Calcium signaling in mitral cell dendrites of olfactory bulbs of neonatal rats and mice during olfactory nerve Stimulation and beta-adrenoceptor activation

Synapses formed by the olfactory nerve (ON) provide the source of excitatory synaptic input onto mitral cells (MC) in the olfactory bulb. These synapses, which relay odor-specific inputs, are confined to the distally tufted single primary dendrites of MCs, the first stage of central olfactory processing. beta-adrenergic modulation of electrical and chemical signaling at these synapses may be involved in early odor preference learning. To investigate this possibility, we combined electrophysiological recordings with calcium imaging in olfactory bulb slices prepared from neonatal rats and mice. Activation of ON-MC synapses induced postsynaptic potentials, which were associated with large postsynaptic calcium transients. Neither electrical nor calcium responses were affected by beta-adrenergic agonists or antagonist. Immunocytochemical analysis of MCs and their tufted dendrites revealed clear immunoreactivity with antibodies against alpha1A (Cav2.1, P/Q-type) and alpha1B (Cav2.2, N-type), but not against alpha1C (Cav1.2, L-type) or alpha1D (Cav1.3, L-type) calcium channel subunits. Moreover, nimodipine, a blocker of L-type calcium channels, had no effect on either electrical or calcium signaling at ON-MC synapses. In contrast to previous evidence, we concluded that in neonatal rats and mice (P5-P8), mitral cells do not express significant amounts of L-type calcium channels, the calcium channel type that is often targeted by beta-adrenergic modulation. The absence of beta-adrenergic modulation on either electrical or calcium signaling at ON-MC synapses of neonatal rats and mice excludes the involvement of this mechanism in early odor preference learning.     

The emergence of cultural self-constructs: autobiographical memory and self-description in European American and Chinese children

This study examined the emergence of cultural self-constructs as reflected in children's remembered and conceptual aspects of the self. European American and Chinese children in preschool through 2nd grade participated (N=180). Children each recounted 4 autobiographical events and described themselves in response to open-ended questions. American children often provided elaborate and detailed memories focusing on their own roles, preferences, and feelings; they also frequently described themselves in terms of personal attributes, abstract dispositions, and inner traits in a positive light. Chinese children provided relatively skeletal accounts of past experiences that centered on social interactions and daily routines, and they often described themselves in terms of social roles, context-specific characteristics, and oven behaviors in a neutral or modest tone. Findings are discussed in light of the self as a constructed meaning system of culture that emerges early in life.     

Psychosocial factors associated with adolescent boys' reports of dating violence

The prevalence of dating violence, as well as its association with psychosocial factors, was examined among a nationally representative sample of 9th- through 12th-grade U.S. boys (N = 7,434) who completed the 1999 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The dependent variable was physical dating violence; the independent variables were violence, suicide, substance use, and sexual risk behavior. Unadjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were examined. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine all significant independent variables from the univariate models. Adjusted OR and 95% CI were examined to assess the significance of these relationships. In terms of prevalence, 9.13% of the boys reported physical dating violence. Boys who reported sad/hopeless feelings (OR = 1.68), had attempted suicide (OR = 2.22), reported fighting (OR = 1.81), had multiple sex partners (OR = 3.53), and reported nonuse of condoms (OR = 1.66) were more likely to report physical dating violence. These findings indicate that physical dating violence among adolescent boys may be a more serious problem than has previously been recognized. It was concluded that intervention programs should include a focus on boys as not only perpetrators but also recipients of dating violence.     

Risk profiles of adolescent girls who were victims of dating violence

The prevalence of dating violence, as well as its relationship to potential risk factors, was examined among a nationally representative sample of 9th-through 12th-grade U.S. females (N = 7,824) who completed the 1999 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The dependent variable was physical dating violence; the independent variables were violence, suicide, substance use, and sexual risk behavior. Unadjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were examined, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the most significant risk factors. It was found that nearly one in ten of the adolescent girls reported dating violence. Twelfth-grade girls had the highest prevalence of dating violence. Girls who were victims of dating violence were more likely to be involved in other violent behaviors, to report extreme sadness and suicidal actions, to use illicit substances, and to engage in risky sexual behavior. Multivariate analysis revealed that dating violence was associated with sad/hopeless feelings (OR = 2.13), binge drinking (OR = 1.96), cocaine or inhalant use (OR = 2.90), multiple sex partners (OR = 2.38), nonuse of condoms (OR = 1.53), and ethnicity, specifically being Black (OR = 2.32) or Hispanic (OR = 1.82). These findings provide further evidence that there is a clustering of risk factors among certain adolescents, specifically girls who experience dating violence.     

Cognitive and motivational processes underlying coping flexibility: a dual-process model

Discriminative facility was proposed as a cognitive process and need for closure was proposed as a motivational process underlying coping flexibility. The dual-process model posits that need for closure influences discriminative facility, which in turn modifies coping flexibility and psychological adjustment. In Study 1, results of structural equation modeling provided support for the dual-process model. This model was further examined using experimental methods (Study 2) and a prospective design (Study 3). Consistent with the dual-process model, results from all 3 studies showed that participants who were more motivated to seek alternative coping strategies tended to encode stressful situations in a more differentiated way. These individuals used a greater variety of strategies to fit different situational demands and were better adjusted.     

真实的思想

哲学在于“指引”。思想是“真”,而非“实”。思想不是某种现实的东西,“真”也不在于符合实在,而在于意义本身。思想是“真”、“实”的统一体。分析哲学运动在“形式化”的进程中,更多地运行在“实”的而非“真”的层面上,因此这场“哥白尼式”的革命运动需要重新审视和定位。     

Sex, competitiveness, and intimacy in same-sex friendship in Hong Kong adolescents

One of the alleged reasons that males report lower intimacy in same-sex friendships than females is that males tend to be more competitive than females, but this assumption has not been empirically tested. In the current study, 121 Hong Kong adolescents filled out Chinese versions of the Intimate Friendship Scale and the Competitiveness Index. As predicted, females reported having more intimate same-sex relationships than males, and they scored lower on competitiveness than males. However, the correlations between scores on the Competitiveness Index and the Intimate Friendship subscales were small and nonsignificant, suggesting that the sex difference in intimacy was not a function of competitiveness.     

Landmark-based spatial search in honeybees. I.

Honeybees were trained to find sugar water in the middle of an array of two landmarks of different colours. Unrewarded tests compared searching on the training array with searching on rotated arrays. On rotated tests, a system using the angles between landmarks would continue to search in the middle. A system using vectors to individual elements would search at locations outside the rotated array at which the distances and compass directions to a subset of landmarks matched. Results indicated that bees used both elements and interlandmark angles, but they relied most on one favourite landmark element. Results support the template model of landmark use in honeybees, with the minor parametric modification that weights given to different elements may be unequal. Received:6 July 1998 / Accepted after revision:7 December 1998     

Perception of classroom environment in Hong Kong: differences between students in junior and senior forms

In Hong Kong secondary schools, students in the senior forms take competitive examinations to proceed to the next level, whereas those in the junior forms have to attend school regardless of their ability and motivation. It was hypothesized that this produces different classroom climates. To test this hypothesis, 602 Chinese secondary school students were administered the short version of the Classroom Environment Scale. Significant differences were found, varying by type of school, on the dimensions of Involvement, Task Orientation, Teacher Support, Competition, Order and Organization, Affiliation, Innovation, Rule Clarity, and Teacher Control. These findings are discussed.     

Brief Exposure to Misinformation Can Lead to Long‐Term False Memories

Do false memories last? And do they last as long as true ones? This study investigated whether experimentally created false memories would persist for an extended period (one and a half years). A large number of subjects (N = 342) participated in a standard three‐stage misinformation procedure (saw the event slides, read the narrations with misinformation, and then took the memory tests). The initial tests showed that misinformation led to a significant amount of false memory. One and a half years later, the participants were tested again. About half of the misinformation false memory persisted, which was the same rate as for true memory. These results strongly suggest that brief exposure to misinformation can lead to long‐term false memory and that the strength of memory trace was similar for true and false memories. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.