Latest news with #UCLA
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Loving mothers key to good mental health
Having a loving mother in childhood could be key to a life of physical and mental health benefits, research has claimed. Experts found that young children who had experienced more affection and 'maternal warmth' – defined as more praise, a positive tone of voice and acts of affection – were more likely to feel socially safe and happy as teenagers. The study, led by the University of California in Los Angeles, looked at children's experiences of maternal warmth at three years old and how this affected their perceptions of social safety – their view of the world, other people and where they fit in – by the age of 14. It also found that the greater feeling of social security at 14 was in turn linked to better physical and mental well-being at 17, according to the findings. While greater maternal warmth has previously been linked to better health throughout life, the authors said the mechanisms underlying those associations had been unclear. Dr Jenna Alley, the lead author, said one possibility was that 'interpersonal experiences' early in life affected whether children perceived the social world as safe or threatening, accepting or rejecting and supportive or dismissive. The perceptions developed over time into mental frameworks, called social safety schemas, that help people interpret, organise, and make predictions about social situations and relationships. She said a person's 'social safety schema is the lens through which you view every social interaction you have', adding: 'In a way, these schemas represent your core beliefs about the world, what you can expect from it, and how you fit in.' The study is the first to track how maternal warmth in early childhood is related to perceptions of social safety in mid-adolescence, and how perceptions of social safety influence physical and mental health as people near adulthood. Data from more than 8,500 British children assessed as part of the long-term Millennium Cohort Study were examined. Independent evaluators visited the children at home at age three and assessed how their mothers interacted with them, whether it was warm, praising and positive, or harsher, with physical restraining or grabbing of the child. At age 14, the teenagers social safety 'schemas' were measured with questions such as: 'Do I have family and friends who help me feel safe, secure and happy?' The children then reported on their overall physical health, psychiatric problems and psychological distress at age 17. Fewer problems The findings showed that children with mothers exhibiting more maternal warmth in early childhood perceived the world as being more socially safe at age 14, and had fewer physical health problems, less psychological distress and fewer psychiatric problems at age 17. However, the scientists said opposite was not true, with their no evidence linking children who treated more 'harshly' to worse perceptions of the world or health. Dr Alley said the stronger impact of maternal warmth on a child's development was important because it had implications for how to best intervene. She said: 'The findings tell the story of resilience. Namely, it's not just about stopping the negative things like poor care but about putting effort toward enhancing the positives like warmth and safety. 'It also important to know that people who have experienced poor care during childhood are not doomed; if we focus on their perceptions of the world, we can greatly improve their lives.' 'A powerful message' Dr George Slavich, a senior author and director of the Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research at UCLA, said: 'These are the first results we know of showing that maternal warmth can affect the health and wellbeing of kids years later by influencing how they think about the social world. 'That is a powerful message, because although early-life circumstances are not always easy to change, we can help youth view others and their future in a more positive light.' The research team said warmth from fathers was not analysed because there was insufficient information from dads in the Millennium Cohort Study. Dr Alley said preliminary research suggests that the quality of care that fathers provide also predicts child outcomes, and should be a focus of future studies. The study was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
NBC Sports
10 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Novak Djokovic bothered by weather in French Open first-round win
PARIS — Novak Djokovic experienced the lowest of lows — pulling out of the French Open after tearing the meniscus in his right knee — and the highest of highs — winning a long-sought Olympic gold medal for Serbia — at Roland-Garros last year. This trip to the site went smoothly, once he got going. Other than some first-set interruptions by, and lengthy discussions about, the windy, wet weather, the 24-time major champion was unbothered during a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over 98th-ranked Mackie McDonald of the United States at Court Philippe-Chatrier in the first round. 'He makes it seem like a video game, almost, for him,' said McDonald, a 30-year-old Californian who played college tennis at UCLA and twice has been to the fourth round at Grand Slam tournaments. 'He's able to just do so much. I don't even think he was playing his best tennis or his highest level. But if I pushed him to a different point, he would bring it up.' One example: When McDonald earned his first break points, getting to love-40 at 3-2 in the second set, Djokovic came up with three big serves, a 120 mph (193 kph) ace, a 123 mph (199 kph) ace and a 122 mph (197 kph) service winner. Djokovic compiled 32 winners — 18 more than McDonald — and just 20 unforced errors in a match that eventually was played with the lights on and the retractable roof closed. 'I'm a competitor, and losing stings,' McDonald said, 'but playing Novak on that court is something I'll remember.' Before Djokovic, who just turned 38 and won his 100th career title last weekend, walked onto the playing surface, he was identified by the stadium announcer by his total number of Slam trophies, the three he's won at the French Open, and the Summer Games gold he won 'here in Paris.' 'I still remember last year's Olympic Games. It was the last time I was here,' Djokovic said afterward. 'The emotion is very strong.' The medal that means so much to him? 'I don't have the medal with me. But I have a picture of the medal in my bag,' he said. 'The medal is with my father. My dad likes trophies more than I do, so I gave him mine.' What else happened at the French Open on Tuesday? Once Coco Gauff found her rackets — a relatively important piece of equipment for a tennis player — all was well for her in the first round. Gauff showed up on court, opened her bag and peered inside to find it was missing her rackets. The start of the warmup was delayed, but then everything went Gauff's way, and the 2023 U.S. Open champion got past Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2. Other winners included the No. 3 seeds, Jessica Pegula and Alexander Zverev, and 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, but 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who was seeded 11th, lost to Cam Norrie 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5 across nearly four hours. Other seeded men were sent home when 18-year-old João Fonseca dispatched No. 30 Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, and when No. 16 Grigor Dimitrov quit while leading American qualifier Ethan Quinn two sets to one. This is the fourth consecutive major tournament at which Dimitrov retired. Who is playing at Roland-Garros on Wednesday? The second round begins on Day 4, with a schedule that includes defending champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini and two-time finalist Casper Ruud. Swiatek meets 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in the day session's last match in the main stadium.
NBC Sports
10 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Novak Djokovic bothered by weather in first-round win
PARIS — Novak Djokovic experienced the lowest of lows — pulling out of the French Open after tearing the meniscus in his right knee — and the highest of highs — winning a long-sought Olympic gold medal for Serbia — at Roland-Garros last year. This trip to the site went smoothly, once he got going. Other than some first-set interruptions by, and lengthy discussions about, the windy, wet weather, the 24-time major champion was unbothered during a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over 98th-ranked Mackie McDonald of the United States at Court Philippe-Chatrier in the first round. 'He makes it seem like a video game, almost, for him,' said McDonald, a 30-year-old Californian who played college tennis at UCLA and twice has been to the fourth round at Grand Slam tournaments. 'He's able to just do so much. I don't even think he was playing his best tennis or his highest level. But if I pushed him to a different point, he would bring it up.' One example: When McDonald earned his first break points, getting to love-40 at 3-2 in the second set, Djokovic came up with three big serves, a 120 mph (193 kph) ace, a 123 mph (199 kph) ace and a 122 mph (197 kph) service winner. Djokovic compiled 32 winners — 18 more than McDonald — and just 20 unforced errors in a match that eventually was played with the lights on and the retractable roof closed. 'I'm a competitor, and losing stings,' McDonald said, 'but playing Novak on that court is something I'll remember.' Before Djokovic, who just turned 38 and won his 100th career title last weekend, walked onto the playing surface, he was identified by the stadium announcer by his total number of Slam trophies, the three he's won at the French Open, and the Summer Games gold he won 'here in Paris.' 'I still remember last year's Olympic Games. It was the last time I was here,' Djokovic said afterward. 'The emotion is very strong.' The medal that means so much to him? 'I don't have the medal with me. But I have a picture of the medal in my bag,' he said. 'The medal is with my father. My dad likes trophies more than I do, so I gave him mine.' What else happened at the French Open on Tuesday? Once Coco Gauff found her rackets — a relatively important piece of equipment for a tennis player — all was well for her in the first round. Gauff showed up on court, opened her bag and peered inside to find it was missing her rackets. The start of the warmup was delayed, but then everything went Gauff's way, and the 2023 U.S. Open champion got past Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2. Other winners included the No. 3 seeds, Jessica Pegula and Alexander Zverev, and 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, but 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who was seeded 11th, lost to Cam Norrie 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5 across nearly four hours. Other seeded men were sent home when 18-year-old João Fonseca dispatched No. 30 Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, and when No. 16 Grigor Dimitrov quit while leading American qualifier Ethan Quinn two sets to one. This is the fourth consecutive major tournament at which Dimitrov retired. Who is playing at Roland-Garros on Wednesday? The second round begins on Day 4, with a schedule that includes defending champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini and two-time finalist Casper Ruud. Swiatek meets 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in the day session's last match in the main stadium.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
UCLA med school accused of discriminating against white, Asian applicants
[Source] A federal lawsuit filed against UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine claims that the institution continues to consider race in its admissions process, illegally discriminating against white and Asian applicants and violating the Supreme Court's 2023 ban on affirmative action in higher education. The allegations The class action suit, which was filed on May 8 and first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, was brought by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) — the nonprofit that successfully challenged Harvard's affirmative action program — along with Do No Harm and Kelly Mahoney, a white woman applicant who scored in the 96th percentile on the MCAT but was rejected. The complaint alleges that under Associate Dean for Admissions Jennifer Lucero — who became dean in 2020 — the school uses 'holistic' review processes to determine applicants' race through essays and interviews, then uses that information to make admission decisions. Citing multiple whistleblowers, the suit claims that Lucero 'berates and belittles committee members who raise concerns about admitting minority students because of their race despite low GPAs and MCAT scores.' In one alleged 2021 meeting, Lucero allegedly said that the candidate's scores should not matter 'because we need people like this in the medical school,' referencing high mortality rates among African American women as justification for prioritizing Black applicants. Trending on NextShark: The big picture The suit argues its case with numbers. While white and Asian students typically comprised around 73% of the medical school's applicants between 2020 and 2023, their percentage among matriculants dropped from 65.7% in 2020 to 53.7% in 2023, as per the complaint. Black students made up 14.29% of matriculants in 2023 despite being only 7.86% of applicants, while Asian applicants constituted 40.79% of the pool but only 29.71% of matriculants. The legal challenge represents the latest test of the Supreme Court's 2023 SFFA v. Harvard decision, which ruled race-based admissions unconstitutional. It also comes amid broader scrutiny of UCLA by the Trump administration: the Department of Health and Human Services launched an investigation into its medical school in March for potential race-based discrimination, while the Department of Justice announced that it would examine UCLA and other UC campuses for 'illegal DEI policies.' Additionally, UCLA is one of 60 universities under Department of Education investigation for anti-Semitic harassment following campus protests. Trending on NextShark: This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we're building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Trending on NextShark: Subscribe here now! Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
USA Today
13 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
USC officially wins 2024-2025 Crosstown Cup over UCLA
USC officially wins 2024-2025 Crosstown Cup over UCLA USC beats UCLA in the 23rd Crosstown Cup competition, takes 14-9 lead in the series It's official: Los Angeles is a Trojans town once again. On Tuesday, USC officially clinched the Crosstown Cup over rival UCLA for the 2024-2025 athletics season. This marks the 23rd year of the Crosstown Cup competition. The Trojans have now won the title 14 times, with UCLA claiming it the remaining nine. In the four most popular sports, the playing field between the two schools was dead even. USC won the annual football rivalry game, while UCLA took both meetings in men's basketball. In women's basketball, the Trojans took both regular season matchups to win the Big Ten regular season title, but the Bruins got their revenge in the conference tournament championship game, defeating USC to cut down the nets in Indianapolis. On the baseball diamond, the two schools split their four meetings 2-2. Both schools will compete in the NCAA Tournament beginning this week, with UCLA hosting a regional and USC traveling north to compete in the Corvallis regional. This year marked the first time competing in the Big Ten for both schools. As college sports enters a new era, both USC and UCLA are looking to continue their rich tradition of athletic success in a new conference.
