Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Behavioral Consequences of Embeddedness

Network structures have strong effects on the frequency and terms of negotiated exchanges, shaping who exchanges with whom and who fares better or worse. In this study we ask how exchange patterns of commitment and inequality are affected when negotiated exchanges are combined with reciprocal exchanges in more complex relationships of embeddedness. Drawing on the organizational literature on embeddedness and economic performance and the social exchange literature on forms of exchange and integrative bonds, we predict that embedding negotiated exchanges in a relationship of reciprocal exchange will increase the strength of behavioral commitments and reduce the effects of structural power differences on inequality. We base these predictions on two theoretical mechanisms that link forms of exchange to bonds of attachment: the relational climate of trust and solidarity created by reciprocal exchange, and the more cooperative task structure of negotiated exchange. A laboratory experiment provides substantial support for our logic and predictions.
Genetic Fate Mapping Reveals That the Caudal Ganglionic Eminence Produces a Large and Diverse Population of Superficial Cortical Interneurons

By combining an inducible genetic fate mapping strategy with electrophysiological analysis, we have systematically characterized the populations of cortical GABAergic interneurons that originate from the caudal ganglionic eminence (CGE). Interestingly, compared with medial ganglionic eminence (MGE)-derived cortical interneuron populations, the initiation [embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5)] and peak production (E16.5) of interneurons from this embryonic structure occurs 3 d later in development. Moreover, unlike either pyramidal cells or MGE-derived cortical interneurons, CGE-derived interneurons do not integrate into the cortex in an inside-out manner but preferentially (75%) occupy superficial cortical layers independent of birthdate. In contrast to previous estimates, CGE-derived interneurons are both considerably greater in number (∼30% of all cortical interneurons) and diversity (comprised by at least nine distinct subtypes). Furthermore, we found that a large proportion of CGE-derived interneurons, including the neurogliaform subtype, express the glycoprotein Reelin. In fact, most CGE-derived cortical interneurons express either Reelin or vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. Thus, in conjunction with previous studies, we have now determined the spatial and temporal origins of the vast majority of cortical interneuron subtypes.
Advisor : Professor Carter Helping Others to Help Business ?

There has been substantial growth in the level of charitable giving by firms, with many corporations hoping to attract new customers through an increase in social responsibility. This paper investigated the effect of this increase in corporate giving on sales using a fixed effects panel method. An investigation for the years 2001-2007 found no significant relationship between corporate giving and sales.
Fate Mapping and Lineage Analyses Demonstrate the Production of a Large Number of Striatal Neuroblasts After Transforming Growth Factor α and Noggin Striatal Infusions into the Dopamine‐Depleted Striatum

Infusion of transforming growth factor α (TGFα) into the adult dopamine (DA)‐depleted striatum generates a local population of nestin+/proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)+ newborn cells. The precise origin and fate of these new striatal cells are unknown, making it difficult to direct them for neural repair in Parkinson's disease. Experiments in rats using 5‐bromo‐2′‐deoxyuridine (BrdU) to label neural progenitor cells showed that during TGFα infusion in the DA‐depleted striatum, newborn striatal cells formed a homogeneous population of precursors, with the majority coexpressing nestin, Mash1, Olig2, and epidermal growth factor receptor, consistent with the phenotype of multipotent C cells. Upon TGFα pump withdrawal, the subventricular zone (SVZ) was repopulated by neuroblasts. Strikingly, during this period, numerous clusters of doublecortin+/polysialylated neuronal cell adhesion molecule+ neuroblasts were also produced in the ipsilateral medial striatum. In parallel, striatal BrdU+/glial fibrillary acidic protein+ astrocytes were generated, but no BrdU+/O4+/CNPase+ oligodendrocytes were generated. Infusion of the neuralizing bone morphogenetic protein antagonist noggin after TGFα pump withdrawal increased the neuroblast‐to‐astrocyte ratio among new striatal cells by blocking glial differentiation but did not alter striatal neurogenesis. At no time or treatment condition were differentiated neurons generated, including DA neurons. Using 6‐hydroxydopamine‐lesioned nestin‐CreERT2/R26R‐YFP mice that allow genetic fate‐mapping of SVZ nestin+ cells, we show that TGFα‐generated striatal cells originate from SVZ nestin+ precursors that confirmed data from the rats on the phenotype and fate of striatal nestin+/PCNA+ cells upon TGFα withdrawal. This work demonstrates that a large population of multipotent striatal C‐like cells can be generated in the DA‐depleted striatum that do not spontaneously differentiate into DA neurons.
Oscillations and spike statistics in biophysical attractor networks

Nested oscillations, where the phase of the underlying slow rhythm modulates the power of faster oscillations, have recently attracted considerable research attention as the increased phase-coupling of cross-frequency oscillations has been shown to relate to memory processes. Here we investigate the hypothesis that reactivations of memory patterns, induced by either external stimuli or internal dynamics, are manifested as distributed cell assemblies oscillating at gamma-like frequencies with life-times on a theta scale. For this purpose, we study the spatiotemporal oscillatory dynamics of a previously developed meso-scale attractor network model as a correlate of its memory function. The focus is on a hierarchical nested organization of neural oscillations in delta/theta (2–5 Hz) and gamma frequency bands (25–35 Hz), and in some conditions even in lower alpha band (8–12 Hz), which emerge in the synthesized field potentials during attractor memory retrieval. We also examine spiking behavior of the network in close relation to oscillations. Despite highly irregular firing during memory retrieval and random connectivity within each cell assembly, we observe precise spatiotemporal firing patterns that repeat across memory activations at a rate higher than expected from random firing. In contrast to earlier studies aimed at modeling neural oscillations, our attractor memory network allows us to elaborate on the functional context of emerging rhythms and discuss their relevance. We provide support for the hypothesis that the dynamics of coherent delta/theta oscillations constitute an important aspect of the formation and replay of neuronal assemblies.
Investigating the Role for IL-21 in Rabies Virus Vaccine-induced Immunity

Over two-thirds of the world's population lives in regions where rabies is endemic, resulting in over 15 million people receiving multi-dose post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and over 55,000 deaths per year globally. A major goal in rabies virus (RABV) research is to develop a single-dose PEP that would simplify vaccination protocols, reduce costs associated with RABV prevention, and save lives. Protection against RABV infections requires virus neutralizing antibodies; however, factors influencing the development of protective RABV-specific B cell responses remain to be elucidated. Here we used a mouse model of IL-21 receptor-deficiency (IL-21R−/−) to characterize the role for IL-21 in RABV vaccine-induced immunity. IL-21R−/− mice immunized with a low dose of a live recombinant RABV-based vaccine (rRABV) produced only low levels of primary or secondary anti-RABV antibody response while wild-type mice developed potent anti-RABV antibodies. Furthermore, IL-21R−/− mice immunized with low-dose rRABV were only minimally protected against pathogenic RABV challenge, while all wild-type mice survived challenge, indicating that IL-21R signaling is required for antibody production in response to low-dose RABV-based vaccination. IL-21R−/− mice immunized with a higher dose of vaccine produced suboptimal anti-RABV primary antibody responses, but showed potent secondary antibodies and protection similar to wild-type mice upon challenge with pathogenic RABV, indicating that IL-21 is dispensable for secondary antibody responses to live RABV-based vaccines when a primary response develops. Furthermore, we show that IL-21 is dispensable for the generation of Tfh cells and memory B cells in the draining lymph nodes of immunized mice but is required for the detection of optimal GC B cells or plasma cells in the lymph node or bone marrow, respectively, in a vaccine dose-dependent manner. Collectively, our preliminary data show that IL-21 is critical for the development of optimal vaccine-induced primary but not secondary antibody responses against RABV infections.
An Evaluation of Local Government Websites in New Zealand

Abstract The study assesses the effectiveness of New Zealand local government Websites in providing equitable and appropriate access to government information. All local government Websites that could be identified were evaluated using 37 criteria, and visitors to approximately half of these sites were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the effectiveness of the sites. Results show that although there is a good range of information provided on the better sites, some smaller regional or district councils sites provide little in the way of basic information to their citizens. The study also found a limited range of transactional services available on New Zealand local government Websites, and a widespread lack of disabled-enabled access to sites, along with poor provision for user privacy and security. User comments focused on the need for more information and more up-to-date information to be provided, and better search facilities on sites. Although over 90% of users approached a particular site see.
Humor, Self-Attitude, Emotions, and Cognitions in Group Art Therapy With War Veterans

Abstract This article presents findings from a study of the therapeutic effects of group art therapy in a psychotherapy unit of a Russian hospital for war veterans. The researchers randomly assigned 112 veterans being treated for stress-related disorders to an experimental group (art therapy) and a control group. The emphasis was on the use of humor in the Draw A Story assessment and the Silver Drawing Test with respect to cognition, emotions, creativity, and self-image. Findings included a high frequency of humorous responses in both groups, and an increase of humor in the art therapy group post treatment. Results suggest that image formation and artistic activity foster cognitive and creative problem solving and increased self-esteem, and that humor serves as an important therapeutic function in this population.
Correlation of tear inflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases with four dry eye diagnostic tests.

PURPOSE Tear cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) can be extracted from the Schirmer strip. This study examined the extracted levels of tear cytokines and MMPs from Schirmer strips and potential correlation with Schirmer's test, tear breakup time (TBUT), tear osmolarity, and ocular surface disease index (OSDI). METHODS Thirty healthy volunteers were clinically evaluated for known methods to diagnose dry eye disease, including Schirmer's test, tear osmolarity, OSDI, and TBUT. Tears were collected by Schirmer strips and proteins were extracted from the Schirmer strip in 0.5 M NaCl with 0.5% Tween 20 and analyzed using multiplex assay kits to examine cytokines or MMPs. Calculated cytokine and MMP concentrations for all samples were sorted into groups according to a positive or negative for each of the above-cited four dry eye diagnostic tests, individually and in combination. RESULTS Five inflammatory cytokines (IL-1α, -1β, -6, -8, and TNF-α) and five MMPs (MMPs 1, 2, 7, 9, and 10) were extracted from clinical Schirmer strips. Schirmer strip measurement and tear osmolarity correlated well with increased concentrations of the inflammatory cytokines and MMPs, whereas TBUT and OSDI did not. CONCLUSIONS Both the Schirmer's test and tear osmolarity may be more relevant to the clinician in the diagnosis of ocular surface diseases with an increased level of inflammatory mediators.
Brief Report: Discriminating Between Problems in Living: An Examination of Measures of Depression, Loneliness, Shyness, and Social Anxiety

The relationships between depression, loneliness, shyness, and social anxiety were examined in a self-report questionnaire study. Standard measures of these constructs were obtained from 302 undergraduates. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were conducted to test several different models of these measures. The results indicated that: (1) the shyness and social anxiety scales measured the same construct, (2) the resulting three measures (depression, loneliness, shyness/social anxiety) are moderately interrelated, and (3) several items in the standard scales load too highly on one or more unpredicted factors. The importance of obtaining factorially pure measures of these problems in living, and possible modifications to the scales, are discussed.
Using Potential Outcomes to Understand Causal Mediation Analysis: Comment on Maxwell, Cole, and Mitchell (2011)

In this commentary, we demonstrate how the potential outcomes framework can help understand the key identification assumptions underlying causal mediation analysis. We show that this framework can lead to the development of alternative research design and statistical analysis strategies applicable to the longitudinal data settings considered by Maxwell, Cole, and Mitchell (2011). We begin our discussion by congratulating Maxwell et al. (2011, hereafter MCM) for providing a thought-provoking paper that tackles the challenging problem of conducting mediation analysis in longitudinal settings. As MCM clearly demonstrates, while mediation analysis plays an essential role in psychological research, conducting such an analysis requires researchers to understand the underlying assumptions and adopt appropriate statistical analysis and research design strategies. In this commentary, we use the potential outcomes framework to highlight the fundamental issues that arise in mediation analysis. Although MCM did not use it, we believe that this framework helps researchers to better understand the advantages and disadvantages of various mediation analysis methods. Within this framework, we discuss the values of longitudinal data for mediation analysis and offer alternative approaches to the method proposed by MCM. The work and ideas we describe here are connected to other recent work in mediation analysis and represent a bridging of two literatures. Holland (1988) explored possible assumptions necessary to make causal inferences in the mediation analysis context more than two decades ago
Azelnidipine plus olmesartan versus amlodipine plus olmesartan on arterial stiffness and cardiac function in hypertensive patients: a randomized trial

Purpose To compare the long-term effects of olmesartan combined with either azelnidipine or amlodipine on central blood pressure (CBP), left ventricular (LV) mass index (LVMI), LV diastolic function (e′ velocity, E/e′ ratio, E/A ratio) and arterial stiffness (brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity [baPWV] and augmentation index normalized for a heart rate of 75 bpm [AIx]). Patients and methods Patients with systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg received olmesartan monotherapy (20 mg/day) for 12 weeks. They were then randomly assigned to fixed-dose add-on therapy with azelnidipine (16 mg/day; n = 26) or amlodipine (5 mg/day; n = 26) for a further 2 years. CBP, LVMI, e′ velocity, E/e′ ratio, E/A ratio, baPWV, and AIx were measured at baseline, 6 months, and 2 years. Results Baseline characteristics of both groups were similar. The decrease in brachial BP over 2 years was similar in both groups. CBP, LVMI, E/e′ ratio, baPWV, and AIx decreased significantly, and the E/A ratio and e′ velocity increased significantly in both groups. The decreases in CBP (P < 0.001), AIx (P < 0.001), baPWV (P < 0.001), LVMI (P < 0.001), and E/e′ (P = 0.002) as well as the increase in E/A ratio (P = 0.03) over 2 years were significantly greater in the olmesartan/azelnidipine group than in the olmesartan/amlodipine group. Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that the changes in baPWV (β = 0.41, P < 0.001) and CBP (β = 0.47, P = 0.01) were independently associated with the change in LVMI, the change in baPWV (β = 0.25, P < 0.001) was independently associated with the change in E/e′ ratio, and the changes in baPWV (β = 0.21, P = 0.001) and AIx (β = 0.25, P = 0.03) were independently associated with the change in E/A ratio. Conclusion Treatment with olmesartan/azelnidipine for 2 years resulted in greater improvements in CBP, LVMI, and LV diastolic function, and arterial stiffness compared with olmesartan/amlodipine. Improvements in LV diastolic function were associated with improvements in arterial stiffness.
Parenting and Infant Temperament amongst Pakistani Women Living in the UK According to Country of Birth: Results from the Born in Bradford Cohort Study

Some parenting behaviours and child characteristics can result in future behavioural problems. Relatively little is known about parenting behaviours in Pakistani-origin women, and how the timing of migration to the United Kingdom might affect such behaviours. We analysed differences in parenting behaviours and six-month infant temperament by mothers' country of birth in a contemporary community cohort, Born in Bradford. We analysed data on 587 women of Pakistani origin and their infants by maternal country of birth. We used logistic regression to assess differences by country of birth on the most problematic quintile of psychometrically equivalised self-reported parental self-efficacy, warmth and hostility, and children's temperament using two domains of the Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (fussy/difficult and unadaptable). We adjusted for psychological distress, socio-demographic variables, questionnaire language, and child temperament in the parenting models. We also compared the self-rating of parental confidence. There was some evidence that mothers born in Pakistan were more likely to report a higher hostile style of parenting, which was associated with being in the United Kingdom for a shorter period/not using English. Mothers born in Pakistan were more likely to have greater confidence in their abilities as parents. Infants of women born in the United Kingdom were more likely to be classified as unadaptable. We saw little evidence of difference in parental warmth and self-efficacy. Our analyses indicate some potential differences in parenting behaviours in women of Pakistani origin living in the United Kingdom by country of birth, which may be related to acculturation. Further work is needed to understand how parenting practices are learned and applied in recent migrants.
Academization of social work in Sweden and China

All professions with claims to status and trustworthiness must build a knowledge base of their own. This article is the product of over 10 years of study of social work research. It explores the academization of Swedish social work according to three phases: the establishment of a social work discipline, the consolidation of the discipline, and the challenges ahead. It also examines the challenges facing doctoral research in the social work discipline in China. The establishment of the discipline depends on stakeholders both within the academic sphere and outside it. Social work is a discipline that must achieve legitimacy in both the academic context and the political/professional context. 摘要：专业的地位与诚信来自于自身知识体系的建设。 本文基于对社会工作研究十多年的考察，从三个阶段探讨瑞典社会工作的学术化：社会工作专业建立期、社会工作专业巩固期及未来的挑战。 本文也检视了中国社会工作专业在博士生层面的研究所面对的挑战。 专业的建立依赖于学术领域内外两方面的利益相关者，社会工作专业合法性的获得需要同时考虑学术领域以及政治/专业领域的相关背景。
Abuse in Old Age-Epidemiological Data from Finland

The occurence of abuse in old age, the types and places of abuse, and the factors related to it were investigated by interviewing a population aged 65 years or over living in a semi-rural Finnish community. Three percent of the men and 9% of the women said that they had been abused after the age of retirement. Forty-six percent of the abused men and 75% of the abused women had been ill-treated by their spouse, child or other relatives. Friends and unknown persons were more often the abusers in the male cases (54%) but not in the female ones (22%). A common place for this abuse to occur was the elderly person's own home, both among the men (46%) and the women (82%); another 46% of the abused men said that it had happened in the streets, a shop, or an official building. Physical and psychological violence were the most prevalent types of abuse for both sexes. The abused individuals were characterized by poor health, lack of confidants, loneliness, poor satisfaction with life, and poor family relations.
The development of T and non-T cell lineages from CD34+ human thymic precursors can be traced by the differential expression of CD44

In addition to T-lineage cells, a small proportion of hematopoietic non- T cells are present in the human postnatal thymus. However, the origin of this minor non-T cell thymic compartment is presently unknown. In this study we have analyzed the developmental potential of the earliest human intrathymic precursors, characterized as CD34+ cells expressing intermediate levels of CD44. We show that these CD34+CD44int thymocytes cultured with interleukin 7 were able to develop simultaneously into both T- and non-T (monocytes and dendritic cells) -lineage cells. Both developmental pathways progress through a CD1+CD4+ intermediate stage, currently believed to be the immediate precursor of double positive thymocytes. However, separate progenitors for either T or non-T cells could be characterized within CD1+CD4+ thymocytes by their opposite expression of CD44. Downregulated levels of CD44 identified CD1+CD4+ T- lineage precursors, whereas CD44 upregulation occurred on CD1+CD4+ intermediates that later differentiated into non-T cells. Therefore, commitment of human early intrathymic precursors to either T or non-T cell lineages can be traced by the differential expression of the CD44 receptor.
Choral Student Perceptions of Effective Motivation Strategies

The purpose of this study is to determine differences in choral students’ perceptions of motivation strategies. A survey provided the opportunity for students (N = 515) to identify effective motivation techniques. Students identified director/ student attention and knowledge of results as being highly effective, interest as being effective, and task achievement and level of concern as being somewhat effective in enhancing student motivation. Significant differences, compared by gender and grade level, were identified for several motivation strategies. Implications for choral music educators who wish to enhance their ability to motivate students to learn are provided, as are recommendations for further research.