study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phase. The population of the study included all adolescents with SAD in Ahvaz, Iran, in 2023. The sample consisted of 48 adolescents with SAD who were selected using convenience sampling and then randomly assigned to either the RFCBT group or the control group (24 participants per group). The research instruments included the Social Anxiety Questionnaire, the Child Internalized Shame Scale, the Interpretation Bias Questionnaire, and the Rumination Response Scale (RRS). Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse the data. The findings indicate that RFCBT had a significant effect on reducing internalized shame, interpretation bias, and rumination (p<0.01) in adolescents with SAD, with results maintained at follow-up. This study adds to the evidence that RFCBT can be helpful for anxiety disorders in adolescents. RFCBT seems to work by addressing negative self-views, biased interpretations, and repetitive negative thinking patterns. More research is needed to determine if these benefits are sustained long-term and if RFCBT can improve social skills and overall well-being for adolescents with social anxiety.

This study examines the intricate relationship between financial development, institutional quality and environmental efficiency. While financial development has the potential to support environmental sustainability, concerns remain regarding its unintended negative effects through unchecked economic expansion. The objective of this research is to investigate how financial development affects environmental efficiency and to assess the moderating role of institutional quality, particularly when financial development proxies reflect financial market accessibility and efficiency. Using a directional distance function within a stochastic frontier framework and incorporating multiple financial development indicators alongside measures of institutional quality, we find that financial development significantly reduces environmental inefficiency, with institutional quality strengthening this effect. These results highlight the importance of policy approaches that simultaneously enhance financial development and institutional quality. Furthermore, our findings support targeted initiatives such as promoting green finance, building institutional capacity and investing in research and data infrastructure to inform evidence-based policymaking for sustainable development.

Questions about race and representation often hinge on the public’s beliefs about which policies affect different communities, yet there is limited evidence on how these associations are actually perceived. Using a nationally representative survey experiment, we examine how the issue priorities of political candidates shape perceptions of who they represent. Most policy areas are perceived to benefit White Americans; only a few, especially criminal justice and poverty, are strongly associated with African Americans. We also show that perceptions of candidate ideology and race correlate with perceptions of Black representation, but mediation analysis reveals that criminal justice is associated with Black representation above and beyond ideological inferences. Finally, analyzing nearly 200,000 congressional newsletters and find that while race is rarely explicitly mentioned, Black Americans are most frequently referenced in the context of criminal justice and poverty. Together, these results underscore how race-policy associations operate through both public perception and elite messaging, shaping broader understandings of political representation.

We study the bilateral preference graphs $\mathit{LK}(n, k)$ of La and Kabkab, obtained as follows. Put independent and uniform [0, 1] weights on the edges of the complete graph $K_n$. Then, each edge (i, j) is included in $\mathit{LK}(n,k)$ if it is bilaterally preferred, in the sense that it is among the k edges of lowest weight incident to vertex i, and among the k edges of lowest weight incident to vertex j. We show that $k = \log(n)$ is the connectivity threshold, solving a conjecture of La and Kabkab, and obtaining finer results about the window. We also investigate the asymptotic behavior of the average degree of vertices in $\mathit{LK}(n, k)$ as $n\rightarrow\infty$.

Procolophonidae, a clade of stem reptiles, are hypothesized to be some of the first highly specialized herbivores to evolve following the end-Permian mass extinction event. That hypothesis is largely based on qualitative observations of tooth shape, which are highly subjective and not generalizable. Quantitative studies of reptilian tooth shape have employed relatively sophisticated methods to capture tooth complexity, but these approaches often require expensive equipment and software and are time intensive. In this study, we built a predictive model based on extant lizards to quantitatively predict the diets of procolophonids using simple measures of tooth morphology. We use linear discriminant analysis (LDA) to predict dietary ecology from tooth dimensions and phylogenetic MANOVA to test for significant differences in tooth dimensions for different diet categories. We report two key findings: (1) procolophonids are largely predicted as herbivorous but occupy a different area of the LDA space from extant lizards, and (2) simple metrics return similar results as complex methods, but with less confidence. We hypothesize that Triassic flora posed different mechanical and processing challenges from modern plants, which contributed to the unique tooth morphologies of procolophonids and likely other Triassic taxa.

This study examines continuity and changes across contextual insecurities (intimate partner violence, material hardship) and relational adversities (parenting stress, maternal depression) from infancy to preschool years and explores their long-term influence on young adults’ mental health at age 22. The sample was drawn from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 4,677; 52.3% male, 21.2% White, 47.77% Black, 27.15% Latinx, 3.88% Other). The multidimensional growth mixture model identified five trajectory classes: Low Adversity, High-Stable Parenting Stress, High-Increasing Material Hardship, High-Decreasing IPV, and Multidimensional Persistent Adversity. Young adults in the Multidimensional Persistent Adversity and High-Decreasing IPV classes reported higher depression and anxiety than those in the Low Adversity or High-Stable Parenting Stress classes. Findings highlight the need for tailored early intervention to alleviate chronic and multidimensional adversities within family systems. It also emphasizes implementing trauma-informed intervention programs to support emerging adults’ mental health and thriving.

This article examines the structure and role of the Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) in rural Ulster in 1922. It is argued the actions of the USC during this period have not received sufficient academic or public attention. The origins and organisational structure of the Specials are considered and it is claimed that the force’s decentralised make-up made it almost impossible to control. In terms of personnel, access to newly released archives gives unique insight into the force. Traditional assumptions about the connection between the pre-war Ulster Volunteer Force and the USC are questioned. Furthermore, it is found that few ‘B’ Specials had prior service with the British army. Overall, it is concluded that the Specials were an almost exclusively Protestant force made up of inexperienced and at times ill-disciplined recruits, most of whom were ill-suited to any policing role. Furthermore, it is argued that the Specials played a significant role in shaping post-partition identities in Northern Ireland.

Social isolation and loneliness are concerns in gerontology. The impact of the human–animal interaction (HAI) on loneliness for older adults living alone is understudied. This scoping review explored the extent to which HAI is included in studies investigating social connectedness, specifically social isolation and loneliness, and if HAI bolsters healthy aging through increased perceived support. Following the PRISMA-ScR protocol, data from 58 articles were thematically categorized, identifying (a) existing inclusion of HAI; (b) definitions and descriptions of HAI; and (c) the relationships between HAI and loneliness outcomes, in social connectedness research. Studies including HAI (animal companions and animal-assisted interventions) have increased over time; many noting protection against loneliness and few noting health detriments. Older adults overwhelmingly consider interactions with companion animals as meaningful relationships, whether living at home or in care. Substantial knowledge gaps exist concerning the influence of HAI on perceived social connectedness for older adults living alone.

A stratigraphic section made of Quaternary alluvial–lacustrine sediments belonging to the Baza Formation (South Spain) has been logged and studied for paleomagnetism, rock magnetic cyclostratigraphy, and electron spin resonance (ESR) quartz dating. Our results indicate that the section, which is found in the vicinity of a number of paleontological and archaeological localities, falls within the mid-Early Pleistocene (Calabrian), within the Matuyama Chron, and runs to the Jaramillo Subchron, encompassing the Cobb Mountain Subchron. The magnetostratigraphic results combined with rock magnetic cyclostratigraphy and ESR provide solid timelines, which allow gross accumulation rates to be estimated, and revealing an upsection decrease of sedimentation in accordance with the lithological and paleodepositional changes. Our study furnishes new chronologies to better understand the timing of the latest stages of endorheic sedimentation that precedes the capture of the Baza Basin by the Gualdalquivir River in the Middle Pleistocene.